Evening star., 1923-07-09
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.


All Scotchmen in the new world.
and those who pride themselves on
their Scottish ancestry, will be inter-
ested to learn that the Earls of Rose
berry and Of Balfour. former premiers
of the empire; the Earl of Crawford,
twenty-seventh super-chieftain of the
historic clan OF Lindsay as we'll as
premier earl of the northern kingdom;
the Duke and Duchess of Atho!. the
former of whom is the super-chleftain
of all the Murrays; Ex-Premier Bonar
Law, former lord high chancellor, Wis
count Finlay; Sir Herbert Maxwell,
the lords provost of Edinburgh and
Glasgow, and the principals OF the
four great Scottish universities have
completed the necessary arrange
ments for the establishment of
national library of Scotland in Edin-
burgh. and have succeeded in inducing
the Faculty Of Advocates at Edinburgh
to transfer to the nation. that is to
say, to the new national library, its
celebrated collection of historical
books, manuscripts, official docu-
ments. patents and charters which
has been in process of formation ever
since the reign Of King Charles II,
! nearly 800 years ago.
The Faculty Advocates collection
includes 725,o0o printed books and
pamphlets. There are also many
beautiful illuminated books of the
middle ages and wonderful number
of old manuscripts. which are among
the original authorities for the his
tory of the nation. such as the char
ters of the Scottish kings from KING
William the Lion downward, and the
bull of Pope John XXII authorizing
the amounting and coronation of Rob
ert Bruce and his successors as kings
of Scotland. The library also COM
prises all the papers and respond
ence of Sir James Balfour or Den
milne. lyon king at arms to Charles
l. which were purchased by the Facul-
ty of Advocates in 1898 and contain
number of original documents bear
ing the signatures of King James L
and of Charles l. while, in 11l2' the
third Earl of Balcarros. the ancestor
of the present Earl of Crawford, pre-
sented to the faculty collection four
teen autograph letters of Mary, queen
of Scots.
The Faculty of Advocates Library
| has enjoyed, since the reign OF Queen
Anne. the privileges of the copyright
act and has received without pay
ment a copy Of every book published
either in Scotland or in the remain
der of the United Kingdom. This
! prerogative. with consent of the
crown. has now been transferred by
the Faculty of Advocates to the new
national library of Scotland. 1t is
prerogative which is enjoyed by five
other great Libraries of Great Brit
ain and Ireland, namely. the National
Library of England at the British
; Nuseum in London. the Ancient Bod
Iein Library at Oxford, where the
present Pope Plus XI spent many
months Of study and research as the
Rev. DR.. Ratti; the University Library
Of Cambridge, the National Library of
wales and the National Library of
ireland, which still remains quartered
in it's original premises at Trinity
College, Dublin.
The government. while giving It's
consent to all the arrangements
which have been made, as well as its
hearty approval. and while undertak-
ing to furnish an annual grant or
sic. 900 toward the upkeep OF the new
national library has professed its in
a
present financial problems with which
the national treasury has to deal. So
a committee has been formed. of
which the names I have given above
are the leaders and most generous
subscribers, for the creation Of an
endowment of the new National Lii
brary of Scotland. The endowment
will provide for its proper housing
at Edinburgh in premises that are
now in process of acquisition through
gift and purchase, and also for the
nurchase of foreign works, for cata-
ioguing and for all those general
purposes which a modern library re-
1uires. The committee, of which John
Buchan of Elsfield Manor, Oxford, and
head of the old Scotch publishing
house Of Thomas Nelson & Sons of
Edinburgh, London. Paris and New
York, Is the honorary secretary and
most enthusiastic executive, looks
| forward to the support and assistance
of all goSl and patriotic Scotchmen
| IN the ov,8sea dominions of the Brit
| ish empire and in foreign countries.
and also to those foreign citizens
f, who recall with pride their Scottish
| ancestry. 1t is believed that there
| are many Of such who will be willing
/ to contribute to this most useful and
! Interesting. MISUNDERSTANDING OF