MSS.

mss., described in printed catalogues. the moolla feroze library was bequeathed for public use by moolla feroze, head priest of the parsis of the kudmi sect in 1831, and consisted chiefly of mss., in arabic and persian on history, philosophy and astronomy; some additions of english and gujarati works have been made, as well as of european books on zoroastrianism. the native general library (1845) has 11,000 vols., and there are libraries attached to elphinstone college and the university of bombay. the library of tippoo sahib, consisting of 2000 mss., fell into the hands of the british, and a descriptive catalogue of them by charles stewart was published at cambridge in 1809, 4to. a few were presented to public libraries in england, but the majority were placed in the college of fort william, then recently established. the first volume, containing persian and hindustani poetry, of the _catalogue of the libraries of the king of oudh_, by a. sprenger, was published at calcutta in 1854. the compiler shortly afterwards left the indian service, and no measures were taken to complete the work. on the annexation of the kingdom in 1856 the ex-king is believed to have taken some of the most valuable mss. to calcutta, but the largest portion was left behind at lucknow. during the siege the books were used to block up windows, &c., and those which were not destroyed were abandoned and plundered by the soldiers. many were burnt for fuel; a few, however, were rescued and sold by auction, and of these some were purchased for the asiatic society of bengal. perhaps the most remarkable library in india is that of the raja of tanjore, which dates from the end of the 16th or beginning of the 17th century, when tanjore was under the rule of the telugu naiks, who collected sanskrit mss. written in the telugu character. in the 18th century the mahrattas conquered the country, and since that date the library increased but slowly. by far the greater portion of the store was acquired by sharabhoji raja during a visit to benares in 1820-1830; his successor sivaji added a few, but of inferior value. there are now about 18,000 mss. written in devanagari, nandinagari, telugu, kannada, granthi, malayalam, bengali, panjabi or kashmiri, and uriya; 8000 are on palm leaves. dr burnell's printed catalogue describes 12,375 articles. the royal asiatic society has branches with libraries attached in many of the large cities of india, the straits settlements, ceylon, china, japan, &c. at rangoon in burma there are several good libraries. the raffles library at singapore was established as a proprietary institution in 1844, taken over by the government in 1874, and given legal status by an ordinance passed in 1878. it now contains about 35,000 vols. in general literature, but books relating to the malayan peninsula and archipelago have been made a special feature, and since the acquisition of the collection of j. r. logan in 1879 the library has become remarkably rich in this department. in ceylon there is the museum library at colombo (1877), which is maintained by the government, and there are many subscription and a few oriental libraries. _canada._ the public libraries of the various provinces of canada have grown rapidly in importance and activity, and, assisted as they are by government and municipal grants, they promise to rival those of the united states in generous equipment. most of the library work in canada is on the same lines as that of the united states, and there are no special points of difference worth mention. the library laws of the dominion are embodied in a series of acts dating from 1854, by which much the same powers are conferred on local authorities as by the legislation of britain and the united states. an important feature of the canadian library law is the close association maintained between schools and libraries, and in some provinces the school libraries are established by the school and not the library laws. there is also an important extension of libraries to the rural districts, so that in every direction full provision is being made for the after-school education and recreation of the people. the province of ontario has a very large and widespread library system of which full particulars are given in the annual reports of the minister of education. the library portion has been printed separately, and with its illustrations and special articles forms quite a handbook of canadian library practice. there are now 413 public libraries described as free and not free, and of these 131 free and 234 not free reported in 1909. the free libraries possessed 775,976 vols. and issued 2,421,049 vols. the not free libraries, most of which receive legislative or municipal grants, possessed 502,879 vols. and issued 650,826 vols. this makes a grand total of 1,278,855 vols. in municipal and assisted subscription libraries without counting the university and other libraries in the province. the most important other libraries in ontario are--queen's university, kingston (1841), 40,000 vols.; library of parliament, ottawa, about 250,000 vols.; university of ottawa, 35,000 vols.; legislative library of ontario, toronto, about 100,000 vols.; university of toronto (1856), 50,000 vols. the public (municipal) library of toronto has now over 152,000 vols. in the province of quebec, in addition to the state-aided libraries there are several large and important libraries, among which may be mentioned the fraser