the Germans, and the inhabitants of Asia. Yet the memorial of these tribes has almost perished, except in the history of certain great events. Athens and Rome were most eminent at the time the arts flourished the inhabitants in peramong fection, and it is their long continued train of sculptors, painters, poets, orators, historians, contemporary with their powerful statesmen, which has given these two states the prerogative of superiority, and shed around them a dazzling blaze of eternal glory.

C.

BIBLIOGRAPHIANA.

Some Account of Mr. JAMES WEST.

[Continued from No. 17.]

MR. NICHOLS, in his amusing biography of Bowyer, has not devoted so large a portion of his pages to the description of Mr. West's collection, life,

and character, as he has to many collectors, who have been less eminently distinguished in the bibliographical world. Whether this was the result of the paucity, or incongruity of his materials, or whether, from feelings of delicacy he might not choose to declare all he knew, are points into which I have neither right nor inclination to inquire.

IT cannot be denied that strange stories have been told about the mode of his occasionally acquiring books; but, whether by lucky bargains, generous gifts, or singular discoveries, it were now idle to investigate: nor will I in the least pretend to admit, or reject, or doubt the fact of his having got possession of a certain unique MS. which he parted with in a manner highly to his own gratification, and to the increase of his revenues.

THE following is literally from Nichols's Anecdotes of Bowyer. • James West, of Alscott, in the county of Warwick, Esq. M. A. of Baliol College, Ox

ford (son of Richard West, said to be descended, according to family tradition, from Leonard, a younger son of Thomas West, Lord Delawar, who died in 1525), was representative in parliament for St. Albans, in 1741; and, being appointed one of the joint Secretaries of the Treasury, held that office till 1762. In 1765 or 1766, his old patron the Duke of Newcastle obtained for him a pension of £. 2000 a year. He was an early Member, and one of the Vice Presidents, of the Antiquary Society; and was first Treasurer, and afterwards President, of the Royal Society. He married the daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Stephens, timber merchant, in Southwark, with whom he had a large fortune in houses in Rotherhithe; and by whom he had a son James West, Esq. now (1782) of Alscott, one of the Auditors of the Land Tax, and sometime Member of Parliament for Boroughbridge, in Yorkshire (who in 1774 married the daughter of Christopher Wren, of Wroxhall, in Warwickshire, Esq.) and two

daughters. Mr. West died in July, 1772. His large and valuable collection of MANUSCRIPTS was sold to the Earl of Shelburne*. His very valuable collection of

*THE LANSDOWNE MANUSCRIPTS, which, after the sale of the BOOKS, were to have been disposed of by public auction, about a month ago, are now, to the joy of every rational man, most probably to be deposited in that great national receptacle, the BRITISH MUSEUM. At least, a character of high intellectual rank has introduced the subject to the notice of Parliament: and it is sincerely to be hoped, that the same patriotic spirit which prevented the dispersion of the HARLEIAN and COTTONIAN MANU SCRIPTS, and the TOWNLEY MARBLES, will, on the present occasion, maintain its reputation and consistency, by enacting, that THESE MANUSCRIPTS do become national property!' The spirit of the Chair, if it be again filled as it has been wont to be filled, will not, I am confident, be wanting to give efficacy to any measure which has for its object the preservation and diffusion of knowledge. I shall most probably continue this rote to some good purpose, if I extract for the gratification of all worthy bibliographers, THE PREFACE to the first volume of the catalogue of these MSS. as published by Messrs. Leigh and Sotheby, about three months ago. It is literally as follows:

THE late Marquis of Lansdowne's manuscripts unquestionably form one of the noblest and most va

books, (including the MS. notes of many learned men, already noticed in the Pre

luable private collections in the kingdom. They were principally accumulated by the industry of the two celebrated Collectors, Mr. JAMES WEST and Mr. PH. CARTERET WEBB, whose favourite study and amusement it was, to procure and preserve all the original papers and records, which they could meet with, relative to the laws, customs, government, topography, and history, both civil and ecclesiastical, of England and Ireland.

'Mr. JAMES WEST'S collection includes one hundred and fifteen volumes, in folio, of original Cecil Papers, with materials sufficient to make up the number one hundred and twenty. These papers were bought in 1682 by Mr. Richard Chiswell, a stationer of London, of Sir William Hickes, the great grandson of Sir Michael Hickes, who was Secretary both to Lord Burleigh, and to his son, the Earl of Salisbury. They were afterwards sold to Mr. John Strype, Vicar of Low Leighton, of whose executor they were purchased by Mr. West. These manuscripts were scarcely, if at all, known to Collins, Murdin, Jones, Birch, and other publishers of State Papers; and yet, if we except those of the Earl of Hardwick, no papers were more deserving of publication. In Mr. J. West's collection there are also Bishop Kennet's Historical Papers, which are very voluminous and valuable;-likewise Surveys, and other materials for the histories of the different counties of England, particularly Sussex and York