relating to the early history of missions in New Mexico. Such are the "Chrónica de la Orden de N. Seráphico P. S. Francisco, provincia de S. Pedro y S. Pablo de Mechoacán en la Nueva España," by Alonso de La Rea, Mexico, 1643; the "Chrónica apostólica y seráphica de todos los Collegios de propaganda fide de esta Nueva España," by I. F. de Espinosa, and its continuation, "Crónica seráfica y apostólica del Collegio de propaganda fide de la Santa Cruz de Querétaro en la Nueva España," by J. D. Arricivita, Mexico, 17461792. These latter two works form a complete history of the Colleges of the Propaganda in New Spain.

The number of early Mexican imprints in the Library, already large, was increased by the addition of nearly five hundred pamphlets, of which about seventy were printed during the seventeenth century, among them several of unusual rarity, and the remainder during the eighteenth. Several books relating to languages and dialects (especially Cahita, Maçahua, Tarasca, and Mixe) spoken in Mexico add materially to the collections of the Library on those subjects.

JOURNALS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE COLONY OF NEW YORK, 1769-1775

HE Library has recently acquired by purchase eight volumes of Journals of the votes and proceedings of the General Assembly of the Colony of New York from October 27, 1768, to April 3, 1775. So far as is now known, this is the only consecutive set of Assembly Journals for the period mentioned.

The printing of the Assembly votes was begun with the session which opened on June 20, 1695, being the earliest contemporary publication of the proceedings of an American legislature. No original of this first issue has been found in America. In 1902 Miss Hasse of this Library discovered a copy in the Public Record Office at London and edited a facsimile reprint issued in 1903.

The next Assembly Journal of which we have record is a fragment for the session of 1697 found among the Penn papers in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. This fragment was sent to the State Library at Albany in 1880 and there was consumed in the fire which destroyed that library in March, 1911.

From 1697 until the Revolution, there are thirty-six sessions for which no printed copy of the Assembly Journal is known to be extant. Several explanations have been offered as to why so few of the Journals have survived. In the earlier years each Journal was issued in separate numbers "de die in diem" in the form of one or more sheets, thus greatly increasing the chance of destruction. At that time, furthermore, the printer was paid by the year, and it is not probable that he printed any copies of the votes not actually required. In 1737, when there were but twenty-seven members of the Assembly, the whole number printed probably did not exceed fifty. As early as 1762, copies of preceding Assembly Journals had already become so scarce that Hugh Gaine, the New York printer, was authorized to print a collected edition embracing all the records extant from 1691. This collection, which included the records to 1765, was completed in 1766. After this, Gaine did no more government printing for nearly two years. William Weyman succeeded Gaine as printer for the Assembly and continued in that capacity until early in 1768, when Hugh Gaine was reappointed. Gaine's first work was to continue the Journal of the Votes and Proceedings of the General Assembly of New York State, and, commencing with the first, and only session of the thirtieth Assembly, he continued the work to the close of the thirtyfirst Assembly, ending the third of April, 1775. These were the last eight sessions of the legislature of the colony of New York and original issues of the Journals are among the rarest of the New York titles for which collectors have long been searching.

About 1820, the State of New York authorized inquiries concerning the Journals of her legislative proceedings before the outbreak of the Revolution. It was then found that but one copy of the Journals printed by Hugh Gaine could be located, and in consequence a reprint of fifty copies was ordered. This was made by Buel of Albany in 1820. The single copy from which the reprint was made belonged to the New York Historical Society. Through some mishap it was never returned to the Society, but completely disappeared and diligent search has failed to reveal its existence. It is, therefore, of great interest to know that another copy (not the one formerly the property of the New York Historical Society) has been

found and is now on the shelves of The New York Public Library. There are in all eight parts, forming the set, and while a few of the separate parts are in the possession of some libraries, until this pur

chase was made, no library has possessed the whole set, nor could a complete set have been made up by assembling all the copies of the separate parts formerly accounted for.

READERS AND VISITORS

IN the main reading room of the cen

tral building 18,582 readers consulted 63,034 volumes. Special reading rooms in this building were used by 40,165 readers, making a total for the whole building of 58,747 readers.

Visitors to the building numbered 205,290.

THE

EXHIBITIONS

HE exhibit called "The making of an etching," which has been on view in the print gallery (room 321) since November and has attracted much attention, will be continued until April 30, a month longer than originally planned. The exhibits of etchings by Brangwyn, fifteenth and sixteenth century engravings, and illustrations by John Leech, all in the Stuart gallery (room 316), remain on view. To the exhibits in this room have been added a dozen color etchings by C. F. W. Mielatz, mostly views of New York City, and a memorial exhibit (described elsewhere in this issue) of the cartoons and illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, John Leech's "Punch."

GIFTS

successor on

THE month of February was

note

worthy by reason of the important gifts received. In addition to those referred to elsewhere, the following deserve special mention:

The Acorn Club of New Haven, Conn., gave the Library three copies from the edition of 102 copies of "The diary of Benjamin F. Palmer, Privateersman, while a prisoner on board English war ships at sea, in the prison at Melville Island and at Dartmoor (Now first printed from the original manuscript)." [c. 1914.] This work was printed from the manuscript copy of the Diary belonging to the Library.

