History

Letter One (12mo: 4 pp, to 'My dear Mr Nichols', good, on discoloured paper): Explains that he has given 'a note of introduction to a most particular friend of mine Mr Lawrence of Ipplepen near Totnes and Launceston Cornwall'. Lawrence 'was a great friend of the late Mr Arundel of Landulph' and is 'a great friend of Mr Bray of Tavistock'. He is 'a man of ancient Cornish descent & from its first families'. Spence thinks Nichol will find Lawrence 'a valuable West Country Correspondent, well up in County history and nothing loth in the pursuit of antiquarian lore[.

8vo (each leaf roughly foolscap) bifolium: 3 pp. Well printed on good thick watermarked laid paper. Good, though a little grubby and lightly creased. Thirty-five pieces of business (signed in type by 'CHARLES ABBOT, Speaker'), from the 'Strensham (Worcester) Inclosure Act Amendment' to the 'Irish Lunatic Poor Committee', followed by seven Notices of Motions, ten Orders of the Day and the second reading of a Private Bill ('Dublin Gas Light Bill').

Folio: sixteen leaves on laid paper. Unbound and stabbed, with two staples (now rusted) added subsequently. Good, with first leaf lightly discoloured. Title-leaf, and text on next fifteen paginated 1131-1159.

On piece of paper roughly 5 x 8 cms. The signature is clear and firm, on a piece of lightly discoloured grubby paper, with a spike hole to the right (not affecting any text). Reads '[in another hand] Bernardino Rivadavia | [signature] Bernardino | Rivadavia' | [in another hand, in pencil] President of Buenos Ayres'. Laid down on irregular shaped piece of paper removed from autograph album, on which is written, in a nineteenth-century hand 'President of Buenos Ayres'.

Twelve pages on six folio leaves, apparently disbound from the 1803 reprint of the Journals of the House of Commons, and paginated 351-362. Discoloured, and with chipping to extremities (not affecting text). Summarises the statements of various individuals concerning the matter. The first of the four appendices is 'A Rental of the Estates late Lord Derwentwater's, in the Counties of Northumberland and Cumberland. To be sold before the Commissioners and Trustees for the Forfeited Estates, on Thursday the Eleventh Day of July next, 1723.

12mo: 4 pp. On lightly creased paper, with spotting and some staining to the verso of the second leaf of the bifolium. Apologises at length for not being able to attend 'the next General Public Meeting [...] of the Committee for Sir E. W. Watkin's [Sir Edward William Watkin (1819-1901), railway entrepreneur] Election'. 'It is unnecessary for me to inform the Committee how anxious I am for the success of the Liberal cause on this as on all other occasions [...]'. He is at present 'quite unequal to any violent exertion or excitement & certainly could not make a speech to a large meeting.

The letter, four newspaper cuttings and portrait are laid down on two quarto leaves, one of which also carries the manuscript biography. These leaves are discoloured and frayed at extremities, with several closed tears, and the cuttings are similarly damaged, but nowhere is there any loss to text. The portrait is very good, on slightly discoloured paper. The letter (12mo: 2 pp) is good, although discoloured and with small dog-ear to top right hand corner.

12mo: 2 pp. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Headed 'Private' and addressed to 'My dear Henry'. Describes Lennox (a close friend of Benjamin Disraeli) as 'a sanguine man'. 'If you thought as I do of the result of the "hundred days" between the present time and the trial of strength in Dec. you would hardly care to move.' He has 'heard nothing from Disraeli of his intentions about the Irish office', but if the opportunity arises he will do what he can to help Lennox. In 1866 Stanley had become Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in his father's third administration.

4to: 1 p. Good. Folded three times. A neatly-written letter of introduction for 'Major William Henry Grote [1795-1844], of the 33d. Regiment, now at Malta, Brother of Mr. Grote MP. for London, who is about to visit Egypt': 'I beg leave to introduce him to your acquaintance, and to recommend him to your Protection and good Offices.'

8vo: [iv] + 90 + [ii] pp. In original grey printed wraps. The answer to the question in the title is an emphatic 'No!', with the author's argument summed up in the conclusion: 'The publication of these remarks has been elicited by a feeling of indignation and surprise, on learning, that, in any part of the world, and especially of France, the man, whom a former generation cursed, should now be deemed worthy of being canonised.' The author puts his case forcefully and well, marshalling a number of quotations from classical and modern sources.

