ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 11 



amounts to 1,094 in each of these copies, and the necessary entries have been made in 

 the Hand-Catalogue. 



Progress has been made in filling the presses in the lower gallery of the Reading 

 Room with books suitable for an additional Library of Reference. 



The Special Collection of Bibliographies in the Reading-Room has been kept up by 

 the addition of new works which have appeared suitable. 



(j.) Catalogue of English Books printed before 1640. — This Catalogue is now at press. 

 Vol. I. has been printed off, and it is hoped that the work will be completed in the course 

 of the present year. 



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

 of the year amounts to 31,880; including 307 volumes of newspapers; and, in con- 

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

 the number of bound volumes returned is 11,366. In addition to this, 1,289 pamphlets 

 have been separately bound, and 402 volumes have been repaired. 



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

 Library from use in the Reading Room is 453,656; to the Royal Library, 11,533; 

 to the Grenville Libraiy, 652 ; and "to the presses in which books are kept from day 

 to day for the use of readers, 419,876. 



The number of readers during the year has been 146,891, giving an average of 486 daily; 

 and, from the numbers given above, each reader appears to have consulted about 6 volumes 

 per diem, not reckoning those on the shelves in the Reading Room. 



V. Additions. — («.) 28,722 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 3,812 

 were presented, 9,297 received in pursuance of the laws of English Copyright, 1,075 

 received under the International Copyright Treaties, and 14,538 acquired by purchase. 



(i.) 41,915 parts of volumes (or separate numbers of periodical publications, and 

 works in progress) have also been added, of which 1,554 were presented, 20,630 received 

 in pursuance of the laws of English Copyright, 508 received under the International 

 Copyright Treaties, and 19,223 acquired by purchase. 



(c.) The number of sets of Newspapers published in the United Kingdom and i-eceived 

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

 390 published in London and its suburbs, 1,149 in other parts of England and Wales, 

 173 in Scotland, and 142 in Ireland. 12 volumes and 2 numbers, belonging to 

 8 different sets, have been purchased; and 1,117 numbers have been jiresented. 



(</.) 5,307 pieces of Music have been acquired, each piece complete in itself, of which 

 3,029 were received by English and 2,008 by International Copyright, and 270 by 

 purchase. 



(e.) The number of distinct works comprised in the 28,722 volumes and pamphlets, and 

 41,915 parts of volumes already mentioned, amounts, as nearly as can be ascertained, to 

 24,317. Of these, 3,476 have been presented, 9,028 acquired by English, and 1,005 by 

 International Copyright, and 10,808 by pui'chase. 



(y.) 7,804 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, Parliamentary Papers, and other miscellaneous items ; the 

 addition of this number to those already given produces a total of 78,441 articles 

 received in the Department. The number of stamps impressed upon articles received is 

 altogether 296,846. 



Amongst the more interesting acquifrltions of the year may be noted : — 



1. An early German Bible in the dialect of the Lower Rhine Provinces? printed by 

 Quentell, at Cologne, about 1479. 2. A valuable edition of the Epistles and Gospels in 

 Dutch, from the press of Jan Veldener, printed at Utrecht in 1479. Veldener is one of 

 the rarest of the earlj Dutch printers ; his type bears a resemblance to that of Caxton, 

 and specimens of it are almost equally rare. 3. " Daa Heilig Evangelium Matthei : " 

 [Erfurt,] 1521. This is the first Protestant translation of the Gospel of St. Matthew 

 into German from the then recently printed Greek text of Ei'asmus, a year prior to 

 Luther's ; it is a book of the highest rarity, and is of importance in the history of 

 vernacular versions ; the translator was Johann Lang, the Pastor of Erfurt, who, in 1518, 

 presided over the famous public disputation between Luther and Eck, 4. " Die 

 Prophoten alle Deudsch. D. Mart. Luth. Gedruckt zu Wittemberg durch Hans 

 Lufft," 1532. This is Luther's rare first edition of the Prophets, revised and published 

 together. 5. " Biblia. Das ist die gantze heilige Schriift Deudsch D. Mart. Luth. 

 Augspurg durch Heinrich Steyner, 1535." This is the first pirated edition of Luther's 

 complete Bible of 1534. Although it is said to be a faithful reprint, the language is m 



0.63. B 2 many 



