49. The languages in which a book is written are to be stated when there are more than one [L. A.-several] and the fact is not mentioned in the titlepage.

50.*WORDBOOKS, GRAMMARS, AND ALPHABETS ARE ΤΟ BE ENTERED under the names of the languages to which they relate, as well as under the names of their compilers and editors except that, where a wordbook relates to two languages, or dialects, of which one is modern literary English, no separate entry needs to be made in respect of the latter.

51.*Long and important articles are to have an index prefixed, and sub-headings may be added to the main heading in the same line, for convenience of reference.

52.*Among the abbreviations allowable in ordinary entries are: --afterw. (afterwards); anon. (anonymous); Aufl. (Auflage); Ausg. (Ausgabe); Bd., Bde. (Band, Bände); ed., éd. (edition, edited, &c.); fasc. (fasciculus, &c.); fol. (folio); foll. (folios, followed, following); herausg. (herausgegeben); illustr. (illustrated); Lief. (Lieferung); p., pp. (page, pages); pseud. (pseudonym, pseudonymous); publ. (published); repr. (reprint, reprinted); sign. (signature); tom. tomus, tome); tr. translated, translation, traduit, &c.); vol. (volume, volumen) also bp., prof., rev.; and in an imprint n. d. (no date), n. pl. (no place).

53. The general rule regulating the use of brackets is that round brackets include notes derived from the work itself, while square brackets include notes of which the matter or form is independent of the work.

54. *Single sermons are to have a note of the text added.

55.*A work written in reply to another is to have at least a cross-reference to it inserted under the first heading of the original work.

56.*When a work is without a titlepage, the contents are to be stated in the words of the head-title, preceded by "[at beginning:—]": if there be no head-title, in those of the colophon, preceded by "[at end:-]." If there be neither head-title nor colophon a short description, in English, of the contents may be substituted, enclosed in brackets.

Oct. 1882.

EDWARD B. NICHOLSON,
Librarian.

LIBRARY NOTES.

BIRMINGHAM.-The annual meeting of the Proprietors of the Birmingham Library was held on Jan. 31, Mr. Sam. Timmins, President, in the chair. The Report announced the continued and increasing prosperity of the Library. The total income for the year was over £2,000. The first half of the new catalogue has been issued, and the other half is nearly ready. The Committee add that they

* 50-56 are all Supplementary to the L. A. Rules.

"especially desire to record their appreciation of the energy, enterprise and zeal displayed by the Librarian." The Meeting having been made special, it was decided to spend £142 in making alterations on the ground floor, but in consequence of some unforeseen difficulties having arisen in the way of carrying out the rest of Mr. Scarse's scheme (referred to in a recent number of MONTHLY NOTES) the Committee on the subject was requested to consider further and report.

COLCHESTER.--At the poll taken at Colchester on Jan. 10, on the question of adopting the Libraries Acts, the votes were: For the adoption, 1,758; Against, 2,010; Majority against, 252.

LONDON: BRENTFORD.-In spite of the enthusiastic and all but unanimous public meeting held at Brentford on the 10th of January, when the votes of the ratepayers came to be taken, the friends of the movement for adopting the Libraries Acts were doomed to disappointment. In accordance with the opinion of counsel, that only those assessed to and actually paying the general district rate were entitled to vote, no papers were issued to compound householders. There appears to be room for doubt whether this opinion was correct, and it would certainly be very desirable that the question should be judicially settled. We are not sorry, therefore, that there is some prospect of an effort to question the legality of the poll thus taken. The effect of the action taken by the Local Board was to reduce the number of voters, and it may be that the exclusion of the compound householders explains the adverse decision of the rate-payers. The papers were collected on Wednesday, 31st January. The result was declared on the following day, when it appeared that the votes-For the adoption of the Acts, 242; Against, 295: majority against, 53. There seems, at all events, no reason why Mr. Morris and his committee should be discouraged from making another appeal to the ratepayers next year.

LONDON: EALING.-The temporary defeat of the Acts at Brentford may be said to be more than compensated by their enthusiastic adoption in the neighbouring district of Ealing without a poll. At the meeting of ratepayers held on January 23rd, under the presidency of the chairman of the Local Board, it was decided, by an overwhelming majority, to adopt the Acts. The credit of this result may be fairly said to be largely due to the example of Richmond and the exertions of Mr. King.

