AUTOGRAPH

Autograph Letter Signed ('L Raven HIll') from the illustrator and Punch cartoonist Leonard Raven-Hill to J. P. Brodhurst [J. Penderel Brodhurst], regarding 'the entire copyright of all my drawings that appeared in the Pall Mall Budget'.

Author: 
Leonard Raven-Hill (1867-1942), English painter, illustrator, printmaker and Punch cartoonist [Pall Mall Budget; J. Penderel Brodhurst]
Publication details: 
20 North Side, Clapham Common, SW [London]. 19 December 1898.
£56.00

2pp., 16mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper, with small hole through both leaves at top inner corner. Beneath the signature the faint stamp of the St. James's Budget, 15 Dorset Street, EC. Raven-Hill points out that the Pall Mall Budget had only the right to use his drawings 'in that paper', and that he holds 'the entire copyright of all my drawings that appeared' in that magazine. 'If you want any of mine you could of course get the blocks from them & we could come to some arrangement about using them'.

Autograph Letter Signed "Poultney Bigelow" to an unnamed correspondent, about recent activities and his books.

Author: 
Poultney Bigelow, American journalist and author, school friend of Prince Wilhelm (Wilhelm II).
Publication details: 
[Headed] Reform Club, no date.
£75.00

Two pages, 12mo, good condition. "Since our talk I have been in America; returned - have been to Berlin on a diplomtic mission & only just touched at my club before sailing once more for New York on Wednesday - All my books, &c. are in storage at this moment & I must therefore wait until I onc emore return here for settlement - which will be soon I hope. | I hope you will not be angry at me because of what must have been strange silence on the part of [...]"

Autograph Letter Signed ('J W Croker') from John Wilson Croker [to George Pellew, Dean of Norwich], stating the opinion that King George IV's letters in Pellew's life of Lord Sidmouth 'give a higher idea of his powers of mind' than was the case.

Author: 
John Wilson Croker (1780-1857), Anglo-Irish politician, Secretary to the Admiralty [Hon. Very Rev. George Pellew (1793-1866), Dean of Norwich; Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth; King George IV]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of West Molesey, Surrey. 15 February 1851.
£120.00

4pp., 12mo. Very good, on lightly-aged paper with watermarked date 1848. Addressed to 'My dear Dean'. As the letter clearly concerns Pellew's life of his father-in-law Lord Sidmouth (1847), with Croker referring to his own review of the book in the Quarterly Review, the reason for the gap between the date of publication of the book and the writing of the letter is unclear. Croker writes that he has received Pellew's 'last livraison & kind letter which gives a very just idea of the correspondence'.

Two Autograph Letters Signed ('Souhesk') from James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk [previously Sir James Carnegie of Kinnaird and of Pittarrow], advising John T. Baron of Blackburn on the publication of his poems.

Author: 
James Carnegie (1827-1905), 9th Earl of Southesk [Sir James Carnegie of Kinnaird and of Pittarrow], Scottish nobleman [John T. Baron of Blackburn, autograph hunter]
Publication details: 
Both letters on letterhead of Kinnaird Castle, Brechin, N.B. 25 and 29 June 1883.
£100.00

Both letters in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Letter One (25 June 1883): 6pp., 12mo.

Autograph Letter, in the third person, from Lord Stafford [George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland and 2nd Marquis of Stafford] to 'Mr. Nichols' [John Bowyer Nichols], regarding a work by 'Mr. Dallaway'.

Author: 
George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland and 2nd Marquis of Stafford (1758-1833), hugely-wealthy English nobleman [John Bowyer Nichols (1779-1863), proprietor of Gentleman's Magazine]
Publication details: 
27 April 1831.
£75.00

1p., 4to. Bifolium, addressed on reverse of second leaf by Stafford to 'Mr. Nichols | 25. Parliament St. | Westminster'. Very good, on lightly-aged paper, with seal cut away from second leaf and thin strip of stub along one edge. The letter reads: 'Lord Stafford received from the late Duke of Norfolk a Copy of Mr. Dallaway's work, & has since subscribed to one by Mr. Dallaway & Mr. Cartwright - if the volume referred to by Mr. Nichols is an additional work Lord Stafford will be happy to have it. | Ap. 27.

Autograph Letter Signed ('F. H Townsend') from the Art Editor of Punch F. H. Townsend [Frederick Henry Townsend] to J. Penderel Brodhurst, regarding 'the Copyright of my late drawings in the Pall Mall Budget'.

