ACT

Text of both letters clear and complete, on aged, grubby paper. The 'Diehards' were a group of right-wing Conservative peers who attempted unsuccessfully to thwart Liberal legislation to limit the right of veto of the House of Lords over Commons legislation. (See G. D. Phillips, 'The Diehards: Aristocratic Society and Politics in Edwardian England', Cambridge, Mass., 1979.) TYPED LETTER: 17 December 1913. 4to, 1 p. He is going to try to write the history of the affair '[b]efore things fade altogether from my memory', and asks if OG has 'any papers, or letters, or diaries'.

A collection of items indicating the panic felt by the bourgeoisie around the time of the Great Chartism Meeting on Kennington Common, 10 April 1848. Items Two to Five are laid down on a piece of grey paper removed from a scrapbook. Item One: Printed warrant signed by two magistrates, appointing Cater a Special Constable, it appearing, 'upon the oath of a credible witness, that a tumult or riot may be reasonably apprehended'. On one side of a piece of laid paper roughly 320 x 210 mm. Watermarked 'W H FELLOWS 1847'.

Folio: ii + 59 + [1] pp. Unbound. Stitched as issued. Text clear and entire, but in poor condition: on creased, discoloured and stained paper, with wear to extremities. Begins 'WHEREAS fires in warehouses in the borough of Liverpool have of late years been of frequent and alarming recurrence, and have been attended with considerable loss of life and property.' 124 clauses, followed by seven pages of 'Schedules referred to by the foregoing act'.

All five items in good condition, with a little rust spotting from a staple. A little wear to the edge of item two, not affecting text. Four of the five stamped with Horton's call sign '2AHN'. Item One: a printed leaflet (4to, 2 pp), dated GENERAL POST OFFICE, | London | March, 1939.', headed 'B | EXPERIMENTS IN WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY | [...] | AUTHORITY FOR SENDING AND RECEIVING | SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS OF ISSUE | NOTE. - All sending stations must also be equipped for reception'. Item Two: Typewritten copy of Horton's 'Application for Experimental Licence 25th.

Lord Chancellor of Ireland (1818-83). Two pages, 12mo. Creased and grubby, and with two small holes in embossment. He cannot avail himself of his correspondent's kind invitation for dinner the following day as he has 'an engagement I may not postpone or disregard'. He should have been happy to meet Mr and Mrs <?>, 'as well as to spend a pleasant evening with you'. Signed 'H. Law'.

Folio: sixteen leaves on laid paper. Unbound and stabbed, with two staples (now rusted) added subsequently. Good, with first leaf lightly discoloured. Title-leaf, and text on next fifteen paginated 1131-1159.

On both sides of a piece of paper roughly eight and a half inches by five and a half. Both sides of text enclosed within decorative border. A scare survival, in poor condition, worn and spotted with frayed edges and several closed tears. Text clearly legible. Headed 'FOR GRATUITOUS DISTRIBUTION.' Thirty-nine lines of text on reverse. Begins 'The following predictions of this venerable pillar of Church and State were at the time sneered at, as the senile and effete expressions of a bigoted octogenarian. What a lesson has he left to those who now hold the rudder of the State in their hands'.

Octavo. 16 pages. Disbound pamphlet from the Churchill Babington collection. Good, though first and last pages somewhat grubby.

Hobhouse (1776-1854) was a Privy Councillor in 1828, and Keeper of the State Papers, 1826-54. Quarto. One page. Very good, on first leaf of bifoliate. Folded twice. On watermarked Whatman paper of 1827. Facsimile signature 'H. Hobhouse'. Begins 'The King having been pleased to comply with the prayer of an humble Address presented to His Majesty in pursuance of a Resolution of the House of Commons [...] for a Return of all Towns Cities Places of Jurisdiction within England & Wales' and ending 'I am directed by Mr.

24 pages, 16mo. In poor condition: grubby and with wear to extremities and closed tear to second leaf. Pencil marks to verso of last leaf. Stitched into grubby, worn vellum binding, bearing pencil and ink notes at front and rear.

Wilshere (1804-67) was M.P. for Great Yarmouth William, MP for Great Yarmouth between 1837 and 1846). The notice: 2 pages, 4to. In very good condition despite minor spotting and two closed tears caused by folding. The letter: 1 page, 8vo. In very good condition. The envelope (addressed to 'W. Wilshere Esqr. M. P. | 12 Stratton Street | Piccadilly | London') in very good condition with red wax lion seal and postmarks. Postage stamps removed. The letter urges Wilshere to 'support the view of the Case of of [sic] the Silk trade taken by the writer Mr Ambrose Moore'.

M.P. for Thirsk, d. 1831. Document A, two page, 4to, chipped, one hole, with marginal textual loss, headed "York Courant / Tuesday Aug. 23d 1785 / City of York", measures taken against "Highwaymen, Housebreakers, Pickpockets, Horse--stealers, Common Thieve, Cheats, Sharpers, and other offenders with their confederates, resort topublic places & Fairs to meet their accomplices, & perpetrate their villainies . . ." described (presumably in the newspaper in the heading) by "Geo. Townend / Common Clerk".