Aubrey's collection of notes and drawings concerning Druidical and Roman
antiquities in Britain, together with some miscellaneous historical
notes, entitled by him _Monumenta Britannica_, in four parts (now bound
in two folio volumes), was purchased, for £50, of Col. Charles Greville.
Accounts of Avebury and Stonehenge, which are important from their early
date (the former being the earliest known), are to be found in these
curious and interesting volumes[328]. The remainder of Aubrey's MSS.
came to the Library in 1860, upon the transfer of the books from the
Ashmolean Museum. See _sub anno_ 1858.
A collection of about 300 tracts, relating to American affairs and the
War of Independence, in forty-one vols., formed by Rev. Jonathan
Boucher[329], was bought for £8 18_s._ 6_d._ These are now included in
the series of tracts called _Godwyn Pamphlets_, in continuation of those
which came, in 1770, from the donor so named. Another large gathering of
American tracts, collected by Mr. George Chalmers, when engaged in
writing his _History of the Revolt_, was bought in 1841 for £24 13_s._;
at the same time, the first and only volume of his _History_, which
itself was never actually published, was bought for £2 7_s._
_Sale Catalogues._ See 1834.
When the new Copyright Act was introduced into Parliament in this year,
it was proposed to allow £500 _per annum_ to the Bodleian, in the manner
adopted with regard to six other libraries, in lieu of the old privilege
of receiving a copy of every book entered at Stationers' Hall. The
Curators, however, on May 27, resolved that it would be highly desirable
to retain the privilege, but that, should an alteration be made, it
would be inexpedient to receive an annual grant by way of compensation;
and in consequence of this opinion, the proposed abolition of the
privilege was abandoned.
[328] A short description of them will be found in Gough's _Brit.
Topogr._ vol. ii. pp. 369-70, and a fuller account in Britton's _Memoir
of Aubrey_, 1845, pp. 87-91. Mr. Britton, however, strange to say, was
not aware that the volumes had been for nine years in safe custody in
the Bodleian, and consequently deplores their unfortunate disappearance!
He describes their contents from an abstract in the Gough collection.
[329] An account of Mr. Boucher, who quitted America on account of his
royalist principles, and afterwards was Head-Master of a well-known
school at Cheam, will be found in _Notes and Queries_ for 1866, vol. ix.
pp. 75, 282.