same composition two or three times. Those in the Library are, for the most part, the first arrangements. There was scarcaly any one of his contemporaries of celebrity, with whom he had not an epistolary intercourse. A great many of the letters are written in French, and in Latin; some in other languages. One of his most distinguished correspondents was the Electoress of Hanover, the Princess Sophia, mother of George I. Of her hand, several specimens are to be seen in the collection; and some of her letters have been published in an interesting account of the life of this princess,' by Mr. Feder, who has likewise, in another volume, made known some of the more learned epistles of that great man.' Besides the letters of Leibnitz, there is a great number of loose papers in his hand-writing, containing extracts, notes, and observations. On some occasion, when a person, interested in this subject, wished to look over a certain quantity of these papers, to satisfy his curiosity as to their contents, and wished to have them entrusted to him in his house for a given time, it was found too irksome and troublesome to count them out to him; the expedient, therefore, was adopted of weighing them, and the person alluded to was answerable for so many 1 Sophie, Churfürstin von Hannover, im Umriss von Johann Georg Heinrich Feder, (Hannover, 1810). 2 Commercii epistolici Leibnitiani, typis nondum volgati selecta specimina; edidit notulisque passim illustravit J. G. H. Feder, (Hanover, 1805, 8vo). Some of Leibnitz's letters were published long before, (Leibnitii Epistolæ ad J. And. Schmid, Theol. Helmstad; ex autographis edidit G. Veesenmeyer, Noremberg, 1788, 8vo.). In the Hanover Library are also preserved an arm-chair, in which he used to sit, and a copy of Barclay's Argenis, in which he was reading at the moment of his death. This circumstance is recorded on the front-leaf of the book, by his secretary. There are likewise here two portraits of him. BOOK V. Chapter V. The Royal Libraries of Germany. BOOK V Chapter V. Libraries of pounds of the writings of Leibnitz. When they were returned to the Library, it was ascertained [?] by the scales, that nothing was missing. There are some other memorials of Leibnitz preserved in the Library: for example, a case, with a great many divisions, in which he deposited his excerpta and observations." Since Dr. Noehden published these paragraphs in the Classical Journal, the Leibnitz MSS. have become better known by one of the latest publications of a scholar, too early lost, the late Mr. John Mitchell Kemble. The Gotha Library. § 8. THE DUCAL PUBLIC LIBRARY OF GOTHA. The Gotha Library was founded by Duke Ernest I., of Saxony, called 'the Pious', towards the middle of the 17th century, and, in 1647, was augmented by the purchase of the Rueffer collection. At first it was placed in the Gymnasium, but was soon removed to the Ducal Palace, where it is still kept, in thirteen rooms. From the outset it has been constantly and systematically increased as, for example, by the purchase of a collection at Schweinfurt in 1657; by that of Fergen, containing upwards of 3000 volumes, and especially rich in Theology, in 1707; by that of the Privy-Counceillor von Thunshirn, of more than 5000 volumes, in 1719; and by many similar acquisitions of later date, which include some curious collections of Tracts and fugitive pieces on specific subjects. Several private collections formed by the Dukes of Saxe-Gotha and by other members of the reigning fa mily, at various periods have also been incorporated with the Ducal Library. Those of Frederick II., of Ernest II. (containing nearly 20,000 volumes, and including a considerable number of rare and costly books), and of Augustus, Duke of Saxe Altenburg, are especially noticeable. At the beginning of the reign of Frederick III. part of the fund applied to purchases had been diverted for the formation of small Libraries in the Ducal country-seats, but the collections thus formed were ultimately added to the Library at Gotha. In 1723, the Library was counted and found to contain 22,900 volumes, In 1732, it contained 24,820 exclusive of MSS. In 1746, about 30,000 volumes comprising nearly 80,000 separate works. Thirty seven years later, the number of volumes had