During the month of September there were received at the Library, by purchase, 1,192 volumes and 575 pamphlets; by gift, 816 volumes and 1,747 pamphlets; and by exchange, 30,646 volumes and 91 pamphlets, making a total of 32,654 volumes and 2,413 pamphlets.

There were catalogued 3,159 volumes and 3,524 pamphlets, for which were written 6,900 cards, in addition to which 2,551 slips were written for, and 15,089 cards received from, the copying machine.

The following table shows the number of readers, and the number of volumes consulted, in both the Astor and Lenox Branches of the Library, also the number of visitors to the Print Exhibition at the Lenox, during the month:

The most popular books of the month were (in non-fiction): James' "Talks to Teachers," Fox's "Following the Sun Flag," Hancock's "Japanese Physical Training"; (juvenile fiction): Lang's "Blue Fairy Book," Barbour's "Weatherby's Inning," Alcott's "Little Women"; (adult fiction): Ward's "Marriage of William Ashe," Thurston's "The Masqueraders," Caine's "Prodigal Son."

The most important gifts for the month of September were as follows: From Dr. J. H. Barnhart, 6 numbers of the publications of the Torrey Botanical Club to complete library files; from the Danish Engineering Society, its "Normer for Pröver og Forsög med Dampkedler, Dampmaskiner, og andre Varmemotorer," etc.; from Christelijke Bibliotheek voor Blinden, Dordrecht, its "Catalogus," Kampen, 1900, and its "Verslag," 1903, 1904; from Henry Fink, a copy of his "Regulation of railway rates on interstate freight traffic, New York, 1905; from Sheridan Ford, a copy of his "The Larger Life," New York, 1904; from E. D. French, a supplement, manuscript, to the Lemporly catalogue of his engravings, also 32 bookplates; from the Fuller Company, a copy of "Prominent buildings erected by the George A. Fuller Company," 1904; from the Gesellschaft für Natur- und Heilkunde in Dresden, its "Jahresbericht," 1903-4, and “Verzeichniss der Büchersammlung der Gesellschaft," 1905; from the Handelshochschule, Leipzig, 6 Jahresberichte; Captain A. T. Mahan, transcripts of logs of 17 British men-of-war, and 24 packages of letters relating to Nelson and Naples in 1799; from J. Pierpont Morgan, the privately printed catalogue of his collection of Chinese Porcelains, New York, 1904; from the Musée Fabre de Montpellier, its Catalogue des peintures et sculptures," 1904; from Harmon B. Niver, a copy of his school history of England; from A. Olzewski, the second part of a Dictionary of the English and Lithuanian languages by Anthony Lalis, 1905, Chicago, the first part having already been given by him; from the Osaka Hakurankai-Kyosankai, a copy of the Souvenir guide to Osaka and the Fifth National Industrial Exhibition, 1903; from the Misses Schuyler, a copy of "The Life of Frances Power Cobbe," London, 1904; from Oscar S. Straus, I pamphlet, "United States and Russia, their historical relations," August, 1905; from the Swedish Kongl. Utrikes-Departement, I volume and 3 pamphlets, relating to the recent SwedishNorwegian crisis; also from the Royal University, Upsala, 1 volume and I pamphlet relating to the same subject; from the Rev. John Rothensteiner of Fredricktown, Mo., 25 Catholic publications, 25 German, 6 German-American, and 9 miscellaneous, among them being two works of the late Pope Leo XIII., "The Latin Poems... done in into English verse by the Jesuits of Woodstock College," Baltimore, 1887, and his Sämtliche Gedichte nebst Inschriften und Denkmünzen... übersetzt und umgedichtet von Prof. Bernhard Barth," Köln, 1904; Eduard Preuss's "Zum Lobe der Unbefleckten Empfängniss der Allerseligsten Jungfrau," Freiburg i. B., 1879; Johannes Jansen's "Schiller als Historiker," Freiburg i. B., 1879; "Lyra Germanica-Latina. Deutsche Volks- und Studenten-Lieder, lateinisch in den Versmassen der Originale von Waldemar Kloss," St. Louis, 1904, "Der Spielmann. Monatsblätter für deutsche Dichtung," Jahrgang 1901-1902, Berlin; Adolph Strodtmann's "Amerikanische Anthologie. Aus dem Englischen;" important additions to the German-American collection came also from Dr. Carl Beck of New York, Mr. T. L. Hansen of Milwaukee, Hon. Max Eberhardt of Chicago, Mrs. Henrietta C. W. Hesing of Chicago, and the Very Rev. Joseph Rainer of St. Francis, Wis.

