It will be necessary also to explain to the Literary Inquirers that the time of the various officers and other persons employed in the Public Record Office is so wholly engrossed by the performance of their present duties, that it will not be possible for the officers to assist any Literary Inquirers beyond the production of the documents, and giving a general explanation, if needed, of their character and nature. No applicant ought to present himself who is not sufficiently acquainted with the hand-writing, abbreviations, and language of ancient documents, so as to be able to read and decipher their contents. The Literary Inquirer will have free access to the documents, but, this being done, he will have to conduct the inquiry from these documents in such manner as his own knowledge and capacity may best enable him to do. _G. W. is informed that the reading Public are indebted to John Bruce, Esq., the Treasurer of the Society of Antiquaries, for this important concession on the part of the Master of the Rolls; and it has been suggested that a suitable testimonial should be presented to Mr. Bruce by those historical inquirers who are likely to derive such valuable aid from his exertions._ F. S. A. LITERARY AUCTIONS.--That there is no lack of enthusiasm among amateurs for the possession of rare and curious works, is evidenced by the prices which some books of this class brought at a sale just concluded by Messrs. Sotheby and Wilkinson, being the first sale of importance this season. Among them may be noticed the following: ORLOGE (l') DE SAPIENCE, folio, _nouvellement imprimée à Paris_, 1493. A VERY SPLENDID SPECIMEN OF PRINTING ON VELLUM, _from the celebrated Press of_ VERARD, _ruled with red lines, bound in red morocco extra, gilt edges, by Bauzonnet, with a well made pigskin case to contain it_. Of this singular Ascetical Romance, M. Van Praet states that six copies are known as being printed on vellum: of these three are in the National Library at Paris, all of which are more or less adorned with miniatures, two of them, like the present, having the summary of the chapters (left blank for the insertion of the miniatures) written in a contemporary hand on the margins. The Harleian copy, afterwards in the collections of Count Macarthy and Mr. Hibbert, was adorned with thirteen miniatures: the present beautiful volume has SIXTEEN, the additional ones being at the commencement of the chapters, in which the same subjects are treated in a different manner. THE whole of the fine miniatures are in the best style of French art. THIS LOT SOLD FOR £45. Literary and Scientific Obituary. CHILDREN, John George. Science. Late Secretary R.S. Halstead, Kent. GRAEFE, Dr. Christian. Greek and Roman Antiquities. St. Petersburgh. 11th December. JACOB, William. F.R.S. Political Economist. 31, Cadogan Place. 17th December. Aged 89.