PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 97 



assistance was generously and readily given for two years. A surplus in 

 the hands of the committee for the reception of the Britisii Association in 

 1897, was also handed over to the Institute, for the purpose of increasing tiie 

 number and completing such sets as it was desirable either to buy or perfect. 

 This work is now being carried on by your library committee, a number of 

 sets have been completed during the past year, and an accurate list has been 

 made of the balance, to obtain which persistent efforts will be made. Most 

 of the miscellaneous books have been exchanged or sold, and all the available 

 space devoted to the publications of Societies. The library of the Institute is 

 therefore strictly specialized as a Science library, not limited to any one l>rancli 

 of Science. It contains to-day about 7,000 bound volumes, containing the annual 

 or biennial publications of 588 societies. These societies are scattered over the 

 civilized world, wherever men are thinking and working on scientific lines. The 

 mere list of countries is suggestive, as I go over them in alphiibetical order : 

 Algeria, Argentine Republic, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Brazil, Brilisli (Juiana. 

 Canada, Chili, China, Cape Colony, Costa Rica, Cochin-China, Denmark, K([ua- 

 dor, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, India, Ireland, 

 Italy, Japan, Java, Mexico, New South Wales, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, 

 Portugal, Queensland, Roumania, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Straits Settlement, 

 Sweden, South Australia, Switzerland, Tasmania, Tunis, Turkey. United Slates, 

 Uraguay, Victoria, West Indies, forty-seven in all. Some of the countries have 

 so recently entered the field of Science, that it is ditticult to realize the change 

 which has taken place in a hundred years. That Algeria or Cociiin-China, or 

 Java, or Costa Rica should be there, is one of the features of the 19th century, 

 which marks it off from all preceding eras. Down nearly to the middle of 

 the 18th century, Latin was the common language of Science in Europe, and 

 the use of a common tongue did much to extend scientific knowledge, at a time 

 when the number of students in each country was limited. But now the 

 vulgar tongue prevails within certain limits, for we find that though these five 

 hundred and eighty-eight sets represent forty -seven countries, they only require 

 fourteen languages. English has 281, French 100, German 89, Italian 42, 

 Spanish 34, Norwegian 9, Swedish 8, Dutch 8, Russian 5, Hungarian 4, Danish 3, 

 Portugese 2, Latin 2, Modern Greek 1. As might be expected their subject 

 matter is extremely varied. A large number of societies like our own, include 

 within their publications, original papers on any subject of scientific research. 

 The number of sets pubished by these general societies is two hundred and 

 eighteen, and the remaining three hundred and seventy are divided thus : — 

 Chemistry 5, Botany 14, Geology 29, Archajology 25, Engineering 39, Philosophy 25, 

 Geography 40, Philology 7, Entomology 6, Astronomy 11, Biology fi, Physics 

 and Mathematics 12, Zoology 4, History 28, Meteorology 13, Ethnology and 

 Anthropology 38, Agriculture 9, Medicine 8, Statistics 10, Law 8, Mineralogy 1, 

 Microscopy 7, University Papers 21. 



The yearly increase is about two hundred and fifty volumes. The number 

 of papers or treatises in each volume may be estimated at an average of ten. 

 which fairly represents 70,000 separate books. 



Let us now compare our situation with that which prevails in older countries. 

 In all these it may safely be said that they point to the number and «|uality of 

 their libraries, and the use that is made of them as one of the evidences of 

 their culture and intelligence. The nation without such marks of learnuig. is 

 lower in rank in the scale of civilized peoples, and one of the distinguishuig 

 marks of its rise, is the number of libraries which are established. Ouistandmg 

 above all others in English speaking countries, is that of the British .Museum 

 with its 2,000,000 printed books and manuscripts, and 200,000 pamphlets, with 

 its readers from all parts of the world, and its yearly increase by purchase, 

 donation and copyright of 27,000 volumes, and 67.000 serials a.id parts of books 

 In English books it is the richest in the world, and in the literature o 

 France, Italy, Russia. Germany and Austria it is only second, if indeed second 

 to the National Libraries of these countries. Its collection of American books 

 is equal to anything on this side of the Atlantic, and its Oriental litemture is 

 not rivalled by any of the great cities of the Ea.st. The United Kmgdoni 

 also possesses in addition over three hundred libraries, ranging from five thousand 



