ASIA

[Sir John Bowring, fourth Governor of Hong Kong.] Playful Autograph Letter Signed to Lady Theresa Villiers, explaining how on receipt of her dinner invitation he wrote to her brother by mistake.

Author: 
Sir John Bowring (1792-1872), fourth Governor of Hong Kong, traveller, writer and economist [Lady Theresa Villiers (1775-1856), wife of George Villiers (1759–1827), son of Earl of Clarendon]
Publication details: 
‘1 Queen Square West [London] / 4 April 1836’.
£150.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 5pp, 16mo, on two bifoliums of gilt-edged laid paper. In very good condition, lightly aged and folded once for postage. Signed ‘John Bowring’. Written in playful, mock-heroic style. Begins: ‘Many, many days ago my dear Mrs Villiers, did I put sackcloth on my shoulders & pile ashes on my head anent a very wicked sin of omission, in which I was peccant towards you - you who I humbly trust in your great goodness will fling over me the mantle of your forgiving charity’.

[Sir Claude MacDonald, soldier and diplomat in the far east; Japan] Two Autograph Letters in the third person to the Lord Mayor of London [Sir John Charles Bell], accepting luncheon invitations, one to meet ‘Prince Fushimi of Japan’.

Author: 
Sir Claude Macdonald [Colonel Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald (1852-1915), soldier and diplomat, British Minister to China and Korea, Consul-General to Japan [Prince Fushimi Sadanaru (1858-1923)]
Publication details: 
One on 8 March 1907; from 43 Augusta Gardens, Folkestone [Kent]. The other without date, but from May 1907; on letterhead of the United Service Club [London].
£90.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Both items 1p, 12mo, and both in good condition, lightly aged, with slight evidence of previous mounting on the blank reverses. Both folded once for postage. Both letters during the tenure as Lord Mayor of London of Sir John Charles Bell (1843-1924). ONE (8 March 1907): ‘Sir Claude Macdonald has the honour to accept the kind invitation of the Lord Mayor to Luncheon on March 13th.

[ John George Wood, naturalist and microscopist. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('J. G. Wood') to 'Lester' [ Edwin Lester Arnold ], containing warm reminiscences.

Author: 
J. G. Wood [ John George Wood ] (1827-1889), naturalist and microscopist [ E. L. Arnold [ Edwin Lester Linden Arnold ] (1857-1935), author, son of Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904) ]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of Freeman Lodge, St. Peters, Kent. 14 December 1885.
£120.00

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, aged and worn. Forty lines of text. He has been 'looking out for the review in the D[aily]. T[elegraph]. but never a review at all I seen. [sic] I suppose that these politics &c, squeeze out any matter which can bide its time'. He recalls their previous meeting: 'last time was on a Sunday morning, when Theodore & I trotted from Belvedere to Sidcup [...] he, like you, has been following his father's footsteps, & has made somewhat of a name in economic edntomology'.

[ Assam ] Four printed Assam Government reports (for the British Govt), 3 annual Reports on the Survey and Settlement Operations in Assam [for the years 1930, 1936 and 1937]; and an Annual Report of the Assam Survey Department [for the year 1934].

Author: 
L. C. Thuillier; W. L. Scott; C. R. Pawsey; H. M. Pritchard; D. Sarma; K. M. Dutta; A. G. Patton [Assam Government Press, Shillong; Assam Survey Department]
Publication details: 
The four items printed at the Assam Government Press, Shillong. 1931, 1935, 1937 and 1938.
£120.00

The four items in their original wraps. All four in fair condition, on lightly-aged and ruckled paper, with slight evidence of damp. One: 'Report on the Survey and Settlement Operations in Assam for the Year ending the 30th September 1930'. Shillong: Printed at the Assam Government Press, 1931. 7 +18 + [2]pp., foolscap 8vo. By 'L. C. Thuillier, Lt.-Colonel, I.A., Director of Surveys, Assam', 'W. L. Scott, Director of Land Records, Assam' and 'C. K. Rhodes, Secretary to the Government of Assam, Revenue Department'. Stamp of the Bala Theological College on front wrap.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Ellenborough') to 'W Astell Esq'.

Author: 
Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough (1790-1871), Tory politician and Governor-General of India [William Astell (1774-1847), Director of the East India Company]
Publication details: 
8 June 1830. India Board.
£38.00

12mo: 2 pp. Eleven lines of text. A bifolium, docketed on the otherwise-blank second leaf '8 June 1830 | Ld. Ellenborough'. Good: lightly spotted and with traces of grey paper mount adhering to edge on reverse of second leaf. He is enclosing a letter (not present) 'from Keene' (docketed [by Astell?] ('Kearney.)', and possibly the watercolourist W. H. Kearney). 'I must not enter into a Correspondence with him and he asks nothing definite.' Asks Astell to 'consider the matter' and to let him know his opinion on the coming Saturday.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Ellenborough') to 'W Astell Esq'.

