Autograph Letters

4to, 1 p. Twenty-one lines of text. Clear and complete. On aged, stained and worn paper, with a couple of small spike holes. Revealing, in the attention to detail which it exhibits. He begins by reporting that 'the Rosabella arrived safe & the books appear to be correct with the following exceptions'. Two paragraphs follow, carefully describing duplicate plates and other faults in the books received (including "Genus Plantarum"). The replacements may be sent 'through Wilmer & Smith, booksellers, Liverpool - or by Harden's express - or through Messrs. John D.

12mo, 1 p. Fair, on lightly-aged and creased paper. He is pleased to hear of the improvement in her mother's health. 'The prescription on the opposite page [not present] is similar to yours, & I think it is calculated to do her good. In her state, a change is often useful.'

12mo, 2 pp. Bifolium with mourning border. Fair, on lightly-aged and creased paper. He thanks him for the grouse ('very greatly appreciated') and thinks that 'the show at York went off first class'.

One page, folio, some tears on fold marks, other minor defects, text clear and complete. "I beg you to let me know by return of Post [phrase underlined] whther you desire to join the Aetna - I heard from Captn. Beaufort this morning that you do - but you have acted with so much indecision that I scarcely know whether to apply or not until more fully assured - For your Mothers sake alone I am perfctly willing to wait an answer - and if you are prepared to join - send me - / Your name at length / Date of original Entry in the Service / Name of last Ship / Rating on her.

All letters 8vo, total pp.35, good condition, some letters tipped in, others loose, not in chronological order.

Small folio, 1 p. Twenty-seven lines of text. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged and worn paper, with thin strip from previous mounting adhering at head of reverse, which, with two small red wax seals and two postmarks, is addressed to 'John Watson Esqr. | No. 55 & 56 | Near St. Andrew's Ch. | Holborn Hill | London'. The text is entirely devoted to the subject under the heading. In a neat exposition of his position, Alexander proposes and defends three changes. The substitution of 'promulgation' for 'promotion' would, 'as our worthy friend Dr.

The collection in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with each item carrying a punch-hole in top left-hand corner of first page. Letter One: in manuscript; to Cross; 3 September 1949; on 'Edvard Hambro' letterhead; 8vo, 2 pp. Affectionate letter on Cross's retirement from the Registry of the International Court. '[...] I find the Peace Palace curiously empty without you. I am going to miss your visits to my room and mine to yours.

12mo, 2 pp. In bifolium. Twenty-two lines of text, clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with thin strip from mount adhering to reverse of second leaf, which carries the address, a red wax seal, and docketing. On behalf of 'Mr Palmer of Carmarthen (late of Liverpool)', he is applying for 'a grant of Tracts for distribution in that town'. He concurs with Palmer that the tracts 'may be circulated there with great facility & made materially to serve the cause of Unitarianism'.

12mo, 2 pp. Good, on lightly-aged paper. He is sending a cheque for thirty-five pounds for 'Skirving's picture of my mother with which I am well pleased', which he 'got from the Hall porter at the Reform'. Reports that the picture 'has been exposed to a very serious risk of entire destruction, the plate-glass having been shivered to pieces in the packing case. Wonderful to say, the damage done is confined to the dark & unimportant parts of the drawing'. When Grahame 'heard the broken glass rattling in the Box', he had 'no hope of the picture being sound'.

4to, 1 p. In bifolium. Fifteen lines of text. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with thin strip of archival paper from mount adhering to the second leaf. Addressed and docketed, with postmarks, on the reverse of the second leaf. Begins by discussing a translation, then discusses a 'grant of Books': 'probably a series or two of the Repository may relieve the shelves of the society to some advantage'.

12mo, 1 p. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. In a bifolium, with thin strip of archival tape along edge of reverse of second leaf from previous mounting. He is enclosing 'W Roberts' letter & the answer' (neither present), and asks for a duplicate to be made of the latter item and 'sent forward'. Complains of 'a sad irregularity of Messrs Forbes & Co', asking if the matter has been set straight.

