Autograph Letters

12mo, 2 pp. Twenty-two lines. Text clear and complete. Regarding his footman Alfred McCloud, who has obtained with the recipient 'as Messenger'. I have taken no steps to fill his place till now & in the middle of the London Season it may be very inconvenient to be without a footman'. His butler is 'taking immediate steps to secure a man', but he would 'be glad to know how far you could meet my convenience in waiting for A. McCloud until I am suited'.

Two pages, 4to, bifolium, fold marks, some discoloration, but text clear and complete. He takes the liberty of introducing "deux voyageurs,pour vous renouveller l'expression de ma reconnaissance: ce jour deux jeunes américains bien Elevés, fils des Colonel Howard [American Revolutionary hero and important in the development of Baltimore, etc] et [Sloan?] ... et ce qui est mieux de la consideration publique ils voyagent pour ... et désirent beaucoup de voir un héros de l'angleterre, c'est pourquoi j'ai pris la liberté de vous les adrèsser.

Four pages, 12mo, bifolium, fold marks, first page somewhat grubby, text clear and complete. fresh remarks but considers himself a poor hand at preaching in generalities. He thinks there is nothing to justify his expressing his views on direct taxation. Repeating oneself is damaging to a public man. [H]e bores his audience. Since his letters to Macqueen go into the London papers & are expected to be read generally I am always addressing the same audience.

All three items 8vo. The first of two pages, and the other two of one page each. Texts clear and complete. Fair on aged, creased and slightly-discoloured paper. Discussing his disagreement with the architect of a building over the width of two proposed uprights. Walker considers that these 'would handicap the fullest expression'. The first letter carries a simple pencil diagram of the window. He feels 'we shall all have forgotten this point' when the window is seen 'in all its glory'.

One page, c.16 x 17cm, some staining but text clear, trimmed (with loss only to part of a column of MS figures in the top right (total £27), part-printed, filled in in MS. Receipt for £27 from the Exchequer, three months annuity, granted under An Act for granting to her Majesty [Anne] new Duties of Excise . . .

One page, c.19 x 18cm, some staining and minor damage (mainly a few pinholes) but text clear, trimmed (with loss only to MS figures), part-printed, filled in in MS. Receipt for £12.10s from the Exchequer, three months annuity, granted under An Act for continuing one half part of the Subsidies of Tonnage and Poundage, and other Durties upon Wines, Goods, and Merchandizes imported . . .

Fragment, c.11 x 3cm, glue rings on back have penetrated and stained the front but the text is clear as follows: "with great respect | Your obedt Servt | John Abernethy." A scarce signature.

One page, chipped, punch-holes, fold marks, text clear and complete. He gives their reference and the title of his forthcoming book, saying "I sent the revises F & G of my book,last Monday, July 10. | If Iam not too late, please make the additional correction, which is shown in red ink on the attached proof sheet, p.67." Clarendon Press round stamp at top of page.

Dimensions c.7.5 x 2, with small hinges (as with stamps) on both sides (from appearance in album), signature clear on dingy background, "Yours very truly | R. M. Ballantyne [underlined]".

One page, 4to, dingy paper, fold marks, text clear and complete. Mr Phillips sent a few days since an enrgaving [sic] to Mr Bentley relative to 'Man as he is Vol 4 [Robert Bage, Man As He Is (1792)- he now wants Mr Bentley's reply, as he wishes to [?] out what is become of the Volume. Bentley adds WB never Saw Man as he is, nor Woman as She Should be.---. The note added in a different hand, Note from Richard Phillips afterwards Sir Richard to Mr. W. Bentley & Mr. Bentley's reply written by himself.

12mo, 2 pp.Twenty-six lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with strip of paper mount still adhering at head of second page (not affecting text). Presumably addressed to one of the contributors to 'Cambridge Essays on Education' (1917), which Benson edited, although none of the contributors corresponds to 'Sir John'. Benson is grateful for the essay, which will make 'a most useful & interesting contribution to our book'.

4to, 1 p. Fifteen lines of typewritten text and seven-line autograph postscript. Text clear and complete. Good on lightly aged and creased paper. Concerning Southerland's involvement in the Spanish-American War, in which he commanded the gunboat Eagle in the blockade of Cuban ports. He is glad Chapman is pleased with the report. He will send 'the photograph of the ARGONAUTA and one of the SANTO DOMINGO'. He asks for them to be returned, as they are 'amongst the few small mementos I have of the war'. In the postscript he writes that he has 'an 8'' by 10'' photo.

With printed pamphlet. Letter is one page, 12mo, tipped on to page extracted from personal album of Arthur Poyser, trimmed to fit a plastci envelope, with a small nick not affecting text, illustrating his career with the City of London Boy Scouts and the Boy Players (album offered separately). Buchan is only free for luncheon on the Wednesday but would be happy to discuss "the book" [the first "Scouts' Song Book" published in 1912) with him then.

4to, 3 pp. Bifolium. Fifty lines of text. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged and worn paper. He is willing 'to become a Patronizer' of the 'Society', and gives directions regarding shares. Suggests that 'the Committee should be a little more dovetailed with men of Rank & M.P.s as People always look at the Names in a Committee [...] I trust the Theatre will be West of Regent Street if Possible or of the Pantheon, & that the Committee Room may likewise be in the West'.

Strip of paper cut from letter, roughly 19 x 9 cm. Poor, on lightly-stained paper, with small section lacking from the breaking open of the seal, resulting in loss of one word. Postmark and fragment of address on reverse: '<...>d Twining Esqr | <...> Strand | London'. Reads 'Yrs very truly | [signed] Tho Hughes | 15 Sepr 1823 | I was glad to hear so tolerable an account of your father: while life continues <...> him, I hope it will please God to render it tolerable'. From the Twining archives.

