itself, but has been the necessary foundation for everything since written regarding Mexican languages. As for his _Bibliografía Mexicana del siglo xvi._ (Mexican Bibliography of the Sixteenth Century), it is a wonderful work, representing forty years of labor. “It is a systematic catalogue of books printed in Mexico in the years between 1539 and 1600, with biographies of authors and various illustrations, facsimiles of ancient title pages, extracts from rare books, bibliographic notes, etc., etc.” It is far more--it is really a restoration of the life of that wonderful age in American letters. In biography our author is eminently happy; he usually loves and reverences his subject. In 1881 he published his _Don Fray Juan de Zumárraga, Primer Obispo y Arzobispo de México_ (Friar Juan de Zumarraga, first bishop and archbishop of Mexico). It is a magnificent example of such work. Another subject of his love was Alegre, and besides a biography of him he wrote--1889--_Opusculos ineditos Latinos y Castellanos de Francisco Javier Alegre_ (The Unpublished Works, Latin and Spanish, of Francisco Javier Alegre). Icazbalceta’s last great work was _Diccionario de Provincialismos Mexicanos_ (Dictionary of Mexican Provincialisms). This was passing through the press at the time of his death, November 26, 1894. Many of Icazbalceta’s choicest writings were monographs of no great length prepared for reading before the Mexican Academy or other organizations of which he was a member. These always show the same careful gathering of facts, the same just criticism, and the same literary character as his greater works. Our selections--all but one--are from such a discourse read before the academy in June and July, 1882, entitled, _El instruccion publica en México durante el siglo xvi._ (Public Instruction in Mexico during the Sixteenth Century). The other is from a paper--_Los Medicos de México en el siglo xvi._ (The Physicians of Mexico in the Sixteenth Century). These passages will no doubt surprise many readers, who have been pleased to believe that Spain’s policy was to hold its conquered territories in deep ignorance. THE EARLY MISSIONARIES.