me, even by my attendance as a looker-on, at the Cambridge Meeting. Advanced age, fast-failing strength, and increasing deafness are warnings that may not be disregarded.

To the worthy labours of the Association, I heartily wish every prosperity. For the kindness which prompted you to propose me for the honour, and for the very obliging terms in which you have notified it, I tender my especial thanks. I am, Dear Sir, With great respect, Your Faithful Servant,

ERNEST THOMAS, Esq.,

Hon Secretary of the Library Association.

EDWARD EDWARDS.

It is hoped that those of our members, who have not already paid their subscriptions for the current year, will forward them to the TREASURER before the books are closed for the audit, and it is also hoped that as many members as possible will show their appreciation of the MONTHLY NOTES in their enlarged form by forwarding the additional voluntary subscription of 28.

JUNE MONTHLY MEETING.

THE Eighth Monthly Meeting of the Fifth Year of the Association was held at the London Institution, on Friday, June 2nd, at 8 p.m., Mr. B. R. WHEATLEY, V.P., in the chair.

The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, it was announced that Mr. James M. Horsburgh, Principal Librarian of the London Institution, had joined the Association. Mr. J. P. Edmond, 64, Bonaccord Street, Aberdeen, and Mr. William Buchanan, 10, Carrington Street, Glasgow, were duly elected members of the Association. The following gentlemen were proposed and seconded for election at the next Monthly Meeting: Mr. A. B. Chamberlain, Whetstone, Somerset Road, Edgbaston, and Mr. Silvanus Wilkins, Forest House, Moseley, proposed by Mr. SCARSE; Mr. Walter T. Glover, Moorhurst, Kersal, Manchester, proposed by Mr. THOMAS.

It was proposed by Mr. H. R. TEDDER, and seconded by Mr. E. C. THOMAS, that Count Ugo Balzani and Professor Carl Dziatzko be elected Honorary Members of the Association.

The Chairman then called upon Mr. ERNEST C. THOMAS to read a Paper, entitled

LIBRARY STATISTICS OF EUROPE,

Of which, in consequence of the pressure on our space, we can only present an abstract.

After referring to the development of interest in general library statistics within recent times, the writer described briefly the various attempts that had been made to deal with (1) the library statistics of particular countries; (2) general European and comparative statistics. The statistics of France, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria in particular, had been more or less satisfactorily ascertained and published within the last twenty years-those of France, Italy, and

Austria by their respective Governments, those of Switzerland and Germany generally by private effort.

Not very much had been done, at all events, to publish general or comparative statistics since the attempts of Constantin in 1839, and the fuller inquiries of Mr. Edward Edwards, whose results were published by the Statistical Society in 1848. Inquiries were instituted, in connexion with the Select Committees of the House of Commons on the British Museum and on Public Libraries, in 1836-7 and 1849-50 respectively. In the former case but little information was collected; in the latter case, returns were received from Continental Governments, describing, but describing rather generally, some 264 libraries. Meantime, Mr. Edwards had supplemented his former tables, and was enabled to furnish the Committee with statistical accounts of 457 libraries (including those in the United Kingdom) of 10,000 volumes and upwards.

Since that time very little had been done to present details, though summary comparisons on insufficient data had been made by the compilers of some of the reports issued by particular governments on their own libraries, especially in the Italian and Austrian Reports already mentioned. The treatment of this question in the United States Report is not one of the most satisfactory chapters in that valuable volume, occupying itself too exclusively with Balbi, and not making full use of later authorities. Very recently a paper was published by Bratassevic in an Austrian official publication, the Statistische Monatschrift, in which an attempt was made to compare the library statistics of the chief European countries. Austria was patriotically brought out at the head of the list, as possessing the largest number of public libraries, and the largest percentage of books in such libraries in proportion to its population. Next in number of libraries came France, Italy, Prussia, and then Great Britain, which was said to have only 200 libraries, with 2,871,493 printed volumes and 26,000 MSS.! Austria was shown to possess 26-8 volumes per 100 inhabitants, while Great Britain had only 6 per 100. The writer would not have attached so much importance to the article, but for the fact that it had been quoted as authoritative in English journals, and had been reproduced in our official organ without comment and apparently without suspicion. The writer went on to show the obvious incorrectness of the figures, as well as the incompleteness of the list appended by Bratassevic to his paper of the (154) European libraries of 25,000 volumes and upwards, and briefly summarised the results of an inquiry which Mr. Tedder and himself had recently been conducting, an account of which will shortly be published in the new volume of the Encyclopædia Britannica. He concluded by urging that library statistics, though their value might of course be easily exaggerated, nevertheless had great interest, and might prove of great practical service.

