stract will shew its progress and present state, and the insertion of it and the regulations will much oblige,

SIR,

Your obedient Servant,

John Meliss. Progressive Account of the Glasgow

Public Library.

1804. Subscribers. 2 34

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2

40

July 2. Dec. 10.

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July 1.

To provide for the means of diffusing Literature and Knowledge, is an object of the greatest importance to society, and claims the attention of every friend to mankind.

To answer this end it is judged a mat. ter of great utility, to establish a Public Library in the City of Glasgow, open under proper regulations, to all who may be inclined to take the benefit of it, upon paying a small sum annually, towards its maintenance and increase.

For establishing such a Library, the Subscribers have agreed upon the following articles of institution.

1.- Unalterable. - Each Subscriber shall pay of entry-money, Twelve Shil

the first of April and the first of October, shall pay a half year's contribution: -And those who enter betwixt the first of October and the first of January, shall be free till January. It being always understood that such payments are over and above the entry-money.

3. All the money which may be raised in virtue of this Institution shall be laid out in Books of approven merit, only, and of which a judgement will be formed by a majority of the members at each general meeting.

4. There shall be Four General Meet-ings held every year, viz. On the first Wednesday of January-the first Wednesday of April--the first Wednesday of July-and the first Wednesday of October. Intimation of the place and hour of meeting, to be sent to each member by the Secretary or Librarian, three days before the meetings take place. Extraordinary general meetings, upon special affairs, may at any time, be called by the Curators; or, upon a request made to them, under the hand of any twelve Subscribers, which they are obliged to comply with, within eight days after such request, and

cause the same to be intimated accordingly; and the meeting cannot be held sooner than three days after the intimation.

5. The Management of this Institution shall be vested in a Committee, consisting of nine Curators, Treasurer, Secretary, and Librarian; of whom four shall at all times be a quorum. The mode of election of these office-beaters shall be thus: the presiding Subscriber shall put the question, Who of the persons in the list of Subscribers shall be first Curator? and shall, in presence of the meeting, take a solemn promise from the person on whom the choice has fallen, That he shall discharge the duties of his office with fidelity.The person so elected, being thence. forth forth Preses of the meeting, shall proceed to take the votes for the second, third, and so on till the ninth is chosen. The election of Treasurer, Secretary, and Librarian, will be conducted in the same manner. The offices of Treasu charge, he shall receive an exact Catalogue of the Books, subscribed by the Treasurer and five of the Curators, which shall lie in the Library;-and a

rer and Secretary may be vested in one or two persons, as the meeting may think proper; who, with the Librariar, may be continued at pleasure: But three of the Curators must go out, and three others be elected in their place annually. Such outgoings to be regulated by the order of election, of which a record will he kept, and at every succeeding election, the three who are at the head of the list will go out, and three who are newly elected will be added to the foot of the list. The first election will take place at the first general meeting; -the second, on the first Wednesday of January 1806; and every first Wednesday of January thereafter, shall be the anniversary for the general election of office-bearers.

3d January, 1806. The following addition was made to the above regulation.

When any vacancy takes place in the Curacy by death or resignation, those who are elected to fill up the vacancy shall be added to the foot of the List of Curators in the order of election.

6. The Treasurer shall have the management of the Society's funds, and the Secretary shall have the management of the minutes and correspondence. No salary shall be allowed to either, but both offices shall be purely honorary.

7. The Librarian, who will also be Under Secretary, shall have the masiagement of the books of the Library, subject to the Rules for its government; and may, or may not have a salary, as circumstances shall direct.

8. A meeting of the Committee shall be held on the Wednesday previous to each general meeting, when the Treasurer shall lay a state of his transactions before them, for the purpose of being audited and settled, and the balance in his hands ascertained. They will then inform themselves as to the state of the Library, and make out a report thereon, to be laid before the general meeting. They will also prepare, to be laid before the general meeting, a list of such Books as they would recommend for the use of the Library. And the better to

4

enable them to prepare this list, every member is invited to lodge with the Librarian, before the Committee meetings take place, a memorandum of such Books, not exceeding five in number, as meet his approbation.

3d January, 1806. The first Curator and Secretary shall have power to call a meeting of the Committee as often as they think necessary, of which the Secretary shall give proper notice to all the members the day before such meetings take place; and it shall be incumbent on every member to attend, or to send a written excuse to the satisfaction of the meeting, under the penalty of Two Shillings and Sixpence. But if any member neglect to attend, or to send an excuse for two meetings running, such negligence shall not only subject him to two fines of Two Shillings and Sixpence each, but shall also be considered as a resignation of office; in consequence of which, the Subscribers shall, at the next general meeting, elect another in his place.

9. At each quarterly general meeting, a Report of the proceedings of the Committee shall be laid before the members for their approbation. The foregoing list of Books shall also be laid before them, from which they shall make a selection, with any additions they may judge proper, and give orders to the Treasurer which to purchase accordingly:-But it is declared, that no purchase can at any time be made, to a greater extent, than the funds in hand are sufficient to pay.

