ACCOUNTS, cS:C., (JF THE BlllTISH 3IUSEUM. 



(A.) Carbonic Hand- Catalogue. — Of that copy of the fourfold transcript of the title-slips 

 used to form a Hand-Catalogue, by arranging the title-slips in the order of the press- 

 marks, 65,645 have been mounted on cartridge paper, 171,950 have been arranged pre- 

 ])aratory to incorporation, and 15,000 incorporated. 



(z.) List of Boohs of Reference in the Reading Room. — The number of alterations and 

 additions in the interleaved copies of this List, made to record the clianges in the books 

 of reference by the addition of new works, and the exchange of old for new editions, 

 amounts to 335 in each of the interleaved copies, and the necessary entries have been 

 made in the Hand-Catalogue. 



III. Binding. — The number of volumes sent to be bound in the course of the year 

 amounts to 15,219; including 1,107 volumes of newspapers; and, in consequence of the 

 frequent adoption of the plan of binding two or more volumes in one, the number of 

 bound volumes returned is 9,043. 1,027 pamjihlets have also been bound, and 815 

 volumes repaired. 



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

 Library from use in the Reading Koom, is 328,823 ; to the Royal Library, 10,2.84 j 

 to the Grenville Library, 956 ; and to the presses in which books are kept from day 

 to day for the use of readers, 280,094. Adding the estimated number of volumes 

 returned to the shelves of the Reading Room, about 850,602, the whole amounts to 

 1,470,769, or about 5,054 for each of 291 days during which the room was open to the 

 public. 



The number of readers during the year has been 109,442, giving an average of 376 daily ; 

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

 13 volumes per diem. 



The average time occupied in supplying a book to a reader has been 15 minutes. 



V. Additions. — (a.) 35,561 volumes and pamphlets have been added to the Library in the 

 course of the year (incluiling books of Music and volumes of Newspapers), of Avhich 2,211 

 were presented, 9,069 received in pursuance of the laws of English Copyright, 571 

 received under the International Copyright Treaties, and 23,710 acquired by purchase. 



ib.) 32,908 parts of volumes (or separate niunbers of periodical publications, and of 

 works in progress) have also been added, of which 1,681 were presented, 18,295 received 

 in pursuance of the laws of English Copyright, 592 received under the International 

 Copyright Treaties, and 12,340 acqiured 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. : 

 285 published in London and its suburbs, 1,033 in the other parts of England and Wales, 

 159 in Scotland, and 125 in Ireland. 131 volumes, and 882 numbers of Newspapers 

 belonging to 52 different sets, have been purchased. 



(rf.) 8,125 pieces of Music have been acquired, each piece complete in itself, of which 

 5,493 were received by English and 1,409 by International Copyright, and 1,223 purchased. 

 883 works of greater extent than single pieces have also been acquired, comprising 111 

 by English, and 587 by International Copyright, and 182 by purchase. 



(e.) The number of distinct works comprised in the 35,561 volumes and pamphlets, and 

 32,908 parts of volumes already mentioned, amounted, as nearly as could be ascei'tained, 

 to 31,962. Of these, 2,013 have been presented, 8,065 acquired by English, and 713 by 

 International Copyright, and 21,171 by purchase. 



11,458 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 Papers, and other miscellaneous 

 items ; the addition of this number to those already given produces a total of 79,927 

 articles received in the Department. 



The number of stamps impressed on articles is altogether 312,504. In addition 

 to this, 510 extra stamps have been impressed on volumes of various collections for 

 further security, 



Among the acquisitions of interest during the year, the following may be noticed : — 



A Book of Hours — " Horae ad usum Sarum " — printed on vellum, which formerly be- 

 longed to Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry the Seventh, and first husband of Catharine 

 of Arragon. On the last leaf is an inscription, stating that the book was a present from 

 Prince Arthur to Thomas Poyntz, " Armigero pro corpore 111™.' Regis Angliae Henrici 

 VIL", i.e. Esquire for the body of King Henry the Seventh, underneath which, at the 

 foot of the page, is the signature of Prince Arthur himself, in French, " Arthur le 

 Prince." Of this autograph only one other example is known, that namely in the 

 Cottonian Collection of MSS. On the first leaf of this Book of Hours is the signature, 

 C. Somerset, being, in all likelihood, that of Sir C. Somerset, afterwards Baron Ragland, 

 and in 1514 created Eaid of Worcester. He was executor to Henry the Seventh and 



Lord 



