The Express.
London, England, 1857-10-23 00:00:00

711 E LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS.

Mr. David Chadwick, of Salford, read a papa on
this subject at the reoent ranting at Birearngbara of the Ma-
dam] Amodadca for the Premodes of Situ Salmon a
summary of which may sot be valatareeklag to our readers.
Mr. Chadwick COMMIIOOIII by stating that be bad bees In-
duced to write the ipm, fecomequence of the.:e
made by Lord Bromism, the pmaident it the
on his recent visit to Msachissor. The old hoe 1117.reria-TQ
those of Sunday schools and of mechanics' sad other hod-
ludo= are compared with the saw fres rennece and loading
libraries recently establidnol order Mr. Bweirt's acts.
Amongst other interesting statements, the following statisti-
cal returni are given :

Elllf Oil' BCHOOLII.—NOIIIbef of Sunday schools fn 111411
chestea sod Salford and their immediate vicinities, 240;
Sunday scholars on the books, 90,000 ; Sunday echolars
at-
tending school terioe every Sunday, 45,000; scholars re-
ceiving elementary instruction on the week day
7,600; volumes of book. in their lib 130,0008=,
tied borrowers of books, 11,000; aatlsated camber diorama
c 4 books per SWIM, 120,000.
- -

MICHANICS' AND OTNEft INSTITIITIONS.—)Iasobader
Atheneum 924 members, 16,000 slams, 27,612 knee
Ilandassa Mechanics' Institution, 983 members, 16,000
volumes, 33,420 rows ; Slaked ditto, 200 nesurbere, 2,000
volumes, 2,403 lanes ; Pendleton ditto, 160 members, 1,400
solemn, 2,800 insure; Msnchester Young Mens Christian
Asextlatlem, 809 members, 1,720 rebuses, 4,636 beam
liverpoel Mernanace Institution, 16,000 volumes, 18,000
Imes; Leeds ditto, 1,641 members, 10,000 volumes, 48„380
twee ; Brighton ditto, 720 members, 3,369 wakens, 1,400
Woes; ditto, 4,000 volumes, 12,980 twee.
A betel reference is then made to the mode pptmsnccribed by
Mr. BTUS'S acts for taking a poll of the lahabltants for the
eetablialusent °etre* libraries and museum., and the amount
sighoeiri to be raised by the libraries' rate, viz., one penny
in the pound on the annual value of property.
The following towns have recently established, or taken
the penliminary stops to 'stabile); free publio libraries, viz.
Warrington, Salfeed, Manchester, Norwich, Winchester,
Cambridge. Bolton, Liverpool, Sheffield, Oxford, St. lielen's,
Hertford, Bitkathead, Kiddermfmster, Lichfield, Leaming-
ton, Widroiziater, King's Lynn, Newcastle, Preston, and
Aberdeen.

iii;loilowtog town hen rejected the proposition to eats-
Wish free Unwise, vb. : Rostra, Bina ham, Cheltenham,
London (city), 1 (Loodon), Flasile d.s, Bull, aad
Ilisryletwas
Videos Matineel intone or. than given et the anther
sad clessilketko of the books, the mss et harrowers, sad
their ages sad tradee or nines% the neater et sleben to
the maim rear sad messaa" sail Ha &My avenge at
beaks imard, legetior with returns almond apeadltaire.
bilowbg stakoant thaws the oniaber at volumes and
the keen ra yew la sena of the pried* asw Ins Mrs-
ries, mad her of the old free Mewls' :
New Pons Liverpool, 41,490 volumes,
1724insio ; Manchester, 12,673 volume*, 166,663 Wore
26438 volumes, 147,300 knee; Bolton, 16,097
voloses, 78,670 Wines; Hhemeld, 7,0114 railol4ll, 120,875
isms; Oztord, 4,520 Tolman 26,C00 issues , Cambridge,
2,679 WED.% 14,628
IN num
OLD Fall LIBKAILIEL—British Muses.., open to tirket
holden from 9to 4 in winter, end from 9 to 6 in mummer,
365,000 volumes, 416,802 Menem; Archbishop Marsh's Free
Library, Dublin, tram 11 till 3 daily, 18,300 volumes,
7,i )0 s Brea Library, Armagh, open from
12 to 3ls winter, eat hose 12 to 4 In summer, 10,000 no-
lo 1.. net gives, stay few; Chethaes's Free Litnn,
Manckst r, opus daily imas 10 to 4, 21,000 volumes, 3,851
issues.

