EDINBURGH. 



343 



Edinburgh, exist, and the Heures a I'usage de Rome, also printed 

 "** ""Y" p ' on vellum, which is shewn as a manuscript. Students 

 have the privilege of borrowing books on depositing 

 their value with the librarian, who is always one of the 

 professors ; and each contributes five shillings, which 

 are the sole funds supporting it, on being enrolled in 

 the university register. It is to be regretted, that there 

 is no complete printed catalogue of this collection. 

 Besides this library for the use of the students in ge- 

 neral, there is an excellent one belonging to the divi- 

 nity hall in particular, furnished with books not only 

 on theological subjects, but on those also of general 

 knowledge. 



Advocates' But the largest and most celebrated library in Scot- 

 Librarj-. kmj j g one belonging to the Faculty of Advocates, which 

 was founded by Sir George Mackenzie, in the year 

 1680. Here the number of printed volumes now ex- 

 ceeds 70,000, and there are about 1000 volumes of ma- 

 nuscripts ; the whole are enumerated in a printed ca- 

 talogue, of above 1 "00 folio pages, the last part of which 

 was terminated in 1 807, except 10 or 1 2,000 articles con- 

 tained in a manuscript catalogue. This library posses- 

 ses many rare, curious, and valuable printed works, 

 and a number of important manuscripts ; among the 

 latter are the records of thirteen of the religious houses 

 preserved from the general destruction which took place 

 at the Reformation ; the two earliest records of criminal 

 trials in 14-9* and 1506; several confessions of faith, 

 written on parchment, with the original subscriptions 

 of those who swore to maintain the established religion; 

 a valuable manuscript of Martial's Epigrams on vellum, 

 nearly 1000 years old ; beautiful manuscripts of the 

 Bible; a copy of the gospels in the Malay tongue, writ- 

 ten on the leaves of trees, and various treatises on law 

 and history. The printed works embrace every de- 

 partment of science and literature, but more particu- 

 larly the classics, history, antiquities, and jurisprudence. 

 Among the more curious works, may be named the 

 Mazarine Bible, in two volumes folio, which is proba- 

 bly the earliest printed book with an impression on 

 both pages, and may be dated about the year 1450. It 

 is in the Gothic character, clear and entire as it came 

 from the press ; and for the sake of preservation, is 

 never exhibited but by a particular order. This book 

 was purchased in 180G for 150 guineas. The library 

 also po--.e-scs the first and second books printed in Scot- 

 land; the one in 1508, containing a collection of maxims 

 and poems of little intrinsic value ; the other, dated 

 1509, is the Breviary of Aberdeen. There are several 

 works printed on vellum, particularly a breviary of the 

 Kotnan Catholic church, of large size, in black and red, 

 ornamented with beautiful illuminations, from the Ve- 

 netian press of Jenson, in 1 478 ; a fine copy of the 

 ffruret a I'usage de Rome, every page of which is bor- 

 dered with engravings, printed about 1 50" ; a copy of 

 certain Scotish statutes, dated 15H ; the AiUiquaria; 

 Siippclcclilii Portiiincula of Petavius, in 1610; and 

 three modem works by the same author, printed at 

 Edinburgh in 1809, 1811, 1M*. It may easily be con- 

 ceived, that a library which has subsisted between 130 

 and HO year*, and belonging to a body always dis- 

 tinguished by learning, must have accumulated an in- 

 finity of v;i|ii:ible works. Accordingly, we find, among 

 others, the Thesaurus of Ecclesiastical Antiquities by 

 Ugolini ; tliose of the Greek and Roman antiquities by 

 Gru-vim and Gronovius, with the supplements; the 

 first editions of Homer and Cornelius Nepos ; and the 

 modern editions of classics most in repute. There are 

 here the French Encych^die, as originally published 



in folio, by D'Alembert and Diderot, and the Ency- Edinburgh. 

 clopedie Methodique, so far as complete, in about 150 w "V"""' 

 quarto volumes ; some other French works of the same 

 description, and all the celebrated Encyclopaedias in 

 English. The Transactions of different learned socie- 

 ties belong to this library, as those of the Royal Aca- 

 demy of France, the Memoirs of the National Insti- 

 tute, and the Academy of Inscriptions ; the Memoric 

 della Societa Italiani ; and a valuable collection, called 

 the Scrittori CEconomici di Milano, in 44 octavo volumes. 

 All the celebrated French scientific journals are here, 

 as the Journal de Physique, Annales de Chimie, An- 

 nales des Arts, Journal des Mines, and some less im 

 portant productions, both in French and English, as 

 L' Esprit des Joumatix, a collection now exceeding 400 

 volumes ; reviews and magazines. There is a set of 

 the Moniteur complete, for which the Faculty lately 

 paid above L.250. In typography, the library pos- 

 sesses the works of many eminent printers, such as 

 Fust and Guttemberg, Jenson and Aldus, of the older 

 class, and those of Bodoni, Ibarra, and Degen among 

 the moderns ; besides the productions of the most es- 

 teemed printers of Britain. There is an Egyptian 

 mummy in the original case, belonging to the library ; 

 a cabinet of Greek and Roman coins, which are but 

 partly arranged ; and a very fine collection of Scotish 

 gold, which is in perfect order. The expence of this 

 establishment is about L.I 500 per annum, of which 

 about L.I 000 is devoted exclusively to the purcliase of 

 books : and the library is besides entitled to a copy of 

 every work entered at Stationers' Hall. With these 

 advantages, greater progress would be made in other 

 hands ; but the constant change of management, and 

 the little regard paid by the Faculty to the choice of 

 those of their own body, who oversee tlie whole, proves 

 a great retardation. Although this is entirely a private 

 collection, ready access is allowed to strangers ; and if 

 any reputable literary person has occasion for expen- 

 sive works, which he himself does not possess, they 

 arc purchased by the library for his accommodation ; 

 a praise-worthy liberality. Thus, it proves of infinite 

 use to the public ; and we should be wanting in grati- 

 tude did we neglect to express our sense of the assist- 

 ance which this work lias derived from its ample 

 stores. 



There are several smaller libraries in Edinburgh ; 

 such as one belonging to the writers to the signet, con- 

 taining 10,000 or 12,000 volumes, which is under good 

 management, and in excellent order. A library late- 

 ly instituted for biblical criticism ; two private sub- 

 scription libraries, and some others. There are also 

 six or eight circulating libraries, where works of merit 

 may occasionally be found ; but only novels, and that 

 portion consisting of books of mere entertainment, are 

 in common request. 



\Ve have yet to speak of the population of the city, 

 the division, and pursuits of the people, in so far as 

 not anticipated by the general notices already given. 

 Edinburgh consists of 13 parishes, St Andrew's, Canon- 

 gate, College Church, St Cuthbert's, St George's, New 

 Grey Friars, Old Grey Friars, High Church, New North 

 Church, Old Church, Tolbooth Church, Tron Church, 

 and Lady Yester's, which are subdivided into 26 wards. 

 The total population amounts to 82,6'24 individuals, of 

 whom 35,275 are males, and 47,329 females, being an 

 excess of 12,064 of the latter. The total number of fa- 

 milies amounts to 18,183 ; thus each is found to con- 

 sist of between four and five individuals; or one half 

 the families may be computed at four, and the other 