Author: 
F. H. Townsend [Frederick Henry Townsend] (1868-1920), artist, illustrator and cartoonist, the first Art Editor of Punch [Pall Mall Budget; J. Penderel Brodhurst]
Publication details: 
61 Glebe Place, Chelsea, SW, on cancelled letterhead of the Chelsea Arts Club, 181 Kings Road, SW [London]. 28 December 1895.
£56.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper, with small hole through both leaves at top inner corner. The letter begins: 'As far as I can remember I keep the Copyright of my late drawings in the Pall Mall Budget'. He refers Brodhurst to the magazine's editors, and apologises for his alte response.

Autograph Letter Signed ('A. E. Dobell') from Arthur Eustace Dobell of the London booksellers P. J. & A. E. Dobell, to 'Mr. Price', regarding deeds relating to Watlington, which the firm could get 'on apro [sic]'.

Author: 
Arthur Eustace Dobell, partner with his brother Percy John Dobell in the firm of London booksellers P. J. & A. E. Dobell, 77 Charing Cross Road, and son of the booksellerBertam Dobell (1842-1914)
Publication details: 
On the firm's letterhead: 'P. J. & A. E. DOBELL, | Sons of the late BERTRAM DOBELL, | Dealers in Books, Manuscripts and Autograph Letters, | 77, CHARING CROSS ROAD, LONDON, W.C.2. | AND 8, BRUTON STREET, LONDON, W. 1.' 8 June 1926.
£38.00

1p., 4to. Good, on aged and lightly-worn paper. The letter reads: 'Dear Mr. Price | In reply to our advertisement for items on Watlington we have received the enclosed report of deeds, which we could supply at £2.15.0 if of any interest to you. If you wish to see them I think we could get them on apro. | Yours truly | A. E. Dobell'.

Galley proof of magazine article 'Christmas in America Fifty Years Ago' by Augusta de Grasse Stevens, with note from 'E. Lowe' to her mother Mrs Butterworth; and manuscript biography of 'the young and rising novelist' in her sister Lady Evans's hand.

Author: 
Augusta de Grasse Stevens (1852-1894), daughter of Samuel S. Stevens (d.1854) of Albany, New York, and his wife, nee Mary Frances Smith [later Mrs John Fowler Butterworth] (d.1890)
Publication details: 
Neither item dated. [1890s.] Lowe's note on the proof from 7 Harley Gardens, SW [London].
£400.00

Both items in very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Item One (galley proofs): On piece of 13 x 49 cm. paper. In manuscript at head: '7 Harley Gardens SW | Monday | Dear Mrs Butterworth | The Printer will send you a proper proof tomorrow | Yours in haste | E Lowe'. The first part only, in small type, with one minor correction. The article is attributed to Augusta de Grasse Stevens in Helen O. Black's 'Notable Women Authors of the Day' (1893). Item Two (manuscript biography): 4pp., 4to. With a few minor emendations.

Autograph Letter Signed from the antiquary Albert Way to an unnamed correspondent [the publisher John Russell Smith?] regarding the preparation of a volume on Sussex antiquities [part of the series of 'Sussex Archaeological Collections'?].

Author: 
Albert Way (1805-1874), English antiquary, principal founder of the Royal Archaeological Institute [John Russell Smith (1810-1894), bookseller and bibliographer]
Publication details: 
12 Grand Parade, St Leonards on Sea. 3 March 1856.
£80.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Fair, on lightly-aged and ruckled paper. The letter begins: 'Sir. | I am glad to find you can oblige my friend Mr Curzon, although I am too late, which I regret, as I should have been able to oblige certain persons who have assisted me.' He asks for 'a few separate sets of the Plates of Seals of the Sussex Cinqueports & Lewes Priory', for which he would pay 'with pleasure'. 'I had written a Title page - & a short prefatory introduction ought to be given - a leaf will be ample'. He assumes that the recipient has given 'the Pevensey Plan'.

Autograph Letter Signed ('A. Hayward') from the essayist and translator Abraham Hayward to the autograph hunter John T. Baron of Blackburn

Author: 
Abraham Hayward (1801-1884), essayist and translator [John T. Baron of Blackburn, autograph hunter]
Publication details: 
8 St. James's St. [London] 14 March 1882.
£60.00

1p., 12mo. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In worn envelope, with stamp and postmark, addressed by Hayward to 'J. T. Baron Esq. | Witton | Blackburn'. The letter reads: 'Dear Sir | Messrs Longman are the publishers of my Biographical & Critical Essays & my Translation of Faust. But any bookseller will get them for you, with the exception of the First Series of my Essays, which is out of print. | faithfully yours | A. Hayward'.