institute, montreal, 40,000 vols.; mcgill university, montreal (1855), 125,000 vols., comprising many important collections; the seminary of st sulpice, montreal, about 80,000 vols.; laval university, quebec, 125,000 vols.; and the library of the legislature (1792), about 100,000 vols. in the western provinces several large public, government and college libraries have been formed, but none of them are as old and important as those in the eastern provinces. in nova scotia there are now 279 cases of books circulating among the school libraries, containing about 40,000 vols., and in addition 2800 vols. were stocked for the use of rural school libraries. the rural school libraries of nova scotia are regulated by a special law, and a little handbook has been printed, somewhat similar to that published by the french educational authorities for the communale libraries. the legislative library at halifax contains nearly 35,000 vols., and the dalhousie university (1868), in the same town, contains about 20,000 vols. the legislative library of prince edward island, charlottetown, containing the dodd library, issues books for home use. the school law of new brunswick provides for grants being made in aid of school libraries by the board of education equal to one half the amount raised by a district, and a series of rules has been published. the only other british libraries in america of much consequence are those in the west indian islands. the institute of jamaica, kingston (1879) has about 15,000 vols.; the trinidad public library (1841), recently revised and catalogued, 23,000 vols.; and there are a few small legislative and college libraries in addition. authorities.--for the history of british libraries see h. b. adams, _public libraries and popular education_ (albany, n.y., 1900); j. d. brown, _guide to librarianship_ (1909); g. f. chambers and h. w. fovargue, _the law relating to public libraries_ (4th ed., 1899); j. w. clark, _the care of books_ (1909); e. edwards, _memoirs of libraries_ (1859); t. greenwood, _edward edwards_ (1901) and _public libraries_ (4th ed., revised, 1891); j. j. ogle, _the free library_ (1897); maurice pellisson, _les bibliotheques populaires a l'etranger et en france_ (paris, 1906); r. a. rye, _the libraries of london_ (1910); e. a. savage, _the story of libraries and book-collectors_ (1909). for library economy consult j. d. brown, _manual of library economy_ (1907); f. j. burgoyne, _library construction, &c._ (1897); a. l. champneys, _public libraries: a treatise on their design_ (1907); j. c. dana, _a library primer_ (chicago, 1910); arnim graesel, _handbuch der bibliothekslehre_ (leipzig, 1902); albert maire, _manuel pratique du bibliothecaire_ (paris, 1896). on the subject of classification consult j. d. brown, _manual of library classification_ (1898) and _subject classification_ (1906); c. a. cutter, _expansive classification_ (1891-1893) (not yet completed); m. dewey, _decimal classification_ (6th ed., 1899), and _institut international de bibliographie: classification bibliographique decimale_ (brussels, 1905); e. c. richardson, _classification: theoretical and practical_ (1901). various methods of cataloguing books are treated in _cataloguing rules, author and title entries, compiled by the committees of the american library association and the library association_ (1908); c. a. cutter, _rules for a printed dictionary catalogue_ (washington, 1904); m. dewey, _rules for author and classed catalogues_ (1892); t. hitchler, _cataloguing for small libraries_ (boston, 1905); k. a. linderfelt, _eclectic card catalog rules_ (boston, 1890); j. h. quinn, _manual of library cataloguing_ (1899); e. a. savage, _manual of descriptive annotation_ (1906); j. d. stewart, _the sheaf catalogue_ (1909); h. b. wheatley, _how to catalogue a library_ (1889). _united states of america._ the libraries of the united states are remarkable for their number, size, variety, liberal endowment and good administration. the total number of libraries with over 1000 vols. was 5383 in 1900, including those attached to schools and institutions, and in 1910 there were probably at least 10,000 libraries having 1000 vols. and over. it is impossible to do more than glance at the principal libraries and activities, where the field is so immense, and a brief sketch of some of the chief federal, state, university, endowed and municipal libraries will therefore be presented. federal libraries. the library of congress was first established in 1800 at washington, and was burned together with the capitol by the british army in 1814. president jefferson's books were purchased to form the foundation of a new library, which continued to increase slowly until 1851, when all but 20,000 vols. were destroyed by fire. from this time the collection has grown rapidly, and now consists of about 1,800,000 vols. in 1866 the library of the smithsonian institution, consisting of 40,000 vols., chiefly in natural science, was transferred to the library of congress. the library is specially well provided in history, jurisprudence, the political sciences and americana. since 1832 the law collections have been constituted into a special department. this is the national library. in 1870 the registry of copyrights was transferred to it under the charge of the librarian of congress, and two copies of every publication which claims copyright are required to be deposited. cards for these are now printed and copies are sold to other