isi 



Mr. Evans on a Mausoleum for Ralph Allen. [Sept. T, 



whole upon the principle of the Benefit 

 Society Act. But in tiiis project tliey 

 have scarcely met with anj encourage- 

 ment. With two or three exceptions, 

 (and these for the most part unsatisfac- 

 tory as to the object in view,) they have 

 not been favoured with even so much as 

 answers to their communications on the 

 subject." " The resolution (they add) 

 entered into at the last special adjourned 

 meeting, on the expediency of making 

 anangemcnts to obtain an Act of Par- 

 liament for the society itself, has not 

 been lost sight of by the committee ; and 

 ■when the society's funds shall be in a 

 condition to admit of a sum being ap- 

 propriated to such a purpose, the sub- 

 ject will well deserve serious considera- 

 tion. Indeed it may remain a question 

 for grave deliberation, whether the pro- 

 curing an Act of Parliament, with a por- 

 tion of the money already realized, might 

 noi, by the tangible security which 

 would thereby be held out to money- 

 lenders, tend greatly to facilitate the ac- 

 quisition of means for carrying forward 

 the intentions of the society with respect 

 to the proposed edifice." 



As it has not occurred to me, during 

 a temporary absence from society, to 

 learn that any parliamentary proceeding 

 has taken place on this subject, I woxdd 

 just remark, that, as a society of this 

 kind is at present circumstanced, there 

 exist no means of legal redress for any 

 injury done to its property, or unjust ab- 

 straction from it ; no means of recovery 

 of arrears of subscription, fines, or debts 

 due to it ; nor any of efiecting even a 

 temporary loan by the mortgage of its 

 property, were the probable advantage 

 from such loan ever so considerable. 

 An extreme, but possible, case might be 

 supposed, of an unprincipled foreigner 

 becoming a member of such a society, 

 and, having taken out the French Ency- 

 clopedia, was seen to embark it for 

 abroad, without any possibility of legal 

 detention of it by the society, or any ap- 

 parent means of redress other than an 

 application to a Court of Equity, tedious 

 in its process, and nugatory in its 

 result. 



As my design was not to discuss this 

 subject, but merely to propose it for 

 consideration, J shall only add the men- 

 tion of a case in point, which was stated 

 to me some years ago as having happen- 

 ed in one of the southern counties. A 

 few opulent individuals, in a town of 

 rising note, determined, for their own 

 gratification and that of their immediate 



friends, to establish a "Reading So- 

 ciety ;" and, for that purpose, contributecl 

 liberally to t!ie first purchase of books. 

 In process of time a disposition obtained 

 to extend its utility by an indiscriminate 

 admission of members. These, how- 

 ever, in a short time outnumbered the 

 original institutors (and indeed proprie- 

 tors) of the library ; at a general meeting 

 they new-organized the institution, eject- 

 ed the former committee, removed the 

 collection of books to a place better 

 suited to their own (onvenicnce, and, in 

 the issue (I think it was added), the old 

 members withdrew in disgust at such 

 proceeduigs, and the society dwindled 

 down to A few persons, who sold the 

 books for their own benefit. 



In the number of your correspondents 

 and readers, you possess, sir, confessed- 

 ly, the principal talent and intelligence 

 of the nation. May I not hope, as a 

 member of the Newcastle Literary So- 

 city, that, in reply to this communica- 

 tion, some explanation may be afforded 

 to that ijistitution of the reasons why a 

 measure, which originated in the most 

 unexceptionable motives, was effected 

 with some pains, and was directed to the 

 attaiimient of an object of superlative 

 importance to the literary institutions of 

 the country, should have been met, in 

 its proposal, with such apathic indiffe- 

 rence, or treated with freezing neglect, 

 by the parties who seemed to be tli« 

 most deeply interested in its accom- 

 plishment. C. W. N. 



Saltwell-Cottage, 

 Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; Aug. 5. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 



SIR, 



IN the south-west comer of Claverfon 

 church-yard, about three miles from, 

 Bath, and most romantically situated, 

 may be seen a mausoleum, raised to the 

 memory of Ralph Allen and his family. 

 The reader will recollect, that Ralph 

 Allen was the friend of Pope, wlio 

 makes favonrable mention of him in his 

 satires ; and of Fielding, who, in his 

 novel of Tom Jones, designates him 

 under the appellation of Squire All- 

 worthy. And Pope introduced the 

 learned Warburlon to this Mr. Allen, 

 who says. Dr. Johnson " gave him his 

 niece and his estate, and, by conse- 

 quence, a bishojirick." The uncle and 

 niece are here laid in " the narrow 

 hou-e," covered with an appro])riate 

 mausoleum, of a pyramidical form, 

 having on the three sides of tlie tomb,, 

 inclosed 