Autograph Letter Signed from 'H. Taylor Collector', of the Inland Revenue, to the Supervisor, Wandsworth, regarding experiments and tests to ascertain 'whether Casks that have contained Spirits have or have not been grogged'.

Author: 
[H. Taylor, Collector, Inland Revenue, 18 Newington Butts, London; Supervisor, Wandsworth; Grogging Spirit Casks]
Publication details: 
On government letterhead, with stamp of the Inland Revenue, 18 Newington Butts. 9 [corrected from 8] September 1892.
£80.00

2pp., foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, on faded blue paper, with slight chipping and repair with archival tape.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Whit: Bulstrode') from Whitelocke Bulstrode in London to his son Richard Bulstrode in Littleton, Middlesex,

Author: 
Whitelocke Bulstrode (1652-1724), alchemist, religious writer, Whig lawyer and administrator, anti-Jacobite author under the pseudonym 'Philalethes' [his son Richard Bulstrode]
Publication details: 
'Hatton Garden Monday Night | 16 Nov 1724'. London; 16 November 1724.
£320.00

1p., 4to. 22 lines of text. Bifolium, addressed on reverse of second leaf: 'To Richard Bulstrode Esqr at Littelton near Sunbury in Midd[lese]x'. In good condition, on aged paper. Addressed to 'My dear Son' from 'Yr most affectionate Father | Whit: Bulstrode'. Bulstrode writes that, on his 'comeing to Towne', he 'met wth a letter from one Mr James Norris, who writes himself Auditor, &, it is fro ye Chapr at Canterbury', sending for the rent 'Due last month'.

Two Autograph Letters from the historian Thomas Lionel Hodgkin, one (signed 'Thomas') to the poet Sylvia Lynd, the other (unsigned) to her daughter Sigle Lynd, both written in the most effusive terms.

Author: 
Thomas Lionel Hodgkin (1910-1982), Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, British Marxist historian of Africa [Sylvia Lynd (1888-1952), poet; Sigle ('Sheila') Lynd [later Wheeler] (1910-1976)]
Publication details: 
Both letters on letterhead of 20 Bradmore Road, Oxford. Letter to Sylvia Lynd: 16 December 1930. Letter to Sigle Lynd: 19 July 1930.
£120.00

Both items in very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Both letters are written in an excited, gushing style, and have the margins filled with extra text. Letter to Sylvia Lynd: 2pp., 4to. Addressed to 'Dear Mrs Lynd'.

Copy of Autograph Letter Signed ('Frank H. Evans') from the banker and Liberal politician Sir Francis Henry Evans to the proprietor of the White Star Line Thomas Henry Ismay, complaining of the treatment of his sister-in-law on a transatlantic voyage

Author: 
Sir Francis Henry Evans (1840-1907) of Tubbendens, Orpington, Kent, banker and Liberal politician [Thomas Henry Ismay (1837-1899), founder of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company [White Star Line]]
Publication details: 
5 August [189]4.
£60.00

3pp., 12mo. An early sort of carbon copy. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed to 'Thomas H Ismay Esq | Liverpool'.

Long Autograph Letter Signed ('Frank H. Evans') from the banker Sir Francis Henry Evans, writing while a young man in Santos, Brazil, to his parents in England, describing a mishap with a tent at the turning of 'the first sod' of a railway station.

Author: 
Sir Francis Henry Evans (1840-1907) of Tubbendens, Orpington, Kent, banker and company director, Liberal Member of Parliament for Southampton, 1896-1900, and Maidstone, 1901-1906 [Santos, Brazil]
Publication details: 
Santos [São Paulo state, Brazil]. The first part, to his mother, dated 29 and 30 May 1860; the second part, to his father, dated 30 May 1860.
£80.00

14pp., 12mo. The first 11pp. are addressed to his mother and signed, and the last 3pp. to his father and not signed (possibly indicating that a continuation is lacking). In fair condition, on aged paper, with the last leaf worn and creased. He explains his situation at the beginning of the letter: 'First of all you may see from my address above that I am in Santos, & secondly from the more cleanly appearance of the letter that I am not in the woods. - Would that I were back again for ever since I have been here I have been ill [...] On the 11th.

Printed label of book from the 'Lutterworth New Book Society, 1839-40', with list of members' names. With additional information in manuscript.

