iii 
vide additional accommodation for them, Montague House proving in- 
sufficient. The present by George III. of Egyptian Antiquities, and 
the purchase of the Hamilton and Townley Antiquities, made it more- 
over imperative to create an additional department — that of Antiquities 
and Art — to which were united the Prints and Drawings, as well as the 
Medals and Coins, previously attached to the library of Printed Books 
and Manuscripts. The acquisition of the Elgin Marbles in 1816 made 
the Department of Antiquities of the highest importance, and increased 
room being indispensable for the exhibition of those marbles, a 
temporary shelter was prepared for them. This was the last addition 
to Montague House. 
When, in 1823, the library collected by George III. was presented 
to the nation by George IV. it became necessary to erect a building 
fit to receive this valuable and extensive collection. It was then 
decided to have an entirely new edifice to contain the whole of the 
Museum collections, including the recently-acquired library. Sir R. 
Smirke was accordingly directed by the Trustees to prepare plans. 
The eastern side of the present structure was completed in 1828, 
and the Royal Library was then placed in it. The northern, southern, 
and western sides of the building were subsequently added, and in 
1845 the whole of Montague House and its accessions had disap- 
peared; while the increasing collections had rendered it necessary to 
make various additions to the original design of Sir R. Smirke, some 
of them even before it had been carried out. The most extensive 
addition, however, is that erected in the inner quadrangle under 
the superintendence of Mr. Sydney Smirke (who had some time 
previously succeeded his brother Sir Robert as architect to the 
Museum). This new building contains the Reading Room and ac- 
commodation for the future increase of the collection of Printed 
Books.* 
In 1827 a fifth department — that of Botany — was created, in conse- 
quence of the bequest by Sir Joseph Banks of his botanical collections 
(besides his library of about 16,000 volumes). 
In 1837 the Prints and Drawings were separated from the 
Antiquities, and became an independent department, and at the 
same time the Department of Natural History was divided into 
two, one of Geology, including Palaeontology and Mineralogy, the other 
of Zoology. In 1857 Mineralogy was constituted a separate depart- 
ment. In 1856 the office of Superintendent of the Natural History 
Departments was created. At the end of the year 1860, the Depart- 
ment of Antiquities was separated into three ; and recently one of 
these has been subdivided into two. At present the Museum is 
divided into eleven departments, viz., Printed Books, Manuscripts, 
Oriental Antiquities, British -and Mediaeval Antiquities and Ethno- 
graphy, Greek and Roman Antiquities, Coins and Medals, Botany, 
Prints and Drawings, Zoology, Palaeontology, Mineralogy, each under 
the immediate care of an " Under Librarian " as keeper. 
* See the description of the New Heading Room and Libraries, sold in the 
Museum, price one penny. 
