BOOK III, THE OF THE GRENVILLE and these the finest, Aldine editions were purchased by him, for the same reasons. The Hora in Greek, printed by ALDUS in 16°, in 1497, is a volume which, from its language, size, and rarity, is of the greatest importance for the literary and religious history of the time when it was printed. It is therefore in Mr. GRENVILLE'S Library. The Virgil of 1501 is not only an elegant book, but it is the first book printed with that peculiar Italic, known as Aldine, and the first volume which ALDUS printed, "forma enchiridii," as he called it, being expressly adapted to give poor scholars the means of purchasing for a small sum the works of the classical writers. This also is, therefore, among Mr. GRENVILLE's books; and of one of the two editions of Virgil, both dated the same year, 1514, he purchased a large paper copy, because it was the more correct of the two. 'It was the merit of the work, the elegance of the volume, the "genuine" condition of the copy, &c., which together determined Mr. GRENVILLE to purchase books printed on vellum, of which he collected nearly a hundred. He paid a very large sum for a copy of the Furioso of 1532, not because it was " on ugly vellum," as he very properly designated it, but because, knowing the importance of such an edition of such a work, and never having succeeded in procuring it on paper, he would rather have it on expensive terms and "ugly vellum," than not at all. 'By the bequest of Mr. GRENVILLE's Library, the collection of books printed on vellum now at the Museum, and comprising those formerly presented by GEORGE II, GEORGE III, and Mr. CRACHERODE, is believed to surpass that of any other National Library, except the King's Library at Paris, of which VAN PRAET justly speaks with pride, and all foreign competent and intelligent judges with envy and admiration. In justice Chap. V. FOUNDER OF THE LIBRARY. to the Grenville Library, the list of all its vellum books BOOK III, ought to be here inserted. As this cannot be done, some THE only of the most remarkable shall be mentioned. These are-the Greek Anthology of 1494; the Book of Hawking GRENVILLE of JULIANA BERNERS of 1496; the first edition of the Bible, known as the "Mazarine Bible," printed at Mentz about 1454; the Aldine Dante of 1502; the first Rationale of DuRANDUS of 1459; the first edition of FISHER On the Psalms, of 1508; the Aldine Horace, Juvenal, Martial, and Petrarca, of 1501; the Livy of 1469; the Primer of Salisbury, printed in Paris in 1531; the Psalter of 1457, which supplies the place of the one now at Windsor, which belonged to the Royal Collection before it was transferred to the British Museum; the Sforziada, by SIMONETA, of 1490, a most splendid volume even in so splendid a Library; the Theuerdank of 1517; the Aulus Gellius and the Vitruvius of Giunta, printed in 1515, &c. &c. Of this identical copy of Vitrivius, formerly Mr. DENT's, the author of the Bibliographical Decameron wrote, "Let the enthusiastic admirers of a genuine vellum Junta―of the amplest size and in spotless condition-resort to the choice cabinet of Mr. DENT for such a copy of this edition of Vitruvius and Frontinus." The Aulus Gellius is in its original state, exactly as it was Panizzi's when presented to LORENZO DE' MEDICI, afterwards Duke Report to of Urbino, to whom the edition was dedicated.' Parliament, as above. CHAPTER VI. OTHER BENEFACTORS OF RECENT DAYS. - CREATION OF THE NEW DEPARTMENT OF 'Amidst tablets and stones, inscribed with the straight There were, moreover, to be seen amid the strange 'A Museum of Antiquities-not of one People or period C. T. NEWTON (Letter to Col. Mure, 1853). Scantiness of the Notices of some Contributors to the NaturalHistory Collections, and its cause.-The Duke of BLACAS and his Museum of Greek and Roman Antiquities.-Hugh CUMING and his Travels and Collections in South America.-John RUTTER CHORLEY, and his Collection of Spanish Plays and Spanish Poetry.George WITT and his Collections illustrative of the History of Obscure Superstitions.-The Ethnographical Museum of Henry CHRISTY, and its History.-Colonial Archeologists and British Consuls: The History of the WOODHOUSE Collection, and of its transmittal to the British Museum.--Lord NAPIER and the acquisition of Book III, Chap. VI. BENEFAC TORS OF DAYS. THE INADE QUACY OF THE NOTICES OF NATURAL- AND ITS No reader of this volume will, in the course of its perusal, have become more sensible than is its author of a want of due proportion, in those notices which have occasionally been given of some eminent naturalists who have RECENT conspicuously contributed to the public collections, as compared with the notices of those many archæologists and book-gatherers who, in common with the naturalists, have been fellow-workers towards the building up of our National Museum. I feel, too, that my own ignorance of natural history is no excuse at all for so imperfect a filling-out of the plan which the title-page itself of this volume implies. I feel this all the more strongly, because I dissent entirely from those views which tend to depreciate the importance of CAUSE. the scientific collections, in order (very superfluously) to enhance that of the literary and artistic collections. Far from looking at the splendid Galleries of mammals, or of birds, or of plants, as mere collections of book-plates,' gathered for the 'illustration' of the National Library, or from sharing the opinion that the books and the antiquities, alone, are 'what may be called the permanent departments of the British Museum' (to quote, literally, the words of a publication* issued whilst this sheet is going to press, words which seem somewhat rashly-considering whence they come to prejudge a question of national scope, and one which it assuredly belongs alone to Parliament to settle), * A Handy-Book of the British Museum, for Every-day Readers.' 1870 (Cassell and Co.). BOOK III, Chap. VI. OTHER RECENT THE FORMA- THE NEW DEPART MENT OF BRITISH AND MEDIEVAL ANTIQUI TIES. I regard these scientific collections as possessing, in common with the others, the highest educational value, and as also possessing, even a little beyond some of the others, a special claim, it may be, upon the respect of Englishmen. That speciality of claim seems to me to accrue from the fact, that two of the early FOUNDERS, and one of the most conspicuous subsequent BENEFACTORS of the Museum, were pre-eminently Naturalists. Such was COURTEN. Such was SLOANE. Such was Sir Joseph BANKS. I shall have erred greatly in my estimate of the regard habitually paid by a British Parliament to the memory of the eminent benefactors of Britain, if, in the issue, it do not become apparent that such a consideration as this will weigh heavily with those who will shortly—and after due deliberation and debate have to decide pending questions in relation to the enlargement and to the still further improvement of the British Museum. Be that however as it ultimately shall prove to be, if the Public should honour this volume with a favourable reception, it will be its author's endeavour (in a second edition) to supplement, by the knowledge and co-operation of others, the ignorance and the deficiencies of which he is very conscious in himself. In resuming the notices connected with the now truly magnificent Collection of Antiquities, we have to glance at the organizing of a new Department' in the Museum. During at least two generations it has been, from time to time, remarked-with some surprise as well as censure that the British' Museum contained no 'British' Antiquities. Sometimes this criticism has been put much too strongly, as when, for example, one of the recent biographers of WEDGWOOD thus wrote (in 1866, but refer |