the purchaser of the Thoresby papers, including his MS.
diaries, his Album, and upwards of 1000 letters to him, a very small number
of which were printed in the collection, in two volumes, edited by Mr.
Hunter, one of the diaries, from May 14, 1712, to September 26, 1714, which
was sold with the lot, was after the sale found to be missing. It
subsequently came into the hands of a London dealer, by whom it was sold to
a Yorkshire gentleman, as I understand, but whose name I have not yet been
able to trace. Should this meet his eye, I will venture to appeal to his
sense of justice, entirely ignorant as I am sure he has been of the
"pedigree," to use your correspondent's expression, of his MS., whether he
will allow it to be longer separated from the series to which it belongs,
and which is incomplete without it. I need hardly say, I can only expect to
receive it on the terms of repaying the price paid for it, and which I
should embrace with many thanks.

JAS. CROSSLEY.

Manchester, March 8. 1851.

[The following advertisement of the missing MS. appeared in the
Catalogue (No. 33., 1848) of Mr. C. J. Hamilton, then of Castle Court,
Birchin Lane, now residing in the City Road, London:--"Thoresby's
(Ralph, antiquary of Leeds), _Diary_ from May 14, 1712, to September
23, 1714, an original unpublished MS., containing much highly
interesting literary information, with autograph on fly-leaf, thick
8vo., 436 {248} pages, vellum with tuck, closely written, price 2l.
12s. 6d." The purchaser was Mr. Wallbran, Fallcroft, Ripon, Yorkshire.]

_Closing of Rooms on account of Death_ (Vol. iii., p. 142.).--I am
acquainted with a remarkable instance of this custom. A respectable farmer
who resided in a parish in Bedfordshire, adjoining that in which I am
writing, died in 1844; leaving to his daughter the fine old manor-house in
which he had lived for many years, and in which he died, together with
about 300 acres of land. The lady, with her husband, was then residing in a
neighbouring village, where the latter rented a farm, which he has since
given up, retaining the house; but she positively refused to remove to the
manor-house, "because her father had died in it;" and as she still persists
in her refusal, it is unoccupied to this day. For Mr. ---- is not even
permitted to let it, except a part, now tenanted by a valued friend of
mine, which for many years has been let separately. The rooms and the
furni