Federation of Arts; president of the School Art League, for a number of years president of the MacDowell club, member of the City Improvement Commission of New York and of the council of Cooper Institute. To the varied objects of these associations he gave an active and valuable support. Perhaps his attitude toward life was determined in a measure by his own early experiences. Born in Pittsburgh, he came to New York, as a boy, to make his way, rose from office boy to illustrator with Harper Brothers, went to Europe, fell under the influence particularly of Frank Duveneck to whom, as he said himself, he "owed a great debt” — and returned to his own country, to accumulate a number of medals and other honors, American and foreign, which, if listed with his official positions and the various galleries here and abroad in which he is represented, would fill a page or two of this Bulletin. "Alexander," we are told in an editorial article in the "Evening Sun" of June 2d, "never forgot his birthplace or the beginnings of his artistic life. To the end he was ready to help in the training of youth. One of his last public acts was the awarding of prizes to East Side boys for good work in modeling and drawing. At ease with the highest, he made the lowly at ease with him, for he knew the sources of power and the limitations of place. In the strife and rioting of our day he held fast to that which was good." -F. WEITENKAMPF. THESE OF THE LOVE OF BOOKS HESE are the masters who instruct us without rods and ferrules, without hard words and anger, without clothes or money. If you approach them, they are not asleep; if investigating you interrogate them, they conceal nothing; if you mistake them, they never grumble; if you are ignorant, they cannot laugh at you. You only, oh books, are liberal and independent. You give to all who ask, and enfranchize all who serve you assiduously... You are the deepest mines of wisdom, to which the wise man sent his son, that he might thence dig up treasure. – From Richard de Bury's “Philobiblon.” THE L'ORIENT EXPEDITION, 1746 CAPTAIN JOHN CHALMERS'S REPORT HE following document is printed from the original manuscript in The New York Public Library. Chalmers was captain of the artillery, Thomas Armstrong was chief engineer and commander of the artillery, and the Duke of Montagu master general of ordnance. The BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY for June, 1906 (volume 10, pages 303-328), contained the text of correspondence between Admiral Lestock and General St. Clair and the Duke of Newcastle giving their account of the operations. MY LORD I should have done myself the Honour before now, to have transmitted an Account, to your Grace, of our procedings on the Coast of France, but that I imagind, as L'Orient was the principal Scene of Action, a Plan of the Ground near that Place would be absolutly necessary. I cannot pretend to say the Plan annext is from any actual Survey I made, nor is it a Copy of any thing but the real Ground as it offers to my memory, however I hope it is pretty near the Truth, and will serve in some measure to illustrate the Nature of our attack. Septr. 15 Lestock Esqre. Septr. 18 JOURNAL, 1746 We saild from Plymouth under the Convoy of Richard This Evening fell in with Commodore Coats, who had been sent some days ago to recconnoitre on the Coast of France, near Port Louis. Septr. 19 We were all last night and this Day plying towards the Shoar, in the Evening anchor'd in Quimperly Bay, about Three Leagues N. W. of Port Louis. Septr. 20 This Day 600 of the Troops were landed in the Face of the Enemy, who had gathered together to upwards of 2000, and en |