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.