, 1873-01-02

HAPPY NEW YEAn's DAY
OF 1878, tho temporary quartors TIC now occupy.
Without as yet any money roHources, except
stich as wo layo been able through tho kind
noas Of Comptroller urloy, to anticipate or
borrow. wo havo drawn upon tho future, aud
what will soou DO tho groat FREQ Library Of tho
Peoplo.
Theso rooms will DO furnished with many Of
tho loadlug publications iaBuod abroad md tn
fret ak months, 1nagazlnoa or nowapapors from
England, Germany, ireland, France, Spain,
largo number ] 81 Amerieaa :sia publications. .-
Any account I 60 could give Of onr progress
oronce to tho generous md noble contributions
brary ct Chicago"
tlrat meeting Of our citizons, already referred TO-
present moyomont,-thas Immediately after our
great fre in October, 1871, t.! appeal waa sont
out In tho nature Of q circular from Thomas
Hughes and his associates ut London to tho
olreot TINT,
: A. MARX OF SYMPATHY, .
tIio poop1o Of Engfand should presone a new
Library to tho afflicted people of Chicago, 4
printa Of tic british Empiro-nmong alstin-
guiahcd living writorB,. Btateamon, publishers,
and book mou-wa1mly aocondlng this move
mont.
4 copy Of tho printed circular, In tho nature OF
an appeal, has como to hand It boars tho load
ing and influential namos Of Her a]oBty, tho
Quoon Of England, the Pronior, Gladstone, tho
present Lord Chancellor, Sir Roundoll Palmer,
TIC Duke Of Argyle, and tue no eaB distinguished,
although untitled namoB OF such great Writorsa as
Carlyle, Disraoli, and others.
In this circular tho work ia urged upon tho
ground that tho 4,e,u Library Of Chicngo is to
be mark Of sympathy now, and token Of that
circumstances, md independently Of every other
consideration, muat over powerfully affect tue
different branches Of tho English race" -,
''Accordingly," it says, "while tho home, lit
eraturc Of tho present day, and Of tho last hun:
tho now Library, tho characteristic foaturo Of
tho glft will consist in sending to the Americans
works Of tho thirtoen preceding centurion,
Which arc tho common inheritance Of both peo-
ples."
It then concludes by requesting the authors,
writer's, and publishers OF books-tho heads Of
tho colleges and soctetios OF tho Unitod King
dom, and tho representatives OF historic and dis
tinguished names, to send In such works illus
mort, or difficult to find outside Of their respect
i've collections"
Under this call for tho now Library Of Clica-
Co. booka rapidly began to accumulate on tho
hands Of tho gentlemen who organized tho Or
terprse at London. This Board, soon after their
appointment in april last, learning that
aIn. JOHN ROBSON,
"a resident Of this city, and formerly tho Libra
rian Of tho Library Asaociation," which was
and and That III ho Sa lad vol volunteered his a own
services to rolievo thosee gentlemen
Of tho labor Of receiving and taking charge Of
tho books,-thss Board appointed him their
agent to receive all contributions coming in un-
dor tho call; and to secure md ship to this city
oil contributions mado toward this endowment
Among other contributions, Is largo sum OF
money placed ut tho disposition of our agent-
the spec1al! gift Of Thomas Hughes and associates
and value as ho might deem beat suited to sup
ply the immediate demand OF tho Chicago pub
lie. Mr. Robson is exercising this discretion,
under tho supervision OF this Board, to whom
umeu to DO purchased for our shelves. Tho list
has boon returned, with some notifications, and
tho order will be executed nccording to our sug-
goationB.
accuracy, state tho entire number ct volunaos
which thoy are to expect from
TIE ENGLISH DONATION.
Mr. Robson writes thnt ho III making cata-
loguo, which ho has promiRcd to sond ,sa rs 1oon
as practicable. In the meantime, he is packing
up mud shipping tho books from tho Crystal
Palace at 4yilanha,n, noar London, where they
are being sent in aud collected. We havo ro-
coived, per ocean ateamorst ,somo nino caso5,
and wo arc advised by Mr. Robson that ho has
already shipped Bome nine caRoB moro, not yet
received. We hayo put upon our shelves, Of
this collection, in all, somo 200 volumes.
Among this numbor are 2s7 volumes resolved If?;
cluded special gifts Of their works, donated by
EngliRh authors, among whom arc Bright, uux-
Icy, Kingaloy, Mandsloy Vaughan, Tougo, and
Among other donors of tho books received
arc John Murray; The Royal Scottish Society
Of Arts the Uniyeraities of Cambridge ana Ok
ford tho works Of J. stuart Mill, presented by
himself Sir Charles Lyoll Samuel Smiles
propriotors Of tho dtheneun,, % volumes WoH-
logan Missionary Society, 1856 volumes; md the
Art Journal, 23 Volumes.
We hayo from tho NJ Master t Of ,R, thP EnS3ia S|3
under an Act Of Parliament passed many. years
ago. They comprise tho British calendar Of.
Stato papers, containing oil tho carly corro-+
spondonco Of tho English Court with foreign
countrieB,- constituting tho beHt sources Of au-
thentic history from the carlioBt periods.
There lB included ia volumes Of the chroni-.
cles aud memorials Of tho earliest times Of.
which any account or record can bo found, IN;
relation 10 Great Britain aud ireland, among
them tho copy OF the celebrated "Domealay
Book" tho first record Of the lands of the King
dom, and copies OF all original records in the
Norman-Freuch and early Saxon, as we'll al Eng
l!ah, languages. These aro all tho gitts Of IT, tie
Iuhho4A AosotAt4tA'j gAooos@@eA sA~
Master OF tho Rolls, under whose direction they
we're published.
BESIDES THESE,
re have bsen presented with complete eotB from
tho Royal Commissioners OF tho Englisl Patent
Office, including 70,5G0 plateH Of specifications,
comprising $3.50 large quarto vo!umeH Of tho
Englieh patent Of1ico Reports, which have boan
printed at a cost Of E2,600, making, in gold,
some $4,000. Tho gift includes the addition Of
the yolu.noa to DO issued in oyory yoar ensuing,
equal to au addition Of Bomo 1d0 yolumea in caeh
yoar. by rule Of tho Commissioners, it lB re-
qured ii tho fow instances when tho Govern
meut makes such donations as this to so out Of
the Kingdom, that the volumes shnll DO bound
for proaeryation before leaving London. A.
cordtngly, NO hnye given our directions to hIr.
Robson as to binding this largo donation, Of
which thore are only i've or si1 complete sets in
tho Unitod States, besides tho Aator Library
copy, in New York.
Including this $500 volumes OF patent offlco
reports, 1t il probable that we shall recoiyo from
England, towards tho foundation Of our Free
Library, at least COCO, and probably 1t may he
8,0G0 volumes.