satisfaction to state, that means apparently effectual have been proposed, and are about to be carried into execution. 8. According to the Returns made from the principal repositories, it appears that their Calendars and Indexes are in general sufficiently complete, with some few exceptions, which will be noticed more particularly when the committee come to point out what remains to be done on this head. 9. The official establishments of some of the great repositories want regulation, either where the fees are fixed at too high a rate, or are wholly unascertained; these also will be particularly noticed amongst the further measures which the committee will have to propose.

10. In the course of this investigation it has appeared to the committee to be not inconsistent with their duty upon this occasion, to suggest that it may be proper to destroy those documents which it is useless and inconvenient to preserve.

Of the first sort, a striking example occurs in the instance of the Exchequer Port Bills, which were established in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth; they were afterwards superseded by a change of system in the Customs, condemned as imperfect and useless by the commissioners of accounts, in 1780, and finally stopped (under the recommendation of the Finance Committee) in 1799. The former imperfect and useless returns, nevertheless, continue to incumber the King's Remembrancer's office, the office of the Auditors of the Land Revenue, and other offices.

It is undoubtedly right to proceed with the utmost caution in destroying any public Books or Papers whatever; but it seems evident, that in all branches of the Exchequer, and in many other offices, the books of temporary use, whereof the contents are afterwards entered of record, might be destroyed much to the convenience of the office, and without any detriment to the Public.

In the same light the committee have had occasion to

notice in the Pell Office in the Exchequer of Receipt, a most useless waste of time and money, by engrossing on parchment the copies of the Paper Books in which all the transactions of the office have been regularly entered; and also by making up declarations of accounts at Easter and Michaelmas annually, which according to the modern course of the Exchequer are utterly unserviceable. It is computed that no less than £50,000 has been expended in this article unnecessarily during the present [18th] century.

On the other hand, for the purpose of collecting the best information on the methods to be observed in making up and preserving the useful Records, and rendering them more serviceable to the public, the committee have not only called upon each separate officer for his opinion on what concerned his own particular department, but they have also obtained from persons most eminent for their skill and experience (whose general assistance they have used throughout this inquiry) a distinct and detailed explanation of the modes, which, according to their observation and judgment, it would be most advisable to adopt in future, for writing and preserving the public records, books and papers, in all offices and repositories. It is with confidence the committee refer to these opinions as containing much practical detail of real utility to those on whom the execution of these services may rest, repecting the different characters of hand writing in different ages; the most durable Ink (a subject which well deserves a chemical investigation), and the different modes of restoring its appearance when faded, or nearly obliterated; the materials for forming rolls or books, the circumstances of preference belonging to each, and the advantages or disadvantages attending the structure and distribution of the Buildings destined for their preservation.

11. Lastly, that the House may have the fullest proof of

the desire entertained by the committee to render their inquiries profitable to the public, they have analysed the contents of all the returns which they have received, and they have drawn up a SYSTEMATIC VIEW of them all, arranged under the leading divisions of our constitution, government and jurisprudence: in addition to which they have caused Two TABLES to be prepared by very learned and able persons, which they shall present to the House in a subsequent report; the first of these tables exhibiting under this SYSTEMATIC arrangement all the dates of the several instruments, and the places in which they are deposited; the second exhibiting an ALPHABETICAL enumeration of the same articles in a more detailed manner, with additional explanations of their nature, and references to the particular contents of some of the most important records, such as the Close Rolls at the Tower,* as well as to all the authentic copies and catalogues of Public Records and papers which are known to exist, in print or manuscript; distinguishing England from Scotland throughout, for the sake of perspicuity and practical convenience.

The importance and variety of the entries upon the Close Rolls, will be best understood from the following statement in the return made by the Keeper of the Records in the Tower.

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." On the Close or Claus Rolls are entered a great variety of documents which relate to the prerogatives of the Crown, the privileges of the Peers and Commons, the different branches of judicature, civil, ecclesiastical, naval and military; the measures used for manning and fitting out our Fleets and Armies; for the raising of subsidies and imposts; for suppressing of Riots and Tumults, and for the preservation of the Peace of the Kingdom, with a great variety of writs and mandates for regulating every branch of the affairs of the Royal Household, and for the Coin of the Kingdom, &c. On the backs of these Rolls are writs of Summons to Parliament, and for the expenses of Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses; Proclamations; Inrolments of Deeds between Party and Party; Liveries, and Seisins of Lands, &c. &c,"

With respect to the materials from which these Tables are compiled, it is necessary to observe, that some of the repositories have confined their returns to those manuscripts of which no catalogue has been hitherto printed, and have omitted all the articles in their possession which have been enumerated in Catalogues already printed, such for instance are the returns from the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and for the greater part, of the Museum. The limits necessarily assigned to an inquiry like the present, have not allow. ed the committee to institute a re-examination of these articles; and it seems enough for public use, that they should be here pointed out. The same observation applies also to the numberless copies and transcripts of records and other public documents collected by Lord Hale, Sir William Dugdale, Ashmole, Pepys, and Madox, some of the most remarkable of them are referred to, under the original articles to which they belong; but it must be always considered, that as well with regard to originals as transcripts, further recourse is to be had to those printed. Catalogues which are already in the possession of the Public, as auxiliary and supplementary to these Tables.

III. FURTHER MEASURES RECOMMENDed.

It remains for the Committee to state, next, the further measures, which, in their judgment, it may be advisable to adopt, for attaining the ends which the House have directed them to keep in view throughout this inquiry: and in doing this, it will be most convenient to assign a distinct consideration to what regards ENGLAND, and what belongs

* Ex. gr. Catalogi MSS. Angliæ et Hiberniæ, Oxon, 1697.-The Catalogue of the Cottonian and Harleian MSS. in the British Museum ; the Catalogue of Corpus Christi Coll. Cantab. by Nasmith; and the Catalogue of the MSS. of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, by Todd.

separately to SCOTLAND, an essential difference of technical distinctions in these matters prevailing in the two Countries.

ENGLAND.

The Heads of observation which occurred to the Committee upon this part of the subject, are, 1. Buildings; 2. Calendars and Indexes; 3. Transfers; 4. Establishments of Office; 5. The Selection of such Records as it may be expedient to print under the authority of Parliament. First, of Buildings.-These are in many instances public, but in many they are private property.

Some of the Public Buildings require additional accommodations or repairs, and others to be rebuilt.

The CHAPTER HOUSE requires to have a Building added to it, which may serve as an office for affording a more convenient inspection of the Records there, to all who have occasion to consult them; and at the same time that it furnishes a better accommodation for transcribing them when required, it will enable the several clerks upon this Establishment to proceed more diligently and constantly in completing their Indexes and Repertories, than can be expected of them during the greater part of the year in the present state of the apartments allotted for this business. The Committee recommend this measure with the more confidence, inasmuch as they find that the House of Commons presented an address to his present Majesty for erecting a Building contiguous to the Rolls Chapel for similar purposes; which has been since erected accordingly, and found to be productive of great convenience to the Public.

At the TOWER, nothing is wanting to its complete repair, except some additional support to the frame work and stages in the large apartment adjoining to what is commonly called Cæsar's Chapel.