INTRODUCTION. 
Xlll 
other Royal Donations, though not of such 
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¬ 
seum was originally so inconsiderable as scarcely 
to deserve any particular notice ; but this deficien¬ 
cy was amply supplied when, in the year 177 2 ^ the 
admirable collection of Sir William Hamilton, 
K.B. was added to the Repository . Sir William 
Hamilton having,during a long residence at Naples 
! as his Majesty’s Envoy, had many favourable 
i opportunities of acquiring a great number of arti- 
i cles of Greek and Roman antiquity, particularly 
the largest store then known of ancient vases, 
usually 
South Sea 
Curiosities. 
Egyptian 
Antiquities. 
Parliament. 
The Hamilto¬ 
nian collection « 
