New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-06
THE BANCROFT LIBRARY.
THE COLLECTION TO BE SOLD IN ONE LOT

SOME OF THE TREASURES IN HIS WASHINGTON
! HOUSE.
| since the death OF George Bancroft 1t has been
matter Of public curiosity rs to what was TO De
done with bis books. 1t is understood that the
executors have casogued them and are about 10 oner
them for sale In one bot only-with the strong prod
ability that public library, or some Individual ,cther
for himself o notable gift 10 some nstitunon) VIII
| purchase Them The executors Of Mr.. Bancroft are
Of the firm OF Messrs. Riggs Co., the washington
bankers.
The library Is very large one, about twice tue SIZE
Of S. L. NJ Barow's and three times as large as the
Menzies library Mr. Bancroft was born In 1900 HIS
habits were simple and his diet spare He was not
above reading little books the art OF preserving le
and as is will known, took frequent exercise on horse
| back when nearly ninety years DID, The library Is
abundant In testimony to his industry and scholarship.
John F. Sabn, who has been through It, says OF II:
at might be questioned II Mr.. Bsncrofts residence
in Washington were house with a library, library
with few rooms about 1t TO live It, A large, high.
square room, sclved from floor to ceiling on the west
side may be called the main library Every inch OF
the wallspace is occupied by books and on many OF
the shelves are double At the east side Of the
house is another room, not SO large, but even more
closely packed with books from top to bottom. Be-
tween these two ista smaller room, with bookcase
containing mostly English standard and dramatic ati-
thors, with between 1000 and 5000 historical PAM
phets. In the third story, the east room Is well filed
with books The hall OF the second story is furnished
with full Of fine books any one get away
from bookcases in the hall on the top floor The
reception contains two well filed oak bookcases
1T is evident that no description OF the library
accumulated By Mr. Bancroft be at the same time
brief and adequate. The public. however, Is likely TO
DO interested In notes to It's contents and gem
eral character. The reception room Is occupied by
books in fine bindings. The Lodges Portrait Gallery
oHtti
Of Macauly, Burke, Gibbon, and Strickland are all
handsomely bound. Among the scarce books here Is
the twenty volume edition Of De Foe
"The books in the east room relate chiefly TO the
history OF North and South America Astounding In his
tories of the colonies and OF the States, local histories
OF towns countless etc, settlement OF the west Call
fornia, Texas, items relating to the dis
covery and settlement Of Canada, innumerabe pam
phles bound in volumes relating to the history OF the
country and exhibiting the genesis Of the American
Revolution
ain the section relating to NewYork is to be found
the rare quarto edition OF 'Horsmandcn's History OF
the Negro Plot to Destroy New-York Also
In this room is portion OF the department Of Amer
lean biography. together with publications and pro-
ceedngs Of societies. old laws, documents and archives
matters relating to the Indians, discoveries OF the
Mississippi pioneer conquests, etc.
1t was impossible that Mr.. Bancroft should be IN
sensible to the fine arts and he possessed hmsel Oh
various grand books descriptive and reproductive OF the
chief European galleries. the Musce Francois and
the Musee Royal the beautiful Florence Gallery. Fin
denis Royal Gallery of British Art, in proof state
The grand NInsee of the Vatican Is represented in
series of folio volumes which, in binding, is splendid
specimen Of work in velum and altogether set mt
for grandee Joshua Reynolds is represented In
three folio volumes Of mezzOtints.
Among the little books of great value are George
Alsops Character Of the Province of Maryland
nrinfe in a
ones hand, worth than its weight In gold
Ledcrer's Discoveries in Three Marches from virginia
q copy in matchless condition, printed In 1917:
Lecercs Establishment de Ia Fol- two little volumes,
lately priced in London at forty pounds Scotts Model
OF tho Government OF East jersey with names OF tine
early settlers 1895 also best editions OF Hennepin
Among books of voyages and travels may be
named the collections OF Purchas, Iiakuyt, Ramusio,
etc., works Of Oved0, Herrera Barca, etc, finely
bound copy Of Captain smiths History OF Virginia.
folio 1892 OF maps and aliases Of America there are
several foos. Revolutionary history in all its details
and collaterals Is OF course abundsny represented
One Old folio volume contains the original Court
Martlals held by order OF Washington on Schuyler on
St Clair and Lee and also proceedings OF the AS
semby OF New-Jersey in 1880, and the acts in 1II,
etc The Court Martals enriched by the insertion
of some Ms. notes in the autograph Of Bancroft
. 4 particular feature adding interest and unique
ness TO Bsncron's library is the amount of marginal
and other annexation and comment which he has
placed with his hand in very many Of the books,
and the value OF these comments can by no means be
measured By their quantity as for instance state
ment of his appended to marked paragraph such as
This Is not true OF many books he has made work
ing copies sometimes interviewing well writing
upon the margins and inserting cuttings and scraps
and pieces of publications, which apply to statements
of the text. For instance he has interviewed and
extended Holiness Annals in two volumes to five,
and this work seems 10 have received his most psrticu
ho baC led int ayad
pages by his own hand.
a folio In old calf-bnding is rich in treasures;
II contains sxtynne pieces, printed from 1867 10 1882
IL originally came from David Brearey OF New-Jersey,
and was finally presented TO Mr.. Bancroft by J. W.
Alexander some OF these pieces printed for the
Parliament OF Oliver Cromwell Ono OF them, in black
letter a petition to which the Lord Protector doth
consent is interesting to the oats to DO taken by
any person who should be member OF Parliament
There are eighteen pages of interesting decara-
ton of King Charles III concerning ecclesiastical az
fairs These declarations with the life Of the Merry
Monarch In parallel columns, would form some startling
contrasts Looking further in this volume We find
a rare broadsde, william PENIS speech to His
Majesty, upon delivering the Quakers' address, with
His Maiesty's most gracious answer a liberal and q
noble one, and, in fact the same is now embodied
In all Important plank In the structure Of American
liberty. sti further there is William PENIS letter
item pages) containing description OF the Province
Of Pennsylvania and account Of the City OF Pha-
delpha. newly laid out, with a map; London. 1888
Mr.. Bancroft the recipient OF many books as
gifts. and he has generally inserted the autOsraph
letter o. tho donor, aud numbers Of books. not
tion Among these may be mentioned Don juan
Cantos 3. aud 3, with this inscription In Lord Byrons
pyr 1S n MAY sn bdEsns the Asss
Notes, two volumes, London, 1542, In which is
S psn S sO Ssob saf from ..s5 3 Nc hisss
erots library is rich In the works Of the most ceIe
biography, etc, with sprnklng Of science Nor has
he neglected the literature of Italy. The best authors
in the French language are found the shelves
The writer's Of Greece aud Rome ab0nnd not only
In the original languages, published under the car,
Oi different editors. but also In English tl1nslstons
or course the works OF the American statesmen Hanil.
ton Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Madison. and fJa