NINETEENTH

[ William Chambers, publisher and editor. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('W. Chambers') to unnamed individual, asking for information regarding a 'Polish periodical'.

Author: 
William Chambers (1800-1883) of Glenormiston, Scottish publisher and editor, and Lord Provost of Edinburgh [ W. & R. Chambers ]
Publication details: 
Edinburgh. 7 February 1843.
£120.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper, with a couple of short closed tears along fold lines at foot. He is 'interested in the Polish periodical', and hopes to notice it in the magazine, and asks for information regarding six numbered points. 'If to the above could be added a translation of "A Scottish House" I think I could make an interesting article on the work.' He offers to 'give the use of any of our cuts with much pleasure'.

[ Sir William Henry Flower, anatomist. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('W. H. Flower') to 'Miss Buchanan'

Author: 
Sir William Henry Flower (1831-1899), anatomist and surgeon, Director of the Natural History Museum, London
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London. 13 April 1896.
£56.00

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and lightly-creased paper, with traces of glue from mount at head of second page. Annotated at head in a contemporary hand. If mention of his name 'can in any way help you for the Welsh University or for any other post, by all means use it'. Regarding the 'next years cataloguing', plans are only in consideration, 'with the preparation of the estimates at end of the summer'. He explains that in the previous year these were 'framed by Dr. Smith', and that her application 'came just too late'.

[ Sir Henry Ellis, librarian. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Henry Ellis') to Nicholas Carlisle, asking on behalf of Daniel Lysons what became of a number of Chichester antiquities forwarded to the Society of Antiquaries.

Author: 
Sir Henry Ellis (1777-1869), Principal Librarian at the British Museum [ Nicholas Carlisle (1771-1847), Daniel Lysons (1762-1834), Samuel Lysons (c.1763-1819), James Dallaway (1763-1834), antiquaries]
Publication details: 
'B. M. [ British Museum, London ] | Sept. 8th 1819.'
£56.00

1p., 4to. Bifolium. Addressed, with postmarks, on reverse of second leaf, to 'Nicholas Carlisle Esqr. | Society of Antiquaries Apartments | Somerset Place.' In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. He has received 'a Letter from Mr. Daniel Lysons 'respecting "some fragments of brass belonging to a sacrificial Vessel found near Chichester," which were entrusted by Mr. Dallaway to the care of Mr. S.

[ Richard Oastler, factory reformer. ] Autograph Letter Signed to his daughter Maria, wishing her a happy new year from the Fleet Prison, and describing the meal he has eaten there.

Author: 
Richard Oastler (1789-1861), abolitionist, factory reformer ('The Factory King') and Tory radical
Publication details: 
'The Queen's Prison [i.e. the Fleet Prison ] | Jany. 1. 1843.'
£150.00

1p., 4to. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with slight damage to corners caused by removal from album. For the context of the letter, see Oastler's entry in the Oxford DNB, which explains that he was nearing the end of a three and a half year sentence at the Fleet Prison, for 'debts accumulated during his stewardship at Fixby', the charge being a 'Pretext', his 'campaign against the new poor law' having proved 'incendiary'. The letter begins: 'Maria! | This comes from thy own Papa, to wish thee a Happy new Year.

[ Richard Garnett, Assistant Keeper of Printed Books in the British Museum. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('R. Garnett.') to unnamed recipient, presumably a bookseller, thanking him for pointing out 'unusual books'.

Author: 
Richard Garnett (1835-1906), Assistant Keeper of Printed Books in the British Museum, scholar and poet
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the British Museum, London. 17 December 1895.
£40.00

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Dear Sir, | I am much obliged by your letter, and shall always be glad if you will point out unusual books. We have, however, both those which you mention, and must not buy duplicates.'

[ The Soakers' Club, a 'convivial club' in Covent Garden. ] Club rules and 'Promoter's Address' by Julian Sharman, printed by the Chiswick Press.

