tSlS.] Mr. Evans on the Pretenstom of the Bihliomantncf, 

 name, although they have often availed 

 themselves of the labours of olliers; for, 

 having passed them through the power- 

 ful alembic of their genius, they have had 

 the advantage of not only being purged 

 of all their baser qualities, but of appear- 

 ing with renovated splendor and dignity. 



Bedford Row ; June 24. W. N. 



113 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



1BEG to inform you, that the para- 

 graph whieh you copied from a 

 Bristol paper into your widely circu- 

 lated and much-valued Magazine (page 

 90), respecting this place, is wholly un- 

 founded, except as to the military hav- 

 ing been sent to Newport and Caerleon. 

 So far from the situation of the work- 

 men being " frightfully distressed," if 

 there is one place in this island more 

 highly favoured than others, I hesitate 

 not to say it is Merthyr Tydfil ; the 

 iron-works are carried on by their opu- 

 lent and spirited proprietors to their ut- 

 most extent ; the men get good wages, 

 and are regularly paid ; the market is 

 abundantly supplied, and at very reason- 

 able prices. How men in such a situa- 

 tion can be called " frightfully distress- 

 ed," I am at a loss to conjecture. I'lie 

 intention of sending the military to the 

 above-named towns was entirely un- 

 known to the iron-masters, or any one 

 here ; notice of a reduction in their 

 wages was given to part of the men; this 

 was no sooner known in the neighbour- 

 ing towns, than some admirers of mili- 

 tary govermnent (for to nothing else can 

 I attribute the steps they took), laid it 

 down as inevitable, that, indess soldiers 

 were immediately sent for, the most 

 dreadful riots must ensue, the iron- 

 works be destroyed, and the houses pil- 

 laged! Never was any thing more im- 

 probable, never were men more grossly 

 libelled. They knew the extreme de- 

 pression in the price of iron, and, seeing 

 the justice, as well as necessity, of the 

 nicasuro, quietly went to work at the 

 reduced wages. This is a plain state- 

 ment of facts, known to every one in 

 this vicinity ; and, I trust, a desire of 

 giving you correct informalion may be 

 considered some excuse for the trouble 

 given you by, E. 'i\ 



Merthyr Tydfil; Aug. 10. 



To tlie Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



ABSURD as were many of the pur- 

 suits of the bibliomaniacs hi the 



last century, they fell short of the ludi- 

 crous j)rauks they have indulged in, 

 since the ever-memorable Roxburgbe 

 sale. At that sale the Decamerone of 

 Boccaccio was purchased by a noble- 

 man for 2,2601. ; being, as tlie historian 

 truly observes, " the largest sum ever 

 given for a single volume!" and he might 

 have added, with equal truth, a greater 

 sum than even the copyright has pro- 

 duced of many of those works which re- 

 flect so much lustre on the genius of our 

 country. Let it be noted down, as a pe- 

 culiar feature of this new literary era, 

 that a greater sum was given for a single 

 volume, in itself perfectly useless, than 

 was ever bestowed to assist the strug- 

 glings of genius to produce such works 

 as the Decamerone, or even to defray 

 the expenccs of procuring information 

 for a great national undertaking. 



But what have bibliomaniacs to do 

 with authors, except as Ihey furnish em- 

 ployment to their favourites, printers and 

 bookbinders ? The support of the latter 

 is of more importance, in their opinion, 

 than the protection of Chatterton, or the 

 erection of a monument to the memory 

 of Locke ; for it is well known that ona 

 of the most promising poetical geniuses 

 this country has produced was refused 

 protection by a bibliomaniac, and pe- 

 rished a few years ago, through the neg- 

 lect of the literary world to patronize 

 his talents ; and, but a few nionth.^ be- 

 fore the purchase of the Decamerone, a 

 subscription for ejecting a statue to 

 Locke commenced, and obtained tha 

 sanction of some eminent literary cha- 

 racters, but was so limited in its encou- 

 ragement, that the money was in.suflS- 

 cient to carry it into effect, and the de- 

 sign was dropped. Had there, indeed, 

 been a proposal to erect a monument to 

 Caxton, Wynkyu de Worde, or the ele- 

 gant binder of Edward the Fourth's 

 days, we should have found the biblio- 

 maniacs foremost in the subscription, 

 and a splendid piece of Gothic architec- 

 ture woidd have been raised to perpe- 

 tuate the memory of these useful 

 " staincrs of paper." But what is Chat- 

 terton to Pinson, or Locke to Valdarfer? 

 Did the clas,«.ifier of ideas merit so much 

 honour as the arranger of types ? or the 

 man who unfolded the intricacies of the 

 human understanding deserve comme- 

 moration equal to the folder of the am- 

 ple-margined sheets of Julian Notary t 

 Most unquestionably not: their pat^or 

 nizing the one, while they were neglect- 

 ing titc other, demonstrates tliat tliey felt 

 Q 2 xnora 



