The Smithsonian Library 295 



Thus, the library of the founder, James Smithson, which con- 

 sists of 115 volumes and a collection of manuscripts, became 

 the property of the Institution. 1 



The Duke of Northumberland presented, in 1859, a series 

 of expensive illustrated works, privately printed, relating to 

 the local history of the county which bears his name. 2 



The library which belonged to the National Institute and 

 contained a large number of valuable books, especially relat- 

 ing to meteorology and ethnology, passed into the possession 

 of the Smithsonian Institution. 3 



A large number of catalogues of libraries and of public 

 institutions of the United States were collected ; those of 

 colleges were turned over to the Bureau of Education, form- 

 ing the nucleus of its present collection. 



In 1852 the Institution received from Mr. J. O. Halliwell, 

 of England, 54 volumes, mostly folios, of original documents, 

 consisting of bills, accounts, inventories, legal instruments, 

 and other business papers, extending from 1632 to 1729, and 

 intended to illustrate the history of prices in England. 



The Prussian Government presented a copy of the great 

 work on Egypt by Lepsius, and later that distinguished 

 scholar himself presented a complete collection of his own 

 works. The Ministry of Public Instruction at Paris sent the 

 " Description de 1'Egypte," published by order of Napoleon 

 the First. 



The Royal Library of Dresden presented a series of 232 

 original discourses or theses and tracts written by Luther 

 or his contemporaries. The Reverend Doctor Morris, then 

 librarian of the Peabody Institute at Baltimore, said of this 

 collection that it was interesting to the bibliographer because 

 all the copies were first impressions, and not reprints. 



1 See " Smithsonian Report," 1857, page 35. 

 2 Ibidem, 1859, page 103. 3 Ibidem, 1862, page 1 6. 



