The Sun.
London, England, 1828-11-05 00:00:00

CITY OF LONDON LIBRARY.

The Library of the Corpozation .of the city of
London, for the use of the meinbers aod. thvir &How
citizens, is now open for the reception of donations
and visitors. The Corporation Committee, at the
head of which is Mr. R. L. Jones, the projector,
have determined--

1. That the library open daily, at ten o'clock in
the morning, until four o'clock in the afternoon,
from the Ist of September to the 31st of March ;
and from the same hour in the morning until five
o'clock in the afternoon, from the Ist of April to the
31st of July (Sundays, Friday, Midsummer-
day, Michaelmas-day, Christmas-day, and fast and
thanksgiving days by proclamation, excepted.)
2. That the library be closed during the month
of August, and from the 6th to the 12th of Novem-
ber, both inclusive.
3. Th it every member of the Corporation has the
right of personal admission into the library, and the
privilege of introducing a visitor, either personally or
by letter.
4. That the name of every visitor, with the name
of the member by whom he is introduced, be entered
in a book to be kept for that purpose.
There are a number of other regulations for the
management of the library, which is expected to
become the most considerable historical library be-
longing to any corporation in the kingdom. Very
considerable donations have already been made, and
some large bequests have been promised. Mr.
Thomas Whitby has made the most considerable
donation that has yet been received. Mr. Henry
Woodthorpe and Mr. W. L. Newman have made
large presents. Amongst the dowers arc several
Members of Parliament ; Sir Colt Hoare, Mr. Up-
eot, Mr. H. Ellis, Mr. N. Nichols, and several others
of the most eminent antiquarians. Mr. Philip Hurd
has given one hundred guineas towards it. The
present collection relates chiefly to the general
history of the city and the metropolis ; to its instite-
tious, inns of court, colleges, companies, hospitals,
charities, and its poor ; its laws, charters, and cue--
toms ; to its manners,,cemprehending histories of
clubs, biographies, spies, guides, &c. ; public
buildings, improvements, parochial and eceleeias-
tical histories, population, prisons, riots, plagues,
parliamentary and commercial history. In the
latter class is the most complete series of the London
Gazette known to exist in the kingdom. A number
of valuable manuscripts have already been obtained,
and amongst these a folio volume of collections for a
general history of the London Monasteries; four
vols. folio of collections relating to the history anti
antiquities of the church and parish of St. Peter's,
Cornhill ; two vols. 4to. relating to the same subject.
The first volume contains the chantry book of St.
Peter's guild or brotherhood anciently held: in that
church ; and much curious matter illustrative of
mauners and customs, is interspersed through the
whole collection. there is one folio volume of
minutes of the decisions made at Clifford's inn, on
disputes arising from the rebuilding the City after
the great fire of 1666. There are also several
volumes of collectors' books of rates for tithes, arid
assessment books, showing the ancient state of
property in several districts ; several volumes of the
lives of the Chamberlains, Recorders,&c., of London;
of the family of Monk, Duke of Albemarle; and
some interesting memoirs of Lord Chancellor
Jefferies, by the Rev. Mark Noble.
Independently of the collection library, the corpo-
ration possesses an immense depository of historical
documents, comprised in upwards of 1,000 volumes
of records, which, since the present town clerk hasp
entered into office, have, under his superintendence,
been put in a course of careful preservation and ex-
cellent repair by Messrs. Caulfield. These records,
however, are comparatively valueless to the members
of the corporation, or to the historians, for the want
of complete tripartite indexes of the nature of those
formed kir the public records, at the instance of the
Parliamentary commissioners. At present, therefore,
they are almost sealed to all the citizens and mem-
bers of the corporation, except those who have the
custody of them. Neither Stow, nor any other his-
torian----neither Mr. Hallam nor Mr. Southey--have
had recourse to the city records, which for those
periods when the affairs of the Government were so
much interwoven with those of the corporation must
be a depository of the most valuable evidence. The
corporation recently, however, set an extremely illi-
beral and unworthy example to. other bodies, by
giving a gentleman who was engaged in writiug a
history of corporate towns, and who applied fur per-
mission to inspect their records, a positive refusal.
The members of the corporation, and the citizens at
large, when any question of usage occurs, must de-
pend on the inclination or ability of their. agents to
elucidate it. .The comprehensive indexes of names
of places and of things directed by the Parliamentary
Commissioners will render the national records en-
tirely available to the public.
Attached to the library is a room for the recep-
tion of antiquities belonging to the city, and for
works of art. It contains some specimens of Ro-
man pavement found near St. Andrew's, Holborn;
a Roman lamp, an ancient anchor, and other an-
tiquities, found at London-bridge; two ancient cof-
fins found in digging the foundation of the new
courts of justice at Guildhall, and several other
remains. The Lord-Mayor has presented a statue
of Shakspeare in statuary marble, modelled after the
statue of the poet on his tomb in Westminster-abbey.

