“The correspondence which has passed between the Curators of the Bodleian Library and myself will be found in the accompanying printed paper.
“Here it may be noticed that the Committee of the Orientalist Congress, Vienna, is preparing to memorialise H.M.’s Secretary of State, praying that Parliament will empower the British Museum to lend out Oriental MSS. under proper guarantees. The same measure had been proposed at the Leyden Congress of 1883; and thus an extension, rather than a contraction of the loan-system has found favour with European savants.[[423]]
“I believe, my Lord, that a new statute upon the subject of the Bodleian loans of books and MSS. is confessedly required, and that it awaits only the initiative of the Chancellor of the University, without whose approval it cannot be passed.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) Richard F. Burton.”
“The Right Honourable The Chancellor.”
My object being only publicity I was not disappointed by the following reply:—
Hatfield House, Hatfield, Herts,
December 1st 1886.
“Dear Sir Richard,