4to: 2 pp. Mourning border. Good, though a little grubby with fold lines and tear from spike hole at inner corners. Date, address and signature by Onslow, the rest in a secretarial hand. He received Raglan's letter of 25 February, 'forwarding an application from Mr. Llewllyn Phillips for employment in South Africa'. 'Mr. Chamberlain has hitherto refused to forward applications for employment to the High Commissioner, except in cases where Sir Alfred Milner has specially asked for candidates'.

12mo: 1 p. Lacking strip (two inches by four) at foot, bearing text. Otherwise good. A formal letter in the third person. Asks Colburn to 'send him an answer to his last [underlined] Communication'. He has 'completed the Manuscript of the Work [presumably 'Narrative of the war in Germany and France, in 1813 and 1814', 1830], except the winding up in a few Pages <...>'.

Wit (1657-1717), mistress of James II. One leaf, dimensions roughly seven inches by ten and a half. Printed text with manuscript additions on recto with calculations in a contemporary hand on the reverse. Good, but grubby. Receipt 'of the Right Honourable James Vernon Esq; One of the Four Tellers of the Receipt of Her Majesty's Exchequer', of sixty pounds for three months interest on £4000 lent by the Duchess and Sir Henry Furnesse on 19 January 1706. Signed 'Dorchester'.

One page, 4to, one small tear, staining, pinholes, text clear and complete. The four parties acknowledge receipt of £62.10 in their office aas "executors of Sarah late Duchess of Marlborough assignee of John Rudghe as per margin. In the margin, in manuscript is a list of years 1828-1838 with a list of yearly sums which add up to the £62.50 they are acknowledging. The list has the name John Rudge next to it. They received the money from James Earl Waldegrave (written in ms.

American physician and explorer of Africa (1866-1939). The recipient was Assistant Secretary at the Natural History Museum, London. One page, 12mo. Good, on slightly discoloured paper, and with remains of stub still neatly attached to one edge. A significant letter, sent on the eve of Donaldson Smith's most notable expedition. 'Just a line in haste to tell you I & Dodson [a taxidermist engaged for the expedition] are ready to start for Rudolph Gillitt [another taxidermist] having left for England after hearing of his father's death.

Judge (1669-1728), and Attorney-General to the Prince of Wales on the accession of George I. Grandfather of the poet William Cowper, and brother of William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper (1665-1723), Lord Chancellor of England. One of the defendants, in 1699, in the celebrated trial for the murder of Sarah Stout. Dimensions of paper roughly six and a half inches by six inches. On discoloured, spotted paper, with slight wear and loss to one corner (not affecting text). Right edge slightly trimmed, with partial loss to one word'.

General (c.1656-1730) and Governor of Gibraltar, married to Catherine Sedley, mistress of James II (see item# ). One leaf, dimensions roughly seven inches by ten and a half. Printed text with manuscript additions on recto; docketed on verso. Good, but grubby, and with slight repair to head. Receipt 'of the Honourable [Lord ffitzharding]' (corrected from 'James Vernon Esq'); One of the Four Tellers of the Receipt of Her Majesty's Exchequer', of eighty pounds for twenty-four months interest on £500 lent by Portmore and 'My Ld Kent' on 14 August 1704. Signed 'Portmore'.

See 'The club of 'Nobody's Friends' 1800-2000: a memoir on its two-hundredth anniversary' by Geoffrey Rowell (2000). Four-page bifolium. Good, on grubby, discoloured paper, with some creasing and wear at foot. Gives details of the election between 1820 and 1877 of fifty-nine Actual Members, and of eighteen Honorary Members. Includes the Rev. Charles Burney, the artist George Richmond and the publisher John Murray.

All three items good, on lightly aged paper. The first two items were formerly attached to one another by a pin. ITEM ONE (one page, folio): Blond to Ali, 6 December 1967, on letterhead of Anthony Blond Ltd, Publishers. Characteristically punchy letter of clarification, headed 'WHO Really Is WHO', and beginning 'This is just to clarify the situation between us'. A list of eight points, the first of which reads 'You are wholly employed compiling this book at a salary of £1,500 per annum for one year.

