CUSTOMS

Two attractive small original hand-coloured copperplate engravings. Both in good condition, lightly aged, and each with slight traces of previous mount on blank reverse. ONE: Captioned at foot ‘A Freschi sculpsit | MONKEYS GATHERING TEA. | Pubd. 25 April 1812 by H. Stockdale, 41 Pall Mall’. Portrait: 10.5 x 17.5 cm. Depicts a Chinese man beneath a tree taking leaves from a monkey on the ground, whilst three other monkeys in the tree collect more leaves. TWO: Captioned at foot ‘A Freschi sculpsit | INDIAN INK.’ No place or date. Landscape: 17.5 x 10.5 cm. Depicts three men preparing the ink.

On both sides of a 37 x 24 cm piece of paper (i.e. half a 'pinched post' folio leaf), with 1806 fleur-de-lys watermark. Folded twice, to make eight 24 x 9 cm panels (four on each side), in seven of which Perceval has written his notes in a close and neat hand. The eighth panel forms the outside of the folded paper, and on this Perceval has written 'Parliamentary | Miscellaneous'. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn.

1p., on 24 x 16cm. piece of paper. The first part of the document reads: 'Recorded 24 Decembr 1701 | Received of the Lord ffitcharding three hundred pounds part of an Order of ten thousand two hundred pounds out of the 4½ P Cents for Secrett Service'. Below this, in the right-hand margin, Ferne has written: 'Three Hundred Pounds | Hen: Ferne | ple of 10200 | Pr Secret Service | 22 Decr. 1701'. At the foot of the page, in another hand: 'Witness. | Rd: Porter'.

1p., 8vo. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. With printed text, headed 'PENSIONS', completed in manuscript. Recording payment to him of £8 6s 8d. Signature at foot of witness 'A Dickie'. Signed within months of Cochrane's death, and a little shaky.

1p., on 24 x 16cm. piece of paper cut from Customs' ledger. The first part of the document reads: 'Recorded 24 Decembr 1701 | Received of the Lord ffitcharding three hundred pounds part of an Order of ten thousand two hundred pounds out of the 4½ P Cents for Secrett Service'. Below this, in the right-hand margin, Ferne has written: 'Three Hundred Pounds | Hen: Ferne | ple of 10200 | Pr Secret Service | 22 Decr. 1701'. At the foot of the page, in another hand: 'Witness. | Rd: Porter'.

ONE: Spirit Stock Book. 116pp., 4to. Internally in good condition, on aged paper, in heavily-worn cloth binding, with worn paper label on front cover. (The purpose of the book is given in the description of Item Two, below.) Detailing the sale (or return?) of spirits, exclusively to Samuel Webster & Sons, between 1910 and 1950. The entries on each page are divided into eight printed columns: 'Date when the Spirits were Sent out', 'No.

viii + 69 + [3]pp., 8vo. In original grey wraps, uncut. A good copy, lightly aged and foxed. Accompanied by a slip carrying an entry for this item from a printed catalogue, including: 'Not in Goldsmiths; Kress C.930 recording the German edition only.' No copy on COPAC, WorldCat or Bibliotheque Nationale.

169pp., 12mo. Covering the whole of a ruled notebook in black waxed cloth binding. In fair condition, aged and worn, in like binding with some damage to spine. Ownership signature of 'A. C. Collyer' on front free endpaper, with the word 'Notes' written under it, and beneath that a seal (hand holding a sword) in red wax. The notebook has been compiled by at least three different parties (with a couple of notes in shorthand), and is certainly the work of instructors rather than students, possibly Scottish.

Neatly written out in a contemporary hand on the verso of a foolscap 8vo leaf of laid paper, with 'T TAYLOR' watermark, torn from the letter book of a financial institution. In very good condition, lightly-aged. The names of the four signatories to the original document are given at the foot. The recto of the leaf carries the transcription, in the same hand, of a letter by 'W: Stiles | Secry', with a list of twelve 'Writs dated 6th: Decr: 1787'.