Author: 
Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough (1790-1871), Tory politician and Governor-General of India [William Astell (1774-1847), Director of the East India Company]
Publication details: 
8 June 1830. India Board.
£38.00

12mo: 2 pp. Eleven lines of text. A bifolium, docketed on the otherwise-blank second leaf '8 June 1830 | Ld. Ellenborough'. Good: lightly spotted and with traces of grey paper mount adhering to edge on reverse of second leaf. He is enclosing a letter (not present) 'from Keene' (docketed [by Astell?] ('Kearney.)', and possibly the watercolourist W. H. Kearney). 'I must not enter into a Correspondence with him and he asks nothing definite.' Asks Astell to 'consider the matter' and to let him know his opinion on the coming Saturday.

[ Joseph Freiherr von Hammer-Purgstall, Austrian orientalist. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Joseph von Hammer'), in English,

Author: 
Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall (1774-1856), Austrian orientalist
Publication details: 
Vienna. 14 January 1831.
£280.00

4pp., 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with creases unobtrusively repaired with archival tape. A long letter, addressed to an unnamed English recipient (perhaps the editor of an literary journal) interested in news of Austrian literary culture. The letter contains references to: 'the polyglott Georgian', 'the new litterary [sic] gazette', 'Mr.

[Hon. Capt. Francis Egerton, R.N.] Autograph Letter to 'John Bowring Esqre', regarding the writing of his 'Journal of a Winter's Tour in India, with a Visit to the Court of Nepaul'.

Author: 
Hon. Capt. Francis Egerton (1824-1895), Royal Navy [Francis Leveson-Gower; Sir John Bowring (1792-1872), Governor of Hong Kong; John Murray, London publisher]
Publication details: 
[London?] 'Monday <June?> 20th' [1852].
£180.00

1p., landscape 12mo (16 x 20.5 cm). Addressed on reverse 'To | John Bowring Esqre | 6 Freeman's Court | Cornhill'. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded into a packet for hand-delivery. Written in a crabbed, difficult hand. Begins: 'Tomorrow I will send you a copy of my Character [clearly 'The Life and Character of the Duke of Wellington', which is however generally ascribed to his namesake the Earl of Ellesmere], which you will see

Blaquiere

is just now in demand. Also a work which i can only lend him.

[Sir Edwin Arnold.] Holograph Poem, signed 'Edwin Arnold', titled 'The Heavenly Secret', exhibiting a few differences from the printed version, presented to Mrs A. G. Henriques.

Author: 
Sir Edwin Arnold (1892-1904), poet and journalist, best-known for his 'Light of Asia' (1879) [Mrs A. G. Henriques]
Publication details: 
Place not stated. 6 March 1887.
£75.00

1p., 8vo. Laid down on a piece of card. Aged and discoloured, with chipping to extremities and some loss of text. The poem is sixteen lines long, arranged in two eight-line stanzas. The first stanza reads: '"Sometimes" - Althaea sighed - "in hours of sadness, | A sudden pleasure shines upon the soul; | The heart beats quick to half-heard notes of gladness, | And from the dark mind all its clouds unroll: | How comes this, Poet! You, who know things hidden, | Whence sounds that undersong of soft Content? | What brings such peace, unlooked-for & unbidden! | Answer me!

[Robert Byron, traveller.] Autograph Letter Signed to Mrs Strutt, discussing areas in Ceylon and South India that she should visit.

Author: 
Robert Byron (1905-1941), traveller and authority on Byzantine civilization, author of 'The Road to Oxiana'
Publication details: 
'as from 91 Bishopsgate | EC2 [London]'. 2 February 1938.
£1,200.00

2pp., 4to. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. In original envelope addressed to Mrs Strutt at the Galle Face Hotel, Columbo, Ceylon. He lists four locations in Ceylon, and six in South India, with brief comments including:'15 sq. miles of ruins - the oldest tree in the world'; 'lovely temple, Adams Houses, Flaxman monuments'. The regarding the last location he writes: 'Madras itself has charming classical buildings, & in the Old Durbar Hall is to be

Mimeographed typed stock report from Malayan Traders & Co., Stock & Share Brokers, '6For Private Circulation Only',

Author: 
Malayan Traders & Co., Stock & Share Brokers, Kuala Lumpur, Federation of Malaya [Malaysia].
Publication details: 
Malayan Traders & Co., Third Floor, Lee Yan Lian Building, Mountbatten Rd., Kuala Lumpur. 'CIRCULAR LETTER No.10/60. 3rd, November, 1960.'
£80.00

4pp., foolscap 8vo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Sections on Tins, Rubbers, Industrials, Yields; with graph and table. Begins: 'Once more the Malayan shares were overshadowed by the gloom in the rubber market. The rubber price which stood at $1.01 1/2 on October 3, continued to slide until at the end of the month it had reached 88 3/4 cents per pound with the bottom still not in sight.' From the private papers of C. A. A. Nicol (1921-2012), OBE, CPM, AMN, Special Branch, Malayan Union Police Force.

