284 The Library. magazine, is now solely edited by the public librarian, who also edits The Ensign, and the "Local Notes and Queries" column of The Nottinghamshire Guardian. Mr. Briscoe is preparing a new edition of the poetical works of Henry Kirke White. He recently visited the Royal Library at the Hague. OXFORD. Mr. John Lancaster Mowat, M.A., librarian, Pembroke College, Oxford, committed suicide on August 6. A verdict of " Suicide during temporary insanity " was returned. RAMSG-ATE. The following motion was carried at a special meet- ing of the Town Council held on July 19 : "That the Public Libraries Act, 1892, be, and is hereby adopted for the Urban District of the Borough of Ramsgate, subject to the condition that the maximum rate to be levied for the purposes of the said Act in the said district in any one financial year, shall not exceed one halfpenny in the pound ; and that this resolution shall come into operation on and after the 27th day of August, 1894." REDRUTH. An elevation with plans of the Passmore Edwards Free Library at Redruth, as designed by Mr. Jas. Hicks appeared in the Building News, August 3. A sketch of the same appeared in Western Weekly News, of August n, and is accompanied by two plans showing the arrangement of rooms. The building is described, and the founda- tion stone will be laid by Mr. Passmore Edwards on September 6. SHEFFIELD. On August 10, a new branch library was opened at Attercliffe, by the Mayor of Sheffield (Aid. E. S. Foster). Mr. Batty Langley, M.P., also addressed the meeting. WIDNES. In the Widnes Weekly News of July 21, is an account of the Free Library. WIG AN. The Earl of Crawford has presented a fine set of the Grands et Petits Voyages of the brothers De Bry to the Wigan Refer- ence Library, and a specially carved oaken case has been made to hold the collection. His Lordship has also given to the same department six large folio volumes containing original specimens of Persian and Arabic handwriting, arranged chronologically, showing the progressive develop- ment of oriental penmanship. The boys' reading room and reference library, presented by the member for Wigan, Sir Francis Sharp Powell, Bart., is now in course of erection. WORCESTER. On August 22, the Public Library Committee decided to expunge betting news from the daily papers in the news room. Mr. T. Duckworth, of Blackburn, has been appointed librarian at the Public Library. There were forty-eight applicants. RUSSIA. A report of the Russian Naval Library at Cronstadt shows that on January i, 1894, it included 46,304 works, in 78,138 volumes, whereof 28,370, in 50,576 volumes, were Russian, and 17,934, in 27,607 volumes, foreign. Of newspapers and serials the library receives 102 Russian, 18 French, 18 German, 16 English, i Polish, and i Italian. The receipts and expenditure in 1893 exceeded 10,000 roubles (over 1,000 sterling.)
