CHAPTER OF CRITICISM. 363 



save that which most concerns him in a worldly point of vi6w — the know- 

 ledge of the affairs of the country in which he lives), that there is a room 

 separate and apart from the other rooms of the institution, into which newspapers 

 are admitted. Such members of the Lyceum as desire it, have the option, by 

 paying a small additional annual sum, of being members of this room. The 

 fund subscribed to this room only, is appropriated for the purchase of newspapers, 

 and the management of the newspaper concerns is solely vested in the members 

 of the news-room. 



The plan adopted in this respect by the Doncaster Lyceum is similar to that 

 followed by many Institutions, upon a much larger scale, in different parts of the 

 country, where experience has proved that it is salutary, and not dangerous. 



I remain, Sir, 



Your obedient servant, 



Doncaster, Aug. 19, 1837- Edwabd SheaRdown. 



L*The only publication of the altered rules that we are aware of, consists in a 

 copy of them having been placed in the reading-room of the Lyceum, and the 

 consequence is, that many members were not even aware that any change had 

 been proposed in the regulations. We are not, therefore, to blame for remissness 

 in this particular. The next thing insisted upon by our correspondent, is the 

 importance of newspapers. This is nothing to the point. It matters not to the 

 subject in hand whether or no we admit the value of these engines of instruc- 

 tion. What we before said, and what we now repeat, is, that, in our humble 

 Opinion, a " Literary, Scientific, and Natural History Society " has nothing what- 

 ever to do with newspapers. The introduction of these will doubtless attract 

 members of a certain description, but assuredly not those whose assistance and 

 co-operation the institution should court. In this particular we can scarcely 

 consider the laws about to be put in force as improvements on the present 

 plan. — Ed.] 



Observations on " The Naturalist," passim. 



To the Editor. 



Mv dear Sir, — I shall content myself at present with scribbling a few obser- 

 vations on your journal passim. You will excuse my remarking, 1 hope, what 

 perhaps it is impossible to prevent, that notwithstanding the general admirable 

 attention paid to the orthography of The Naturalist, here and there some strange 

 misnomers occur, suggesting the idea that just at an occasional point the pen 

 had dropt from the hand of the drowsy corrector. Professor Azelius at p. 170 

 should be Afzelius. You are already, I see, corrected by Mr. Leyland in 

 using styrzicum for stygium (I scarcely wonder at your shrinking from the 



