398 



Mr. Gait on the Saxon Chronicle. 



[June 1, 



old library al iMrminghain, which liad 

 once the honour (o iciuk Dr. Priestley 

 and Mr. Walt among its members, and 

 was instituted about the year 177'i- 



Magazine Societies, by which ten or 

 twelve persons club their pound or 

 guinea, to purchase and circulate the 

 l)est pariodical works, have grown with 

 the number and expense of these pub- 

 lications. Tiiere was little occasion 

 for them when the Monthly Magazine 

 was comTueuced, and wlien there were 

 only eight or ten periodical works ; but 

 they have become highly necessary, 

 since the number has increased to 120. 

 Nevertheless, the Monthly Review, and 

 Magazine, the Edinburch and Quar- 

 terly Reviews, the Journal of New Voy- 

 ao-es and Travels, and one of the Phi- 

 losophical Journals or Theological Ma- 

 gazines, generally constitute the as- 

 sortment of these societies, and accom- 

 moilate ten or twelve subscribers with 

 pleasautand instructive reading through 

 (he mouth. 



Besides these societies, there also 

 exist in every parisli and hamlet of 

 iiie empire, New.tpnper Societies, in 

 which seven, eight, or nine p^^rsous 

 ehib tlieir sixpence a week to take in 

 an;l circulate from one to the other, a 

 London, and one, two, or tliree provin- 

 cial pxpers. In poor districts, twelve 

 or fourteen club their weekly penny 

 for one or two of their favourite pro- 

 vincial papers, wliich they wear out in 

 passing from hand to hand. Of these 

 there are not less than TjOOO scattered 

 through the empire, serving witii men- 

 tal foo:l at least ."0,000 families. 



CiR CVL ATiNG Libraries are a spe- 

 cies of reading- societies, but not under 

 the direction of the subscribers. These 

 supply novels and high-seasoned pro- 

 ductions for sickly or perverted appe- 

 tites; and as far as they exhibit the 

 passionsand foibles of m.ankind, amend 

 the heart, and extend the influence of 

 sentiment and sensibility, they must 

 be regarded as useful eslahlishments. 

 It is computed that there are in the 

 united kingdom at least 1500 of them, 

 Nupported on the average by 70 sub- 

 scribers, and supplying with bonks at 

 least 100,000 individuals regularly; 

 and another 100,000 occasionally. 



Such are the independent instifutinns 

 by which public intelligence is created. 

 But there exist likewise an infinite 

 number of minor reading institutions, 

 formed by sects and parties to efl'ect va- 

 rious purposes of zealots in church and 

 state. Thus there are tract societies, 



vestry libraries, chapel libraries, school 

 libraries, paridi libraries, &c. &c. all 

 under the direction of some head of a 

 party, who allows the circulation of 

 no work which tends to excite free en- 

 quiry, or to diminisli submission to 

 the doctrines or principles of his party. 

 Tlie object of these being generally 

 understood by the persons who are de- 

 signed to be influenced or hood-winked 

 by them, the books thus circulated are 

 little regarded, and the real influence 

 of these institutions is comparatively 

 trifling. One free society originating 

 with, and conducted by, the judgment 

 of the members, efl'ects more for public 

 intelligence than ten societies created 

 and governed by party, sectarian, or 

 corporate influence. 



Besides these institutions, whose ob- 

 jects are books and the use of the press, 

 above 150 societies exist in Great Bri- 

 tain, provided witli apparatus for Phi- 

 losopliical and Chemical experiments ; 

 and these, as a means of intercourse and 

 conversation, are eminently useful ia 

 augnicnting the stock of public infor- 

 mation, to an extent unknown in na- 

 tions where the only means of informa- 

 tion are ostentatious libr.aries, under 

 the influence of power and craft, in 

 which the books moulder for want of 

 the stimulating motive of interest and 

 curiosity, which exists in the highest 

 degree only when directed by free- 

 agency. 



It may be proper in conclusion to 

 state, tliat the societies in England are 

 nearly in the proportion of 10, in Scot- 

 land 4, in Ireland 2, raid in Wales 1, — 

 the population in millions being re- 

 spectively as 11,3, G, and 2. 



A Traveller. 



For the Monthly Magazine. 



Oil the SAXON CHRONICLE. 

 BY J. GALT, ESQ. 



LTIIOUGH THE Saxon Chro- 

 nicle is considered as one of the 

 most venerable of all our ancient nii- 

 tioual histories, it is but little known 

 to the public. Whether it ever has 

 been before translated we have not at 

 this moment the means of ascertaining, 

 but in addition to the literal version, by 

 a lady, now before us, the Rev. Mr. 

 Ingram has promised a collated edition, 

 accompanied by a translation and notes. 

 In the meantime, however, it may be 

 amusing to our readers to receive some 

 account of these singularly valuable 

 annals, especially as the Mork, from 

 the antique and quaint style in which 



it 