At the LENOX branch the exhibition of Russo-Japanese war pictures was continued until September 27th. On September 29th was opened an exhibition of works by Adolf von Menzel, who died last February, comprising original litho

graphs and etchings, book illustrations, reproductions of paintings and drawings, portraits of Menzel, and books and articles dealing with him and with his art. The exhibit offers an adequate view of Menzel's remarkable power as a draughtsman, as also of his rich inventiveness, imagination, and insight. The John Paul Jones exhibit has remained on view in the lower hall.

At the ASTOR branch the Schiller exhibit gave place on September 8th to one illustrating ornamental metal work and general decorative designing, the plates being taken from "Moderne Ziermotive für Kunst und Gewerbe" and from Brechemacher's "Moderne Kunstschmiedearbeiten."

Picture bulletins and temporary collections of books on special shelves at the circulation branches were as follows:

CHATHAM SQUARE, Scottish scenery, Heroines of fiction; EAST BROADWAY, United States Government, United States politics, United States presidents, Electricity; RIVINGTON STREET, China, Music; BOND STREET, Landmarks of New York; OTTENDORFER, Labor day, Germany, Books about nature; TOMPKINS SQUARE, Autumn; JACKSON SQUARE, California, Benjamin Franklin; MUHLENBERG, Hezekiah Butterworth; GEORGE BRUCE, Sea tales, Old time tales, Peace; 67TH STREET, Hans Christian Andersen, Diagram of a battleship; RIVERSIDE, Max Beerbohm's caricatures; ST. AGNES, Cook-books; 96TH STREET, Canterbury pilgrimages; BLOOMINGDALE, Boarding school, Birds, Europe, Bonhomme Richard, Discovery of gold in California, William the Conqueror, Gunpowder plot, Religion.

In addition there were bulletins on new books at six branches, on Japan at five branches, of school stories at four branches, on Mary Mapes Dodge at four branches, on George Macdonald at three branches, and on North American Indians at three branches.

The thirty-fourth circulation branch of the Library was opened at 4 P. M. on Friday, September 22d, at 112 East 96th Street. This branch, the fourteenth of those erected from the Carnegie fund, is the seventh to be opened directly by the Library, the other seven Carnegie buildings affording new homes for already existing branches. Hon. William Harman Black, Commissioner of Accounts, presided as the designated representative of the Mayor and made the address on behalf of the City. The Trustees were represented by Charles Howland Russell, Esq., Secretary of the Board. The branch opened with 10,000 volumes on its shelves.

I have the honor to submit the following report of the work of this Library for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1905.

Since my last report the Board of Trustees has lost by death one of its members, Samuel Putnam Avery, who died at his home in this city on Thursday, August 11th, 1904. Mr. Avery had been elected a trustee of the LENOX LIBRARY in 1894, and he was one of the twenty-one chosen for the new Board at the time of consolidation in 1895. The gift of his choice collection of prints to the newly established Print Department in 1900 was but a single instance of his warm interest in the Library, an interest that continued quite to the time of his death and manifested itself not only by numerous gifts of books and prints, but also by unceasing vigilance for the best interests of the Library. He was succeeded as trustee by Mr. Cleveland H. Dodge, elected at the meeting held January 11, 1905.

GENERAL SUMMARY.

The current activity of the Library is shown by the figures in the following summary:

In the reference branches, readers and visitors numbered 200,238; 159,695 desk applicants consulted 615,454 volumes (corresponding figures for 1903-4 being 128,872 desk applicants and 524,097 volumes). 31,347 volumes and 78,008 pamphlets were received; 28,047 volumes and 16,211 pamphlets were accessioned, making the total number available for readers. 657,546 volumes and 256,548 pamphlets, which with the 476,597 volumes in the Circulation Department give a total of 1,390,691 pieces in the whole library. The Print Department now contains 55,851 prints; there has been little increase in the music, map or manuscript departments. There were catalogued 34,540 volumes and 36,799 pamphlets, for which 190,785 cards were written or manifolded; the public catalogues in the ASTOR and LENOX reading rooms contain now 1,272,930 cards; 1,566 periodicals are indexed number by number, for which 18,590 cards or printers' slips were written.

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