formed the major part of the stock of the eminent Viennese antiquarian bookseller, Kuppitsch, very rich in early German literature, in the history and polemics of the Reformation, in the local history and topography of the German States, and especially of the Austrian dominions, and in the local history of printing. The last-named subject might almost be re-written from the new materials here brought together.

The catalogue of this collection, now before us, contains 360 several works under the head Luther,' including nearly all the original editions of his separate writings, and 100 other works, published from 1517 to 1550, under the head Reformation.' Many of these are of the extremest rarity; and to some the compiler of the catalogue complacently attaches the note, 'unknown to Panzer.' All such rarities, not previously in the Museum Library, have, we believe, been obtained. We doubt if, on the whole, any addition was ever made to our national library at one time, by purchase, containing so much of really new and original information. Valuable acquisitions have also been made from the library of M. Ternaux Compans, at Paris, chiefly in curious voyages and travels, and in the general history of America and the Indies.

The whole number of volumes added to the library, during the year 1846, will probably amount to nearly 45,000-viz., by the Grenville bequest, 20,000 volumes; Chinese books from the Admiralty, 5000, (counting four Chinese as one English volume;) and by miscellaneous donations, about 1000; by Copyright Act, about 3000; and by purchase, between 15,000 and 16,000. The total number of volumes in the British Museum may now be stated at 350,000, and of works as exceeding 550,000.

There is probably no instance of such rapid augmentation of a public library by purely peaceful means, unless it be in the case of the Royal Library at Munich. The great increase of the Paris Library during the first Revolution, was by the confiscation of monastic libraries, and of those of emigrants; and that of the 'Imperial' Library at St. Petersburgh, by the infamous plunder of the Zaluski Library at Warsaw. We may reasonably be proud of the contrast.

And what use is made of the treasures thus industriously accumulated from all parts of the globe? What facilities for consulting them are offered to those who are capable of applying them to good purpose? We believe that both questions may be answered very satisfactorily; whilst, at the same time, some further improvements may fairly be looked for.

The Museum reading-room, with its daily average of 220

readers, presents a striking contrast to its daily eight or ten, some forty years ago. There we were,' says Mr. D'Israeli, 'little at'tended to, musing in silence and oblivion; for sometimes we 'had to wait a day or two, till the volumes so eagerly demanded, 'slowly appeared.'

We may put in contrast with this description of the old state of things, the following testimony to the order and rapidity of the present service of the reading-room; borne by a French literary man, who, in the autumn of 1843, addressed to Mignet, the historian, a series of Letters on the Archives, Libraries, and Scientific Establishments of London :'—

'The formalities,' says M. Martial Delpit, which are observed in granting admission, prevent its abuse, and preserve an establishment intended for study, and science, from being turned into a reading-room for the idle. Once admitted, the reader is looked upon as belonging to the house; he may consult all the catalogues, and ask for what he pleases, on the one condition that he write and sign a ticket for each book,-a sort of voucher which is kept until he restores the volume. These excellent regulations produce the best results, and in no way impede the service, which goes on with the greatest simplicity and facility. . . . . Each ticket is transmitted to the attendants whose duty it is to procure the books, which are brought to the reader by other attendants, who acquit themselves of the task with marvellous zeal and the strictest punctuality. Every thing is done by writing, and nothing occurs to disturb the quiet of the room, or the occupation of the readers. The greatest silence prevails; and if some share of this is to be ascribed to the English character, it must also be admitted that good organization and the regularity of the service have much to do with it.'t

Complaints have, however, been recently made of some points in the regulation of the reading-room, by a gentleman of great attainments, whose opinions have the more weight, from the circumstance that on former occasions he has exerted himself, with success, to increase the usefulness of the British Museum, as well as of other public establishments. But we cannot concur in the views to which Sir Harris Nicolas has given expression in his Animadversions.' We believe that, in this instance, the excitement of an angry personal controversy has somewhat misled his judgment, and have little doubt, that on a calmer review of the matters in dispute, he might himself be induced to modify

some of his conclusions.

Sir Harris vehemently complains of the regulation (introduced about nine years since, and of which, on its introduction, he as vehemently approved) by which readers are precluded from

NO. XL.

* The Illustrator Illustrated, p. 5.

+ Bulletin du Bibliophile, 6e série, pp. 978, 979.

H

demanding any works, save those of which they have found entries in the Museum catalogues, and are required to specify the press-marks, (or symbols which indicate the local position of each work in the library,) the size, date, and place of printing, as well as a literal transcript of the title so entered. He contends that these requirements are needlessly minute and troublesome, and ought only to be insisted on when the student himself desires a particular edition or particular copy of a work; and that in the case of common and well-known books, the simplest indication should suffice. He asserts, too, that the time of the Museum attendants should be employed in searching the catalogues rather than that of the readers.*

*

Mr. Panizzi, on the other hand, and, as we think, with great justice, alleges that his new system induces—

men.