been nearly doubled, but that of separate works was increased only to 93,426. The present contents of the Library are of printed books nearly 150,000 volumes, and of MSS. about 5000 volumes. The ordinary yearly income assigned for acquisition is 1300 dollars. The ReadingRoom is freely accessible on every week-day, festivals excepted. Books may be borrowed by all respectable inhabitants of Gotha, and by strangers on the guarantee of such.1 § 9. GRAND DUCAL PUBLIC LIBRARY OF HESSE DARMSTADT. at Darmstadt. In its present form, the Ducal Library of Darm- Ducal Library stadt is the creation of the Grand Duke Lewis I., raised, however, on the old foundation of the Landgrave Petzholdt, ut supra, 151-154; Foreign Office Returns, ut supra. 1 BOOK V. Chapter V. Libraries of Germany. Lewis VI. which dates from 1670, was termed the 'Court The Royal Library', and was publicly accessible. The latter received various and important accessions-amongst the latest of them were 208 MSS. transferred from the Cathedral Library of Cologne. The Grand Duke Lewis I. possessed a private Library which, upon his accession, he opened to the Public, and for which, as well as for the older Ducal Library, he made important acquisitions, both by purchase and by the incorporation of some of the collections which had belonged to the secularized monasteries of the Duchy. Ultimately, the union of both Libraries was determined upon, and with them were incorporated other collections, scientific and artistic; the whole being made a public institution and designated "The Museum" under regulations which were embodied in a Decree of the 12. July 1820.1 The present contents of the Library are stated to be upwards of 230,000 volumes of printed books and 4000 MSS., about 60,000 dissertations, and about 3000 maps. A yearly sum of 10,000 florins is assigned for acquisitions. The regulations under which the Library is accessible are of the utmost liberality; and the average yearly number of books lent, about 30,000. 1 "Das relative Verhältniss beider Bibliotheken änderte sich indessen bald durch die Erwerbung mehrerer bedeutenden Privatbibliotheken aus fast allen Fächern für diejenige des Grossherzogs, und da bei dem Hinzutritt einiger, wenn auch nicht gerade besonders reichen Klosterbibliotheken die bisherigen Räume nirgends mehr ausreichten, die der Hofbibliothek ausserdem zu andern Zwecken in Anspruch genommen wurden, so führte diess zu einer Vereinigung beider in einem anderen Local, das nach Vollziehung der ersten Einrichtung dem Publicum ... täglich offen stand."-Schleiermacher, Bibliographisches System, etc. Vorrede, i, 5 (1852); Petzholdt, ut supra, 80-83; Foreign Office Returns, ut supra; MS. Correspondence. § 10. THE GRAND DUCAL LIBRARY OF WEIMAR. BOOK V. Chapter V. The Royal Libraries of Germany. brary of Weimar. The Ducal Library at Weimar dates from before 1700, and was founded by Duke William Ernest, who brought together for this purpose the books which had Granducal Libeen possessed by his immediate predecessors, and those which had belonged to the Dukes Bernard and John William of Saxe-Jena. This collection he increased by the purchase of the Library of Baron B. F. von Logau, strong in historical works; by a considerable selection of books from that of Marquardus Gudius (sold in 1710); and by the collections of the brothers C. S. Schurzfleisch and H. L. Schurzfleisch. Keysler, who visited it about 1740 tells us that it was then "accounted one of the best in Germany." In 1756, the private collection of Duke Ernest Augustus was incorporated with the Ducal Library. The widow of that Duke, during her regency, removed the Library from Wilhelmsburg to its present locality, and thus fortunately preserved it from destruction in the fire of 1774. Many important accessions were made from time to time, subsequently to this removal, and chiefly by purchases. A special collection which had been formed on the military art, consisting of about 5000 volumes of books and 6000 maps and charts, was also combined with it; so that it has come at length to possess about 150,000 volumes of printed books, and 2000 MSS. The Library is public under most liberal regulations. The yearly number of readers averages 800, and that of the books lent out about 30,000 vo |