One one side of a piece of laid paper, 26.5 x 21 cms. Aged and creased, with chipping to extremities and staining on reverse from repair to one of two closed tears. Thirty-six lines, with facsimile of Housman's signature at foot. An appeal for 'money for the Library - your Library'. Somewhat poignant, considering the present neglected state of the British library service. '[...] The question is - do you want to give money to your Library? [...] But, for my own part, I ask - why, why Libraries? What are they for? What there do you read?

Two pages, 12mo. On aged and somewhat grubby paper, with a few closed tears to extremities. Text clear and entire. The recipients 'account for clubs' supplied to Samuel in June 1896 'has not been presented between that date and now'. Samuel thinks he paid the amount at the time'. '[O]n my return to town I will look through my receipts and communicate with you further.'

One leaf, 4to. On the recto (headed "Progress of the Movement") the motion Henry Richard has given notice of in Parliament is quoted and discussed as well as other initiatives taken round the world, concluding with the American Peace Society "working energetically . . . [holding] meetings . . . to celebrate the Victory of the Washington Treaty . . . addressed by . . . . Elihu Burritt . . . and other eminent men." On the verso (headed "International Arbitration.

Four pages, 4to, incomplete, fold marks, some tears on folds, complete and legible, as follows: "It is perfectly true. I am indeed, my dear Wellesley, the most faithless of correspondents. And towards you too! You, who deserved so different a treatment at my hands. . . . My time has passed away for the last four months in such an odd sort of bustling, hurrying, half occupied, half dissipated way . . . Will you believe that till yesterday I had not written a syllable to Gally Knight [see DNB] for the last four months?

Octavo: 31 pp. Stitched and unbound, with front of the original printed wraps, which bears the title-page, still present. Text clear and entire, on aged paper with some dogearing and chipping to top outer corner. Front wrap creased and lightly stained, with a little chipping, but with text clear and entire. Pencil ownership inscription in contemporary hand at head of title. Reproduces the proposed amended constitution and various resolutions regarding a referendum on the subject.

Both items (previously pinned together) in good condition, with text clear and entire, on aged paper. Woollett's letter (one page, 12mo, 'Reading, Bay') places at Prenderville's disposal the letter 'which you have seen in the Library here from Captn. Ross of the Northumberland when conveying Napoleon to St. Helena [...] I have no objection to your sending the copy to any periodical for publication'. Prenderville has copied the letter onto five pages (each c. 32 x 20.5 cms) of around thirty lines each, spread over the rectos of three bifoliums.

On a leaf roughly 17 x 12 cms. A small strip is missing from the foot, but this does not appear to affect the texts. Aged and ruckled, with a little staining from previous mount at head and foot of printed side. In the Letter Moseley opines that 'the closing of Public Houses during the whole of Sundays would be attended with great inconvenience to the public, and I cannot therefore agree to the object of Promoters of that scheme'. Docketed in the top left-hand corner 'Mark name on list as unfavourable'. The handbill, signed in type by John Garrett, D.D.

One page, large octavo. Aged and with light staining. Docketed on second leaf of bifolium: 'Requesting Consuls not to receive Copies of books as presents to Her Majesty'.

Two pages, 4to, stabbed, minor foxing, mainly good condition. It announces that Skelton is preparing a !series of Engraved Illustrations of the Antiquities of the County of Oxford", anticipating 50 plates "from Original Drawings made purposely by Mr. F. Mackenzie" with letterpress by a Member of the University. There will be 12 quarterly parts in Elephant or Atlas 4to. He adds a long list of subscribers from HRH the Duke of Ambridge to "Wykeham, Miss, Thame Park, Oxon." and including the Duke of Marlborough and booksellers (Arch, Major, Munday & Slatter, Simcoe).

Two pages, 4to, slightly foxed and soiled, small tear at fold. INSCRIBED in the hand of John Bowyer Nichols, the book's printer, "Respectfully submitted to Sir Thomas Phillipps Bart."

Three pages, 12mo. On aged and lightly spotted paper, with loss at head of crease (not affecting text) resulting from removal from spike. Letter of introduction for 'Mr Davison', [William Davison, discoverer of the Andaman Pale Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela davisoni)] 'who is on a visit to explore for its birds. He has been working with Mr. A. O.?>