226 Garden Libraries. 



could not be devoid of knowledge, nor could his mind want food for con- 

 stant contemplation. The sense of beauty has hitherto been little culti- 

 vated in Great Britain ; but it certainly exists, and shows itself principally 

 in laying out gardens and pleasure-grounds with unrivalled skill. (£rf. Rev.^ 

 Sept. 1828.) 



Art. IX. Garden Libraries. 



The East Lothian Itinerating Juvenile and Village Libraries' — The fifth 

 report of this Institution, for 1826 and 1827, affords a most gratifying 

 instance of the good which it continues to do. The mass of society in 

 England is not yet prepared for the establishment of such libraries, but we 

 hope it soon will be ; and we hope, also, that we shall soon hear of their 

 establishment in other countries : to North America they appear particularly 

 suitable. It appears, from this report, that similar libraries are already 

 established there, as well as in diiferent counties in Scotland. The following 

 extracts will be read with interest : — 



" The object of this institution is to furnish all the towns and villages of 

 the county with libraries of useful books. The books are arranged into 

 divisions of fifty volumes, which are stationed in one place for two years, 

 where they are issued gratuitously to all persons above twelve years of age, 

 who agree to take care of them : after this period they are removed, or 

 exchanged with other divisions. 



" The institution is supported by the subscriptions and donations of 

 benevolent individuals, societies, and annual reading subscribers of 5s. and 

 upwards. 



" In order to induce the readers at the different stations to promote the 

 reading of the books amongst their neighbours, the manager will in future 

 remove the library where there has been the fewest issues of books during 

 the preceding two years, for at least one year. 



" As it is always found that the books which have been in stationary 

 libraries for eight or ten years are very little read, the manager of this in- 

 stitution [Mr. Samuel Brown, ironmonger, Haddington] is willing to send 

 one or more divisions to the managers of such, on condition that they 

 allow him to send an equal number of their books to another station ; and 

 if this arrangement does not give general satisfaction to their subscribers or 

 readers, he will return their books at the general exchange, on receiving 

 timeous notice. The great advantage of such an arrangement will appear 

 from an experiment made in 1821 with a library at North Berwick, con- 

 sisting of about 185 volumes, where the issues had fallen off to about 20 per 

 annum. Four divisions of the itinerating libraries were exchanged for 

 them, and sent to North Berwick, Kingston, and Fenton ; the annual issues 

 from which are now 928. On an average of six years, the annual issues 

 from them have been 863. 



" As the county of East Lothian is an agricultural district, an agricultural 

 branch, consisting chiefly of books on rural affairs and implements of hus- 

 bandry, has been added to this institution ; and the books will be kept in 

 Haddington until they cease to be called for there, after which they will be 

 gradually incorporated with the itinerating divisions. 



" Annual subscribers of five shillings to this branch, shall be entitled to 

 the use of the new books for the first two years, after wiiich they shall be 

 issued gratuitously to farm servants, grooms, foresters, and smiths and 

 Wrights engaged in the construction of implements of husbandry, and others 

 interested in agriculture. Donations from agricultural societies and indi- 

 viduals to this branch shall be wholly employed in the purchase, binding, 



