The Reading 
Room. 
XXxii IKTRODUCTION. 
Assistant Librarians, named by the three prin¬ 
cipal Trustees, viz. the Archbishop of Canter¬ 
bury, the Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper, and 
the Speaker of the House of Commons. Each 
Under Librarian, jointly with one of the Assis¬ 
tants, is particularly charged with the care of one 
of the departments of which there are four, 
namely, 1. the Library of Printed Books; 2. 
the Library of Manuscripts; 3. the Department 
of Natural History and Modern Artificial Curio¬ 
sities ; and 4. the Department of Antiquities, 
Coins, Drawings, and Engravings. The duties of 
these officers are to arrange and keep in order the 
several collections committed to their charge, to 
correct the old, and, when required, to compile 
new catalogues of their contents, to pay proper 
attention to visitors of distinction, either for rank 
or learning, and some of them, in rotation, to 
attend the Reading Room, which it is strictly or¬ 
dered should never be left without an inspecting 
officer. Besides these, a Secretary, a Surveyor, 
five ordinary and eight extra Attendants, a Mes¬ 
senger, a Porter, a Gardener, and a few inferior 
servants complete the establishment. 
The chief use of the Museum consists, no 
doubt, in the means it affords to men of letters 
and artists to recur to such materials as they may 
want 