libraries for an annual subscription fixed according to the number taken. the building in which the library is now housed was opened in 1897. it covers 31⁄2 acres of ground, contains 10,000,000 cub. ft. of space, and has possible accommodation for over 4 million vols. its cost was $6,500,000, or including the land, $7,000,000. it is the largest, most ornate and most costly building in the world yet erected for library purposes. within recent years the appropriation has been largely increased, and the bibliographical department has been able to publish many valuable books on special subjects. the _a.l.a. catalog_ (1904) and _a.l.a. portrait index_ (1906), may be mentioned as of especial value. the classification of the library is being gradually completed, and in every respect this is the most active government library in existence. other important federal libraries are those attached to the following departments at washington: bureau of education (1868); geological survey (1882); house of representatives; patent office (1836); senate (1868); surgeon general's office (1870), with an elaborate analytical printed catalogue of world-wide fame. state libraries. although the state libraries of pennsylvania and new hampshire are known to have been established as early as 1777, it was not until some time after the revolution that any general tendency was shown to form official libraries in connexion with the state system. it is especially within the last thirty years that the number of these libraries has so increased that now every state and territory possesses a collection of books and documents for official and public purposes. these collections depend for their increase upon annual appropriations by the several states, and upon a systematic exchange of the official publications of the general government and of the several states and territories. the largest is that of the state of new york at albany, which contains nearly 500,000 vols., and is composed of a general and a law library. printed and ms. card catalogues have been issued. the state libraries are libraries of reference, and only members of the official classes are allowed to borrow books, although any well-behaved person is admitted to read in the libraries. university libraries. the earliest libraries formed were in connexion with educational institutions, and the oldest is that of harvard (1638). it was destroyed by fire in 1764, but active steps were at once taken for its restoration. from that time to the present, private donations have been the great resource of the library. in 1840 the collection was removed to gore hall, erected for the purpose with a noble bequest from christopher gore (1758-1829), formerly governor of massachusetts. there are also ten special libraries connected with the different departments of the university. the total numbers of vols. in all these collections is over 800,000. there is a ms. card-catalogue in two parts, by authors and subjects, which is accessible to the readers. the only condition of admission to use the books in gore hall is respectability; but only members of the university and privileged persons may borrow books. the library of yale college, new haven, was founded in 1701, but grew so slowly that, even with the 1000 vols. received from bishop berkeley in 1733, it had only increased to 4000 vols. in 1766, and some of these were lost in the revolutionary war. during the 19th century the collection grew more speedily, and now the library numbers over 550,000 vols. other important university and college libraries are amherst college, mass. (1821), 93,000 vols.; brown university, r.i. (1767), 156,000 vols.; columbia university, n.y. (1763), 430,000 vols.; cornell university, n.y. (1868), 355,000 vols.; dartmouth college, n.h. (1769), 106,000 vols.; johns hopkins university, baltimore (1876), 220,000 vols.; lehigh university, pa. (1877), 150,000 vols.; leland stanford university, cal. (1891), 113,000 vols.; princeton university, n.j. (1746), 260,000 vols.; university of california (1868), 240,000 vols.; university of chicago, ill. (1892), 480,000 vols.; university of michigan (1837), 252,000 vols.; university of pennsylvania (1749), 285,000 vols. there are numerous other college libraries, several of them even larger than some of those named above. subscription and endowed libraries. the establishment of proprietary or subscription libraries runs back into the first half of the 18th century, and is connected with the name of benjamin franklin. it was at philadelphia, in the year 1731, that he set on foot what he called "his first project of a public nature, that for a subscription library.... the institution soon manifested its ability, was imitated by other towns and in other provinces." the library company of philadelphia was soon regularly incorporated, and gradually drew to itself other collections of books, including the loganian library, which was vested in the company by the state legislature in 1792 in trust for public use. hence the collection combines the character of a public and of a proprietary library, being freely open for reference purposes, while the books circulate only among the subscribing members. it numbers at present 226,000 vols., of which 11,000 belong to the loganian library, and may be freely lent. in 1869 dr james rush left a bequest of over one million dollars for the purpose of erecting a building to be called the ridgeway branch of the library. the building is very