TO THE BISHOP OF LINCOLN. 



165 



former contains only copies of the Koran ; different commentaries 

 upon it, and treatises peculiar to the Mahomedan laws and religion, and 

 as such, could not be subjected to my inspection, but that the library 

 should be open to me, and on Saturday he would fix a day for my ad- 

 mission." This, my Lord, is the present state of the business. I 

 dare not be too sanguine in my expectations that I shall be able 

 to make any material discoveries, as I have received intelligence 

 so very opposite. Toderini, in his Leteratura Turchesa, not only 

 assures us that this library contains valuable Greek MSS. but gives 

 us a catalogue of them, which, he says, lie procured from a slave 

 belonging to the palace. This account is in some degree con- 

 firmed by the relation of a Mr. Humphries, now dead, who 

 declared that he, in company with a Frenchman, at present in the 

 Castle of the Seven Towers (from whom I hope to procure farther in- 

 formation on the subject) had actually seen in the Library several 

 Greek and Latin books : on the other hand an intelligent Italian 

 surgeon (who has likewise had access to this repository) as well as all 

 the Turks whom I have had any opportunity of consulting, affirm that 

 it consists solely of a collection of Oriental authors. I trust, my Lord, 

 I shall be able in a few days, to ascertain something decisive upon the 

 question, at least with respect to this Library. With regard to the 

 books preserved in the Treasury, perhaps when Youssouf Aga sees 

 that no bad consequences result from an examination of the others, 

 he may permit them too to be investigated ; or perhaps it may be 

 brought about by the Capudan Pasha's influence (if he return in the 

 winter) as he has always shown the most marked attention to Lord 



Elgin, and is connected in the strongest manner with Youssouf. I 



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should have been extremely happy if the time of my admission into 

 the librarv could have been settled a few weeks ago, as I might 

 then have had an opportunity of putting in execution a scheme, 

 which I flatter myself Your Lordship would not consider as unin- 

 teresting — I meant to have coasted along the southern shores of the 

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Black Sea, as far as Trebisond, occasionally stopping at the different 

 places which appeared best to deserve being examined. From Tre- 



