"At a meeting of the Council of the American Antiquarian Society, held at the office of the Manufacturers Mutual Fire Insurance Company in Worcester, Sept. 23, 1837, at 9 o'clock A. M., Doct. John Park in the chair * chose Samuel F. Haven Librarian and Cabinet Keeper." Is it too much to say that the day which secured to this Society forty-three years of such faithful and distinguished service as Dr. Haven rendered, should stand second only to the day of its incorporation?

It has been a pleasant incident of recent library life to have aided Miss Hewins, somewhat, in the gathering of material for her history of children's books. Our founder was one of the first, if not the first, to issue little books for children, reprints of English and other publications, which he carefully adapted to American home life, and, what is now more to our purpose, thoughtfully preserved for our shelves. To these we have added some early juveniles from the Brinley Sale, making our present collection a very attractive as well as historically useful one.

The Card Cataloguing of our books and bound pamphlets is nearly completed, and the equally, and perhaps more important work upon our great mass of unbound pamphlet literature, can-thanks to Mr. Salisbury-soon be entered upon. We are often reminded of the truth of the following paragraph in Mr. Winsor's Harvard College Library Report of 1878: "There are no considerations except economy for treating pamphlets other than as books; and the users of a library are never thoroughly equipped for investigation so long as any distinction is made between them."

Attention is called to the forth-coming circular letter to members lately ordered by the Council. It will include the usual call for biographical memoranda, lists of individual works, photographs, etc., and it is to be hoped will meet with an unusually full and prompt response. Even in cases where we already have earlier photographic presentations we shall expect to be favored with the later.

Since the last report there have been presented to the Society five hundred and seventeen books, seventy-seven hundred and sixty-three pamphlets, ninety-one volumes of newspapers, fourteen photographs, eight maps, three manuscripts, one engraving, and various articles for the Cabinet. We have received by exchange three hundred and nineteen books, six hundred and seventeen pamphlets, and four volumes of newspapers, and from the binders forty-two volumes, making a total library increase for six months to the 15th instant of eight hundred and seventyeight books, eighty-three hundred and eighty pamphlets, ninety-five volumes of newspapers, seventeen photographs and the other articles above stated. For these gifts we are indebted to two hundred and eight sources, namely, to thirty-eight members, ninety-six persons not members, and seventy-five societies and institutions. Attention need hardly be called to the valuable and unique gift of Messrs. Salisbury and Thompson which so fittingly adorns the Salisbury Annex, for it is a leading feature of this occasion. Mr. Thompson has shown the same industrious and painstaking enthusiasm in completing his great work—aided to be sure here by our skilled mechanics-as was shown by him in the beginning in the wilds of Yucatan. The fortunate presence of the young consul and explorer will prevent further allusion to him at this time.

The amateur photographers of the Society who have thus far reported progress in their labors in historical and archæological lines, are Messrs. Paine of Worcester, Thompson of Merida, and Harden of Savannah; and specimens of their good work are laid upon the table for your careful inspection. Your librarian's desire that this important department should at once take its place as a working force was expressed in a previous report. There are others of our members who are skilled in this specialty, whom we hope to enlist in our cause. Mr. Alfred S. Roe, principal of the Worcester High School,

66

has been thoughtful of our needs in this direction. His latest gift is his excellent photograph of Redempton Rock in Princeton, Mass.-the property of our President-which bears the following inscription: Upon this rock May 2, 1676, was made the agreement for the ransom of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson of Lancaster, between the Indians and John Hoar of Concord. King Philip was present, but refused his consent." By persistent and long-continued effort Mr. Roe has nearly completed our set of the Methodist Quarterly Review. Thanks are due to Dr. Samuel A. Green for an important addition to our school book literature; and to Hon. William W. Rice for a very large gift of government publications. Dr. Justin Winsor has sent his recent publications, and Hon. Isaac Smucker, and Dr. William F. Poole western periodicals, containing contributions from them. Dr. John Beddoe presents with his acceptance of membership in the Society his well-known "Races of Great Britain," and William A. Smith, Esq., a rarity for the alcove of Slavery and Rebellion. Hon. J. Carson Brevoort has added eight more volumes to his Japanese collection, five volumes to the Davis Spanish-American alcove, and others to the general library. Hon. Edward L. Davis has furnished a mass of pamphlet and periodical publications relating to the Protestant Episcopal Church, and American Railroads, and our Secretary, Hon. John D. Washburn, has done the same kind office for the department of Insurance. The value of such examples of continued interest in specialties is apparent.

