societies; 2nd, Mechanics' institutions, working men's colleges, and institutions of a similar character.

now

Literary Institutions.-The year 1808 ushered in a new era of literature. The oldest "literary institution" existing in London was then founded, and called by the name which it still bears, "The Russell Literary and Scientific Institution." On its roll of earliest members we find the names of some remarkable men, such as Sir Samuel Romilly, the celebrated equity lawyer, whose ancestors were originally French Protestants, who fled to England for succour on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, a descendant of whom -Sir John Romilly-is the present Master of the Rolls; Francis Horner, the eminent financier and eloquent member of Parliament; Mason Good, the literary physician; Henry Hallam; and Lord Abinger; all now no more. Possessed of a fine and attractive building, eminent patrons, a library of 16,000 volumes, and situate in a central position in London, the "Russell Institution" ought to exercise great power and influence.

In the city of London and its immediate vicinage are" The London Institution," in Finsbury, founded nearly of the same date with the "Russell;" the " Crosby Hall Institution," in Bishopsgate, held in the ancient parish of Crosby; and the room designated the "Crown-room" in its days of palatial dignity, now reverberates to the voices of the young men of London; the "Eastern Polytechnic Institution," Leman Street, Whitechapel; the "Young Men's Societies Union," at 11, St. Benet's Place, Gracechurch Street; the "Jews and General" in Sussex Hall, Leadenhall Street; the "Philosophical Institution," Beaumont Square, Mile End, more generally known as the Beaumont," combining scientific pursuits with more secular amusements. Within the legal and ecclesiastical precincts of Doctors' Commons is the "Literary and Scientific Institution." The "Literary Institution" in Aldersgate Street, once known as the "City of London Literary and

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Scientific Institution," now under the management of the committee of the "Young Men's Christian Association," shorn of many of the ornaments of a "literary institution," and sinking as it does in many respects below the majority of the institutions of London in its lectures, it yet possesses many advantages over them in regard to its situation and accommodation.

The "Young Men's Christian Association," whose head-quarters are in Aldersgate Street, as we have already mentioned, has enlarged itself gradually from the one room in which its promoters originally met, some ten or fifteen years ago, to the position which it now occupies. It has thrown out its branches east, west, north, and south, over not only the metropolis and its suburbs, but there is scarcely a town in England in which may not be found a branch of this association. But it professes itself to be occupied with a higher mission than that of "literary" institutions, and that the promotion of religion among young men. a means of enticing the young from "the evil snares surrounding them," some of its branches hold out the inducements of secular classes, but others do not. There is also the "Church of England Young Men's Society," having its rooms at 169, Fleet Street,

As

Special provision for Sunday school teachers is made by the Sunday School Union, in its noble building, 56, Old Bailey, and by the Church of England Sunday School Institute, at its rooms, 41, Ludgate Hill.

The literary institutions in the western districts of London are numerous. They are the "Russell," already referred to; the "Calthorpe Institute," Calthorpe Terrace, Gray's Inn Road, partaking more of the nature of a "christian association" than of a literary institution-it is under the patronage of Lord Calthorpe and Lord Ebury; the "Metropolitan Institution Company, Limited," Howland Street, Fitzroy Square, the object of which is by shares and donations to erect a large and commodious hall, to be called the "Hall of

Science and Literature," which will be devoted to the ordinary objects of a literary institution, but will also combine in some degree the advantages of a "mechanics' institution." We may perhaps mention, as an indication of its character, that on its board of directors occurs the name of Mr. E. Truelove, the now celebrated bookseller of Temple Bar. "The Whittington Club and Metropolitan Athenæum," in Arundel Street, Strand, has again arisen, phoenixlike, from its ashes, under the presidency of Mr. Alderman Mechi. It possesses the elements of a club for both ladies and gentlemen, a literary institution, and an assembly and ball-room. The Marylebone Institution," in Edward Street, Portman Square, was established on the 23rd of April, 1832; its patron is that learned and indefatigable peer, Lord Brougham, and it has a library of 6,000 volumes. These, with the "All Souls' Mutual Improvement Institution," in Duke Street, Manchester Square; the "Craven Street Mutual Improvement Society;" the "Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution;" the 66 Great Western Railway Literary Society;" the "Kilburn Institution," Springfield Gardens; the "St. Mary's Institution," Upper York Street, Bryanston Square and the "Westbourne Athenæum," Paddington, compose the list of our western institutions.

