1 () INCREASE OF THE LIBRARY. 



j puted. Probably, the enormous quantity of pamphlets, I 

 I political, theological, and scientific, of Great Britain, since 

 I the Reformation, constitute the British Museum Library one 

 j of the largest collections of printed literature in the world, 

 I Maps also form a relatively considerable portion. The rate 

 ' of increase is enormous. In the Piu'liamentary return for the 

 year ending the 24th of December, 1856, not yet published, 

 it will appear that the last annual additions number 10,434 ' 

 volumes, including music, maps, and newspapers, of which 

 753 were presented, 4010 purchased, and 5831 acquired by | 

 home copyright. The number of parts of volumes was 

 27,510. In addition, the Library had accumulated numerous 

 maps, charts, and plans, variously obtained. The number 

 i of pieces of music alone added was 2347. In gross, the total 

 ' additional articles that year numbered 42,G39. Of the com- 

 j plete works accumulated in the twelve months, 1901 were 

 I presented, 2005 purchased, and 7933 were acquired under 

 the Copyright Acts. In the same year, also, each article 

 being impressed with the Museum stamp, the number used ! 

 was 162,940! 



The number of books returned to the shelves of the 

 General Librarj^was 110,873; to those of the Royal Librarj', 

 8869; to those of the Grenville Library, 1018; to the closets j 

 in which books are kept from day to day for the use of the j 

 readers, 79,598; making a total of 200,358, or 684 per diem. 

 Adding the number of volumes returned to the shelves of ' 

 the Reading-rooms, about 144,000, the whole amounts to j 

 I 344,358, or 1175 per diem. The number of readers within ! 

 I that year was 53,209, or an average of 181 per diem, the | 

 ! Reading-rooms having been kept open 293 days. Each reader 

 I had, therefore, consulted on an average 6^ volumes per diem, j 

 " Thus had the Libi'ary outgrown its local habitation since I 

 ; its foimdation in 1753, when the first contents of 'Montagu | 

 House,' Bloomsbuiy, consisted of the Sloane Collection, in- 

 cluding only a few books, the Harleian MSS,, and the Cot- 

 ■ tonian Library; Parliament pro\'iding no money, but by Act 

 ; authorising the provision of 30,000?. by a Lottery ! The old ' 