We have received the annual address of our associate Col. Charles C. Jones, Jr. before the Confederate Survivors Association in Augusta, Georgia, and a word of commendation may here be dropped in view of the biographical, historical and statistical material which he weaves into these addresses. They are in this respect unlike the ordinary Memorial Day or Fourth of July orations. Mrs. Samuel F. Haven has placed another instalment of books in the Haven

alcove, and has added the Unitarian Review, in continuation, to our Periodical Alcoves. Mr. Clarence W. Bowen has given the results of some of his historical studies, while Dr. Eben N. Horsford has placed us under obligations by the gift of Zeisberger's Indian Dictionary, of which he is the editor. Gen. William S. Lincoln continues his habit of laying aside for us "The Orient" and other Bowdoin college literature, making us desire such a representative for every college in the land. Mr. Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., has kindly placed in our alcove of Genealogy his two brochures on the Winthrop family in Ireland and in America. Capt. Eugene H. Newton has wisely added to our war files of confederate newspapers the Montgomery (Ala.) Weekly Advertiser of January 8, 1862 to September 21, 1864, brought by him from the South during the late war of the Rebellion. Being well aware of the value of such testimony he is unwilling longer to risk it in a private house. Mr. William H. Whitmore, chairman of the Record Commission of Boston, forwards a copy of their photo-elecrotyped reproduction of the laws of Massachusetts of the Edition of 1672, with all the additions obtainable. It has been compared with our own which is a perfect copy but with fewer of the supplementary pages than in the Athenæum copy from which this is made, and will be of peculiar value in our fine collection of Massachusetts Laws, Journals and Resolves. Mr. J. W. A. Wright of Livingston, Alabama, for whom we have had photographed "the Alabama Stone" which has been so long in our possession, has given us copies for service rendered. He is to use the illustrations in his work upon some of the early explorers of the South. The receipt from the Connecticut State Library of two regimental histories along with the annual contribution of state documents, indicates "State Aid" in a direction which is highly commendable. Every State may well order extra copies of such works, when they are reliable, and thus secure their publication. They would be useful to any State library in the way of exchange.

Our thanks are due to the society's printer, Mr. Charles Hamilton, and to its binders, the sons of the late Mr. Joseph S. Wesby, for the large gifts of their pamphlet accumulations, of many years. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin sends a copy of its catalogue of 1617 titles of books, pamphlets and manuscripts relating to rebellion and slavery. It would be interesting to compare such a list with one of what has been secured by Cornell, Princeton, the Massachusetts Historical Society, or by our own society. It is a most attractive field, and the State of Wisconsin has been far-sighted in providing so liberally for its cultivation.

The foregoing acknowledgments will suggest that it is not thought wise wholly to give up the custom of calling attention to some of the gifts of peculiar interest or value. The question has been asked, why separate the list of donors and donations, which is hereto appended, into three classes instead of using one alphabetical arrangement for the whole. The latter plan would certainly be more simple, but it may be that it would not so readily call attention to the contributions of our members and thus incidentally to the wants of the society.

Our exchanges, which we endeavor to conduct in a broad and liberal spirit, have seldom brought us better returns than during the past six months. For instance, from Columbia College we have received in addition to seventy volumes relating to biography, slavery and rebellion, fortythree volumes of the publications of the Hakluyt Society; from the Detroit Public Library seventy-seven volumes chiefly biographical, and from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin one hundred and sixty-nine carefully selected titles. We have lately made special efforts to serve in this direction the American Baptist Historical Society, the American Catholic Historical Association, the Kansas Historical Society and the Registrar of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. We have also tried to aid one of our honored members in collecting the imprints of his own