III

See his entry and Wordsworth’s in the Oxford DNB. The Prince was Chancellor of Cambridge University from 1811 to his death. Wordsworth was Vice-Chancellor twice: 1820-1821 and 1826-1827. On 13 x 7 cm panel cut from the cover of the envelope. In fair condition, lightly aged, laid down on brown paper cut from album, with slight wear to corner of letter just touching the initial ‘W’ of the Prince’s name. Laid out in the customary fashion, and reading: ‘London June Twenty seven 1827 / The Revd / Dr. Wordsworth / Vice Chancellor of the University / of Cambridge’.

See Taylor’s entry, and that of Princess Sophia’s brother William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1776-1834), in the Oxford DNB. Bagshot Park was the residence of her brother the duke (Silly Billy’), to whom she was very much attached. The siblings were not entirely accepted by the Royal Family due to the unequal nature of their parents’ marriage. 3pp, 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. Taylor, who is not named but is clearly the recipient, has marked the letter as ‘Private’. Good firm signature ‘Sophia Matilda’.

See the two men's entries in the Oxford DNB. Each of the two letters is 1p, 4to, with the Prince’s letter on the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium, and the Earl’s signed autograph copy of his reply on the recto of the second leaf of the same bifolium. Both leaves are discoloured and damaged, with wear and loss from infestation, but the two signatures and the area around them are good and clear. The document has been folded twice for postage. Strip of white tape along gutter of blank reverse of second leaf from mount. ONE (Frederick’s ALS): Fifteen lines.

This document, signed by George IV as Prince Regent, and by the former Prime Minister Lord Sidmouth as Home Secretary, relates to Matthias Maher (1798-1865), a Royal Navy officer who was twice tried at the Old Bailey on a charge of forgery. On the first occasion, 6 May 1818, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity; and removed to the criminal asylum in St George's Fields. Maher was found sound of mind – as the present document reveals by Sir George Leman Tuthill (1772–1835) and Edward Wright (c.1788-1859), the latter to die of disgrace in Australia.

An interesting letter, attacking the serving Tory Prime Minister Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (1770-1828), who had stood against the Duke of Sussex (noted for his liberal sympathies) in the election for President of the Royal Society of Arts. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded three times. The recipient is not named, but is identified in an endorsement on the reverse of the second leaf as 'Earl St Vincent'. Written in a hurried, untidy hand.

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).

See Bloomfield’s entry, and that of Norton, in the Oxford DNB. The fragment of the letter bearing his signature is 5 cm x 4.5 cm. It is dated at one corner ‘1845’, and reads ‘R. Bgham / Bloomfield’. It is laid down on one side of a 4to leaf extracted from an album and paginated 58.

The papers of Sir Charles Stewart Scott (an Ulsterman: see his entry in the Ulster Dictionary of Biography) are held by the British Library. The present journal, described by its writer as ‘Private & most Confidential’, covers the very start of his career, from Paris in 1859 to Copenhagen in 1863.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB. 3pp, 12mo. 31 lines of text. In fair condition, lightly aged. Folded twice for postage. Signed ?Mary Adelaide?. She has seen Russell's ?envoy??, who had ?planned a road, which he assures me cannot be objected to, and can easily be intro-duced [sic] into and carried out with your proposed alterations?.

Part of leaf from autograph album, cut into an irregular shape. In fair condition, on lightly aged and discoloured paper, with film of dried glue from mount on blank reverse. The passage, which curiously enough does not correspondend with the printed text, reads (with three mistakes scored through): ‘Life of Napoleon III - Vol 2. / The Government, it is true, endeavoured to prevail upon Queen Hortense to request him to give his word that he would remain in America for ten years; but she replied that Prince Louis was master of his own actions & she would not endeavour to influence them.

See image. It is hard to see how this collection could be bettered, the range of signatures from sanity to madness being of particular interest. All seven examples laid down on a folio leaf extracted from an album. The leaf is in poor condition, creased and with closed tears, but the parchment and paper bearing the signatures themselves in good condition, the six parchment items having the usual discoloration, but the example on paper in excellent condition.

