278 
thedral, and fhow you every thlng that 
is going forward in the city of Norwich ; 
nor fhould it be an idle furvey ; I fhould 
addrefs- you as my friend Monfieur le 
Diable boiteux did his companion: “ il 
faux que vous le rende utile’’ faid he ; 
** et pour vous donner une parfaite con- 
noiflance de la vie humaine, je veux 
~ vous expliquer ce que font toutes ces per- 
fonnes que vous voyez. Je vais vous 
découvrir les motifs de leurs aétions, et 
vous révéler jufqu’ 4 leurs fecrétes pen- 
sées.”’ But after all, perhaps, this might 
have been a very ungrateful tafk ; I fhould 
have the ill will of my neighbours for 
expofing their follies, without being 
thanked for difplaying their virtues. So 
*tis all very well as it is: inftead of point- 
ing out to you, therefore, this mifer and 
that{pendthrift, this rogue and that fool, 
that is to fay, inftead of particulars, I 
muft deal in generals, in the following 
fketch of the ftate of the fociety in the 
city of Norwich. 
It is now, I think, about fifteen years 
fince the eftablifhment of a public library 
in this city}: it contaims a variety of va- 
luable books, which, in the catalogue of 
it, are well arranged under the following 
heads: 1. Theology, Ecclefiaftical hit- 
tory, Morality. 2. Metaphyfics, Logic, 
Theory of Language, Criticifm, Oratory. 
3. Education. 4. Law, Polity, Com- 
merce, and Art of War. 5. Natural Phi- 
lofopliy, Mathematics, Medicine, Agii- 
culture, Chemiftry. 6. Natural Hiftory ; 
Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy. 7. Fine 
Arts ;—Agriculture, Sculpture, Paint- 
ing, Mufic, Gardening, &c. 8. Hifory, 
Biography, Heraldry, Chronology. 9. 
Geography, Topography, Voyages and 
Travels. 1o. Antiquities and Mytho- 
logy. sx. Poetry and Dramatic works. 
12. Romances, Novels &c. 13. Greek 
and Latin books ; and Tranflations from 
the Ancients. 14. French, Italian, &c. 
‘15. Mifcellaneous works ; Dictionaries, 
Reviews, &c.  - 
It is evident from this fketch of its 
contents, thatthe Public Library is adapt- 
ed, not merely for the amufement of loun- 
gers and boarding-ichoo] young ladies, 
but for the inftru€tion of fiudents and the 
reference of {cholars. Its concerns are 
managed by a committee, confifting of a 
prefident and vice-prefident, (both of 
whom are annually elected,) and of twen- 
ty-four other gentlemen, one half of whom 
Ss EE Aenea 
4+ So long ago as the year 1608 was efta~ 
blithed a city library, *¢ communi ftudiofgrum 
bono :” it has long fince dwindled inte infig- 
niBscance. 

Sketch of the State of Sotiety in Norwich. 
[May 
alfo is chofen annually by the fubfcribers 
at large; fo that each. gentleman on the 
committee fits for two years; he is not 
again eligible till after twelve months have 
elapfed. The committee meets on the 
evening of the fecond Monday of each 
month, when it takes into confideration 
the propriety of admitting into the library 
or rejecting, fuch books as have been pro- 
pofed by any ot the fubferibers fince its. 
former fitting : the admiffion or rejection 
of a book is decided by the majority of 
votes. There are about five hundred 
fubicribers to this library ; and confider- 
ing how eafy are the terms of admiffion 
&¢., it is wonderful that the number is 
not greater: the price of tickets (all of 
which are transferable) is two guineas 
and a half, and the annual fuoferip- 
tion for fupplying the library with books 
and for detraying all the expences of 
the inftitution is only eight fhillings. For 
the accommodation of officers princi- 
pally; it was agreed, that from the firlt of 
January, 1794, ‘* temporary refidents be 
adinitted to the ufe of the library, on fub- 
fcribing five fhillines quarterly, and de- 
pofiting a guinea, which fhall be refunded 
when the fub{cription ceafes, andthe books 
are returned in good order to the library.”” 
The effects which this hbrary has 
produced are ftriking, and will, no 
doubt, be permanent: it is obvious, that 
antecedent to its inftitution there muft 
have been fome tatte for literature among 
the citizens of Norwich, for if there had 
not, the library would never have beew 
inttituted ; but an eafy unexpentive accefs 
to ufeful and entertaining books of every 
denomination has widely diffufed a tafte 
for reading, and this again has had a fa- 
vorable influence on converiation. We 
have among us tome female circles, where 
it is more common to hear the merits of a 
new book canvafied, the truth of an au- 
thor’s theory or the folidity of his fyftem, 
than the merits of a new fafhion, the 
elegance of a cap, or the gracefulnefs of 
a sown, 
Befides this public library, there are 
feveral book-clubs among the refpectable 
tradefmen and fhop-keepers, who find a- 
muiement for their leifure hours in perul- 
ing the publications of the day. We 
have alfo fome circulating libraries 5; one 
is of coniiderable refpe@ability, ard from 
the circumitance of its procuring new 
books on their earlieft appearance, and 
occafionally of its procuring half a dozen 
copiesof them, it meets with very liberal 
encouragement. Our fhops for fecond- 
hand books are not numerous: but a 
' public 
