painter-etching in America, which was at its best about twenty years ago, has not in later times been supported by the public. The consequence is that to-day perhaps none of these competent American etchers are producing any new plates. But what they did produce-mainly about the year 1880-has a character of its own, and these plates were mainly etched in the true spirit of painter-etching. I think that what I send you to-day is a fairly representative-though by no means. a complete collection-of American painter-etchings, and I hope the artists will realize themselves the importance of having their work more fully represented in the Public Collection of New York."

At the meeting on March 16th the Board of Trustees adopted the following resolution of thanks for the gift:

"Resolved, That the thanks of the Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library are hereby tendered to Mr. Frederick Keppel for his gift of 345 prints to the Print Department of this Library, which gift is of much value as illustrating the history of American Etching, and shows an intelligent interest in the objects and progress of the Print Department, which is highly appreciated."

Mr. Keppel's donation makes important additions to the collection of work by English, French, Dutch, and Hungarian etchers now in the Library; it is, however, particularly strong in work done by Americans. The painter-etchers of this country, especially active in the seventies and eighties, are represented by a collection of 183 pieces. Charles A. Platt (14), Thomas Moran, Mary N. Moran, Peter Moran (16), J. Pennell (8), J. D. Smillie, O. H. Bacher (39), R. S. Gifford, F. Duveneck, Stephen Parrish, T. R. Manley (12), E. L. Peirce, R. C. Coxe, can each be studied here in half-a-dozen or more examples; and many others, such as J. C. Nicoll, J. A. S. Monks, C. F. W. Mielatz, L. M. Yale, J. A. Weir, etc., are represented by one or two plates each. In all, 45 American names are added to the list of modern etchers in the Print Room.

Other important gifts of the month were: From S. P. Avery, 10 volumes and 16 pamphlets, among them "Gemäldesammlung des Herrn Rudolf Kann in Paris," by W. M. Bode (Wien, 1900); from the Burgomasters of Courtrai and Louvain, Belgium, 14 volumes and 20 pamphlets; from the Cunard S.S. Company, two issues of the newspaper printed on the S.S. "Etruria," 7 February, 1903, being the first newspaper printed on shipboard, containing items of interest communicated by the Marconi system of wireless telegraphy; from Dr. Dunbar, I volume and 29 pamphlets of the Hamburg Institute of Hygiene; from Louis Dyer, a copy of "William Dyer, A Somerset Loyalist in New England," of interest in connection with the facsimile of Mary Dyer's letters given in December last by Mr. W. C. Ford; from Arthur H. Ely, 64 volumes and 1 pamphlet, New York Law Journal, etc.; from Baróne B. Gentile-Cusa, a copy of the second edition of his work on the eruption of Etna, 1886; from Mrs. Frederick N. Goddard, 24 volumes and 112 pamphlets; from Miss Deborah Hamblin, a copy of the privately-printed "Memoirs of Brevet Major-Gen. J. E. Hamblin"; from Messrs. Harper & Brothers, 2,783 prints, wood-engravings, etc.; from Mrs. Lydia S. Hinchman her "Early Settlers of Nantucket"; from the Imprimerie Arménienne de Saint-Lazare at Venice, 2 volumes; from the Indiana and Minnesota Grand Lodges and Encampments, I. O. O. F., 84 volumes and 152 pamphlets; from the New York Com

mercial, 94 volumes, Shipping and commercial lists; from Alfred B. Page, 13 volumes, documents relating to the town of Dedham, Mass.; from William S. Pelletreau, a copy of the memorial of G. R. Howell and his son, G. S. Howell; from Mrs. Russell Sage, a copy of "Emma Willard and her Pupils . . . ."; from Prof. S. Schechter, I volume; from Mrs. John S. Schoenberger, a marble statue of Nydia by Randolph Rogers, and 11 volumes, including Spooner's "Biographical History of the Fine Arts" (New York, 1865), Hume's England (London, 1807), Thiers' French Revolution (Philadelphia, 1844), etc.; from Miss Georgina Schuyler, a collection of several thousand letters relating to Pierre Toussaint, born a negro slave in Santo Domingo, emancipated in New York by his émigré owners in 1807, until his death in 1849 a hair dresser in this city, an intimate friend of prominent whites, both Catholic and Protestant, a guide and adviser for the negroes of the city, the bulk of the collection consisting of letters to him, mainly personal, in French and English, from correspondents in this country and abroad between 1800 and 1849, also copies of The Ave Maria magazine (Notre Dame, Indiana) for 11 and 18 November, 1893, containing Mrs. Emma F. Cary's article entitled "The Story of Pierre Toussaint"; from Messrs. Charles Scribner's Sons, 3 pamphlets and 178 prints; from the Straits Settlements, 14 volumes and 24 pamphlets; and from John S. Williams, a copy of "Flora's Dictionary," Baltimore, 1829.

The exhibition at the Lenox Branch of the etchings and lithographs of Millet, Rousseau, and Daubigny was continued during the month, as was the display at the Astor Branch of plates from "Der Moderne Styl" and "Der Kunstschatz."