handsome, and has been very highly spoken of as a library structure. philadelphia has another large proprietary library--that of the mercantile library company, which was established in 1821. it possesses 200,000 vols., and its members have always enjoyed direct access to the shelves. the library of the boston athenaeum was established in 1807, and numbers 235,000 vols. it has published an admirable dictionary-catalogue. the collection is especially rich in art and in history, and possesses a part of the library of george washington. the mercantile library association of new york, which was founded in 1820, has over 240,000 vols. new york possesses two other large proprietary libraries, one of which claims to have been formed as early as 1700 as the "public" library of new york. it was organized as the new york society library in 1754, and has been especially the library of the old knickerbocker families and their descendants, its contents bearing witness to its history. it contains about 100,000 vols. the apprentices' library (1820) has about 100,000 vols., and makes a special feature of works on trades and useful arts. the astor library in new york was founded by a bequest of john jacob astor, whose example was followed successively by his son and grandson. the library was opened to the public in 1854, and consists of a careful selection of the most valuable books upon all subjects. it is a library of reference, for which purpose it is freely open, and books are not lent out. it is "a working library for studious persons." the lenox library was established by james lenox in 1870, when a body of trustees was incorporated by an act of the legislature. in addition to the funds intended for the library building and endowment, amounting to $1,247,000, the private collection of books which mr lenox had long been accumulating is extremely valuable. though it does not rank high in point of mere numbers, it is exceedingly rich in early books on america, in bibles, in shakesperiana and in elizabethan poetry. both those libraries are now merged in the new york public library. the peabody institute at baltimore was established by george peabody in 1857, and contains a reference library open to all comers. the institute has an endowment of $1,000,000, which, however, has to support, besides the library, a conservatoire of music, an art gallery, and courses of popular lectures. it has a very fine printed dictionary catalogue and now contains nearly 200,000 vols. in the same city is the enoch pratt free library (1882) with 257,000 vols. in the city of chicago are two very important endowed libraries, the newberry library (1887) with over 200,000 vols., and the john crerar library (1894), with 235,000 vols. both of these are reference libraries of great value, and the john crerar library specializes in science, for which purpose its founder left $3,000,000. it will be sufficient to name a few of the other endowed libraries to give an idea of the large number of donors who have given money to libraries. silas bronson (waterbury), annie t. howard (new orleans), joshua bates (boston), charles e. forbes (northampton, mass.), mortimer f. reynolds (rochester, n.y.), leonard case (cleveland), i. osterhout (wilkes-barre, pa.), and above all andrew carnegie, whose library benefactions exceed $53,000,000. it remains to mention another group of proprietary and society libraries. since the organization of the government in 1789, no less than one hundred and sixty historical societies have been formed in the united states, most of which still continue to exist. many of them have formed considerable libraries, and possess extensive and valuable manuscript collections. the oldest of them is the massachusetts historical society, which dates from 1791. the earliest of the scientific societies, the american philosophical society (1743), has 73,000 vols. the most extensive collection is that of the academy of natural sciences of philadelphia, which consists of 80,000 vols. and pamphlets. for information as to the numerous professional libraries of the united states--theological, legal and medical--the reader may be referred to the authorities quoted below. municipal libraries. in no country has the movement for the development of municipal libraries made such progress as in the united states; these institutions called free or public as the case may be are distinguished for their work, enterprise and the liberality with which they are supported. they are established under laws passed by the different states, the first to pass such an enactment being massachusetts, which in 1848 empowered the city of boston to establish a free public library. this was subsequently extended to the whole state in 1851. other states followed, all with more or less variation in the provisions, till practically every state in the union now has a body of library laws. in general the american library law is much on the same lines as the english. in most states the acts are permissive. in new hampshire aid is granted by the state to any library for which a township contracts to make a definite annual appropriation. a limit is imposed in most states on the library tax which may be levied, although there are some, like massachusetts and new hampshire, which fix no limit. in every american town the amount derived from the library tax usually exceeds by double or more the same rate raised in britain in towns of similar size. for example, east orange,