AUTOGRAPH

[Sir John Betjeman, Poet Laureate, broadcaster and public figure.] Autograph Note begun in type to the proprietor of Books and Bookmen Philip Dosse.

Author: 
Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984), Poet Laureate and popular broadcaster and public figure [Philip Dosse (1925-1980), proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of arts magazines including Books and Bookmen]
Sir John Betjeman
Publication details: 
No date or place [1970s]. On his compliments slip.
£56.00
Sir John Betjeman

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From the papers of Philip Dosse, proprietor of Hansom Books, publisher of a stable of seven arts magazines including Books and Bookmen and Plays and Players. See ‘Death of a Bookman’ by the novelist Sally Emerson (editor of ‘Books and Bookmen’ at the time of Dosse’s suicide), in Standpoint magazine, October 2018; and Michael Barber, 'What was Books and Bookmen?', Literary Review blog, 18 August 2023. On one side of a 14 x 10 cm compliments slip in red ink, which has 'Sir JOHN BETJEMAN' at top left, and 'With Compliments' centred.

[Sir John Gilbert, RA, painter and illustrator.] Autograph Letter Signed to the composer and antiquary Doyne Courtenay Bell, providing information regarding a painting of 'the Queen holding a drawing Room at St James's Palace'.

Author: 
Sir John Gilbert (1817-1897), RA, painter and illustrator [Doyne Courtenay Bell (c.1830-1888), court official, omposer and antiquary]
Sir John Gilbert
Publication details: 
'Blackheath 4th April' [no year].
£85.00
Sir John Gilbert

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. A protege of Prince Albert, Bell worked for the Privy Purse from the time of the Great Exhibition, and served as Permanent Secretary to the Keeper of the Privy Purse from 1876 to his death. Signed ‘John Gilbert’ and addressed to ‘Doyne C. Bell Esquire / &c &c.’ 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Reads: ‘Dear Sir, / I remember the small picture painted in 1851. H M The Queen holding a drawing Room at St James’s Palace. / I did not intend to paint a larger picture and never did’. See Image.

[Sir Austen Henry Layard, archaeologist at Nimrud and Nineveh.] Autograph Letter Signed [to Lady Theresa Lewis]

Author: 
Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817-1894), archaeologist who excavated Nimrud and Nineveh, discoverer of library of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), author]
Publication details: 
'9 Little Ryder Street [London] / July 1/ 53 [1853]'. With his gilded crest as letterhead.
£35.00

See his entry and Lady Theresa Lewis's in the Oxford DNB. Addressed to 'My dear Madam' and signed 'A. H. Layard.' The recipient is not named, but the item is from the papers of Lady [Maria] Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), who lived in Kent House in Knightsbridge with her second husband Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), Bart, Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer, her first husband having been the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). 2pp, 16mo. On the first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, folded three times.

['We might have paid a visit to the Pyramids': Samuel Rogers, 'The Banker Poet', member of Holland House circle, and acquaintance of Byron, Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott.] Autograph Letter Signed to 'Mrs Lister' [Lady Theresa Lewis], a flight of fancy

Author: 
Samuel Rogers (1763-1855), 'The Banker Poet', art connoisseur, member of the Holland House circle, and acquaintance of Wordsworth, Byron, Sir Walter Scott [Lady Theresa Lewis]
Publication details: 
'Friday' [no date or place, but before 1844].
£60.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient is Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), whose first husband was the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). The present letter is written before her marriage to her second husband the Liberal politician Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863). 2pp, 32mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with traces of stub from mount adhering to one edge. Folded once for postage. A charming missive. Reads: ‘My dear Mrs Lister / I shall be delighted to come to you, if I can make my escape from where I shall be, in any decent time.

[Sir Austen Henry Layard, archaeologist at Nimrud and Nineveh.] Autograph Letter Signed [to Lady Theresa Lewis]

Author: 
Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817-1894), archaeologist who excavated Nimrud and Nineveh, discoverer of library of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), author]
Publication details: 
'9 Little Ryder Street [London] / July 1/ 53 [1853]'. With his gilded crest as letterhead.
£35.00

See his entry and Lady Theresa Lewis's in the Oxford DNB. Addressed to 'My dear Madam' and signed 'A. H. Layard.' The recipient is not named, but the item is from the papers of Lady [Maria] Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), who lived in Kent House in Knightsbridge with her second husband Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), Bart, Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer, her first husband having been the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). 2pp, 16mo. On the first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, folded three times.

