34S TRANSACTIONS OP THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. IV. 



Joseph Andrews, Robertson's America, Watt's Improvement, Humphrey 

 CHnker, Children of the Abbey, Josephus, Walker's Sermons, but 

 Porteous' Sermons sold for io.y. In 1816, "by amount of books sold at 

 vandue, ^27 \2s. 2d., N.Y. cy., £1"/ 5^. id." In 1817, "received for 

 damage done to Life of Wellington, lys 6d., Blackstone's commentaries, 

 old copy, paid for being lost, ^i 19^-." These seem high prices for injury 

 to books. "December 17th, 1804, received from Pte. Nicklon a fine for 

 keeping a book eighteen weeks at 6d. sterling, I4J-. 4</." Poor private, 

 the law said 6d. currency, but from his scanty pay he is compelled to 

 disburse this heavy tax. 



One entry defeated every effort to decipher it till a happy guess 

 makes it read, "November 12th, 1815. To a Gownd to Mrs. Nulin for 

 taking care of books 155-. 6d." Happy Mrs. Nulin, were she fond of 

 reading, for not only might she gratify her inclination, but she also 

 receives a Gownd di^ a reward. There seems in the last years to be a 

 deficit, expressed as balance due A. Heron ;^ii gs. gd. in 1818, showing 

 our treasurer to have been a man of means, as shown also in the record 

 book of St. Andrew's church, of which he was treasurer, when there 

 was a balance due of £ij6. The last entries are, " By cash received 

 from Mr. Smith for detain of books over the limited time, April 19th, 

 1 8 19, js. 6d. Aug. 1 8th, By cash, Mr. Crysler, for detain of books over 

 the limited time, 5^'." There are frequent entries of books presented, 

 also tracts. In the catalogue. No. 444 is Abelard and Pleloise, presented 

 by Mr. Alexander Cameron, student-at-law. There are altogether 102 

 names of proprietors, the largest at any time being 45, in 181 1, and the 

 smallest eight, in 1818. Among the books in the catalogue are, in poetry. 

 Pope's works, 10 volumes, i,2 los. ; Shakespeare's, eight volumes, ^{^ 2 12s. ; 

 Milton, Johnson, Dryden, Virgil, Thomson, Spenser, Ramsey, Burns, 

 Scott. Fifty volumes on Agriculture, many of them very expensive 

 works, came in 348-398 from Agricultural Society, although in report 

 for 1892 Hon. John Dryden said the first Agricultural Society was 

 formed in 1825. 



Hume's History of England, continued by Smollett, 21 volumes, 

 £7 4J-. ; Bruce's Travels, eight volumes, £"/ 4^., also Cook's and Ansons' 

 Voyages. The library was especially rich in works of travel and in 

 magazines ; regularly every year are catalogued, European Magazine, 

 Edinburgh Magazine, Edinburgh Review, Scot's Magazine, Lady's Maga- 

 zine, British Critic, Annual Register. The British Theatre, 25 volumes, 

 £11 y might cause some of our book committees to hesitate in these days, 

 though it staggered not our brave proprietors of those early times. 

 Altogether we think we have much reason to congratulate these pioneers 

 of civilization in this peninsula that such a taste was shown for reading 