Mimeographed typed Malayan stock market report, 'For Private Circulation Only', from Charles Bradbury & Co. (1930) Ltd, Stock & Share Brokers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.

Author: 
[Charles Bradbury & Co. (1930) Ltd., Stock & Share Brokers, Kuala Lumpur, Federation of Malaya [Malaysia]]
Publication details: 
Charles Bradbury & Co. (1930) Ltd. (Members of the Malayan Stock Exchange). Stock & Share Brokers, 28 & 30 Old Market Square, Kuala Lumpur, Federation of Malaya [Malaysia]. 'CIRCULAR LETTER No.7/60 | 30th September, 1960.'
£100.00

10pp., foolscap 8vo. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Sections on Industrials, Tin, Rubber, Company Reports; with full-page table of 'Market Price of Rubber and Nett Profit per Pound'. Begins: 'September was a strange sort of month - quiet by recent standards with hte market suspended between shade and shien as bearish and bullish-looking clouds scudded across the scene in jumbled sequence leaving investors and speculators confused and cautious.' From the private papers of C. A. A. Nicol (1921-2012), OBE, CPM, AMN, Special Branch, Malayan Union Police Force.

Studi d'Indianistica in Italia dal 1911 al 1938. [Indian studies in Italy from 1911 to 1938.]

Author: 
Giulia Porru [India; Indian studies in Italy; Italian bibliography]
Publication details: 
Pubblicazioni della R. Universita degli Studi di Firenze Facolta di Lettere e Filosofia. - III Serie - Volume X. Firenze [Florence] - Felice le Monnier - Editore - MCMXL-XVIII'.
£85.00

4to: viii + 257 pp. In original grey printed wraps. Internally tight, on lightly-aged and foxed paper. Wraps spotted and worn, with chipping to extremities. The preface describes the work as 'una bibliografia descrittiva degli studi di Indianistica fatti in Italia nel periodo che va dal 1911 al 1937.' A descriptive bibliography of Indian studies in Italy, 1911 to 1937. Scarce in Britain: COPAC lists copies at the British Library, Oxford and SOAS.

Autograph Letter Signed ('Ellenborough') to 'W Astell Esq'.

Author: 
Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough (1790-1871), Tory politician and Governor-General of India [William Astell (1774-1847), Director of the East India Company]
Publication details: 
8 June 1830. India Board.
£38.00

12mo: 2 pp. Eleven lines of text. A bifolium, docketed on the otherwise-blank second leaf '8 June 1830 | Ld. Ellenborough'. Good: lightly spotted and with traces of grey paper mount adhering to edge on reverse of second leaf. He is enclosing a letter (not present) 'from Keene' (docketed [by Astell?] ('Kearney.)', and possibly the watercolourist W. H. Kearney). 'I must not enter into a Correspondence with him and he asks nothing definite.' Asks Astell to 'consider the matter' and to let him know his opinion on the coming Saturday.

Autograph Letters Signed (x 4) to (Charles) Buxton

Author: 
William E. Baxter.
Publication details: 
11 July-29 Aug. 1885
£250.00

Traveller in Spain and elsewhere, and author. 2-4pp., 8vo. He discusses extensively his work on "a Handbook on Russia & Great Britain in Central Asia", giving a resume of chapters and asking for copies to be sent to various places. "No question is more important at present". FOUR ITEMS,

Offprint from the 'Proceedings of the Royal Colonial Institute' entitled The critical position of British trade with oriental countries.

Author: 
T. H. Whitehead (member of the Legislative Council, Hong Kong)
Publication details: 
London: Spottiswoode and Co.; no date, but 'READ BEFORE THE ROYAL COLONIAL INSTITUTE FEB. 12, 1895'.
£85.00

8vo. 42 pages, in original grey printed wraps. Grubby, and with staining to front wrap and first leaf. On verso of front wrap: '(With the Author's Compliments).

Societe Asiatique. Seance Generale Annuelle Du 28 Avril 1825.

Author: 
Societe Asiatique.
Publication details: 
Paris, 1825.
£50.00

[75]pp., inc. Table, 8vo, original green printed wraps, back cover soiled, stitches loose, and other minor defects.

Societe Asiatique. Seance Generale Annuelle Du 28 Avril 1826.

Author: 
Societe Asiatique.
Publication details: 
Paris, 1826.
£50.00

[75]pp., inc. Table, 8vo, original green printed wraps, covers soiled and dulled, stitches loose, and other minor defects.

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