[Richard Cumberland, dramatist.] Autograph Letter Signed to George IV’s mistress the Countess of Jersey, expressing pleasure that she is pleased with his composition, and thanking her for her regret at his loss.

Author: 
Richard Cumberland (1732-1811), dramatist [Frances Villiers [née Twysden], Countess of Jersey (1753-1821), mistress of King George IV]
Publication details: 
No date or place.
£320.00

See his entry, and hers, in the Oxford DNB. From the papers of her relation Lady Theresa Lewis. 2pp, 8vo. On the first leaf of a bifolium, the recto of the second leaf being addressed by him to ‘Countess of Jersey / &c &c &c’. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded for postage. Written in high eighteenth-century style.

[Robert C. Winthrop, American Whig politician, representative for Massachusetts.] Autograph Letter Signed to the English economist Nassau Senior, recommending to his attention the lawyer Charles Pelham Curtis, with reference to Daniel Webster.

Author: 
Robert C. Winthrop [Robert Charles Winthrop] (1809-1894), American Whig politician from Massachusetts [Nassau William Senior (1790-1864), economist; Charles Pelham Curtis (1792-1864); Daniel Webster]
Robert C. Winthrop
Publication details: 
‘Boston. 28th. April, / 1853.’
£220.00
Robert C. Winthrop

Written following the premature end of his political career in 1852. See Senior’s entry in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 12mo. On bifolium. Addressed to ‘N. W. Senior Esqe.’ and signed ‘Robt. C. Winthrop.’ In good condition, lightly aged, and folded for postage. Begins: ‘My Dear Sir, / You may, perhaps, remember that I owed the pleasure of your acquaintance in 1847, to a letter of introduction from our late distinguished Statesman, Mr. Webster. [i.e. the celebrated Daniel Webster (1782-1852)] - Were Mr. W.

[John Wilson Croker, Anglo-Irish politician and author.] Autograph Letter Signed to John Gibson Lockhart, asking him to make an enquiry to Miss Mary Berry regarding Horace Walpole.

Author: 
John Wilson Croker (1780-1857), Anglo-Irish politician and author [John Gibson Lockhart (1794-1854), Scottish author and editor, biographer of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott; Horace Walpole]
Publication details: 
‘W. M. [West Molsey, Surrey] 19 May 49.’ [1849]
£120.00

See his entry in the History of Parliament, and his and Lockhart’s entries in the Oxford DNB. In good condition, with thin strip of dried adhesive from mount along one edge, and tiny bit of loss at foot beneath the signature. Folded for postage.

[Joseph D'Arcy Sirr, Irish antiquary.] Autograph Letter Signed to 'Sir Henry', discussing antiquarian information relating to his living of Yoxford in Suffolk.

Author: 
Joseph D’Arcy Sirr (1794-1868), Irish antiquary, vicar of Yoxford in Suffolk, son of Henry Charles Sirr (c.1764-1841), Mayor of Dublin who killed Lord Edward Fitzgerald during the 1798 Irish rebellion
Publication details: 
1 August 1845. Yoxford [Suffolk].
£120.00

See his entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography, and his father’s entry in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. 72 lines, closely written. In good condition, lightly aged and folded for postage. Addressed to ‘My dear Sir Henry’ and signed ‘Joseph D’Arcy Sirr’. In response to an invitation to write, there are ‘two or three points’ on which Sirr would seek information. These relate to what appears to be a mistake by ‘Mr Davy’ on publishing a manuscript regarding ‘Lady C. Grey’ who is buried at Yoxford. He is also ‘enclosing [not present] a curious copy of a MS made for me, but wh.

[Peter Cunningham, author and London topographer.] Autograph Letter in the third person to Lady Theresa Lewis, praising 'the Duchess of Newcastle's Life of her husband' and discussing some questions regarding English art.

Author: 
Peter Cunningham [Peter Nicholas Cunningham] (1816-1869), author and London topographer, son of the Scottish poet Allan Cunningham [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865)]
Publication details: 
‘Victoria Road Kensington / 24th. September 1850.’
£90.00

2pp, 12mo. Nineteen lines. Closely written in a neat hand. In fair condition, lightly aged, with strip of dried adhesive from mount along one edge. Folded for postage. Begins: ‘Mr Cunningham presents his Compliments to Lady Theresa Lewis and forwards to Kent House [her Knightsbridge home] the Copy of the Duchess of Newcastle’s Life of her Husband. If lady Theresa derives half the pleasure from its perusal which Mr C.

