Letter received by Banks from John Lewis Burckhardt, 20 January1812 (Series 72.012) - No. 0002

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of July 1812; it is marked I. B. ALEPPO. Then Manuscripts are the fruit of my Savings in Syria and have been purchased at Damascus and at Aleppo. Several of them are Scarce and valuable, and I flatter myself that the whole are well chosen. Were it not for the French Consul in Syria who buy up numbers of Mss. for the library at Paris, I might have better succeeded in my purchases, circumscribed even as my means were.  I often regretted not to have had similar commissions from for some of the public libraries in England.  An anual Sum of £2-300, properly applied for that purpose would entirely exclude all foreign competition from the Syrian book market. On the top of the list you will find an old edition of Belon's travels in the East, which I beg you to put up for my sake amongst your collection of books of travels.  The list contains likewise Some Specimens of rocks collected in various parts of Syria, which have little more value than that imparted to them by the celebrity of the Spots where they have been pick'd up.  Amongst the MSS. [manuscripts] is a collection of private Arabic letters; part of which form my own Syrian correspondence, the rest I collected here and there as the curious composition of some of the best writers and most conspicuous public caracters [characters] in Syria.  Nothing has been of more essential Service to me in the Study of the vulgar Arabic than the reading of these and many other letters.  I may perhaps have an opportunity of Sending you a Second parcel of books from Damascus.

Letters have arrived at Cairo in June last from Mr. Seetzen