The departments of engravings and medals were now created, and before long rose to nearly equal importance with that of books. Marolles's prints, Foucquet's books, and many from the Mazarin library were added to the collection, and, in short, the Bibliothèque du Roi had its future pre-eminence undoubtedly secured. Nic. Clément made a catalogue in 1684 according to an arrangement which has been followed ever since (that is, in twenty-three classes, each one designated by a letter of the alphabet), with an alphabetical index to it. After Colbert's death Louvois emulated his predecessor's labours, and employed Mabillon, Thevenot, and others to procure fresh accessions from all parts of the world. A new catalogue was compiled in 1688 in eight volumes by several distinguished scholars. The Abbé Louvois, the minister's son, became head of the library in 1691, and opened it to all students — a privilege which although soon withdrawn was afterwards restored. Towards the end of Louis XIV.'s reign it contained over 70,000 volumes. Under the manage ment of the Abbé Bignon numerous additions were made in all departments, and the library was removed to its present home in the Rue Richelieu. Among the more important acquisitions were 6000 MSS. from the private library of the Colbert family, Bishop Huet's forfeited collection, and a large number of Oriental books imported by missionaries from the further East, and by special agents from the Levant. Between 1739 and 1753 a catalogue in eleven volumes was printed, which enabled the administration to discover and to sell its duplicates. In Louis XVI.'s reign the sale of the La Vallière library furnished a valuable increase both in MSS. and printed books. A few years before the Revolution broke out the latter department contained over 300,000 volumes and opuscules. The Revolution was serviceable to the library, now called the Bibliothèque Nationale, by increasing it with the forfeited collections of the émigrés, as well as of the suppressed religious communities. In the midst of the difficulties of placing and cataloguing these numerous acquisitions, the name of Van Praet appears as an administrator of the first order. Napoleon increased the amount of the Government grant; and by the strict enforcement of the law concerning new publications, as well as by the acquisition of several special collections, the Bibliothèque made considerable progress during his reign towards realizing his idea that it should be universal in character. At the beginning of this century the recorded numbers were 250,000 printed volumes, 83,000 MSS., and 1,500,000 engravings. After Napoleon's downfall the MSS. which he had transferred from Berlin, Hanover, Florence, Venice, Rome, the Hague, and other places had to be returned to their proper owners. The MacCarthy sale in 1817 brought a rich store of MSS. and incunabula. From that time onwards to the present, under the enlightened administration of MM. Taschereau and Delisle, the accessions have been very extensive.
The official estimate of the number of volumes in the Département des Imprimés now reaches the extraordinary total of about 2,290,000, but the contents have not been actually counted since 1791, and as the above enumerates pieces of which many are included in one volume, perhaps something like 1,827,000 is nearer the proper number. The annual additions are about 45,000. The réserve (consisting of articles of the highest importance) extends to more than 50,000 volumes. The collection of books on French history is in itself an enormous library, amounting to 440,000 volumes. The maps and charts, said to number 300,000, are included in this department. The Département des MSS. comprehended, in 1876, 91,700 volumes. The Département des Médailles possessed, in 1873, 143,030 coins, medals, engraved stones, &c., and since that date has acquired many important accessions. More than 2,200,000 engravings are in the Département des Estampes, where 20,000 pieces are annually received under the copyright law. The annual vote for purchases and binding is 200,000 francs.
Admittance to the Salle de Travail is obtained by a bulletin personnel, which is procurable without difficulty. This, the reading-room for students, was built in 1868, and affords accommodation for 344 readers. There are but few books of reference, and readers, are only allowed five books a day. The Salle publique contains 40,000 books, which are freely available to the public. Plans are now under consideration for an enlargement of the Bibliothèque, and a sum of 3,700,000 francs is to be devoted to that purpose.