It will be seen by the above returns, and by than in ma-
union with Sunday schools, that the number of Imes from
public !Similes Is generally In proportion to the opportunities
afforded foe their use to the worldng classes. If the libreries
are dosed in the evenings, the 'soother of issues (and conse-
quently the actual use of the libraries) is lON per sum= than
the total number of books in the Hl:wary.
If libraries are open only at stated periods, or require the
privilege to be paid for, es in the cue of the libraries at me-
chanics' institutions, the lame of the whole number of books
in the library is limited to about twice per annum. But If
as in the mso of free libraries generally, they are open ads',,
till about nine o'clock in the evening, the circulation of the
whole of the number of the volumes in the libraries will &en-
rage about seven times the tote) number.

Th7b7.6
-iUt one rc ms in a public library
• toe great extent, be governed by the proportion of the
mete of popular authors which It tasteless, yet it ie proved
by the clasuflod returns that even in the ease of learned and
wientito works the proportion of their lames from the new
Gee libraries Is many times meter than in any other
libraries. And whilat the number of lames front the new
fres Illbeariee Is .o great, end the benefit derived by the
working chases so undoubted, it Is one of the most gratifying
circumstances connected with these establiahments, and at
the serve time one In which there has hitherto been no ex-
ception, that the amount of damage done to the books Is so
small as to be Inappreciable
The damage other than ordinary wear end tear in 'eight
years to the nooks in the Salford libraries I. lees than 10e.,
and the damage to the Manchester libraries low than 20s.
As regards public ummeuros, the effect of reetricting the
home of attendance to not later than four p.m. baa the same
effect in preventing the maw of the people visiting them as
is the case of public libraries. Notwithstanding the In-
comparable superiority of the Britlah Museum to all others,
it appears that the total number of visitors last year waa
To the British Mormenns,* 361,000 ; Derby Free Museum
(T.iverpool), 123,000; Royal Free Museum (Salford), 530,000.
(The number of visitors to the Salford Royal Museum in the
present year will nosed 800,000.)
Three extraordinary results can only be accounted for on
the grounds that at Salford the museum is open from 10 a.m.
to desk (Sundays excepted) during the whole of the year,
and therefore daring tbo trimmer months affords groat eon-
rosiest* for the visits of the working degree. By the in-
spection of the articles and specimens in the muss= the
readers Rom the library aro enabled to obtain a better and
more Intimate sequaintanne with any department of hietory,
science, or the arta capable of being illustrated by the ob-
jects exhibited In the mosetim. Each branch of the institu-
tion by this mama contributesto the value and tweruktes of
the othw.

In conclusion, it is reworked, that the feelings of inde-
pendence, and the reluctance to scrape anything in the shape
of charity, whit./ ere entertained by the working clawse
generally, are in no way interfered with by the operation end
management of free linries. The working people know
that as inhabitants and honrebolder• they contobute accord-
ing to their motel towards the coat of malntaieing them, and
therefore they participeto in the enjoyment of the privilesve
of free G end mureurne on terms of perfect equality
with all other persons. It cosy safely be asserted that these
Institutions, where they have been already established, have
afforded to the maw of the people better means of improving
their intalleeturd, moral, and social position than any other
angle movement of recent date.
The writer concludea by
pa
sal his own personal hopes
that the farts whkh it has been the object of ebbe per to
exhibit in proof of the very gnat benedts of free public
likewise and museum., @append by a library-rate and oader
the manewment of the local authorities, will induce the
psopl. of Birmingham and other densely populated towns
Won to consider, with anxious and rueful attention, and
without further delay, whether the time has not already
arrived for the immediate establishment of fres public