THE

Letter One (12mo, 1 p; on creased, aged paper with closed tear at head): date (1878) illegible, on letterhead of the 'Office of "Tinsleys' Magazine," | 8, Catherine Street, Strand, W.C.' A most unusual way of declining an invitation. He thanks Draper for his kindness and is 'truly grieved' that he 'cannot come to-day - I gave my boots a holiday yesterday, which they want to pass with a worthy cobbler.

12mo, 2 pp. Text complete and legible, on grubby and creased paper. Trace of grey paper mount adhering to blank verso of second leaf of bifolium. Crude caricature of a man's face in top left-hand corner of first page. Draper 'bolted from the Club last night' - Webber can 'guess the cause' - 'thereby depriving the committee of the unit necessary to form a quorum'. Had he not done so 'Marks would have shown you the drawing which he had brought down, finished, for your inspection.' Webber will 'bring it with me to the Circle to-morrow.

12mo: 2 pp. Very good. 'The Association for establishing depots of cheap food for the poor' has been formed, 'under the auspices of Lord Brougham, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Sir John Villiers Shelley, and others,' and Jerrold asks whether Raikes would 'permit us to add your name to the list of patrons', a position which 'entails no pecuniary responsibility whatsoever.'

Dimensions of card roughly 8.5 x 11 cm. Good, with slight creasing. Twenty lines of text. Congratulating Hammerton on his appointment as editor of the 'London Magazine'.

12mo: 1 p. Text clear and entire on creased and slightly grubby paper. Asks Hyde Clark to 'make the preliminary report you suggest, & speak with Mr Crompton'. He feels that 'the thing is to be accomplished; & that there will be honour & profit to all who may concern themselves in the undertaking'. Asks to hear from Hyde Clarke 'in a few days'. The subject of the letter is unclear.

12mo, 4 pp. Good. A bifolium, attached by a strip along the inner margin to a leaf removed from an autograph album, docketed 'Mrs. Hobart Hampden, Authoress of "The Changed Cross" '. Postscript written vertically across the upper part of the first page. Concerns a photograph of the recipient's mother: a 'sweet souvenir of such a rare & precious jewel as your dear & beautiful Mother; whom we feel it such a privelidge [sic] to see and to know'.

12mo, 3 pp. Good, with traces of previous brown-paper mount adhering to the blank reverse of the second leaf of the bifolium. His 'time is too fully occupied' for him 'to attend the meeting of the Aborigines Protection Society'. Discusses the parliamentary prospects of 'Mr. Baines' motion relative to the emigration of certain inhabitants of the Eastern district of the Cape'. 'In the meantime however I hope Mr is aware that he is fully at liberty to call on Mr. <?> the Librarian of this Dept. who is authorized to submit to him Captain Stockenstrom's despatches on this subject'.

On a piece of paper roughly 8.5 x 19 cm. Heavily aged, creased and with wear to extremities. Signatures clear and entire. Some loss to bottom left-hand corner. Printed text (involving a transfer) with manuscript insertions. Two red wafers. Signed 'A Whitehall | Admiralty | Paymaster R.N.'; 'E. M. Primrose'; 'Henry Crane | 14 Broad St | Clerk'; 'Joseph Chamberlain'. Chamberlain left Southbourne in Edgbaston in 1880.

12mo, 1 p. Good, on lightly aged and ruckled paper. Laid down on a piece of grey paper removed from an autograph album. Accepting an invitation, and informing the recipient that 'Mrs Callcott has recovered from her last attack - but she is still slightly affected at times, and is very weak.'

Seven lines on one side of a piece of aged wove paper, roughly 12.5 x 10 cm. A hurried, smudged communication. Reads 'My Dear Sir | I have the ill luck to be obliged to attend a Council of the Royal Academy. We commence business punctually [last word underlined] at 8 oClock - Confound the R.A.!!! | Truly yrs | [signed] F Chantrey | Tuesday Morng'.

12mo, 1 p, 14 lines. Good, on aged and lightly creased paper. Small red oval monogram in top left-hand corner. In French. As he was about to come and see her 'on est venu me chercher pour des affaires urgentes. il faut que je sorte à l'heure même'. The only news is that 'le ministre des finances refuse très inhumainement la petite maison d'Angivillers. S'il persiste, il y aura, plus que jamais, impossibilité de Loger plus à l'aise les Personnes qui réclament contre la première Distribution'.