Most of the ancient coins, implements, and anti-
quities discovered in digging the foundation of the
new London-bridge have got into the hands of
private collectors. Mr. Knight, the clerk of the
bridge, has secured the most considerable portion.
The chairman and several members of the bridge
committee have obtained many of them. 3-Ir.
Acton, the surveyor to the comm►ss►oners of sewers,
has laudably preserved many Roman antiquities
found in digging the four new sewers in the city.
The example of the city in the collection of works
interesting to the members of the corporation and
the citizens at large has been followed by other
bodies. It is understood that the library of • the
Inner Temple is to be replenished and rendered
mote convenient. The other inns of court will pro-
bably follow in due course. A library of reference
is to be attached to the House of Lords. 'A library
will, in no great length of time, be formed for the
attornies of the metropolis.

THE. KING'S PicruttEs.—Tlie Pictures
which Constitute the KING'S Private Collection, the whole
Of which have been purchased by his present MAJESTY, are
insured against fire at the various offices, for two hundred
thousand pounds, and . even that amount is considered
much lees than their original cost. Many pictures of the
first clues, which formerly decorated the rooms iu Carlton
Palace, have been transferred to the Long Gallery, which
forms one of the magnificent additions to Windsor Castle,
made by Mr. WYATVILLE. The intended net'► Picture
Gallery in Windsor Castle, which is to be called the Wa-
terloo Gallery, and will contain only those portraits of the
Allied Sovereign Princes and Generals who were engaged
in the last sanguinary war, is not yet commenced. All the
pictures are in this country, in the ears of the accomplished
President of the Royal Academy; hut the Duke of WEL-
LINGTON, Lord FA RNBUROUGH, Messrs. BARING and Co.,
trustees for the alterations and improvements of Windsor
Castle, hs.ve yet issued no orders on the subject of the WA-
*rico Gallery.

PROM THE GAZETTE OF LAST NIGHT.

Commission in the Royal . South. Clloudister Light In-
fantry Regiment of Militia, signed by the Lord Lieu-
tenant of the County of Gloucester, and the City and
County of the City-of Gloucester, and the City and
County of the City of Bristol.
Adjutant George Ileory Worthington to by C4ptain,,bi
Brevet. Dated Nay I, 1823.
Commissions signed by. the Lord Lieutenant of the County
of Merioneth.
Robert Williams Vaughan, Esq. to be Deputy Lieu-
tenant. Oct. S.
Edward Lloyd, Esq. to he ditto. Oct. 3.
Richard John Price, Esq. &Om ditto. Oct. S.
Athelston Corbet, Esq. to be
Charles Thomas Thruston, Esq. to be ditto. Oct. 3.
John Vaughan, Esq. to he ditto.. Oct. 3.
William Anwyl, Esq. tube ditto, Oct. 3.
Hu2;ll Ruveley, Esq. to be ditto. Oct. 3.
John Edwards, Esq. to be ditto. Oct. 3.
Reginald Fowden, Esq. to be ditt6. Oct. 3.
James Thomas Tomberlain, Esq. to be ditto. Oct. 3.
Thom-1s Hartley, Esq. to be ditto. Oct. 3.
Samuel Evans; Esq. to Is! ditto. Oct. 3.
Richard Richards, Esq. to be ditto. Oct. 3.
Frauds Parry Jones Evans, Esq. to be ditto. Oct. 3.
John Jones, clerk, to be ditto. Oct. 8.
David Maurice Lloyd, clerk, to be ditto. Oct. S.
John Morris Edwards, clerk, to be ditto. Oct. 3.