INTRODUCTION* 
Xlll 
other Royal Donations, though not of such South Se* 
J % ° Curiosities . 
extent as those just mentioned, must not, 
however, be here altogether omitted : such are 
a collection of Natural and Artificial Curiosities 
from the N. W. Coast of America, brought 
home in 1796, by Mr. Menzies ; and several 
single books of great value and utility. 
Lastly, our army in Egypt having acquired, 
by the capitulation of Alexandria in 1801 , 
many articles of Egyptian antiquities, which 
had been selected and shipped with a view 
of being transported to France ; these acquisi¬ 
tions were sent to England in 1802 , and were 
immediately ordered by his Majesty to be placed 
in the British Museum. 
The number of antiquities contained in the Mu- Parliament. 
The Hamilto- 
seum was originally so inconsiderable as scarcely man Collection, 
to deserve any particular notice; but this deficien¬ 
cy was amply supplied when, in the year 1772, the 
admirable collection of Sir William Hamilton, 
K. B. was added to the Repository. Sir William 
Hamilton having, during a long residence at Na¬ 
ples as his Majesty’s Envoy, had many favorable 
opportunities ofj acquiring a great number of arti¬ 
cles of Greek and Roman antiquity, particularly 
the largest store then known of ancient vases, 
usually. 
