Benefit Societies in this town. Friendly or Benefit Societies were ordered by public advertisement, in the newspaper published by Mr. Thos. Walker, of this town, to enroll themselves, and deliver their rules for inspection, at the Clerk of the Peace's office, by order of James Taylor, Esq. Clerk of the Peace, at Michaelmas Quarter Sessions, in 1793.

LIBRARIES AND LITERARY CHARACTERS.

"To me be nature's volume broad displayed."

The town possesses an excellent library, situate behind the Parish church, in Shepherd-street, very extensive, built of brick, and measuring within the room 39 feet long, by 26 in breadth, exclusive of the octagon room attached at the east end; it is well lighted on both sides by ten windows in all, the octagon room lighted by three. This was founded by R. Shepherd, Esq. M. D. twice mayor of the borough, viz. in 1747 and 1755, and who died the 28th of November, 1761. This eminent physician was the founder of this library, and from this it is called "Shepherd's Library."

He was born at Kendal; but where he was educated, or when he came to reside in the town we have not been able as yet to learn.

Upon his death he bequeathed his very valuable library, (subject to certain regulations specified in his will) to the mayor and aldermen of this borough, for the use of the inhabitants, with a fund producing about £50 per annum, for its future augmentation, and the interest of £200 as a salary for a librarian; appointing the mayor and aldermen, for the time being, its perpetual trustees. It is somewhat curious that so eminent a personage, from whom the public are under such great obligations to him for his grateful bequest, should have so little preserved with respect to his biography; no memoirs of his life, to which we can appeal for information; no monument to record his memory, and scarce a stone to tell where he lies. It has been said that there was a stone laid over his remains in the church yard of the parish church, with simply the initials of his name cut upon it.

His residence was in Friargate, in the house formerly occupied by Mr. Henry Shakeshaft, tobacconist, below the King's Head; he used to grow angelica, for the purpose of candying, which it is said he gave in quantities to the poor and distressed. The mayor and

aldermen have the sole power of giving tickets or orders of admission, to worthy persons who may have a desire to enjoy the benefit resulting from reading within limited hours, that is, from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon, from the first of April to the last of September, and from the last of September to the first of April, to open at the same time, but to close at three in the afternoon; and that no persons be allowed to read in the library without a written order from one of the trustees, which is to be delivered to the Rev. Robert Harris, B. D. the librarian, and entered into a book kept for that purpose. That no book be allowed to be taken out of this library by any person whatsoever. The library contains valuable and extensive books, upon the following subjects, viz:history, ancient and modern; physic; geography and astronomy; poetry; entomology; philology; ethics; natural and moral philosophy; biography; chemistry; domestic economy; mineralogy; Latin, Greek, French, and Italian classics; pneumatics; meteorology; botany; animal life and vegetation; ornithology; conchology; agriculture in all its branches; narratives; voyages and travels; dissertations; anecdotes; politics; theology; law; divinity; topography; statistics; and architecture; together with Dodsley's Annual Register; Monthly Review; and British Critic, monthly. Indeed the town is extraordinarily indebted to this eminent physician for this act of disinterestedness and gratitude on his part, where the public have access to so valuable a library.

Many gross abuses exist in this excellent library, by leaves and plates being torn out, and books actually carried out of the room, some of which are never returned, and many persons attending who never received an order from the aldermen its sole trustees.

The author of this compilation has been considerably assisted by the following works extant in this library, viz:-Life of the Duke of Ormond; Thurloe's State Papers; Clarendon's History of the Rebellion; Journals of the House of Commons; Strype's Memoirs ; Burnet's History of the Reformation; Wever's Monuments: Leigh's Lancashire; Tanner's Notitia; Cambden's Britannia; Whittaker's Manchester; Grose's Antiquities; Drake's Antiquities; History of Friar Minors; Turner's Anglo Saxons; Carlisle's Dictionary; History of Endowed Schools; Dyer's Cambridge; Formulæ Anglicanum; Boyer's Memoirs; Monasticum Anglicanum; Horsley's Britt. Romano; and various other works of minor ir portance.

Proposals for an athanæum, including a circulating library, to be erected in the town, by a subscription of members at twenty guineas each, was proposed on the 30th of January, 1819, being the time the subscription library in Church-street, (held at Miss Gardner's) was dissolved, and the books ordered to be sold, by Mr. Hardy, at his auction-mart, Cannon-street, but seemingly sleeps in oblivion at present; a similar proposal was agitated before, as may be seen on reference to the Preston Chronicle of November 24th, 1818.

We gather from Carlisle's Endowed Schools, and Dyer's History of Cambridge, that the Rev. John Preston, D. D. and chaplain to James the first, preacher of Lincoln's Inn, and prebendary of Lincoln, was educated at the free-grammar school of this town; as a writer he obtained celebrity amongst those people called Puritans; his work on "The Divine Attributes" was published with his life; he took the degree of D. D. in Queen College, A. D. 1623, and died in 1628.

