REPORT 



OF THE 



SECRETARY AND LIBRARIAN 



FOR THE YEAR 1897. 



In attempting to write a report of the work in this department 

 during the 3-ear now closing, I am confronted with the same diffi- 

 culty which has been encountered in former years — the fact that 

 the work of one year is so similar to that of another, though never 

 precisely the same in its details, that the report of one year must 

 necessarily bear a strong general resemblance to that of another. 



The Schedule of Prizes was, as I hoped when I presented my 

 last report tliat it would be, read}' and sent by mail with other 

 documents to every member some days before the close of the 

 year, and I trust that we may be able to do the same with the 

 Schedule for 1898. 



The publication, since my last report, of the List of Library Ac- 

 cessions in a separate pamphlet, as Part III. of the Transactions 

 for 1895, affords a better opportuuit}' than ever before to judge of 

 the rapidity with which the Library is growing. The first publica- 

 tion of the full list of additions to the Library was in 1860, when 

 it filled about two pages ; in 1895 it filled sixty pages. Since my last 

 report Part II. of the 'I'ransactions for 1896 has also been completed 

 and published. As soon as I could see my way through these two 

 publications, that of Part I. for 1897 was taken in hand. Four 

 of the lecturers in the winter course having taken their papers home 

 for revision, the first thing to be done was to recall these, and this 

 was attempted early in June. One was received quite promptly ; 

 another, after three written requests, came to hand about the first 

 of August, and a third a little later; but the fourth, notwithstand- 

 ing many and urgent requests, was received only yesterday. Being 

 one of the earliest in the course, it blocked the printing of all 



