TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 173 
as the publication of original and standard works adapted to promote religious and 
moral instruction. It is a rule of this society that no books of a controversial cha- 
racter shall be distributed ; and any profits made from the sale of its publications 
are appropriated to the making grants of books to destitute Sunday and Ragged 
Schools, &c. The receipts and expenditure of the society for the last year were 
nearly £5000. 
The Religious Tract and Book Society of Scotland, instituted in 1793, sells none 
but religious books. It was the first society in Great Britain to employ colporteurs 
in the distribution of approved publications, and it has now from 110 to 120 agents 
thus employed. Its sale of periodicals in the past year has been above 700,000 
copies, and of Bibles and Testaments 20,000 copies. | 
The Religious Tract Society was founded in 1799, at which period it has been 
estimated that there were 20,000 hawkers engaged in selling indecent songs and 
polluting penny papers throughout all parts of the country. The publication of 
tracts and books for children, with attyactive illustrations, was commenced by this 
society at an early period of its history; and they were followed by cheap editions 
of old authors, or original works, written in a plain and popular style, to which 
were subsequently added educational works; and lastly, it was deemed advisable 
to engage in the production of periodical literature, mostly illustrated, and suited 
to various ages and classes. Its circulation has increased since 1851 at the rate of 
nearly two millions per annuum, it having amounted in 1851 to 20,887,064, in 1856 
to 31,529,185, and in 1861 to 41,883,921. The agency for distributing this mass of 
good literature is all voluntary, excepting that employed on board of emigrant ships 
and the sales made through the ordinary channels of trade. The annual receipts 
and expenditure of the society now exceed £100,000; and the total distribution of 
its publications has been about 950,000,000 copies. 
The British and Foreign Bible Society was established in 1804, for the supply and 
circulation of the Sacred Scriptures without note or comment. In Great Britain 
voluntary agency is thus largely employed through the medium of its auxiliaries 
and branches; and in foreign countries it promotes the same object, often where 
the Scriptures were before unlnown, and even amongst savages, where no 
written language previously existed. The translating, printing, and distributing 
of the Sacred Scriptures, in whole or in part, has been promoted by this society, 
directly or indirectly, in 160 languages or dialects; and the number of versions, 
wholly or partially completed, is 190, of which 140 are translations never before 
printed. The issues by the society last year were upwards of 1,590,000 copies, and 
its total issues of the Scriptures, or portions of them, now amount to 40,910,474 
copies. The total co of this society were for the past year £168,443 15s. 5d., 
including £76,760 17s. 8d. for the sale of the Scriptures; and the total expendi- 
ture of the society, from its establishment in 1804, has been £5,250,546 13s. 6d. 
The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (now dormant) was established 
in 1826. Amongst its earliest publications was the ‘ Penny Magazine,’ which had 
at one time a circulation of 200,000 copies. In 1828 it commenced the ‘ British 
Almanac,’ a publication which has greatly conduced to the very marked improve- 
ment in the general character of our almanacs. The first number of the ‘ Penn 
Soe’ was issued by this society in 1833, and of its first volume 55,000 copies 
were sold. 
The Working Men's Educational Union was founded in 1852, for the purpose of 
“ assisting all persons desirous of imparting interesting and popular literary and 
scientific information imbued with a sound Christian spirit,” whether by the de- 
livery of lectures, the formation of libraries, or the promotion of mutual-instruction 
or other classes for adults. The agency of this society is to a very considerable 
extent gratuitous, and the lectures are mostly delivered in such suitable places as 
are obtainable free of cost. 
From the Dublin Tract Repository there have been issued within the past eight 
ears 34,000,000 of publications, including pamphlets and small books. 
The Pure Literature Society was established in 1855, for promoting the extensive 
circulation of all such books, maps, prints, diagrams, and other publications as may 
be deemed good and useful by the managing committee ; but the society itself ab- 
stains from publishing, Grants of well-selected books are made at half-price in 
