SIR GEORGE GREY'S LIBRARY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3484, 6 September 1882, Page 4

SIR GEORGE GREY'S LIBRARY.

It may not be inappropriate at the present juncture to refer to some of the treasures in Sir George Grey's library, for nowhere out of Europe does such a collection exist. There are in it many original books and MSS. of which no copies are to be found in the oldest libraries of the world. Among the latter (says the Auckland Herald) are the original MSS. from which the first Yulgato Bible was printed by Eaust and Schoeffer in 1462. There is also a copy of what is known as Cardinal Ximenes's Bible. Only 600 copies of this Bible were printed, on vellum, and £483 was paid for a copy at the Pinelli sale. There are two codices of some of the Gospels in this library, which, it is stated, have never come under the notice of tho Translation Company of the Revised New Testament, and with which the new version will yet have to be collated. Among the curiosities of the library is a collection of Books of Common Prayer, authorised by each King and Queen of England from the reign of King Edward VI. down to the present form. One of the rarest books is the' Speculum Humanum Salvationes,' printed in block letters, before tho invention of detached types, by Laurenzes John Koster, of Haarlem, about 1438. The paintings in the book are in the ancient style of art. Of illuminated missals there are Eeveral specimens remarkable for antiquity, beautr, and ornamentation. A picture of the ' of Stephen' is a perfect gem. Of State papers there is a valuable collection —portions of Milton's Latin correspondence during the Commonwealth, letters of Mr Philip Meadowes and John Thurloe to Cromwell, and other documents relating to the Cromwellian epoch. A curious document is the secret treaty or Protestant. League, between England nnd the Low Countries, with the signatures and seal of tho signatories. Carlyle, who wrote tho ' Life and Letters of Cromwell,' was unaware of the existence of the document till Sir George Grey drew his attention to it by letter. Mr Carlyle replied that he felt too old to re-write his book, but he hoped the correction would be made in future editions. In addition there is a valuable collection of autographs of eminent men. There is an autograph of Louis XVI., attached to a passport granted to an English Ambassador, and a cheque signed by Marie Antoinette, on the 6th November, 1879, for 4.000 livres. That cheque has never been paid yet, and Sir George Grey has humorously asked before now—what would be the consequences if he were to proceed to Paris some day and asked for payment? Among other rare works is an edition of Chaucer, 1493, edited by Pynson; a first edition of Spencer's 'Faerie Queene,' in two volumes, 1590 and 1596, dedicated to Queen Elizabeth ; a Caxton Bible; a copy of ' Pericles of Tyre,' 1609, by '"William Sbake-Speare ' ; and Shakespeare's ' Sonnets 'of 1640. There i 3 a New Testament in the aboriginal language of New South Wales, now extinct; a complete collection of manuscripts referring to all the Polynesian languages ; a Book of Mormon in the secret hieroglyphic character: a dictionary in tho Cree-indian language ; ancient Coptic M.S., an Egyptain M.S., enclosed in the skin of the alligator (doubtless one of the sacred works of the ancients); a manuscript which formerly had a place in the Berlin Museum, and to which a curious history is attached ; the original score of the ' Watch on the Rhine,' presented to Sir George Grey by its celebrated composer. There are fac similes of many celebrated books in the British Museum. Among the letters are several in the handwriting of Milton and Sir Philip Meadowes in the olden time, and Dr Livingstone and other eminent men in modern times. In the library are specially-bound presentation copies of the ' Queen's Book' and ' Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands.' They contain the following inscription in the Q.ueen's handwriting on the flyleaf:—'To Sir George Grey, X.C.8., in recollection of our beloved Prince, from his widow, Victoria, R. Not the least interesting work in tbe collection is the printed catalogue of the library presented by Sir Georg® Grey to the inhabitants of Cape Town, South Africa. It is incomplete but is a work of goodly proportions, and has been beautifully printed at the Cape. In addition to collecting rare books and manuscripts Sir George Grey has also formed an art gallery, which contains many valuable paintings. Among them are some of tho works of Rubens, Guide, and Sir Joshua Reynolds.