150TH BIRTHDAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 455, 13 March 1909, Page 12

150 TH BIRTHDAY.

WONDERFUL EXPANSION OF BRITISH MUSEUM. Tlio 160 th anniversary of the opening of the British Museum to the public took place in January. liio Museum with its vast ramifications was originally started for "providing 0110 general repository for tlio bettor reception and moro convenient, use" of the collections of manuscripts brought together by Sir Hans Sloauo, the Harleian Assemblage, and the Cottontail Library. Montague House, liloomsbury, was tlio original destination ot the Museum, but public preferred to christen tho place in their own way, and the numo of Montague House was eliminated from their, topography, So great was tlio pressure at the British Museum that, to } facilitate the work of' research among students a quarter of a century ago, it was found desirable to transfer tho History Collections to the new museum' at South 1 Kensington. ' ,Tho contents of the British Museum, so ; far as numbers are concerned, easily surpass the record of tho famous library destroyed at Alexandria. In the manuscript department there aro upwards of GO,OOO volumes, not taking into account the Greek, Coptic, and . Latin papyri, and the charters and seals. In the printed book department, a rough computation places tlio number of tlio > 2,000,000 volumes under the keeping of tiio librarian, and by the Copyright Act there is a stipulation that the National collection should have for its use a copy of every work published. The annual increase of volumes is roughly 50,000 volumes. Every newspaper j published under the protection.of tlio various i Acts of Parliament linds a repository at tlio Museum. The influx of these volumes was so great that three years ago it was found necessary to transfer tho newspaper volumes to ' a new establishment at Hondon. A day's notice, however,, will bring any volume to the inquirer at tlio. museum in Bloomslmry. j As 'to tho housing accommodation of tl'ic , various collections, additions are frequently necessary. Recently a site 400 feet long, with , a width of 170 feet, has been obtained, and at a cost of a sum approaching a quarter of a million a largo extension of the building is to bo made.