The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-27 00:00:00

Leaving. unenlightered ensp'oyers tirerywhete to
row wise in spite of themselves, we hop., on ile-
sibeted, tow those numerous and tout, liberal
oWlyers who hese individually done so much for
fee osiefort sad i catalsetion of the or workmate and who
have really set the lest example of ,providing lib tries
ter the people, adapted to their position sad their
ersals—we hope to see those gentlemen 'stimulated
the jablkettiree of thbisureetobrt,firts uulintettetoirweaxseru;
they ban. A few examples of this kind
do siege .116 elheekte the government te
sesselking ellistlee dem a hundred pathetic mask
is thde seem of duty ee their sense of shame. We
dealt est, bee, bat men of large fortune, and whose
y, y equals their wealth—such men as have
with the munificence, but without the Me
rept motives of a Cisee or a Cyan', given pike 1
sad pleassmgeounds to the people—will also come ,
leeward in &strict, where the workmen are poor, tied 1
employers backward,and create at their own expense*,
sucki of libraries,which, once commenced, may s
rely for further support on the community wlesi=
received the boon. A thousand pounds judicial*
laid out will purchase at least five thousand volume'
of that class of books which are most useful to the
people, not omitting a due proportion of works et
I a issues. A hundredhundredpounds even will procure from
be bemired to a thousand volumes of the clue of
weeks most required at the commencement of a
popular library. Gentlemen disposed to employ their
surplus wealth in this way, might also appropriate
lands to defray the building of a library, or provide
the librarian's salary, leaving the future contributions
of the community thus benefited to be entirely seat
in books.
Of course it is only pending the inaction of go-
vernment, or the indecision of parliament, that we
would seek to divert into this channel any excessive
or unusual proportion of the benevolence of those who
have a proper sense of the duties that great wealth 1,
entails. It is not charity, but justice, paternal go-
vernment, and a wise economy in the expenditure of
local and general taxes, that the working class e of
England want. As Sir Quiets LYSI.L quoted
lately from an eloquent American writer, " the usual
main. enance of one large sited man-of-war ousts
as much in service, salaries, wages, and
as four of our first-class universities." irvesihralit
say with a dill stronger exposure of the wastefuleme
of warlike extravagance—and what sort of 'risked-
ness is, in its essence, more sinful than wastefulness!—
we might my, without exaggeration, that the cost of
building one ' meventy-foue would purchase ample
libraries for one hundred good sized towns. Bat
while we waste twenty millions a year on soldiers
and sailors, grants from government for the support
of libraries and museums must be very lmited. In-
deed they ought not much to exceed their present
amount; of which the greater part is swallowed up
by the British Museum. There is no resource there-
fore but to fall back upon the kcal rates; and we quite
concur in the recommendations of the committee se
that head. Indeed we blieva we might claim
the merit of being among the first cf the. public press,
to recommend the recognition of a provision for free
libraries for the people, as among the duties insepara-
ble from all municipal govanment ; and we are
delighted to find that the committee have given this
principle the sanction of their authority. There
exists no other practical means at present of provid-
ing for that numerous and fast increasing class of the
population who have acquired the faculty of and the
appetite for reading; but who are too poor to be able
to gratify it with wholesome nourishment, and who
are driven in cineequence to batten on the noxious
garbage of the Jack Sheppard literature which we have
so often denounced. Ten paragraph of the report has
likewise the happiness to recommend the same exer-
cise of private benevolence that we have been advo-
cating above. Indeed it sketches, within a very brief
compass, the whole machinery of such institution',
and is so full of foresight and practical good "nee,
that we quote it without abridgment :
Your committee farther recommend that • power be given
ley parliament enabling town councils to levy a small rate for
the creation and support of town libraries. An act was
passel in the year 184.5 conferring the power on town noun-
ens to levy a rate (to the extent of a halfpenny in the pound)
he " encouraging the establishment of museums in large
towns," commonly known under the name of the
" Museums Act." Some few towns have availed them-
wives of this privilege. It is probable that more will do so.