2pp., foolscap 8vo. On aged and worn paper, with slight loss to one edge from disbinding. On mourning paper (for King William IV).

Drop-head title: 'At the Court at Windsor, the 26th day of September 1846. | PRESENT, | The QUEEN's Most Excellent Majesty in Council.' 12pp., foolscap 8vo. Paginated 1-12 and in two columns. No printer's slug. Signed in type at end 'Wm. L. Bathurst.' In fair condition, on aged paper with chips and short closed tears to central vertical fold. Spine repaired with archival tape. The first page headed in black ink manuscript 'Natal', and in red ink '144'. No other copy traced.

1p., small 4to. On aged and lightly damp-stained paper, with wear and closed tear to extremities. Three counter-signatures in bottom left-hand corner faded with damp. The document begins (with manuscript additions in square brackets): 'Record [15 Janry 1707] | Numb.

On one side of piece of 27 x 38 cm paper. Aged and heavily-creased, with central closed tear. A printed document, with engraved portrait of King George IV in the top left-hand corner, completed in manuscript and signed by Wellesley and three others, with fading to the manuscript parts. The document is headed: 'To all People to whom these Presents shall come Greeting.

A significant item, written, as his biographer Roy Abrahams explains, by a man who was 'almost single-handedly responsible for keeping academic social anthropology, and one might add the place of African research within it, alive in the small Archaeology and Anthropology Department in Cambridge in those otherwise rather barren days of the 1930s'. 45pp., 12mo. In a ruled, stitched notebook without cover. Written in pencil on stained and aged paper. Some of the text is faded.

4pp., folio. Bifolium. On worn and aged paper. Nicely printed, with royal crest at head of first page, above the words 'ANNO VICESIMO SECUNDO & VICESIMO TERTIO | VICTORIAE REGINAE.' The full title reads: 'An Act for the Reform and Regulation of Female Apparel and to Amend and Refrenate the Customs relating to Crinoline and other Artificial Superfluities and the Profusion thereof, with the Powers, Provisions, Clauses, Regulations and Directions, Fines, Forfeitures and Penalties to be observed, applied, practised and put in execution for securing the proper observance of the same.

4to, 2 pp. Fourteen lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper neatly repaired with archival tape. Addressed to Barker as 'Collector &c'. Recommending the appointment of 'Colonel Freeman' as 'an Inspector of the Customs for the City of Philadelphia'. Freeman is 'a very active Democrat' and 'a very estimable man'. Should Barker appoint him, he will be 'gratifying the Democrats of the City of Philadelphia & will also oblige - | Yours truly | [signed] J B Sutherland'. In 1844 Sutherland himself received a similar letter from Edgar Allan Poe, recommending Robert Travers.

On loose 8vo leaves, disbound from a volume. All articles clear and complete. The first three parts good, on aged paper; fourth part fair, on grubby paper with wear to extremities. The first four of a total of twenty articles. Part One (no.247, pp.177-179) is entitled 'Scenery of the Blue Mountains. - Govatt's Leap.' Signed in print 'W. R.

Statesman (1771-1851); First Lord of the Admiralty, 1812-27, after whom Melville Sound was named. Three pages, quarto. Very good if a tad grubby.

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.

Conservative politician (1798-1890). Both stained by glue from mounting, and with traces of mount adhering to reverse. The first, on paper roughly two inches by half an inch, reads 'Thos. F. Fremantle'. The second, on paper roughly four and a half inches by one inch and a quarter, reads ' | Sir, | Your obedient Servant. | Tho F Fremantle | J. J. Kaune Esq.'

English historian and archivist (1776-1854; DNB) who superintended the publication of the 'State Papers of Henry VIII'. Fragment of letter, 2 inches by four, in good condition, on laid paper signed 'H. Hobhouse' beneath part of salutation 'Yr obed. Sert.' with 'Basseterre | Guadaloupe' beneath.

Statesman (1792-1848). He explains, as a Commissioner of Revenue and at length, why he cannot personally support someone's application for promotion in the Customs. He advises a direct application to the Board of Customs.