LORD

An interesting collection of material relating to the preparations for the historic first Secret Session in the House of Lords, from the papers of Neville Digby Bosworth Smith (1886-1964) of the Privy Council Office. The material dates from the five days preceding 25 April 1916, when the House of Lords having voted in favour of the measure, it held a secret session to debate a motion regarding conscription following the passing of the Military Services Act 1916. (For a contemporary account of the parallel proceedings in the other house, see Sir C. P.

On one side of a piece of paper cropped to 11 x 8 cm, resulting in loss of text at edges. Otherwise in fair condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Septr 13th 18[...] | [...] dear Sir - | As Mrs. Moore is [...] | [...]ith a parcel for Beafort Build[...] | [...] the opportunity of returning a book whi[...] | [...] to a set, you may be inconvenienced [...] | [...], and I have got all I wanted out of it [...] | You will have the goodness to send the [...] | [...] basket to Mrs. Dyke. | Yours ever | T.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with a few light stains from mount. Folded once. Having seen the Times announcement of the birth of Cecil's son the previous Saturday, Jellicoe sends his 'Most hearty congratulations' on the birth of Cecil's son, and is 'so delighted that all is going so satisfactorily & that you can come to see us on the 14th.

1p, 8vo. In fair condition, creased and aged. The only piece of Waithman's autograph is his signature at the foot: 'R Waithman'. The rest of the document, apparently in Holste's hand, reads: 'Henry Holste of 22 Bush Lane Merchant, maketh Oath and saith, that he has been resident in London above Fourteen years, and that from the first day of January 1812 to the first day of September 1823. he has not been out of England for a single day | Henry Holste. | Sworn at the Mansion house this Twenty fifth day of August. One thousand eight hundred and Twenty five | R Waithman | Mayor'.

1p, 8vo. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. The only piece of Waithman's autograph is his signature at the foot: 'R Waithman'. The rest of the document, apparently in Schmidt's hand, reads: 'John Schmidt Native of Hamburg residing at No 77 Westmoreland place City Road, Merchant maketh Oath & saith that he first arrived in London in the Year 1795. and has continued to reside here up to the present time with the exception of a few Months, but that he has not left England for a single day since the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight. - | J. Schmidt.

Valediction of Letter only, 5 lines inc. signature and address, 19 x 7cm, laid down on similar sized paper, with remnants on verso suggesting that it was in an album at one time, with note identifying writer ("The Countess Spencer"). Text: "& you will very highly oblige & gratify me. | I have the honor to be your Royal Highness most obedient Sert | Lavinia Spencer". From a large collection of similar conclusions,so often to the Duke of York ("Royal Highness" etc) that they may reveal the fate of his incoming correspondence, or part of it..

2pp, folio. On bifolium endorsed on reverse of second leaf. In fair condition, lightly creased and aged. Three folds. Embossed with five pound tax stamp at head. Printed in copperplate, with the details of the appointee 'John Amhust Philpott of Cranbrook in the County of Kent, Gentleman' filled-in in manuscript. Circular stamp of the Court of Justice at end of document with two signatures: 'Entd. | H. R. W.' and 'Entered 14th June 1876 | E W Williamson | Deputy Registrar of Solicitors'.

2pp, folio. In fair condition, aged, worn and with chipping to extremities. Several folds. Begins: 'My Lord, | I hae the honor of transmitting the following Addresses of Condolence to Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and His Serene Highness the Prince Leopold of Sax Cobourgh'. A list of six addresses follows, variously sent to different members of the royal family from noblemen, gentlemen, clergy, freeholders, burgesses, inhabitants. sheriffs, aldermen, of the county of Wexford, and cities of Armagh and Limerick.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of paper from mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded twice. Written in his usual difficult hand. He begins by stating that her note was forwarded to him from Knebworth. The letter continues: 'I had previously requested my Sol[icito]r.

2pp, 4to. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded several times. Endorsed on reverse of second leaf: 'Transmitting two Addresses of Condolence from the Co: of Renfrew - and Paisley -'. Reads: 'My Lord | I am directed by a Meeting of The Noblemen, Gentlemen, Justices of Peace, & Commisioners of Supply of The County of Renfrew, Held at Renfrew on the 27th.