Author: 
Julian Sharman, 'Promoter' of the Soakers' Club, Covent Garden, London [ The Chiswick Press, London ]
Publication details: 
'Printed at the Chiswick Press' [ Chiswick Press: - Printed by Whittingham and Wilkins, Tooks Court, Chancery Lane ]. 1874. [ Sharman's address dated from 'Covent Garden, | May, 1874.'
£50.00

[1] + 13pp., 12mo. Stitched. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. A tasteful production in grey printed wraps. Elaborate pseudo-seventeenth-century design to title-page replicated on front cover. Five-page 'Promoter's Address'' to 'My Friend and Pitcher', signed in type by Sharman, followed by a page listing the five members of the 'Committee, 1874-5' (Julian Sharman; Henry S. Leigh; Bourchier F. Hawksley; Jas. J. Railston; F. W. Robinson), and five pages carrying the club's fourteen rules.

[ James Elmes, architect. ] Autograph Letter Signed to publisher Charles Ollier, requesting clarification on the question of the parcel of 'Mr Cooke'.

Author: 
James Elmes (1782-1862), architect, civil engineer and author [ Charles Ollier (1788-1859), publisher ]
Publication details: 
2 Childs Place, Temple [ London ]. 18 July 1827.
£50.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. He begins by explaining that he has been 'too much engaged' since last writing to Ollier 'to come so far westward', or he would not intrude on his time. He asks him to return 'the letter of Mr Cooke, that I enclosed to you, under cover and a line just to say, whether there were two parcels, as he mentions, or only the one, that I took, as he desires great care and a return of them'.

[ John Adolphus, historian. ] Autograph Letter Signed

Author: 
John Adolphus (1768-1845), historian and barrister, of German-Jewish extraction [ Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges (1762-1837) ]
Publication details: 
Temple [ London ]. 8 January 1808.
£120.00

2pp., 4to. Bifolium. In good condtion, lightly aged. Addressed, with postmark, on reverse of second leaf, to 'Saml. Egerton Brydges Esqr. | Denton | Canterbury'. Concerning his change of the plan he told 'Mr. Lodge' regarding his intention to visit Brydges at Denton: 'I go to Canterbury merely to attend the sessions, and am very lame'. If Brydges is in Canterbury, Adolphus would be happy to see him 'at the house of Mr. George Plomer (late Mr Warley's) in the High Street'.

[ Jakob Salomon Bartholdy, Prussian diplomat. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('J S Bartholdy') to the French composer and singer Sophie Gail

Author: 
Jakob Salomon Bartholdy [ Jakob Ludwig Salomon Bartholdy ] (1779-1825), Prussian diplomat, Consul-General in Rome, uncle of Felix Mendelssohn [ Sophie Gail [ née Edmée Sophie Garre ] (1775-1819) ]
Publication details: 
2 January 1819.
£950.00

1p., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed on second leaf, with broken seal in red wax, 'A Madame | Madame Sophie de Gail | &c &c &c | Paris'. Nine lines of neatly and elegantly written text. A somewhat flirtatious acceptance of an invitation, with Bartholdy noting 'les belles choses que vous daignez me dire [...] Votre maniere est trop sedisante pour ne pas faire de l'impression'. It was at Bartholdy's suggestion that his sister Lea, the mother of the composer Felix Mendelssohn, joined him in adopting the surname Bartholdy.

[ Edward Falkener, architect and author. ] Autograph Letter Signed to fellow-architect William Tite

Author: 
Edward Falkener (1814-1896, pseud. 'E. F. O. Thurcastle'), architect and author [ Sir William Tite (1798-1873), architect and Member of Parliament; Sir John Soane's Museum ]
Publication details: 
10 Carlisle Parade, Hastings. 5 January 1861.
£150.00

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. On two occasions, despite the urgings of his friends, he has declined to apply for 'the Curatorship at Sir John Soanes', but he has since 'thought my friends might be right, and that the appointment would afford means of study and relaxation'. He has been 'over worked lately', and is 'suffering from boils and nervous headaches, which came on the very day I had intended to leave for Paris and Berlin'.

