Autograph Letter Signed 'To Mr Cooper'.

English civil servant (1808-82), postal reformer, and archivist. Instrumental in the creation of the Victorian and Albert Museum and prominent in organizing the Great Exhibition. Two pages, octavo. Good, but on discoloured, foxed paper. An important letter, showing the chaos out of which the Public Record Office was formed. Begins 'Messrs Hallam & Pettet visited the Augmentation Office this morning and inspected the operations of the Commission conducted here - I directed the attention of the Commissioners to the fact that certain Records of a particular and definite description had become displaced from their proper depositories'. Gives several instances. 'The Commissioners fully concurred in the propriety of making an interchange of the Records to their proper series and to one locality and they suggested to me that I should communicate with you on the subject in order that steps for a mutual transfer might be submitted to the Board.' Gives precedent for such a measure. Ends 'perhaps it would be desirable to renew this subject with the Keeper of the Records in the Land Revenue Office with the view of perfectly executing the order of 1800.' Signed 'H. Cole'.