Both letters are tipped in on a captioned sheet removed from an autograph album. Both items lightly-aged, but good. Item One: 12mo, 1 p. Inviting him to 'a small dance for Hubie' at a location 'lent by Miss Constable'. 'You need not dance!' Item two: 12mo, 1 p. Asking him to 'come fairly early' the next day, and to 'stay on after the children have gone & have supper - of a sort'. Refers to 'H's party'.

4to, 3 pp. Bifolium. Sixty-one lines of text. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged and worn paper. Docketed 'William Burrit [sic] & Hawes | Charles Palmer | Mar 15 & May 52 Recd'. Reminding Barret (or Burrit) of a letter written by Palmer from America two or three years previously, which he answered on behalf of the Heir at Law Society.

12mo, 1 p. Aged, grubby and creased, with slight loss to bottom left-hand corner, and closed tear to one margin. Requesting 'one or two choicest leather trout-fly books with plenty of pages, but not those with printed descriptions of flies'.

16mo, 1 p. Bifolium. Eight lines. Text clear and complete. On stained, aged paper. An uncommon autograph, written in a distinctive stylised hand in purple ink. Reluctantly announcing his inability to go on 'the Barge trip', which he had looked upon 'as the pleasantest excursion of the year, & alas & alas (not that a lass has any thing to do with my engagement) I shall be unable to be with you'.

8vo, 1 p. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with a couple of punch holes to the left margin (one through a word of text). Thanking him for his 'kd letter of appreciation of my work as chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution'. He now has 'another public duty concerned with the same field'.

4to, 2 pp, with four-line postscript on the third page. Bifolium. Twenty-two lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged and dusty paper. Addressed, with two postmarks, on the reverse of the second leaf. Regarding the payment of a bill. He has come to Birmingham to collect 'many accounts in this neighbourhood - and sometime overdue', but was 'impeded on my journey at Oxford'. As a result he is sending 'my acceptance at 1 days for £100 as it would be better that you should receive it on the 13th than the 14th - the day it is due'.

4to, 1 p. Ten lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with some creasing at head. The delay in replying is due to 'a rather severe attack of influenza'. She has no photograph to send ('I have been meaning to have some new ones taken, but never seem to get time'), but is 'so glad that my books give you pleasure, & I hope that I shall be able to continue to entertain you with them'.

4to, 3 pp. Bifolium. Twenty-two lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper, with minor damage repaired with archival tape. Franked, with broken red wax seal and two postmarks, to 'Captain Saml Brown R.N.', at Inverleith House, Edinburgh. Despite the fact that Martin has 'given the Credit of every improvement in the Service', Napier happens to know 'that other people are deserving of more credit than him', and he wishes to 'bring forward some great names like yours' to 'the Lords & the Country' at the second reading of the Navy Officer Bill.

4to, 2 pp. Bifolium. Twenty-eight lines of text. Clear and complete. On aged and stained paper. Docketed by the recipient on the reverse of the second leaf. The recipient drew up her will in 1819, but 'the many changes from Deaths &c which have since taken place' mean that it 'no longer expresses my wishes in several particulars'. Asks a number of questions. States that she is 'aware that as a married woman I have no right to make a Will but as in the former distribution of my property Sir George Scott authorized my doing so (as you many remember) so he will now any alteration'.

4to, 2 pp. Bifolium. Twenty-six lines. Text clear and complete. On aged, creased and stained paper. Traces of paper mounts adhering. Docketed on reverse of second leaf. Requiring payment of her 'Rents for my House you at present Inhabit'. The recipient's non-payment of the rents since September 1790 'have occasioned me much Embarrassment. I can only imagine your reason for non Payment to have arrisen [sic] from the Suit that at present subsists at Law Respecting the Property & the House I have mentioned'. Gives reasons justifying immediate payment.

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium. Thirteen lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged and stained paper. With envelope, addressed in autograph. Addressed to Bowerbank in his capacity as Honorary Secretary of the Palaeontographical Society, London. Enquiring as to the publication date of four of the Society's books, 'to those members who have paid the whole of their subscriptions'.

4to, 1 p. Nine lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged and worn paper. He apologises for 'not sooner answering Capt Grindlay's note and thanking him for the very beautiful drawing which he sent him'. He reports that he showed the drawing to Prince Albert, 'who expressed himself much pleased with it, & admired particularly the grouping of the figures', referring to one of the original drawings for Grindlay's 'Scenery, Costumes and Architecture, Chiefly on the Western Side of India' (1826-30).

12mo, 1 p. Bifolium. Ten lines. Clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper. Addressed, with three postmarks, on reverse of second leaf, to 'Capt Grindlay | North Bank | St John's Wood'. Letter of introduction for 'Mr Vivian a Subscriber to the Oriental Translation Fund', who is 'turning his mind to Hindostanee Architecture'. Suggests a date for them to meet, when 'any of your Drawings &c he would be glad to see'. Grindlay was author of 'Scenery, Costumes and Architecture, Chiefly on the Western Side of India' (1826-30).

Landscape 12mo, 1 p. Fair, lightly-aged and with a punch-hole to the top left-hand corner. 'You will be grieved to learn that Walton excised my boy's sigmoid on June 19 and that he died of acute ileus on June 23.'

4to, 1 p. Good, aged paper, with traces of previous mount adhering to reverse. Reads 'The Duke of Northumberland presents his Compliments to Mr. Twining, & shall be glad to see him on Wednesday next at three o'clock. | Northd. House | Decr. 2d. 1799.' From the Twining family archive.