Author: 
Lutterworth New Book Society, Leicestershire [lending library; circulating libraries]
Publication details: 
Lutterworth New Book Society [Leicestershire]. 1839-1840.
£80.00

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged paper. The heading reads (with manuscript additions in square brackets): 'No. [358] | LUTTERWORTH | New Book Society, | 1839-40. | To be kept [7] Days. | Ordered by [Mr G. Bottrill] | Price [6/-].' Three columns follow, headed 'When sent', 'To whom sent' and 'When returned'. The middle column contains the printed names of 31 male individuals, from 'Mr. C. Burdett' to 'Mr. Stiles', with the addition of one manuscript name. Dates are written in manuscript in the first and third column. At foot of leaf: 'N.B.

Autograph Letter Signed from J. W. Leach in Australia to his aunt Mrs Baker in Sidcup, England, discussing his return to 'good old Sydney', the 'frightful state' of the country post-War, and the arrival of 'a great number of English Brides'.

Author: 
J. W. Leach of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia [Mrs Baker, Sidcup, Kent, England]
Publication details: 
84 Victoria Street, Potts Point, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 27 November 1919.
£90.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper, with small rust hole to second leaf affecting two words of text. He begins in the hope that she is 'quite well & Plenty of Business'. He reports the death of his mother the previous may: 'she only lasted 5 Months after I left her'.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Edw. Foss') from Edward Foss, author of 'The Judges of England', regarding the prosecutor of King Charles I, John Cook [Cooke], Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth. With page of extracts on Cook by the recipient.

Author: 
Edward Foss (1787-1870), legal writer and biographer, under-sheriff of London, 1827-1828 [John Cook [John Cooke] (c.1608-1660, Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth, prosecutor of King Charles I]
Publication details: 
Churchill House, Dover [Kent]. 15 December 1863.
£250.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium, with Foss's letter (33 lines) on both sides of the first leaf, and the page of extracts by the recipient (38 lines) on the recto of the second leaf. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with one corner of the first leaf cut away. The letter is addressed to 'My dear Sir', without any indication of the recipient's identity.

[Handbill] Notice [about school closure during Scarlet Fever Epidemic]

Author: 
[Scarlet Fever]
Publication details: 
Baily and Son, Machine Printers, Cirencester, [c.1890?]
£90.00

One page, 8vo, good condition, commences [title] NOTICE | The Managers of the ..............School consider it necessary, in consequence of the existence of Scarlet Fever in the neighbourhood [...] People are warned not to send children to school if there is illness inthe house of any sort, giving the circumstances for penalties (usually £5 fine), and outlining symptoms. Any householder swith illness in the hosue shouldcontact William Bishop Harmer, the Sanitary Inspector of the District.

Five poems by Captain H. W. Windsor Aubrey, R.A.M.C.: two holographs (including 'The Yellow Peril. Dedicated to the German Emperor'), one with typed copy, two others typed and one mimeographed; four concerning Delhi Barracks, Tidworth.

Author: 
Captain Henry Wentworth Windsor Aubrey (c.1859-1934), M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. [R.A.M.C. Delhi Barracks, Tidworth, Wiltshire; Brimstone Bottom]
Publication details: 
One of the six items on R.A.M.C. letterhead, Delhi Barracks, Tidworth, Salisbury Plain [Wiltshire]; dated 20 February 1918. Four of the others also 1918, and the sixth 1904.
£180.00

Henry Wentworth Windsor Aubrey was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Dorset Regiment Militia on 21 April 1875, and resigned his commission three years later. He qualified as a Doctor in 1885 and practiced in Clifton, where he was a keen cricketer and golfer. During the First World War he served in the RAMC, reaching the rank of Temporary Captain (Home) on 1 December 1917. The six items (including Item Four, a typescript of Item Three) are in very good condition, on lightly-aged paper.

A pressed flower, picked from the grave of the American politician Daniel Webster by Marie de Grasse Stevens [later Lady Evans].

