ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MOSKUM. 



prepared by the Superintendent of tlie Heading Room, Mr. Fortescue. It is through 

 the press and M'ill soon be ready for use. 



The Departments of Oriental and of Greek and lioman Antiquities have suffered from 

 the loss of their Keepers, officers of distinguished attainments and great experience, 

 Avho had presided over them for many years. The death of Dr. Samuel Birch created a 

 vacancy in the Establishment whicli the neglect of the study of Egyptology in this 

 country vrould have made it difficult to fill, had it not been that Mr. Le Page lienouf 

 was found willing to transfer his services from another public department to tlie Museum. 

 Mr. Renouf's knowledge of hieroglyphics, and of the hieratic and demotic characters, 

 will enable him to continue the work of description ot the li^gyptian Papyri commenced 

 by Dr. Birch. During the long period of Dr. Birch's service as an officer of the Depart- 

 ment of Antiquities, and as Keeper of the Oriental Section, it was his good fortune to 

 see an enormous extension of the collection by the addition of the Assyrian Marbles and 

 Antiquities brought to light by Sir Henry Layard and increased by subsequent excava- 

 tions, and by the acquisition of a very large number of highly important inscribed cylinders 

 and tablets from ancient Nineveh, and from Babylon and its neighbourhood. 



As Keeper of the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities for many years, 

 Mr. Newton was prompt in availing himself of opportunities of making im];ortant 

 additions to these collections, as in tlie purchase of the Castellani Gems and Jewellery, of 

 Sculptures from the Farnese Palace, of the Blacas collection of Sculpture, Vases, &c., as 

 well as of individual works of the highest interest. He had also the satisfaction of finally 

 arranging in a room built fcr the purpose the remains of the Mausoleum, excavated by 

 himself on the site of Halicarnassos, and of bringing into systematic arrangement the 

 general collection both of sculpture and smaller objects. 



The increasing number of private lectures on several branches of antiquities shows 

 a growing disposition to give studious attention to the collections. Miss J. E. Harrison 

 has given 35 lectures on Greek Art; Mr. W. St. Chad Boscawen has delivered 13 lectures 

 to very full classes on the Assyrian and Babylonian Antiquities; Mr. J. F. Hodgetts has 

 lectured on Mediasval Antiquities ; and other lectures have been given on Greek Sculp- 

 tures and Egyptian Antiquities. The whole number of lectures during the year amounts 

 to 88. The practice of giving demonstrations from the objects exhibited to small classes 

 is also on the increase, and suggests the hope that this most attractive form of teaching 

 may before long be systematically established. 



When the studies of Archjeology and Ethnograpliy become more generally accepted as 

 Y^roper to a higher education, the difficulty of finding a suitable lecture-room will 

 have to be met. At present rooms temporarily unoccupied have been used for the purpose, 

 but this means of accommodation cannot be relied on for continuance, and none of the 

 rooms devoted to the exhibition of the collections can be at all conveniently converted into 

 lecture-rooms. 



Entire sets of the Museum publications or selections have been presented to Free 

 Libraries and to several other public institutions in the United Kingdom. 



Sets of electrotypes of selected Greek and Roman coins have been presented to the 

 Borough Museum of Sunderland, the Art Galleries of Wolverhampton and Oldham, the 

 Bolton Museum, and the Free Library and Museum of Brighton. 



Photographic reproductions of Italian prints have also been presented to art galleries 

 and libraries in the United Kingdom. 



A selection of 250 duplicate engravings and a set of the electrotypes of Greek and 

 Roman coins have been lent to the Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum for temporary ex- 

 hibition. 



The following are the publications issued from Departments at Bloomsbury during the 

 year : — 



Continuation of the General Catalogue of the Library: Folio, 36 

 Parts, viz. : 



Academies: — I., II., III. ; Bel. — Ben.; Ben. — Ber. ; Berg. — Bern.; Bi^sse 



Bibla. ; Bib.— Bil. ; Bil.— Bks. ; Bl.— Bli. ; Bli.-Bod.; Boe.— Boi. ; Bui.- Bon. : 

 Bon. — Bos.; Bos. — Bou. ; Bou. — Boy. ; Brah. — Bran.; Brav.— Bretz. ; Bre. — Bri. ; 

 Bri. — Bro. ; Bro.— Bru. ; Bru. — Brux. ; Bruy. — Budc. ; — C. — Cies. ; Cres. — Cain. ; 

 Calo. — Camp.; Cap. — Car.; Cari. — Carq. ; Carr. — Cash.; Cas. — Cat.; Cic. — 

 Cla. ; Horatius ; Iceland; Periodical Publications, I., II., III. 



Catalogue of Accessions to the Library. Folio. 



Sections A. and B. — New English and Foreign Books, 15 Parts. 



C. — Old English Books, and works in Foreign Languages printed in England, 



3 Parts. 

 D.— Old Foreign Books, 4 Parts. 

 F. — Cross-References to Main Titles from Old Catalogue, 3 Parts. 



OAOJ. B Catalogue 



