ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



II. — Acquisitions. 



Sixty-six Oriental MSS. have been acquired during the year, sixty -two by purchase, and 

 four by donation, as follows : — 



Cingalese - - - - - - - -15 



Japanese _._----- 14 



Samaritan --------9 



Armenian _------- 7 



Persian -_-.--. -6 



Hebrew .. -_--.-_o 



Arabic ---------3 



Sanscrit __----__2 



rali 2 



Syriac --------- 1 



Chinese -___--__ 1 



Marathi --------1 



Total - - - 66 



The most important acquisitions of the year are the following three collections : 



1. Eleven palm-leaf MSS., collected by the late Rev. Robert Spence Hardy, or tran- 

 scribed for him, during his residence in Ceylon, 1825-1847, and containing Cingalese 

 commentaries on the sacred books of the Buddhists and histories of Southern Buddhism. 



2. A collection of narratives of Japanese travels in foreign countries, in seventy-four 

 volumes, now bound in fourteen, collected by J. W. McCarthy, Esq. 



3. Nine Samaritan MSS. purchased of Ya'kub al-Shalabi, of Nablus, Palestine, compris- 

 ing a Samaritan Pentateuch of A.D. 1356, an Arabic translation of the samCj of A.D. 1323, 

 a vellum roll, containing a portion of the Book of Numbers written apparently in the 

 11th or 12th century, some Samaritan service-books, and a work in defence of Sama- 

 ritan tenets. 



Apart from the above collections, the following W SS. deserve special notice : — 



Al-Sulwah fi Akhbar Kilwah, a history of Zanzibar in Arabic. Presented by Sir John 

 Kirk, late Consul General in Zanzibar. 



A Chinese treatise on the art of Government. Presented by Edward Gllbertson, 

 Esq. 



Sammoha-VinodanT, a Pali commentary on the Vibhanga, a portion of the Buddhistic 

 Canon, Presented by Mrs. T. J. Holmes. 



The Arabic Divan of Jabra'il Lubnani, a Maronite monk, wTio visited Italy at the 

 close of the 17th century. 



Ibn Ezra's commentary on Exodus, and David Kimchi's commentary on the Former 

 Prophets ; 15th century. 



Mafteach ha-Refuah, a medical work, by Elisha ha-Rofe, of the I4th century. 



The Musnad, or collection of Hadlth by Ahmad Ibn Haubal. An Arabic MS. of the 

 12th centm*y. 



Jami' ul-Hikayat, a collection of historical anecdotes, compiled a.h. 625, by Muham- 

 mad 'Aufi. Persian, a.d. 1332. 



Hablb us-Siyar, the universal history of Khwand Amir. Persian, 16th century. 



(The above three MSS. belonged to the late Rev. H. G. Keene, Professor of Arabic 

 and Persian at the East India College, Haileybury). 



Five copies of the Armenian Gospels, dated respectively, a.d. 1207, 1281, 1307, 1317, 

 and 1485, four of which contain miniatures and marginal ornaments. 



A Mashdotz, or Armenian ritual, of a.d. 1311. 



Hadikat ul-'Alam, a history of the Deccan, by Mir 'Alam and Tuhfat ul-'Alam, or 

 the Memoirs of Abd ul-Latlf Shushtari. Persian. 



Riyaz ush-Shu'ara, a biographical dictionary of Persian poets, by Ali Kuli Khan Valih, 

 A fine copy written for the Talpur Amir of Sind, a.h. 1216. 



The Divan of the Persian poet Sa'ib, a fair copy of the 17th century. 



(The last three MSS. are from the library of the late E. B. Eastwick, Esq.) 



The Syriac New Testament, according to the Peshitta version, a.d. 1202. 



A copy of the Hebrew Bible with the Massora, handsomely written, apparently 

 in Italy, about the beginning of the 14th century, and ornamented with illuminated 

 headings. 



The number of Oriental MSS. consulted during the year was 1368, viz., 682 in the 

 Department of MSS., and 686 in the Reading Room. 



The number of visits made by readers for the purpose of consulting Oriental MSS. 

 was 259. 



Ch. Rieu. 



