the average number of books is 3,800. In addition to
the bound volumes mentioned above, the societies own 218,852 pamphlets
and 2,169 manuscripts, the proportion of these two kinds of literary
works being naturally large in scientific collections. The largest
libraries are those of the Essex Institute, Salem, Mass., 30,655
volumes, and 105,408 pamphlets, and "many" MSS.; Philadelphia Academy of
Natural Sciences, 30,000 volumes and 35,000 pamphlets; Wagner Free
Institution of Science, Philadelphia, 15,000 volumes; Museum of
Comparative Zooelogy (Harvard), 13,000; Illinois Industrial University,
10,000; School of Mines, New York, 7,000; Sheffield Scientific School,
5,000.

_Historical societies_ have been much more actively employed in
collecting than the table we have given indicates. Since the adoption
of the Constitution in 1789 no less than one hundred and sixty
societies have been formed, and Dr. Homes of the New York State Library
reports their collections to aggregate more than 482,000 volumes and
568,000 pamphlets. The number of MSS. is 88,771, besides 1,361 bound
volumes of them. The largest accumulations are:

_Volumes._ _Pamphlets._ _MSS._

Am. Antiq. Soc.,
Worcester 60,497

New York Historical 60,000 12,000 15,000

Wisconsin Historical 33,347 31,653 300

Long Island Historical 26,000 25,000

Massachusetts Historical 23,000 45,000 1,000 v.

Congregational Library,
Boston 22,895 95,000 550

Connecticut Historical 16,000 20,000

Amer. Philosoph.,
Philadelphia 20,000 15,000 100 v.

German Society,
Philadelphia 16,000

Pennsylvania Historical 16,000 30,000 25,000

It is among these societies that we find the largest average of any
class, excepting the Government. Historical libraries contain about
8,400 bound volumes, 7,000 pamphlets, and 1,000 MSS. to each collection.
In spite of this the public collections are often surpassed in
completeness in special branches by private ones. In this country a
public institution can rarely compete successfully with an eager and
determined private buyer.

_Government_ libraries include others than those for the use of
officials, as the following list sho