12mo, 1 p. Bifolium. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with thin strip of stub adhering to the reverse of the second leaf. Reads 'Sir John Wrothsley requests Mr. Ridgway will direct his Newspapers [corrected from 'Letters'] Post Office Scarborough. The frank reads 'Doncaster September ten 1835 | Mr. Ridgway | Piccadilly | London | [signed] Wrothsley'. Divided circular Doncaster postmark in black, and frank ('FREE | 11SEP11| 1835') in red.

8vo, xiii + 413 pp. Tight copy, in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, and with sprinkle of foxing along top edge. In worn dustwrapper, with light fraying and closed tears along top and bottom. Inscribed by one of the authors on front free endpaper 'To Stanley Cross with the kindest regards, Edvard Hambro December 4, 1947.'

12mo, 2 pp. 24 lines of text. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Laid down on a leaf from an album, in such a way as the first line of the second page can only be read in mirror image by holding the item up to the light. Marvellously indicative of the patronising attitude of the governing British classes to their Indian subjects. On visiting Venables he will 'venture to bring with me my native servant' who 'does not require much in the way of accommodation'. If Venables 'has no corner for him' in his house, asks if he can recommend 'a little room somewhere near'.

4to, 2 pp. Twenty-three lines of text, clear and complete. In fair condition, creased and lightly-worn. With stamped envelope addressed by Flint. In reply to a question from Carpenter ('I very, very freqently receive letters such as yours') Flint writes: 'Dont worry about not receiving art instruction in painting because I never had a lesson in my life.' He believes he inherited the skill he 'started with', but constant study of the works of masters & constant practice have brought me (with the aid of a kindly Providence) to my present position'.

On a piece of grey paper, 5 x 9.5 cm, cut away from a letter. Good. Thin strip of white mount adhering to right-hand edge. The signature is in the form of a monogram, with Prideaux's initials S and T combined to make a stylized shape with long diagonal stroke, which cuts through the final 'P.' The letter's valediction reads '<...> all my divans. | Yrs. | [signature]'. Lengthwise to the right of the signature, the slip is docketed 'Miss Sarah Prideaux | celebrated as a Lady Bookbinder whose Work has taken prizes at all the great exhibitions'.

Printer (d.1833). One page, c.7 x 3", signs of laying down, some marking but text decipherable. "Recd Jany 31, 1795, of Mr. John Stockdale by a Note at Ten Months) the Sum of Four Hundred & Seventeen Pounds 18/- for Printing & Hotpressing Perry's Pocket Dictionary, as per Bill delivered./ T. Bensley./ £417.18.0" Prob. William Perry's "General Dictionary of English Language" (Stockdale, London, 1795).

12mo, 3 pp. Bifolium. Thirty-two lines. Very good, on lightly-aged paper, apart from the tearing away of the single-word answer to 'a very old riddle' in ancient Greek from Sir Thomas Browne, resulting in the loss of a few words of text from the reverse. Begins by thanking Shepherd for the unnecessary return of 'the Harper', followed by congratulations on his birthday. Hopes to amuse him with the riddle.

12mo, 2 pp. On bifolium. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged and foxed paper. Concerning the payment by Waterlow of a tithe on a property he purchased the previous May. From the Shepherd family archive.

Letter One: 12mo, 4 pp. Bifolium. 75 lines of text. Clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Expresses regret at 'Morten Edens melancholy death, so young & so clever as he was'. 'There is great talk of Peace. We hardly know if to believe it - few will be sorry should the news prove to be true, as I think most of us have had enough fighting. Apparently refers to his sweetheart under a cypher. She has not written to him, but 'London gaieties have little time for correspondence'. 'The weather here is something awful - cold & wet, fogs & sleet.

