THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 7 



necessary for the accommodation of the normal, daily 

 growth of the collections as it is indispensable, if we 

 would provide for large donations already promised and 

 secure such as our lack of space may, it is feared, be 

 diverting to some other destination. 



Our lack of funds is actual and not prospective and no 

 donor, who has money to devote to the interests of general 

 culture, could do better than by endowing us with a por- 

 tion of his bounty. 



Among the gifts received this year, are six volumes of 

 elegant engravings of the details of East Indian archi- 

 tecture, presented by the Maharaja of Jeypore, with splen- 

 did illustrations of American architecture from another 

 source ; a donation of rare value and interest from Henry 

 Fitz Gilbert Waters, including a copy of Robinson Cru- 

 soe's will ; a Hebrew Bible enclosed in a case measuring 

 lxl|^ inches and worn in Russia as a watch-charm; a 

 complete Parsee presentation costume ; a photograph of 

 an ancient knife handle richly embossed, once the proper- 

 ty of William Burnet Browne of Salem and Virginia, 

 and now in posse.><sion of a descendant alike of his and of 

 the Washington family ; large donations of books, speci- 

 mens and curious articles of household and personal con- 

 venience from the estates of George D. Phippen, William 

 Mack, John Pickering and Miss Bemis ; portraits of 

 Samuel Webb, of Benjamin Wheatland and wife, of Dr. 

 Bentley, of the philologist Pickering and other worthies. 

 In addition to which some effort has been made to save 

 to the future scmie of the vanishing landmarks of our 

 day. Miss Brooks has presented the Institute with a 

 picture of the old Union Insurance Building which stood 

 looking down Market, now Central street, until 1836, and 

 the Institute has secured drawings l)y Mr. George E. 

 Browne of the old Eastern Railroad Station, of the West 

 Gate of the Common, of the historic toll-house and draw 



