The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-02-25 00:00:00

WELSH LITERATURE.—MANUSCRIPT SOCIETY.
(SEE ADVERTISEMENT.)
It affords us pleasure to inform our readers that the affairs
of the Welsh MS. Society are in regular progress, and that
the members of the committee proceed with the administra-
tion of its concerns, for the attainment of its objects, with
as much expedition as circumstances will admit. The first
literary work which has engaged their attention, and which
they have undertaken to publish, is entitled "Liber Lauda-
vensis, or Llyfr LlandAf,, '- being the ancient register of the
cathedral church of Landaff, which was originally written in
the twelfth century, having been compiled by Jeffrey (Gal-
fridus), brother of Urban, bishop of Landaff, who was pro-
moted to the see in the year 1108, and died in 1134.
• This ancient MS. is written partly in Latin and partly-in
Welsh, and .the whole is intimately connected with Welsh
historical literature, and contains information relating to the
Christian church in Britain from an early period, but parti-
cularly with respect to the see of Landaff and the surround-
ing district from thd fifth to the twelfth century. Its con-
tents,consist more especially of biographical memoirs of St.
Samson, St. Teilo, 'St. Dubricius, and St.-Oudoceus, (the
last three of whom-were the first peelateS of the see), and of
particulars of its ancient.territories-granted.to'the church by
various itrdividuakk, with much seurions inforMation relating
'to that district durin.gthe dark ages, at a time when history,
with respect to similar" places in the principality, is nearly
silent.
The nature and importance of the book may be best esti-
mated.by considering the esteem in which it has been held
by our most eminent ecclesiastical historians and antiquaries,
viz., Usher, Spelrnan, Cressy, Dugdale, Wharton, Collier,
Nicolson, urner, Browne, Willis-, and Godwin, all of whom
have.quoted passages from it, and- made references to it, as
containing interesting information relating to the antiquities
of the church nowhere else to be found.
To execute the office of editor, the committee considered
themselves fortunate in obtaining the services of the gifted
and learned Professor Rees, of St. David's College, Lampe-
ter; lnitfihe had 'scarcely commenced his official labours,
when a sadden and premature death deprived both the soci-
ety and his country of the benefit of his talents and acuire-
ments. This unexpected event necessarily caused some in-
terruption in the progress of preparing the work for the
press; but the Rev. W. J. Rees of Caseob, Radnorshire,
readily undertbok- to supply the place of the lamented de-
ceased, considering that honourable office as a kind of legacy
bequeathed to him by his departed nephew, whose studies
were much in unison with his own.
A considerable space of time was afterwards taken up in
collating the MS., in making fac-similes, and in transcribing
a copy of the work and preparing it for the press. These
necessary preliminaries having been accomplished, we are
informed that at present the work is proceeding through the
press with all possible expedition ; but an undertaking of
this kind necessarily requires much time, in order to ensure
the utmost accuracy, and to render it worthy of_ the society
and of the public. The original work, with English transla-
tions and notes, constituting a volume of considerable sizes
is expected to be ready for publication in the course of the
ensuing months.
It is worthy of observation, that several ancient copies of
this celebrated and interesting work are reported to have
been in existence, and to have been met with in the course
of the last two centuries, which at present are not to be found,
viz., the Selden copy, which was in the library of llt,rigwrt,
Merionethshire; the copy which was in the library of Llan-
nerch, Denbighshire •, the copy -ire the Cottoi-thin library,
British Museum ; rnd two copies in the archives of- Landau'
Cathedral. Respecting these copies considerable inquiries
have been made, but without success.' Some of them, how-
ever, it- is believed, are still in existence ;sand should any
persons possessing collections of Welsh MSS:, on examining
their literary stores, meet with them, the communicating
such intelligence would doubtless be most acceptable infor-
mation.
We are informed that the committee, being anxious that
the concerns of the society should proceed without interrup-
tion, have been, and continue to b.', busily 'engaged in pro-
curing suitable materials for the printing of another volume,
to succeed the Liber Landavensis without delay, and have
been most fortunate in their researches. To carry on their
proceedings considerable sums will of course be wanted, but
they hope that the object of their undertaking will procure
an important addition to the present list of royal, noble, and
highly-respectable patrons, -and that their exertions will be
appreciated and encouraged by a liberal 4tl discerning pub-
he, so as to prevent any hindrance in the accomplishment of
their laudable and patriotic designs.