10. Unalterable. -The said Library, with all its increase, being the property of the Subscribers, is by them consign. ed over to the Public, and conveyed in Trust, for the purposes of the Institu tion, to the persons holding the following offices:-The Peers of Parliament, whose ordinary place of family residence is in the county of Lanark-The Member of Parliament for the county of Lanark-The Member of Parliament for the district of boroughs of which Glasgow is one-The Lord Provost, Deau of Guild, and Deacon Convener of the Trades of the City of Glasgow-The Principal of the College of GlasgowThe Moderator for the time of the Presbytery of Glasgow-The SheriffDepute of the county of Lanark, and his Substitute-The Sheriff Clerk of the couldy

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county of Lanark-The Dean of the Faculty of Procurators in the City of Glasgow-The Town Clerk of the City of Glasgow and the Preses of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow.

In the Name of these Trustees, all actions, or suits at law, shall be insti. tuted, or defended; and when called upon by the Committee, or a third at least of the Subscribers, they may examine and rectify any abuses which may at any time take place, contrary to these Articles.

II. Such as wish at any time to become members of this Institution, shall pay the entry-money, and annual contribution, in terms of these Articles, to the Treasurer, who will give a receipt for it. Upon producing this receipt to the Librarian, he is empowered to add his name to the list of Subscribers, and admit him a member accordingly.

12. The right of a Subscriber to the use of the Library cannot be transferred to any other person or persons.

3d Jan. 1806. The preceding regulation was altered thus: The right of a Subscriber to the use of the Library may be transferred to any other person, on such Subscriber sending a letter to that effect to the Secretary; and the person to whom the transfer is made shall be admitted a member on subscribing the Regulations, and paying Two Shillings and Sixpence in name of entry-money. 13. Such as, by declining to pay the annual contribution, have forfeited their privilege to the use of the Library, may be again admitted, upon either paying up their arrears, or paying the entrymoney anew. Declaring, however, that such members as are under the necessity of leaving the place, shall not thereby lose their privilege, but shall, on their return, be free to the use of the Library, on paying the yearly contributions, in terms of these Articles.

14. Should any person, who has been a member for five years, become unable to pay the annual contributions, he will be entitled to the use of the Library gratis. The Managers for the time will be judges of such claims.

15. Unalterable. The whole Subscribers shall form one Society, to be called by the name of The Subscribers for the use of the Glasgow Public Library, in stituted in the Year One Thousand Feb. 1809.

Eight Hundred and Four. They shall also compose the general meetings, where each Subscriber shall have a voice: but where no attempt shall be made to change any thing in the constitution of the Library, which, by these Articles, is declared to be unalterable. Of these general meetings the first Curator shall always be Preses :-in his absence, the next Curator, and so on to the last:-in the absence of all the Curators, the Treasurer:-or in his absence, the first Subscriber on the list who is present. The Curators shall cause a list of the Subscribers to be made up eight days previous to each general meeting: this list shall be entered in a book kept for the purpose, and signed by the Secretary, which book shall be produced at every general meeting.

16. Unalterable. The sole property of the Library, consigned over to the Public, shall remain vested in the Trustees, under the settled Management, and for the declared purposes of the Institution.

17. Should any of the persons who are nominated Trustees become Subscribers for the privilege of the use of the Library, they shall be requested again to subscribe in the Testing Clause of this Instrument, in the special character of Trustees, by the name of the office, character, and capacity, under which they are so nominated; and their subscription is to be accounted valid also for such of the Trustees as do not ac tually subscribe, provided they have authority to that effect.

18. A majority of two-thirds of the Subscribers may, at any future period, apply to the Crown for a Charter of Incorporation, or to the Provost, Magis-trates, and Town Council of the City of Glasgow, for a Seal of Cause to the same effect; having these Articles inserted as the basis of incorporation, and vesting in the Subscribers so incorporated, in place of the Trustees, the proper. ty of the Library, reserving, however, to the Trustees, all the authority hereby given them as Guardians of the Lib

copy of this Catalogue, subscribed by the Librarian, with an acknowledgement of his having received the Books therein, shall be lodged with the Trea.

surer.

2. Each Subscriber shall be entitled to receive from the Librarian, and have in his possession at one time, only one volume of folio, or of quarto; or two volumes of any one Book in octavo and

under; but when any book consists of one volume, he shall be entitled to have that volume only.

3. Books in folio may be kept out of the Library six weeks at a time-in quarto four weeks in octavo and under, two weeks. A single Number of any Book, Review, or Magazine, four days only.

4. If any Subscriber detain a Book beyond the time specified, he must pay a fine of threepence for every week the book is so detained, and for a less time in proportion; and he can have no other book from the library till the former be returned, and the fine paid.

5. If any Subscriber shall lend or suffer to be lent out of his house or family, any Book or Pamphlet belonging to the Library, he shall forfeit Two Shillings and Sixpence for the first offence-Five Shillings for the second-and if guilty of a third, he shall forfeit all right to the Library.

