124 Bath in its relation to Literature. 



The library of the Institution is worthy of 



^i!'b'rat°" *^ "'y- ^^""S^' ^^"^'^ ^"*^ valuable, it fills 

 , several rooms, spacious and handsome, with 

 charming country views. It was begun in 1825 by means 

 of a liberal portion of a fund of _;^4,ooo, raised for founding 

 the Institution. The Committee were instructed to form a 

 library of the highest class, consisting of county histories, 

 good editions of the classics, standard works of reference, 

 and others foremost in the literature of Europe. Suitable 

 additions were made by presents and purchases. Lord 

 Lansdowne gave the Parliamentary and Record pubUcations, 

 the Rev. H. H. Hayes, folios of the Greek Classics, another 

 gentleman a magnificent Virgil, printed on vellum. The 

 Trustees bought at the celebrated Fonthill sale Mr. Beck- 

 ford's fine set of the French " Transactions." In an ad- 

 joining room, the Museum, is a ceiling enriched with 

 paintings from Fonthill. A great object while securing 

 good foreign books was to have as complete a collection as 

 possible of English Histories, and especially of authorities 

 in matters of antiquity and archaeology. This would natu- 

 rally follow from the interest taken by two eminent anti- 

 quaries — authors of county histories. Sir R. Colt Hoare and 

 the Rev. Joseph Hunter. Nor were works on Science and 

 Natural History omitted, although these subjects had not the 

 prominence then which they have since acquired. To this 

 department Mr. Gore gave, in later years, the entire series oif 

 the French " Annales des Sciences Naturelles," Mr. Handel 

 Cossham, Sowerby's "Botany," Mr. Broome his "Herbarium" 

 and collection of Botanical works, and the Rev. Leonard 

 Blomefield his fine scientific library, now nearly 2,000 choice 

 volumes, occupying a separate room built for the purpose — 

 a noble gift from the life-long friend of Charles Darwin. 



