COLONEL

Two pages, 12mo. Good, with minor effects of damp. Text clear and entire. Twenty-five lines. Harraden has found an old acquaintance, Mrs Charles Routledge ('the widow of the son of Colonel Robert Warne Routledge'), in 'very distressing circumstances; she had been very ill from blood poisoning in the leg, had been in hospital, & in the work house'. Mrs Routledge has 'done her very best [...] to fight an adverse fate', working hard 'as a house keeper, maid of all work, servant of lodging house'.

8vo, 1 p. Good, on lightly aged paper. He is sorry but he will 'have to shorten my visit'. He has to 'make some arrangements about a play and the only opportunity I will have of seeing the manager concerned will be on Sunday'. He 'can come up on Sunday morning easily enough', but will have to 'cut short' his visit.

On a piece of card roughly 14.5 x 7.5 cm. The signatures, in purple pencil on a somewhat-grubby side of the card, read 'Colonel Koltinsky | Count | Prince Obolensky | Count Nirod | Count Kapnist | Prince Dolgorouky'. The other side of the card, headed 'Menu', is stained, perhaps from mounting in an autograph album. It reads 'Rizoto aux ecrevises a la Victoria | Noiselle de boeuf a la Bordolaise | Haricots d'Asperges a l' [sic] Taltaise | Moscovite aux fraises ecrasees | Welch-Rabit. [sic] | le 8/VI - 20.'

Four pages, 12mo. Very good on lightly aged paper. Docketed by Gaskell at head of first page 'This letter is written to myself in reply to my offer of the loan of 91 Shirley Brooks' letters. | J. B. Gaskell'. Acknowledges the receipt of the letters which Gaskell has 'so generously' placed at his disposal, and assures him that they will be 'treated with the greatest care' and returned as soon as possible, together with the photograph of 'Epicurus Rotundus' (Brooks's pen name), 'which is new to me'. Asks for 'any reminiscences, hearsay or otherwise of S. B.

Soldier (born 1804) who served in the China War, the Gwalior campaign, and in India, retiring in 1877. Reads 'Agreeable to your request I have the pleasure to enclose a photograph of myself [not present] also my Autograph - | I remember your Father in the Reg[imen]t and the sad accident in the Magazine which caused his death'. Signed 'B Gough | General | Colonel Scots Greys'.

Scottish nobleman (1726-1803). Ross (1742-1827; DNB), with Dundas, negotiated the surrender of Yorktown on Cornwallis's behalf. Two pages, quarto. Text entirely legible, but in poor condition, on stained, discoloured paper frayed at edges. Competently repaired with archival tape. Some loss to second leaf of bifoliate caused by breaking of seal. Unusually entertaining request in favour of his nephew, Lieut McCulloch of Bengal.

British army officer (1880-1955). One page, folio. Very good. Docketed and bearing R.S.A. stamp. Unusual letterhead for a governmental department of the period. He has not received the letter, which must have been misaddressed. 'Nevertheless, I shall be glad if you will kindly forward me a copy of the Journal with the Advertisement in, and walso the exact quantity of Posters you require.'

Folio. Unbound and in original plain brown wraps. Thirteen plates, each with tissue guard. Foliated 30 recto to 36 verso. Plates clean with very minor spotting, but wraps stained, frayed and dogeared, with head and foot of spine creased and torn. Nevertheless an interesting survival in its original state of part of an important example of Victorian official publishing.