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brandt's Drawings, one volume, quarto; Da Vinci's Drawings, one vol- 

 arae, quarto; " Galerie de Florence;" Angerstein Gallery; Ancient 

 Sculpture, by the Dilettanti Society; Perrault's "Hommes Illustres ; " 

 Sadeler's Hermits ; " Theuerdank, " a fine copy of the very rare 

 edition of lol9 ; Meyrick's Armour ; Hope's Ancient Costumes, and 

 more than one hundred volumes besides, mostly in folio or quarto, either 

 composed entirely of valuable engravings, or in which the text is pub- 

 lished for the sake of the illustrations of fine or decorative art. 



The collection of critical and historical works, in the various depart- 

 ments of the fine arts, comprises about three hundred volumes of the best 

 ■works in the English, French, German and Italian languages, including 

 whatever is most needed by the student of art in all its branches. 



Engraving seems to be the only branch of the fine arts, which we can, 

 for the present, cultivate. One good picture or statue would cost more 

 than a large collection of prints. The formation of a gallery of the best 

 paintings, is, in this country, almost hopeless. Engravings furnish U8 

 with translations, authentic and masterly, of the best creations of genius 

 in painting and sculpture, the originals of which are utterly beyond our 

 reach. Engraving, too, is more than a mere imitative art. The mas- 

 ter's genius shines forth from some of the free and graceful etchings of 

 Rembrandt almost as vividly as from his canvas. 



It can hardly be doubted, that, in no way, could this Institution, for 

 the present, do so much for every department of the fine arts, without 

 injury to other objects of its care, as by procuring a collection of engra- 

 vings, so full and so well chosen as that which now adorns its Library. 



Another department of the Library which has received special atten- 

 tion, is that of bibliographical works. I need not here repeat what I 

 have already said upon the importance of these books. A librarian can 

 no more do Avithout them, than a mechanic can work without tools, or a 

 chemist perform experiments without apparatus. Our collection of them 

 is already very respectable ; nor have the books been without great use 

 since they were placed upon our shelves. The announcement, early made, 

 that we proposed to form such a collection, not solely for our own use, 

 but also for the benefit of other LibrarieSj^^has been read and noted. A}>- 

 plications from all parts ^pf the country are now made for information and 

 assistance, which these books enable us to give. 



The books Vv'hich we have received under the copyright section of our 

 cliarter, form a popular portion of the Library. Among them are works 

 of great value and importance. The Law books, alone, are worth more 

 than five hundred dollars. The Medical books are of considerable value. 

 Many interesting works of local history, thus find their way to our shelves, 

 which we should otherwise not be likely to be acquainted with. The 

 ■works of fiction, poems, critical essays, and even the school books, have, 

 in this Library, a worth beyond their intrinsic or exchangeable value, as 

 specimens to he handed down to posterity of the literary characteristics of 

 tliis generation. The list of periodical publications is intended to include 

 the best journals of literature, science and art, in all languages. 



It is perhaps, too soon to begin to speak of the use made of the Librarj, 

 it is not ten months, since the books, few as they are, were first arranged 

 ID the western wing of the Smithsonian building ; and the adjoining " con- 

 necting range," fitted up for a reading room. Yet this time has been 

 long enough to show the great interest which attaches to such an estab- 