12mo, 3 pp. Bifolium. Very good on lightly-aged paper. Giving his 'testimony in contradiction of the Statement made in the document which you read to me in reference to the late Miss Marshall of Axminster being kept by you as her professional adviser with little money at her disposal'. States that 'The general impression in the Town was directly opposed to this statement and that impression was sufficiently sustained by the success attendant upon applications to Miss Marshall for and to benevolent purposes'. Gives examples showing 'she was never in want of money'.

12mo, 4 pp. In bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. He has forgotten which letters he has sent her for her autograph collection, 'but I daresay some of the list written at the back of this are new to you'. He will send any she wants. Asks for any duplicates she may have to spare. The list covers the last two pages, and consists of 39 names, from 'Sir John Burgoyne, R.E.' to 'Count Zamorgski'.

12mo, 4 pp. Text clear and complete. Very good on lightly-aged paper, with thin strip from stub still adhering. Thanking her for 'sending me the acceptable autographs you have. Though seemingly scraps of paper they possess for the initiated a value, for I believe every individual to be possessed of a romance which opportunity and occasion bring to the fore and make of him a personage whose writing is worthy of preservation. The diamond in its mine is of no value, but when found, cut, and set in its golden framework, it is prized and esteemed'. Defends 'the collector' against criticism.

An interesting correspondence, from one maritime expert to another, casting light on German naval attitudes in the period following the Great War. Batsch's father, Admiral Karl Ferdinand Batsch (1831-1898), is regarded as one of the founders of the German navy. Bower, who served for twenty years in the Royal Navy, retiring in 1884 with the rank of Commander, is best known as Imperial Secretary in South Africa at the time of the Jameson Raid. Following the First World War he established himself as an expert in international law relating to naval matters.

On the lower part of a letter, cut to form a rectangle, 11.5 x 18 cm. In good condition, with traces of stub from mounting along one edge, and a thin strip of paper, with Burgoyne's name in manuscript neatly laid down beneath the signature. Reads 'I have the honor to be | Your Excellency's | Most Obedient | Humble Servant | [signed] J. F.

12mo, 1 p. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with thin strip of stub from mount adhering to an edge. He is enclosing, for his sister's friend, a 'baker's dozen' of autographs, 'all holographs except one envelope'. He refers to a list of the items on the reverse (not present), before concluding 'The letters of Frances Lady Waldegrave & Louisa Marchioness of Waterford are characteristic'.

On one side of a piece of paper, 9.5 x 7.5 cm. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. Minor traces of stub in thin strip along one edge. Reads 'Elderfield | Decr 19 | Dear Madam | The Story you mean is in the Christmas number of the Monthly Packet for 1877 | Yours truly | [signed] C M Yonge'. Docketed on reverse in a contemporary hand 'Miss Charlotte M. Yonge Authoress of The Daisy Chain etc. etc. etc'.

The bill is printed on one side of a piece of grey paper, 25 x 13.5 cm. Good, on lightly-creased paper, with spikehole to one corner. On the bill Castang is described as 'Dealer in Ornamental Waterfowl, Pheasants, Cranes, Rheas, Kangaroos, Deer, etc. Original and many years sole importer of Hungarian Partridges. | Particular attention to packing export orders. Waterfowl in full adult plumage pinioned, taken direct from the water.' Seventeen types of bird are listed, from Teal to Black East Indian.

12mo, 1 p. On bifolium, with Stratford Canning's docketing on the reverse of the second leaf. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with thin strip of stub from mounting adhering to one edge. A 'strong wish is entertained' that Stratford Canning's name 'be added to the Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund'. He is enclosing a paper 'which will show its nature'. Canning notes that the letter was 'Ansd. 18 | No objection to be a member of the Committee provided I incur no responsibility beyond that of throwing an occasional mite into the subscription fund.'

Letter One: 12mo, 12 p. Fourteen lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper. Asks to 'rescind' his promise to go with Robinson to the races, as 'One of those troublesome fellows whom we call clients, but who are sometimes called victims by the ignorant & vicious, has made an appointment for me this afternoon'. Letter Two: 12mo, 1 p. Asking Robinson to join him and two others at a dinner with General Burnett at the Union Club.