[J. G. Cochrane [John George Cochrane], Scottish editor and first librarian of the London Library.] Autograph Letter Signed to Sir George Cornewall Lewis, providing information regarding the reburial of Louis XVI.

Author: 
J. G. Cochrane [John George Cochrane] (1781-1852), Scottish editor and bibliographer, first librarian of the London Library [Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), Liberal politician]
Publication details: 
‘London Library / October 3d/1851’.
£65.00

See his entry, and that of Lewis, in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. Eighteen lines of closely-written text. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. He was absent when Lewis’s letter came, but is now able to answer his query by reference to the ‘Biographie Universelle’. Addressed to ‘G. C. Lewis Esq. / Grove Mill / Watford’ and signed ‘J. G. Cochrane’. He reproduces over seven lines a statement which ‘seems distinct enough’, regarding the reburial of the body of Louis XVI. Should he come across a ‘more particular account’ he will let him know.

[J. G. Cochrane [John George Cochrane], Scottish editor and first librarian of the London Library.] Autograph Note Signed to the Earl of Clarendon, with list of books not returned to the Library by the Earl's brother-in-law Thomas Henry Lister.

Author: 
J. G. Cochrane [John George Cochrane] (1781-1852), Scottish editor, bibliographer, first librarian of the London Library [George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon; Thomas Henry Lister]
J. G. Cochrane
Publication details: 
‘London Library / June 21st.' [1842]
£100.00
J. G. Cochrane

See his entry, and those of Clarendon and Lister, in the Oxford DNB. From the papers of the Earl’s sister Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), who was married to Lister. (See their entries in the Oxford DNB.) 1p, 12mo. Cochrane’s note is on the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium, with the list of books on the recto of the second. In good condition, lightly aged. Addressed to ‘Rt Hon The Earl of Clarendon’. Adopting a diplomatic approach, Cochrane writes: ‘My Lord, / Annexed is a list of the books had from the Library by Mr Lister, which have not been returned.

[James Baillie Fraser, Scottish artist and traveller in India.] Autograph Letter in the third person to Lady Theresa Lewis (as ‘Mrs Lister’), regarding ‘the Persian Princes’, Sir Gore Ousely and his future plans.

Author: 
James Baillie Fraser (1792-1856), Scottish artist and traveller in India [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), author]
James Baillie Fraser
Publication details: 
‘Athenaeum [London] / July 29th 1837’.
£350.00
James Baillie Fraser

See his entry and hers in the Oxford DNB. From the papers of Lady Theresa Lewis, and written while she was married to her first husband, the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, and folded once for postage.

[John Masefield, Poet Laureate and children's writer.] Autograph Signature on inscription to 'Grace', on the back of part of a Book Token.

Author: 
John Masefield (1878-1967), Poet Laureate and children's writer
John Masefield
Publication details: 
31 August 1956. No date.
£90.00
John Masefield

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On one side of a 9 x 12.5 cm piece of paper: formerly the first leaf of a bifolium card, the second leaf, which carried the actual book token, having been detached by perforation. In good condition, lightly aged, but with traces of mount at the corners of the reverse, which carries a colour reproduction of a painting by Leonard Richmond. The page with the inscription is a printed form, and Masefield has written 'For Grace.' and 'John Masefield. / August the 31st. 1956.' See Image.

['By consent of the Police? NO.': E. V. Knox, editor of 'Punch'.] Typed Card Signed from Cyril Clemens of the Internation Mark Twain Society, asking for Knox's 'definition of democracy', with carbon copy of Knox's reply.

Author: 
Cyril Coniston Clemens (1902-1999), founder of the International Mark Twain Society, the writer’s third cousin twice removed; E. V. Knox [Edmund George Valpy Knox, ‘Evoe’] (1881-1971), 'Punch' editor
Publication details: 
Clemens' TCS: 10 January 1969, with his stamp as president of the Internation Mark Twain Society, Webster Groves, Missouri. Carpon of Knox's reply, 1 March 1949.
£90.00

See Knox’s entry in the Oxford DNB. The two items are in fair condition, lightly aged and creased, each with a couple of lightly-rusted pin holes. Clemens’s plain card, with stamps and postmarks, is addressed to ‘E. V. Knox Esq / c/o Punch / London, England.’, and is signed ‘faithfully / C C Clemens’. The message reads: ‘Dear E.V. Knox / We hope the life of President Truman reached you safely? / The Society is arranging a symposium on democracy You may care to send your definition of democracy and a few comments.