A brief discussion followed, after which a vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Thomas for his Paper.

The Meeting then adjourned.

OPENING OF THE BIRMINGHAM LIBRARIES.

On Thursday, June 1st, the new Central Free Reference and Lending Libraries and Temporary Art Gallery were formally opened by a meeting at the Town Hall, followed by a banquet given by the Mayor in the evening. But before relating the incidents of this most interesting occasion, it may be worth while to devote a few words to the past history of the Free Library. The Act was adopted at Birmingham on June 21st, 1860, and the District Library at Constitution Hill was that first opened on April 22nd of the following year. A building for a Central Library was subsequently erected, and the Lending Department and Art Gallery made accessible to the public on September 6th, 1865. The Reference Library was not ready until twelve months later, the interval having been occupied in selecting books upon the principle of representing every phase of human thought, of acquiring works of permanent value, as well as modern and popular literature, and of adding rare and costly volumes not usually to be found in provincial or private libraries. A collection of 16,195 volumes was thus brought together, and the Reference Department opened on October 26th, 1866. Two years later, the famous Shakespeare Memorial Library was commenced, and in 1873 Mr. Bragge presented his Cervantes Collection in 590 volumes. The important Staunton Warwickshire Collection was purchased for £2,285 in 1875. These and many other accessions made more accommodation for them a pressing necessity; and it was in carrying out plans for new buildings that occurred the disastrous fire of Saturday, January 11th, 1879, which entirely destroyed the fabric and all the books except about a thousand volumes. With the prompt energy to be expected of Birmingham citizens, the Free Libraries' Committee passed a resolution on the following Monday, declaring that it was a public duty to repair the loss, and asking for a subscription of not less than £10,000. A sub-committee was also appointed to devise a scheme for a new library. At a subsequent public meeting, the appeal was heartily responded to, and at the close of the year £14,000 had been collected. This sum has since been increased, and still remains untouched, the insurance fund and a portion of the ordinary income having been alone expended. Temporary apartments for reference and lending libraries were fitted up in the Council House, and the new building was commenced, the plans having been agreed to about three months after the fire. A few facts relating to this last and notable addition to great English libraries may be here given. A portico, 32 feet wide and 12 feet deep, affords entry to the vestibule, which is 29 feet wide by 20 feet deep, separated from the hall by a glass screen. The entrance hall is of noble proportions, being 60 feet long, 28 feet wide, and 45 feet high. At the right hand are placed the circulating library and the news-room, a lofty, well ventilated hall, 100 feet long and 64 feet wide, fitted with stands and other conveniThe reference library on the first storey is approached by a

ences.

staircase winding up the side of the lofty entrance-hall. It is somewhat in the shape of F, the projection at right angles representing the room used as a Temporary Art Gallery, the upright line standing for the Library proper. The latter is divided into a central compartment and two aisles by granite columns, supporting arches, in which are clerestory windows fitted in with coloured glass. There are also sky lights in the roof. The centre of the room reaches to 50 feet, the aisles being 23 feet high. The latter are separated by barriers from the centre of the room, and contain the presses for books placed against the walls. Around both rooms is a light iron gallery, giving access to the upper shelves. A marked feature of the ornamentation of the room is the splendid glazed bookcase, occupying the whole of the entrance end of the room, which is to contain books of special value. All the fittings are of oak, and admirably finished and arranged. The decorations are extremely rich and beautiful. Leading out of the Temporary Art Gallery is the Shakespeare Library, upon which special decoration has been lavished. The design is Elizabethan, and the bookcases, which are glazed, richly carved. The upper compartments are filled in with screens of gilt metal-work. These are the apartments to which the public are admitted, but there are other rooms for the use of the officials. Altogether, for convenience of arrangement and beauty of design, this new Library leaves nothing to be desired. The total cost, including fittings and all other expenses, will be between £52,000 and £53,000. About 50,000 volumes have been already collected for the Reference, and 20,000 volumes for the Lending Library. Upon the former, £12,000 have been already expended, and a great number of books have been presented. The new Art Gallery has already been enriched by a superb collection of paintings by David Cox, and other valuable gifts.

