Semitic Museum Report.

The annual report of the Semitic Museum, by the Curator, Professor D. G. Lyon, states that during the past year the matter of chief interest in this department has been the erection of the Semitic Building. It is expected that the building will soon be in use, but owing to the absence of the Curator, the collections of the Museum will have to remain where they are until next summer. Until last June no provision had been made for supplying the building with cabinets, furniture and library conveniences, but in that month, Mr. Jacob H. Shiff, founder of the Museum and donor of the building, gave $10,000 for the purpose.

Several gifts have been received by the Museum during the past year. They include nineteen fragments of papyri with Greek inscriptions, from Egypt, dating from the early centuries of the Christian era, and a handsome Egyptian mummy case.

The larger part of the report is devoted to showing the desirability of having the Semitic Museum undertake various explorations on its own account. It states that there are several obvious reasons why the Museum should undertake explorations in Egypt. For many centuries Egypt was intimately related to the Semitic world, and it is certain that a well-planned and vigorous expedition would bring to light many of the treasures still lying beneath its soil. Several European governments and learned societies are displaying great activity in Egyptian excavations, and owing to this activity the chances for success in this field are decreasing with each passing year. In order to begin this work for Harvard $10,000 a year is needed for at least five years.

It is also the earnest wish of the Semitic Department that Harvard should conduct explorations in Babylonia-Assyria, from which country have come the most impressive of all Semitic discoveries. Another field which invites the departments more strongly than any other is Palestine. Little exploration has yet been done there, yet Palestine is so important in the world's history that even small results in the number of objects found would reward large expenditure of time and money.