school education and a certain standard of proficiency in one of the University departments of study. The Council's committee would retain the degree of M.A. very much on its present footing, but would allow a restricted choice of alternative subjects. The greatest anxiety is evinced to keep the present high standard from being degraded. The remaining points of interest in the report are the approval of the recommendations for establishing history and modern languages as subjects of University education, and the rejection of the proposal to establish a General Universities Court for Scotland. There is strong reason to apprehend that the creation of such a court, whose functions would not be merely appellate, would hurt, and in the end destroy, the independence of the Universities.

These questions were fully discussed by the council at its meeting yesterday, and the report of the committee was unanimously adopted. It is impossible to doubt that so emphatic an utterance on the part of Glasgow will go far to modify the legislation that is sure to follow before long on the Report of the Royal Commission.

An important and opportune discussion was raised by Dr. John Kerr, who, in terms of previous notice, moved :-"That with a view to raise the educational standard of intrants to the University, to increase the number of candidates for degrees, and to extend in some measure the benefits of University teaching to a class presently excluded therefrom, it is desirable that a scheme of University extension be instituted similar to that now in operation in connection with the English Universities, care being taken that such a scheme does not interfere with the work of the secondary schools, and that representation be made to the University Court to take such steps as may seem necessary in conjunction with the Senate to initiate such a scheme." All the speakers who followed Dr Kerr expressed cordial agreement with him in regard to the object he had in view, and eventually it was resolved to approve generally of the proposal, and remit to the committee to bring up a report on the subject at next meeting. In all likelihood, therefore, a new field will be opened up before long for cultivation on the part of our younger graduates, and not they alone will reap the fruit of which there is abundant promise.

UNIVERSITY OF SEVILLE.

April, 1879.

It might truly have been said of the literary University of Seville in 1842 that it posessed no library, since its whole collection amounted to some ten or twelve thousand volumes; and these few, although of some merit, since they belonged to the library of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, yet contained about three or four thousand which were imperfect, or formed incomplete works, whilst the rest were subject to no arrangement or classification. The rector of the University, Don Nicolas Maestre Fous de Monsalve, feeling that this state of things was intolerable for a University, had asked in the year 1837 permission of the Government to collect together all that remained of the libraries of the suppressed religious communities of our city. This permission was granted, but, like all good and useful projects, it met with many obstacles,

and he was unable to carry it out until the end of 1838, when, by a especial commission from the Government it was ordered that from the libraries of all the extinct religious orders brought together, provincial libraries should be formed; and that in cities where Universities existed, these provincial libraries should be incorporated with the libraries of their respective Universities, subject to their governing bodies.

In virtue of this order, issued on Sept. 3, 1838, the rector commissioned Señor Don Manuel Lopez Cepero, a member of the governing body, and Don Antonio Martin Villa, the secretary of the University, to collect the books from the libraries of the different monastic and conventual establishments of the suppressed orders. This, however, was not effected without encountering a host of difficulties which would have disheartened others less zealous than they in all that appertained to public instruction.

The financial state of our University in those days did not permit of the considerable disbursements which would be necessary to effect this project; hence arose a difficulty in meeting the necessary expenditure of preparing a suitable place and erecting shelves and book cases; but this was met by the generous co-operation of students, and masters who one and all offered their services gratuitously, hence there was no further outlay than arose from the purchase of the actual materials necessary, with paper, pens, ink, printing, &c. Each laboured in his own department, arranging, classifying, binding, and cataloguing for no further reward than, perchance, in the case of the students being accorded the privilege of matriculation for one or two years, or the exemption of fees for degrees, according to the greater or lesser amount of work done.

Towards the end of 1846 the library of the great college of Santa Maria de Jesus, which I described in my last latter as the ancient University, commonly called the College of Maese Rodrigo, from its founder, and which contained, among its valuable stores, a choice collection of commentaries and expositions of civil and canonical law, became incorporated with our University library. In March, 1847, was also added to it by royal prerogative the public library of San Acacio; and later on several of the professors presented donations of useful works, which, with the addition of two smaller libraries, increased the number of books to 54,000. This extraordinary increase within such a short time necessitated an extension of the building.

During the four succeeding years a large sum was expended on the purchase of books. Authors and others interested in education sent in many works on all the sciences to the number of 5000; to this was added later on the choice library of our erudite professor and doctor, Don Alberto Lista, which comprised some 3000 volumes.