['Death has taken a heavy toll': Sir Frank Dicksee, Victorian artist, President of the Royal Academy.] Autograph Letter Signed to the widow of fellow-Royal Academician John Macallan Swan, accepting on behalf of the RA committee the gift of a bust.

Author: 
Frank Dicksee [Sir Francis Bernard Dicksee] (1853-1928), Victorian artist, President of the Royal Academy [Mary Anne Swan (née Rankin), wife of John Macallan Swan (1847-1910), RA, painter and sculptor
Publication details: 
10 May 1926; on letterhead of Greville House, 3 Greville Place, Maida Vale, NW6 [London].
£60.00

See his entry, and Swan's, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. Seventeen stylish lines with bold signature. On first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Addressed to 'Dear Mrs Swan' and signed 'Frank Dicksee'. Her letter gave him great pleasure and he has just had the opportunity of placing her 'very kind offer before the Council [of the Royal Academy]'. 'I need hardly tell you they are delighted to accept this valuable gift.

[Henry Luttrell [born Henry King], wit and poet.] Autograph Note Signed to Lady Theresa Lewis, accepting a dinner invitation.

Author: 
Henry Luttrell [born Henry King] (1768-1851), wit and poet [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), author]
Publication details: 
'B[rompton]. Square [London] / Monday March 20 [no year, but on paper watermarked 1847]'.
£50.00

See his entry and hers in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 16mo. In good condition, lightly aged, folded once for postage. Written in the shaky hand of an old man, and reads: 'My dear Lady Teresa, [sic] / I accept, with very great pleasure your kind invitation to dinner on Saturday April 1st / ever faithfully Yours / H. Luttrell'.

['one of the Two Best Read Men in England': Abraham Hayward, author and translator.] Autograph Letter Signed to Sir George Cornewall Lewis, regarding a memorandum to be published in The Times regarding a legal action with W. B. Ferrand.

Author: 
Abraham Hayward (1801-1884), Victorian man of letters and lawyer, whose translation of Goethe’s Faust was praised by Carlyle [Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863); William Busfeild Ferrand]
Publication details: 
‘Temple May 26’ [no year].
£120.00

The interesting context of the present item is explained in a quotation from Antony Chessell’s 2009 biography of Hayward (subtitled ‘one of the Two Best Read Men in England’ - the other was Macaulay) subjoined to this entry. See also the entries for Hayward and Lewis in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Sixty lines of text. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. Addressed to ‘My dear Lewis’ and signed ‘A. Hayward’. He begins by expressing regret that ‘any misapprehension has arisen from the introduction of Sir J Graham’s name in the Memorandum.

[Baron von Bunsen [Christian Karl Josias von Bunsen], Prussian Ambassador to the Court of St James’s.] Autograph Letter Signed and Autograph Note Signed to Lady Theresa Villiers, the letter with reference to a young child's party.

Author: 
Baron von Bunsen [Christian Karl Josias von Bunsen] (1791-1860), Prussian Ambassador to Court of St James’s [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), author]
Publication details: 
ANS: ‘4 Carlton Terrace [London] / Tuesday 24.’ ALS: ‘C. T. Thursday / 25’. Neither item has the full date.
£56.00

Written while Bunsen was Ambassador in London, 1841-1854. The recipient Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865) was the sister of the Liberal Foreign Secretary the 4th Earl of Clarendon, and successively the wife of the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842) and the Liberal politician Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), all of whom also have entries in the Oxford DNB. Both items in good condition, lightly aged, on pieces of gilt-edged paper, folded for postage. Bunsen is writing from part of what was known as ‘Prussia House’. ANS (‘Tuesday 24.’): 1p, 32mo.

['one of the Two Best Read Men in England': Abraham Hayward, author and translator.] Autograph Letter Signed to Lady Theresa Lewis, sending a gift of a ‘rarity’: a book limited to fifty copies.