The Bibliothèque Nationale does not possess a general catalogue at the disposal of readers; the MS. catalogues of the various classes of the printed books are for official use only. Besides the old catalogue of 1739-53, there is the very elaborate Catalogue de l'Histoire de France (1855-79, 11 vols. 4to), with a lithographed supplement; the indexes will appear shortly. The third volume of the Catalogue des Sciences Médicales is now in the press, and that devoted to English history is nearly finished in manuscript. The vellum books have been described by Van Praet (1822-23, 6 vols.: 8vo, and supplement, 1877). The MSS. are much better provided for. The printed catalogues of these commence with that of Anicet Melot, 1739-44, 4 vols. folio, continued in a way by the Notices et Extraits des MSS. du Bibl. du Roi, 1787-1875. The work of M. Paulin Paris, Les MSS. François; leur histoire et celle des textes allemands, anglois, italiens, et espagnols (1836-48, 7 vols. 8vo), is well known. Catalogues of the Italian, Spanish, Belgian, Pali, Sanskrit, Ethiopian, and Chinese MSS. have also appeared between 1807 and 1844. The first and second volumes in 4to of a new Catalogue des MSS. Français have been printed, and two volumes of the Inventaire of M. Delisle, besides five parts of his Inventaire des MSS. Latins (1863-71). The authorities have also brought out a Catalogue des Manuscrits Hebreux et Samaritains (1866, 4to), besides those of MSS. Syriaques et Sabéens (1874, 4to), MSS. Ethiopiens (1877), and MSS. Espagnols (1879).
Paris is much better provided than London or any other city in the world with great public libraries. Besides the Bibliothèque Nationale there are four libraries, each over 120,000 volumes (with others less extensive), to which the public have free access, the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal being the largest of them. The collection of the Marquis de Paulmy d'Argenson was the basis of this library, which also acquired a portion of the books of the Duc de la Vallière in 1781. It is peculiarly rich in romances, the drama, and French poetry, and possesses 80,000 volumes on French history alone. It is freely open, but there are not many readers. The Bibliothèque Mazarine was founded by the great cardinal, who in 1643 placed about 12,000 volumes at the disposal of the public. The books were chiefly brought together through the exertions of Gabriel Naude, who tells us that in 1648 they amounted to 40,000 volumes. After the death of Mazarin, his magnificent library was bequeathed to the college bearing his name; it remained under the direction of the Sorbonne from 1688 to 1791, since which time it has been subject to the control of the state. It is rich in incunabula and theology, including the works of Protestant divines, and is annually visited by over 12,000 readers. – The Bibliothèque Sainte Geneviève was founded in 1624, at the abbey of that name, by Cardinal François de la Rochefoucauld. Other persons also gave books, and in 1687 the library is said to have contained 20,000 printed volumes and 400 MSS. In 1710 C. M. Le Tellier bequeathed his collection, and in the Almanach Royal of the same year an announcement appeared that the library would be open to students during certain hours every day. Louis, Duc d'Orléans, the son of the Regent, took up his abode here, and in 1730 the library was considerably enlarged by him. It was opened to the public in 1790, and at the time of the Revolution there were 80,000 printed volumes and 2000 MSS.; there are now 120,000 volumes and 2392 MSS. The reading-room is open in the evening, and is much frequented, especially by students. The library contains a good collection of incunabula, many of which have been described by Dibdin, a number of rare Italian and Spanish chronicles, and a very complete series of periodicals from the 17th century to the empire. – The Bibliothèque de l'Université (or the Sorbonne) was formerly restricted to the use of the members of the five faculties of Paris, but the public has been freely admitted during the last thirty years. – The Bibliothèque de l'Institut having been plundered during the Revolution, the old town library was transferred to it. Persons not members are admitted upon the recommendation (which lasts twelve months) of any academician. – The Bibliothèque de la Ville, founded in the 18th century, and reorganized at the time of the Revolution, was destroyed in 1871. It has since been entirely re-established in the Hôtel Carnavalet, which contains the historical museum of the city, and comprehends 60,000 volumes of books and 40,000 engravings, entirely relating to the history and description of Paris. The other public libraries are under the authority of the minister of public instruction, but the Bibliothèque de la Ville is under the control of the prefect of the Seine. The municipal libraries in Paris are 20 in number, with 70,000 volumes; there are besides 440 school libraries, with 44,120 books.
Of other libraries in Paris, not included in our tables, we may name the Bibliothèque de la Préfecture de Police (10,000 volumes, with curious MSS. relating to the Revolution), Bibliothèque du