[ Edward Wedlake Brayley, topographer and archaeologist. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Edw. W. Brayley') to the singer Thomas Philipps, regarding the sending in of a pianoforte for a recital at the Russell Institution, and 'Mr. Wornum'.

Author: 
Edward Wedlake Brayley (1773-1854), topographer and archaeologist, librarian and secretary of the Russell Institution, London [ Thomas Philipps (1774-1841), singer ]
Publication details: 
Russell Inst[itutio]n. [ 55 Great Coram Street, London ]. 24 April 1838.
£35.00

2pp., 4to. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. He asks him to 'delay sending in the Piano Forte until 1/2 past Five o Clock on Monday', as 'our General Annual Meeting of Proprietors takes place on that day, and very possibly they may not break up until Five, or a little after'. He asks him what tickets to 'send to Mr. Wornum', adding 'Whatever you think right shall be done for him'.

[ Elizabeth Benger, English author. ] Four Autograph Letters Signed (all 'E Benger'), two of them to John Thomas Smith of the British Museum, and two to his daughter.

Author: 
Elizabeth Benger [ Elizabeth Ogilvy Benger ] (1775-1827), English novelist, biographer and poet [ J. T. Smith [ John Thomas Smith ] (1766-1833), 'Antiquity Smith', Keeper of Prints, British Museum ]
Publication details: 
Three of the letters from 13 Warren Street [ London ]. All four undated.
£450.00

Four 16mo letters, three of them of one page, and the other of two pages. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. In a crabbed hand. One addressed to 'J T Smith Esqre | British Museum', and another to 'J T Smith Esqre | 22 Carmarthen Street | an answer'. Little more than short notes. In one letter to J. T. Smith she asks him for 'Mr Vance's address, for a married gentleman', in the other she tells him that 'Mrs Martin of Liverpool, whose intimate friends are yours also, [...] wishes to be indebted to your obliging attention'.

[ Charles Kemble, actor. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('C. Kemble.') to C. R. Smith, correcting a mistake regarding the British Archaeological Association.

Author: 
Charles Kemble (1775-1854), English actor [ C. R. Smith [ Charles Roach Smith ] (1807-1890), antiquary and archaeologist; British Archaeological Association ]
Publication details: 
Athenaeum Club [ London ]. 27 August 1847.
£35.00

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slight rust spotting around date at head. He explains that it is 'under a mistake' that he has been 'proposed as an Associate of the Central Committee of the British Archaeological Association', and he declines the 'honor intended' with 'sincere thanks'.

[ Thomas Keyworth, Congregational minister and author. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('Thos Keyworth') to George Offor, describing a circumstance relating to the use of tablets by children in 'our school'.

Author: 
Thomas Keyworth (1782-1852), author, Congregational minister, and philanthropist [ George Offor (1787-1864), literary editor and book collector
Publication details: 
[ Sleaford, Lincolnshire. ] No date [ 1840s? ].
£125.00

3pp., 4to. Addressed on reverse of second leaf to 'Mr Offor | NB Please to pay the Twopenny Postage of the Letter to 169 Fleet St & charge it in my account.' Docketted 'Mr Keyworth. | Sleaford'.

[ Sir William Tite, architect. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('W Tite') to an unnamed recipient, regarding the unfitness of a 'young Friend' for an appointment.

Author: 
Sir William Tite (1798-1873), architect of the Royal Exchange, London
Publication details: 
Place not decipherable, on inverted letterhead of 17 St. Helen's Place, E.C. [ London ] 'Friday' [ no date ].
£40.00

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly-aged. He does not think the recipient's 'young Friend' would stand much chance gaining 'the Appointment', but does not see why 'he should not try & make himself known'. He continues: 'We want an experienced Man up to all the workings of the Acts for compulsory Purchases & the Tricks of fradulent Claimants'. Tite is afrait that the 'young Friend has this unpleasant Part of his Profession yet to learn'. He concludes by stating that there is 'but little Chance of my being in London at the Election'.

