also, that though the Chamber only votes a grant of 65,000 or
70,000 francs for the Royal Public Library of Brussels, whenever there
is some large sale going on, there is always a special grant made to the
library. Lately one of the most curious private libraries had been
advertised for sale; a catalogue had been printed in six volumes; the
government immediately came forward, bought the whole of the collection
for L13,000 or L14,000, and made it an addition to the Royal Library in
Brussels; they did the same thing at Ghent; I believe that the library
that they bought at Ghent consisted of about 20,000 volumes, and in
Brussels about 60,000 or 70,000 volumes." Our own government would do
well to imitate this example more frequently than it has hitherto done.

Passing by several witnesses whose evidence we should be glad to notice
did our limits permit, we come to George Dawson, Esquire, who as a
lecturer, has had opportunities of becoming acquainted with the
condition, the feelings and the wants of the working-classes in the
manufacturing towns both in England and Scotland. He testifies that
libraries to some extent have already been formed in those places, and
that there is a very general desire among the working-people to avail
themselves of more and better books. They can appreciate the best
authors. Political and historical subjects interest them most, but the
higher class of poetry is also read by them. Milton is much read. Mr.
Dawson says, "Shakspeare is known by heart almost. I could produce men
who could be cross-examined upon any play." The contrast between the
manufacturing and the farming districts in respect to the intelligence
of the people and their desire for improvement is very great. Speaking
of one of the agricultural districts, Mr. Dawson says, "I have heard of
a parish in Norfolk where a woman was the parish clerk, because there
was not a man in the parish who could read or write!"

Henry Stevens, Esq., formerly librarian of one of the libraries
connected with Yale College, gave some valuable information respecting
the present state of public libraries in the United States. He says:
"The public libraries of the United States are small but very numerous.
We have but two containing above 50,000 volumes, while there are nine
above 20,000, forty-three above 10,000, more than a hundred above 5000
volumes, and thousands of smaller ones. The want of large public
consulting libraries, like those of Europe, is