80 
HISTOEICAL SKETCH. 
to the sequence in age of the strata in which they were 
found. Such an arrangement however is only applicable to the 
fossils of a particular region, owing to the great difficulties 
in accurately determining the correspondence in age of forma- 
tions occurring in distant parts of the earth's surface ; hence 
a large and varied palseontological collection, such as that of 
the British Museum, is best arranged in the main upon a 
systematic or zoological and botanical basis. A limited series 
showing the more characteristic rock-formations with their 
included fossil remains, of the British Isles, placed in chrono- 
logical sequence, is arranged in one of the galleries of the 
Geological Department. 
HISTOEICAL SKETCH. 
Foundation. The British Museum dates its actual foundation from the year 
1753, when an Act of Parliament was passed "for the purchase 
of the Museum or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane, and of the 
Harleian Collection of Manuscripts, and for providing One 
General Eepository for the better Eeception and more convenient 
Use of the said Collections and of the Cottonian Library and of 
the Additions thereto." 
Sir Hans Sir Hans Sloane, an eminent physician in London, was for 
Sloane. sixteen years President of the Eoyal College of Physicians, 
and in 1727 succeeded Sir Isaac Newton in the Presidential 
Chair of the Eoyal Society. He was throughout his long 
life a diligent and miscellaneous collector, having, as stated in 
the Preamble of the Act of Incorporation of the Museum, 
" through the course of many years, with great labour and 
expense, gathered together whatever could be procured, either 
in our own or foreign countries, that was rare and curious." 
His collection, which at the time of his death in 1753 was 
contained in his residence, the Manor House, Chelsea, consisted 
of " books, drawings, manuscripts, prints, medals, and coins, 
ancient and modern antiquities, seals, cameos and intaglios, 
