Chap. IV. KING'S OR ated priority of working off. But I do not find in Book II, King's Recuyell-which now lies before me- -the THE iarity spoken of in the poet's story. Such a fault 'GEORGIAN' exist in the Roxburghe copy, which now belongs to LIBRARY. Duke of DEVONSHIRE. Other and authenticated otes, however, are abundant, which suffice to show ose knowledge of, and the keen interest in, his books, ich GEORGE THE THIRD was characterised. It was a better trait in him that he found real pleasure in ng that the treasures and rarities of his Library ved the inquiries and studies of scholars. Nor did ke narrow limitations. Men like JOHNSON and HORSLEY profited by the Collection. So, too, did ke GIBBON and PRIESTLEY. total number of Caxton prints amassed by GEORGE III rty-nine. Of these three are in the Royal Library at or-namely, the Recueil (1476?), the Esop (1484), Doctrinal (1489). THIRD'S AS AN keen enjoyment of the pleasures of collectorship, GEORGE THE ng added, in 1787, a passing taste of those of au- APPEARANCE p. As a Collector, the bibliomania did not engross AUTHOR. He had a delight in amassing fine plants as well as oks. The Hortus Kewensis (in both applications of 1) was largely indebted to his liberality of expendid to his far-spread research. He sent botanic miss to the remotest parts of Asia, as well as to Africa. the most cordial interest in those varied voyages of y which as I have observed in a former chapterlistinctive a lustre on his reign, and in consequence h such large additions were made to our natural collections, public and private. And he did much ote scientific agriculture, both by precept and by Book II, Chap. IV. THE KING'S OR 'GEORGIAN' LIBRARY. example. It was as a practical agriculturist that the King (under a slight veil of pseudonymity *) made his bow to the reading public by the publication of seven articles in Arthur YOUNG's useful and then well-known periodical, the Annals of Agriculture. Those articles have a threefold aim. They inculcate the wisdom, for certain soils, of an intermediate system of treatment and of cropping, midway between the old routine and the drill-husbandry, then of recent introduction; they describe several new implements, introduced by DUCKET of Esher and of Petersham; and they advocate an almost entire rejection of fallows. They further describe a method, also introduced by Farmer DUCKET, and then peculiar, of destroying that farmer's pest, couch-grass (triticum repens), by trench-ploughing it deep into the ground, and contain many other practical suggestions, some of which seem to have been empirical, and others so good that they have become trite. But the best service rendered by GEORGE THE THIRD to the agricultural pursuits, of which he was so fond, was his introduction of the Merino flocks, which became conspicuous ornaments to the great and little parks at Windsor. Part of the success which, for a time, attended the importation of those choice Merino breeds was due to the zealous cooperation of Lord SOMERVILLE and of Sir Joseph BANKS [see the next chapter], but the King himself took a real initiative in the matter; acquired real knowledge about it; and deserved, by his personal efforts, the cognomen given him (by some of those worthy farmers who used to attend the annual sales at Windsor) of the Royal Shepherd.' * Ralph Robinson' is the name signed to the communications to the Annals of Agriculture, but they are dated from Windsor. (See Annals, vol. vii, 1787.) Chap. IV 'GEORGIAN' The recreative pursuits, alike of the book-collector and BOOK II. the agriculturist, as well as the labours of the consci- THE ous monarch, were at length to be arrested by that KING'S OR ■t calamity which, after clouding over some months of LIBRARY. years of vigour, was destined to veil in thick gloom all ILLNESS OF years of decline-the years when great public triumphs 1910. crushing family afflictions passed equally unnoted by recluse of Windsor. "Thy lov'd ones fell around thee. Thou, meanwhile, Didst walk unconscious through thy royal towers, But who can tell what visions might be thine ? GEORGE III; AND HIS DEATH. January. en GEORGE THE THIRD died at Windsor Castle, on e his death, political writers have usually been BOOK II, Chap. IV. THE KING'S OR LIBRARY. to him-be forgotten in the preliminary summing up. What GEORGE THE THIRD did for Britain simply in conGEORGIAN ferring upon it the social blessings of a pure Court, and of a bright personal example, is best to be estimated by contemplating what, in that respect, existed before it, and also what came immediately after it. Comparisons of such a sort will serve, eventually, to better purpose than that of feathering the witty shafts of reckless satirists, whether in prose or in verse. Meanwhile, it is enough to say that no honester, no more God-fearing man, than was GEORGE THE THIRD, ever sat upon the throne of England. STATE OF LIBRARY IN During all the time of his long illness, the King's Library had continued, more or less, to grow. When he died, it contained sixty-five thousand two hundred and fifty volumes, besides more than nineteen thousand unbound tracts. These have since been bound severally. The total number of volumes, therefore, which the Collection comprised was about eighty-four thousand. At the time of the King's decease, the annual cost of books in progress, and of periodical works, somewhat exceeded one thousand pounds. The annual salaries of the staff-four officers and two servants-amounted to eleven hundred and seventy-one pounds. The Library occupied a fine and extensive suite of rooms in Buckingham Palace. One of them was large enough to make a noble billiard-room. The Royal Library, therefore, embarrassed King GEORGE THE FOURTH in two ways. It cost two thousand two hundred pounds a year, even without making any new additions to its contents. It occupied much space in the royal residence which could be devoted to more agreeable purposes. Then came the welcome thought that, instead of being a charge, it might be made a source of income. The Chap. IV. peror of Russia was known to covet, as a truly imperial BOOK II. iry, what to the new King of Great Britain was but a THE ly burden. He broached the idea--but met, instead of KING'S OR ›uragement, with strong remonstrance. he news of the royal suggestion soon spread abroad. ongst those who heard of it with disgust were Lord NBOROUGH (who is said to have learnt the design in ng, one day, with Princess LIEVEN) and Richard ER. Both men bestirred themselves to prevent the from publicly disgracing the country in that way. FARNBOROUGH betook himself to a conference with 'remier, Lord LIVERPOOL. Mr. HEBER discussed the er with Lord SIDMOUTH. By the ministers, public on upon the suggested sale was pretty strongly and atically conveyed to His Majesty, whatever may have the courtliness of tone employed about it. 'GEORGIAN' LIBRARY. ENCE BETWEEN GEORGE IV AND HIS MINISTERS ON DISPOSAL LIBRARY. R. Ford, in the Quarterly 1850), vol. Review (Dec., ORGE THE FOURTH, however, was not less strongly CONFER his equivalent.' He then sat down to his writing lxxxviii, p. 143; Comp. Commission ers on Brit. Mus. (also in 1850), pp. 117, 118. |