In the curious and able article entitled "The Domestic Life of Edmund
Burke," which appeared in the _Athenæum_ of Dec. 10th and Dec. 17th (and to
which I would direct the attention of such readers of "N. & Q." as have not
yet seen it), the writer observes:
"There is not in existence, as far as we know, or have a right to infer
from the silence of the biographers, one single letter, paper, or
document of any kind--except a mysterious fragment of one
letter--relating to the domestic life of the Burkes, until long after
Edmund Burke became an illustrious and public man; no letters from
parents to children, from children to parents, from brother to brother,
or brother to sister."
And as Edmund Burke was the last survivor of the family, the inference
drawn by the writer, that they were destroyed by him, seems, on the grounds
which he advances, a most reasonable one. But my object in writings is to
call attention to a source from which, if any such letters exist, they may
yet possibly be recovered; I mean the collections of professed collectors
of autographs. On the one hand, it is scarcely to be conceived that the
destroyer of these materials for the history of the Burkes, be he who he
may, can have got _all_ the family correspondence into his possession. On
the other, it is far from improbable that in some of the collections to
which I have alluded, some letters, notes, or documents may exist,
treasured by the possessors as mere autographs; but which might, if given
to the world, serve to solve many of those mysteries which envelope the
early history of Edmund Burke. The discovery of documents of such a
character seems to be the special province of "N. & Q.," and I hope,
therefore, although this letter has extended far beyond the limits I
originally contemplated, you will insert it, and so permit me to put this
Query to autograph collectors, "Have you any documents illustrative of the
Burkes?" and to add as a Note, "If so, print them!"