[Footnote A:  These manuscripts are now in the possession of the Hon. Charles Sumner, who is also the fortunate owner of the Album Amicorum containing the autograph of John Milton.—­ED.]

The authentic manuscripts of Burke have passed through several hands.  On his death, they were intrusted to the eminent civilian, Dr. French Lawrence, of Doctors’ Commons, and to Dr. King, afterwards Bishop of Rochester.  To these two gentlemen we are indebted for the first eight volumes of the London octavo edition of Burke’s Works.  The career of Dr. Lawrence was cut short by death in 1809.  His associate had the exclusive charge of the papers till 1812, when the venerable widow of Burke died at Beaconsfield, and by her last will gave to Earl Fitzwilliam, the Bishop of Rochester, and the Right Honorable William Elliott the entire direction of the printing and publishing of such parts of the works of her late husband as were not published before her decease,—­bequeathing to them all the printed and manuscript papers for this purpose.  Eight more volumes were published by the Bishop, who died in 1828, a few months after the publication of the fifteenth and sixteenth volumes.  Mr. Elliott had already died in 1818.  The papers now came into the sole possession of Earl Fitzwilliam, the distinguished nobleman associated with the latter portion of Burke’s life, from whom they descended to his son, the late Earl Fitzwilliam, who, in conjunction with Sir Richard Bourke, published, in 1844, the four volumes of correspondence, with a few notes of unpublished speeches.

We have personal reason to know that there are yet other unpublished manuscripts of Burke in the hands of Lord Fitzwilliam, some of which it was our fortune many years ago to inspect.  Mr. Macknight, it appears, applied to the present Earl for permission to publish some of those which are preserved in the archives of Wentworth House, but, “out of obedience to the expressed wish of his father, who published all he thought necessary, he declined to sanction any further publication of these documents."[A]

[Footnote A:  Macknight’s Life of Burke, Vol.  III. p. 737.]

There are also letters of Burke which from time to time have seen the light, as they were communicated by their possessors.  Among these none equals in interest that addressed to Pitt with regard to his pension, which has been printed recently by Lord Stanhope, in his small, but rich and rare collection, entitled “Miscellanies.”  This important letter came to light among the papers of Pitt, and has been described by Macaulay as “interesting and very characteristic.”

The manuscripts now before us are none of these.  They have a history of their own.