12mo, 2 pp. Good, on lightly aged paper, with traces of a paper stub neatly adhering to the blank bottom right-hand corner of the verso. Apologising for his 'long neglect of the subject of your last notice - the Mill Hill Medal. The truth is I am scarcely able to find strength and spirits for the work I have to do, and so am constantly involved in difficulties as to time like those to which extravagant people fall into as to money'. He hopes 'to be able to enjoy the pleasures of our anniversary dinner', although he does not feel he deserves them.

12mo, 2 pp. Good, on aged paper. A formal letter in the third person. Windham 'is almost ashamed' of sending Sharpe 'anything so trifling as what accompanies this note'. His justification for doing so is the 'wish of having his opinions stated with tolerable correctness on a subject to which Mr Sharpe, as a matter of some interest at the moment, may happen in some degree to have turned his thoughts.' Sharp's name was often misspelt by contemporaries, and he is listed in the index to the online Oxford DNB as 'also known as Sharpe, Richard'.

Irregularly shaped piece of paper, consisting of the front and sides of an envelope. Roughly 14 x 18 cm. Good, but with long vertical closed tear to right of signature, neatly repaired on reverse with archival tape. Reads 'London June Twelve 1832. - | Lady Frederick Bentinck | Bedford Hotel | Brighton | [signed] G. Bentinck.' Red ink postmark, circular and topped with crown, reading 'FREE | 12 JU 12 | 1832 | +'. Remains of red wax seal at foot. Docketed 'Bentinck' along right-hand edge.

12mo bifolium, 4 pp. Good, on aged, laid paper. Good, on lightly aged paper. Addressed to 'My dear Charles', and from a collection of papers belonging to Charles James Manning. From the context may well be written by the wife of William Manning's eldest son Frederick (Charles's brother, as well as Cardinal Manning's). The author has 'been quite stunned with the sad & awfully sudden news' [of William Manning's death]. The author's uncle, 'Col ' agreed 'that it would alarm [Frederick] to see me [at 'Pangburn']'.

4to, 3 pp. Very good, on aged paper. Small punch hole through top left-hand corner of both leaves of the bifolium (not affecting text, which is clear and entire). Knatchbull claims that it has been 'intimated' to him 'that the Removal of the Troops from Canterbury in consequence of the Election for the County, which is to take place on Monday next, will cause much Inconvenience, especially to the Trade of the City'. He does not think that the Secretary of State 'would like to interfere, unless in Concurrence with the desire & opinion of the Authorities of the City of Canterbury'.

12mo, 3 pp. Very good on lightly aged paper. Asking whether Gladstone would consent to the placing of his name on the list of the Institute's Council, 'to fill one of the vacancies'. 'You would be of great service to us in so doing - and the calls on your time would not be numerous - about a dozen times a year'. Six lines in shorthand (by Gladstone?) on the reverse of the second leaf of the bifolium.

12mo, 8 leaves opening to make seven sets of columns running across seven pairs of facing pages. Stitched, and within original yellow printed wraps, with rough cloth weave. Lightly aged and worn, but in good condition overall, and free from any manuscript entries (i.e. not filled in). The front wrap is headed by a governmental crest, and carries eleven lines of text. Five lines of text, and the slug, on the back wrap ('The Officers engaged in the discharge of their duties under this Ordinance shall not disclose, except to the Governor, or in due course of law, the name of any Depositor.').

4to, 2 pp. Text clear and entire. On aged paper with a few closed tears to extremities and a thin strip of discoloration along one margin on reverse. 'The Royal Netherland Navy have made use of Coaltar for preserving certain parts of vessels of war from decay', but 'the Medical Department in the Netherlands' have confirmed that the use of Coaltar for that purpose has a prejudicial effect on the health of the Ships crews'. Asks to be informed 'of the results of any enquiries instituted on this Subject by order of the British Admiralty'. Docketed 'Netherland's under Secretary'.

Bifolium (dimensions of the two leaves 14.5 x 22.5 cm), 4 pp. Printed on light-green paper. Lightly worn and creased with one short closed tear. Contains 14 photographs of riders engaged in impressive stunts, including riding through flame, riding upside down and in a pyramid formation. No trace of existence of the troupe appears to have survived. Although in costume, to the ignorant eye they do not look particularly Cossack, and their signatures are not written in Cyrillic. The names, which do not yield any clues either, include 'A Boulanoff' and 'N. Golouboff'.

