ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



IV. Reading Room Service. — The number of volumes returned to the General 

 Library, from use in the Eeading Eoora, is 256,443 ; to the Eoyal Library, 8,453 ; to 

 the Grenville Library, 1,226, and to the closets, in which books are kept from day to 

 day for the use of readers, 194,183. Adding the estimated number of volumes returned 

 to the shelves of the Reading Room, about 830,439, the whole amounts to 1,290,744, or 

 about 4,405 for each of the 293 days during which the room was oj^en to the public. 



The number of readers during the year has been 98,971, giving an average of 338 daily, 

 and, from the numbers above, each reader ajjpears to have consulted 13 volumes per 

 diem. 



V. Additions. — (a.) 30,662 volumes and pamphlets have been added to the Library in the 

 course of the year (including books of Music and volumes of Newspapers), of which 1,157 

 were presented, 6,826 received in pursuance of the laws of English Copyright, 307 

 received under the International Copyright Treaties, 21,502 acquired by purchase, and 

 870 volumes of Newspapers received from the Inland Revenue Offices of the United 

 Kingdom. 



(i.) 21,931 parts of volumes (or separate numbers of periodical publications, and of 

 works in progress) have also been added, of which 251 Avcre presented, 15,804 received 

 in pursuance of the la\AS of English Copyright, 450 received under the International 

 Copyright Treaties, and 5,426 acquired by purchase. 



(c.) The number of sets of Newspapers received from the Inland Revenue Offices of the 

 United Kingdom has been 1,142. Of these, 142 were published in Scotland, 86 in Ireland, 

 229 in liondon, and 685 in the rest of England. In addition to these, owing to the 

 passing of the Newspapers, &c.. Repeal Act, the continuations of the various sets have 

 been otherwise received, and are in course of arrangement, but are not yet sufficiently 

 complete to admit of any details being given. 11 volumes and 230 numbers of old 

 Newspapers belonging to 1 1 different sets, have been purchased. 



{d.) 3,905 pieces of Music have been acquired, each piece complete in itself, of which 

 1,826 were received by English and 689 by International Copyright, and 1,390 purchased. 

 Of 1,350 portions of musical works in progress, 1,052 have been received by English and 

 298 by International Copyright. 1,172 works of Music of greater extent than single 

 pieces, have also been acquired, comprising 630 by English and 226 by International 

 Cojiyright, and 316 by purchase. 



(e.) The number of distinct works comprised in the 30,662 volumes and pamphlets, and 

 21,931 parts of volumes already mentioned, amounted, as nearly as could be ascertained, 

 to 29,054. Of these, 924 have been presented, 6,662 acquired by English and 439 by 

 International Copyright, and 21,029 by purchase. 



5,827 articles have been received in the department, not included in the foregoing 

 enumeration of volumes and parts of volumes, comprising Playbills, single pieces of 

 Music, Broadsides, Songs and Ballads, and other miscellaneous items ; the addition of this 

 number to those already given produces a total of 58,420 articles received in the depart- 

 ment. 



(f.) The number of stamps impressed on articles received is altogether 242,976. In 

 addition to this, 59,774 extra stamps have been impressed on volumes of various collec- 

 tions for further security. 



Among the additions to the Library, the following may be noted: — 



(1.) A valuable collection of Chinese books, consisting of 237 volumes, principally on 

 the religious and superstitious beliefs of the Chinese, throAving considerable light on the 

 modern development of Taouism. Presented by Hugh M. Matheson, Esq., and the 

 Foreign Mission Committee of the English Presbyterian Church. 



(2.) A large acquisition of books printed in Hungary and Transylvania, from the cele- 

 brated library of Istvan Nagy, of Pesth, who had devoted 30 years to forming a remark- 

 able collection of works on the ecclesiastical and jjolitical history of his country. One of 

 these is the earliest work printed in Hungarian, viz., the Epistles of St. Paul, translated 

 by B. Comyathy (Cracow, 1533), with woodcuts. 



(3.) An extensive collection of Polish books, selected from the Grabowski Library, 

 comprising early printed works on the history, topography, and literature of Poland. 

 Among these may be mentioned a remarkable work on Heraldry and Genealogy, by 

 Paprocki, entitled, " The Nest of Virtues," printed at Cracow in 1578, in folio, and con- 

 taining woodcuts of Polish Nobles in their national costume. 



By these two acquisitions, in addition to what had been previously accomplished in this 

 direction, the Museum can now boast not only of the earliest book printed in Hungarian, 

 but also of possessing the best Hungarian and Polish collections out of Hungary and 

 Poland, and even of many rare books not to be found in either of the two countries. 



(4.) A large purchase of books from the libraries of the suppressed monasteries in 

 Portugal, sold at Coimbra, in March 1870, under an order of the Portuguese Govern- 

 ment. 



(5.) Many 



