Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-11-03
The Narsl, Library.

Ia the current number OF the Literary
World is an interesting sketch of the late
George p. Marsh by Charles Lanman, of
Washington. In the course of il is given a
letter written by Mr.. Marsh many years ago,
while still u resident Of this city. in which
some of the treasures of his library are
mentioned. 1t is as follows;
BrRIINGToN, August II. 1874
Dear Sir Since | had the pleasure of
meeting you at Danville ] have spent but
three days at home, and have not had time TO
comply with your request, in regard To a
description of my little collection OF books
and engtavingo. have never made Cata-
loguc Of either. and must therefore, in the
hurried account now give. rely upon mem
Dry, especially as MY engravngs are chiefly
at Washington. My library consists OF some
thug less than five thousand volumes, and is
such heterogeneous collection as of course
so small a one If suited at all to the purposes
OF n scholar of rather multlfarOus than pro-
found reading, necessarily must be. 1t is
meagre in all departments except that of
Scandinavian literature. in which | suppose
it 10 be more compete than any collection
out of the northern Kingdoms. In old north
ern literature it contains all the Arna-
MagnRan editions of the Icelandic Sag -, all
those of Suhm. all those of the Royal Society
of Northern Antiquaries, and, in fact, all
those printed at Copenhagen and Stockholm,
US well as in Iceland, with scarcely an ex-
ception. possess also the great edi-
tons of Heimskiingln. the two Eddas
koogs. Skugg.Sjo, Konunga Stylilse
tue Scrip,ores R,rum Danicarum, Scriptures
Rcrum Svccoarum, Dausk Magasin the two
complete editions Of CLAUS Magnus Saxo
4 ici,g bn of .hpl,
f,eus, Schoning. Suhn. PUntoppidan Grundt-
Wig Petersen, Rask, the Atlantica of Rud-
beck, the grea, works of Sjoborg SiIiegrcn,
Geijer, Cronholm, and Strmnholm, all the
| collections of old Iceandic, Danish, and
| Swedish laws, and almost all the writers,
ancient and modern, who have treated of the
| language, literature, or history Of the ancient
Scandinavian race. In modern Danish liter
aturc, l have works of HolberI, Ewald, Hell
berg, Baggesen, Ochlenschleger, Ingemaun,
| Nyerup. With other celebrated authors in
Swedish those Of Leopold, OXensjerna Bell
mann, Franzen, Auerborn, 1cguer, Fredeii-
ka Bremen, and indeed almost all the belle
ietttes authors of Sweden, the TRANSACTIONS of
the Royal Academy of Science more than
one hundred Volumes those of the Swedis h
Academy and of the ROYAL Academy OF
| Literature, and many collections in docu-
mentary history, besides numerous other
works. In Spanish and Portuguese, besides
many modern authors, l have numerous
old chronicles such as he Madrid collection
Of old 81 anlsh Chronicle in Z vols, Alto, the
Portuguese Livros Iuedilas da Historic Por-
tuguezi, vols folio, Ternam Lopez, de
Brito Duarte Nunez do Liam. Damiam dc
Goes, de Barros and Comic, Albuquerque,
Castenheda, Resende, Andrada, Osorio, also
de Menezes, Mariana, Pow Wage de Es-
| No nj II liar
most of the best authors who have acquired
q European reputation several hundred
volumes of French works, including many OF
the old Chroniclers respectable collection
in German, including many editions OF
Rcyneke de Nos, the Nibelungcn, and other
works of the Middle ages IN classical lltera-
ture, good editions of the most celebrated
Greek and Latin authors and in English, q
respectable collection of the best authors
among which | may notice as rare in this
country, many of the old Chronicles (includ
ing Lord Berners's Froissart) Roger Ascham
the Works OF King James ], Johr
Smiths Virginia edition of 1924, Amadis
de Gaul, and Palmerian of England. In Lex
Biography, have the best dictionaries and
Grammars in all the languages of Western
Europe. and many biographical dictionaries
and other works of reference in various Ian
guages. lhave also many works on astroo
gy, alchemy, witchcraft and magic, and 9
considerable collection of works on the sitlla-
ton of Plato's Atlantis and the Elysiar
Fields, such as Rudbrck's Atlantca Goro
plus Becanus de Grave Republique DEF
Champs Elysees, Ramus Ulysses ct Othinu'
unns ct idem, and others.
In the department of Art, have the Muset
Francois, Musee Royal (proof before letters)
Liber Nertatis, Houghton Gallery, Florenc.
Gallery, Publications of Dlettanti Society
ty, and many other illustrated work
and collections OF engravings tn,
works of Bartsch, Ottlev. Mengs, mos
of those of Visconti. Wincheman, will
numerous other writers on the history AMI
theory of art old illustrated works, amonI
which may mention Leuerdanck (origina
r edition. aud Der Weiss Runig; and many
thousand steel engraviugs, including many
originals by Albert Durer, Luke Of Leyden
Cranach, Aldegrener, Wierx, the Sadelers
Nautenl (among others first impression o
the celebrated Louis XIV, of the size o
life), Mason, and among these first i'm
, preston of the famous Courte d. Harcourt
or Cadet a Ia Perie Edelink Drenet, Mar
Antonio, and all other engravers of the lal
/, ian school Cabot, Ostade, Rembrandt tin
Guiding most superb impression of thu
Christ Healing the Sick, or the hundred
guilder piece, the Goldepeigher, and the por
trait of Renter Ansloo), Waterloo. Woolett
; Sharp, Schmidt, Longhi, and Morghen; il
short more or less of the works of all tn
greatest masters in photography, from tn
, time of ALDER, Durer to the present day.
/ The above Is very imperfect account
but l really have not time to make ont NOR
complete one,
am, dear sir, truly yours,
: GRoRaE p. MARSH,