LONDON: METROPOLITAN FREE LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION.-The third annual meeting was held on Friday, January 12th, in the rooms of the National Rifle Association, 12, Pall Mall East; Mr. E. J. Watherston in the chair. The report of the Council and Treasurer's statement of accounts having been adopted, it was moved by Mr. I. Davis, seconded by Mr. H. R. Tedder, and resolved unanimously: "That this meeting express its regret at his resignation of the office of Honorary Secretary by Mr. E. B. Nicholson, and that the best thanks of the members of the M. F. L. A. be offered to Mr. Nicholson

for his valuable services as Honorary Secretary from the foundation of the Association." The following officers were then elected as Council for the forthcoming year, viz.: President, the Bishop of London; Vice-Presidents, Lord Edmond G. P. Fitzmaurice, Lord Aberdare, Sir John Lubbock, Rt. Hon. M. E. Grant Duff, W. Spottiswoode ; Members of Council, Hon. E. Lyulph Stanley, Sir W. Frederick Pollock, Sir E. H. Currie, Baron de Cosson, Rev. S. A. Barnett, W. C. Cartwright, T. Cave, I. Davis, Rt. Hon. H. Fawcett, Dr. J. H. Gladstone, Frederic Harrison, Robert Harrison, Jas. Heywood, J. R. Hollond, J. Holms, Thos. Hughes, Prof. L. Levi, Prof. H. Morley, Rt. Hon. A. J. Mundella, E. B. Nicholson, H. Richard, Rev. Dr. J. H. Rigg, Rev. W. Rogers, E. J. Watherston; Secretary and Treasurer, Henry R. Tedder. After passing votes of thanks to the Chairman and Secretary, the proceedings terminated.

MANCHESTER ATHENÆUM.-At the annual meeting, held on January 31st, the directors announced that the members during the year had averaged 2,709. The issues from the library were 98,684. The additions numbered 657 volumes-making the total number in the library 19,309, being 65 more than at the stock-taking before the fire. Besides this, the subscription books department consists of 489 volumes of the latest books. The board record with regret the death of Mr. Dutton, and announce that Mr. Charles W. Starkie, for several years principal assistant in the library, was appointed his

successor.

MANCHESTER PORTICO. At the annual meeting of the pro prietors held on January 15th, it was reported that the circulation had been 13,370, as compared with 14,643 in the previous year. Mr. Matthew Robinson was reappointed librarian.

NOTTINGHAM.-The Children's Library formed in connexion with the Free Public Libraries was opened on the 10th of January. The Mayor presided at the opening ceremony, and among the speakers were Capt. Starey and Col. Seeley, M.P. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P., "for his kindness in presenting to the town so great and beneficent a sum as £500 for the founding of a library for the children of the town." The volumes already in the library number 2,200, and have been selected with great care.

READING.-A Conversazione was given by the Mayor of Reading on Friday, 9th February, in the New Town Hall, on the occasion of the Opening of the Free Public Library, Reading Rooms and Museum. The premises are very handsome and spacious, and form portion of the new municipal buildings recently erected at a cost of over £60,000. The Library commences with about 10,000 volumes of works, of which 9000 are in the Lending, and 1000 in the Reference Library. The Librarian is Mr. W. H. Greenhough, formerly Librarian of the Free Public Library at Stockport.

SALFORD. In the Manchester papers of January 18th appears a letter from Mr. Alderman Davies, the Chairman of the Free Museum, Libraries and Parks Committee, in which he calls attention to the

work which has been done in Salford since the establishment of these institutions. He points out that the penny rate is only sufficient to keep them in working order, without providing for acquisitions and appeals for general support in contributions of works of highest merit from those who have the means of helping. He adds: "The State maintains museums at the national cost in the three capitals, London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, and supports them of course in a certain measure at the expense of the provinces. London, the richest city in the world, allows even the local museum at Bethnal Green to be entirely maintained from the general taxation at a cost of £7000 a year. The poorer cities and towns maintain their own libraries and museums, whilst those of London are provided, not at the cost of London, but of the nation. How long, we may ask, will the provinces be content without a fairer apportionment of the taxes devoted to the advancement of literature, science and art?"