In the southern suburbs of London we have the "Angell Town Institution," at Brixton, which appears to be devoted solely to the delivery of lectures; the "Walworth Literary Institution," in Keene's Row, Walworth, established in the year 1845; the "Clapham Literary Institution," in Manor Street, Clapham; the "Southwark Literary Institution," in the Borough Road, Southwark, with its library of 5,000 volumes, Lord Brougham as its president, and Sir E. B. Lytton, the celebrated novelist, one of its patrons. The year 1859 gave birth to the "Chelsea Atheneum," similar in most respects to the ordinary literary institution. The name of Thomas Carlyle heads the list of the vice-patrons of this new society. The

"Battersea Literary and Scientific Institution," King Street; the "Belmont Mutual Improvement Society," Lawn End, South Lambeth; the "West Brompton Literary and Mutual Improvement Society;" the "Camberwell Literary and Scientific Institution;" the "Hackney Literary and Scientific Institution," Church Street; the "Hammersmith Institution:" the "London and South-Western Railway Literary and Scientific Institution;" the "Islington Literary and Scientific Institution,” Wellington Street; the "Poplar and Limehouse Literary and Scientific Institution," Hall Street; the "Sherwood Mutual Improvement Society," York Place, Battersea; the "Tailors' Labour Agency Literary Institution," Newington Causeway. These, with the "Literary and Scientific Institution " Dalston, and the "St. John's Wood Literary and Scientific Institution," in Blenheim Place, which is now nearly seven years old, comprise, we believe, the whole of the institutions of this nature in London and the suburbs. In addition to these institutions, there are many societies connected with places of worship, which are working in a quiet, unostentatious manner, but which are doubtless benefiting a large class of young men, and preparing them for usefulness in the church and the world.

at

Mechanics' Institutions, including also Working Men's Colleges, and institutions of a similar character.-On the 2nd December, 1823, the "London Mechanics' Institution," in Southampton Buildings, Holborn, was founded by the late Dr. Birkbeck. This institution was the first of the kind established in England, yet now, only some thirty-six years from its establishment, there are about six hundred similar institutions in existence in England. The trustees of the London Institution at the present time are Lord Brougham and Joshua Walker, Esq., and we are told that since its foundation in 1823, "more than forty thousand persons have availed themselves of its advantages, of whom many are at the present time distinguishing themselves in various branches

of the arts and sciences, a knowledge of which they acquired in this institution." The advantages offered by these institutions to the working classes are undoubtedly great. They comprise classes for the study of the English, French, German, and Latin languages; discussion and essay, singing, drawing, elocution, and chess classes; good libraries, reading rooms well supplied with every style of literature, with good and generally entertaining lectures, by popular lecturers. We cannot enumerate the whole of these mechanics' institutes, but may mention the "Pimlico Literary, Scientific, and Mechanics' Institution," in Belgrave Place, Pimlico; the Mechanics' Institute," Deptford; the " Finsbury Mechanics' Institute," 60, Bunhill Row; and the "London Compositors' Library and Reading Room," 3, Raquet Court, Fleet Street; as following in the footprints of the "London Mechanics," already mentioned. We may also notice as one of this class, "The Institution," in Cleveland Street, Fitzroy Square, which, besides its regular week-day lectures to the working classes, gives Sunday evening lectures on "various literary, scientific, social, and political questions;" and, further, step and figure dancing, and quadrille classes, on week days. It has a class for instruction in the French language on Sunday mornings! The "Working Men's College," in Great Ormond Street, Bloomsbury, of which the Rev. F. D. Maurice is the principal, has been established upwards of five years, and is devoted, as its name implies, to the strict uses of a college for working men and women. There are now numerous "working men's" institutes and colleges in and about London. The objects of these institutions are " the attainment of useful knowledge and mental recreation," and the means by which these ends are proposed to be accomplished are, as far as circumstances admit, reading and news rooms, evening classes, a library, lectures, and such other means as may by the committee be deemed advisable." Of these institutions are the "Bermond

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sey Working Men's Institute," 99, Bermondsey Street; the "Workmen's Institute and Benefit Club," York Road, Lambeth; the "Hackney Working Men's Institute," West Street, Triangle Square, Hackney; the "Islington Working Men's Institute," 1, Wellington Street; the "St. Bartholomew Working Men's Institute," Calthorpe Place, Gray's Inn Road; the "Agar Town Working Men's Lecture and Reading Room;" the "Lewisham Working Men's Institution;" the "Norwood Working Men's Association;" the "People's Institution," Holborn Hill; the "St. George's Lending Library," Hanover Square; and the "Westminster Public Library," 7 and 8, Great Smith Street.

