orders 1-12 and index," Galveston, 1867, "District of Texas, 1866, General Court Martial orders 2-6, also index," Austin, Tex., 1868; "District of Texas, 1867, General orders 1-44 and circulars 1-27, also index," Austin, Tex., 1868. Early session Every opportunity is taken advantage of to complete PURCHASES: our collection of the early American session laws and laws. during the year certain notable additions have been made as follows: "The Laws, and Acts of the General Assembly of His Majesties Province of Nova Cæsarea or New-Jersey, As they were Enacted by the Governour, Council and General Assembly, for the Time being, in divers Sessions, the first of which began in November, 1703, [New York]", Printed and Sold by William Bradford, Printer to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty for the Province of NewJersey, 1717, being the Second Collected Edition consisting of 9 items bound in one volume. North Carolina session laws: January, 1779, 3d session, 38 p., May, 1779, 1st session, 4 p., October, 1779, 2d session, 34 p., April, 1780, 1st session, 16 p., September, 1780, 2d session, 11 p., December, 1791, 1st session, 32 (2) p., Edenton, Printed by Hodge & Wills, November, 1816 (public and private), 54 p. Our collection of early journals, already considerable, Early journals. has been increased by the following important items: North Carolina journals, General Assembly, House of Commons: April, 1784, [Halifax: Printed by Thomas Davis, 1784], 71 p., November, 1790, 91 p., December, 1791, 64 (2) p., November, 1792, 63 p., December, 1794, 60 p., November, 1796, 54 p., [Edenton, printed by Hodge & Wills]; Senate: December, 1791, 48 p. [printer not given], November, 1792, 52 p., December, 1794, 48 p., November, 1796, 47 p. [Edenton: printed by Hodge & Wills]. As an auxiliary science to history, genealogy is considered of sufficient importance to merit a progressive development. Among the more important purchases PURCHASES: of this year the following may be noted: "Les Genealogies des tres illvstres et tres puissans Princes les Ducz de Lorraine Marchis, par Genealogy, Incunabula. Edmond du Boullay," . Paris, pour Vincent Sertenas, Napoli, por por net und hrsg. von C. H. von Gelbke," Berlin, G. Reimer, 1832; "Baltisches Wappenbuch hrsg. von Carl Arvid von Klingspor" . . . Stockholm, F. & G. Beijer, 1882; "Aachener Wappen und Genealogien. Ein Beitrag zur Wappenkunde und Genealogie Aachener, Limburgischer und Jülicher Familien von Herm. Friedr. Macco,' Aachen 1907; "Reports of proceedings in peerage cases, copied from manuscript notes relating to Baronies by Writ," consisting of 9,000 folios, London, House of Lords, is of value to students of Peerage law and as source material for genealogy. A number of interesting and desirable incunabula were noted in dealers' catalogues during the year but the prices asked were prohibitive. The three incunabula acquired are here noted: Firentino, Venice, 1524, one of the characteri the end of the fifteenth century; "L'Histo cesseurs de Alexandre le Grand extraícte Sícílíen," . . . Translatee par messíre Claude Paris, 1530; "Tirante il Bianco valorosissim .. Di lingua Spagnola nello idioma nostro Lelio di Manfredi tradotto," Venice, 1538, p irst Italian translation; "Les observations ingvlaritez et choses memorables, trouuées en ndée, Egypte, Arabie” . . . Par Pierre Belo Paris, . . . Gilles Corrozet, . 1553, fi tolemaei "Planisphaerivm," Venetiis, A Ein kurtzer vnd gründlicher bericht lei ůnstlich aller art Sonnen vhren zu mache chem gebrauch aller Kunstliebenden gestel ndream Schöner, Nürnberg, 1561; "Or entivm uperij Habitus & effigies. In eosd pannem Bellerum, 1572; "Ecclesia Milita andvm," Dilingae, ... 1573; "Polydori Exchanges. Sr. Don Pedro Manuel Arcaya; from Sir W. Willcocks, Heluan, Cairo, Egypt, two copies of the "Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark in Egyptian"; from Mr. Albert T. Witbeck, Shreveport, La., a copy of "De Ludo Equestri ab Henrico VI... Norimbergae celebrato . . . Ioh. Christoph. Gatterer . . . Altorfii," Meyer, 1752; from Mr. J. H. Yarnall, Washington, D. C., a collection of early Washington and Georgetown newspapers, etc. Gifts from publishers, including gifts of various imported books and other noncopyrighted books, numbered during the year 263 volumes. These were received in connection with our printed card service. For each of these books furnished a catalogue card is printed for use in our regular catalogue and in the catalogues of the many subscribing libraries that use our cards and card proof sheets. Notable gifts of manuscripts, maps, music, and prints will be given in detail in the reports of the several divisions directly concerned with their care. Certain important exchange transactions which have been accomplished during the year may be of interest. We refer particularly to those with the University of Michigan, University of Chicago, Harvard University Business Library, and Duke University. On the part of the Library of Congress and the universities indicated, it consisted of the usual exchange of duplicates. Of the material so far received by the Library of Congress it might be well to mention a group of rarities sent by the University of Michigan (William L. Clements Library). This group consisted of 44 parts, handsomely bound, of the Latin and German editions of the de Bry voyages ("Grands et Petits voyages"), not before represented in the other three sets in the Library of Congress. Several significant collections of material were, during Transfers from the year, transferred under the law, from various departments of the Government, to the Library of Congress: Government partments. de Incident to a reorganization of its library, the Department of State transferred to us a collection of 1,314 volumes. While all of the volumes were desirable, several groups may be mentioned: (a) A number of volumes of Confederate States printed official documents; (b) a number of volumes bearing imprint of the period prior to and during the American Revolutionary War dealing with the political problems of that time. From the Department of Justice two separate collections were received: (a) A collection of 2,775 volumes and pamphlets on radicalism, many of them being published and issued by various radical organizations—a large percentage in foreign languages. They will prove of decided interest as source material for any history of this particular movement that may be written; (b) a collection of 4,166 volumes and pamphlets and 125 bound volumes of newspapers. This collection is composed chiefly of books on foreign and international law and was a very acceptable contribution to our already well-developed collection of comparative law. The receipt by transfer of a great number of maps and atlases from the Department of State, War Department, Geological Survey, and the Indian Office was significant, reaching a total of 6,514 items. These are dealt with further in the report of the chief of the division of maps, Colonel Martin. During the year the prices of what may be termed Purchases; "book rarities" have continued to advance to a noteworthy extent. This has been due, in a measure, to the keen competition among private collectors (including many recent newcomers), dealers, and certain libraries and other similar institutions. Fortified in many cases with unlimited funds, and having the fixed determination to obtain the items which they desire, these competitors have forced the prices to a level obviously artificial. reaction to the readjustment now going on in our economic life is also, to a limited extent, a contributing factor. The The keen competition is particularly noticeable at book auctions, which are one of our chief sources for obtaining certain of the items of our lists of desiderata. A mere glance at the prices fetched during the past year for Americana and for other desirable material to round out certain of our collections, shows the futility of our attempting, at present, to obtain any of the desirable. |