Interesting miscellaneous gifts came from the following: from Mrs. Charles Louis Borgmeyer of New York, "The Master Impressionists" and "The Luxembourg and its treasures..., both by Charles Louis Borgmeyer, Chicago, n.d; from Mr. Edward C. Delavan, Jr., of New York, his work, “The disputed claim of the proprietors of East Jersey to Staten Island," 1909, and "Eirenarcha, or of the office of the Justices of Peace, in four bookes, revised, corrected, and enlarged ...first collected by William Lambard...," London, 1910; from Mr. Charles M. Farrand of New York, six volumes of interesting American publications of the early part of the nineteenth century, “A general history of Connecticut...including a description of the country...by a Gentleman of the Province, London, 1781," to which is added a supplement... New Haven, 1829, and "The seaman's vade-mecum & defensive war by sea: containing a maritime dictionary...," by Wm. Mountaine, London, 1782; from Mr. Charles W. McAlpin of New York, three copies of the Inaugural Address of President Wilson delivered at the Capitol, March 4, 1913 (privately printed, 1913, one copy being of an edition of fifty on Japan paper); from Prof. John A. Mandel came, as an addition to the collection of books about Emperor William II. of Germany which he had previously given the Library, "Deutschland unter Kaiser Wilhelm II. Erster Band: Deutsche Politik...," Berlin, 1914; Miss Ann S. Stephens presented the Library with the collected works of Mrs. Ann S. Stephens in twenty-three volumes; Mrs. George D. Widener of Ashbourne, Pennsylvania, presented the Library with No. 25 of the edition of 150 copies of the privately printed "Catalogue of the books and manuscripts of Robert Louis Stevenson in the library of the late Harry Elkins Widener with a memoir by A. S. W. Rosenbach," Philadelphia, 1913.

The following authors presented the Library with copies of their own works: Mr. Reginald Pelham Bolton of New York,

Mr. Harry J. Boswell of San Antonio, Texas, Mr. Gilbert Goudie of Edinburgh, Mr. John G. Johnson of Philadelphia (Catalogue of a collection of paintings and some art objects. 3 v. v. 1. Italian paintings, v. 2. Flemish and Dutch paintings, v. 3. German, French, Spanish, and English paintings and art objects, privately printed, Philadelphia, 1913-1914), Mr. Frederick McCormick of New York, Rev. John P. Peters, Miss Violet Pike, and Mr. John Pyne, all of New York, Mr. Michael J. Redding of Baltimore, Mr. Russell Robb of Boston, Mr. Isaac Roberts of New York, Mr. Charles de Grave Sells of Genoa, Italy, Mr. Francis Lynde Stetson of New York (Address at the Tilden Centennial, Carnegie Hall), and Mr. J. J. Webb of Dublin, Ireland.

From the Population Research Bureau of the Federation of Churches and Christian Organizations in New York City was received a gift of $250 towards the purchase of 2 volumes and maps of "Statistical sources for demographic studies of Greater New York, 1910."

CARTOONS AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY TENNIEL

THE

HE death of Sir John Tenniel on Feb. 26, 1914, was naturally bound to call forth one of those little memorial exhibits which have become an established custom at The New York Public Library. In the Stuart gallery (room 316), the visitor may take a rapid review of Tenniel's career, through a number of his cartoons and illustrations. Of his "Punch" cartoons there are shown, among others, his first (1851), the famous one showing the British lion springing at the Indian tiger (1857), a number of his inimitable hits at Disraeli and Gladstone, the noted "Dropping the Pilot" (William II. watching Bismarck's departure), and some of the Lincoln caricatures, as well as the design-in which he and Tom Taylor made their amende .honorable-published on the death of the martyr president. A strong note of forceful seriousness runs through all his work, but Tenniel could be quaintly humorous, as may be seen in various title-pages for "Punch" here shown. A similar vein is apparent also in his delightful drawings

for "Through the Looking Glass," which offer what, to many, are the accepted conceptions of the walrus, the chess-king, the hatter, the March hare, and the rest of the company. Other books illustrated by him are shown here, including his one venture into Dickens' land, the "Haunted Man." Clearly, only a very small selection of his work can be shown; his 2,500 cartoons are contained in the file of "Punch" in the Library, and his book illustrations may be studied at leisure by those interested.

There is added, as always, literature on the subject. By his colleague Linley Sambourne, he is depicted as "The Black and White Knight," and there is a droll sketch of him by the late F. G. Attwood.

DUR

FEBRUARY WORK

URING the month of February there were received at the Library 26,752 volumes and 12,449 pamphlets, of which 3,758 volumes and 12,449 pamphlets were credited to the reference department and 22,994 volumes to the circulation department.

Of the reference department receipts 1,434 volumes and 293 pamphlets were purchases, 2,286 volumes and 2,456 pamphlets were gifts, and 38 volumes and 9,700 pamphlets were exchanges. For the circulation department 22,906 volumes were purchases and 88 were gifts.

The reference department catalogued 3,329 volumes and 1,885 pamphlets; for this work were written 3,735 cards, 3,694 copy slips for the printer, and 601 slips for the duplicating machine. From these slips 1,944 cards were manifolded. Cataloguing of 1,167 volumes and 562 pamphlets was completed by addition to 2,379 cards.

In the printing office 4,691 titles were set, from which 54,039 cards were printed.

The circulation department cataloguing force wrote 298 cards for the union catalogue, entered 5,342 volumes in the union catalogue and shelf list, classified 368 volumes. At the branches 6,880 cards were written.

Through the Interbranch loan system 9,580 books were asked for and 7,087 supplied.