THE LIBRARY OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. IN further prosecution of

our desire to remove, by calling public attention to, the defects in the management of the Library, we . shall now notice the regulations by which Readers obtain printed books.

In order that all the impediments to using the Library may be understood, it is necessary to bear in mind that there is only one copy of the interleaved Catalogue,* consisting of forty-eight large and ponderous folio volumes ; and to explain its position. In one corner of one of the Reading-rooms, a large desk is placed ; on the upper part of which are these forty-eight volumes. The desk stands so near to the wall on one side, and to a table on the other, that there is barely room for a person to pass behind those who may be standing at the desk. The number of readers daily is about 230; and as no book can be obtained until its title has been copied out of the Catalogue, some idea may be formed of the difficulty and inconvenience to which they are subjected. From the uncertainty as to what word a book may be entered , tinder, possibly two or more of these volumes must be examined; so that the pressure round this desk, of persons consulting the

- • It should hare been observed in our former article, that in every case in • this large interleaved Catalogue, where the name of any• book was printed which happens to be in the library given by King George the Third, it is struck . mita that Catalogue, so that the reader is obliged to seek it in the Catalogue of the King's Library. As no explanation of the cause of the erasure is given, he naturally infers that the book is no longer in the Museum. Could a better plan for giving unnecessary trouble have been devised?

Catalogue and copying out the titles &c., is sometimes so great that it may be almost compared to le entrance to a bee-hive on a summer's day.

The question, then, arises, whether it is absolutely necessary that this Catalogue should be referred to for every book which a reader May require—supposing it to be the rarest in the Library, or one as well known as flume's History of England? After a long acquaintance with the working of the former as well as of the present system, we consider that in an immense majority of cases there is no necessity to oblige readers to refer to the Catalogue,— the simple title of the book they require being sufficient. We know that the inconvenience attending this obligation is felt by many literary men whose time is of value to them, to be so great that they are often deterred by it from going to the British Museum for books, unless they are absolutely obliged ; preferring to apply to the London Institution, or to any other large library, or even to give up the reference altogether. The system intro- duced by the present Keeper of the Printed Books is, to require every person who wants any work to fill up the annexed form : IPress Mark. Min of the Work, or Number of the MS. Wanted. Size. Place mac.

(Date) (Signature.)

The readers are particularly requested, "1. Not to ask for more than one work on the same ticket ; 2. To transcribe literally from the Catalogues the title of the work wanted ; 3. To write in a plain clear hand, in order to avoid delay and mistakes."-t Thus, after taking the trouble to find the book in the Catalogue, the reader is expected to make a literal copy of its title ; he has then to ascertain and insert the size, the place where it was printed, and the time of its publication; and to add to all this the

press-mark," i. e. certain figures and letters, which are added to the Catalogue, indicating the local position of the book in the Li- brary; beingfive entries, besides his signature and the date. The slightest error in any one of these entries will be made an excuse for not sending him the book ; and, after waiting perhaps an hour and a half, he may, if he inquires, find that all his trouble and time have been entirely thrown away. The alteration in the old system was an experiment to expedite the delivery of the books ; and it was for a little while so successful as to be approved of by some, though strongly objected to by others. For a lone- time past, however, the delay in obtaining books has exceeded what it was at any former period ; but the additional trouble thrown upon the readers, to obviate delay, still continues. 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 ; for the trouble is transferred from the librarians to the readers. But the trouble thus given to the readers is very much greater than would be required of the officers of the Library, because from habit and constant reference to the Catalogues, &c., the librarians ought to be able to ascertain where any book may be found, in a tenth part of the time which it takes a reader to find its place in the Catalogue, and to copy its title, date, &c. To prevent our observa- tions respecting " press-marks " from being misapprehended, we will state distinctly, that our objection is not to their being added to the Catalogue so that a particular book may be specified if a reader think it necessary, but to its being made a sine qua non to the production of any book whatever, that the ticket shall con- tain the "press-mark," as well as the title, date, &c.; thereby compelling readers to refer, in every instance, to the present in- convenient Catalogue. In fifty out of fifty-five instances, the mere title of any book, taken from memory or from a memoran- dum, ought to be sufficient. If a particular edition is wanted, the applicant will not fail to specify it. If he has any doubt on either point, he will refer to the Catalogue : but at present, even if the title and the press-mark be correctly given, and there happen to be an error as to the size or date, the book will neither be produced nor will the application receive the slightest attention, even though there be only one edition of that book, and no other with a similar title in the English language. Let the applicant com- plain to Mr. Panizzi, and he will find that the neglect is justified, and he is politely informed that it is his own fault. It may be said in defence both of the tickets and of the delays, that the number of readers has much increased : but this is more than met by the increased facility which the concentration of the books in the new Library affords, and by an increased number of attendants. If, however, there be not enough at- tendants, let the Trustees be told so and more would be pro- vided. We repeat, that in a public library no more should he expected of a reader than to specify the book he wants by its title; and that all besides belongs to the librarian. Another of Mr. Panizzi's schemes, not only prevents the books from being speedily delivered, but it is objectionable on other grounds. Formerly, the tickets on which thereaders wrote the titles of the books they wanted, were retained, as evidence, under their own hands, that they had applied for those books. Upon these tickets the librarians placed the press-mark, and the book was speedily delivered. This was a simple process, and saved the trouble and delay of registering the tickets at the moment. Now, however, all the tickets are imme- diately entered in a register ; and, by Rule 4, the reader, "before leaving the room," is to return the books to an attendant, and It is to be lamented, when so much was printed on those tickets, that the readers were not informed how long a time they were expected to wait for their books—half an hour, an hoar, an hour and a half, or two hours ? If such de lays are to continue, a waiting-room should be attached to the Library, with re- freshments. to obtain the corresponding ticket, the reader being responsible for the books so long as the ticket remains uncancelled." Hence, if a book had been lost or injured, and it afterwards became necessary to trace into whose hands it had passed, the tickets, signed by every person who had asked for it, could at any time be produced, and it was strong evidence that it had been.in their possession : but as the ticket cannot now be produced after the party has quitted the Library, he may deny that he had ever applied for or seen it, and say there is an error in the registration. This part of Mr. Panizzi's plan, therefore, lessens rather than increases the safety of books.

