Excerpt from Attempt at a Catalogue of the Library of the Late Prince Louis-Lucien Bonaparte

Incidentally, however, he acquired works of the very greatest bibliographical interest and rarity, many of which will be sought in vain in all the published records of the bibliographers. Even, therefore, from the bibliophile's point of view the Prince's library is one of extraordinary merit and value.

His primary object was the acquisition of every language and dialect represented in Europe; but in the course of years his ambition went further, and he hoped to gather together specimens of every known language which possessed even the most rudimentary literature.

It is more than probable that he succeeded with the European portion of his scheme; a glance through the accompanying synopsis of the contents of this work will only partly show what great strides he had made towards the accomplishment of his larger task, for it, as well as the Catalogue itself, is but the merest outline of the linguistic treasures contained in his library.

It had for years been his intention to compile his own Catalogue on a scientific basis, which would have demonstrated not only the relations of languages but the lessons to be learned from the shading off into one another of their dialectal varieties. A great portion of his life had been spent in the study of dialects, and the conclusions to be drawn from the survival of an odd word or two in some of the most out-of-the way specimens, as showing their original connection with others to which they no longer bore the slightest resemblance.

This work would have been one of the greatest philological importance, and would have proved a fitting crown to an arduous life of linguistic research.

It is more than probable that he would therein have conveyed to the world the final results of his investigations into the history of. The Basque language - that linguistic mystery which has proved so great a puzzle to all the eminent philologists who have attempted its solution.

Unfortunately death ended his labours at a time when all the vast material for his work had been gathered together, and just as he was about to proceed to its execution.

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