On January 24th Mr. John Plant delivered a Lecture in the Reading Room on "Prehistoric Man," illustrated by numerous diagrams and specimens from the Museum.

SOUTHPORT.-Mr. William Atkinson, J.P., D.L., the munificent founder of the Free Library at Southport, which bears his name, died on the 20th of January, in his 86th year.

TAUNTON.-At a meeting held on January 10th a Committee was appointed for the purpose of securing the adoption of the Libraries Acts. The Committee have issued an address, and four district or ward meetings have already been held. Mr. W. H. K. Wright delivered a lecture on the 7th inst.

The death of Mr. T. D. Sullivan, Librarian to the Royal United Service Institution, has removed from our ranks one of the members of the Organizing Committee, which preceded the Conference of 1877 and the establishment of the Association. Mr. Sullivan also attended the Manchester Meeting. His death took place on the 15th January, at the age of 43. Mr. Sullivan for some time held her Majesty's commission in the 56th regiment. Mr. C. H. Bayley, Hon. Sec. of the Free Library, West Bromwich, was a familiar figure at our annual meetings, and will be missed.

Mr. Cotgreave informs us that his Indicator has been adopted at Newark, and that his Long-Reacher is in use in the Bodleian and other libraries.

At the First Annual Conversazione of the Medical Union Society, held at the Holborn Town Hall on January 21, Dr. B. W. Richardson delivered the inaugural address, in the course of which he offered some advice on the formation of a library, and urged the Society "of all things not to put into it professional books and papers only."

At a public meeting of the inhabitants of Croydon and neighbourhood, held on February 9th, it was decided that the whole of the

ancient palace of the Archbishops of Croydon should be purchased by public subscription, and devoted to the use of a public library and museum, as a memorial of the late Archbishop. A Committee was appointed to carry out these objects.

The Librarian of Thurso has contributed to the Northern Ensign some interesting "Notes of a Visit to Glasgow and Liverpool, with a Glance at their large Libraries." After an account of the libraries in the charge of Mr. Barrett and Mr. Mason, to whom Mr. Campbell pays a well deserved compliment, he goes on to describe the splendid collections under Mr. Cowell's care at Liverpool, of whom he writes: "Nothing could excel the hearty welcome we got from Mr. Cowell and his staff. Every facility was given to learn the system adopted for any department of work, and... it is not too much to say that the cost of travelling all the way from John o' Groat's to Liverpool will be more than repaid by the excellent lessons any observant traveller can pick up.. For be it remembered that there is some speciality connected with every institution of the kind, suggesting improvement or modification which may be turned to advantage. We confess that we feel much interested in this visit paid by the librarian of the smallest of the towns in the three kingdoms which have adopted the Acts to the librarian of the largest.

LIBRARY CATALOGUES AND REPORTS.

Catalogue of the Library of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, Supplement II, Additions to the Library, 1881-2. London: printed for the Society, 1883. 8vo, pp. i.-88.

Prepared with Mr. B. R. Wheatley's usual carefulness and accuracy.

Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Catalogue of Additions to the Library, 1882. Large 8vo, pp. 11, double coll.

Issued as a "Supplement to the Pharmaceutical Journal and Transactions" for Jan. 6, 1883. Is very carefully prepared.

Nottingham Free Public Libraries. List of Books in the Children's Lending Library: with the Rules of the Library and Reading Room. Price One Penny. Nottingham, 1883. Large 8vo, pp. 20, double coll.

The Books are arranged under the authors when they are known. The Library seems to be very well supplied with the writings of Marryat and Mayne Reid, but we are a little surprised to find the name of Scott, and a good deal surprised to find that of Dickens, entirely absent from the Catalogue.

Reading Free Public Library. Index-Catalogue of the Books in the Lending Library. Reading, 1883. 8vo, pp. x-251, half cloth.

Mr. Greenhough's Catalogue contains references to about 9,000 volumes, on the ordinary index-plan. The subject-matter of many of the principal works is set out. The Library is divided into ten classes, denoted by a mnemonic letter. The book is very neatly printed, and is preceded and concluded by "Bibliographic Memoranda."