And now, my good friend, I hope to have fulfilled even your wishes respecting the earlier and more curious book-treasures in the Imperial Library.  But I must candidly affirm, that, although you may be satisfied, it is not so with myself.  More frequent visits, and less intrusion upon the avocations of Messrs. BARTSCH and KOPITAR—­who ought, during the whole time, to have been inhaling the breezes of Baden,—­would doubtless have enabled me to render the preceding catalogue more copious and satisfactory; but, whatever be its defects, either on the score of omission or commission, it will at least have the merit of being the first, if not the only, communication of its kind, which has been transmitted for British perusal.  To speak fairly, there is a prodigious quantity of lumber—­in the shape of books printed in the fifteenth century—­in this Imperial Library, which might be well disposed of for more precious literary productions.  The MSS. are doubtless, generally speaking, of great value; yet very far indeed from being equal, either in number or in intrinsic worth, to those in the Royal Library at Paris.  It is also to be deeply regretted, that, both of these MSS. and printed books—­with the exception of the ponderous and digressive work of Lambecius upon the former,—­there should be NO printed catalogue raisonne.  But I will hope that the “Saturnia regna” are about to return; and that the love of bibliographical research, which now seems generally, to pervade, the principal librarians of the public collections upon the continent, will lead to the appearance of some solid and satisfactory performance upon the subjects of which this letter has treated.  Fare you well.  The post will depart in a few minutes, and I am peremptorily summoned to the operatical ballet of Der Berggeist.

[109] [All this is profound matter, or secret history—­(such as my friend
    Mr. D’Israeli dearly loves) for future writers to comment upon.]

[110] [Mons. Bartsch did NOT LIVE to peruse this humble record of his
    worth.  More of him in a subsequent note.]

[111] [M.  Payne now CEASES TO EXIST.]

[112] My excellent friend M.A.  DE BARTSCH has favoured me with the
    following particulars relating to the Imperial Library.  The building
    was begun in 1723, and finished in 1735, by Joseph Emanuel, Baron de
    Fischer, Architect of the Court:  the same who built the beautiful
    church of St. Charles Borromeo, in the suburbs.  The Library is 246
    German feet in length, by 62 in width:  the oval dome, running at right
    angles, and forming something like transepts, is 93 feet long, and 93
    feet high, by 57 wide.  The fresco-paintings, with which the ceiling of
    the dome in particular is profusely covered, were executed by Daniel
    Gran.  The number of the books is supposed to amount to 300,000
    volumes:  of which 8000 were printed in the XVth. century, and 750 are