See her entry in the Oxford DNB, which states that ‘During his periods of ‘madness’, George III imagined that he was married to Lady Pembroke. Apparently, 'his infatuation went back to the days when he was only seventeen and she, of the same age, was Elizabeth Spencer'. The king went so far as to make 'her handsome offers if she would be his mistress.’ [...] In 1804 the king suffered another attack of dementia and again announced his desire for Lady Pembroke. This situation aroused some amusement among younger courtiers since she was by this time almost seventy years old.” 1p, 12mo.

1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. The typed text of the letter is in French, but the following autograph text is in English: the address (‘Dear Lord Monckton,’), the valediction (‘With the hope of seeing you here soon! | Liliane de Belgique’), and the dating (‘21st. of February 1988’). She has been deeply touched by the ‘émouvant hommage’ which, thanks to Monckton, Eton has just rendered to the memory of the king. Monckton is aware ‘combien celui-ci était resté attaché à son ancien collège, auquel le liaient tant de souvenirs, et dont l’empreinte a marqué toute sa vie’.

2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of bifolium. Folded three times. In fair good condition, lightly browned. 36 lines, sloping upwards and written in an untidy hand, which renders the following report somewhat tentative. Signed ‘Rachel’. In French. She has been so busy since the resumption of the ‘théâtre français’ that she is only now able to tackle the need to get her ‘étoffes’. She reports that the ‘Comte de Noailles’ is in London, and asks the recipient, who also appears to be there, to go again to the embassy to ask him to send by two or three packets what she needs to make ‘mes robes’.

1p, 8vo. On bifolium endorsed in two hands on reverse of second leaf, one reading: 'Papier d'antoine Joignar anglois recu Le 29e. Fever. 1676'. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, with stub from mount adhering. Beneath Hamilton's signature at the foot of the document is a fair impression of his seal in red wax. The document reads: 'Nous le Sieur d'Hamilton Capn.

The context is explained in Hamilton's entry in the Oxford DNB: 'Anthony Hamilton joined his brother George in France in 1667, and was given a captain's commission in the French army. In 1671 he and his younger brother Richard joined a regiment of foot which George raised in Ireland for the service of Louis XIV. They served in the Franco-Dutch War of 1672–8.' On 12 x 19 cm piece of vellum. In good condition, with spike hole and bottom corners snipped. Entire document in French.

Three pages, 8vo, large handwriting, staining along fold marks, small closed tear at centre, text legible. Your welcome telegram to Dr [Renton?] here has been with much pleasure received by His Highness the Maha Rajah of Mysore.- In reply I am directed by His Highness the Maha Rajah, to ascquaint you that a letter from Dr Campbell, intimating all about your good self, has been received by the last Mail - Now the Maha Rajah most anxiously looks forward to have an interview with you & Dr Campbell.

Four sets of travel instructions by George III, all in his autograph, none dated but seemingly relating to the same journey, taking in the Highfield House estate of General Sir William Augustus Pitt (c. 1728-1809), and also referring to Egham, Basingstoke, Winsdsor, Andover. A referring to the novelist Fanny Burney (1752-1840), narrows the date of at least one of the documents to between 1786 and 1790, the period during which Burney was a Keeper of the Robes. On four leaves, and totalling 5pp, ranging in size from 4to to long narrow 8vo (see descriptions below for dimensions).

The present document carries the signatures of three central figures on the British side during the American War of Independence: King George III, his Prime Minister Lord North, and Secretary at War Lord Barrington, along with the signatures of the Earl of Onslow, Jeremiah Dyson and John Lloyd, Deputy Auditor of the Imprest. 2pp, foolscap 8vo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Thin strip of paper from mount adhering to inner edge on first page.

St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics was founded in 1750 by City of London philanthropists to treat mental illness among the poor of London. In 1786 it moved from Moorfields to Old Street, where it remained until 1916. Simmons was appointed physician to the hospital in 1781. 6pp, 16mo. A piece of laid watermarked paper has been neatly torn into three 16 x 10 cm leaves: a bifolium, with the single leaf loosely inserted. In good condition, lightly aged. A poignant artefact. Simple, brief notes, giving age, name, date [of admission], address, some with follow-up notes. The six women are 'Eliz.

1p, 4to. Bifolium endorsed on reverse of second leaf: 'Ansd. 30th. | Transfg. an Address of Condolence from the County of Fife'. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. The subject of the address is the Prince Regent's mother Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), and is addressed to him rather than her husband George III as the king is incapacitated. Morton served as Queen Charlotte's Chamberlain between 1792 and her death in 1818.