A eall, however, has been made upon the legislature from
=OM than one quarter, and especially from Limerick, to
extend this power of rating to the case of libraries. One
town (Warrington), even under the sanction of the coining
Msweants' Act, has founded an open public library as well
m a Mumma. The association of the two institutions seems
is be a meat obvious and desirable alliance. In all our chief
previa/Ird towns it Is requisite that there should be topo-
Etplieal libraries as well as topographical museums; where
y may find • faithful portraiture of local events,
le7eid—fiterature, and local manners; and art and science
a collection of all objects illustrative of the climate, soil,
sad resources of the surrounding country. Special
libraries would, no doubt, form themselves in appropriate
korlities, At Hamburg the Commercial Library has been
famous for more than a century. Its existence is stated by
Dr. Meyer to have had • moat beneficial influence on the
character of the merchants of Hamburg. It would seem
that in our large commercial end manuticturing towns, as
well as in our agtiindtural districts, such libraries would
'stonily spring up, illustrative of the peculiar trade, mann-
erism, and agriculture of the place, and greatly favourable
to the practical development of the science of political eco-
nomy. Your committee are convinced that the first great
tempi& the formation of libraries (and of similar institutions)
bto establish a place of deposit—a local habitation for the
leeks. Teat once formed, measures should be taken (as
enggestod in the valuable evidence of Mr. Brothetton) for
wools the property—the building as well as the
beet—in the town council of the place, or in some fixed
owl y-renewable body. Thus the evils which
betee Ifellallen so many of our charitable foundation', from
the ass of trastees, and a necessary appeal to • mart of
mit& would be evaded. There ma be no doubt, that
these two condldoes toes fulfilled—a fixed and proper place
a deeaalt, and a due investment of the property—donation
will tly supply the books. Donation has been the
ems, of the principal libraries which have ever or any-
where been formed. The British Museum (though supplied
hem the gab& reverse with the meats of buying books)
easels peisdpd ibIINST7 ensures to donation. 80 do our
albeilk eel shiest ell our local libraries. A large proper-
ties Mew books in foreign libraries have been eontriouted
1 W helliviinds. It ie not easy to conceive that a bounciest
NA enlightened citizen an leave a more plewirg or lasting
iseremest behind him than a donation of books to • public
Showy ; constituting a department, on which his name mg it
be Inscribed as a benefactor cot only to his own times, but to
filters ages.

We remarked on Tuesday that the extent of the
late defalcations in Sidney forest could be known
because the Commissioners of Woods were entirely in
ignorance as to the property committed to the ore of
the defaulter. If there is any mode of judging of
the los which the public have sustained by the gross
negligence and carelessness of the department. it is
only by contrasting the relative valued the forestbsfore
and since the timber was destroyed. We propose to
look into this as well as into some other matters
affecting Woods and Forest accounts—documents
to which the balance-sheets of the Hedonism
railways were commendable, satisfactory, and
honest publications.
Whitdewoxl and Salcey Fores's are elated,
in the evidence before Lord Di:Tomes com-
mittee, to have produced, from 1706 to 1786, a ear-
plus of income above expenditure to the extent of
6,1001. From 1803 to 1848, they produced a surplus
of no less than 68,28 W. This surplus appears to have
seemed from the produce of old timber, previous
to the memorable disformting by the ingenious Mr.
KENT. From the time of that gentleman's foul c de-
falcation the forest has been a terribly losing
concern. When he was appointed deputy-
surveyor by Mr. Commissioner Miura, in 1827.
&dory and Whittlewood produced so large a sum as
10,6111. per annum. less 3,6671. expenditure. The
balance in favour of the public that year was, cones.
quently, about 7,0001. But in 1836 this 7,0001. had
dwindled down to 7681. Mr. MILNE and his protige
sacrificed, in fact, upwards of 6,0001. per annum,
which might otherwise have accrued to the public
treasur.
At they present time Salm entails a /me of 6001.
a year on the public. Every year bet one
since the year of Mr. KING Bmir's defalcation
has been a year of deficiency, and that deficiency is
likely to continue. It will be a hundred years ere
there will be a stick fit to cat in the forest; and until
the century expires the public will be saddled with
the expense of maintaining a corps of well paid offi-
cials to look after the young tress, to preserve the game,
and to warn off trespassers.
Salcey Forest alone comprises nearly 13,000 acres
of land. What other landed proprietor in Europe
can boast of an estate at once so large and unprodno.
tire P Since 1834, 7,6001. has been absolutely sank
L here in money payments. At the same rate we shell
I have absolutely sunk in salaries the whole value of the
forest, land and all, by the time it produces a single
oak that is fit for the axe of the woodman.