Gifts.

Linnaean dissertations.

An especially noteworthy gift was received from the Duke of Berwick and Alba through the Spanish Ambassador, Señor Don Juan Riaño y Gayangos, comprising the following: "Biblia (Antiguo Testamento) Traducida del Hebreo al Castellano por Rabi Mose Arragel de Guadalfajara (1422-1433?) y publicada por el Duque de Berwick y de Alba," 2 volumes, Madrid, Imprenta Artística, 1920, "El Embajador Fuensalida en las Cortes de Maximiliano. Doña Juana la Loca y Catalina de Aragón" by the Duque de Berwick y de Alba, and "Discursos leídos ante la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando en la recepción pública del Excmo. Señor Duque de Berwick y de Alba."

Through the enthusiastic aid and cooperation of Doctor Swingle, chairman of the library committee, Department of Agriculture, our collection of the "Dissertations" of Linnaeus has now become probably the largest of its kind in the United States. During the past year it has been considerably augmented, both by gift and purchase. Doctor Hulth, of Uppsala, Sweden, and Doctor Ljunggorn, of Lund, Sweden, have also been of aid, and have shown their keen interest by presenting to the Library, as indicated in the following pages, 49 of these dissertations. In our collection of "Dissertations" we have a good set of those of the University of Uppsala. Many of these inaugural dissertations of Linnaeus, although apparently written by his students as their graduation theses, were, as a matter of fact, dictated by Linnaeus,

who corrected them and allowed his students to publish them. In certain cases Linnaeus supervised and corrected reprints of the dissertations, and in such reprints took editorial liberty with the text, so that in many cases it is necessary to consult the original editions, as they often differ from the reprints.

Linnaeus originated the so-called binomial system of Gifts names for plants and animals, now used throughout the world, and great importance is attached by students of taxonomic botany and zoology to the original publications of the binomial names of plants and animals. From this it will be realized that the Library's collection of Linnaean dissertations is not only of great importance to scientific investigators but it is also of great bibliographical interest as well.

Mr. Evelyn Briggs Baldwin, in addition to his interest in Arctic exploration (organized and commanded the Baldwin-Ziegler expedition and was second in command of the Wellman polar expedition) has taken a keen interest in genealogical research. He has presented a large collection (several thousand sheets) of photostatic and typewritten records taken from the original sources in the public record office and Somerset House in London and the prerogative court of Canterbury, England, and from parish registers, etc. He has also presented a copy of his book "The search for the North Pole; or, Life in the Great White World."

From the American University, Washington, D. C., through Dr. Albert Osborn, secretary, 3,601 volumes and pamphlets were received comprising the reports of proceedings of the Methodist Episcopal Conferences in many parts of our country for the period 1844-1924. This gift, in supplying many missing items and making our particular series more complete, is very acceptable.

The District of Columbia Bar Association made a noteworthy donation of 862 volumes of briefs and records of the Supreme Court of the United States left by the late Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller covering the period, 1888-1910. By association these volumes are an interesting accession as they were collected by the late Chief Justice Fuller during his service in the Supreme Court

and were bound for his own use. They will prove of much value as reference works.

From the Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., a collection of 628 volumes of publications in Chinese. This gift is given in more detail in the report of Doctor Swingle.

Mrs. Ida Husted Harper, for many years identified with various movements on behalf of women, has presented a volume "Final Victory for National Woman Suffrage" (completing the series), a collection of letters, books, pamphlets, and photographs relating to Miss Clara Barton and the activities of the American Red Cross, a collection of Congressional Records covering the debates on "Prohibition" and "Woman Suffrage," and also numerous pamphlets on analogous subjects.

The aggregate of 22,401 items received by gift from individuals and organizations other than official is unusually large. While showing an increased interest from these sources, the significance of the gifts as a whole lies chiefly in their wide distribution geographically, and the recognition of this, The National Library, as an appropriate repository.

