REPORT 



OF THE 



COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY 



FOR THE YEAR 1897. 



As usual, we fiud little to say about the affairs of the Library ; 

 the same report would suffice year after year with the alteration 

 of a few words. The sums of money which we have received from 

 the Society and from the income of the Stickney Fund have been 

 expended in the usual way, and the increase of the Library by 

 purchase has been about the same as in previous years. The 

 Librarian's list will contain all the titles, and it is not necessary, 

 therefore, to make especial mention of many. The most important 

 of the works which we have been receiving part by part, Sargent's 

 " Silva of North America," is now complete with the exception of 

 two volumes, one of wliich will probably be at hand by the end of 

 the year. 



The books and pamphlets which we have obtained otherwise 

 than by purchase have been as numerous as those we have bought ; 

 and we would make especial mention of a beautiful book presented 

 by Mr. James Herbert Veitch, F.L.S., F.R.H.S., of the firm 

 of James Veitch & Sons, descriptive of his journeys in the East 

 and in Australia and New Zealand. The work is very valuable, 

 not only for its text, but its illustrations, and is, moreover, a book 

 which we could not easily have come by, since it was printed for 

 private circulation only and not for distribution by the trade. 



A year ago we stated that the regular force of the Library 

 would probably be able to do the needful work upon the card 

 catalogue of plates in the future. This expectation seems to 

 have been well founded, and much of this work has been done in 

 the past year. We regard this catalogue as a possession as valu- 

 -able as it is unique ; when we look at this great array of drawers 



