Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-05
ENGLAND's NEWS HOARD.
Mass of Files That the British Museum
Will Store at Hendon.
From the London Chronicle.

From the London Chronicle.
His majesty's office of works is just be-
ginning at Hendon, to raise house In
which tons of newspaper files now at the
British Museum will eventually be deposit
cd. There is a whole newspaper land In the
museum-a land from which lle or al
most any modern English paper can be dug
out Space gets more valuable at Blooms
bury, and this building is necessary at Hen
don for the storage of newspapers and
other printed matter rarely required for
use
That Is the definition which parliament
tary statute applies to the purposes OF the
Hendon annex. 1t also requires that the
newspapers and printed matter SO re-
moved shall be made available on due no
tice being given at the museum In other
words. the newspapers at Hendon Will be
brought to London for reference when they
are needed. Needless to say, the files that
are constantly being needed will not go
there at all. Under the copyright act copies
of newspapers and periodicals. as of books,
must be sent to the British Museum. The
newspaper mountain which this has pro-
duced can, in the trtte phrase, better be
lima gined than described. In fact, II could
not be described. because much of it is
buried away in the Easements of the muse
UNI. The figures to the sets of news
papers and fortnightly and monthly pub
ncations received there are, however sufh-
GENTLY eloquent.
In 1900 the number of such sets contrib
uted by London was 1.223; by provincial
England. Wales and the Channel Islands,
1854: by Scotland, 2sS. and by Ireland, 222.
These figures show total of 3 400 sets rep
resenting go, 800 single numbers of papers
and kindred publications The number of
sets in 1890 2.472, and the single num-
bers of papers 1I0,SsS--a striking increase
on the ten years. However. there has been
a slight drop. For 1901 the sets numbered
3.1IO. and the single numbers Dos $50. Last
year the number of sets was 1902, COM
prising 199.O67 single numbers. It Is worth
noting that Of these Sets rather more than
a third were published in London and the
suburbs. When colonial and foreign news
papers are added 1T will be seen what
harvest flows to the museum Every twelve
months 1t literally gathers into Its now
well-hlled vastness huge loads Of printed
paper. Yet SO carefully kept are the files
that they can readily be consulted even
when they are purely local papers The
general reader does not want them but II
IS interesting to learn that perhaps they
are most frequently needed for their re-
ports Of law cases
The treasures of newspaper history. in
which the British Museum is 80 rich. will, It
goes without saying. abide where they are
Nobody is likely to be consulting the Mer-
GURUS Gallobelgicus of 1888 in the sense
In which files are being consulted. That
copy OF the forerunner of newspapers as II
is regarded, stands by itself, strange curl
osity So does the spurious English Mer-
curfe of about the same period, and the
Weekley Moves of fully thirty years later
The MercuEus Politicus of September
1865. had an account of the death of Oliver
Cromwell. By January, 1861. the Mercurius
Publicus was describing the hanging Of the
bodies OF Cromwell and Ireton Between
times the restoration had come and on Nav
30. 1860. the Mercurius Publicus reported
the proclamation of Charles II as king
Then Sir Roger L'Estrange was editing the
lntelligencer, in August, 1853, and by 1865
the oxford Gazette. which afterward be-
came our trusty London Gazette. was be-
Ing issued. IT does not describe fires nova
days. but In its eighty-fifth number it gave
an account of the great fire of London
They have one-cent papers ir America
but there was a London Farthing Post at
so remote date as December, IT'S If
that was the first farthing newspaper the
Daily Courant of March, 1862 or 1903 is
believed TO have been the first daily You
might read the story of the stamp act and
lis abolition on the face of the newspaper
files at the British Museum "Junius' "
first letter is there In the Public Advertiser
ana the Times. ten years after it had begun
TO appear, reports case where a man was
fined 70 for letting people sit in his rooms
ana read his papers al charge Of q penny
each.