Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/542

Rh in the Warrington Museum. The Leeds library was established in 1768, and now has 85,000 volumes, and an income of 1430. In 1772 the Bristol museum and library was formed, and numbered Coleridge, Southey, and Landor among its earlier members. It now reckons 50,000 volumes, and au income of 1400 a year. The Birmingham (old) library was formed in 1779, and its rules were drawn up by Dr Priestley, who had already taken an active share in the management of the libraries at Warrington and Leeds. The library has now 40,000 to 50,000 volumes, and an income of 1600. Many similar institutions are noticed in the tables, while others have given place to the trade circulating libraries and to the libraries established under the Free Libraries Acts.

A few modern collegiate libraries, finally, claim a summary notice. The library of the university of Durham dates only from 1833, and was begun by a gift of books from Bishop Van Mildert, to which many other donations have since succeeded. The Routh collection includes a large collection of early tracts. The Winterbottom collection is chiefly classical, and the Maltby collection classical and theological. The library of the Owens College, Manchester, was formed on the establishment of the college in 1851 by a gift of books from Mr James Hey wood, F.R.S. It has since been largely increased by donations and bequests, including the libraries of Bishop Lee, Mr Grace Calvert, and others. It has an endowment fund of 2500. The library at Stonyhurst College has gradually grown since the establishment of the college in 1794. There is a printed catalogue of books printed before 1551. The Walshian Library at St Mary's College, Oscott, was established by Bishop Walsh in 1839, having been purchased by him from the Marchese Marini. It has 70 MSS. and many early printed books.

The principal library in Scotland is that of the Faculty of Advocates, who in 1680 appointed a committee of their number, which reported that " it was fitt that, seeing if the recusants could be made pay their entire money, there wold be betwixt three thousand and four thousand pounds in cash; that the same be imployed on the best and fynest lawers and other law bookes, conforme to a catalogue to be condescended upon by the Facultie, that the samen may be a fonde for ane Bibliothecque whereto many lawers and others may leave their books." In 1682 the active carrying out of the scheme was committed to the Dean of Faculty, Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh, who may be regarded as the founder of the library. In 1684 the first librarian was appointed, and the library appears to have made rapid progress, since it appears from the treasurer's accounts that in 1686 the books and furniture were valued at upwards of 11,000 Scots, exclusive of donations. In the year 1700, the rooms in the Exchange Stairs, Parliament Close, in which the library was kept, being nearly destroyed by fire, the collection was removed to the ground floor of the Parliament House, where it has ever since remained. The library retains the copyright privilege conferred upon it in 1709. The number of volumes in the library is computed to amount to 265,000; of the special collections the most important are the Astorga collection of old Spanish books, purchased by the faculty in 1824 for 4000; the Thorkelin collection, consisting of about 1200 volumes relating chiefly to the history and antiquities of the northern nations, and including some rare books on old Scottish poetry; the Dietrich collection of over 100,000 German pamphlets and dissertations, including many of the writings of Luther and Melanchthon, purchased for the small sum of 80.; and the Combe collection.

The faculty appear early to have turned their attention to the collection of MSS., and this department of the library now numbers about 3000 volumes. Many of them are of great interest and value, especially for the civil and ecclesiastical history of Scotland before and after the Reformation. There are thirteen monastic chartularies which escaped the destruction of the religious houses to which they belonged. The MSS. relating to Scottish church history include the collections of Spottiswoode, Woodrow, and Calderwood. The Woodrow collection consists of 154 volumes, and includes his correspondence, extending from 1694 to 1726. Sir James Balfour a collection and the Balcarres papers consist largely of original state papers, and include many interesting royal letters of the times of James V., Queen Mary, and James VI. The Sibbald papers, numbering over 30 volumes, are largely topographical. The Riddel notebooks, numbering 156 volumes, contain collections to illustrate the genealogy of Scottish families. There are about one hundred volumes of Icelandic MSS., purchased in 1825 from Professor Finn Magnusson, and some Persian and Sanskrit, with a few classical, manuscripts. The department has some interesting treasures of old poetry, extending to 73 volumes. The most important are the Bannatyne MS., in 2 vols. folio, written by George Bannatyne in 1568, and the Auchinleck MS., a collection of ancient English poetry, named after Alexander Boswell of Auchinleck, who presented it in 1774.

The first catalogue of the printed books was compiled in 1692, and contains a preface by Sir George Mackenzie. Another was prepared under the care of Ruddiman in 1742. In 1853 the late Mr Halkett commenced a catalogue, which has been printed in 6 vols. 4to, with a supplement, and includes all the printed books in the library at the end of 1871, containing about 260,000 entries. It is an illustration of the public spirit with which they conduct their library, that the whole cost of printing this extensive catalogue, over 5000, has been borne by the members of the faculty. The library, managed by a keeper and staff, under a board of six curators, is easily accessible to all persons engaged in literary work, and is for all practical purposes the public consulting library of Scotland.

The origin of the University Library of Edinburgh is to be found in a bequest of his books of theology and law made to the town in 1580 by Clement Little, advocate. This was two years before the foundation of the university, and in 1584 the town council caused the collection to be removed to the college, of which they were the patrons. As it was the only library in the town, it continued to grow and received many benefactions, so that in 1615 it became necessary to erect a library building. Stimulated perhaps by the example of Bodley at Oxford, Drummond of Hawthornden made a large donation of books, of which he printed a catalogue in 1627, and circulated an appeal for assistance from others. In 1678 the library received a bequest of 2000 volumes from the Rev. James Nairne. In 1709 the library became entitled to the copy privilege, which has since been commuted for a payment of 575 per annum. In 1831 the books were removed to the present library buildings, for which a parliamentary grant had been obtained. The main library hall (190 feet in length) is one of the most splendid apartments in Scotland. One of the rooms is set apart as a memorial to General Reid, by whose benefaction the library has greatly benefited. Amongst the more recent accessions have been the Halliwell-Phillips Shakespeare collection, the Laing collection of Scottish MSS., the Baillie collection of Oriental MSS. (some of which are of great value), and the Hodgson collection of works on political economy. The library now consists of about 140,000 volumes of printed books with 2000 MSS.

The library of the Writers to Her Majesty's Signet was established by the society in 1755. At first it consisted of law books exclusively, but in 1788 they began to collect the best editions of works in other departments of literature. During the librarianship of Macvey Napier (1805-37) the number of volumes was more than sextupled, and in 1812 the library was removed to the new hall adjoining the Parliament House. In 1834 the upper hall was devoted to the collection. This is a magnificent apartment