No.  IV.

23, Dorset street, Portman square, November 3rd, 1886.

“Sir,

“I have the honour to remind you that, on October 13, I communicated with you officially requesting a temporary transfer of the Wortley Montague manuscript (Arabian Nights) from the Bodleian Library to the personal care of the Librarian, India Office.

“To this letter I received no reply.  But on November 1, I was informed by Mr. Librarian Nicholson that the Curators had considered my application on Saturday, October 30, and that the majority of them were unwilling to lend the manuscript.

“The same Curators at the same meeting allowed sundry manuscripts for the use of an Indian subject to be sent to the India Office.

“I cannot but protest against this invidious proceeding, and I would willingly learn what cause underlies it.

“1.  It cannot be the importance of the manuscript, which is one of the meanest known to me—­written in a schoolmaster character, a most erroneous, uncorrected text, and valuable only for a few new tales.

“2.  It cannot be any consideration of public morals, for I undertook (if the loan were granted) not to translate tales which might be considered offensive to strict propriety.

“3.  It cannot be its requirement for local use.  The manuscript stands on an upper shelf in the manuscript room, and not one man in the whole so-called ‘University’ can read it.

I have the honour to be, sir,

Yours obediently,
Richard F. Burton.”

“The VlCE-Chancellor, Oxford.”

In due time came the reply:—­

No.  V.

St. John’s College, Oxford,
November 6th, 1886.

“Dear Sir,

“I will remove from your mind the belief that I treated your former letter with discourtesy.

“I may say, that it did not appear to me to contain any question or request which I could answer.  You informed me that you had made formal application in September for a loan of MSS., and your letter was to complain of the delay in considering this request.  You told me that you had learned from the Librarian the cause of the delay (the want of a quorum), and that he had intimated that there would probably be no meeting formed before October 30th.

“You complained of this, and suggested that the statute regulating the lending of the Bodleian books should be speedily revised.

“As I had no power to make a quorum, nor to engage that your suggestion should be adopted; and as your letter made no demand for any further information, I thought it best to reserve it for the meeting of the 30th, when I communicated it to the Curators.

“I will lay the letter (dated November 3rd), with which you have favoured me, before the next meeting of the Curators.

I beg to remain,