During the month of May there were received at the Library, by purchase, 840 volumes and 341 pamphlets; by gift, 1,025 volumes and 2,975 pamphlets; and by exchange, 133 volumes and 240 pamphlets; making a total of 1,998 volumes and 3,556 pamphlets.

There were catalogued 4,729 volumes and 3,171 pamphlets, for which were written 12,435 cards, in addition to which 3, 156 slips were written for, and 16,433 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): Ulmann's “Landmark History of New York," Lorimer's "Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to his Son," Van Vorst's "The Woman Who Toils "; (adult fiction) Ward's "Lady Rose's Daughter," Hegan's "Lovey Mary," Green's "Filigree Ball"; (juvenile fiction) Burnett's "Little Lord Fauntleroy," Aldrich's "Story of a Bad Boy," Kipling's "Just So Stories."

The more important gifts of the month were: From William F. Butler, a copy of Cornaro's "Art of Living Long," a new English version, Milwaukee, 1903; from Col. W. C. Church, 37 volumes, 451 pamphlets, and 4 maps, relating to military subjects, including 3 volumes of scrap books kept by John Ericsson; from Frank Cowan, 4 volumes and 14 pamphlets, all publications by himself, in prose and verse; from Rev. Richard Green, a copy of his "Anti-Methodist Publications issued during the 18th Century"; from Richard Y. Greener, Vladivostok, a copy of P. Schmidt's Mandarin Grammar in Russian, also Mandarin text; from Gustave Haller, a copy of his "Nos Grands Peintres," Paris, 1899; from Gerald L. Hoyt, 2 boxes containing manuscripts and commercial papers relating to the New York firm of I. Bronson and Company in the first half of the nineteenth century; from the Independent, 77 volumes of the Independent, which enables the Library to complete its set from volume 1 to date, with the single exception of volume 5; from the Johns Hopkins University, 5 volumes and 17 pamphlets, theses for the degree of Ph.D.; from the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, 27 volumes of annual reports, etc.; from the Duc de Loubat, a copy of the report and proceedings (in French) of the 12th International Congress of Americanists at Paris in 1900; from the Mexican Secretaria de Fomento, Colonizacion e Industria, 3 volumes relating to the boundary between Mexico and the United States; from Dr. R. F. de Miranda, Government Printer of Brazil, J. Eulalio Silva Oliveira's

"Hydraulica, lições dadas na Escola Militar do Brazil " (1903); from the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 6 volumes of Proceedings; from the Parker House, Boston, a catalogue of its library; from Commandant Joseph Perreau, France, a copy of his "L'Epopée des Alpes," tom. 1, 1903; from Henry W. Poor, a copy of the catalogue of the "V. A. B." collection of books, etc.; from the St. Nicholas Society, a bronze medal struck in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the granting of municipal government to New Amsterdam; from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 6 volumes and 7 pamphlets; from the publisher of "South Africa,” 5 volumes of the journal, 25 pamphlets, and 2 maps; from Carl Stoeckel, a copy of volume 2 of the "Correspondence of Major-General John Sedgwick"; from Professor Ranieri Vilanova, 10 volumes, and 5 pamphlets, including "Historia de la musica Española," by Fuertes, Madrid, 1855; from John C. Caldwell, San José, 3 pamphlets, constitutions of Costa Rica, 1850, 1871, and 1889; from L. S. Irvine, Rio de Janeiro, 5 pamphlets, constitutions of Brazil, from 1873 to 1891; from John B. Terres, Port-au-Prince, a copy of the constitution of Haiti; and from many of the cities and towns of the country, copies of recent municipal documents.

The exhibition of books, etc., relating to New York under Dutch rule, and the exhibit of the Arundel Society color prints at the Lenox Branch were continued, as was also the exhibition at the Astor Branch of plates from "Gemäldesammlung des Herrn Rudolf Kann . . . text von Bode."

At the Circulation branches the picture bulletins were as follows: CHATHAM SQUARE, Emerson, New York, Decoration day; EAST BROADWAY: American birds, Arbor day, Famous men and women born in May, Decoration day, Emerson, May day in the park, Illustrations from children's books, Spring out-door books, Spring birds, New York, Richard Wagner; BOND STREET: Emerson, Spring, Old New York; AVENUE C: Famous men and women born in May; Tree planting, Arbor day, New books, Emerson, Bulwer Lytton, New York City, Memorial day; OTTENDORFER: Paul Du Chaillu, Emerson, Arbor day, Memorial day, New York; JACKSON SQUARE: New York City, Emerson; MUHLENBERG: Old New York, Decoration day; THIRTY-FOURTH STREET: Decoration day, Emerson, New York; GEORGE BRUCE: Emerson, New books; FIFTY-NINTH STREET: New York, Emerson, Joan of Arc, Bronx park; YORKVILLE: Memorial day, Evacuation day, Wm. Wordsworth, Hollyer prints of old New York; ST. AGNES, New York City, Emerson; BLOOMINGDALE, New York City, Paul Du Chaillu, Arbor day, Emerson, Decoration day; AGUILAR: May in the Park, Nature study, Arbor day, Famous men and women born in May, New York, Illustrations from "Alice in Wonderland," Out-of-doors, Emerson; HARLEM: New York, Decoration day, Emerson, Concord writers, Steel engravings of the Union and Confederate leaders in the Civil War.

PETER DOBELL ON THE MASSACRE OF FOREIGNERS IN MANILA,

1820.