We should welcome listing each important gift. As this would not be feasible, we are simply indicating certain of the items:

From The Academia de la Historia, Havana, Cuba, a collection of publications on historical subjects; by bequest from the estate of the late Second Assistant Secretary of State Alvey A. Adee, a collection of masterpieces of Japanese art, in three volumes; from Prof. Karl Albert, Wien, Austria, three works on the photo-mechanical process; from the author, Prof. Geoffroy Atkinson, Amherst, Mass., "Les relations de voyages du XVIIe siècle et l'évolution des idées"; by bequest from the estate of Mrs. Carrie White Avery, a "manuscript account book (ca. 1803-1805) of an official in Dumfries, Prince William Co., Va.," and 3 volumes of "Louisiana Records" (typewritten); from the author, Dr. William Seaman Bainbridge, New York City, a copy of "Le problème du cancer," Louvain, 1924; from Mrs. W. H. Baldwin, Washington, D. C., a collection of 162 volumes and 304 pamphlets on scientific and miscellaneous sub

c., New York City, an additional set of ges and Papers of the Presidents" (20 volu . Antonio Sánchez de Bustamante y Sirvér uba, a copy of each of his works, "El tri anente de justicia internacional" and "P digo de derecho internacional privado"; harles Henry Butler, Washington, D. C., a 52 pamphlets comprising reports of comm apers presented at the Stockholm conferen the International Law Association; from apart, Fondation Egyptologique Reine Elisal ls, Belgium, a collection of 47 volumes and lating chiefly to Egyptian art and archaeo r. Samuel P. Carter, Washington, D. C., estamentum per Desiderium Erasmum Rote tverpiae apud Martinum Cesarem, 1536," a la Semana. Santa segun el missal y breviar Amberes en la archiemprenta Platinian ɔm President Tsao Kun, of the Republic rough Hon. Jacob Gould Schurman, M

China, a sumptuous and beautifully executed copy of the "Life of Confucius"; from Mr. William Andrews Clark, jr., Los Angeles, Calif., a copy of Vol. III of the series "Wilde and Wildeiana," entitled "Miscellaneous Writings, Writings of the Wildes, and Wildeiana," also "Some letters from Oscar Wilde to Alfred Douglas, 18921897. With illustrative notes by Arthur C. Dennison, jr., and H. Post, and an essay by A. S. W. Rosenbach," both works with a perfection of form given to them by the press of John Henry Nash; from Comité Cultural Catalá de New York, a collection of "Memorias" and also a collection of Catalan translations of the classics from Xenophon, Cicero, Plato, and Sèneca; from Mr. William A. Delano, New York City, a copy of "L'histoire merveilleuse de Christophe Colomb," by Jean Paul Alaux; from Mr. Edward Epstean, of the Walker Engraving Co., New York City, a collection of 82 volumes and pamphlets on the photo-mechanical processes; from His Imperial Highness, Crown Prince and Regent of Ethiopia, Ras Tafari Makonenn, Addis Abeba, Abyssinia, through President J. Knox Montgomery, Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio, 15 volumes of Abyssinian literature; from the author, Lord Farrer, Abinger Hall, Dorking, England, a copy of "Some Farrer Memorials"; from the author, Mrs. Millicent G. Fawcett, London, England, a copy of "The Woman's victory-and after: Personal Reminiscences"; from the author, M. Louis Franck, Brussels, Belgium, a copy of "President Roosevelt, karakterschets"; from Mr. Henry S. Fraser, Ithaca, N. Y., a copy of "The memoranda of William Green," secretary to Vice-Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot in the American Revolution. Edited with introduction and notes by Henry S. Fraser; from Fuh Tan University, Kiangwan, Shanghai, China, a collection of nine publications, chiefly in Chinese, relating to library science; from Mme. Charlotte de Gaeoze, National Council of Women of Hungary, Washington, D. C., a collection of 12 publications relating to Hungarian history and art; from Mrs. Elizabeth J. Guyles, Manitowoc, Wis., "The works of Shakspere," Imperial edition, edited by Charles Knight, 2 volumes;