....' An 'An economy of time for the readers, consequently an economy of time for our men, and . . . . a saving of expense in the number of .... Often the readers [i. e. under the old system] come to ask for a book which was never printed, or which, if printed, is not in the library; or they write down the title as they have seen it elsewhere, not correctly quoted, and give it to one of the attendants. The attendant begins to look over all the catalogues, and cannot find the book; he is afraid of being wrong; he loses a great deal of time, and the consequence is, that all the readers who have written correct tickets are kept waiting, by the fault of him who has written an incorrect one. By this new system a person will be obliged to... ascertain whether we have the book or not, and not give us useless trouble.... to the injury of other readers."+

The number of books supplied to the reading-room in the course of the year 1845 was 208,971, (including those retained for the readers from day to day, and re-supplied on demand,) or 715 a day. In addition to these, about 110,000 were returned to the shelves in the reading-room itself; and these latter, comprising encyclopædias, lexicons, and dictionaries of all kinds, bibliographical works, historical works in common use, peerages, sets of the classics, of the Acta Sanctorum, &c., with many reviews and magazines, are at the immediate disposal of the readers, without any formality whatever; thus, to some extent, meeting Sir Harris Nicolas' objection to the requirement of tickets for works in common request. In fact, both Hume's England' and 'Clarendon's Rebellion,' the very instances he cites, may be obtained by any reader, (unless he require a specific edition,) for the mere trouble of taking them from the

To compel a reader to fill up the present tickets is, in fact, to impose upon him a duty which belongs to the paid servants of the public.'—Animadversions, p. 30. + On the Supply of Printed Books, &c., pp. 4, 5.

shelves. And we have no doubt that this accommodation will be increased as opportunity may offer.

Sir Harris also attacks the new alphabetical Catalogue of printed books,' the first volume of which, containing letter A, was published in 1841. Were the question at issue, one about a catalogue now to be commenced, we should entirely concur in his preference of the classed to the alphabetical method. We deem a classed catalogue, even on a very imperfect system of classification, provided it be accompanied with an index of authors' names, an immensely superior boon to the student than the best alphabetical catalogue, with the best index of subjects,' that was ever devised. And we believe that a majority of the readers at the British Museum would express the same opinion were the question fairly stated to them. It has been too much the practice to magnify the difficulties of classification, and to underrate those which attend the preparation of an intelligible and consistent alphabetical catalogue, when applied to a library of great extent, containing books-a large proportion of which are anonymous-in all the known languages of the world.

The question, however, is not about a catalogue projected, but about one on the preparation of which upwards of 10,000%. has been already expended,* and of which, although only one letter is actually printed, probably much more than a third is prepared in manuscript. The new catalogue was commenced in 1839, and the number of titles (including cross-references) returned as having been prepared for it, up to the end of 1845, is 321,910. This number refers exclusively to the titles of books which were in the library at the end of the year 1838.

When the catalogue was begun, it was estimated that the total number of entries in it would not exceed 400,000. It is now certain that they will exceed double that number. The extended time required for its completion may therefore be understood, without imputing neglect of duty, or using any other harsh words, to those who are responsible for its proper execution. With respect to the suspension of the printing, the following statement appears in the parliamentary return of 1846 :—

'The keeper of the printed books has represented to the trustees that no part of a work of the nature of the catalogue, alphabetically arranged, ought to be printed till the whole of the manuscript, from the first to the last article, is ready for the press; that is to say, not only each article written out, but also carefully arranged in the strict order

• Viz,, on Preparation, 98927.; and on Printing of vol. i., 7724. Calculating on the proportion which letter A bears to the remaining letters in the old catalogue, and adding one-third for the accessions since 1838, the probable ultimate cost of both items will be 52,000l.

and precise form in which it is to be printed. He states, that this is required to insure correctness as well as completeness; that the books catalogued under the last letters of the alphabet require cross-references from among the entries in the early letters, which cross-references cannot be inserted if such early letters be already printed; and that on revising the old titles main entries perpetually occur. ... which have to be inserted among the earlier parts of the alphabet.... Upon these representations the trustees have consented for the present to suspend the printing of the catalogue."*

It may serve to illustrate this argument, which we deem a conclusive one, if we add that in the accounts of Duties performed and work done in the department of Printed Books,' from 1841 to 1845, we find 7316 titles to have been entered in MS. in each of the three interleaved copies of the first volume of the new catalogues; thus enormously increasing both the cost to the public, and the difficulty of reference to the student. Sir Harris Nicolas, however, contends for the entire abandonment of the new catalogue on its present plan.

'If,' he says, common sense do not induce the trustees to put an end to a scheme that involves a heavy waste, alike of time and of the public money, and retards the completion of the catalogue, it may be hoped that the subject will attract the attention of some of the very few members of the House of Commons who really care for literature. . . . . It would be far better to print the catalogue which is now in use in the reading-room, slightly revised, and completed up to the present time, and to make a classed catalogue hereafter, than to keep the public without a new catalogue, until it may please Mr. Panizzi to permit the trustees to print one.'†

Certainly, if a slight revision' and reprint of what Sir Harris elsewhere terms a useful catalogue,' would satisfy the just requirements of the readers, the trustees would be censurable for making them wait fifteen years for an entirely new catalogue, and for expending upon it 40,000l., when the former might have been accomplished within two years, and probably for less than 15,000l. But the possibility of such a revision and re-printing depends entirely upon the character of the old catalogue itself. The Librorum impressorum qui in Museo Britannico adservantur Catalogus' was printed between the years 1813 and 1819, in seven volumes, octavo. Each volume is carried down to the year in which it appeared, and all the additions made to the library since the printing of the several volumes are inserted in inlaid and interleaved copies of this catalogue, which are kept in the reading-room and in the library. The reading-room copy now extends to fifty folio volumes, independently of the

*An Account of the Income, &c., p. 6.

+ Animadversions, p. 27.