introduced into France a scheme of National
Education, possibly too timid, but
immeasurably superior to anything we can boast
of in our own country. It is to be noted
that, at the very time when M. Guizot's law
was passed—during the first blaze of our
Reformed glory—those who profess the
greatest zeal for an unfettered school in
England, had overwhelming power, and could
have carried any act they pleased. They
missed their opportunity. M. Guizot stated
many interesting facts. He explained that
the very few books lost by mischance under a
system of free lending, bear no proportion
whatever as a drawback to the great advantage
given to the public. He told us how
French peasants borrow books of History and
Travel, to read in the cottages, together with
a great deal more that was duly repeated in
our newspapers, and duly pondered by the
English nation.

The English nation generally remains a
long while in the attitude of pondering. Down
in the North, however, in Lancashire, there
are a set of men who might be British
Yankees, and to whom it is natural
immediately to set about the carrying out of an
idea, when once they have accepted it as
sound. Perhaps some of their crotchets are
unsound; Manchester is not infallible, but.
right or wrong, whenever the members of
this busy community, think a scheme good,
they cannot rest until they make a fact
of it. So, when the British Yankees read
these minutes of the Libraries' Committee,
after pondering a little, they went vigorously
to work.

Adjoining Manchester is Salford. Salford
produced the first result. It happened that
a new park (Peel Park) belonging to this town
contained a large house, not applied to any
use. The very thing! We will make a
Library of that, exclaimed the Salford
Corporation, and we will put into it also a
Natural History Museum; and both of them
shall be freely open to the public. This was
soon done. In January, 1850, the Library,
situated in a People's Park, was thrown
open to the People with five thousand
three hundred volumes, and some thousand
specimens of Natural History. With two
thousand pounds in hand, abundant promises
of books and pictures, specimens flowing
in, and an endowment fund for a librarian,
the Salford Free Library began its course.
It was not then, a lending library, but
it was proposed hereafter to contrive so
that a lending library should be connected
with it.

Was all this done within a mile of
Manchester Exchange, while Manchester remained
inactive? By no means; the genius of
Manchester is never to be seen twiddling her
fingers, though she may be seen thrusting
them occasionally into pies that don't concern
her. Manchester was busy, only she was not
so fortunate as to possess a building ready
for the books she meant to bring together.
The present Mayor of Manchester, who has
held that office for two or three years, is a
man, even in that town, eminent for energy
and public spirit. His dinners are of double-
mayor-power; but he does not confine his
ambition to the festive garland;—he desires
and deserves more worthy laurels. In the
inevitable Free Library movement he, in right
of his position, took a leading part; he
personally canvassed for subscriptions; and, from
seventy-six gentlemen and firms obtained a
sum total of four thousand three hundred and
nineteen pounds. To this, upwards of fifteen
hundred pounds have since been added, and
the overseers of Manchester contribute two
thousand pounds; so that, about eight
thousand pounds have been provided up to the
present time.

Twelve hundred pounds more, liberally
given by a single gentleman, have to be
mentioned now. A building occupied by
Socialists in Camp Field, Manchester, and
called the Hall of Science, had been, in the
hands of those scientific gentlemen, during
ten years, an expensive property. Eyes wide
awake had seen this building, had observed
that a spacious room on the ground-floor
would make an admirable news-room and
lending library, that an equally large room
on the first floor would make a reading-
room, and library of reference, that there
were plenty of small rooms, for lavatories,
the librarian, &c., and that under the roof
there was abundant space for a mechanical
museum. The Socialists were glad to
get the building off their hands for twelve
hundred pounds; but there remained a
question about a chief rent, ninety-one
pounds sixteen shillings, due to Sir Oswald
Moseley. This was valued at, and was really
worth, twenty-four years' purchase, but Sir
Oswald Moseley, thoroughly approving of the
building's destiny, remitted fourteen years'
purchase of his claim; so making to the
library a handsome present of twelve hundred
pounds.

The Manchester plan is to adapt this building
thoroughly to its new purposes; to stucco
it, and so forth; to establish on the ground-
floor a news-room, having its walls lined with
books strongly bound—at first, six or seven
thousand, exclusively adapted and intended
for circulation out of doors, among the homes
of working men; to have a reading-room
above that, stored with encyclopædias, atlases,
and books of reference, or books in expensive
editions that may be presented to the library,
of which the cheap editions are employed
below; above that to have a museum, and to
throw all open, free as air, for ever to the
People.

In Liverpool the preparations are less
forward, but they are in active progress. The
proprietors of the Royal Institution in that
town have presented, for the use of the People,
a museum very excellent in some departments