A Panizzi Esq
[added in another hand:] Rec. Dec 1st 1856
[added in another hand:] 24
Lacock Nov 30 1856
Sir
I am much obliged by your kind letter, and as soon as I shall be in Town in the course of two or three days I will do myself the pleasure of calling upon you, to receive the lithographs which you are so kind to promise me <1>
I remain Yours faithfully
H.F. Talbot
Notes:
1. The Museum Archives also holds a 2 December letter to Panizzi from Sir Henry Rawlinson: "Mr Butler has just left a memorandum in my room stating that the Trustees have directed copies of the lithographed Inscriptions of Sennecherib & Tiglath-Pileser to be at once handed over to Mr Fox Talbot - I do not of course pretend to contest the actions of the Trustees, but I must distinctly state that if this order is carried out, I must be allowed at once to withdraw from any further connection with the Museum,or with the task of editing the Inscriptions. I have been [illegible deletion] slaving for the last six months at these inscriptions, devoting 3 or 4 hours a day to copying, comparing, correcting proofs &c [illegible deletion] in the new hope that I might have the credit of publishing translations of these Inscriptions at the same time that the text were issued to the world by the Trustees- and now after all my labor I am quietly told to give over all all the fruits of my task to another person in order that he may enjoy the credit of it- Mr Fox Talbot has asked for these Inscriptions in or to be enabled to publish translations of them in certification of my new publication - and against this injustice to myself I do most strongly protest- Neither Mr Fox Talbot, nor any one else has a right to the Cuneiform texts, until the publication is concluded and issued to the world by the Trustees- and if as a personal favor to him they do thus ignore my clauses and frustrate the credit which I consider to be my due, they cannot be surprised that I propose to throw up altogether - and leave the further Editorship of the Inscriptions in their hands."