British Museum, May 19th, 1846. MY DEAR SIR, I hasten to answer your letter of yesterday's date, which I have this moment received. With reference to the delay of which you complain in the delivery of four out of five of the works you asked, it is now impossible for me to find on whom the fault rests. Had you informed me of the delay at the moment, I might have been more successful. The attendant who sent those four works to the Reading Room has not been here long; and may, therefore, have been less prompt in finding them than a more experienced hand might have been, and I regret it. As to the fifth book, it appears from your letter that you required a folio printed at London in 1720. You have, however, given on the ticket the size as 8vo. the place as "fvr," which, may be, is meant for London, and the date 1704. There is in the catalogue a work of Burchett different from the one you wanted, and immediately preceding it, "8vo. Lond. 1704." You mistook this part of the entry of what you did _not_ want, and applied it to what you did. Should you not deem this answer satisfactory, I will thank you by your informing me of it, that I may lay your complaint before the Trustees. Believe me, &c. No. III. _Sir N. H. Nicolas to Mr. Panizzi._ Torrington Square, 19th May, 1846. MY DEAR SIR, In reply to your letter I beg leave to say, that your explanation is wholly unsatisfactory to me. I did not make any complaint respecting the _four_ books, because I am so accustomed to such a delay, that I consider it a matter of course, though certainly not one of necessity. With respect to the _fifth_ book, I am of opinion that the _title only_ ought to be--as it would have been in the time of your predecessors--sufficient. I did however give, and correctly, the _Press-mark_, and there is no other book in the English language with that title. It is idle to pretend that, because a mistake was made as to its size and date, which, in the instance of a work of which there is only _one_ edition, cannot be necessary, and ought not to be required, there was any difficulty in finding the volume. If there had really been any doubt as to the work I required, why was not the question asked me, or _both_ books brought? whereas no notice whatever was taken of my application for _an hour and a half_, and then only because I insisted upon its being attended to. You seem to think that I should have informed you of the delay in bringing the _four_ books. I rejoice that I did not waste my time in such a manner; for now, when I do complain of a flagrant act of neglect, you think fit to justify it, by imputing it to myself, in not having given correctly that which ought not to be required. My next complaint shall be to the Trustees themselves.