New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-03-24
An HOUR IN THE ASToR LIBRARY.

The citizens Of the United States had long felt the
psed of an extensive library one worthy great and
growing nation its literature and its literary men,
which should compare favorably with those Of the old
world, and which, by embracing the best works in
every department of letters, and in every written
language should all classes Of students and the
general mass Of readers TO refer TO.
Such library has been formed, and that not by any
appeal to the people, by petitions to legislatures,
but by the munfcence of single individual, John
Jacob Astor who seeing the need of such an instu-
ton left at his DEATH in ls4s the of 100000 for
the establishment of public library in the City ofNew
York an act which will endear his memory to thou
sands Of scholars and students
OF the entire sum, $4,000 were to be appropriated
to the erection of the building $780, 10 be expended
in the purchase Of books and other objects for the
library and the residue to be invested as fund for
maintaining and increasing it. The trustees named by
Mr. Astor, among whom were some of our most dis
tingushed men, as Washington Irving, Vim. b. Astor
and Daniel Lord, Immediately took measures to exc
cute the provisions of the will, and having selected
SITE offered premiums of $500 and s2OO for the two best
plans of library edifce. About 80 plans were submit
ted and though none of them satisfied the trustees the
two best were awarded the premiuTs. plan was
subsequently matured by Mr.. Alexander Saetzer, and
adopted The cornerstone was laid in March, 1850,
and the building was completed in the Summer Of
1853. 1t is situated on the east side Of Lafayette
place A better location could hardly have been Sc
lected for though it is between Broadway and the
Bovery it seeing TO be almost entirely exempt from
the clamor of the city and as the street is very
pleasant one, its quiet makes it admirably fitted for
such an institution. The edfce, Of brick, Of the
nj, ia lowe tOry he
Of brown stone, has a solid substantial appearance,
which is much enriched by the heavy stone holdings
Of the windows and the cornice.
On entering the door Of the main entrance the visitor
firds himself in handsome hall each side are en-
frances to the two lower rooms-Of which shall
speak hereafter-and in front of him broad fight Of
thirty-sx marble steps, which conduct him to about
the center of the Library proper.
The coup d'oeR, ascending the stairs is pleasing
in the extreme There is an air of lightness grace
ard cheerfuness in the whole aspect of the library
which, not being too glazing to the eye, has classic
and subdued appearance; the room is one hundred
feet in length sxty-four in BREADTH and fifty in hight
it is lighted by ten windows in 'front.' eight in the rear,
and above by a spacious sky-light extending about
two thirds the length of the room. BY partitions
running back from the pillars which support she roof
TO the sides of the room formed series ~ aienves
which in turn arc divided by light floor into two
stories, the upper gallery having balustrade in
'front.' and tho lower being separated from the area by
light iron railing. Thus each alcove presents three
sides for the reception OF the shelves whch e&'ehd
from the top to the bottom and have in the middle
q light gallery to give access to the higher
shelves There are ten alcoves each side,
and two at each extremity of double the length OF the
others making in all "a distinct acoves each OF which
il appropriated to different department of letters.
Communication is had between the upper and lower
galleries by spiral iron saircases, eight in number
Commencing at the lower range of alcoves, we find
that on the northwest devoted TO the depart
ment Of Theology, which contains about 1000 vol
umes including many valuable editions Of the Bible
and in every written language, as well "a good col
lection of the Fathers and works on the Councils
Proc eding toward the eastern end, we enter the
department Of Law which contains nearly 1000 voli
umes Here are the Codes OF the different parts oil
Europe; the systems of Jurisprudence now published
in Italy, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden
and Commentaries on the Mohammedan, Hndoo, and
Chinese laws IN French Law this department Is par
ticularly rich in American Law it is yet rather i'm
perfect and in the Civil Law OF Germany the collec-
| ton is decidedly poor.
The next alcove is devoted TO works on incidence
this collection is comparatively small, containing only
about two thousand volumes. The Natural Sciences
occupy the adjoining acove. This department Is one
| of the richest of the library 1t numbers between
four and FIVE thousand volumes many OF which are
very costly as "Audubon's Birds Of America, col
ored copy of "Palmarum Genera ct Species Of Mar
| tue "Sibthorps Flora Grseca." The department
of Chemistry which next in order is not very e1ten
sye, though well selected. The next alcove, and the
one above it, appropriated to the department OF
photography, comprising general literary history Ihi'
is very extensive and contains FIVE thousand vol
| rmes.
The Historical department takes up the whole OF the
lower series of alcoves the opposite side, and In
GLIDING the sciences Introductory to history-as Chron
| ology, Heraldry and Inscriptions which occupy the
first acove-numbers nearly $4,000 volumes, not wei
selected, however. The second acove is devoted to
Spanish Italian ind Portuguese history. French his
tory occupies a whole slcove. The German, Scandna
Wan, Russian. Dutch and Belgian share one slcovei
English Irish and Scotch another and the last one
filled bv works on American history, which it is de-
signed to render the most complete OF the historical
department Ii numbers at present about 4,oo(
| volumes.
Ascending to the gallery and crossing to the corner
whence we started, we find the first alcove appro
prated to ecclesiastical history, the number of work.
in which was included in that of theology. From Thu
We enter the department of metaphysical and ethica
science politics and political economy, which ha
about two thousand volumes. Passing through th'
acove devoted to encyclopedias, enter the depart
! m.nts OF pure mathematics and the mathematical
sciences. These are considered as among the mos
perfect in the library and contain i've THOUSAND
volumes