SOCIETY

Irish peer (1903-75) and war correspondent. Two pages, octavo. On blue paper. Very good. Docketed and stamped and with staple holes to one corner. 'In reply to your letter of March 4th. I write to say that Art being one of my chief interests in life. I would appreciate very much being elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society.' Signed 'J. Donegall'. Postscript, on verso of second leaf of bifoliate, explains that the delay in replying is 'owing to absence in America' and ends 'Do you wish me to find any sponsors?'

Mayor of Belfast, 1859-60, and founder of what was at one time the world's largest privately owned linen manufacturer (William Ewart & Son Ltd). Lanyon (1839-1900) was a surveyor, architect and engineer, partner in Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon. One page, 12mo. In good condition, with small closed tear at head not affecting text, and remains of mount adhering to blank verso. Reads 'Dear Mr Lanyon | It will give me pleasure to support the boy Arthur Knox in whom you are interested at the first Election for the St Anne's Society | But about the Form that I must sign.

12mo, 40 pp, paginated 37-76. Stitched and unbound, in original light-brown printed wraps (printed on both sides). Text clear and entire, but rather grubby and aged, and with a little light staining at head of first and last leaf. Wraps creased, particularly at rear. Includes an essay (37-49 pp.) on 'The Religious Education of Children' by Samuel Miller, 'Princeton, April, 1833.' and 'Synod of Ulster - Home Mission, to the Rev. George Bellis, Secretary to the Presbyterian Missionary Society for Ireland, Campsie Manse, 23 Oct. 1833' by Norman M'Leod, Minister of Campsie.

One of the letters is 4to, 2 pp; ten are 4to, 1 p; and one is foolscap, 1 p. The collection is in good condition, on lightly aged paper. Many of the letters are docketed and most bear the Society's dated stamp. Written in the capacity of Secretary of the Aeronautical Society, and editor of its 'Official Organ - The Aeronautical Journal'. Topics include the hiring of the Royal Society's hall for two series of talks to the Aeronautical Society. Faraday also discusses the details of a lecture by 'Mr.

12mo, 1 p, 10 lines. Forwarding a copy of a resolution passed by a meeting of the Society's Council on 17 September. The five line transcription of the resolution reads: 'Resolved That the following Gentlemen form the Printing Committee for the present year. Dr. Dalton [John Dalton (1766-1844), chemist], Rev. John James Tayler, Peter Clare, Eaton Hodgkinson [(1789-1861), engineer], John Davies & John Eddowes Bowman [botanist].'

12mo, 1 p, 8 lines. With mourning border. Good, on aged paper, with small closed tear at head neatly repaired on reverse with archival tape. Blank second leaf of bifolium stained from previous mounting. Printed as part of the letterhead at top of page are two lines giving Hayman's terms as a private tutor. (Begins 'The Rev. H. HAYMAN, D.D., ex-Head Master of Rugby, prepares Pupils for the Universities, &c.') Hayman writes to say that he has mislaid the letter from the 'Secry Archl Socy [Matthew Holbeche Bloxam (1805-1888), Secretary of the Oxford Architectural Society]'.

8vo (23.5 x 18.5), 2 pp. Signature cut away, resulting in loss of 3.5 x 10 cm rectangle from corner at bottom and affecting four lines of text on recto. Otherwise good, on lightly aged paper with thin strip from brown paper mount adhering to inner margin on reverse. 37 lines of text (four with loss). An interesting letter written during his final illness. He begins by confirming the report which has reached the recipient of Gardner's 'having been very seriously indisposed'.

12mo: 1 p. 8 lines of text. On aged paper somewhat grubby around signature at foot. Asks when he will be 'able to come to us to meet the d[uke] of Wellington'. They are 'at liberty any time between the 4th and 11th of January'.

Two pages, 12mo. Good, on lightly aged and creased paper. 'In the rush of finishing [his] Academy work' he finds Wright's letter 'among numerous others unanswered'. He will be returning to London in a fortnight 'and shall have great pleasure in sending you the bookplate together with an early one. Also my autograph &c.'

Letter, 4to, 1 p, 12 lines. On lightly aged and spotted paper, with pin holes in top left-hand corner. Docketed in blue ink. Slade is 'very pleased with the re-prints': 'I think these three Essays go very well together.' Suggests that a copy be sent to the Secretary of the National Farmers' Union: 'tell him the terms on which he can have extra copies if he wants them to circulate amongst members of committees'. The carbon of Luckhurst's reply, on green paper, is 8vo, 1 p, 15 lines. 'We have been in touch with the N.F.U. [...] Do you think that I.C.I.

