The Library. 29 



IX.— THE LIBRARY. 



The library of the Eoyal Colonial Institute contains one hundred thousand volumes 

 and pamphlets relating to the British Dominions, Colonies, and India, or discussing 

 problems of administration and colonisation. One of the objects for which the Institute 

 was founded was the formation of such 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 

 2,500 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 ofiicial 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 Eoyal Societies of Victoria and other Australian States, the Royal Geographical 

 Societies of the different portions 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 



