IN preceding chapters, repeated instances of comparison, instituted by various persons and under diversified circumstances, between The relative position of London, and of some other metropolitan cities, in relation to The especial Theme of this book, have come under notice, Such comparisons, much to The disadvantage of London, may be traced in our literature for at least three centuries. Doubtless, The causes of The inferiority on different periods. this respect, which so many writers have assigned to The English metropolis, are manifold. some of Them, however, lie on The surface. One leading cause is, I think, plainly to be seen in The strong spirit of isolation which marks The history of British corporate bodies, closely allied as may have been Their respective pursuits. At this moment, Dublin affords a striking illustration of such a tendency, in The reception given to The Act of Parliament which was noticed towards The close of The last chapter. Another, though less potent, cause may, perhaps, be detected in The fact, that The custody of Libraries has been for ages assigned in this country to persons selected for all sorts of admirable reasons, except that of Their proven acquaintance with The economy of Libraries,—a science no more to be acquired without special and hard labour, than are other sciences.