Author: 
[Daniel Webster (1782-1852), American politician; Marie de Grasse Evans (d.1920), Lady Evans [nee Marie de Grasse Stevens, daughter of Hon. Samuel Stevens of Albany, New York]
Publication details: 
Picked from the Old Winslow Burial Ground section of the Winslow Cemetery, near Marshfield, Massachusetts. August 1859.
£80.00

Small sprig (6cm long), pinned to 8 x 5 cm piece of ruled paper, torn from a notebook. The paper carries the note by Stevens: 'Grave of Daniel Webster | August 1859.' Placed in a 9.5 x 12 cm envelope, docketted in pencil: 'From Daniel Webster's grave | M. F. B'. Marie de Grasse Stevens, daughter of the Hon. Samuel Stevens of Albany, New York, friend and colleague of Daniel Webster, and widow of Irving Van Wart, married the English banker Francis Henry Evans in 1872. She became Lady Evans on his being knighted in 1893. From the Evans papers.

[Printed catalogue by the London circulating library.] Mudie's Stock-Taking Sale, 1910. February 28th to March 19th. 100,000 Books to be Sold From 4d. to 120/- each. More than 20,000 New Books, Many at Less than Half Price.

Author: 
Mudie's Select Library, Limited., 30-34, New Oxford Street, London, W.C. [circulating library; book catalogue]
Publication details: 
Mudie's Select Library, Limited, 30-34, New Oxford Street, London, W.C. 1910.
£120.00

20pp., 12mo. Stapled pamphlet. In fair condition, on aged paper with slight rust from staple. 617 numbered and priced entries, the first 245 with short descriptive notes. On front page, beneath the title: 'This list is sent out in advance to facilitate selection, and all orders will be dealt with in rotation as received. Completed orders will be despatched AFTER February 28th. | Remittances should accompany orders, and an allowance be made to cover postage, otherwise goods will be forwarded by rail, carriage forward.

18 Autograph Letters Signed from Captain Hon. Sir Seymour John Fortescue, Equerry-in-Waiting to the Prince of Wales [the future King Edward VII], to 'Lady Edith', filled with English high society and horse- racing news and gossip.

Author: 
Captain Hon. Sir Seymour John Fortescue (1856-1942), Equerry-in-Waiting to King Edward VII, 1893-1910
Publication details: 
On the following letterheads: 23 Dover Street, London (5); Royal Yacht Osborne; H.M.S. Renown, Mediterranean; The Grove, Watford; 22, Avenue du Bois de Boulogne, Paris; Place Vendôme, Paris; Hôtel Weimar, Marienbad; Turf Club, Piccadilly. 1894-1899.
£850.00

18 long letters, totalling 106pp., 4to, and 2pp., 8vo. Fourteen signed 'Seymour Fortescue' and four 'Seymour F'. Three with the year stated by Fortescue, ten others dated in pencil in another hand. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. For biographical information about Fortescue, see the end of this entry.

Autograph Letter Signed from Alfred Musty, an immigrant to Canada, writing to a benefactor [Mr Challinor?] back in England, to describe his 'first year', and including a reference to M. H. Cochrane, 'the great celebrated Herd Farmer of Canada'.

Author: 
Alfred Musty [Matthew Henry Cochrane (1823-1903), Canadian industrialist and breeder of livestock]
Publication details: 
Huntingville, Eastern Townships, Province of Quebec, Canada. 29 September 1883.
£80.00

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. 77 lines of text. In good condition, on aged paper, with a little wear and a few closed tears along folds. He begins by describing his 'prospects': 'My first year in Canada I stayed with Mr. Bridges, during which time I got a pretty fair knowledge of the country. I then decided to speculate on a woodland Lot of Fifty Acres, price Five Hundred Dollars.

Typed account, signed 'Anyanga' [J. H. Driberg], of a liaison with a Frenchwoman named Yvonne Beaubouchais in Marseille in 1915, titled 'L'Entente Cordiale'.

Author: 
'Anyanga'; J. H. Driberg [Jack Herbert Driberg (1888-1946), social anthropologist and brother of flamboyant Labour MP Tom Driberg (1905-1976), Baron Bradwell]
Publication details: 
'From J. H. Driberg, 19, Dryden Chambers, W.1.' Undated [1920s?].
£180.00

8pp., 4to. On eight leaves pinned together. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with rust staining from pin. Apparently unpublished. Typed at head of first page: 'From J. H. Driberg, 19, Dryden Chambers, W.1.', above which, in manuscript: 'NL. N. 10 pt Miscellany'. Driberg is clearly the author: 'Anyanga' is a surname common in the area of Kenya in which he was based as a colonial offical. The first paragraph gives an indication of the tone of the piece: 'The War left me with one fragrant memory. Her name was Yvonne Beaubouchais, and the date was 1915.

