FISH

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On 11 x 7.5 cm piece of paper, cut from a printed document. The signature is large, bold and undamaged, on heavily-worn paper with several instances of damage, laid down on a piece of card. The printed text reads: ‘[...] / I [have] the honour to be, / Sir, / Your most obedient / and very humble Servant, / [Autograph Signature ‘Wm. Yarrell’] / Treasurer.’

2pp., 12mo. Hastings's letter, in the third person, is on the recto, and Baldwin's reply on the reverse. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. One wonders what the fishwife made of Baldwin's handwriting, which is somewhat opaque. He 'requests Mrs Baldwin to send a Dish of Fish for Friday & Saturday's Dinner for 9 or 10 Persons & 2 <?> of Cod <?> & a Bill of what <?> the Last, as he will send the amount by the bearer'.

One page, 12mo, small corner missing with loss of short word (unknown), mainly good condition. "Je recois a l'instant quelques grains toutes fraiches de Charleston et je [m'empresse?] de vous en faire [passer?] une parties. J'ignore si vous avez recu les paquets [?] que je vous ai adresses il y a deja quelques [temps?]". Postscipti (corner lost), "il [leur ...?] de la terre de [possibly loss of short word] Bruyere , legere, du frais et le [word lost?] l[ombre?]."

2pp., 4to. Good, on lightly-aged laid paper. Bower begins by stating that he is sending 'a Copy of a Letter which I have received from Dr Carm Smyth [James Carmichael Smyth (1742-1821) of the Middlesex Hospital]'. Smyth's son (the future Sir James Carmichael-Smyth) is 'a very fine handsome young man Lieut in the Engineers come out a Passanger [sic] in the same ship with us'. Bower and Smyth 'wisely went into the Boat which was lashed to the Stern Gallery to fish sharks which were following the ship - the Boat suddenly canted round in the slings, upon which poor Smyth went plump into the sea'.

13 x 7.5 card. Fair, on aged paper, with minor creasing to one corner. Stamped and addressed on one side to 'Mr. J. Charles Davis | Proctor's Theatre | New York'. The unsigned card (with the words 'and United States' deleted from the heading) has partly printed text. Mather completes it in pencil, acknowledging the 'inquiry about Frank Forester' and stating that 'as a boy I knew him and shot with him but my recollections would be of no value'. He ends by saying that he will 'try to brush them up' on his 'return from the west'.

On both sides of a folio leaf (dimensions 42 x 26.5 cm). On aged and lightly creased and spotted paper. Proposing to raise 'CAPITAL, £50,000, in 5,000 SHARES of £10 each.' Details of Directors; Bankers; Auditors; Brokers; Solicitors; Secretary, (pro tem.); and Offices left blank.

One page each, 4to, good condition.