later years, though the
manuscripts of the Duke of Urbino's collection are preserved in the
library of the Vatican.

I may here note a very few of the most extensive library collections now
existing in Europe and America.

1. Of the great public libraries of Europe, which owe much of their
riches to the government privilege of the copy-tax, the national library
of France is the oldest and the largest, now numbering two million six
hundred thousand volumes. Founded in the 15th century, it has had four
hundred years of opportunity for steady and large increase. Paris abounds
in other public libraries also, in which respect it is far superior to
London.

2. Next to the Bibliotheque nationale of France, comes the Library of the
British Museum, with 2,000,000 volumes, very rich both in manuscripts and
in printed books in all languages. A liberal Parliamentary grant of
$60,000 a year for purchase of books and manuscripts keeps this great
collection well up to date as to all important new works, besides
enabling it constantly to fill up deficiencies in the literature of the
past. Following this, among the great libraries having over half a
million books, come in numerical order

Volumes.
3. Russian Imperial Library, St. Petersburg, 1,200,000
4. Royal Library of Prussia, Berlin, 1,000,000
5. Royal Library of Bavaria, Munich, 980,000
6. Library of Congress, Washington City, 840,000
7. Boston Public Library, 734,000
8. University Library, Strasburg, Germany, 700,000
9. Imperial Public Library, Vienna, 575,000
10. Bodleian Library, Oxford 530,000

It is a notable fact that among the richest monuments of learning that
have been gathered by mankind, the University libraries hold a very high
rank. Reckoned in number of volumes, there are many of them which far
outrank the government libraries, except in six instances. Out of 174
libraries, all exceeding 100,000 volumes, as reported in the annual
_Minerva_, in October, 1898, no less than 72 are the libraries of
universities. Strasburg heads the list, with a noble collection of
700,000 volumes; then Oxford university, whose Bodleian library numbers
530,000; Leipzig university, 504,000; Cambridge university, England,
Goettingen university, and Harvard university, 500,000 each; the
university of Vienna, 475,000; the univer