That famous divine the Rev. Isaac Ambrose, V. D. M. was curate of the parish church of Preston during the commonwealth, A. D. 1660, and afterwards curate of Garstang, he at last became a non-conformist minister, and wrote an excellent treatise entitled "The Primo, Medio, and Ultimo;" or "The First, Middle, and Last Things;" printed in 1701, with his portrait, in folio. He died A. D. 1663, aged 59 years. This Ambrose preached a funeral sermon on the death of Lady Margaret Houghton, in the parish church of St. John's, January the 4th, 1657, and addressed the mayor and corporation in an impressive manner, on the ravages which death causes amongst our near and dearest of friends and relatives.

During the commonwealth a laborious and eminent antiquarian resided within the town, of the name of Dr. Richard Kuerden, whose valuable manuscripts, amounting in number to seven folio volumes, relative to the topography of this county; they were deposited in the archives of the Herald's College, in London.Vide West's Antiquities of Furness.

Thomas Preston, M. A. and afterwards raised to the dignity of L. L. D. who performed with great pomp and diction the tragedy of Dido, before her Majesty the Queen of England (Elizabeth,) and disputed with grace and elegance against one Cartwright, at Oxford, on Thursday, August 10th, 1564, and was made Master

of Trinity College. Her Majesty conferred a pension on him of £20. per annum. His epitaph began thus-“ Conderis hoc tumulo Thomæ Prestone, de Prestonæ, Lancastre, Scholarum," &c. &c.

It may not be deemed totally irrelevant to remark here, that in the beginning of November, 1771, the celebrated transatlantic philosopher, Benjamin Franklin, L. L. D. and F. R. S. paid a visit to this town, at the house of Mrs. Beche, a lady well known amongst the higher circles of society.

This great statesman was in this country on behalf of the American Provinces, and probably when he was under some apprehensions for his personal safety, a short time before the war broke out.

Whilst on this visit, that illustrious genius and elegant writer amused his leisure hours by forming, with his own hands, one of those simple instruments of music now common as a toy, composed of rude pieces of wood, of various lengths, linked upon a string, and kept apart by the intervention of small corks. With this instrument, which was recently presented to Mr. Taylor, of this town, the individual who was destined to become one of the founders of a mighty state, amused the infant mind of Mrs. Hodson, a niece to the lady we have just mentioned. It will be known to those who are thus versed with the philosophical researches of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, that his attention was directed to this apparently trifling toy before he entered upon that series of experiments with glasses, which finally led him to complete the sweet toned musical instrument he so appropriately called the harmonica.

It is proper to

He also paid a second visit in the year 1775. observe that Mr. Richard Beche married Dr. Benjamin Franklin's only daughter. The will which he (Dr. Franklin) made previous to his death, in April, 1790, states his leaving both books, and shares in the Library Company of Philadelphia, to his grandsons, viz. Benjamin Franklin Beche, and William Beche; confiding that these two would permit their other brothers and sisters to share in the use of them.

Mr. C. Taylor, A. B. one of the masters of Preston Free Grammar School, published a poem, inscribed to his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, on his expedition against the Scots: printed by J. Stanley and J. Moon, in the year 1750.

About 1755 Mr. R. Shepherd, writing master and accountant,

of the Free Grammar School, published a treatise on Book-keeping. &c. and sold by himself at his house, near the church. This book may be seen in the the town's library to this day, and a more excellent treatise I never saw.

As a tribute of respect I must not forget that well-known character Mr. Peter Newby, (now living,) he formerly kept a respectable academy at Haighton, near this town, for the education of young gentlemen, and afterwards becaine a bookseller, in Preston. He now depends upon the public, in general, by writing epistles for them, upon any topic they may please to suggest to him; and occasionally teaches the Latin, French, English and other languages. He was educated at Douay, in Frar.ce, and intended for the priesthood. He published, some years ago, a book of Poems, with an excellent portrait, in 2 vols. 8vo., which on perusal prove him both the scholar and the gentleman. His Almoona, a poem, was published previous to his Poems, as a separate work, and is very scarce.

Mr. Patrick Robertson, of the mercantile academy, in this town, published, in December, 1808, an emblematical representation of the death of Lord Nelson, Duke of Bronte, inscribed by permission to the Duke of Gloucester; this was engraved by an eminent artist in London, and published by subscription. It conveys to posterity the glorious tidings that on the 21st of October, 1805, the British fleet, under the command of Admiral Nelson, defeated the combined fleets of France and Spain, and that in the hour of victory the hero fell, and died without regret-regretted by all. One of these pieces may be seen in the Guild-hall News-room. Mr. Moses Holden was educated in this town. He turned his attention to the study of astronomy, which enabled him to commence a course of lectures upon that heavenly science, accompanied by appropriate machinery, of his own construction, in the Theatre Royal, on Friday, April 7th, 1815, and other periods, tickets 7s. 6d. and 5s.; at present he is giving lectures, in various parts of the kingdom, on the above sublime science. It was gratifying to all lovers of astronomy to hear that he had constructed a grand transparent orrery, twenty-one feet diameter, very splendid, and more correct than any which has yet been exhibited to the public, and upon which he intends to deliver all subsequent courses of lectures illustrative of the sublime operations of nature, as displayed