ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



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

 Library, from vise in the Reading Room, is 264,260; to the Royal Library, 10,440; to 

 the Grenville Library-, 935 ; and to the presses in which books are kept from day 

 to day for the use of readers, 210,80L Adding the estimated number of volumes 

 returned to the shelves of the Reading Room, about 830,223, the whole amounts to 

 1,316,659, or about 4,509 for each of the 292 days during which the room was open to 

 the public. 



The number of readers during the year has been 105,.006, giving an average of 360 daily, 

 and, from the numbers above, each reader appears to have consulted on an average 

 13 volumes per diem. 



Y. Additions. — (a.) 29,853 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 1,354 

 were presented, 8,345 received in pursuance of the laws of English Copyright, 353 

 received under the International Copyright Treaties, and 19,801 acquired by purchase. 



{h.) 30,554 parts of volumes (or separate numbers of periodical publications, and of 

 works in progress) have also been added, of which 378 were presented, 17,796 received 

 in pursuance of the la\vs of English Copyright, 683 received under the International 

 Copyright Treaties, and 11,697 acquired by purchase. 



(c.) The number of sets of Newspapers published in the United Kingdom and received 

 under the provisions of the Copyright Act during the past year has been as follows, 

 viz. : 253 published in London, 872 in other parts of England and Wales, 133 in Scotland, 

 and 126 in Ireland, 73 volumes, and 62 numbers of Newspapers belonging to 40 

 different sets, have been purchased, and 150 volumes and 146 numbers belonging to 40 

 different sets, have been acquired by donation. 



{d.\ 2,892 pieces of Music have been acquired, each piece complete in itself, of which 

 1,885 were received by English and 932 by International Copyright, and 75 purchased. 

 Of 1,790 portions of musical works in progress, 1,277 have been received by English and 

 513 by International Copyright. 1,752 works of greater extent than single pieces have 

 also been acquired, comprising 1,140 by English and 417 by International Copyright, and 

 195 by purchase. 



(e.) The number of distinct works comprised in the 29,853 volumes and pamphlets, and 

 30,554 parts of volumes already mentioned, amounted, as nearly as could be ascertained, 

 to 31,207. Of these, 1,155 have been presented, 8,617 acquired by English, and 597 by 

 International Copyright, and 20,838 by purchase. 



5,871 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, Parliamentary Papei's, and other miscellaneous 

 items ; the addition of this number to those already given produces a total of 66,278 

 articles received in the department. 



(/.) The number of stamps impressed on articles is altogether 225,773. In addition 

 to this, 15,613 extra stamps have been impressed on volumes of various collections for 

 further security. 



The most important acquisition of the year has been that made at the Weigel sale, 

 which took place at Leipsic on the 27th of May. This collection contained a remarkable 

 series of block-books, and of the earliest productions of the art of printing. A few of 

 those purchased by the JMuseum on this occasion may be mentioned : — 



(1.) Four block-books, viz., the first edition of the " Ars Moriendi," unique and complete, 

 in the finest state of preservation, and, in point of art, alike in respect of design, ex- 

 pression of the figures, and execution, considered to be far superior to any other edition 

 hitherto discovered ; the " Apocalypse," considered also to be the earliest edition and 

 the only complete copy knoAvn ; " Salve Regina," unique ; and a German edition of the 

 " Biblia Pauperiun,'' dated 1470. A very curious and unique specimen of English block- 

 printing, consisting of verses supposed to be by Lydgate, on the seven theological virtues, 

 and probably used as scrolls to be placed on the walls of rooms. The typographic broad- 

 sides acquired consist of interesting specimens of the earliest printing at Mentz ; among 

 these are several of the year 1461, relating to the contest between the rival Archbishops 

 of Mentz, Dietrich of Isenburg, and Adolph of Nassau, beino of the same year with the 

 first book printed in German hitherto known, and pi'obably also the earliest printed docu- 

 ments of a controversial and politiQal nature. This collection, apart from its extreme 

 rarity, possesses great interest from its connection with the history of printing, the capture 

 of Mentz by Adolph of Nassau (Oct. 28, 1462), having led to the dispersion of the work- 

 men employed by Fust and Scha3ffer and by Gutenberg, and the consequent dissemina- 

 tion of the typogra])hic art throughout Europe. Owing to this event, no books jirinted at 

 Mentz with the dates 1463 and 1464 are known to exist. In this group are two very 

 curious sheet advertisements by the printers Mentelin and Peter Schojfter about 1470, 

 believed to be unique, concerning books printed by them, viz., the " Sunima de Casibus 

 Conscientiffi," of Astcsauus de Ast, published by the former, and the " Epistolaj " of St. 

 Jerome by the latter. 



(2.) The 



