The Rev. John Price, B.D., the Librarian, died on Aug. 11, aged
seventy-nine, after forty-five years of office. A short biographical
notice is given in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for Oct., 1813, p. 400,
and a fuller account, together with many letters, and an engraved
portrait, with facsimile signature, (from a sketch taken in 1798, by
Rev. H. H. Baber), in vols. v. and vi. of Nichols' _Illustrations of the
Lit. Hist. of the 18th Century_. The following character of him with
regard to his discharge of his official duties is there given (vi. 471),
which in some respects forms a strong contrast to the representation of
Prof. Beddoes in the year 1787 (_see_ p. 197). 'In the faithful
discharge of his public duties in the University, he acquitted himself
with the highest credit, and deservedly conciliated the esteem of others
by his readiness to communicate information from the rich literary
stores over which he presided, and of which he was a most jealous and
watchful guardian. He was, from long habit, so completely attached to
the Library, that he considered every acquisition made to its contents
as a personal favour conferred upon himself.' It was chiefly owing to
his assiduous attention to Mr. Gough and his frequent correspondence
with him, that the Library was enriched with the bequest of the latter's
splendid topographical collections. But there is not much existing to
tell of personal work in the Library during his long tenure of office,
and the fact that nothing was done till near the close of that period
towards arranging and cataloguing the Rawlinson MSS., seems to prove
that there was no great activity in the Library under his management.
This is corroborated also by the wonderful difference which is
immediately seen in the annual catalogue of purchases; the Catalogue for
1813 grows at once from the two folio pages of the preceding year to
seventeen, while the sum expended becomes £725 in the place of
£261[284]. And the list of books forwarded from Stationers' Hall, and
hitherto received only twice yearly, at Lady-day and Michaelmas, becomes
in 1815 largely increased, while in the year 1822 the number of yearly
parcels is increased to eight. At the present time, as for a long time
past, books are received monthly.
The Rev. Bulkeley Bandinel, M.A. (D.D. in 1823), of New College, was
elected Librarian by Convocation on Aug. 25. He had been appointed
Sub-librarian in 1810, by Mr. Price, who was his godfather; and for a
short time previously had been a Chaplain in the Royal Navy, having
served with Adm. Sir James Saumarez on board the 'Victory,' in the
Baltic, in 1808.
The appointment of a new Librarian was followed by the enacting of a new
Statute, passed by Convocation on Dec. 2, which provided for the
increase of the Librarian's stipend to £400, exclusive of his share of
fees from degrees; for the appointment of two Sub-librarians, instead of
one, and these not under the degree of M.A., with salaries of £150; of
two assistants, Bachelors of Arts or undergraduates, with salaries of
£50; and of the Janitor, with a salary of £20. An additional annual
grant, calculated at £680, equal to that which resulted from the
provision made by the Statute of 1780, and to be paid, like that, out of
the yearly fees of graduates whose names are on the books, was
sanctioned, with the triple object of providing for this enlarged staff,
for the commencement of a new Catalogue, and for repairs hitherto
defrayed out of the general University funds. The state of the roof and
ceiling were said to be such as to justify an apprehension that they
must at no distant period be entirely constructed anew; happily this
reconstruction was only carried out with respect to the Picture Gallery,
and the roof of the Library remains as a precious relic still.
The hours at which the Library should be open, were fixed to be from 9
to 4 in the summer half-year, and 10 to 3 in the winter; the only change
since made has been the enacting, in 1867, that nine o'clock shall be
the invariable hour of opening on all ordinary days[285].
The junior assistants in the Library in this year were Mr. Francis
Thurland, of New College (B.A. 1812, M.A. 1814), and Mr. Sam. Slack, of
Ch. Ch. (B.A. 1813, M.A. 1816).
[284] Among the purchases is a set of the _Gentleman's Magazine_ to the
year 1810 for £52 10_s._
[285] This alteration of hours had been previously proposed in a Statute
which was to have been submitted to Convocation on Dec. 11, 1812, but
which appears to have been withdrawn ere the day came, probably because
this larger measure of revision of the old Statutes was already in
contemplation. A blank is left in the Convocation Book under that date,
by the then Registrar, Mr. Gutch; and his successor, Dr. Bliss, has
added a pencil-note to the effect that he supposes from the blank not
being filled up, that the proposal was previously abandoned. The Statute
of 1769 had required that the Library should be open in summer from 8 to
2 and from 3 to 5, but it was stated in some remarks which accompanied
the proposed enactment that these injunctions had 'long been disregarded
in practice,' and that the Library had been open throughout the year
from nine to three o'clock. But it was added that 'experience' had
'shewn that there is no occasion for requiring the attendance of the
Librarians before ten in the winter season.'