In January 1897 an insurrection by the Greeks in Crete led to the Ottoman Empire, of which it was still part, declaring war on Greece. The following month, as Turkish rule over the island crumbled, six 'Great Powers', including Britain, France, Russia and the Germans, despatched an 'International Squadron' of their ships to Cretan waters.

Lady Bulwer Lytton is now best-known for her mistreatment at the hands of her husband (see their entries in the Oxford DNB). Both letters are in good condition, lightly aged and worn, the first carrying traces of mount and with slight damage at one corner. ONE: 28 February 1836. 4pp, 16mo. She is delighted to hear of Lady Cullum's return to England.

Anderson served as Home Secretary, Lord President of the Council and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Marchant headed the National Vigilance Association and the National Council of Public Morals. 2pp, 4to. On two leaves stapled together. In fair condition, lightly aged, with some staining from rusted staples. Folded three times. A good letter, giving an indication of civil defence preparations on the eve of the Second World War.

4pp, 16mo. Bifolium. Forty-two lines of text. Letterhead of family crest in gold and red. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of white paper mount adhering to last page. Three fold lines. The editor's 'obliging Note' affords her 'sincere pleasure to have the opportunity of expressing her gratitude to him in person', and she asks him not to call some day the following week (she is 'going out of Town' the week after), but not in the morning, as she has 'much business, of a disagreeable and imperative nature to transact now'.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, margins cropped, laid down on leaf removed from album. Annotated in ink with year. Reads 'Lord Palmerston presente ses Complimens a Monsr de Harivel et se fera l'honneur de le recevoir au “Foreign Office” Vendredi prochain a trois heures'.

A total of 12pp, 12mo. On bifoliums. All addressed to 'Dear Shuttleworth'. In good condition, lightly aged. A curious feature of the four letters is that the handwriting of each differs from the others. ONE: 7 April 1880. Trevelyan condoles with Shuttleworth, who has lost his Hastings seat in the General Election. He states that he is 'so heartily disgusted' with Shuttleworth's constituents, adding 'The loss, most temporary I feel sure, to the House will be very sensible, and I shall sorely miss you as a friend.

The Earl's wife was a mistress of Lord Byron. Her infidelities let to her children being jokingly referred to as 'The Harleian Miscellany'. 1p, 4to. Heavily aged and worn, with spike hole at centre. Folded several times. 'Sir | As Naples is now open for the English I beg you will send the Carriage to Naples for me by the first Ship that Sails from England for that Country. We are going there immediately. & shall [the]refore want it. I hope therefore you will lose no time in sending it. I will thank you to call on Wh.

The signatures feature with no other text on a single page, on one side of a 15 x 18 cm leaf of thickish cream paper removed from an album. In fair condition, aged, and dusty, with slight pinkish-red staining on edges, and not near any of the signatures. The signatories are: 'Hugh Walpole', 'Dunsany' [Lord Dunsany], 'Alec Waugh/', 'V S Pritchett', 'Lionel Hale.', 'Norman Collins', 'Philip Jordan' [Philip Furneaux Jordan (1902-1951), journalist and author], 'A. G. Macdonell.', 'Ivor Brown', 'J. B. Priestley', 'C. S. Forester'.

On one side of an 8 x 10 cm piece of paper. Aged and worn, with light offsetting from another document. The two signatures (both 'A. E. Cockburn') are at the right hand corners. The verdict and sentence ('Guilty | 6 Mo. Imprisonment') are written between two lines centred at the left-hand margin. The purport of the document is unclear: it may be that the judge was required to record the verdict and sentence in this way for the clerk of the court.

The four-line Latin poem in this letter by Lord Stratford de Redcliffe (better known as Sir Stratford Canning and cousin of Prime Minister George Canning) is apparently unknown, and certainly unpublished. The letter is 3pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice.

1p, 12mo. Bifolium. Addressed on reverse of the second leaf, with broken seal in red wax, 'To / | S. C. Hall Esqre | 59 Sloane Street'. In fair condition, on aged paper. Folded by Blessington into a diamond-shaped packet. Reads: 'Saturday Evening. | Lady Blessingtons Compts. To Mr Hall, and requests that he will call on her, as soon as may suit his convenience, as she wishes to consult him, about having an Enquiry executed.'