[ Sir William Tite, architect. ] Autograph Note Signed ('William Tite') to J. Cole of Woodford.

Author: 
Sir William Tite (1798-1873), architect of the Royal Exchange, London
Publication details: 
London. 24 December 1845.
£35.00

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper, with traces of mount still adhering to reverse. From the context a response to a request for an autograph. Reads. 'Sir / | I beg to acknowledge the Receipt of your Letter & thus to answer it. | I am | Sir | Your obed Servant | William Tite'.

[ Louis de Rougemont, 'colonial Munchausen' in Australia. ] Autograph Letter Signed to Sub-Lieutenant Sidney R. Conson, RN.

Author: 
Louis de Rougemont [ born Henri Louis Grin ] (1847-1921), hoaxer, 'colonial Munchausen' claiming adventures in Australia
Publication details: 
13 Bloomsbury Street, London W.C. 19 April 1899.
£180.00

1p., 12mo. In good condition. He thanks him for his 'very kind note', but regrets that 'owing to my being engaged on a lecturing tour for some time to come I am at present unable to fix a date to avail myself of your invitation'. He hopes to be able to do so when 'free from my appointments'. For information on de Rougemont', see B. G. Andrews's entry on him in the Dictionary of Australian Biography. Born in Switzerland, at around the age of sixteen 'he became a footman to the actress Fanny Kemble, touring extensively and learning fluent English.

[ Renn Dickson Hampden, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('R. D. Hampden') to the London publisher Richard Bentley, responding to an invitation to write

Author: 
Renn Dickson Hampden (1793-1868), Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford and Bishop of Hereford, subject of the Hampden Controversy of 1836 [ Richard Bentley (1794-1871), London publisher ]
Publication details: 
Ewelme Rectory. 21 July 1846.
£56.00

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition. Addressed to 'R. Bentley Esq'. Having explained that the delay in replying is due to his absence from Oxford during the vacation, he turns to Bentley's proposal. 'I am much flattered by your applying to me, under the high recommendation which you state, for the work in question. And I cannot but admire your spirit in desiring that a work of that kind should go forth to the world under your auspices.

[ James Atlay, Bishop of Hereford. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('J. Hereford') to 'Bateman', on the evils of 'excessive smoking', and giving a bon mot by Archbishop Magee.

Author: 
James Atlay (1817-1894), Bishop of Hereford [ William Connor Magee (1821-1891), Archbishop of York ]
Publication details: 
Oxton Hall, Tadcaster, on cancelled letterhead of The Palace, Hereford. 30 September 1892.
£45.00

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. He begins by stating that, as he takes the Eagle newspaper, he has 'seen your poem & Bowling's version', before continuing: 'The only comfort that I can find in the smoling - excessive smoking - of the present day is that the Tobacco is less disagreeable and (I hope) less noxious than the weed of my youth'. He is not himself a smoker, 'but my boys smoke, to excess I think'.

[ George Isaac Huntingford, as Bishop of Hereford. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('G. I. Hereford') to 'Mr. Hayter', arguing against 'the extreme Impropriety' of what he sees as a liturgical innovation.

Author: 
George Isaac Huntingford (1748-1832), Warden of Winchester College, and successively Bishop of Gloucester and Bishop of Hereford
Publication details: 
No place. 20 October 1823.
£120.00

1p., 8vo. 23 lines of text. In fair condition, slightly aged and worn, with some repair with archival tape. Offering an interesting insight into everyday ecclesiastical management in Regency England. The letter begins: 'I cannot find, what I once sent to you as having been well educated, a printed paper. The purport of it was to shew the extreme Impropriety of laying a stress on the word "Us", in the sentence "Lord have mercy upon Us".

