The report of President Eliot for the year 1890-91 to the Board of Overseers makes its appearance today. Bound with it, are the reports of the heads of the several departments and at the end is the Treasurer's statement.

The President first announces the deaths of James Russell Lowell and Orlando Witherspoon Doe, an instructor in the Medical School. Mr. Lowell is spoken of in the very highest terms and the tribute to him is a glowing one, full of touches of the deepest respect and affection.

The resignations and minor changes in the University's several boards are mentioned and the duties of the new University officer, the Regent, are defined. This official is to have supervision over the proctors, the college buildings, and "he may also exercise some salutary influence over student societies." The duties are, in part, those which were formerly performed by the chairman of the Parietal Committee.

Several pages are devoted to the changes discussed last year towards obtaining the A. B. degree in less than four years. The statement is made that any student of fair parts can obtain the degree in three years without unreasonable exertion, if only he anticipates a study or two at the admission examinations.

The several reports, accompanying the President's, are treated of and a review of each is given. The special students continue to be a class of comparatively short residence and the report of the Dean of the college shows that the percentage of sub-freshmen who offer Advanced Greek for admission is steadily decreasing, while the percentage of those who offer Trigonometry and Solid Geometry is steadily increasing. The practice of graduates from other colleges entering Harvard is becoming more and more general.

The Lawrence Scientific School has had a remarkable growth in the last half dozen years, and this is in some measure due to the great energy and ability of its former Dean, Professor Chapin. An odd fact is that a larger proportion of the students of this school than of college students come from outside Massachusetts.

The Dean of the Graduate School shows in his report that there are now available for Graduate Students no less than twenty-one fellowships and forty-seven scholarships.

The Divinity School has in a measure kept pace with the other departments of the University and last year had enrolled the largest number of students in its history. The school received an endowment of $10,000 during the past twelve months and had a slight surplus for the year. It is urged that the tuition, which is only $50 a year, be raised it to what it is in all the other departments of the University, this being the only thing lacking to establish the school on a genuine University basis.

The growth of the Law School has been very great in recent years and now Austin Hall, though but eight years old, is too small. The Faculty have already adopted two measure which will, probably in a measures, diminish the number of students. These are the requirement that every student shall pass an examination at the end of the year in at least three subjects before being allowed to continue in the school and the requirement of a more difficult admission examination.

The most important event in the Medical School is the establishment of a simple graded four years course. This school has had three new fellowships established during the past year and the summer and graduate courses are increasing in every sense.

The Dental School is flourishing. The endowments in '90-'91 netted $7,000 and the number of students was the largest on record. What is greatly needed for this school is a well arranged and spacious building.

The Bussey institution had a surplus of nearly $3,000 last year and there is now a disposable balance of almost $12,000. The number of students comparatively speaking is small, though last year the number was unusually large for the institution.

The most important event at the library during the current year has been the completion of the index to the subject catalogue. The catalogue itself has been greatly benefited by this and several important changes have been made in it. The Library is sadly in need of a new building. At the end of two years the librarian has announced that the entire shelf room in Gore Hall will be filled. It is proposed to build a new reading room retaining the present building as a book-stack. Such alterations would cost $150,-000 at the least. There are now twenty-one class room libraries connected with the University.

The Herbarium received large acquisitions during the past year. The collections in connection with the Botanic Garden have been transferred to quarters in the University Museum and this has resulted with great advantage to all concerned.

The botanical establishment of the University has developed to an extraordinary degree. It now has a fire proof museum and has added greatly to its collections and library.

There are some interesting facts about the Peabody and Semitic Museums, most of which have been published before.

The President states that the increase in the number of students attending the University during the past five years has been remarkable. This increase has been general but it has been especially large in the Scientific, Graduate and Law Schools.

To account for this great increase in numbers President Eliot finds a difficult task. The most probable cause, however, he assumes to be the fact that the unequalled resources of the University have become better known to the educated public. Along with this increase in number there has been a great increase in the expenditures of the University and the University still has many pressing wants.

The Foxcroft Club has been enlarged and board can now be obtained at an average cost of forty cents a day, the lowest rate that has been in Cambridge for thirty years. The new scheme at Memorial Hall is spoken of with approval and is evidently considered a success.