The letter is 1p, 12mo, and is accompanied by the covering 8vo leaf, addressed to 'John Atkins Esqre | Duke Street | Westminster', with a second signature for franking. The covering leaf is endorsed: 'Admiralty August 21 1806 | Adml. Markham concerning Miles Burn that it would be impossible to get him reinstated'. Both letter and covering leaf in good condition, lightly aged and worn, with fold lines. Markham could hardly be more decisive.

For information regarding the conspiracy to murder Lord Liverpool and his entire cabinet, see Thistlewood's entry in the Oxford DNB. A rare item, with no other copy found either on OCLC WorldCat or on COPAC, and intended for distribution in the streets of the North-East of England as the sensational news of the Conspiracy broke. In small print apart from the heading (which is in the usual mixture for the period of typefaces and point sizes, with fancy rules), on one side of a 42 x 13 cm strip of laid paper.

Tindal is notable for defending Queen Caroline in her 1820 adultery trial, and for introducing the special verdict 'Not Guilty by reason of insanity', in the case of Daniel M'Naghten. The letter is undated, but Tindal states that it was a written a week after the death of Rev. John Kirk, Rector of Thwing, which took place on 6 November 1827 (see Kirk's death notice, Gent. Mag., November 1827). 3pp., 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, aged and worn. Folded four times. Tindal begins his letter: 'My dear Lord Chancellor, | I am requested by my friend, the Revd. T.

Lingard's standing as a pioneer of historical method has never been higher. See his entry in the Oxford DNB. A chastening document, in which Lingard states that he feels within himself the beginnings of the 'paralysis of the brain' which he first observed in Robert Southey 'in the year 1830' (this must surely be a mistake for 1840). Lingard was on cordial terms with Southey. In 1834 he called on him and Wordsworth to give evidence on a literary point in a lawsuit. The present item is a square of paper cut from the conclusion of a letter. Recipient not named. In fair condition, lightly aged.

For information on Castlereagh, who in his rakish youth was known as ‘Cas’ or ‘Young Rapid’, see his entry in the History of Parliament. In 1833 he is said to have sired a child by the celebrated actress Madame Vestris, leading Lady Holland to comment that he was 'enchanted at his feat’. Queen Victoria considered him unfit for any serious responsibility. He inherited the family trait of mental instability (Lord John Russell commenting that‘he talks, but does not seem mad’) and spent his last years incarcerated. 1p, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged.

The recipient Simon Nicholson was a colonial civil servant and a neighbour of Lugard at Tallboys in Abinger Hammer. He and his wife Molly were a cultured couple, and were friends of Edith Wharton and Bernard Berenson. The four letters are in good condition, lightly aged and worn, and each is 2pp, 12mo. Each folded once. The first three are signed 'Lugard' and the last, to Molly Nicholson, 'Fred Lugard'. In the first letter (23 September 1940), after expressing pleasure at seeing Nicholson again and having 'a talk', he begs him 'not to postpone your week-end here.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded once. Endorsed on reverse of second leaf. At the time of writing Molesworth was serving as First Commissioner of Works in Lord Aberdeen's coalition government. (In the year of his death Aberdeen would appoint him Colonial Secretary.) The letter begins: 'My dear Merivale | Last November I moved for the enclosed return and since then I have spoken to ]Pal?] [i.e. Viscount Palmerston?] about it who promised that it should be made.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, folded twice. The recipient is not named. Begins: 'Dear Sir | I am much obliged to you for your Pamphlet, & agree with you that there is a serious deficiency in the Bill in not securing a Practical Proof of Teaching Power.' He finds the recipient's pamphlet 'clear & decided as to the Evil', but not 'very explicit as to the remedy'.

1p, 8vo. In good condition. Laid down on part of leaf from album. Reads: 'Lord Albemarle presents His Compliments to the Mayor Elect, and is sorry to find that It is not in his power to have the Honor of dining with him at Yarmouth on Michaelmas Day next.'