The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-16 00:00:00

MAGAZINES, &c-(CON TIN UED.)

TILE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE.

Sylvanus Urban this month presents us with much
varied and most amusing antiquarian and historical
information. Ile gives 113 an account of the recent
discovery of Roman remains at Lymne, near llvthe ;
and also a description of the antiquities which have
been recently brought to light by the excavations at
Richborough, near Sandwich, which will be read
with interest by all antiquaries. Mr. J. J. Cochrane
proves that the origin of newspapers is of much
earlier date than had ;been generally imagined, and
that so far from what he calls the spurious newspaper,
Pie English Afereurie, of 1588, being the earliest
newspaper, there is at present in existence, in the
British Museum, a German newspaper of as early a
date as 1541. While on the subject :of the British
Museum, we give the following in order to enable our
readers to judge of the manner in which the new
Catalogue has been compiled by M. Panizzi

`• No man need journey to liamptou Court to see a
maze; let him go to the British Museum and try to find
a book in the Catalogue. There are books in the Li-
brary which can only be found in the Catalogue by some
lucky chance or singular accident. We will give an
example of—

.66 A BOOK HUNT AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

" The other day we wanted to find the common book
called the Beauties of England and Wales' in the Cata-
logue. It was quite a glorious hunt. We began with
the 79 val. Catalogue, under the title England and
Wales,'—it was net there; then we went to the 153 vol.
Catalogue, same title—not there. We tried Beauties'
in both catalogues; we found Beauties of the Opera and
Ballet,' but none of England and Wales, and under
Beauty' there was Universal Beauty,' but not the coy,
shy object of our search. Here we paused to survey the
ground, and meditate upon our future course. Knowing
a little of the history of the book, we made a dash at
Britton, John,' the chief editor and principal author,
whose name is on the title-page of we know not how
many volumes. It was weary work running through
page after page of Cathedrals, and Junius, and Auto-
biography, and fifty other things besides; but we held
on and came at last to an end, but without sight or scent
of our Beauties. We tried the other catalogue with the
same result. Wearied, but too much used to the sport
to be discouraged, off we started again after Britton's
chief coadjutor, 'Brayley, E. W.' We ran him down in
the 79 vols.—no Beauties;' chased off to the 153 vols.—
no ' Beauties.' The thing seemed becoming desperate,
but we determined to hark back, and try some of the
minor contributors. We looked for the Welshmen,
'Evans,' and Rees'—no success! We tried Bigland'
—not there. At last we thought of 'Brewer.' There
were a good many Brewers; we marked our man, J. N.'
Here it is! No! It is only the 'lntroduction, Bvo. Lond.
1818.' Well, that put us in spirits. It seemed correct
that we should find the Introduction first. It was a
something; a begianing; ' Introduction to the Beauties
of England and Wales.' We did not stay to consider
why the other authors were not entitled to have their
shares in the work entered under their separate names.
We had got a scent which was too hot to allow of any
pause. On we dashed. determined not be outdone. We
scampered through Nightingale," Shoberl,' and at last,
Hodgson'—no success! We began to think we should
be beaten after all. We thought we would try the sepa—
rate
counties. Bedfordshire' and Berkshire' wore
fruitless, and we gave that up. It came into cur mind
that perhaps there was a conjoint title of Britton and
Brayley."The volume which contains BRI, was en-
gaged. We stood at the desk waiting to tike it in our
turn. We were almost inclined to give up the chase,
and go home and turn the circumstance into a prize
enigma, or send an advertisement for the missing
Beauties to the third coluinn of the Times. How often
help comes, at the leet pinch! There was an open
volume on the desk at which we were standing►. It
was one of A. We turned over its pages listlessly, by
way of occupation whilst waiting, when, as chance, or
luck, or something or other would have it, we stum-
bled upon a long heeding of Anglia.' It did not at
first occur to us that the lost jewel might bo there.
But, seeing as we looked on end on, turning paze after
page, that the article Anglia' was a kind of pound in
which all sorts of waifs and strays were inclosed, a
general receptacle for articles unowned, it flashed upon
our mind that it was worth while to try. We thank our
stars we did so, for there it was and there it is:
' ANGLIA. The Beauties of England and Wales; topo-
graphical, historical, and descriptive. 18 vols. [in 23]
Bvo. Lend. 1801-15.' We give the full particulars to
save anybody else such a weary day's work as we had,
and hope it will never be our fate to go upon such a
search again."
This is bad enough in all conscience, but more re-
mains to he told :
"At the sale of Mr. Bright's printed books some
three or four years ago, a very scarce volume, entitled
The Complaint of Verity, 1559,' a work of John Brad-
ford the Martyr, was bought by Rodd the bookseller for
(we believe) 71. We have the most unquestionable au-
thority for saying that it was bought for the British
Museum. It was right that it should have been so. At
the price it was a great catch. A gentleman who is en-
gaged in editing the works of Bradford, and has striven
in vain to see this book, would have given double the
money fir it. No doubt it is in the British Museum,
but nobody can find it. It may be in the Catalogue,
but under what head or title no cruiser on that intricate
ocean has yet been fortunate enough to discover. It
certainly is not whore it ought to be, under Bradford,
John,' nor under Complaint, nor under Verity.' We
do not at all think there is any dishonesty in tho matter,
only a great deal of over-refined bibliographical subtilty.
Seven pounds' worth of the nation's money lies locked
up in the British Museum, put away somewhere or other,
as a lottery ticket used to be, and years hence, long after
the edition now publishing has been completed, will turn
up, a great prize to somebody."
We are not so sanguine as the writer as to the turn-
ing up, at least in the Museum Library, of " The
Complaint of Verity." Has the writer read the evi-
dence upon which the French Courts convicted M.
Libri of bookstealing from the public libraries of
France ? It behoves the trustees to institute strict

inquiries after the lost book, and to ascertain what
persons English or foreign are permitted to have ac-
cess to the shelves, and to insist upon the immediate
compilation of a finding catalogue, which shall show
the present state of the Library, and the existence of
which will enable a person at once to ascertain what
books were missing. We have in this number the
commencement of the "Diary of the first Earl of
Egmont," who was attached to Frederick Prince of
Welts, the father of George 111. The present instal-
ment presents us with some interesting gossip relat-
ing to the Court of George 11. at the time that
Walpole was in the height of his power.