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XXIII. EXPLOSIVES AND DANGEROUS GOODS. During the year the following licenses were issued Explosives. —Importations, 16 ; conveyance, 191 ; sale, 591 ; storage, 473. Dangerous Goods. —Storage, 2,338. XXIV. THE ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY. A. Holdings and Acquisitions. The number of books catalogued is now 62,291, and during the year 2,500 have been so recorded. Of these, about 800 volumes were in the Hogg collection now about half catalogued. The greater part of a further 300 were recatalogued in various classes. The work in this section has been somewhat affected by considerable changes of staff in the period. In continuing the development of sections of the library already strong, this year has seen augmentation of resources on Australian literature, Miltonic. studies, bibliography, drama, art, and biography. As usual the collections of New Zealand and Pacific material have been kept up to date, and to some extent lacuna) have been filled of earlier books (especially the Fiji Islands). Of works of a reference nature the following are especially important: " Bibliography of Australian Literature, by Miller ; " Bibliography of Australia," by J. A. Ferguson ; " The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature, and " Manual del Librero Hispano-Americano," by Palau. Full as the first three are, it has been interesting to see that the library possesses works not recorded in their pages. Of older works, satisfaction has been taken in the addition of first editions of Pope's " Shakespeare," 1725 ; Gissing s ' Unclassed and " Denzil Quarrier" ; of two Venetian incunabula, " Juvenal Persms, 1492, and Lucan Pharsalia," 1493 ; " The Chronicle of Heynan," 1543 ; and a set of Blair and Robertson's monumental ' Philippine Islands," in fifty-five volumes. About 600 volumes were acquired by purchase in all. B. Use of the Libkaby. The number of readers has remained surprisingly steady at about three thousand, which seems to be quite up to ordinary years. To some extent the library now makes books available on interlibrary loan to other libraries for use there under appropriate conditions. C. Exhibitions. Exhibitions have been made of selected material from the Hogg collection (Scottish history a,nd literature) and the Trimble collection (eighteenth century and other books on Ireland). A selection of prints and sketches was on view during the summer, and the centennials of Punch and of the Kelmscott press were celebrated by appropriate exhibitions. D. Indexes. The five volumes of typescript copies of the Rev. Henry William's letters to the C.M.S. have been indexed, and the indexing of the privately-printed volume of Mrs. Godley's letters, Cowan's '' New Zealand Wars " (inadequately indexed in the volumes themselves), the " New Zealand Journal," and Centennial News are in progress. E. Donations and Exchanges. Through the medium of the Turnbull Library Record, further advantageous exchanges have been arranged with overseas publications, and " The Friends of the Turnbull Library are making an increasingly valuable contribution to the library's strength. A member of this organization, Robert Hogg, of Johnsonville, died in May, 1941, bequeathing his noted poetry and Scottish literature collection to the library. This was formally installed at a very happy ceremony attended by representatives of the family, of Scottish societies, educational bodies, and " The Friends of the Library." The Hon. the Minister and the Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs were present, and spoke in terms of appreciation of the bequest. , , Another very significant gift was the library of Robert Trimble, of Inglewood, presented on behalt of his three daughters by Miss Nora Trimble. This is extremely rich in the history and antiquities of Ireland, and includes excellent works on English history and literature. The collection numbered over one thousand two hundred volumes. _ An enthusiastic member of " The Friends of the Library, Miss Julia Tomlinson, of Nelson, has also endowed a memorial to Sir Hugh Walpole, for the purpose of developing a book collection devoted to the writer. A forthcoming number of the Turnbull Library Record will give fuller particulars of this very unusual and beneficent gesture. It was with regret that news came of the death of Lady Kinsey, of Christchurch. From her estate, through the courtesy of Mrs. M. Moore, the library received a number of superb and precious prints as well as many beautiful books. Less spectacular gifts have come from many well-wishers both in New Zealand and abroad. It is, however, possibly of use that some of these be made known here. The Prime Minister's Department,. Canberra, presented an extensive collection of publications on New Guinea, dealing with many aspects of the country and its people. Miss Moginie, of Wellington, gave a number of interesting works, the most notable being a very fine copy of Foxe's " Book of Martyrs " dated 1684, with fine copper-plate engravings. Partly by way of exchange, the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, sent a large group ol their anthropological and other publications on the Pacific islands, thus rounding our set out very well. The Melanesian and Roman Catholic Missions in the Solomon Islands have been consistently good friends, sending regular parcels of islands booklets. Mrs. J. A. Crump, of Ocean Bay, whose, husband was a well-known missionary in the New Britain Group, recently presented a very acceptable series of islands books and manuscripts, mainly important to students of linguistics. Exigencies of space, due to war conditions, preclude fuller particulars of other gifts, but the indebtedness of the library to all donors is here gratefully acknowledged. Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (402 copics), £13 10a.

By Authority: E. V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington. —1942.

Price 6d.]

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