Another reason for requiring each reader to copy the title from the Catalogue may be said to be this—that as every book in the world is not in the Library of the British Museum if a reader wrote for one which happened not to be there, die librarian's time would be wasted in searching for it. This looks specious ; but the very inquiry is so beneficial to the Library and to the public, that even if there were no other reason for not obliging a reader to refer to the Catalogue, this would be sufficient. The discovery that any book is not in the Library, and that it has been asked for, is of great consequence : for by merely placing together all the tickets for books which were not forthcoming, the deficiencies would from time to time be brought to the notice of the Librarian and perhaps of the Trustees. We contend, therefore, that as Mr. Panizzi's plan has failed in its object, the Trustees of the British Museum should oblige him to revert to the old system, which was infinitely more simple, more convenient to the public, and more likely to preserve the books from injury. It seems very hard, after a man has given a guinea for the first volume of the new Catalogue, to find that it is of no use to him, because even if he comply with every other part of the conditions, by copying literally the title, size, place of publication, and date, still he must refer to the Catalogue in the Library, to look for the press-mark. In the letter to the Treasury from the Secretary to the Trustees, it is said that Mr. • Panizzi "is eminently qualified for the trust reposed in him ; that he devotes the whole of his time and thoughts to make the Library complete, and at the same time accessible to the public

on the easiest terms." His qualifications for the trust we will no otherwise dispute than as it relates to the compilation of a Cata-

logue; for which task, judging from the specimen before us, he appears to be wholly unfit. Nor are we disposed to question his good intentions ; but, under his administration, obstructions - have been imposed in obtaining access to the Library without any corresponding advantage. He may not be blameable for trying a new plan, but he is undoubtedly blameable for obstinately per- sisting in it after it has failed. Adam Smith says, there is nothing which one Government • sooner learns from another than the art of extracting money out of • the people's pockets : certainly there is nothing which one libra- rian sooner learns from another than the art of shifting trouble from himself to the public : for though every manuscript has a specific short name —as " Caligula, A iv.," "Claudius, C or a simple number,—Mr. Panizzi's system of press-marks, and of returning the tickets to the applicants, has of late been imi- tated in the Manuscript department : thus, if a person Want the " Harleian MS. 4028," he must find this entry in the Catalogue, that the individual in the room which con- tains the Manuscripts may learn, what it is his business to find out—namely, on what shelf the volume stands. Whether the press-mark be or be not inserted on the tickets for manuscripts, • the quickness with which they can be obtained forms a remark- able contrast to the delay in the Printed Book department. • Did any one of the Trustees ever consult books in the General - Reading-room ? are any of them aware of the existence and prac- tical effect of the system ? have they ever thought of the other im- provements which the Reading-room requires, t tending alike to the security of the Library, the promotion of literary investigations, and the comfort of the readers? At present we shall only advert to two of the most obvious requirements,—better ventilation, the room being often absolutely noxious ; and, in consequence of the crowded state of the rooms, a separation of the comparatively few readers who consult the Library for the highest purpose for which it was instituted—the production of historical and other works requiring great and original research—from those, naturally an immense majority, who go there only to read the light publica- tions of the day, and from those who seem to have no other habi- tation. Twelve or fourteen tables in the King's Library, (where there is room enough for a hundred readers,) and one attendant, would be all that is wanted.

Our limits of space compel us to bestow a much shorter notice on the defects in the Library, to which Mr. Panizzi has very pro- perly called the attention of the Trustees ; and for supplying which, and binding, the Treasury intend to devote 10,000/. an- nually. We heartily rejoice at such liberality, but we must take leave to say a few words on the application of the money.

