474 Jfr. Charles Welch [Jan. 25, 



in connection with his vahiable ' History of the Twelve great 

 Livery Companies,' a work which is still the best authority for the 

 extensive subject of which it treats. He was succeeded as Librarian, 

 on February 1:5, 1845, by Mr. William Turner Alchin. This gentle- 

 man has left proofs of his diligence and skill in a valuable subject- 

 index to the catalogue, printed in 1846, a beautifully-written 

 catalogue of the prints and maps, and an interleaved folio copy of 

 the catalogue of books, with additions and press-marks inserted in a 

 very neat hand. In addition to his duties as Librarian, Mr. Alchin 

 was also engaged in indexing the records of the Corporation, and the 

 valuable results of his labours in this department constitute a 

 remarkable monument of his industry and ability. 



In 1847 Mr. Philip Salomons presented to the Library a 

 valuable collection of about 400 Hebrew books, for which the special 

 thanks of the Court of Common Council were voted to him. A 

 portion of the munificent bequest, in 1878, of £1000, left by his 

 brother. Alderman Sir David Salomons, Bart., was applied to in- 

 creasing this Hebrew library, and adding to it a collection of works 

 illustrating the history and present condition of the Jews throughout 

 the world. This was done under the advice of the Rev. Albert 

 Lowy, to whom the Committee entrusted the preparation of a cata- 

 logue of the entire collection of Hebrew and Jewish literature. The 

 catalogue was issued in 1891, and has been greatly appreciated for its 

 practical usefulness. It involves a considerable departure from recog- 

 nised bibliographical axioms, as, instead of presenting an exact tran- 

 script of the title-page, which, in the case of Hebrew works, more 

 often hides than reveals the nature of the book, the initial words only 

 of the title have been given, and a concise description of the book 

 supplied in English. This main feature of the catalogue will doubt- 

 less be welcomed by students, and Hebraists will appreciate the learning 

 and research displayed by Dr. Lowy in this untrodden field. 



A new catalogue of the Library, prepared by the Librarian, Mr. 

 Alchin, was printed in 1859. In the same year the Library received an 

 interesting collection of the writings of Hackney Nonconformist 

 Ministers, mostly Unitarian, which had been formed by the donor, 

 Mr. John Robert Daniel Tyssen. The collection numbers over 1000 

 volumes, and the authors include Belsham, Burder, Lindsey, Price, 

 Priestley, Wakefield, and many others ; the editions of the works of 

 some writers being so numerous as almost to amount to a bibliography. 



In July 1868, the custody of the valuable library belonging to 

 the Dutch Church in Austin Friars was offered to, and accepted by, 

 the Corporation. Among the printed books, which number nearly 

 2000 volumes, are the first printed Dutch Bible, 1477, and Froissart's 

 ' Croniques,' editio princeps, 1495. The manuscripts include a Dutch 

 Bible, in two volumes, dated 1360, having the signatures of the sheets 

 preserved at the end of the second volume, and a fine copy of the 

 Koran, which was used by SaJe for the purposes of his translation. 



