oks to the end of his
life, and in the year before that of his death he wrote to Dibdin, 'I am
trying my hand at a Classed Catalogue.'

In August 1892 this noble collection was purchased by Mrs. Rylands,
widow of the late Mr. John Rylands, of Longford Hall, near Manchester,
for a sum which was said to be little less than a quarter of a million
sterling; and on the 6th of October 1899 she presented it, together
with a handsome building for its reception, to the city of Manchester,
in memory of her husband. An excellent catalogue, both of the printed
books and the manuscripts, in three handsome quarto volumes, compiled by
Mr. Gordon Duff, the librarian, accompanied this munificent gift.

SIR RICHARD COLT HOARE, BART., 1758-1838

Sir Richard Colt Hoare, Bart., the historian of Wiltshire, was born on
the 9th of December 1758. He was the son of Richard Hoare, Esq., of Barn
Elms, Surrey (who was created a baronet in 1786), by Anne, second
daughter of Henry Hoare, Esq., of Stourhead, Wiltshire, and of Susanna,
daughter and heiress of Stephen Colt, Esq. He was privately educated,
and at an early age entered the family bank (Messrs. Hoare's Bank, Fleet
Street, London). In his work, _Pedigrees and Memoirs of the Families of
Hore_, etc., he writes:--'Blessed by my parents with the advantages of a
good education, I thereby acquired a love of literature and of drawing;
of which, in my more advanced years, I feel the inestimable advantage.
Destined, as I imagined, for an active and commercial life, I was
unexpectedly and agreeably surprised to hear, shortly after my
marriage, that my generous grandfather had intentions to remove me from
the banking business, and to settle me on his estate in Wiltshire; which
he put into execution during his lifetime, by making over to me all his
landed property, with their appendages, at Stourhead and in the
adjoining counties.' In 1783 Hoare married Hester, only daughter of Lord
Westcote, afterwards created Lord Lyttelton, who died in 1785, leaving a
son Henry Richard. In 1787, on the death of his father, he succeeded to
the baronetcy. After the decease of his wife he made an extensive tour
on the Continent, visiting France, Italy, Switzerland and Spain. In 1787
he returned home, but in the following year he paid a second visit to
the Continent, and did not return to England until August 1791. During
these tours he made a large number of drawings of interesting objects,
and 'for the gratif