The inaugural ceremony took place at twelve o'clock in the Town Hall, which was filled with an audience consisting of leading townspeople, representatives of the educational and other public institutions, donors to the Library Restoration Fund, the Mayor (Mr. Alderman Avery), Mr. J. Bright, Mr. J. Chamberlain, Sir H. Parkes, Mr. G. J. Johnson, Chairman, Mr. Timmins, Mr. J. T. Bunce, Mr. Tonks, and the other members of the Library Committee; besides Mr. J. D. Mullins (Chief Librarian), Mr. G. Wakeley (Sub-Librarian), and other members of his staff. special feature in the proceedings was the invitations which had been extended to about fifty of the leading Librarians of the county, nearly all of whom accepted the honour thus shown to them. The following gentlemen (nearly all members of our Association) were present:

A

Sir P. CUNLIFFE OWEN, South Kensington; G. BULLEN, British Museum; H. R. TEDDER, Athenæum Club; E. C. THOMAS, Hon. Sec. Library Association; E. B. NICHOLSON, Bodleian Library; Sir J. A. PICTON, Chairman, P. COWELL, Chief Librarian, Liverpool Public Library; Alderman BAKER, Chairman, C. W. SUTTON, Chief Librarian, Manchester Public Library; C. E. SCARSE, Birmingham Old Library; R. K. DENT, Aston Manor; G. CATLIN, Handsworth; J. BAILEY, Smethwick; C. F MACKMAIN, Bilston; C. G. VIRGO, Bradford; J. F,

NICHOLLS, Bristol; E. BROWN, Coventry; S. STEPHENS, Darlaston; F. T. BARRETT, Glasgow ; J. YATES, Leeds; W. J. HAGGERSTON, Newcastle-on-Tyne; J. P. BRISCOE, Nottingham; W. H. K. WRIGHT, Plymouth; A. COTGREAVE, Richmond; T. HURST, Sheffield; A. MORGAN, Walsall; C. MADELEY, Warrington; T. HAYNES, Warwick; D. MARSH, Willenhall; and Mr. HENRY STEVENS, representing American Libraries.

In opening the proceedings the MAYOR gave an account of the history of the Library, and of the exertions made to repair the loss, and said the ceremony of that day would constitute a memorable incident in the annals of Birmingham. The Library was truly free, inasmuch as the people were invited to participate in its treasures without payment, and without let or hindrance. It was great also, not only in the sense of magnitude, but as being a collection of the finest monuments of literature. They had the pleasure of opening this restored Library with 50,000 volumes, not a mere mass of books, but a well selected library. Mr. JAFFRAY (Treasurer of the Restoration Committee) then handed to the Mayor a cheque of £15,179 188. Ed., representing the contributions to the Restoration Fund, and suggested that after the cheque had been cashed it should be framed and hung up among the art treasures of the Library.

Mr. JOHN BRIGHT, in delivering his inaugural address, remarked that his speaking from that platform had generally been connected with great political questions on which there was often much conflict of opinion, and in which the speaker was stimulated with a desire to convince. There was now no conflict, but a perfect unanimity. Many platitudes were usually spoken on these occasions, and perhaps on this subject as on education, everything that could be said had been spoken many hundreds of times. He would, however, relate an incident of his own experience connected with his late friend, Sir David Dundas, whom he visited upon his death bed, and who said: "I have never pretended to be a learned man or a scholar, but God has given me a great love of books," and gave him (Mr. Bright) a parting benediction in a quotation from a letter of Lord Bacon, "May God lead you by the hand." What was a great love of books? It was, in point of fact, something like a personal introduction to the great and good men of all times. Many of us have felt something of this feeling when in a great library. A house might possess costly pictures, valuable ornaments, and a great variety of decoration, but the speaker would prefer to these, one comfortable room well stocked with books. The only subject of lamentation is, that life was too short to enjoy them all. After referring to the great libraries at Windsor, Chatsworth, Woburn, and other places, Mr. Bright said that, not only in the houses of royalty, of tremendous personages, and of the middle classes, but also in the houses of the most humble, a little library was a most precious possession. Twenty years ago, when spending a holiday in Sutherlandshire, he entered a shepherd's cottage, where the only book was a thin volume of an edition, never before or since seen, of "Paradise Regained," the work of a poet unsurpassed in any age or any country. The presence of this little volume seemed to transfigure the solitary cottage, which was illumined as