All items good, though on dusty and aged paper. Five items are addressed to sellers of manuscripts (probably the same individual). ONE (to H. Barker, 23 April 1885, on letterhead of 'The Antiquarian Magazine and Bibliographer', one page, octavo): Asks to be offered Wellesley autographs purchased at a recent Sotheby sale, of which he sent an account to 'The Times', which was 'crowded out'. TWO (to F. Barker, 25 April [1885], 'at T.

All items very good. A couple with slight staining at head from paperclip. Letter One (to 'The Secretary', 4to, 1 p, 5 lines): Apologising for delay in acknowledging the 'letter and enclosures of 31st ultimo': 'my office was only opened on Wednesday last and I have had much correspondence with which to deal'. Letter Two (to Luckhurst, 4to, 1 p, 18 lines): Concerning 'a booklet on the layout and design of small houses' which the C.P.R.E. 'is hoping to publish this spring'.

4to: 2 pp. Sixteen lines. Good, on lightly aged paper. Thanking Wood for his 'kindly notice of "Historic Jamaica"'. He hopes 'the good people of Jamaica will appreciate the book in time - I spoilt my 1914 holiday to produce it'. Wishes Wood could 'come out to Jamaica in these days of motor cars'. Cars 'make seeing the country very easy - the only drawback is that one goes too fast for seeing the country well'. The 'Examiner for the <?> Board' ('this year it is to be Dr Lloyd') is coming to the island the following month. 'I usually go with the Examiner, to keep him happy!

4to: 1 p. Very good. 18 lines. Concerns a 'lecture by Dr. D. A. Allan' (Douglas Alexander Allan, writer of several works on museums and exhibitions). 'It is very regrettable that Dr. Allan made the statements which he did without confirmation. They were completely erroneous and on the day following he called here and expressed his regrets at the incident. He has now full particulars in skeleton form regarding the activities of this Museum'.

All items good. Two bearing the Society's stamp. Item One (typed note, 15 October 1931, 4to, 1 p): He is sending 'short summaries of the two lectures, in a form which I prefer to mere headings'. Item Two (autograph letter, 17 January 1932, 8vo, 1 p): He is sending 'summaries of the two lectures'. 'As you seemed in a hurry I have not waited to have them typed. I think that they are legible, but I will look at a proof if you like.' He has left it to Menzies 'to add any preliminaries or conclusions that may be necessary'.

12mo: 2 pp. Very good on lightly aged paper. 29 lines of text. He will not fail to make use of his correspondent's comments in a new edition. Discusses the section he is working on at present and proposes to send his correspondent an off print. He has ordered other off prints to be sent, in return for his correspondent's useful remarks. For a couple of months he will be at Blainville, 'sur le bord de la mer, ou je puis mieux travailler qu'a Paris, tout en prenant un peu de repos'. Docketed at foot of reverse, 'Theologian, Sulpicien'.

8vo: ii + 14 pp. Unbound. Stapled and in original brown printed wraps. Very good on art paper. Six photographic illustrations, including 'Clothing of a man struck by lightning' and 'Farm-house at Whaddon, near Stamford, struck and practically wrecked by lightning.' Hands is described as 'Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, Member of the Astronomical Society of France, Senior Partner of J. W.

4to. Pages: viii + 103. Appendix consisting of nine detailed actuarial tables. Tight copy, in grubby, stained and worn printed paper boards. From the library of the librarian of the Medical Society of London, Nehemiah Asherson, and with the Society's oval stamp on the verso of the title. Small circular label on front board.

12mo: 1 p. On discoloured paper with wear at head and traces of previous mount adhering to blank reverse. He sent the publishers Chatto & Windus her novel the previous Monday, 'begging them to write to you on the matter, and giving your work my best recommendation'. He has not heard anything from them himself, but expects it will 'take a week or two, before they can give an opinion'. The recipient may be Edith Nesbit, although this is unlikely as Nesbit was her maiden name. She became Edith Bland in 1880. None of her works appear to have been published by Chatto & Windus.

4to: 4 pp. Unbound bifolium. On lightly discoloured and spotted paper, lightly worn at extremities. Central horizontal fold. Gives details of eight lectures, by, successively, H. Finer ('Impressions of America'), Montague Fordham ('The Rural Problem'), R. B. Forrester ('Co-operative Marketing'), Professor R. Peers ('Can we educate the Community?'), Arthur Greenwood, M.P. ('The Present Position and Future Policy in regard to Housing'), C. S. Orwin ('Land Tenure'), Rt. Hon. [sic] Sidney Webb, M.P. ('Poor-Law Reform'), and (with the 'syllabus' covering an entire page) H. St. J. B.

