“This was the substance, and, as far as I recollect, these were the very words of the communication which was delivered uninterruptedly, with his usual energy and clearness, and without appearing the least fatigued, or being stopped by coughing or anything else.
“I made the best acknowledgment I could for the honourable proof of confidence he gave me. I told him, strongly moved, almost to tears, that I hoped the day would be far distant when the British Museum should profit by his munificent gift; and here we shook hands most heartily and warmly, and I thanked him as well as I could for the affectionate manner in which he had spoken of me and of my conduct.
“He replied it was only justice. Then he added that he left the whole unfettered; that he thought we should have many duplicates among ours of his books, but that he thought we ought to have them; at the same time, he said, he did not care whether the Trustees sold his duplicates. I said they never did it. Very well, he answered. Then he went on to say that he would desire his executors to express a wish that the whole of his books should be kept together, and that a catalogue of them all should be published. But, he said, I shall not add these as absolute conditions, only as my wish.
“We spoke of cataloguing, of how the books could be kept together, &c., which I said could and should be done, as was done for Sir J. Banks, Cracherode, &c.; even without their desiring it. But the Dutch Minister, was announced; we began to speak of indifferent things; and presently I took leave and left them together at about four o’clock.
This document bears the following signature and note:—
“This paper was received by me from Mr. Panizzi, sealed up, on the 3rd of November, 1845, and opened and read at his desire by me on the 18th of December, 1846.
Mr. Grenville died on the 17th of December, 1846; therefore, the above document was read by Mr. Hamilton on the following day. The ”codicil” made to his Will is dated 28th of October, 1845, exactly a week before the incident narrated in the above memorandum.
Space does not allow us to make public a long and minute direction, given by Panizzi to his Assistant, Mr. Rye, for the removal of this Library to the British Museum; suffice it, therefore, to observe that it enters into all the details respecting the handling and removal of these treasures of typography.