a This includes 145 volumes added to the reserve collections. These tables indicate a considerable decrease in the net accessions as compared with the preceding year, to be accounted for in part by the practical closing of the sources of supply in continental Europe and in part by unusually large deductions of material through consolidation in binding and through exchanges, transfers, and returns. The eliminations, however, though considerably above the average of recent years, were greatly exceeded in 1906, 1908, and 1909. While no considerable collection of books was received by Gifts gift, the aggregate of gifts from thousands of sourcesprivate, corporate, and official-reached the considerable total of 28,285 volumes. Among these may be mentioned "The collection of arms and armor of Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, 1843-1909, by Bashford Dean," one of 300 copies printed, the gift of Mrs. Rutherfurd Stuyvesant. Mrs. Whitelaw Reid gave a copy of: The Royal commission on the losses and services of Oxford, Printed for presentation to the members of the "Dedicated and presented to the president and mem- One of the reprints made to replace a part of the original edition, lost when the "Arabic" was sunk. cf. slip inserted. The artist Jan V. Chelminski presented a fine copy of his work entitled: "L'armée du duché de Varsovie, par Jan V. Chel- Mr. H. Yamawaki, Commissioner General of Japan to the Panama-Pacific Exposition, presented a set of "Japanese RETREAT, MUSSOORIE The LIBRARIAN, PUBLIC LIBRARY (read Library of Congress) Washington, D. C., U. S. A. DEAR SIR: While on a world tour last year I had the good fortune of spending some months in your beautiful country, when I visited your world famous Library as well. Though greatly struck with the variety and richness of the literary treasures stored in your institution, I must confess I discovered with something like a shock the total absence of any books in the living languages of India. In order to introduce at least one of these languages to the vast numbers of your readers, I am taking this opportunity of presenting, on behalf of the Nagri Pracharni Sabha, a literary research society in Benares, a set of their publications, as well as a few books on my own behalf. I hope that you would be good enough to accept these books and place them in a prominent position in your Library in order to attract the attention of, and create interest in, your various visitors. My desire is to introduce this language in your land through your Library. It is essential that I should mention here that the get-up and binding of the books are not up to your mark. A poor land like ours can not afford to sell literature in costly prints and bindings. Moreover, allow me to remind you of the famous words of the still more famous Swami Vivekananda: The East carries diamonds wrapped in rags," and I do not doubt that competent scholars would discover rare gems in these books. I would further state that the books are all in the Hindi language, which is well known as one of the most ancient of the living languages of the world. It is a language spoken by about 125,000,000 people, and is unsurpassed for beauty of expression and depth of thought. I might mention here that one of the sets sent"Prithvi Raj Raso"-in three volumes, dates from the thirteenth century Vikrama-i. e., twelfth century after Christ-while others date from the various centuries after that up to the present time. When I find any indication of some interest in these books taken by yourself and other friends, I shall be glad to induce other publishers of Hindi books to send you their publications as well. Inclosed please find the bill of lading of the case of books sent through Messrs. Balmer, Lawrie & Co. Meanwhile, I remain Yours truly SHIVA PRASAD GUPTEE Naudan Saluis St., Benares City, U. P. India American importing publishers gave some 83 imported works, including 43 from the John Lane Company, 23 from the Frederick A. Stokes Company, and 8 from the Funk and Wagnalls Company. Mr. P. Lee Phillips, Chief of the Division of Maps and Charts, gave a valuable supplement to Cushing's "Initials and pseudonyms," in five folio manuscript volumes, the results of many years of research by the giver. PURCHASES: My report for 1914-15, in reviewing the growth of our East Asiatic collections, made briefest mention of an under- collections taking then in progress to supplement and symmetrize the collections, an obligation not merely to American scholarship and in particular to the immediate needs of the scientific bureaus of the government but also to the development of American influence in the Orient. For both the project and its execution in detail the Library is indebted to the interest and enterprise of Dr. Walter T. Swingle, of the Bureau of Plant Industry, in the practical benefits of whose 64394°-16-3 Asiatic of the oriental works in the libraries of Washington and Chicago. To his own impressions of oriental literature he brought the advice and counsel of native scholars in China and Japan. His commission to purchase for us resulted in adding to our shelves 271 Chinese works in 13,061 chüan (books) bound in 4,945 volumes, 176 Japanese works bound in 770 volumes, 3 Korean works bound in 7 volumes; 2 sets of Chinese and 9 sets of Japanese periodicals (2,169 numbers) bound in 170 volumes; making a total of 5,892 volumes (1,409 volumes received between March 20 and June 30, 1915, and 4,481 volumes received since July 1, 1915). The endeavor was to supplement our existing resources along lines likely to prove important in the near future. The more significant groups embraced in the present acquisition were these: (a) Early printed books. Block printing was practiced in China centuries before the introduction of the art into Europe, but the Library of Congress has hitherto possessed but few early specimens. In spite of the extreme rarity of such books Dr. Swingle obtained enough very ancient Chinese imprints to make our collection notable, to be ranked among the best in Western countries. (b) Chinese historical and descriptive works published during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and early sixteenth centuries, covering the period of first contacts with Europeans. These works are rare and very expensive, but a considerable number covering the early part of the Ming dynasty were secured, including at least one very important work supposed in China to have been lost. |