Your correspondent C. says, "the whole story of the projected sale to
Russia is absolutely unfounded." He seems to consider that, because the
Princess Lieven never heard a syllable about the matter, the whole story
was unfounded--that is, that when a part of a story is untrue the whole
must be untrue. What is really the truth I do not positively _know_; but
I will give you the story, as I heard it at the time, from one who had
good means of information. George IV. disliked the expense of keeping up
the Royal Library; he was also occasionally out of temper at the claims
made or insinuated by some members of the family, that as the library
had not been bequeathed, they had all an equal property in it. To get
rid of the expense and the claims he resolved to dispose of it, and said
something about this wish at his own dinner-table. This was, perhaps, in
the presence of the Russian ambassador, or some distinguished Russian,
or at least came to his ears; and he spoke to Lord Liverpool upon the
subject, expressing a desire to purchase. Lord L. immediately waited
upon the king, and remonstrated in the strongest terms against allowing
such a library collected by a king of England to be sent out of the
country; and went so far as to say that he would resign his office if
the measure was persisted in. The king then resolved to relieve himself
from all annoyance about the matter by presenting it to the nation. Such
I believe to be the outline of the truth: the minute details I did not
"make a Note" of at the time, and will not trust my memory to relate
them.