18l5.J Securing the Literary 



branches of experimental, and some of 

 tliose of natural, philosopliy, was next 

 instituted, and lias been upheld, witli 

 great ability, for several years, by the 

 learned senior secretary of the society. 

 From these and similar lectures, how- 

 ever excellent in theniselves, it is indeed 

 granted, that, in a majority of instances, 

 little more is deri\ed during a first 

 eourse than an acquaintance with the 

 terms and \^ itii the elements of science ; 

 but the faculties of the mind being; once 

 opened to a perception of its beaalies 

 and of its value, a desire is oflen excited 

 for its more extensive attainment ; tlie 

 phenomena of nature, and the processes 

 of art, are beheld with new ej'cs ; the 

 thinking' principle is brought into active 

 operation ; a higher tone is given to con- 

 versation ; and a higher place assignable 

 in the scale of intellectual existence ; 

 and a path of progression is opened to 

 the student, in wiiicli utilitj', pleasure, 

 and fame, alike invite him to proceed. 

 Of late years, a number of ladies, increa- 

 singly considerable, ha\e enrolled them- 

 selves among the " Reading jNIembers" 

 of the society ; and the elegancies of an 

 informed and invigorated understanding 

 are now cultivated in the j)lace of the 

 flimsy ornaments of a vitiated and sickly 

 imagination. Female talents, though 

 under anonj^uous forms, have, in a few 

 instances, graced the literature of the 

 north with productions that would have 

 done honour to the other sex. 



It is by no means my wish to arrogate 

 to this society the exclusive honour of 

 that more general diffusion of know- 

 ledge, which has been noticed by every 

 intelligent observer to have taken place 

 in this town and neighbourhood during 

 the last twenty J ears; yet it is obvious 

 that much of it is lairly leferable to this 

 source. In its rich collection of philo- 

 sophical works, and the invaluable lec- 

 tures connected with it, it has, in parti- 

 cular, furnished the Archimedean vov a-rm 

 to a number of yovuig men, who have 

 raised thereon attainments in knowledge 

 highly beneficial to themselves and to 

 the community. But few papers, it is 

 true, have been brought before the so- 

 ricty, characterized by any extraordi- 

 nary originality of genius, or profundity 

 of research. 'I'he benefits it has pro- 

 duced have been of anolher description. 

 They have rather consisted in exciting 

 a general taste for reading and inquiry, 

 and in abimdantly furnishing the means 

 of gratifying it ; in raising the stand.'.rd 

 •f general knowledge, and particularly 

 tbai iij)ccies of it, the most valuable of 



Property of Societies. 131 



all, which is applicable to the everj-day 

 concerns and arts of life. Scientific fo- 

 reigners, and others, visiting the town, 

 have, iu a gratifying manner, remarked 

 to this effect ; and especially on the ex- 

 tent to which, in our manufactories and 

 mines, the regulations of science have 

 supplanted t!ie blind dictates of chance 

 and the j)recepts of tradition. I will not 

 add to this unintentionally-lcngtiiened 

 preface further than to oijserve, that the 

 assemblage of books in t!)is society has 

 now become so considerable, that, with 

 the philosophical apparatus, and certaia 

 requisite appendages, it iias become not 

 merely expedient, but absolutely neces- 

 sary, to procure or build a suite of rooms, 

 in some measure befitting their magni- 

 tude and value. 



The non-a])propriation of the property 

 of the society, however, has here formed 

 a serious and almost fatal difliculty. 

 Shares would be readily and immerously 

 purchased, but no title can be made out 

 to them, flloney on mortgage miglit 

 be abundantly iiad, but no security on 

 real property can be given; and, although 

 the corporation of the town have libe- 

 rally tendered, for llie proposed new 

 building, the gift of a site of ground of 

 the A alue of 8001. ; and several gentle- 

 men and others have ollcred considera- 

 ble contributions towards it, yet, with- 

 out some assistance in one of the two 

 modes just mentioned, tiiere appears, at 

 present at least, but little hope of its 

 erection. To obviate this difficulty, and 

 principally with the hope of giving birth 

 to some means of removing the lament- 

 ably insecure state of public literary 

 property, it was proposed by some mem- 

 bers of the Newcastle Literary Society, 

 who had for several years contemplated 

 the measure, to endeavour to obtain, for 

 thatpurpose,ageneral Act of Parliament, 

 founded on the principle of the Benefit 

 Society Act; — which would legally in- 

 vest the several institutions in the king- 

 dom with their respective literary pro- 

 perties, and enable them to sue and be 

 sued ; which would embody in itself 

 their principal regulations, and confirm 

 by legal sanction their bye-laws on re- 

 gistry at a neighbouring court. With a 

 view to effect this, the "committee of 

 the society," as they inform us in their 

 yearly report lately published, "early in 

 the season, set on foot a corrospondenco 

 with the dillerent libraries and literary 

 institutions throughout the kingdom 

 which had for its object the possibility 

 of obtaining a conjunct Act of Parlia- 

 ment for securing the property of thW 

 i* 2 whol« 