The following letter of Peter Dobell, traveller and Russian Imperial Counsellor, printed from the original manuscript in the Ford Collection in the New York Public Library, was written while he was Russian Consul in the Philippines.

MY DEAR FRIEND

MACAO IN CHINA NOVE 28 1820

I was very happy to hear, the first news of you, since I left Siberia by yours, dated Hamburg August 6th 1819, that, I recd about two months since. The consulship of Hamburg, I always understood, was one of the best, and I fondly hoped, my old friend, who had experienced so many of fortunes frowns, had all of a sudden, been overwhelmed with her smiles. I regret much however to perceive, that, she is a slipery Jade to both you & me. Slade I hope will do well and I have been following his example, as I wrote you from Siberia, but, it does not appear that you have recd my letter or the one I wrote you from Kamtschatka. You must now my friend, open your ears to hear, a tale of horror, such as would have done honor to the darkest ages of superstition & paganism, before the divine precepts of Christianity were promulgated to the unenlighten'd world! I arrived with my wife and daughter at Manilla, last March, was received with great apparent attention, politeness & hospitality. After living there, a couple of months however, I perceived that there existed a vast deal of jealousy and envy, against all strangers, and particularly those, who resided or intended to form establishments in the country. Those ignorant people could not divest themselves of this feeling, even towards those, whose Capitals, talents and industry, were directed to the most laudable pursuits, and promised to produce great public as well as private advantages to the colony. At this crisis, several french Ships were in the port, one or two Americans and a English ship from Bengal. In the French ships, had arrived a naturalist sent out by the Government to make collections, & some persons, who intended to remain in the Philippines to cultivate sugar, cotton &c &c. In the month of July last, I discovered, that I had in my travels, contracted a disease, called by the Doct' Hydrocele and becoming very troublesome to me, I determined as there are no good Surgeons in Manilla to pay a short visit to Macao with my family & return to my post, as soon as circumstances would permit, after the operation. This I found, I could do the more conveniently, as my Nephew, a fine young Man of 23 years, had joined me at my arrival and I left him, in full charge of my office &c and departed. This envious disposition, on the part of the Spaniards, increased daily, against the Strangers, until an opportunity presented itself of gratifying their malignant hatred, in the most cruel & bloody manner & without themselves appearing to have any thing to do in the business. It is necessary first to tell you, that the new constitution, had been received during the prevalence of this feeling, giving extensive privileges & liberal encouragement to for

eigners, who might think proper to settle in the Philippines & rendering the natives as free & equal, in rights, &c as their former masters. This certainly made them, a little unruly, but, if not secretly instigated, it would never have induced them to commit a crime, that makes humanity shudder. The ship from Bengal, was the Merope Captain Nichols and it was supposed she had brot into the colony, the epidemic, that has ravaged all India, this year, under the name of the "Cholera Morbus." It made its appearance, in the beginning of October last, carrying off great numbers of the Indians every day. The humane French & other Strangers, who beheld these miserable wretches, dying around them without any medical aid, freely administered what medicines they had, and were actively & daily employed, in endeavouring to alleviate, the distress & cure the complaints of all those, who lived within the sphere of their exertions. This also became, a cause of jealousy and hatred and the villains, began immediately to exasperate the Indians by saying, "this poisonous disease, was introduced by the French & the other strangers, they have poisoned even the waters, and they administer poison to the sick, purposely to exterpate the whole race of Tagalians." The ferocious Indians wanted nothing farther to excite them to deeds of blood & plunder. On the 9th of October about 10 or 11 in the morning they collected, to the number of about 3000 Men armed with pikes knives and bludgeons and proceeded coolly and deliberately to plunder and Massacre all the Strangers on whom they could lay their hands! I have not time to give you the details of this shocking business, but you will certainly read them in the gazettes as I have sent both to England and Russia very full accounts for publication. Suffice it now to say that the Governor & the authorities were vainly implored for assistance. They came, it is true, with the troops, but it was only to behold with sang froid the horrid spectacle. Not a musket was fired to save the lives of those unfortunate and defenceless strangers, who to the number of 39 were plundered & cruelly massacred; some of them were so cut up & mangled it was impossible [to] recognize them. As the most of them were Roman Catholics, they were all collected and thrown into a hole together without the shadow of a ceremony or a stone to mark their graves! What is worse, the last accts from there down to the 9th of November mention that not a spanish life was lost, nor has a single native as yet suffered punishment for this most atrocious & horrible deed. My house was attacked & pillaged, my Nephew & a Mr Prince of Boston, who lived with him, made prisonners, and, after being near two days in the hands of the Indians, suffering the most abominable treatment, they luckily escaped Death. Eighty five Chinese and 11 English seamen were also plundered & assassinated. I have been obliged to represent this affair in its full suit of Black to my Government and have at the same time declared my intention of going back to Siberia, next April, where I shall await the orders of His Impl. Majesty. Now, my friend, what think you of this abominable deed & of the conduct of those, who Govern the people of the Philippines? Life and property are hourly exposed under such feeble protectors, if those deserve the name, who, from all the information, I can collect, seem themselves to have been the instigators of this crime against religion & humanity. Thus you see, my dear Wyer, that sometimes the fairest & best prospects are suddenly clouded over and ruined. I leave the place & those miscreants to themselves, from the conviction, that its commerce is ruined forever. In the first place they held their productions