REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 28 



and second series of tbe Portfolio, in wliicb, nearly half a century aj?o, 

 the late Mr. William Pollard Urqiihart began h's series of articles on 

 the political history of Europe. In the pages of the Diplomatic Review 

 will be found Itussian secret dispatches, together with other rare and 

 interesting documents on the history of Europe from the time of the 

 Protocol of April 4, 1826, for the "Pacification of Greece," to the end of 

 the Servian war, in 187G. Besides these scarce documents, the Diplo- 

 matic Review contains many original works of Mr. Urquhart, and a mass 

 of the transactions of the Foreign Affairs Committees of Workingraen 

 formed by him at the time of the Crimean war. 



Among these papers. the following may be mentioned: Will of Peter 

 the Great, brought to Paris by the Chevalier d'Eon in 1757 ; Danger to 

 the Political Balance of Europe, by Gustavus III, King of Sweden, 

 1791; Protocol of a Conference at Constantinople between the British 

 Ambassador and the Divan on the Connexion of Russia with the Greek 

 Revolt, 1822; Memoir of Count Bernstorfif to the King of Prussia on 

 the means of annexing the Minor German States, 1831, &c. 



On the 18th of April, 1885, in i)ursuance of the above-mentioned 

 notice, a printed circular was sent to over 400 of the i^rincipal libraries, 

 educational institutions, and kindred establishments, to the following 

 effect : 



This Institution is iuformed by the Conductors of The Diplomatic Eeview of England, 

 that " a set of the twenty-five volumes of the Review, stitched and wrapped in seven 

 books," will be presented to your library "on the condition of your binding them, so 

 that they may be safely preserved for reference." 



The Diplomatic Review extends from the 13th of October, 1855, to the 3d of Jan- 

 uary, 1677, and contains rare and interesting documents relative to the history of 

 Europe from 1826 to 1876. It is proper to notify you that the successive volumes were 

 printed in different sizes : 



Book I is in folio, aud comprises two volumes. 



Books II, III, and IV, are quarto, comprising sixteen volumes. 



Books V, VI, and VII, are octavo, comprising seven volumes, and supplement. 



Please notify this Institution whether this offer is accepted by your library ; or, if 

 you have already received a set, whether you desire another on the same terms. 



Replies to the above were received as follows : 236 accepted the en- 

 tire set ; 8 desired portions to complete partial sets previously received, 

 and 43 declined, generally on the ground that the character of the in- 

 formation contained in the Review did not come within the scope of 

 the library. Quite a number of libraries have not noticed the circular 

 or the offer contained. 



A list was prepared, and sent to Mr. C. D. Collet, of those libraries 

 which accepted, and inasmuch as the sets were all declared to be more 

 or less incomplete, preference was given to the more important libra- 

 ries, in order that the volumes might reach the greatest number of 

 readers. 



Newfoundland Postage on Exchanges. — An arrangement has been made 

 with the postmaster- general of Newfoundland b}' which all matter re- 



