The Auditors further report that they have personally examined the securities held by the Treasurer and find the same to be as stated by him and the balance of cash on hand duly accounted for. (Signed) October 1, 1915. BENJAMIN THOMAS HILL, HOMER GAGE, Auditors. WORCESTER, MASS., October 1, 1915. I hereby certify that I have examined the books and accounts of the Treasurer of the American Antiquarian Society, made up for the year ending September 30, 1915, and find same to be correct and properly vouched. (Signed) W. THANE BOYDEN, Accountant. CONTRIBUTORS OF $100 AND MORE TO THE SOCIETY'S 1832 Isaiah Thomas, Worcester (legacy)... Nathaniel Maccarty, Worcester (legacy). $23,152 500 1838 Edward D. Bangs, Worcester (legacy). 200 1840 William McFarland, Worcester (legacy).. 500 1842 Christopher G. Champlin, Newport, R. I. (legacy).. 100 1874 Miss Nancy Lincoln, Shrewsbury (legacy). 200 1879 Benjamin F. Thomas, Beverly (legacy).. Edward L. Davis, Worcester... 1,000 500 1900 John C. B. Davis, Washington, D. C.. 1,000 Horace Davis, San Francisco, Calif.. 1,000 1,000 1905 Andrew H. Green, New York, N. Y. (legacy)... 4,840 1907 Stephen Salisbury, Jr., Worcester (legacy). 60,000 Charles E. French, Boston (legacy).... 1,000 1908 Stephen Salisbury, Jr., Worcester (legacy). 1909 Mrs. Frances W. Haven, Worcester (legacy). 1910 Charles G. Washburn, Worcester... 175,000 2,000 5,000 REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN. During the year ending October 1, 1915, the following accessions have been received: In this summary the newspaper accessions have not been included. They total as follows: Bound volumes, Unbound issues, 492 54,528 This unusually large total of newspapers is due chiefly to the accession of two collections. The duplicates from the Rhode Island Historical Society, which were mentioned in last year's report, have been sorted, arranged and bound, and are now upon the shelves. When this mass of newspapers, mostly in scattered issues or tied in bundles, was deposited in the basement, it seemed a formidable task to collate them, compare them with our own files and prepare them for the binder. All the volumes which were reasonably complete were bound and the scattering files were arranged in portfolios, by which method 196 bound volumes and 2,840 unbound issues were placed in the Rhode Island section. The list of files acquired follows: PROVIDENCE PATRIOT, 1814-1834. MANUFACTURERS AND FARMERS JOURNAL, 1821-1869. PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 1830-1869. REPUBLICAN HERALD, 1834-1850. PROVIDENCE HERALD, 1842-1872. PROVIDENCE DAILY GAZETTE, 1845. DAILY TRANSCRIPT, 1845, 1847. PROVIDENCE POST, 1850-1866. PROVIDENCE PRESS, 1859-1884. PROVIDENCE MORNING HERALD, 1868-1873. MORNING STAR, 1869-1886. RHODE ISLAND PRESS, 1880-1886. In addition to these files, a number of issues of the Providence Gazette between 1782 and 1825, the United States Chronicle between 1789 and 1800, and the Newport Herald between 1789 and 1791 were used to complete our files, and about 300 miscellaneous and scattering issues of various other papers were acquired. These Rhode Island files were deposited here with the condition that they should be returned to the Rhode Island Historical Society in case of the loss or destruction of its own files. In each volume is placed this label, "This volume is deposited by the Rhode Island Historical Society with the American Antiquarian Society to be returned to the Rhode Island Historical Society in case of the destruction of its own file." It is an agreement which benefits each Society, at the same time making the papers of use to a wider circle of students. There are many historical societies and state libraries to which this plan would appeal, if properly brought to their attention. I know of at least half a dozen libraries which are preserving duplicate files of newspapers for future use, and yet housing them in buildings that are far from fire-proof. Even some of the larger city libraries are located in thickly settled sections where the danger of a conflagration cannot be averted. The library of the American Antiquarian Society is one of the most fire-proof buildings in the country and because of its location would not be subject to a general conflagration. The advantage of placing such a newspaper file in what is practically a safe deposit vault is too obvious to require extended comment. The other notable acquisition of the year, and one of the largest accumulations of unbound issues ever recorded in the Society's accession book, is the collec |