LORDS

1p., landscape 12mo. In good condition, lightly-aged, with minor traces of glue from mount on reverse. With a large firm signature, the text reads: 'Admit the Bearer to the Gallery of the House of Lords | Byron. | Monday | March 7th 1846'.

2pp., 12mo. On bifolium with mourning border. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with 6cm vertical closed tear to first leaf, affecting a couple of words. The reverse of the second leaf carries a broken seal in black wax, and is addressed to Clanricarde. The letter begins: 'My dear Ld C: | We are in a great difficulty at the H. of Lords today for want of a third Peer.' He will esteem it a great favour if Clanricarde 'will come at ten and enable me to go on with the Causes - for otherwise there will be the whole expence thrown upon the packs'.

12pp., 8vo. In good condition, lightly-aged, no wraps, disbound. Only one copy on COPAC, at the London School of Economics, and none on OCLC WorldCat.

3pp., 16mo. Bifolium. On aged and worn paper, with closed tears to both leaves along fold lines, and glue from mount along inner margin of first page. He apologises for having to decline an invitation, having 'just told Lady Grey that I would call upon her to-night'. He would have liked to see her 'to ask your forgiveness for the many blunders I have committed to-day, tho' how to appear before you I really don't know'. He will attempt to 'throw' himself on her 'Good-nature' in a day or two, and concludes: 'I believe the debate in the Lords has confused my understanding'.

Handbill, two pages, 8vo, formerly bound in volume of Liberal leaflets,small stain on verson, [spine] edge uneven, mainly good condition. The Churchill Book Collector has a fine description, giving the context (online, viaLibri etc).

On one side of a leaf of foolscap paper. Aged and worn, with closed tears. Reads: 'Let the aforegoing Warrant be Executed. Whitehall | Treasury Chambers the 24th . day of November 1710. | Ro: Harley | Pagett | T: Mansel | Intrat in Offic Edvardi Harley Arm | Auditoris xxixno. Die Junii 1711. | Jas Moody Dep Audt.' Irrelevantly (and tantalisingly) docketed on the reverse: 'An Acc[oun]t. of the Tithes, and other Parish dutys formerly paid by ye Housekeep[e]rs of Kensington for the 2 Grounds lately made into a Wilderness & ye kitchen Garden / to the Parish of Paddington & Kensington'.

1p., 4to. In very good condition, on lightly aged paper. The document reads: 'My Lord | Her Majesty having been pleased by Her Proclamation to call Parliament to meet for the Dispatch of Business on Thursday the 1st. of February next, and as it is probable that business of Importance will be brought under the consideration of both Houses at an early period; which it is desirable should be considered in full Houses, I venture to suggest to your Lordship that your Lordship should attend on the day of the Meeting of Parliament'.

The two items are uniform in layout, on folio bifoliums, with the text covering the whole of the recto of the first leaf, and the details printed lengthwise on the reverse of the second. Both in good condition, and folded into the customary packets. An early example of nimbyism, rather rich coming from a banker. The petition begins: 'In the House of Lords.

2pp., 4to. On the rectos of the two leaves of a bifolium. Signed in type at end 'GRAHAM BOWER.' On laid paper with 'SOUTHERN CROSS | FINE QUALITY' watermark, suggesting, with the typographic style, that it was written during the period of that he served as Imperial Secretary. Very good, on lightly aged and creased paper.

11pp., foolscap 8vo. Stitched and unbound. Aged and worn, with closted vertical 5cm cut from bottom through all six leaves. The full drophead title reads: 'CAP. LXXVII.

1p., 12mo. Very good. Wildeblood writes: 'I would like to thank you for your appreciative reference to my book in Tuesday's debate, and to say how much I admire your efforts to obtain a measure of justice for a section of the community that is necessarily inarticulate. I am proud to be associated with your activities and wish them every possible success.' Rather than homosexuals, the 'section of the community' referred to by Wildeblood was the 'prison population'.

1828: 2pp., 4to. 'Dalmahoy nr Edinburgh | March 3d 1828'. Signed 'Morton'. In fair condition, lightly-aged and with a short closed tear along one fold.

12mo, 1 p. Fair, on lightly-aged paper, with pinholes in corners from mounting. Expressing thanks, on behalf of his father, for Wyld's 'kind letter of congratulation to him on his Elevation to the Woolsack'.

Folio, 4 pp. Bifolium. On laid paper watermarked with the date 1800. Worn and aged, with small closed tear to second leaf, but with text clear and complete. Ownership inscription on first page of 'Thos. Adam Esqr | Alnwick Northumberland'. The respondents' case, signed in type by William Alexander and Robert Montgomery, is laid out in detail in small print over three pages.

65pp., folio, marbled wrap front only, ragged. It considers the issue of money bills and the two Houses between 1661 and 1703. Pencilled note, front free endpaper verso, "Unique M.S. from Earl of Harrowby's Collection".  The writer discusses various bills and their progress though amendment and proviso, precedent, dissent, and committee, commencing with the context: "There do not appear in their Lordships Journals any thing Remarkable touching that matter till after the Restoration, when the Lords from that Time to the year 1695 frequently amended Money Bills of all kinds , , , ".

Folio, 2 pp. Fair, on aged paper, with a few short closed tears to extremities, and carrying traces of previous mount on reverse. On behalf of the Lords of the Admiralty Croker grants the Admiral's request for leave of absence to two individuals following 'the Naval Occurrences at Yarmouth'. In same hand as letter on reverse: 'Captain Hawtayne Quebec Two Days | Mr Forster, Chaplain Roebuck One Month'.