We cannot forget that we are Englishmen • that the British tiluseum contains the only great library in England which is ac-

cessible to the country ; and that it consequently is a national

library. It is therefore not unreasonable to hope that at least two-thirds of the large annual grant proposed will be spent on

• books printed in or relating to Great Britain and Ireland ; so as t Though the Reading-room is susceptible of many improvements, it has one great merit in the civility of the attendants, from the humblest up to the cour-

teous gentleman, Mr. Cates, who has so long presided over it, and whose urbanity and intelligence are so useful to every one who applies to him for information. Mr. Grablism, who succeeds Mr. Cates in the latter part of the day, is entitled to

Lagar praise. to render the Library, at the earliest possible period, com- plete in English works. At present the deficiencies in English literature are so great, that the cheapest as well as the rarest books are often wanting ; and Mr. Panizzi has pointed out some re- markable instances. But with regard to the books in English literature to which he alludes,—such as a complete copy of the Book of Common Prayer, two volumes of the Nautical Almanack, Spelman's Reliquire, the first edition of Camden's Britannia, and its first English Translation by Holland, some editions of Dray- ton's Works, early editions of the Paradise Lost, &c.,—why were they not purchased long since out of the money voted for the i library, n preference to any foreign bibliographical curiosity, seeing that the cost of all these books would probably be under 501.? Many: of the deficiencies in English books not mentioned by Mr. Panizzi, (which the system of his predecessors would, as we have already said, have brou„Tht to the notice of the Trustees,) may often be supplied for a few shillings; and yet the Library still remains without them. While, however, so strong an exhibition is made of defects as to induce the iron-hearted Treasury to open its coffers, and while the imperfection of the Copyright Act is de- plored, we would inquire whether the Museum has done all in its own power to enforce the Copyright Act, by applications at proper times and at the right places for the books to which it is entitled? still more, has due care been taken to obtain valuable books and papers which might have been obtained for nothing 1 We doubt

the first, and are sure respecting the last point. In the various papers printed by the Government1 or for the Houses of Parlia- ment, the Museum is sadly defectave,—such as Private Acts of

Parliament, Appeal Cases, Peerage Cases, &c. To similar neglect may be attributed the discreditable fact mentioned by Mr. Pa-

nizzi that the Museum does not possess "the Laws, Ordinances, or Government Acts, of one-half of the Dependencies of Eng- land." An application to the Colonial Office, many years ago, would certainly have obtained all these papers.

We believe that Mr. Panizzi is desirous of rendering the Library complete, and that he is on the right track ; but we are sure that he has made, and we fear that he will continue to make, great mistakes, if he be suffered to retain the despotic power which he now possesses, and which it is said he does not exercise in the gentlest manner. His situation is so peculiar as to require great delicacy in his conduct towards the literary men of this country : it is undoubtedly his duty to do everything in his power to assist their researches, and to remove all grounds for complaint, in the department at the head of which he is placed, instead of justifying neglect in his assistants.

Before concluding, it is desirable to say a few words on the Catalogues of the Manuscripts; a subject of even greater im- portance than a catalogue of the printed books ; for printed books may be found in other libraries, whereas the information con- tained in manuscripts often exists in such manuscripts only. This department has been comparatively neglected by the Trus- tees; and while as much aid has been given to the Keeper of the Printed Books as he considers necessary for the completion of his impracticable Catalogue the public have justly complained that there is no General Index to the voluminous Catalogues of Additional Manuscripts, much less have those Catalogues been printed. It is however satisfactory to know, that, like most other things in this world, the Index is in progress. It ap- pears from the Parliamentary Return, that "the General Index to the Additional Manuscripts has been continued from No. 7,080 to No. 10,019 inclusive, including the Manuscripts acquired in the years 1828-1835; and a detailed catalogue has been drawn up of the Manuscript Music acquired in the years 1843-1845, including the large collection presented by the Most Honourable the Marquis of Northampton. It is also stated in the Return, that an Index has been made to the late Mr. Rich's collection of Oriental Manuscripts, that many volumes of manuscripts have been described and indexed, and that many other volumes have been arranged and numbered. Parliament might, however, have been informed, when this General Index would find its way into the Reading-room and when improved Catalogues of all the Manuscripts would be completed. We believe it will be found that no fault rests with the head of that department ; who, having only four assistants' seems to have done as much as might fairly have been expected of him. All the Catalogues of the Manuscripts—(perhaps except the Lansdowne)—the Harleian, the Cottonian, the Additional Manuscripts, &c.—are notoriously imperfect; and what benefit has the public yet derived from the progress made to remedy the defects Absolutely none for many years : so that while one department, and that of the highest value, has been comparatively starved because it is not a hobby, no expense has been thought too great in another, for the indul- gence of as many caprices and follies in the compilation of a new catalogue, as ever rendered learning ridiculous or labour useless. The statements which we have made respecting the Library of the British Museum are true, or they are not true: if they are not true, let their error be shown by proving. that good Cats- logues of the Manuscripts exist, and that the Indexes to the Manu- script Catalogues are ready for use ; that the regulations of the Reading-room are expedient ; that the plan of the Catalogue of the Printed Books is judicious and practical, that the Catalogue will be ready before 1854, and that when ready it will not be sixteen years in arrear 1 But if the facts to which we have called public attention are true, then we ask, whether it is not expedient that some change should be forthwith made in the system by which the Museum is governed ?