BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-05-25
Curious Facts About Menus.
Unique Collection in
New York Public Library
Bill of Fare from Wrecked
Steamer " Rio de Janeiro".

Additions are constantly making to the
unique colecrion Of over 5000 menus IN
the Astor Branch Of the New York Public
Library. Within the last few weeks two
firms in Philadelphia have contributed about
800 bills of fare for special occasions, many
Of which are notably artistic in design and
engraving.
One especially desirable gift came to the
Franck E: Buttolph, in curious way. A
German living in Brooklyn read the article
on tue subject, and then brought over to
the library an old bound volume, tall and
narrow, which he had found in his house
wheu he moved into it, The contents of
the volume are dinner bills of fare and
wine-lists, from June fo November, 1913, of
the old American House, which stood on
the northwest corner of Broadway and Bar
clay Street. On the 1yleaf is the autograph
OF the landlord, James Bagley. The long,
narrow bills are simply printed, but are
embelllshed at the top with a cut of the
hotel, plain six-story bu lding, with view
of City Hall Park, showing it adorned with
trees and big fountain up Broadway.
The wlne.lists are particularly interesting
as they are priced. Champagne, named by
brands now obsOlute, then cost 81 quart,
aohlle London brown stout was surprisingly
high, the price being seventy five cents
quart bottle, and thirty eight cents pint.
The greatest prominence In iCineS was
given to Madeira, which headed the list,
and included no less than nineteen different
brands, ranging in price from 81 to $40
bottle. Of one brand, for which So a bot
tie was charged, it is noted that 'f it has
been twice to India and has great age".
Another item of antiquarian interest IN
a reprint of the dinner bill of fare at the
opening of the fremont House, Boston, in
1929. Among the modern menus, some
are wholly IN Latin, tor dinners of college
clubs, and others have Latin quotations as
notices for the different articles of food
and drink.
A French menu is for lunceeon in the
palace of Czar Nicholas Ii, In st Peers
burg, This is severely plan in design, save
that the imperial coast, farms is emblazon
cd IN gold at the top. Another imperial
menu is that of luncheon given by the
Swiss Federal Council in Lucerne i'll 1898
TO the Emperor and Empress OF Germany.
The coast Of-arms of all nations, that Of the
United States being among the more coz
Spcuous, adOrn the Frech menu of a din
ner given at the Grand Hotel in Homburg
in honor of the foreign officers present at
the manGuVres of the German troops in
1897. The Intanta Eulalia is recalled by
bills of fare in Spanisg which were used on
her dining car in 1895 aohen she travelled
between New York and Chicago.
The collection includes now about 600
menus for dinlng-cars, and fully 1900 ofI
those used on steamship lines running to all
parts of the globe. Many of these are beau
tifully designed and engraved. Notable
among them are the differently designed
menus, 1872 in all, of sixty eighty day
Oriental trip made by the Augusta Victo-
ria last year. Different interest attaches
to about 200 bills of fare, for all meals,
from the ill,fated City of Rio de Janelro,
which was sunk in the harbor Of San Fran
cisco last February.