I2S On Puhlic Liliarics. 



whole is to be fini.-hcd by an elegant town clock, by vvlilch 

 means this liberal institution will be in some degree assimilated 

 to the immediate convenience of North Shields. To obtain 

 this, the committee divided themselves into parties of two 

 or three, and went roimd the town, soliciting subscriptions 

 from the inhabitants, whether members of that association 

 or not. 



I had forgot, in its proper place, to observe, that the four 

 gentlemen who first began this institution agreed, that if 

 the distribution of the hand-bills had no permanent effect, 

 the expense was to be divided amongst them, which they 

 calculated at two or three shillings a-piece, or, in their 

 words, " about the expense of half a bottle of wine :" — and 

 what was that sacrifice for the probability of so respectable 

 an advantage? If it did succeed, the expense was to be 

 charged to the general funds. Thus, from the efforts of 

 four gentlemen, at a very distant probability of the risk of 

 twoj three, or even four shillings each, has an establishment 

 been formed, which is an ornament to the town of Shields : 

 a lasting monument of the activity of these four friends of 

 science : an nistitution from which peculiar benefits are 

 already obtained by that town : a perpetual memorial of their 

 alacrity hi the cause of literature, and whose advantages must 

 extend to generations yet unborn. The advantages obtained 

 by the present inhabitants must be more rapidly enjoyed than 

 in almost any other literary association ; for, to their lasting 

 honour, it must be observed, that from the beginning, ladies 

 were admitted on equal tprms, and with equal advantages as 

 gentlemen ; and 1 believe, were the subscription list for the 

 pew building examined, it would be found that nearly half"of 

 the sum had been subscribed by the first. To crown theclimax 

 of advantages, the rents of the offices on the ground-floor, as 

 I before observed, do much more than pay the interest of the 

 money advanced, and thus the library-room, &c. is rent 

 free. Would not this consideration alone induce even tlie 

 selfish man and the miser to countenance such plans of im- 

 mediate advantage ? 



Dear sir, yours ever. 



John Ci.enxell. 



jfewcastle lipon Tyne- P. S. 



