18 ACCOUNTS, ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



contents, and by the introduction of additional show-cases. 

 A new edition of the Departmental Guide has been prepared, 

 and is ready for press. 



VIII. Acquisitions of Special Interest. — The additions to 

 the Department of Printed Books during the past year have 

 been of unusual interest and importance. The most remark- 

 able, which alone would have made 1890 a memorable year in 

 the history of the Library, is an unique copy of a production 

 of Caxton's press, the " Sex quam elegantissimse epistolae," 

 which passed between Pope Sixtus IV. and the Kepublic of 

 Venice, from December 1482 to February 1483, and were 

 edited in England by Petrus Carmelianus, an Italian 

 ecclesiastic and man of letters domiciled in this country, some 

 time in the spring or summer of the latter year. The book 

 was purchased from the possessors of the Hecht-Heine 

 Library at Halberstadt, where it was discovered in 1874 by 

 Dr. G. Konnecke, Archivist of Marburg. Up to that time 

 it had been unknown to bibliographers. It is an unique work 

 in every respect, being entirely foreign to the general literary 

 character of Caxton's productions, and perhaps the first 

 independent publication of diplomatic correspondence ever 

 made. By its acquisition the number of Caxton's known 

 publications not to be found in his own country has been re- 

 duced to two. 



Next in bibliographical importance are to be named the 

 acquisitions of rare Spanish books made at the sale of the 

 second portion of the library of Baron Seilli^re, which took 

 place in Paris on May 5-14. Three of these are among the 

 rarest treasures of Spanish literature. One, the romance 

 of the Caballero Platir, Valladolid, 1533, is believed to 

 be unique. Cervantes tells us that a copy perished in 

 the burning of Don Quixote's library. The other two, 

 if less exceptional as curiosities, are of greater literary 

 interest ; the Catalan version of Ovid's Metamorphoses, 

 by Francisco Alegre, Barcelona, 1494, being an invaluable 

 monument of the language; and the Cancionero Espiritual 

 of Bishop Ambrosio Montesinos (Seville, 1537, but composed 

 nearly half a century earlier), being a most characteristic 

 example of the national peculiarities of Spanish poetry, 

 exceedingly rare in all editions, and unique in this. No 

 edition was previously in the Museum. On the same occasion 

 were obtained, with others of much interest, the following 

 books, some, perhaps, no longer to be found in Spain : Marineo, 

 Coronica de Aragon, Zaragoza, 1499, the first Spanish transla- 

 tion ; Coronica del sancto rey Don Fernando tercero, Seville, 

 1526 ; Vives, Instruccion de la Mujer Christiana, Valencia, 1528 ; 

 Perez de Chinchon, Anti Alcorano, Valencia, 1532 ; Villalobos, 

 Problemas, Zaragoza, 1544 ; Ortega, Tratado de Arismetica y 

 de Geometria, Seville, 1542. All these books, except the first, 

 are either unknown to or unseen by Salva in the editions now 

 purchased. At the same time was acquired an exquisite copy of 



the 