Without date or place. Rectangle of thin paper, cut from the end of a letter, clearly in response to a request for an autograph. In fair condition, aged and creased. Reads: 'I am | Your friend, | Khama | Chief of Bamangwato'.

Title-page: 'The Friars in England. | An Essay | by | Elizabeth E. Smith, B.A. | Birmingham – 1908.' Duplicated typescript, printed on versos only. [1] + x + [1] + 209pp, 4to. With hand-drawn plans on two leaves at rear (the first, 'Site of the Blackfriars of Leicester'; the second, 'Carmelite Friary at Hulne' and 'Dominican Friary at Norwich'. In half binding of black leather spine and corners, with purple cloth boards, title in gilt on front cover, floral printed endpapers. Tightly copy, in good condition, on lightly aged paper, in lightly worn binding with slight discoloration to cloth.

2pp, 12mo. In fair condition, aged, but with closed tear along inner edge of leaf caused by removal from mount, and affecting a couple of words of text. The letter reads: 'Sir Henry Halford assures the President of the Royal College of Surgeons that it grieves him to forgo the pleasure of being present at the Hunterian Oration today, and of waiting upon Him at dinner, but a most important engagement at King's College to meet the Council at half past two compels Sir Henry to relinquish his fixt intention -'.

See the Oxford DNB for both Mackenzie and Haweis, who in 1893 published 'Sir Morell Mackenzie, Physician and Operator: A Memoir compiled and edited from Private Papers and Personal Reminiscences'. The background to the letter is Mackenzie's controversial treatment of Kaiser Frederick III. The Oxford DNB describes how, following the Kaiser's death, Mackenzie 'had to bear constant criticism from his medical colleagues and the world press.

On one side of a 29 x 39 cm piece of vellum. In fair condition, with the usual discoloration found in vellum. A printed document, completed in manuscript, with a good example of George IV's signature as Prince Regent ('George P R') at top left. The royal seal has been removed from the space beneath the Prince Regent's signature. The signature of the Home Secretary ('Sidmouth') is at bottom right, somewhat faded. The document is a warrant appointing 'George Philips Esqr. Captain in the York Chasseurs', 'Commanded by Our Trusty and Welbeloved Major General Hugh Mackay Gordon'.

The recipient Anna Maria Dashwood (1785-1857) was the daughter of Sir Henry Watkin Dashwood (1745-1828), and was fourteen years old at the time the letter was written. In 1810 she would marry John Loftus (1770-1845), 2nd Marquess of Ely. An Anne Dashwood – presumably a relation – had been a maid of honour of Princess Elizabeth's mother Queen Charlotte. The letter is written in the most affectionate terms, and concerns an offer by William Cathcart (1755-1843), 1st Earl Cathcart, to place Sir Henry Dashwood's eldest son Henry George Mayne Dashwood (1782-1803) in the Life Guards. 5pp, 4to.

Both items in good condition, lightly aged, attached together at one corner with thread. The two written by different secretaries. Both addressed to 'Dear Sir Thomas'. The second letter addressed to Strange at Madras. ONE: Kensington Palace; 3 February 1812. 4to, 4pp. Although many years have passed since their last meeting, he trusts that Strange 'will not forget that friend of our lives, when we became known to each other at Halifax, and when I flatter myself I had the good fortune of being numbered amongst your friends'.

1p, 4to. On bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded three times. The letter reads: 'My dear Duke | I have much gratification in acquainting Your Grace that I have placed Mr Edward Gage in my Regiment, and I am sure You will believe that it affords me great satisfaction to have had so early an opportunity of meeting Your Wishes It will be necessary for him to lodge the purchase money at Messrs.

An interesting letter regarding the early cultivation of bananas in London. 1p, 4to. In fair condition, lightly aged, with slight nicking to one edge. Neatly written over nine lines. Reads: 'Sir Everard Home is much obliged to Messrs. Laddiges for a present of some very fine Bananas, which were quite ripe, and had a flavour Sir Everard had no idea that they ever could acquire in this Climate. He mentioned yesterday to Mr Eyton with astonishment who said they had fruited at Kew, but not He believed to such perfection'.