James Russell Lowell's Gift to the Library.

James Russell Lowell presented to the library last June on his arrival from abroad, a valuable collection of books which he had gathered while in Europe in the past eight years. This collection embraced 688 volumes. They are mostly Spanish works, some are Italian, and a few are English. While many of these volumes are very valuable and rare, there is one work that may justly be deemed a prize above all others. This is the Chronicle of Fernando Lopez, in three volumes printed in 1644. Mr. Lowell purchased it at the Sunderland sale in 1882. On the fly leaf of the first volume Mr. Lowell has transcribed the following quotation from a letter which he received from Mr. G. P. Marsh who wrote from Rome, January 19, 1882: - "As I have no means at hand in Rome of ascertaining the full title, I don't know whether No. 2816 is the Chronicle of Fernando Lopez or not. If it is so, he that buys it at its weight in gold will make a cheap bargain. . Lopez in my opinion, was the first historical writer of the fifteenth century, and his account of the battle of Aljubarrata is surpassed by nothing known to me in the literature of the middle ages. I hope it will be deterre by some scholar, and that the Sunderland copy if it is really the work I am speaking of, may find its way into an American Library. The edition of 1644 is the editio princeps, and it has never been reprinted. It ought to command the price of a Caxton."

Other books in this collection may be mentioned: Documentos Ineditos para la Historia de Espana, 67 volumes; History of the 'Crown of Aragon, 40 volumes; Teatrum Urbium Italiae, 6 volumes containing valuable maps.

A few English books deserve mention: A small volume of Tennyson's poems, evidently a reprint of the first edition; Early Metrical Tales, containing the autograph of Wadsworth; a costly illustrated quarto edition of Longfellow's Evangeline.

This-gift shows that Mr. Lowell's attention has been given to his alma mater during his entire absence.