12mo, 4 pp. Good. A long, interesting gossipy letter. He is a 'poor weak devil' whose 'confounded laziness' has prevented him from writing. He has 'been to Thomlinson', and all copies of 'No. 14' are sold out, 'so there's a feather in your cap, my man'. Mention of 'Charteris', 'Ball & Boyd Scott'. 'I'm damned if I know where my lecture notes are - I've just hunted all over my room. I think they must be in Newcastle, or is it not possible that I lent them to you?' Discusses his 'articles in the Record'.

4to, 1 p, 21 lines. On creased and lightly-foxed paper, with a couple of closed tears (not affecting text, which is clear and entire). May refer to the 1928 revival of van Druten's play 'Young Woodley' (previously banned by the censor), or (which is more likely) to his 'After All' (1929).

12mo, 2 pp. Good, on lightly aged paper with two punch holes to the the outer edge of the first page. He apologises for troubling Rogers: 'I have not heard from yet.' Asks if Rogers would mind 'writing to ask him why he wont pay up.' Hopes Rogers is 'quite well by this time. | My panel is in the frame and finished. I want you to come and have a look at it one Sunday morn.'

Letter One (12mo, 2 pp; good, with glue from previous mounting to reverse of blank second leaf of bifolium): Jesse hears 'that there has been a violent attack made on my lectures to the Brighton Fishermen in "the Field" of last Saturday'. He 'published these lectures in the hopes that they might be useful to many people'. He 'gave the Copyright to Mr. Booth the publisher & never recovered one farthing profit for them'. 'They were written for an ignorant club of men without any pretension'.

12mo, 2 pp. Good, with minor staining and head, and traces of previous mount to blank second leaf of bifolium. He is sorry to learn that the 'Private Secretary, Mr. Harold Roberts' has rheumatic fever, 'a most painful disease' which 'usually lasts some time'. 'The poor lad will get over it, and ere long be quite himself again'. Lady Roberts is sending the boy 'some flowers'. When he is 'stronger, and would care to read', Roberts will send him 'a copy of my "Forty-one years in India".'

12mo, 3 pp. Good. Folded twice and with the blank verso of the second leaf of the bifolium a little grubby. A formal letter in the third person, declining to present a petition to the House of Lords, on the grounds that 'The Duke has no relation whatever with [Honiton]'. The date, and the words 'Mr Aberdein', 'Honiton', ', which he retains' and 'Robert Aberdein Esq' are in Wellington's hand.

12mo, 1 p, 11 lines. Good, with thin strip of discoloration along the outer edge. He is grateful to Hodgson 'for thinking of me'. Nothing would give Clarendon greater pleasure 'than to meet the Members of the Booksellers Provid[en]t Institution at Abbot's Langley', but unfortunately he has to go to London that Friday morning 'in order to keep some engagements that I have made on Saturday'.

12mo, 4 pp, 40 lines. On slightly grubby and creased paper, with a couple of tiny closed tears. Paulet writes that he has been 'saying much in [Smith's] favor' to 'Sir W. Gage' [Admiral Sir William Hall Gage (1777-1864), a member of the Board of Admiralty]. Gage considers the certificate Paulet has given Smith 'of no use to you without your received from the Adm[ira]l. the appointment of Gunnery Officer and that you had better lose no time in applying to me for a certificate for the time that you were actually doing the duty of gunnery officer'. Paulet reckons this 'from the time of Mr.

The letters and note are good, on lightly aged paper; the third letter with closed tear at foot of both leaves, affecting Walker's signature. Two of the three letters are docketed and bear the Society's stamp. The cuttings good on aged high-acidity paper. Letter One (4to, 1 p): He cannot afford the Society's subscription, due to 'the immensely increased taxation by the Federal Government, and by the State Governments in N.S. Wales and Queensland (not to mention donations to various War Funds)'.

All six items are good, on lightly aged paper, with pin holes to the top left-hand corners. Gloag's first letter (4to, 1 p, 13 lines) concerns a 'most unfortunate error, made by the Rotary Club of London in printing a paper which I recently gave on "Design in Industry,". The copy of Gloag's letter to Read (typed, 17 February 1950, 4to, 1 p) reveals this to have been the describing of Gloag 'on the luncheon menu as an "R.D.I." ' In the copy of Luckhurst's reply (12mo, 1 p, 16 lines) he comments that he has 'read enough press reports to know how unavoidable such things are'.