At the Circulation branches the picture bulletins were as follows: BOND STREET: Shakespeare; OTTENDORFER: Christopher Columbus, Cotton, Florence, Venezuela; GEORGE BRUCE: New books, Easter; JACKSON SQUARE: Birds, Nature Study; HARLEM: Birds, Spring flowers; MUHLENBERG: Birds; BLOOMINGDALE: Musical novels, Dean Farrar; CHATHAM SQUARE: Authors, Animals; EAST BROADWAY: Spring, Irving, Birthdays of famous men and women; FIFTY-NINTH STREET: Wonders of the century, Illustrations from "Alice in Wonderland," Illustrations from children's books, Birthdays of famous men and women, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela; AGUILAR: New books; AVENUE C: Rosa Bonheur, Spring, Birthdays of famous men and women.

On March 19, at 3:30 P. M., was begun at the Yorkville branch a series of Thursday afternoon talks to teachers, the dates and speakers being as follows: Thursday, March 19th, Miss Elizabeth L. Foot, Instructor of Apprentices, "How to Use the Library "; Thursday, April 2nd, Mr. Arthur E. Bostwick, Chief of Circulation Department, "Beginning and Growth of the Free Library Work in New York City"; Thursday, April 16th, Mr. Frank Weiten kampf, Curator of the Print Department, “What is a Print, and what is it Good for?"; Thursday, April 30th, Miss Mabel Cook, Binder in the Reference Department, "Book Surgery." On alternate Thursdays are given talks to children, the dates and speakers being as follows: Thursday, March 26th, Miss Theresa Hitchler, Superintendent of Cataloguing, Brooklyn Public Library, on "The Library and the Children "; Thursday, April 9th, Miss Mary Sheerin, Chatham Square Branch, on "Do's and Don'ts"; Thursday, April 23rd, Miss Emma F. Cragin, Chief Cataloguer of the Circulation Department, on "How to Use the Catalogue"; Thursday, May 7th, Miss Florence Foote, Chatham Square Branch, on "How to Use the Reference Books and Indexes."

HENRY CLAY TO THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN ON THE

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF 1844.

Printed from the original manuscript in the Ford Collection, presented to the New York Public Library by Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan.

ASHLAND, 22 May 1844

MY DEAR SIR

I

I received, with very great pleasure, your friendly letter of the 11. instant. reciprocate most cordially all the kind feelings which it expresses. From considerations of delicacy and propriety, which you can well appreciate, I scrupulously forbore to intimate any preference which I might have, if I had any, among one friend, of a Whig candidate for the V. Presidency. If the decision had depended on me, it would have been a painful office to discriminate between several gentlemen, of great merit and high abilities. Altho' I remained passive, I did not fail to remark the public manifestations, in various quarters, respecting different gentlemen held up to public view. Your nomination took me by surprize, but it was an agreeable surprize. It has taken uncommonly well. No other nomination, I am sure, would have given more, if so much, general satisfaction. And I think that the ticket has derived strength from it. I feel honored by the association between And having co-operated with you, in the legislative department, during a period of great excitement and trial, it will afford me high satisfaction, if, by the blessing of Providence, we shall be spared, and by the People shall be called upon, to write our counsels together, in other spheres of the public service, to promote the happiness and prosperity of our Country.

us.

I have received many letters requesting my opinion in regard to Foreigners and the Naturalization laws, to which I have as yet returned no answer. My silence has been mainly produced by a reluctance to throw new issues into the existing contest. Foreigners may be divided into three classes. 1st Those who are already naturalized. 2 Those who are now in the U. S but not yet naturalized and 3rd Those who may hereafter arrive in the U. S. or may arrive after the passage of a new law of naturalization. My opinion is, that naturalized citizens should enjoy all the privileges and protection, at home and abroad, of native citizens, subject only to Constitutional exceptions; and that foreigners, now resident in the U. States, should be allowed to be naturalized as the laws now stand, without any change in their enactments. But that with respect to the class who may arrive subsequent to the passage of a new law, further restrictions upon naturalization ought to be imposed. What should be their precise character is matter of detail, on which I have not formed a definative opinion.

I limit myself simply to the exposition of my views, without now offering the reasons which induce me to entertain them. If I express any opinion to the public it must be the above. But my object is to ask you, if you think it would be expedient to promulgate this opinion? What effect would it have in N. York, N. Jersey or

elsewhere? And if you think it proper I should be glad if you would confer with some other discreet friend, and let me know the result of your joint consideration of the matter. It is right to apprize you that I have this day addressed a similar request to Mr. Fillmore now in N. York. I am happy to tell you that he acquiesces with entire cheerfulness in your nomination. Do me the favor to present my respects to Mrs Frelinghuysen, in which Mrs Clay unites with me. I owe Mrs F many thanks for the friendly sentiments with which she has honoured me. I am truly & faithfully

Your friend
H. CLAY

THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN Esq

[Endorsed:] Ashland May 22: 1844-to Theodore Frelinghuysen after his nomination as Vice President. Sent to me to read with a request to consult & advise on the question of a letter from Mr. Clay on the subject of the Naturalization Laws.

I advised silence. But he subsequently wrote a letter in favor of Slavery, which lost him his election. It was a dishonest attempt to win the South by a letter in favor of Slavery, so late in the Campaign, that it could not reach the North in time to affect the Northern Vote! But it did reach us: & of course, very properly

defeated the writer.

The letter alluded to, is known as "Clay's Alabama Letter."

SOME MATERIALS FOR A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE OFFICIAL PUB

LICATIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE

COLONY OF NEW YORK, 1693-1775.

Collected by A. R. Hasse, Chief of the Document Department.

PART III. 1748-1775.