SIR TREVOR LAWRENCEasked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether the Hamilton MSS. were offered for sale to Her Majesty's Government; and, if so, whether there is any correspondence or other documents which can be laid upon the Table of the House showing what occurred; whether the German Government have offered to resell any portion of the MSS. to the Government of this Country; and, if so, whether the offer has been or is being considered; and, whether it is true that two MSS. in the collection, viz., an Illustrated Dante and an Illuminated Bible have been valued by experts at a sum representing a large proportion of the purchase-money paid by Germany for the whole Collection?
§ MR. COURTNEYSir, neither the whole nor any portion of the Hamilton Collection of Manuscripts was offered for sale to the Trustees of the British Museum. The German Government has not made any offer to resell to the Trustees any portion of the Manuscripts, nor has any communication passed between it and. the Trustees. With reference to the rumours referred to in the last part of the Question, I learn that the Trustees have no information of the price at which the two Manuscripts referred to have been valued.