BOOK V. Chapter I. Library at Paris. Some curious MSS., including several of great antiquiThe Imperial ty, were obtained from Egypt during the same year. Passing over many minor though not unimportant accessions, I at present mention only that (obtained in 1846) of the "Papers of Sir Hudson Lowe" which the Moniteur describes as "including the official correAcquisition of the spondence of the English government with the Gaoler of St. Helena, and that of the officers who accompanied the Emperor, the protests of the officers of Napoleon's household, the reports and bulletins of the physicians, the reports of spies, inventories, minutes of the postmortem examination, papers of O'Meara, &c.; in all, 1200 pieces."1 'Papiers de Ste. Hélène.' Changes introduced by the The Revolution of February, 1848, introduced many second Empire. changes into the various departments of the Library (now again designated Bibliothèque Nationale), but left M. Naudet at its head as Administrator General.' The restoration of the Empire has been unquestionably signalized by liberal grants, both for acquisitions and for ordinary expenses, and, above all, by the vigour with which the formidable questions connected with the Catalogues, both of MSS. and of Printed Books, were at length resolutely grappled with. The New Catalogues. The execution of the task as respects the department last-named was entrusted to M. Jules Taschereau, In the Account of acquisitions to the MS. Department of the British Museum during the year 1854 (appended to the Annual Estimate for the year 1855-56) occurs the following passage: "The official and private correspondence and papers, originals or copies, of the late Lieut. General Sir H. Lowe from 1799 to 1828, embracing the whole of the transactions [at] St. Helena, 1816-21. It is calculated that these papers when bound will form about 120 volumes." BOOK V. Chapter I. Library at Paris. 'Assistant Administrator of the Imperial Library.' In January 1855, the Minister of Public Instruction had The Imperial the gratification of submitting to the Emperor the first volume of the new Catalogue in print. Three other volumes have since appeared. Of the plan and of the execution of this admirable work I have spoken at large in a subsequent section (ECONOMY OF LIBRARIES. -Book III., Chap. V.). ... In the Report of the Minister, by which the first volume was prefaced, after narrating the many attempts at systematic and complete cataloguing which had preceded the present attempt, he adds with a very justifiable pride: "No definitive resolution had been arrived at; everything was still in the shape of project, when Your Majesty deigned to fix your attention on the means by which this great literary want might be at length supplied. The matter in hand was no longer a catalogue of 60,000 volumes; it was one of 1,500,000 volumes and printed articles; of innumerable MSS.; of rich cabinets of prints, medals, and maps; which were to be made thoroughly accessible to the Public. The decree of 24 January, 1852, by concentrating in the hands of a single officer, the superintendence and responsibility of the Catalogue, secured . . .... the success of an undertaking which was deemed chimerical." Recent accessions to the Im In December, 1853, the Imperial Library obtained a magnificent series of engraved portraits of celebrated perial Library. men of all countries-more than 67,000 in numberwhich had been formed by M. Debure. The principal BOOK V. Chapter I. Library at Paris. acquisitions of the following year-as if in harmony The Imperial with the prevailing current of human thought-related to the history and the politics of the nations of the East, and included also a small but curious collection of works-both printed and MS. on Russia. The department of Antiquities received in the same year a remarkable series of twelve inscribed stones which had been found in the ruins of Carthage. If we take as a basis the official statements obtained by the British Ambassador at Paris, in 1850, as to the then contents of the Imperial Library, and as to the average annual rate of increase, its statistics for the year 1858 will run (approximatively) thus: BOOK V. Chapter I. The sums voted (20 July 1850) on account of the Imperial Library for the service of the year 1850-51, The Imperial were as follows: Ordinary Expenses, and Lectures on The average daily number of readers was, at the same period, stated at from 200 to 225 in the Department of Printed Books; and from 20 to 25 in the Department of MSS.; that of visitors to the Department of Prints at from 47 to 48; that of visitors to the Department of Medals at two; and that of visitors to the Department of Maps and Charts at three or four,-a number, it is added, which, in the latter instance, is restricted rather by the insufficiency of the accommodation than by the. special nature of the study. The admission to the Department of Prints is by ticket of which the annual issue, on an average of four years, was 392. The average yearly number of volumes lent is of Printed Books about 6750 volumes, and of MSS. about 780 volumes. "The practice of lending books has," it is stated, "sometimes entailed inconveniences, but its unquestionable utility has prevented its discontinuance. At the close of December 1857, a Commission was again appointed for the purpose of inquiring minutely into Library at Paris. The Report of the Commission of 1858. BOOK IV. Chapter I. Library at Paris. the condition of the Library, in all its departments, and The Imperial of considering what ameliorations could be introduced into its management. This Commission was composed Report of 1858. of MM. Mérimée, Allard, Lélut, Chaix d'Est-Ange, Marchand, Léon de Laborde, Lascoux, Pelletier, Longpérier, de Saulcy, and G. Rouland. It reported on the 27th March 1858, by the hands of M. Mér mée. The chief results of this inquiry I proceed to state: I. Organization of Departments. II. General Government. III. Officers. I. The first point dealt with is that of the "Departments." Similar questions as to the alleged anomalous aggregation of diverse objects, to those I have glanced at in the case of the British Museum, had been raised in Paris. The Commission reports in favour of the severance of the Department of Prints, and against the severance of the Department of Medals; recommending, however, that certain works of antiquity, having little in common with the medallic art, should be transferred to the Louvre; that Museum, in its turn, transmitting to the Department of Medals all its engraved gems. On the question Shall the MS. Music be kept with the printed?' it answers (very inconsistently, I think,) 'Yes.' II. On the much debated subject of general control, it pronounced against the continuance of the Board (Conservatoire) in its present form, and in favour of one Head, with the old designation 'Director', but with new and real powers of directing, upon his individual responsibility. III. As to the Keeperships of Departments, the Commision recommends, that there be a reduction of their number, with a view to secure both singleness of responsibility, in each department; and an increased staff |