This modern library, whose increase and prosperity had swelled so prodigiously within a few years, numbered in 1849 (seven years after its establishment), 60,000 volumes of useful works, revised, arranged, numbered, indexed, and placed in order on the shelves. This collection included all the best authors and most select works up to the end of last century. Among them are found records and chronicles and particular histories of bishoprics, provinces, and celebrated men, Spanish classical writers, as well as Greek and Roman ones, valuable editions of the Fathers of the Church, both Greek and Latin, a magnificent collection of Bibles in diverse languages and different editions, among them three rare polyglots; records of general and particular councils, a superb array of

exponents of Holy Writ, nearly all the glossaries and commentaries upon civil and canonical law, public and private codices, historical works and voyages, books of ancient poetry, philosophy, and rhetoric, numismatics and geography, fine arts and also dictionaries.

Since then, down to the present day, this varied assortment of works has been enriched principally by works upon theology and law. At the present day the whole library of our University numbers 90,000

volumes.

At the south angle of the building is a splendid reading room, fitted up with every requisite for readers and students. Its walls are covered with a collection of maps and synoptical tables of the history of Spain, set in gold frames. On different tables and corner shelves are placed globes and spheres. At the further end of the room stands the office of the principal librarian, where there is a glass-case in which are preserved the rarest books and valuable manuscripts, also a collection of coins and medals. The library The library is open daily, except on festival days, from ten o'clock in the morning until two in the afternoon, with the exception of the months of June, July, August, and September, when it opens only from seven to ten in the morning.

Such is a brief sketch of our library, which commenced in February 1843, and which bids fair to become the most valuable one throughout Spain, since it now ranks only third or perhaps second to any in the monarchy.

Many are the libraries which have existed since olden times in Seville, and rich in the works they held, even without mentioning the valuable libraries possessed by the religious orders. Foremost among them stood the library of the above-mentioned College of Maese Rodrigo, with its rare collection of books bequeathed by Cardinal Bellugo, and which was added to the Provincial Library.

The Archiepiscopal Palace contains a library which is open to the public from ten in the morning to one in the afternoon. The library of the Medical Society is also accessible to readers, and many other private ones, whose history would be tedious to follow. However, I must give you a short sketch to-day of our most celebrated library, called the Biblioteca Colombina.

This library owes it origin to Don Fernando Colon, the renowned son of our first Admiral Don Cristoval Colon, or-as it would be rendered in English-Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the New World. Don Fernando Colon, no less desirous of glory and renown than his father, proposed to himself to erect a sumptuous establishment, sparing no expense, toil, or labour; making use of his exalted position and wealth to collect, during his voyages across both continents, a stock of all the rarest and best works which Europe possessed in those days, to the number of 20,000 volumes, thus forming a library that, as the chronicler Pedro Megia and others assure us, was the most renowned in the world. To this collection he added his father's library, the narrative, notes, and researches which he made during his continual studies before and after the discovery of the Americas. Yet it must not be thought that he rested here; but he undertook single-handed to form an index of all the books, and an extract of what each contained, for the grand object of sending copies to every literary establishment throughout the kingdom, to the end that all should know the treasures of knowledge contained in his library, and that knowing them they should come and

make use of what he had collected together for their research and advancement.

It is indeed a subject of admiration to behold displayed before us such love of science and so much labour undertaken for the diffusion of knowledge, and the immense efforts required to carry out this project during an epoch so different from our own. In this way he succeeded in making his library a universal depository of all human knowledge, and of the science of the ancients and of his time, enriching it with all the most celebrated works and manuscripts which it was possible to obtain. Justly does this establishment, more ancient than the Escorial, claim the highest rank of its kind in Seville, because to the richness of its collection is added the magnificence of the place it fills, with its vast saloons and galleries embellished with the portraits of all the prelates of Seville since the time of Don Felipe, son of Saint Ferdinand, down to Cardinal Cienfuegos, and all the eminent men of his time, among which are found the portraits of Arias Montano, Murillo, Cobarrobios, Don Diego Ortiz de Zuñiga, Francisco Pacheco, and others, and last not least the portrait of the immortal Christopher Columbus. Here is still preserved the sword of Count Fernan Gonzalez, which the famous Garci Perez de Vargas carried to the conquest of Seville.

On a future occasion I will give you a few brief words upon the foundation and progress of some of the learned societies which have done so much in furthering the higher studies and public instruction in all its branches, in connection with our University.

CURRENT LITERATURE.