[ George Isaac Huntingford, Warden of Winchester College and Bishop of Hereford. ] Autograph Letter Signed ('G. I. Huntingford') to an unnamed recipient

Author: 
George Isaac Huntingford (1748-1832), Warden of Winchester College, and successively Bishop of Gloucester and Bishop of Hereford
Publication details: 
'W. C. [ i.e. Winchester College ]'. 16 February 1818.
£65.00

1p., 4to. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper, with slight damage on removal from mount and traces of tape adhering. He has been referred to 'the Oldest Table of Fees' by 'Mr. Lane', and quotes information from the table given by Lane. He asks the recipient to 'search the Proper Office; send me a Copy of such Certificate; & of Any Proceedings had in consequence of it'.

[ E. A. Smith of the Natural History Museum, zoologist and malacologist. ] Autograph Card Signed ('Edgar A. Smith') to fellow-malacologist Rudolph Bergh of Copenhagen.

Author: 
E. A. Smith [ Edgar Albert Smith ] (1847-1916) of the Natural History Museum, zoologist and malacologist [ Ludvig Sophus Rudolph Bergh (1824-1909), Danish physician and malacologist ]
Publication details: 
On letterhead of the British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London. 11 May 1905.
£45.00

In good condition, with stamp and postmarks. Addressed to 'Dr Rudolf [sic] Bergh | 6 Malmogade | Copenhagen | Denmark'. Reads: 'Dear Sir, | I have no record of any account of the soft parts of Amathina tricostata since the time of H. & A. Adams. I remember your visit to us many many years ago. With kind regards | Yours v. truly | Edgar A. Smith'.

[ Davies Gilbert, President of the Royal Society. ] Autograph Letter Signed to Sir Joseph Banks, praising him fulsomely, while explaining why he cannot attend a meeting on 'the forgery of Bank Notes'.

Author: 
Davies Gilbert [ born Davies Giddy ] (1767-1839), mathematician, President of the Royal Society [ Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820), naturalist ]
Publication details: 
'East Bourn' [ Eastbourne ]. 19 July 1818.
£220.00

2pp., 4to. In fair condition, on lightly aged paper, with slight damage to a few words along one edge due to removal from album. On his return to Eastbourne he has 'found a note announcing the Commission under the Great Seal for appointing Commissioners to inquire into the best mode of preventing the forgery of Bank Notes', and requiring his attendance the following day.

[ E. A. Smith of the Natural History Museum, zoologist and malacologist. ] Five Autograph Letters Signed and two Autograph Cards Signed to H. J. V. Lynge of Copenhagen

Author: 
E. A. Smith [ Edgar Albert Smith ] (1847-1916) of the Natural History Museum, zoologist and malacologist [ Herman Johannes Vilhelm Lynge (1862-1945), Danish antiquarian bookseller and zoologist ]
Publication details: 
Five on letterheads of the British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London. Between 1903 and 1910.
£280.00

The seven items in good condition, showing light signs of age and wear. Four signed 'Edgar A. Smith' and three 'E. A. Smith'. The letters totalling 10pp. A learned correspondence, with Smith attempting, not always successfully, to identify Lynge's specimens, passing comment and suggesting publications.

[ The Australian Club, Sydney. ] Printed notification of the election as an honorary member of Arthur Grubbe, completed in autograph and signed by the club secretary.

Author: 
The Australian Club, Sydney, gentlemen's club founded in Australia in 1838 [ Arthur Grubbe ]
Publication details: 
Australian Club, Sydney. 15 June 1875.
£45.00

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly-aged. Lithographed form. The first page (recto of first leaf) is headed 'Australian Club', and carries an acknowledgment that Grubbe has been 'duly proposed and elected an Honorary Member'. Completed in autograph and signed by the club secretary (). The second page (recto of second leaf) carries paragraph 11 of the club rules, in sixteen lines of small print, regarding honorary members. From the Grubbe family papers.

