New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-16
LITERARY.


!; accordance with their best interests in opposing
s,rsng,v the proposed measure. BE says and with |
a,,arent truth. that five shilling book would still
IN for FIVE shillings if the paper duty abolished
and the amount lthreepence fourpence) now paid
on that account 10 the Government would find its way
into the publishers pocket instead One chief
for the strong feeling excited against tho bill the
fsal of any allowances on account Of stock already
manufactured "a in the case Of Mr.. H. @. Bohn, for
instance to whose untirng energy and perseverance
tia defeat Of the measure Is mainly owing. Ills
roydrenowned series Of "Stcndard Libraries Is TO
Be met with wherever the English language is spoken
In every quarter Of the globe and the series now con-
tains more than 500 volumes To keep these all IN
print" ready for the home and export demand STOCK
If several hundred thousand dollars must Away be
maintained manufactured from paper on which duty
bss been paid. These books being mostly unprotected
by copyright would in the event of the passage OF the
hin DO exposed to competition from rival editions got
On with the unfair advantage of cheap paper invoked
with the Governmen. mpcst Of three half-pence per
Mound the injustice Of which is obvious SO certain
wss the passage Of the bin considered that at least one
periodical (Once Weekj doubled its dimensions in
anticipation Of the proposed reduction.
The art-loving portion Of the literary public are
all waiting in state of anxious excitement for the
appearance of the concluding portion of Mr. Ruskns
work Modern Painters" The firth and last volume
in which the great rhetorican brings his subject to
close, Wal be the most richly illustrated OF the
eeres, containing thirty-six steel plates and one
hundred wood engravings. The plates include
twelve from j. W. M. Turner, and eighteen from
Mr.. Ruskins own drawings. The titles OF the
var;ous divisions ara oracular and suggestive, as
ususI. comprising Part VI. OF Leaf Beauty, 10
cbap,ers; Part VII. OF Cloud Beauty-(Chsp. l,
The Cloud Balancings; Chap. 9, The Cloud,
F,ocks; Chap. 3, The Cloud Charots; Chap A,
The Angel of the Sea-; Part VIII. OF Ideas Of
Rela:ion-l. OF Invention Formal, chapters; Part
TX. OF Ideas Of Relation OF Invention Spiritual
The volume has been tantalizingy announced al just
ready for some time past, and will actually appear
before the FAN.
There have been recent reports from three oil the
srca. Public Libraries of Europe the British Muse
um, and the Imperial Libraries OF Paris and st. Pc
tersburg. ANY information Of the kind always pos
saes interest to those who know what focus of lit
erary activity Metropolitan public collection of books
becomes under proper auspices 1t is then, indeed the
great central battery from which radiate the electric
currents to every othe state The course of the
British Museum is onward under the spirited manage
meut of Mr. Panizzi the splendid annual appropriation
for purchases of books of 000 scontnued, andhe
greatest difficulty is to make for the flock Of stu
dents who daily assemble under the shadow OF the
spacious dome of the new reading room. The French
Imperial Library, in gradual process OF reorganiza-
t;on and the collections of which is composed,
viii no longer remain the chaotic mass they hitherto
formed. A well-known antiquarian, NJ. Prosper
Merimee was detailed TO examine the management
of tine British Museum Library, and has thence de-
rived many valuable suggestions, now about to be
duced to practice. Rapid progress is made in cata-
logung. Seven large quarto volumes, containing the
printed books relating to the History of France have
been issued and other branches 70 follow. In the
fine art department, nearly 100000 engravings
haze been catalogued; the entire collection OF
these Is said to embrace 100000 separate engrsv
ngs. A distinct reading room has been appropri
ated for casual visitors and general readers apart from
those devoted to students and mon of science From
ST. Petersburg there is sign of equal activity in the
same direction. The Imperial Library is set down as
consisting of nearly 900 900 volumes of printed books
aud MSS, an amount which, if correct, would place il
above the British Museum, and second only to the
Paris Library. Last year the readers amounted to
10000. The hours Of access are unusually favor
able, the Library being open until o'clock at
night. One Of the rooms has been converted by
Baron Korff, the director, into fac-simile Of a
Medieval Library and here kept the precious iu
minated manuscripts the blocketter books printed in
the Fifteenth Century and other rartes. Returning
homewaid il may be mentioned that the Librarian of
the Astor Library d. Cogswell, is about sailing for
Europe. lie has at his disposal FOR purchases $1,000
1000 from the Library funds and $4,000 from the Pr
vate munifcence Of Mr.. w. u. Aston.
"A translation Of Dr. Won Hefeles Life Of the Great
CARDINAL Xnenez, has just been published by Mr..
DclmaIn, the Catholic publisher in London. 1t is
characterized by great research, and affords an admi.
ble subject for The biographer, who dwels pride
on the literary achievements Of the Cardinal-the
Comprehension Poly 9lot and the Mosarabc Liturgy.
He is sometimes at issue with our historian Prescott
toe points always open TO dispute between Catholic
add Protestant writers.
lord Brougham's installation address at Bdin-
aged egfsy-two years. II fills seventy pages of
print and occupied upward of FIVE hours in delivery.
The range Of subjects ia wide and diversified from
Hnme's Argument on Miracles to the Politics of the
present day. An Interesting personal "reminiscences OF
60 distinguished an orator is interesting. cit is the
greatest of all mistakes fancy that careulypre
pared psssaye cannot be delivered before modern
audience. once coniended this point with elias
steal scholar and no Uncomfortable speaker himself
Lord MeIbourue-who immediately undertook to point
out tie passages which lad prepared and those which
were given ofi-hand aud on the inspiration Of the
moment. lie was wroog in almost every guess he
made
The choice Of writer distinguished in liberal
i'm and fiction as the Rev. Charles Kingsley for the
p,fes.orship of Modern History 1t Cambridge IL re-