are weakest, so that in the future, the Reference Library, the Lending Libraries, the Chetham and the John Rylands, will form a complete provision for all classes of book-lovers and readers, will make us prouder, though that is needless, of our treasures of literature-and possibly, at any rate we will cherish the hope-persuade candid friends and superior critics that Manchester is not altogether given over to the worship of Mammon and the production of cotton prints.

PROCEEDINGS OF

THE TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING OF

THE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.

HELD AT MANCHESTER, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th
September, 1899.

THE proceedings of the twenty-second annual meeting of the Library Association were inaugurated on the evening of Monday the 4th of September in the Town Hall-that Gothic pile of buildings designed by Waterhouse which must move even the critical to admiration, and of which even a greater city than Manchester might well be proud-by a reception given in honour of the visit of the Association to Manchester by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Councillor W. H. and Mrs. Vaudrey. The guests, who included members of the Library Association and many prominent citizens of Manchester, numbered between 600 and 700. The state apartments were brilliantly illuminated, electric lights of every hue, introduced amongst the shrubs and plants with which the rooms and corridors were decorated, being most effective. In the large hall, the fine appearance of which was greatly enhanced

by an artistic distribution of flowers, shrubs and coloured lights, the fine band of the city police, under the leadership of Mr. Charles Whiting, played selections of music throughout the evening, and in the Lord Mayor's parlour a quartette party, consisting of Misses Nellie Leeson and Ada Carlton, Mr. Bertram Smith and Mr. Cuthbert Allan, with Mr. Herbert Walker as accompanist, gave a delightful vocal entertainment. The true civic hospitality, which seems to be inseparable from these functions, was dispensed in the drawing-room and banqueting hall. The company separated about half-past ten o'clock, having spent a most enjoyable evening, which proved to be a happy send off to an extremely successful meeting.

TUESDAY, 5th SEPTEMBER.

First Session.

The business of the meeting opened on Tuesday morning in the large assembly-room at the Town Hall, with a large and representative attendance of members and visitors.

Promptly at ten o'clock the Lord Mayor of Manchester (Councillor W. H. Vaudrey) took the chair, and was supported by the President Elect (Alderman J. W. Southern), Sir W. H. Bailey, Dr. Garnett, C.B., Mr. Alderman Rawson, Mr. H. R. Tedder, Mr. George Milner, Mr. T. R. Wilkinson, Mr. F. T. Barrett, Mr. Peter Cowell, Mr. C. W. Sutton (Local Hon. Sec.), Mr. H. W. Fovargue (Hon. Solicitor), Mr. Frank Pacy (Hon. Sec.), and other prominent members of the Association.

The LORD MAYOR, who was received with applause, said he had great pleasure in extending to the Association a very hearty welcome on the occasion of their visit to Manchester. It was twenty years since they last paid a visit to the city, and he thought it would be found that in the interval great improvements had been carried out. There had been improvements in the streets, very large municipal buildings had been erected, and all kinds of things had been done for the furtherance of the city's welfare. And while they had looked well to the growth of the city they had never neglected the work of their libraries. The citizens of Manchester prided themselves that their libraries were quite equal to those of any other large town in the kingdom. Manchester had, to a certain extent, an advantage over other towns, inasmuch as she could raise money to the extent of a twopenny rate as against a penny rate, and advantage had been taken of the opportunity thus afforded in improving the public libraries. He trusted that when the members of the Association returned to their homes they would carry with them pleasur able recollections of their visit.

Mr. F. T. BARRETT (Glasgow) proposed that the best thanks of the Association be tendered to the Lord Mayor and the Corporation of Manchester for the welcome accorded to the Association. It had, he said, been the happy fortune of the Association to meet with a cordial and kindly welcome from the municipal authorities of every city and town in which they had met, but there was not in all the realm a city in which they might more confidently expect a hearty greeting than in Manchester. Manchester was one of the earliest communities to discern the value of the Public Libraries Act as an instrument for good in municipal government and administration, and her citizens had been amongst the most consistent, the most liberal, and the most successful in administering and developing the institution. The libraries of Manchester might be looked up to by every other city in the kingdom with admiration and emulation.

Mr. PETER COWELL (Liverpool) in seconding the resolution observed that Manchester and Liverpool were the first two great communities in this country to adopt the Public Libraries Act. Manchester had the honour, in 1852, of opening her library doors just six weeks before Liverpool, and he thought the libraries of both cities might fairly be looked upon as being successful in the great work which they had undertaken.

The resolution was passed with acclamation, and the Lord Mayor briefly replied, expressing the hope that the present might be a record meeting of the Association.

Mr. ALDERMAN RAWSON then took the chair, and called upon the Hon. Secretary (Mr. Frank Pacy) to read the Scrutineers' Certificate as to the result of the ballot for officers and Council for the ensuing year, 1899-1900, which was as follows:

The following officers were elected without contest :

President-Alderman J. W. Southern.

Hon. Treasurer-Henry R. Tedder.

Hon. Solicitor-H. W. Fovargue.

Hon. Secretary-Frank Pacy.

Thanks to the Retiring President.

Dr. GARNETT proposed the following resolution: "That the members of the Library Association, assembled at the twenty-second annual meeting, hereby tender to the Right Hon. the Earl of Crawford, K.T., LL.D., the retiring president, the expression of their deep appreciation of his close and earnest attention to all the affairs of the Association during his year of office; and they desire, further, to place on record their grateful thanks to him for his able conduct of the annual and other meetings over which he has presided". The resolution, he said, would find an echo in all their hearts. There was a certain appropriateness in his being asked to move the resolution because of the official connection he had had with Lord Crawford as a librarian. He could speak from experience of his Lordship's remarkable knowledge and zeal in all matters connected with libraries in his capacity as a trustee of the British Museum. The department of that institution over which he (Dr. Garnett) had the honour to preside for a time was the one which Lord Crawford made the special object of his care and attention. It was impossible that he could speak too highly of the care and wisdom with which he assisted to conduct the affairs of that great library, or of his extraordinary knowledge of books and all bibliographical matters,