o far
been recovered.

East Anglia during a prolonged period was peculiarly rich in holders
and seekers of the Old Book, both manuscript and printed. It formerly
abounded in monastic institutions, affluent county families, and
literary archaeologists. We may mention Lord Petre, the Hanmers of
Mildenhall, the Herveys of Ickworth, the Bunburys of Bury, the
Tollemaches, the Freres, the Fountaines, Sir John Fenn, Martin of
Palgrave, Dawson Turner, and the Rev. John Mitford. It was the same,
as we take elsewhere occasion to show, in the West of England, in the
Midlands, in the Northern counties, and in the South of Scotland. The
absence of ready communication with the metropolis and the relative
insignificance of provincial centres kept libraries together. Their
owners, while the agricultural interest was flourishing, had no motive
for sale, and the inducement to part with such property was far less
powerful, while the competition remained limited.

In Kent: Canterbury and Maidstone; in Surrey: Guildford, Croydon,
Kingston, and even Richmond, may have helped to supply local
requirements to a certain extent. But the Sydneys of Penshurst, the
Oxindens of Barham, the Lee-Warlys, the Barretts of Lee, the Evelyns
of Sayes-Court and Wootton, and others among the gentry of these and
the adjacent shires, probably filled their shelves in principal
measure from the London shops during their periodical visits to the
metropolis for various purposes.

Even in later times the suburbs of London, and now and then such
localities as Woolwich, Reading, Manchester, Shrewsbury, Salisbury,
Wrexham, Conway, Keswick, and Dublin have yielded a prize or so, owing
to the dispersion of some small library in the neighbourhood on the
premises. Otherwise one may prospect the country towns all over the
three kingdoms nowadays, and not see anything save new stock and
penny-box ware. Even the provincial centres are, in general, sterile
enough; but the rural districts are dried up. Every species of
property seems to drift to London.

The Bristol houses, Kerslake, Jefferies, George, Lasbury, often came
across rarities; but it is so no longer. The West has been threaded
through. If there is a section of England where some good things may
yet linger, it is, we should say, in Staffordshire, Lancashire, and
Shropshire, to which might perhaps be added Worcestershire.

The seats of our two ancient Universities, and cathedral cities
generally, have not yielde