416 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



Indiana, trenchant as are his own weapons, would feel, as 

 many have felt before, that the polished blade of the gen- 

 tleman, who lately did such honor to Massachusetts in the 

 Senate of the United States, is not the less keen, because, like 

 Harmodius and Aristogiton, he wraps it in sprays of myrtle. 



It has been objected by some, that the appropriation is 

 too large for the purpose expressed " The gradual for- 

 of a library composed of valuable works pertaining to all 

 departments of human knowledge." But if we consider 

 how much is embraced in these comprehensive words, wo 

 shall arrive at a very different conclusion. The great libra- 

 ries of Europe range from 200,000 to 500,000, or perhaps 

 even 750,000 volumes. That of the university of Gottin- 

 gen, the most useful of all for the purposes of general 

 scholarship, contains about 300,000. How long would it 

 require to collect a library like this, with an annual ex- 

 penditure of ten thousand dollars ? The library of Congress 

 is said to have cost about S3.50 per volume; but as a whole 

 it has not been economically purchased, and though com- 

 posed chiefly of works which do not maintain a permanently 

 high price, yet as a large proportion of tin- annual purchases 

 consists of new books from the press of London, the clear- 

 est book market in the world, its cost has been much higher 

 than that of a great miscellaneous library ought to be. The 

 best public library in America, for its extent, (10,000 

 volumes,) which I am happy to say is that of the university 

 of my native State, Vermont, costs but $1.50 per volume. 

 It can hardly be expected, that Government, which always 

 pays the highest price, will be so favorably dealt with ; and 

 it is scarcely to be hoped, that it will succeed in securing, 

 the services of so faithful and so competent an agent as was, 

 employed by the University of Vermont. 



I have myself been, unfortunately for my purse, a book- 

 buyer, and have had occasion to procure books, not only 

 in this country, but from all the principal book marts in 

 "Western Europe. From my own experience, and some in- 

 quiry, I am satisfied that the whole cost, of such books as a 

 national library ought to consist of, including binding and 

 all other charges, except the compensation and travelling 

 expenses of an agent, should not exceed two dollars per 

 volume. If you allow $2,000 for the compensation and ex- 

 penses of an agent, (which would not be increased upon a 

 considerably larger expenditure,) you have $8,000 remain- 

 ing, which, at the average cost I have supposed, would 

 purchase four thousand volumes a year. How long, I re- 

 peat, would it require at this rate to accumulate a library 



