Abbotsford Club > Historical memoirs of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a portion of the reign of King James the Sixth

PREFATORY NOTICE. xxv
in the Library fliould be dii'pofed of. The Goth?, who had the fuperiu-
tendance of this bufinefs, knew fo little of their value, that the mofl valu-
able MSS. were fold by the quintal, or burnt. Many of the prifoners
pilfered (if I may ufe the expreffion) in the wreck. Mr Ilartman Har-
tembcrg found a box containing feveral Papers, in each of which was a
lock of the hair of one of the Scotch Royal Family. There was one of
each of the Stuarts, witli a fmall Latin infcription indicating to whom it
had belonged," &c.
It is with mingled feelings of anxiety and pleasure, that the
Editor has to announce an unexpected, but very interesting arti-
cle of intelligence, recorded in the fleeting pages of an Edin-
burgh Newspaper, which he likewise met with in the coitrse of
prosecuting the present enquiries.* At the period of the French
Revolution, the superiors of the Scots College actually seem to
have been in treaty with the Trustees of the British Museum
for the sale of the ]\Ianuscripts and literary reliques belonging
to that national institution. This newspaper notice is com-
municated in a manner so very brief, vague, and tantalizing,
that the cause of that negotiation having been interrupted, or
entirely broken off, can now be only surmised. It is in the
following terms : — " The curious JNIanuscripts in the possession
of the Scotch College at Paris will be a most valuable and in-
teresting addition to the treasures of the British Museum."!
During a recent visit of the Editor to London, Sir Henry
Ellis and Mr Forshall, at his request, politely examined the cor-
respondence and minutes of the ISIuseum, but he regrets to say,
that no traces of such a negotiation can now be found among
the documents in the possession of the present trustees. He
has also searched a variety of magazines and periodicals of that
* The paragraph was pointed out to the Editor by James Maidii)<?nt, Ksq. Advocate,
f Edinburgh Evening Coiirant, Nov. 1, I7lJ0.
d