| RefNo | MM/25/5 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from Henry Tattam, Rome, to Dr John Lee, 5 College, Doctors Commons, London |
| Date | 18 July 1839 |
| Description | Describes Tattam's stay in Naples and Rome and the libraries he visited. At Naples Library he found no Coptic or Sahidic manuscripts and was informed that Cardinal Borgia's manuscripts are in Rome though he did see some of Borgia's inscriptions on brass in the Naples museum. Has delivered Lord Palmerston's letter. Called on Dr Delecterius who informed him the library had Borgia's Thebaic manuscripts, which Tattam returned to view but was unable to copy without the permission of the King. In Rome the Vatican and Library of the Propaganda were closed but special arrangements were made for Tattam to access them. At the 'Propoganda' he viewed portions of every book of the new and old testaments in Sahidic and some in Coptic but did not have time to copy them all. Thanks to the influence of Cardinal Mezzofanti Tattam viewed the Vatican's Coptic stores but they had nothing he wanted and nothing Sahidic. The only other library in Rome with Egyptian manuscripts is the Augustin Library which has the manuscripts of the late [Friar] Bonjour and the Minerva library whose manuscripts are uncatalogued and could not be found. Tattam will leave Rome for Turin as it will soon be the unhealthy season and there is no more he can do there for his research. Sends regards to Lee and his wife [Cecilia Lee nee Rutter] from himself and Eliza [probably his stepdaughter Eliza Tate who accompanied him on his travels in 1838 to 1839]. |
| Extent | 4p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | On paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
| RelatedMaterial | Purchased from J L M Gulley October 2010 for £300 with MM/23/12 autograph letter from Benjamin Heath, 1775, and three other letters from Henry Tattam to to Dr John Lee; MM/25/6 to MM/25/8. Other correspondence of Tattam with Lee 1839 to 1865 can be found in the British Library, Add MSS 47490 to 47491A passim. See also British Linbrary Coptic and Syriac manuscripts Add. Mss 31 289 and correspondence with Sir A H Layard Add. Ms 39/01, and Bedfordshire & Luton Record Office archdeacon's letters ABA 6/37-95 and orders ABC v.132/1 |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA5859 | Tattam; Henry (? 1788 - 1868) | ? 1788 - 1868 |
| NA7536 | Lee; John (1783 - 1866) | 1783 - 1866 |