[ Bookseller's catalogue. ] Literary Ladies of the Nineteenth Century. A Catalogue of Books: Autograph Letters: Illustrations: etc.

Author: 
Ian Hodgkins & Co. Ltd, booksellers [ English nineteenth-century women writers; British Victorian female authors ]
Publication details: 
Ian Hodgkins & Co. Ltd., Upper Vatch Mill, The Vatch, Slad, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 7JY. Catalogue 81. Summer 1995.
£56.00

40pp., 8vo. Stapled in printed wraps with illustration on front cover. In fair condition, somewhat aged and worn. Hodgkin was known for his meticulous catalouging, and 500 items are described, by a range of authors, both prominent and obscure, ranging from Grace Aguilar to Mrs Mary Wood-Allen. There are sub-sections for Louisa May Alcott, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Fanny Burney, Jane Welsh Carlyle, Eliza Cook, Marie Corelli, Maria S. Cummins, Lady Elizabeth Eastlake, Maria Edgeworth, George Elliot, Mrs.

[ Connaught Rangers and King's Royal Rifles. ] Autograph Letter Signed to Captain E. A. Grubbe of the Connaught Rangers from Lieut J. G. Surman, praising the regiment and enclosing two photographs, a carte de visite and a view of cavalry training.

Author: 
John Gilbert Surman, 9th King's Royal Rifle Corps [ Captain Edmund Alexander Grubbe (1857-c.1923), Connaught Rangers; G. V. Yates, Sheffield photographer ]
Publication details: 
Letter on letterhead of the King's Royal Rifles, addressed by Surman from The Camp, Kilworth, County Cork [ Ireland ], 14 June 1896. Undated carte de visite by G. V. Yates of Sheffield.
£120.00

Surman had a brief and undistinguished military career. Having trained with the Connaught Rangers, on 30 October 1895 he received a commission in the 9th Royal Rifle Corps, which he resigned a year later, on 20 October 1896. ONE: Autograph Letter Signed from 'J. Gilbert Surman' to Grubbe, in fragment of envelope addressed by him to 'Captain E. A. Grubbe | The Depôt of the Connaught Rangers | Galway'. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. He writes having 'now left the Connaught Rangers to join my own Regiment at the above place.

[ Frederick Richard Pickersgill, RA. ] Autograph Signature ('Fred R PIckersgill') on part of letter.

Author: 
F. R. Pickersgill [ Frederick Richard Pickersgill ] (1820-1900), RA, English artist and book illustrator
Publication details: 
36 Mornington Crescent, 24 May 1853.
£20.00

On 7.5 x 11 cm slip cut from the end of a letter. In fair condition, lightly aged. On one side reads: 'Gentlemen | Your Obt. Servt. | Fred R Pickersgill | 36 Mornington Crescent | 24 May 1853.' and on the other '[...] at the ensuing half yearly distribution of the Funds of the Institution - | Mr. Varrall is not personally known to me but from the representation of Mr WIlliams ARA [...]'.

[ Alberto Randegger, composer. ] Autograph Note Signed to 'Miss Elphick'.

Author: 
Alberto Randegger (1832-1911), Italian composer who from 1854 lived in England.
Publication details: 
On letterhead of 10 Lower Seymour Street, Portman Square, W. [ London ]. 16 July 1891.
£35.00

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Dear Miss Elphick | I shall be happy to see you on Wednesday the 22nd. inst at 10.45 a.m. | With kind regards | yours truly | Alberto Randegger'.

[ Alfred Emmott, 1st Baron Emmott. ] Autograph Card Signed ('Alfred Emmott') to 'Holdsworth', undertaking to present a petition to the House of Commons.

Author: 
Alfred Emmott (1858-1926), 1st Baron Emmott, Oldham cotton magnate and Liberal politician
Publication details: 
On letterhead of Horton, Chipping Sodbury. 9 April 1904.
£28.00

In good condition, with slight crease to one corner. Informing him that he will be 'very glad to present your petition when the House re-opens'.

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