Autograph Letter Signed ('E. Ruggles-Brise') from prison reformer Sir Evelyn John Ruggles-Brise, to Captain Robert Arnold Vansittart , arranging a meeting with him and Captain Conor, Governor of Parkhurst, regarding development of the farm at Borstal

Author: 
Sir Evelyn John Ruggles-Brise (1857-1935), prison administrator and founder of Borstal system [Captain Robert Arnold Vansittart (1851-1938); Captain H. L. Conor, Governor of Parkhurst Gaol]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the Prison Commission, Home Office, Whitehall, SW. 13 December 1907.
£65.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In Prision Commission envelope, with two postmarks (one of them 'HOME OFFICE PRISONS | OFFICIAL'), addressed by Ruggles-Brise to 'Capt. Vansittart | 24 Cadogan Square | SW'. He writes to inform Vansittart that he has 'arranged for Capt Conor, Governor - Parkhust, to be at Borstal on Tuesday next 17th. inst. to confer with yourself & the Govr. as to the best way of developing the Farm.' He asks Vansittart to 'communicate with Major Elliott as to the time when it will be convenient to you to be there'.

Part of autograph 'Diary of the War' of Assistant Paymaster (later Rear-Admiral) Noel Wright, describing three months of his service with Jellicoe's Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow, and reporting the Battle off Texel and sinking of HMS Audacious.

Author: 
Rear-Admiral Noel Wright (1890-1975), Royal Navy [Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Jellicoe, Commander of the Grand Fleet, Scapa Flow; Battle off Texel; sinking of HMS Audacious]
Publication details: 
Covering the period from 18 October 1914 to 4 January 1915.
£1,250.00

163pp., 12mo. In a sturdy notebook, with brass clasp, covered in grey paper. Wright has written '4 | N W' on the front board. On the recto of the first leaf he gives the addresses of 'T', 'C', 'J', 'Adml Campbell' and 'Young'; and on the verso he writes the title 'DIARY OF THE WAR | VOLUME II', above the oval stamp 'SUPPLIED FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE'. He signs 'Noel Wright' at head of the recto of the second leaf.

Autograph Letter Signed ('N: Vansittart') from Chancellor of the Exchequer Nicholas Vansittart to Whig MP William Smith, discussing James Walker's 'Letters on the West Indies', and voicing approval for the spread of Walker's 'mild system' of slavery.

Author: 
Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley (1766-1851), Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer [William Smith (1730-1819), Whig abolitionist; James Walker, Commissioner for Crown Estates in Berbice, Guyana]
Publication details: 
Downing Street [London]; 16 February 1818.
£325.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. An important letter, in which the serving Chancellor of the Exchequer puts his position concerning slavery (a subject of extreme importance to the British Treasury), siding with a prominent apologist for the practice, James Walker, one of the commissioners managing the Crown Estates at Berbice.

Autograph Letter Signed ('D. S. Cairns') from the theologian David Smith Cairns to 'Mr. Vansittart' [the diplomat Robert Gilbert Vansittart, later Baron Vansittart of Denham], praising his poem 'The Singing Caravan' in the most fullsome terms.

Author: 
David Smith Cairns (1862-1946), theologian [Robert Gilbert Vansittart (1881-1957), Baron Vansittart of Denham, diplomat and poet]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of 130 Desswood Place, Aberdeen. 12 May 1929.
£135.00

7pp., 12mo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. On two bifoliums. He begins: 'Dear Mr. Vansittart | I have just finished a second reading of "The Singing Caravan". I got a copy for myself after a hunt, for it is o[ut]. [of] p[rint]. as you know'. He will 'return to it again & again.

Autograph Letter Signed from the actor-manager Wilson Barrett [William Henry Barrett] to Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine, regarding the dramatisation of his novel 'The Deemster' (renamed 'Ben-my-chree') for performance at the Princess's Theatre, London.

Author: 
Wilson Barrett [William Henry Barrett] (1846-1904), English actor and playwright, manager of the Princess's Theatre, London [Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine (1853-1931), novelist]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of Hedingham, 21 Maresfield Gardens, South Hampstead, London. 28 April 1888.
£45.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. Barrett writes: 'Dear Hall Caine/ | The scheme promises well. I have made an arrangement for eight weeks at the Princess's. I thought it better to fight for the play there. Will certainly have a fair chance, although there can be no <?>.' According to Barrett's entry in the Oxford DNB, he returned from the Globe Theatre 'to the Princess's, where he began work with Hall Caine on adapting The Deemster, renamed Ben-my-chree (17 May 1888).

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