|6 ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Correspondence and literary papers of Conyers Middleton, d.d., author of the "Life of 

 Cicero," including letters of John, Lord Hervey, of Ick worth ; 1718-1750. Three 

 volumes. 



Common-place books and recollections of the Rev. John Mitford, editor of Gray's 

 Works, etc., including political, literary, and social anecdotes, and table-talk; 1847-1856. 

 Seventeen volumes. 



State papers of the Government of Buenos Ayres, comprising correspondence and 

 reports on the settlement of the Malvinas or Falkland Isles and Patagonia ; on the 

 expulsion of the Jesuits; and on hostilities with the English; 1767-1809. Seven 

 volumes. 



Diary of Alexander Chesney during the American War of Independence. 



Journals of expeditions up the river Niger, by Dr. W. B. Baikie, R.N. ; 1854-1857. 

 Presented by Robert Cust, Esq. 



The entire collection of rubbings of sepulchral brasses which has hitherto been de- 

 posited in the Department of Prints and Di-awings has been transferred to this Depart- 

 ment. 



E. Maunde Thompson. 



Department of Oriental Manuscripts. 



I. — Arrangement and Cataloguing. 



The descriptive list of the MSS. acquired in 1884 has been transcribed for use in the 

 Heading Room. The same MSS. have been entered into the Oriental Register and the 

 Oriental Inventory. 



A descriptive list of the MSS. acquired in 1885 has been drawn up, and full descrip- 

 tions of a portion of the same MSS. have been prepared for the special catalogues. 



The revision of the descriptive list of Oriental MSS. has been carried on from Add. 

 iy,727 to Add. 27,561, and from Or. I to Or. 300; the additions and corrections resulting 

 from that revision have been entered into the Reading Room copy of the list. 



Arabic and Persian MSS. acquired since the publication of the respective Catalogues 

 have been added to the printed indexes. 



References to printed works have been collected for the Turkish Catalogue in course 

 of preparation. 



One hundred and ninety-nine MSS- have been labelled, folio'd, and, all but a few, 

 bound, stamped, and placed on the shelves. 



II. — Acquisitions. 



The MSS. acquired during the year arc 190 in number, viz., 152 by donation and 

 o8 by purchase, as follows : — 



Persian __-__-. -98 



Arabic ---------39 



Turkish - - - - - - - - 16 



Hebre-w „-_-,--- 14 



Pashtoo -------- 10 



Pali _ - . - 3 



Japanese --------3 



Sanskrit __--,---2 



Sindi 2 



Hindi 1 



Beluchi _____---l 



Shan ---------1 



Total - - - 190 



Colonel S. B. Miles, Her Majesty's Political Agent at Muscat, presented 26 MSS. 

 collected by himself chiefly in Southern Arabia, the most remarkable of which are : 

 Shams-al-'Ulum, an Arabic Lexicon by Nashwan-al-HImyari (died a.h. 573), in six 

 large volumes, two of which are duplicates, written in the 17th and 18th centuries. A 

 iull commentary upon the Himyariyyah, a historical poem of the same author. Kitab- 

 al-Tijan, a history of the Himyarite kings of Yemen, by Ibn Hisham (died a.h. 218), 



with 



