xxvii 



rare and curious set of Chronicles, connected with the history of the nations of 

 the North of Europe, including a complete series of Icelandic Sagas, compiled 

 and published under the supervision of the Arnaean Magnaean Society, and 

 the auspices of the Danish Government. 



To the University of Copenhagen the public owe their acknowledgments 

 for help cordially given to this Library, and to that of our University also. 



The assistance afforded by the British Government has admitted of the 

 expansion of some branches of civil history, polity, and political science, the 

 deficient condition of which had hitherto been felt by the public. The Lords 

 of the Treasury, obligingly moved by Mr. Peel, gave their sanction to an 

 application addressed to them ; and the War-office, the Ordnance, and the 

 Admiralty, furnished an extensive supply of military and naval history, surveys, 

 maps, and charts, with which branches of information the Library has been 

 hitherto imperfectly provided. 



The Boards of Trade and of Education gave a comprehensive series of 

 their publications. The Trustees of the British Museum all the books issued 

 by their authority, together with a Facsimile of the Old Testament from the 

 Alexandrine Codex, six volumes folio a noble present, suggested by the 

 courteous attention of the Librarian, Mr. Panizzi. 



Lord Kussell was pleased to allow Mr. Hertslet, of the Foreign Office, to 

 collect for presentation a selection of papers not usually procurable except 

 through such influence. To these, and others not specifically enumerated here, 

 for which the Trustees have already expressed their thanks, are to be superadded 

 copies of the Votes and Proceedings of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 

 comprised in nearly 2000 volumes*, which the public owe to the high considera- 

 tion of Lord Redesdale and the Speaker ; and, also, the voluminous labors of the 

 Record Commission and the Rolls publications, which throw upon English history 

 some of the most important lights discovered in modern times, for which the 

 public are indebted to the bounty of Sir John Romilly, the Master of the Rolls. 



The form in which the first Catalogue was drawn up has been adhered to, 

 not alone to preserve uniformity between the original volume and its immediate 

 sequel, but because it is considered that most, if not all, of the requirements 

 of an easily understood and ready means of access to the contents of the 

 Library are by it fulfilled. 



An actual classification of the books as shown in the diagrams which 

 follow the Preface is made in the book-cases, visible to and within the 

 comprehension of the casual observer. Each compartment contains one leading 

 division of learning, with its immediately affiliated or cognate subdivisions and 

 sections. The index furnishes an abbreviated synopsis of the contents of each 

 compartment, and a reference from it to the alphabetical text will enable 

 the reader to satisfy himself with full particulars respecting the book of which 

 he is in search. 



The number in 1880 is 2,300. 