6. If a Subscriber lose a Book, he must pay the value of it, or if a vohutne of a set be lost, that set must be taken and paid for. If any Book be injured beyond what may be reasonably allowed for the using, it must be laid before the Committee for their determination, and the injury be paid for to their satisfaction.

7. The Librarian must take a receipt, in a Book to be kept for the purpose, for every book lent out; but should it be inconvenient for any subscriber to attend in person, for the purpose of granting such receipt, he must send a line to the Librarian, who will, in that case, be authorized to subscribe for him.

8. The Librarian must lend out the

Books to the Subscribers in the order of their application. A Subscriber, af. ter keeping a Book the time specified,

may take it out anew, provided noother Subscriber has applied for it in the interim.

There are only three libraries in Scotland, so far as I have learned, which have been made public property, by a conveyance to trustees: viz. one at Perth, established about thirty years ago; the one at Glasgow, of which this is an account; and one recently established at Leith. Their utility is so highly obvious, that it is devoutly to be wished similar institutions were established in every town, and in every parish of Scotland.

J. M.

Letters to the Editor, occasioned by
SIR JOHN CARR'S CALEDONIAN
SKETCHES.

LETTER I.- Introduction. - LOCH
NESS.
SIR,

IN the Caledonian Sketches by SIR JOHN CARR, just published, that renowned tourist seems to have been at great pains to conciliate the natives of Scotland. This he has attempted, not only directly by the most flattering encomiums, and testimonies to their courage, their learning, and their. hospitality; but obliquely, (if I mistake not,) by a curious stratagem, and one scarcely very creditable to the literary character. Knowing that the name of Dr Samuel Johnson is not the most grateful in the world to truly Scottish ears, and probably supposing that the antipathy to it is much greater than it really is, he has thought fit to introduce the great lexicographer on numberless occasions-from the time that he enters the Debateable Land till he leaves Scotland,-sometimes even forcing him in by the shoulders; and, on most occasions, he seems to have introduced him for no other purpose than to decry him, and to hold him up to ridicule and contempt. As I do not recollect of Sir John Carr having previously manifest

ed

ed such hostility to this illustrious Englishman, I hope I may be excused for saying, that I can figure no other motive for so hazardous an attack, but a wish to gratify his supposed anti-Johnsonian readers, and perhaps to propitiate the Censors of the North. No device could be more shallow. Even in Scotland, Johnson's pre-eminence as a moralist is fully admitted; and his learning and taste are admired; while his bigotry and superstition are pitied and forgiven, at least by all those who are likely to peruse the Caledonian Sketches, in the form of an elegant 4to, price two guineas in boards.

But even supposing Sir John Carr to be free from the imputation now hinted at, it must be evident to every reader of his Sketches, that he is extremely willing to have this work compared with the Journey to the Western Islands; and that he has sedulously employed himself, in the course of his tour, in endeavouring to find out the Doctor's errors, and that he exults in correcting them. Whatever had been his motives, the public would have been obliged to him for taking this trouble, provided only he had shewn himself qualified for the undertaking. How very unfit he is, shall shortly appear.

Although Dr Johnson was undoubtedly a man of a most capacious mind, -" a very dungeon of learning yet, in one interesting department of literature, it is well known he was wofully deficient: I mean physical science in general. His journey abounds with examples. Speaking of LOCH NESS never freezing, he says: "If it be true that this lake never freezes, it is either sheltered by its high banks from the cold blasts, and

exposed only to those winds which have more power to agitate than congeal; or it is kept in perpetual motion by the rush of streams from the rocks that inclose it. Its profundity, though it should be such as is represented, can have little part in this exemption; for though deep wells are not frozen, because their water is secluded from the external air, yet, where a wide surface is exposed to the full influence of a freezing atmosphere, I know not why the depth should keep it open. Natural philosophy is now one of the favourite studies of the Scottish nation, and Lough Ness well deserves to be diligently examined +."

Nothing, it must be allowed, can be more unphilosophical than the Doctor's arguments just quoted. He proclaims his unacquaintance with hydrostatics and chemistry. It can scarcely be necessary to remind any reader, why depth should retard freezing;-that, during frost, the particles of the water come to the surface in succession, the lighter and warmer ascending, and the colder and heavier descending, till the whole mass of water attain an equal temperature. If the depth of a lake be very great, it must evidently require many weeks, perhaps months, to accomplish this equalization of temperature; and, till then, its surface will not be frozen

over.

Without stating any objection to the Doctor's opinion, however, (altho' he thus had a fair opportunity, if he knew when to embrace it,) Sir John Carr favours us with a new view of the non-freezing quality of Loch Ness, stimulated, no doubt, by the remark of Dr Johnson, that "it well " deserves to be diligently examined."

"It is a matter of curious observation, (says the Knight,) that the river Ness, like the lake from which it issues,

† svo edition, 1775, p. 63.