Admission of Literary Inquirers to the Public Records.
Regulations under which permission will be given to Literary Inquirers to make searches among the Public Records, without payment of fees, contained in a letter addressed by the Right Honourable Sir John Romilly, Master of the Rolls to Sir Francis Palgrave, K.H., the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records: dated at the Rolls House, 4th December, 1851:—
1st. That the individuals seeking to avail themselves of the permission shall address a letter to the Deputy Keeper, stating generally their objects of research, so as to show that the applications are really and bonâ fide for literary purposes, and that the applicant shall also attend the Deputy Keeper personally thereon, and give such further explanation as may be required; and that thereupon the Deputy Keeper shall, if he be satisfied with the statement and explanation, authorise the Assistant Keepers to allow the applicant to inspect such Indexes of Records, and also such Original Records, and to make such copies or extracts in pencil required by the applicant as the Deputy Keeper may think advisable.
This mode of proceeding, which is equally required for the security of the Records, and for the protection of the business searchers, will in fact be beneficial to Literary Inquirers; for the more fully they explain their objects, the better will the Deputy Keeper and the other officers be able to direct them to the documents which may be useful to them.
2ndly. That all the applications before mentioned be entered in a book, and be reported to the Master of the Rolls.
3rdly. That a book be kept at each branch office, in which the Assistant Keeper shall enter a note or particular of the Rolls, Records, Books, or Documents, called for, inspected, or used by the applicant, nearly in the same manner, mutatis mutandis, as is practised with respect to Manuscripts in the British Museum.
But this book is to be considered as confidential, and not to be shown to the public without express permission of the Master of the Rolls or Deputy Keeper.
4thly. That, in case of any impropriety or abuse of the privilege, the Assistant Keepers do forthwith report the same to the Deputy Keeper, in order that he may bring the same before the Master of the Rolls.
It will be necessary also to explain to the Literary Inquirers that the time of the various officers and other persons employed in the Public Record Office is so wholly engrossed by the performance of their present duties, that it will not be possible for the officers to assist any Literary Inquirers beyond the production of the documents, and giving a general explanation, if needed, of their character and nature. No applicant ought to present himself who is not sufficiently acquainted with the hand-writing, abbreviations, and language of ancient documents, so as to be able to read and decipher their contents.
The Literary Inquirer will have free access to the documents, but, this being done, he will have to conduct the inquiry from these documents in such manner as his own knowledge and capacity may best enable him to do.
G. W. is informed that the reading Public are indebted to John Bruce, Esq., the Treasurer of the Society of Antiquaries, for this important concession on the part of the Master of the Rolls; and it has been suggested that a suitable testimonial should be presented to Mr. Bruce by those historical inquirers who are likely to derive such valuable aid from his exertions.
F. S. A.
Literary Auctions.—That there is no lack of enthusiasm among amateurs for the possession of rare and curious works, is evidenced by the prices which some books of this class brought at a sale just concluded by Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson, being the first sale of importance this season. Among them may be noticed the following:
Orloge (l') de Sapience, folio, nouvellement imprimée à Paris, 1493. A very splendid specimen of printing on vellum, from the celebrated Press of Verard, ruled with red lines, bound in red morocco extra, gilt edges, by Bauzonnet, with a well made pigskin case to contain it.
Of this singular Ascetical Romance, M. Van Praet states that six copies are known as being printed on vellum: of these three are in the National Library at Paris, all of which are more or less adorned with miniatures, two of them, like the present, having the summary of the chapters (left blank for the insertion of the miniatures) written in a contemporary hand on the margins. The Harleian copy, afterwards in the collections of Count Macarthy and Mr. Hibbert, was adorned with thirteen miniatures: the present beautiful volume has SIXTEEN, the additional ones being at the commencement of the chapters, in which the same subjects are treated in a different manner. The whole of the fine miniatures are in the best style of French art. This lot sold for £45.