CENTRAL REFERENCE LIBRARY. 



The words used in last year's Report may again be repeated, that, 

 notwithstanding the previously crowded and confined space, and the 

 facilities for obtaining books from the Lending Libraries, the numbers 

 are still increasing, and the interest still continues unabated. 



During the first year, there were 128,638 readers; the second, 

 129,997; the third, 131,912; the fourth, 153,169; and the fifth, 

 166,346, which is an average for the last twelve months of 583 per 

 day. The books have been carefully used, the strictest order and 

 decorum still prevail, and among the seven hundi'ed and ten thousand 

 readers, since the commencement of the Library, twenty shillings would 

 cover all the losses sustained. Compared with the last Report, there 

 has been a considerable increase in every class of reading, except that 

 of novels and works of imagination, which exhibits a decrease of 6,130 

 volumes. From this circumstance, it may be considered a fair inference 

 that the perusal of books of this class has produced a taste for, and 

 been a step to, more valuable studies. 



The following is a classified list of books read during the last twelve 

 months, and the number of volumes issued : — 



Classification. Daily average, about 



Theology, Morality and Metaphysics 6581 23 



Natural Philosoishy, Astrouomy, Chemistry, <S;c 6345 22 



Natural History, Botany, Mineralogy, &c 2001 7 



Science and the Arts, Architecture, Painting, Music, &c. 7483 2U 



History and Biography 12020 42i 



Topography and Antiquities 2297 8 



Geography, Voyages, and Travels 7923 28 



Miscellaneous Literature 48425 170 



Jurisprudence, Law, and Politics 1010 3§ 



Commerce, Political Economy, and Statistics 907 3 



Education, Logic, Language, &c 3081 19 



Poetry and Dramatic Literature 7105 25^ 



Novels and Works of Imagination 57597 201 



Classical Literature 533 2 



Heraldry, Encyclopsedias, and Works of Reference 2972 10 



Total 160346 



