24 Royal Colonial Institute. 



the Institute was founded was the formation of sucli a library, but owing to lack of 

 funds little progress was made until the Council were in a position to vote a small 

 annual grant. In 1881, thirteen years after the foundation of the Institute, the library 

 only contained 2500 volumes, but from about the year 1886 substantial progress 

 was made, so that at the present time it can claim to possess the most complete 

 collection of colonial literature brought together under one roof. Although many 

 valuable and necessary books were annually purchased, the substantial increase of recent 

 years is largely attributable to donations from the various Overseas Governments and 

 India, the Secretaries of State, the different learned societies, Chambers of Commerce, 

 and other public bodies, and from publishers and authors in all parts of the Empire. 

 Co-operation from these quarters has enabled the Institute to gather together a unique 

 collection which is of great value to students of Empire topics and to all those who are 

 seeking information with regard to the administration, resources, trade, history, law, 

 ethnology, and general conditions of the wide domains under the British flag. The 

 library, the main portion of which is situated on the first floor of the Institute building, 

 is divided into as many sections as there are separate administrative units within the 

 Empire. These sections are further subdivided according to subjects, so that all the 

 books on a given topic are found together on the shelves. To take a specific example : 

 under Canada will be found the books dealing with the history, agriculture, fauna, 

 education, &c., of the Dominion, each contained in separate divisions. The parlia- 

 mentary library, which contains the Blue-books, parliamentary reports, debates, 

 sessional papers, government gazettes, and general official literature issued by the 

 Overseas Governments, is contained in the basement. In these official publications 

 is hidden away an immense amount of information of value to students of sociology, 

 history, ethnology, &c. Of specially important publications may be mentioned the 

 various geological, archaeological, ethnological, and other surveys, the gazetteers 

 issued by the Indian Government, and the different departmental reports. This room 

 has been fitted with rolling book-stacks which contain long sets of periodicals, agricul- 

 tural journals, and publications of a similar nature, including a collection of colonial 

 municipal reports, regulations, and mayors' minutes. On the ground floor are some 

 of the proceedings of the learned and literary societies, many of which are of great 

 importance. It is only necessary to name a few, such as the Royal Society of Canada, 

 the Royal Societies of Victoria and other Australian States, the Royal Geographical 

 Societies of the different provinces of the Empire, as well as the British and Foreign 

 Geographical Societies, such as those of London, Liverpool, Paris, Lisbon, Vienna, 

 Madrid, and Antwerp. Next to the general library, on the first floor, is situated the 

 law library and map-room. This portion of the library is one of its most valuable 

 sections, for it not only contains almost complete sets of the statutes of the Dominions, 

 Colonies, and India, but also long sets of the various law reports and law journals and 

 many treatises on special aspects of Colonial law. 



The practical importance of the law library has been demonstrated by the frequent 

 reference to its contents by lawyers engaged upon Privy Council and other legal work 

 connected with the Dominions and Crown Colonies. In the law library is also kept 

 an extensive collection of several thousand maps and charts, presented mainly by 

 the Admiralty, the War Office, and the Overseas Governments. 



The additions to the library are catalogued upon cards, and every item which 

 deals in any way with the British Empire, be it book, pamphlet, or magazine article, 

 is carefully noted for future reference. The first printed catalogue was published 

 in 1881, and the last in 1901, since which date no catalogue has been issued for 