Author: 
Abraham Hayward (1801-1884), Victorian man of letters and lawyer, whose translation of Goethe’s Faust was praised by Carlyle [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), author]
Publication details: 
‘Temple May 26’ [no year].
£56.00

See Antony Chessell’s 2009 biography of Hayward (subtitled ‘one of the Two Best Read Men in England’ - the other was Macaulay), along with his entry and Lady Theresa Lewis's in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and folded for postage. Addressed to ‘Dear Lady Theresa’ and signed ‘A Hayward’. He begins by confirming a visit. ‘I sent you a little book to-day which has at least the merit of rarity as only fifty copies have been printed.’

[Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd, author, judge and Radical politician.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘T Davis Esq’ regarding the acting of Henry Thomas Betty, son of 'the young Roscius'.

Author: 
Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd (1795-1854), author, judge and Radical politician, friend of Charles Dickens and framer of modern British copyright law
Talfourd
Publication details: 
‘Serjeants’ Inn [London], 20 May, 1841’.
£180.00
Talfourd

Talfourd’s entry in the Oxford DNB notes that he was ‘particularly loved’ by Dickens, and that he ‘provided the archetype of the idealistic Tommy Traddles in David Copperfield; his children Frank and Kate gave their names to two youngsters in Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby.’ The subject of the letter is the actor Henry Thomas Betty (1819-1897), son of ‘the young Roscius’ Henry Betty (1791-1874), whose entry in the ODNB also see. 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, and with slight traces of mount on reverse. Folded for postage. Begins: ‘My dear Sir, / Mr.

[Thomas Hughes, author of ‘Tom Brown’s Schooldays’.] Autograph Letter Signed to Sir Spencer Ponsonby of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, introducing ‘Mr. Selway’, whom he advises him to consult about proposals for a theatre in Surrey Gardens.

Author: 
Thomas Hughes (1822-1896), author of the Victorian classic children's book 'Tom Brown's Schooldays', Liberal MP for Lambeth [Sir Spencer Cecil Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane of the Lord Chamberlain's Office]
Publication details: 
19 March 1872. No place.
£220.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. In good condition, lightly aged. On first leaf of a bifolium of wove paper. Folded for postage. Signed ‘Tho. Hughes’. Begins: ‘My dear Ponsonby / Let me introduce the bearer, Mr. Selway, [i.e. William Robbins Selway (c.1822-1893) of Walworth] who was vice Chairman of my Committee in Lambeth, & is one of the most influential & trustworthy men in the South of London’. Selway wishes to see Ponsonby ‘about a building in the Surrey Gardens which certain persons are proposing to convert into a Theatre’.

[W. H. Prescott [William Hickling Prescott], celebrated American historian of the conquest of Mexico and Peru.] Two Autograph Letters Signed, written while in England to ‘Lady Theresa [Lewis]’ regarding a stay at Grove Mill House, Watford.

Author: 
W. H. Prescott [William Hickling Prescott] (1796-1859), celebrated American historian of Spain and the conquest of Mexico and Peru [Lady Maria Theresa Lewis (1803-1865)]
Publication details: 
2 September [1850], from Trentham [Staffordshire]; and 4 September [1850], from London.
£200.00

Written during Prescott’s 1850 visit to England, where he was greatly feted and lionized. Both items in good condition, lightly aged and worn. Both folded for postage. Both to ‘Dear Lady Theresa’ and signed ‘Wm. H. Prescott’. See the Oxford DNB entry for the recipient Lady (Maria) Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), whose family home was the Grove, Watford, but who lived in Kent House in Knightsbridge with her second husband Sir George Cornewall Lewis, Bart, her first husband having been the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). ONE ‘Trentham / Sep. 2d.’ 1p, 12mo.

[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’.

[Darwin's closest friend: Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, botanist and explorer, Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to Thomas Lister, regarding seeds and an account of 'negro' handling of poisons.

Author: 
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911), botanist and explorer, Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and Charles Darwin's closest friend [Thomas Villiers (1832-1902) of the Foreign Office]
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
Publication details: 
ONE: 6 June 1877. TWO: 14 November 1878. Both with embossed letterhead of the Royal Gardens, Kew.
£450.00
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient was the son of the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842) and his wife, born Lady Maria Theresa Villiers (1803-1865), and later Lady Theresa Lewis, wife of the Liberal politician Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863). Thomas Lister became an assistant under-secretary for foreign affairs in 1873 and was made a KCMG in 1885. The two items are in good condition, lightly aged and folded for postage. Both addressed to ‘Dear Mr Lister’ and signed ‘Jos. D. Hooker’. Written in an oddly difficult hand. ONE (6 June 1877): 2pp, 16mo.

