797°] 
terrors that I have myfelf been witnefs 
to in feveral prifons in England and the 
principality of Wales (and in Wales 
the condition of the grifons is, for the 
moft part, deplorable) as well as through 
information received from others, fuf- 
ficient reafons prefent themfelves for the 
gueftions I have frequently heard pro-: 
pofed: Do thefe evils ftill exift? Do 
they admit of a remedy? Is there fuf- 
ficient ground, at prefent, for parlia- 
mentary enquiry ? 
-Permit me to leave thefe queftions in 
your excellent Repofitory, for ufeful 
hints. Some of your readers, perhaps, 
may, at their leifure, make them the 
fubjeét of their contemplation. I am 
myfelf, fir, neither a philofopher, a po- 
litician, or a philanthropift, but a mere 
collector of faéts: a few I intend, ata 
future period, to fubmit to the confidera- 
tion of your readers; in the mean time, 
IT remain their’s and your's refpect- 
fully. G. D. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR,. 
your Mifcellany feeming perfectly 
calculated to afford not only general 
inftruction, but to contribute much to 
the advancement of literature, I doubt 
not, but that the lives and biographical 
memoirs of literary men muft ever be 
agreeable to you. 
If the public can, by means of fome 
of your numerous correfpondents, be 
furnifhed with thofe of the late reverend 
Morcan Jones, of Hammerfmith, I 
am well perfuaded, it will not only be 
doing juftice to his memory, by a dif- 
play of his virtues, but will evince to 
the world at large, that thofe who have, 
derived benefit from his exertions, are 
“not deftitute of gratitude. In his death, 
the public fuftain the lofs of a promoter 
of fcience, while youth is deprived of a' 
moft agreeable preceptor, at the fame 
time that a numerous family has loft 
the heft of friends. 
February 4. G, J. W. DiscipuLus, 


To the Ed:tor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HOULD the following notice of three 
moft ‘celebrated libraries in Paris, 
which have been di{membered, or fold 
in retail, fince the commencement of the 
Revolution, be judged not incompatible 
with your plan, its infertion will oblige 
| A Canstant? READER. 
-archbifhop of Sens, 
Rev. M. Fones.... Libraries at Paris. 10TF 
Tue firft of thefe libraries, which was 
that of LAMoIGNON, was thought to be 
the moft fplendid and feleét of any in 
France. "This had formerly belonged to 
William de LAMOIGNON, firft Prefident 
of the Parliament of Paris, in the time 
of Louis XIV, who lavifhed prodigious 
fums in procuring the collection of all 
works of excellent tafte and erudition. 
It became afterwards fucceflively the 
property of BERRYER, Lord Keeper of 
France, and of LAMOIGNON his fon-in- 
law. Berryer exerted indefatigable di- 
ligence in getting into his poffeffion the 
beft editions of every work, always 
making it his bufinefs to procure the 
moft perfect and fineft known copies, 
for firength of paper, excellence of pre- 
fervation, elegance of binding, and width 
of margin. With refpeét to the modern 
editions of works, even of fuch as were 
publithed in foreign countries, he always 
directed his agents to get them for him, 
if pollible, in boards ; and when he had 
colleéted a variety of copies, he made 
choice of a perfeét one out of the num- 
ber, which he afterwards ordered to be 
bound in the beft Morocco. 
Lamoignon, equally infpired with this 
hereditary paflion for bibliography, fub- 
mitted the Catalogue of his grandfather's 
library to a rigid examen of learned men, 
with orders to difcard all ordinary edi- 
tions, and all works of which later and 
better editions were to be had. (The 
learned Adrien Baillet, librarian to the 
firft M.de Lamoignon, had been chiefly 
confulted in the arrangement of the 
original library.) A new Catalogue was 
however now executed, in the analytical 
mode, confifting of 35 vols. in folio, in 
which all the MSS. were preferved, 
together with all the books which M. 
Berryer had added to the colle¢tion ; 
while many, which had’ now become 
unneceflary, were expunged. “The two 
libraries were then confolidated into one, 
and M.de Lamoignon, with unceafing 
care, was continually augmenting it. In 
1770, he printed a catalogue of the li- 
brary, in one volume in folio. ‘There 
were upwards of 5000 volumes bound 
in Morocco, green, red, blue, and yellow ; 
many alfo were lined with tabby ; by 
far the greater number were large paper 
copies, and fome were printed on vellum. 
It is a circumftance highly to be re- 
gretted, that :his magnificent colleétion 
is now difperfed. 
Another very valuable library was 
that of the late Cardinal de BRIENNE, 
the catalogue of 
O02 which 


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