And now, if there should be among the readers of this article any student disheartened in his efforts to attain knowledge, to such we say,- Take courage and persevere, for with energy, and a strong will, though you lack what the world calls 66 genius" or

talent," you must and will finally succeed. Let us take advantage of all the means of improvement, however humble they may be, remembering that the path to learning is not to be trodden by the mere wish. or by a few spasmodic attempts at it, but by serious and resolute efforts.

In conclusion, let us all remember that self-improvement is a duty which we owe not only to ourselves, but to our country, and from the discharge of it we should not shrink. Death is making continual havoc amongst men great in the legislature, in science, literature, art, and their places must be refilled if we wish England to maintain her wonted supremacy. To the work, then! There is more pure and real pleasure in an hour's hard study, by which we gain something, than in a night's enervating amusement, amid the dazzling glare of the ball-room, or the tinselled grandeur of the theatre. True, we cannot all be great in the world's eye, but we can all be useful in our various spheres. Let us not despair, then, but ever remember that KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

HENRY KEEBLE.

We understand that the autobiography of the Dr. Carlyle, who was the friend of Hume and Horne and Burns -which was left by its author under the charge of the late Principal Lee, of Edinburgh, in 1805, will shortly be published.

Junius, the problem of the eighteenth century, is still a shadow. Mr. Joseph Parkes, father of Miss Bessie Parkes, is about to add to the cumulative evidence of Sir Philip Francis being the

man.

To the roll of ennobled men of the Court of Saxe-Weimar, have recently been added by the bestowal of the "Order of the Falcon"-the names of GERVINUS, the Historian, and THOMAS CARLYLE.

Carlyle, Froude, Massey, and Buckle, are each reported as having volumes in the press.

CHARLES DARWIN, author of "The Origin of Species by Natural Selection," a book of the " Vestiges" type, is grandson, and heir (to the genius, at least) of Dr. Erasmus Darwin, author of "The Botanic Garden" and "Zoonomia.'

The heroine of Longfellow's "Hy. perion" becaine his wife.

An entire uninjured copy of "Coverdale's Bible," 1535, has been discovered, among many other rare books, in a recently opened closet at Willscot, Oxon.

Three vols. of "The Occasional Works" of Bacon, chronologically arranged, connected by narrative, and annotated, are in preparation.

Sir Henry Havelock's brother-in-law, J. C. Marshman, is preparing a memoir of that Christian hero.

A "Private Life of Washington" has been left among the papers of G. W. P. Custis, a descendant relative of the first President of the United States Republic.

SIR A. ALISON, Bart., the Historian of Europe, was presented with a bust of himself by the faculty of Procurators, on the twenty-fitth anniversary of his appointment as sheriff of Lanark shire, 29th Dec., 1859. Another copy was placed in the library of the faculty.

The Roxburghe Club intend to erect in the metropolis a splendid monument in honour of WILLIAM CAXTON, the first British printer, of whom Mr. William Blades is preparing a biography.

Lord Macaulay expired, aged fiftynine, on 28th December. Life ends, though labours last, and history continues. A Titanic fragment of our national records has been left by him; but, like Cambuscan's, in it our story is left"half told."

Shirley Brooks is editor, and Edward Walford sub-editor, of Once a Week. HOOD, the British Heine, has been translated into German.

PRESCOTT'S" Philip II." has been published by Messrs. Didot, in French.

"St. Stephen's," a poem in "Blackwood," looks as if its author did not need to ask "What will he do with it ?" or to name it " My Novel" endeavour.

A new series of "The Bibliotheca Indica" is to be issued by the Asiatic Society of Bengal.

J. W. Gilbart, author of "The Logic of Banking," &c., has retired from the management of the London and Westminster Bank.

John Craig, a writer on political science, died on the 5th ult., aged ninety-four.

A memorial statue of Lord Clive is to be inaugurated at Shrewsbury.

Professor Owen, whose great work on "Paleontology" is just published, has announced in The Lancet, that he is about to issue the MS. productions of John Hunter, the originals of which were destroyed by Sir Everard Home, from copies made by a Mr. Clift, formerly curator of the Hunterian Museum.

R. W. EMERSON is about to teach "The Conduct of Life" in a new vol., announced by Messrs. Ticknor. Ernest Jones has a new poem, Coraydu," dedicated by permission to Sir. E. B. Lytton, in the press

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·

A. K. H. B., of Fraser's Magazine," is the Rev. A. K. H. Boyd, of St. Bernard's, Edinburgh, son of Rev. Dr. Boyd, of Tron parish, Glasgow.