[Sir Philip Francis, putative author of the celebrated ‘Letters of Junius’.] Autograph Letter Signed to the oriental scholar Thomas Maurice, offering support and information for his ‘plan’ [for 'Indian Antiquities'?].

Author: 
Sir Philip Francis (1740-1818), putative author of the celebrated political tracts ‘The Letters of Junius' (1769-1772) [Thomas Maurice (1754-1824), oriental scholar]
Sir Philip Francis
Publication details: 
'Isleworth twenty fourth June / 1791'.
£500.00
Sir Philip Francis

As John Cannon writes in Francis’s entry in the Oxford DNB, ‘The authorship of the Junius letters has been the subject of innumerable publications of various merit’, with the case for Francis, first proposed by John Taylor in 1816, ‘far the most probable’. The present item is of double interest: handwriting analysis has played a significant part in a number of publications, e.g. ‘The handwriting of Junius professionally investigated by Charles Chabot, expert; with preface and collateral evidence, by the Hon. Edward Twisleton’ (London, 1871).

[Sir Henry Ellis, Principal Librarian at the British Museum.] Autograph Letter in the third person to Lady Theresa Lewis, informing her that he has information relating to Lady Catherine Gray.

Author: 
Sir Henry Ellis (1777-1869), Principal Librarian at the British Museum, 1827-1856 [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), author]
Publication details: 
‘British Museum [London] / May 19. 1852’.
£90.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, with that of the recipient Lady [Maria] Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), who lived in Kent House in Knightsbridge with her second husband Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), Bart, Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer, her first husband having been the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. ‘Sir Henry Ellis presents his Compliments to Lady Theresa Lewis he has at last found the Letter, from the incumbent of Foxford, which gives the date of the Burial there of Lady Catherine Gray.

[Sir Henry Ellis, Principal Librarian at the British Museum.] Autograph Letter Signed to Sir George Cornewall Lewis, regarding a reader's ticket for Henry Christian, and sending information for the recipient's wife the author Lady Theresa Lewis.

Author: 
Sir Henry Ellis (1777-1869), Principal Librarian at the British Museum, 1827-1856 [Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), Bart, Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer]
Publication details: 
‘British Museum [London] / April 15. 1853’.
£120.00

See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo, on first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice for postage. Signed ‘Henry Ellis’ and addressed to ‘G. Cornewall Lewis Esq’. Begins: ‘My dear Sir / Mr Henry Christian will have a Card for our Reading Room sent to him this morning, and I will speak to Sir Frederic Madden to afford Mr. Christian the accommodation which he wishes to have in the MS.

[Sir Fenwick Williams [General Fenwick Williams], British Army officer - led the defence of Kars (Crimean War]; London Library] Autograph Letter Signed to Sir George Cornewall Lewis, asking him to support the election of E.H. Nolan as below.

Author: 
Sir Fenwick Williams [General Sir William Fenwick Williams] (1800-1883), British Army officer who led the defence of Kars during the Crimean War, born in Nova Scotia [Sir George Cornewall Lewis]
Publication details: 
‘Woolwich April 7th. 1857.’
£120.00

See the two men’s entries in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Signed ‘W F Williams’ and docketed by the recipient ‘Sir Fenwick Williams of Kars’. Written while Lewis was Chancellor of the Exchequer in Palmerston's government. Begins: ‘Dear Sir Cornewall, / I take the liberty of asking you for your influence for Dr. Nolan as Secretary & Librarian of the London Library’.

[Sir Francis Palgrave, archivist and scholar, Deputy Keeper of the Public Record Office.] Two Autograph Letters Signed and an Autograph Letter in the third person to Lady Theresa Lewis, aiding her in her biographical investigations.

Author: 
Sir Francis Palgrave [born Francis Ephraim Cohen] (1788-1861), archivist and scholar, Deputy Keeper of the Public Record Office [Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), author]
Sir Francis Palgrave
Publication details: 
13 June 1850, 14 May 1851, 5 February 1852. All from the Rolls House [Chancery Lane, London].
£180.00
Sir Francis Palgrave

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, with that of the recipient Lady [Maria] Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), who lived in Kent House in Knightsbridge with her second husband Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), Bart, Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer, her first husband having been the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). The three items are in good condition, lightly aged. Written in a difficult hand. ONE (13 June 1850, ‘Rolls House’): AL in the third person. 1p, 12mo. ‘Sir F.

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