Sizes range from quarto (nine items) to 12mo (two items). Very good. Subjects include a request for 'a photograph of the winning design for the petrol filling station', the award of a Hyde Travelling Scholarship ('Mr. Mitchell appears to have so greatly distinguished himself'), 'Mr. Bossom's suggestions for the wording and particulars for the Proscenium opening for Cinema', the drafting of a reply to Morley Horder's comments ('he errs when he declares the screen is not of the period as I think only a small section of it was added by Mr.

The collection is in good condition, with very occasional minor creasing, staining and loss. Majority of items quarto. Milne was a leading Fellow of the Society, a Chairman of Council in 1959-61 and Vice-President. The collection provides a valuable insight into the day-to-day workings of the Society, from the first letter discussing the R.I.B.A., and whether the Society might set up 'a somewhat similar organisation with similar prestige could be built up for industrial artists', to the last letter commending G. C. H.

Scottish geologist (1805-98), Fellow of the Royal Society. Written in capacity as Secretary of the Geological Society. Four pages, 12mo. On grubby, stained paper discoloured with age. Second leaf of bifoliate attached to two fragments of draft replies in similar condition. 'Your very elaborate Paper on the L[ower]. Greensand Corals came before the Council yesterday for consideration: and the unanimous wish was to print it in the Journal with the fullest illustrations.

See 'The club of 'Nobody's Friends' 1800-2000: a memoir on its two-hundredth anniversary' by Geoffrey Rowell (2000). Four-page bifolium. Good, on grubby, discoloured paper, with some creasing and wear at foot. Gives details of the election between 1820 and 1877 of fifty-nine Actual Members, and of eighteen Honorary Members. Includes the Rev. Charles Burney, the artist George Richmond and the publisher John Murray.

Three pages, 12mo. Good, on aged paper, but with the verso of the second leaf of the bifolium covered by previous brown-paper mount. 'Mr Cecil' has passed on Procter's letter. 'The object of your Society is highly commendable, & I wish it much success.' He is 'promoting the same end, by giving what [he] can spare, to Ministers in the neighbourhood'. Praises 'Gentlemen in London' for their 'liberality in assisting poor Ministers at a distance'. '[I]n the country we have as many in our neighbourhood as we are able to relieve'.

All items very good, on lightly aged paper. Four closely written and interesting communications on his writings and philosophy. LETTER ONE (16 June 1930, 2 pages, 12mo): On the question of 'that misunderstanding regarding our last visit', the rest of the month is 'booked up', but 'perhaps the postponement - I hope it is no more than that! - of our coming may not be a bad thing'. Since their last meeting he has been 'passing through a phase of extensive internal adjustment, the physical aspect of which has taken the form of very bad health'.

One one side of a piece of laid paper, 26.5 x 21 cms. Aged and creased, with chipping to extremities and staining on reverse from repair to one of two closed tears. Thirty-six lines, with facsimile of Housman's signature at foot. An appeal for 'money for the Library - your Library'. Somewhat poignant, considering the present neglected state of the British library service. '[...] The question is - do you want to give money to your Library? [...] But, for my own part, I ask - why, why Libraries? What are they for? What there do you read?

Four pages, 12mo. Very good, with strip of brown paper adhering at the head. Text clear and entire. A long letter, casting light on the effects on the English middle classes of the financial crisis of 1825. Clayton begins by thanking Procter for the 'card case'. He 'will gladly do any thing that may fall within [his] power, to assist the Associate Fund', but does not think that he can 'do much'. 'The times are such, that Cases of <?> distress so multiply in our different communities, as to swallow up a large proportion of our pecuniary means'.

One page, 12mo. Blind stamped monogram at head. Text clear and entire, but on heavily damp-stained paper. Reads 'The enclosed is to be inserted in the Journal of the Chemical Society among the Proceedings.'

Eight pages, quarto. Unbound and stitched on six leaves. Good, with recto of first leaf and verso of last somewhat more aged. With company and tax stamps. 'Mortgage, [a leasehold plot of land and messuage Numbered 26 in Barker Street Oldham in the County of Lancaster to secure £450 and interest.' Typewritten acknowledgment of payment, 25 February 1929, signed by company secretary W. Harvey and director J. Brown.