There is a separate department of Oriental printed books and manuscripts, established in 1892; and the former antiquities department, dating from 1807, was in 1861 divided into the three which follow.
Greek and Roman Antiquities.— Sir Hans Sloane's small collection was the nucleus of this department, which for a number of years made slow progress. In 1772, by the purchase of Sir W. Hamilton's collections, a number of impor tant vases were secured. and at the end of the same century the Dilettanti Society (q.v.) gave the results of their expedition to Ionia. In 1805 the collection of Grfeco-Roman sculpture formed by Charles Townley was purchased for 120.000. to be followed in 1814 by the Townley collection of bronzes, gems. and coins. In the same year the frieze of the temple of Apollo at Bass:e (see PII !GALT AN MkRBLES) was purchased. It was, however, in 1816 that the most valuable acces sion reached the museum, in the shape of the Elgin Marbles (q.v.), purchased for £:35.000, and including the statues and reliefs from the Par thenon. Since then the display of sculpture has been increased by the Lyeian monuments brought back by Sir Charles Fellows (18421, aml by the results of the excavations at Rali earnassus, Cyrene, Ephesus, and Priene, as well as by the purchase of collections and single monuments. To the vases and small objects have been added the Burgon and other collec tions, including a valuable series of vases from Camiros and Naucratis. The collection of gold, silver. and gems was greatly enriched by the addition of the Castellani collections in 1872-73.
Coins and Medals.—This, whose beginning came from the Cotton and Sloane collections, has grown to be a large and interesting depart ment, arranged as Greek, 1Zoman, Mediaeval and :Modern English, and Oriental. In 1872 L10,000
were spent in purchasing the finest Greek and Roman specimens of the Wigan collection.
Egyptian and Assyrian antiquities (until 1881 called Oriental Antiquities).—This collec tion began With the antiquities which fell into hands at the capture of Alexandria in 1801; but its most valuable acquisitions date from the middle of the century, and are due to Layard, Rawlinson, George Smith. and other fa mous explorers. It is now a singularly com plete and varied collection of Egyptian, Baby lonian. Assyrian. Phomician. and Semitic an tiquit ies.
British and llecliirral Antiquities and Eth nographic Collections.—This was made a sepa rate department in 1:499. and contains all ob jects of this nature found in the British Isles, and others which throw light on life in the Mid dle Ages. The Christy and Stade collections have added much to its value.
Prints and Drowing•.—This magnificent col lection, one of the most complete and valuable of its kind, is arranged in schools, according to the different styles of national art, now includ ing the Japanese. and comprises original draw ings of the old masters, etchings. and engrav ings. The most recent addition of prominence is the famous collection of Mr. John Malcolm.
The expenses of the maintenance and enlarge ment of the museum are paid out of the na tional treasury. the grants amounting sometimes to as much as £150,000. The whole system of arrangement facilitates the use of its collections by students: excellent catalogues and handbooks exist, and, as far as possible. all objects are clearly labeled. Its educational value is very great, and that it is appreciated is shown by the fact that in 1900 the visitors to the museum (exc•usive of readers) numbered 039,249, of whom 43,892 went there on Sunday afternoons.