MODERN LIBRARIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 30 June 1891, Page 4

MODERN LIBRARIES.

Tin; largest library at present existing is tho Bibliothcqiie Nation ale do Paris. It consists of over 2,000,000 vo! times, nearly all of which ;re he .utiiully bound, It has been computed that, if the" shelves on wliich these volumes rest were placed one against the other, their total length wonld represent some myriads of metres. There nre also over 92.000 manuscripts in this great national library. Unfortunately tha catalogue is .till very incomplete. The second rank is held by the British Museum Library. The number of printed books nt the Hriiish Museum is about 1,400,000, and it increases at the rate of 30,000 -volumes per annum. In the manuscript room is a collection of SO.OOO volumes made by Georgo 111., and presented to the n-tion by (leorg. IV, As regard? antiquities, the .British Museum is unsurpassed by any library in tho world. Ia tha Egyptian gallery is the celebrated " Rosetta Stone," the most valuable stone in existence, to which we owe the discovery of the hieroglyphic language of ancient Egypt. The following is a list of the number of works in other great libraries of Europe:—

The Bodleian Library, Oxford, which numbers over 450,000 vols, and possesses many j-are manuscripts ; and the University Library, Cambridge, which has now over 400,000 vols. The chief source of income of these two libraries is the Copyright Act, by virtue of which they can claim a copy of every book or pamphlet published in the United Kingdom.

vols. manuscripts Munich library .. ..700,000 30,000 Petersburg (Imperial) ..800,000 21,000 Vienna (Imperial).. ..500,000 20,000 Copenhagen 450,000 15,000 Vatican 400,000 40,000