Bethune, and submitted to him; it appeared, however, very doubtful if the Government were even then seriously bent on bringing the matter to a close, and when he came to examine the bill, he found many clauses of which he disapproved. He complained of this in a letter to Sir R. M. Rolfe, the Solicitor-General, the clauses were modified, and the Bill received the Royal assent on the 14th of August, 1838. ERCANTILE LIBRARY CHAPTER IX. LORD LANGDALE'S LABOURS TO CARRY THE RECORD ACT INTO EXE- LORD LANGDALE'S LORD LANGDALE now found himself charged with various onerous duties, but without being provided with either the powers or the funds necessary to execute them, which obliged him to address Lord John Russell as follows: "MY LORD, South Street, August 17th, 1838. "I have the honour to address your Lordship on the subject of the Public Records Act, 1 and 2 Vict. c. 94. I shall not for some time be able to submit to your Lordship's consideration the details of a general plan for the future management of the Records, but there are some matters connected with the subject of such immediate importance, that I hope your Lordship will excuse me for requesting your attention to them without delay. 1. Your Lordship will be aware that I cannot proceed to carry the Act into execution without first appointing a Deputy Keeper under the fifth section of the Act; and that as the Act does not fix the salary which that officer is to receive, it will not be in my power to propose to any one to accept the office until I am informed what remuneration is to be allowed to him. 2. The Act (section 8) requires that as soon as may be after the appointment of a Deputy Keeper, a Public Record Office shall be established; and I beg leave to suggest, that a place should be appointed where there may be in regular attendance an officer competent to give information to every inquirer respecting records; to point out where they are to be found; how access is to be had to them; what, if any, fees are payable for searches and copies, &c. Such a centre of information would afford a public convenience which would be immediately and very sensibly felt; and it will become absolutely necessary during the progress of the removals which must take place before a final classification can be made. The utility of the office would be very greatly increased if it could be established in a house fit to hold the arranged and most useful Records which are now deposited in different places remote from each other, and also fit to receive, when in proper order, such other Records as may from time to time be cleaned, repaired, and arranged, and thought proper to be there placed. A nucleus for the General Repository which is aimed at would in this manner be at once obtained, and the public would with very little delay obtain no inconsiderable part of the benefit which such General Repository is justly expected to afford. The Rolls House in Chancery Lane is in the situation which, of all others, would be most convenient for this purpose, and it is sufficiently large to receive probably all the Records of the class to which I refer. The rooms which might be so applied are now occupied by Queen's Bench Records of comparatively small utility, and which (with many others now dispersed in various places) might, without any inconvenience beyond the expense, be removed to the Tower. But I do not know whether the house is, as to security from fire and other circumstances, in a fit state to make it a safe and proper place of even temporary deposit for the most valuable Records; and I therefore suggest that a surveyor ought to be employed to examine the house very carefully with a view to ascertain whether it is safe, or can at a moderate expense be made so. If the Rolls House is not or cannot be made proper for this purpose, I submit to your Lordship that some other building which may be made proper ought to be provided. 3. It is of very great importance to save from destruction or embezzlement, a large quantity of Records which are now without proper protection. Amongst these are the Welsh Records, which, by the Act 11 Geo. IV. & 1 Wm. IV. c. 70, s. 27, are left in the possession of the same persons who held them at the time when that Act was passed. I have reason to believe that these Records are greatly neglected, but I have not been able to obtain any accurate information concerning them, and I beg leave to suggest that they ought to be surveyed by some competent person, for the purpose of ascertaining in what state they are, and how far it may be proper or expedient to remove them to London; and, if so, what would be the probable expense and the best means of removing them. These are the matters which appear to me to require the earliest attention. I forbear for the present to mention any others; and I beg the favour of your Lordship to inform me whether I may, with your Lordship's approbation, apply to the Lords of the Treasury respecting the salary of the Deputy Record-Keeper, and the expense which may be incurred by acting upon the suggestions mentioned in this letter. I have the honour to be, your Lordship's most obedient servant, LANGDALE. The Right Honourable The Lord John Russell, &c." Lord Langdale also wrote to the Lords of the Treasury, and endeavoured to ascertain their views as to the salary to be given to a Deputy Record-Keeper, and on other matters of finance; he further wrote to Lord John Russell as to the question of the expenses of carrying the Act into execution: "MY LORD, South Street, August 25th, 1838. "I have received your Lordship's letter of yesterday's date, and until I have the honour of hearing from your Lordship again, I shall abstain from taking any steps by which expense may be incurred for carrying the Public Records Act into execution. I beg leave to observe that I have no further stated the details of a plan for the future management of |