You say the fault in these cases is the applicant's, for not complying with all your regulations; and you coolly talk of their imputing "the effect of their own ignorance or carelessness to the Officers of the Museum." I answer, that the Officers of the Museum have no right to impose regulations which are vexatious and unnecessary; which give useless trouble, and cause great loss of time. The applicants may almost as reasonably be expected to copy the whole of the first and last pages of books, as what you require; and because an unimportant mistake is made as to the date and size of a book, of which there is only one edition, and no similar Title in the English language, the salaried Officer of the Institution refuses, or rather justifies his subordinate in refusing the book, and thinks it decorous and proper to taunt him with "ignorance or carelessness."
There is nothing so attractive in this controversy as to induce me to bring others into it; and if you do not choose to believe my assertion, I cannot help it. I have not presumed to doubt anything you have said, nor to impute improper motives to your conduct. But courtesy is a matter of feeling, and I have no right to expect you to imitate me.
I must again say, that the matters under discussion can only be settled by a higher authority than yours. You have brought the subject before the Trustees,—I have, as I usually do on subjects which concern the Public, laid the facts before the Public. You can vindicate your proceedings either to the Trustees or to the Public. I avow and maintain all I have, and all I may yet say; but I decidedly decline to continue this correspondence, because I am sure it can lead to no desirable result, and for the other reasons which I have assigned. I consider the subject one of a Public Nature, and regret to perceive that you are angry; for, until your last letter, I had determined to avoid making any personal remark likely to displease you.
Believe me, &c.
I can have no sort of objection to your laying this and my last letter, together with the communication which you will receive from me on Monday next, before the Trustees, if you see fit.
No. XI. Mr. Panizzi to Sir N. H. Nicolas.
May 27th, 1846.
Sir,
I am surprised to find that the expressions which displease you most in my letter of the 26th instant, are those which I transcribed verbatim from one which you volunteered to write to me in 1837,[C] and of which I enclose a copy. You then warmly approved of those very arrangements which you now so violently condemn.