12mo, 15 pp. In modern brown paper wraps (easily removed). Clear and complete. In fair condition, on aged paper. Wraps stamped 'J467'. This item has a complicated publishing history (not made easier by the large number of microfilm reproductions listed on COPAC). This copy has 'Price Two Pence.' at the foot of the title, which - with a triangular geometric vignette made up of ten flowers - is enclosed in a frame. The reverse of the last leaf is blank and there is no cancel.

According to the diarist Sir Edward Walter Hamilton, the second reading of the Divorced Wife's Sister Bill caused 'great excitement'. Due to clerical opposition, the Bill did not reach the statute book until 1907, and even then in a limited form. These seven items provide an interesting glimpse into the inner workings of the Victorian legislative process. All are clear and complete, and docketed by Dalhousie in red. All in fair condition, with various degrees of aging.

Text of both letters clear and complete, on aged, grubby paper. The 'Diehards' were a group of right-wing Conservative peers who attempted unsuccessfully to thwart Liberal legislation to limit the right of veto of the House of Lords over Commons legislation. (See G. D. Phillips, 'The Diehards: Aristocratic Society and Politics in Edwardian England', Cambridge, Mass., 1979.) TYPED LETTER: 17 December 1913. 4to, 1 p. He is going to try to write the history of the affair '[b]efore things fade altogether from my memory', and asks if OG has 'any papers, or letters, or diaries'.

4to, 4 pp. Bifolium pamphlet. Text clear and complete. On aged paper, with closed tears along the central horizontal crease. Printed in small type in double column.

4to, 3 pp. 42 lines of text. Good, on aged paper. He is sorry not to have known about Niggeman's bank holiday visit to Hatfield House: 'it would have been an immense pleasure to us all to see you. Do come down and pay us a private call some other time.' The 'points' she makes 'are just the kind of thing we want to know'. Salisbury did not 'go round the Hosue with the visitors, for I did not wish to embarrass the guides; but clearly there is a good deal more organisation needed before our machinery works smoothly'.

Printed on one side of a piece of laid paper roughly 31 x 19.5 cm. 21 lines. Clear and complete on lightly-aged laid paper with Britannia watermark. Headed 'By the Commissioners for Executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, &c.' and addressed 'To The respective Admirals, Captains, Commanders, and Commanding Officers of His Majesty's Ships and Vessels.' Signed by 'J. Troubridge', 'Jas. Adams', 'W Garthshore' and ('By Command of their Lordships') by 'Wm Marsden'.

On a piece of yellow paper (roughly 7.5 x 10 cm), laid down on a light-green page (roughly 14 x 8 cm) torn from an autograph album. Lightly aged and spotted, but good overall. Reads ' "Remember that if you are in the right you can afford to keep your temper. When you are in the wrong you can't afford to lose it" | [signed] J B. Hobbs.' And in a smaller hand, diagonally in the bottom right-hand corner 'Best wishes to Peter Briggs | [signed] JBH'.

Ten pages printed on a total of the six leaves of three folio bifoliums (leaf dimensions roughly 40.5 x 25 cm). The first part, apparently intended to fold around the others, is unpaginated, and printed on the recto of the first leaf and the verso of the last leaf of the bifolium. Each page consists of a list, divided into three columns of small print, giving details of the vote, with the names of the members, their constituencies, and a key revealing biographical information (e.g. 'Privy-Counsellors' [sic] and 'for and against Maintaining the Hessian Troops').

On piece of paper roughly 2.5 x 5 cm. Laid down on leaf of cream paper, 8.5 x 12 cm, from an autograph album. In slightly faded blue ink, and with a crease to the bottom left-hand corner, affecting the lower loop of the 'J'.

One page, c.6.5 x 4.5", verso blank, right edge irregular (extracted?), small tear, sl.ightly marked, good condition. "In pursuance of an Order of the House of Peers, of the Nineteenth Day of March 1746, I do appoint SAMUEL BILLINGSLEY to Print the whole Proceedings in the House of Peers, upon the Impeachment exhibited by the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, in Parliament assembled, in the Names of Themselves, and of all the Commons of Great Britain, against Simon Lord Lovat, for High Treason; And do forbid any other Person to Print the same. / Hardwicke C."

The recipient Joshua Sharpe (c.1716-86) was a solicitor of Lincoln's Inn, and counsel for various American colonies before the Board of Trade and Privy Council. His brother Horatio was Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. Two pages, folio. Grubby, frayed and worn, with some closed tears and minor fraying and loss to extremities, and minor loss to text. Appears to concern the investigation into a case brought against an English ship by the owners of the Spanish vessel Sancta Barbara ('Patron Joseph de la Torre').

Aristocrat and politician (1780-1863). Two pages, 4to. Grubby, stained and creased. Several folds. Remains of mount adhering to one edge, and with small piece of glued paper at foot of verso. Formal letter in the third person. 'The Marquis of Lansdowne presents his compliments to the City Remembrancer, & will be happy to present the petition of the Corporation of the City this day as requested. The House of Lords in consequence of the event of yesterday is to meet this day at two oclock, & may possibly adjourn soon afterwards.

English politician (1762-1847). One page, 4to. Stained, and with several closed tears and one small hole at foot; traces of previous mount adhering to blank reverse. Formal letter in the third person. 'Lord Harrowby presents his Compliments to the Lord Mayor Elect and the Sheriffs and is sorry that his absence from London will prevent his having the honour of attending the dinner at Guildhall on Monday the 9th of November.'

Lord Chancellor of England (1825-1921), author of the monumental 'Laws of England'. One page, 4to. In good condition though somewhat grubby. Folded twice, and with embossed House of Lords stamp and armorial stamp in red ink in top left-hand corner. Opening ('My dear Judge') and salutation ('faithfully yours | Halsbury') by Halsbury, the rest in secretarial hand. Reads 'I have to thank you for your letter of the 11th., and for the arrangements which have been made, at Mr. Justice Stirling's request, and of which I entirely approve'.