IRELAND

A multi-talented figure, Denis Johnston was a protégé of W. B. Yeats and Bernard Shaw, and had a stormy friendship with Seán O'Casey. Jonathan Swift was a preoccupation of Johnston's (see his 1959 book 'In Search of Swift'), and his play about him, 'The Dreaming Dust', was first produced at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, in 1940. It was published in collections of Johnston's plays in 1954, 1960, 1977 and 1983. This 1988 version remains unpublished. Both typescript and letter in fair condition, lightly aged.

Rectangle of paper, cut down from a larger page, with corners trimmed at the diagonal. In fair condition, lightly aged. Laid down on a piece of card. Reads: 'It is good not to eat Flesh, or Drink Wine, or do anything whereby a Brother may be caused to stumble or be made weak. Romans C. 14. V. 21. | Theobald Mathew | September 12 1843'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper with traces of glue from mount on reverse of second leaf. The letter begins: 'Dear Miss Cole - | It is kind of you to invite Mr Raj - I have forwarded yr message to him, & told him to answer it himself. He is a very good young man studying just now for his degree in London University - a friend of [Kesemb Amrinder Senj?] & a member of the [Brahur Somcij?] (Church of the One God - of India)'. She knows nothing else about him, but 'the [Brahures?] all come to him by right'.

Both letters 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Cole's handwriting is difficult. The recipient is not named. The first letter, 34 lines long, concerns a bill which Cole has drawn on the recipient of the letter. It is coming due, and he is uncertain whether it is for £90 or £100. He asks him to withhold payment for a while, as 'Lent is always a dead time with me'. He is 'going to try the experiment of Mr Butter for 6 nights', and has 'good hopes of the result'. The second letter begins: 'My dear Sir | I have made most liberal offers to Farren, Mrs. Nesbitt & Mr.

Depressed and paranoid, Lever spent his last days in Italy. For the Villa Morelli, see his Downey's 'Life in his Letters' (1906). 2pp, 12mo. On aged and creased paper, with closed tears to edges, but no loss. Folded twice. The handwriting is neat and controlled, but not always entirely legible. He begins with the news that he is returning 'the books you so kindly lent me'. Presumably referring to Charles Reade's 1866 novel 'Griffith Gaunt', Lever writes: 'Mr Reade is all you said of him, - often very amusing, & oftener very [?]'. A reference to 'the pleasanter reading' follows.

Rectangle of paper, cut down from a larger page, with corners trimmed at the diagonal. In fair condition, lightly aged. Laid down on a piece of card. Reads: 'It is good not to eat Flesh, or Drink Wine, or do anything whereby a Brother may be caused to stumble or be made weak. Romans C. 14. V. 21. | Theobald Mathew | September 12 1843'.

Both letters 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Cole's handwriting is difficult. The recipient is not named. The first letter, 34 lines long, concerns a bill which Cole has drawn on the recipient of the letter. It is coming due, and he is uncertain whether it is for £90 or £100. He asks him to withhold payment for a while, as 'Lent is always a dead time with me'. He is 'going to try the experiment of Mr Butter for 6 nights', and has 'good hopes of the result'. The second letter begins: 'My dear Sir | I have made most liberal offers to Farren, Mrs. Nesbitt & Mr.

8pp, 12mo. On two bifoliums. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. Signed 'Mayne Reid', and written from the sprawling 'Rancho' which he built at Gerrards Cross, in imitation of a Mexican hacienda. The recipient is named by Reid as 'J. Froebel', i.e. Julius Froebel, and the subject is arrangements for the translation translation of his book 'Aus Amerika' (Leipzig, 1857), which would be published in London by Richard Bentley in 1859 under the title 'Seven Years' Travel in Central America, Northern Mexico, and the Far West of the United States'.

On one side of 8 x 18.5 cm piece of paper, torn from the end of a letter. In fair condition, aged and worn, with traces of brown paper from mount adhering to the blank reverse. The item would appear to be entirely in the hand of the Earl, but the matter is not quite certain, and it may be in a secretarial hand, with only Cork's signature in autograph. It reads: '[...] | Sir | Your Royal Highness's | very obedient | and very humble Servant | Cork | Col | [Som.?] Reg.] Addressed to 'His R. H. | The Duke of York | &c &c &c'. Annotated, in two separate contemporary hands: 'Novr. 1795' and 'Nov.

On one side of 8 x 19 cm piece of paper, torn from the end of a document. In fair condition, lightly aged, with strip of paper from mount adhering to the reverse. Two folds. The signature 'Cavan' is between two horizontal lines. The rest of the document would appear to be in a secretarial hand, but the matter is not quite certain. It reads: '[...] | I have the Honor | to be | Sir | Your Royal Highness's | Most Obedt. Faithful | & Much Obliged | Humble Servt. | Cavan'. It is dated 'Cowes. | March 1st 1804' and addressed to 'His Royal Highness | The Duke of York'.

1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. He writes that he has 'received the memorial to the Postmaster General, which you have done me the honor to transmit for the joint transmission of Mr Ross & myself'. He will arrange with Ross to have the memorial 'presented on the earliest possible opportunity'.

4pp, 4to. Bifolium. Panel, a little under one-sixth of total area, missing from bottom outside corner of second leaf, with attendant loss to text, otherwise in good condition, lightly aged and worn. Folded three times. A good long letter in a neat and stylish hand, with a firm underlined signature. He begins by writing that he has that morning 'received the Petition from Belfast which I was pleased to expect from having seen in the Report of your meeting that you had done Mr Dunbar and myself the honor to entrust its presentation to us'.

3pp., 12mo. On bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. With date stamp of the RSA, and endorsement in blue pencil. He is writing to inform Wood that 'a relative of mine has written a paper on a subject of importance regarding the connection of fat [containing glycerin] with manufacture of explosives in Germany - and showing how that Country is approaching a crisis - when her supply of fat will be approaching exhaustion'.

Maguire was, his entry in the Oxford DNB states, 'one of the most popular orators of his age, and from 1829 until 1843 he addressed huge crowds and packed congregations in churches and at venues throughout England and Ireland'.

3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. The letter begins: 'My dear Hope, I have told Canadian Club you are coming. If I left my spectacles in the Chancery, in their case as I think I did this forenoon, will you please put them into an envelope for me?' He will go over the following morning, 'at Manchester if not'.

On 4 x 11 cm slip of paper. Reads: '[...] them. | With many thanks for yr kindness believe me | very truly yrs | Frances P Cobbe'. On reverse: '[...] information. | Have you ever seen a very curious French book [...]'.

The present early eighteenth-century document lists the heads of British Army regiments from the period of the Glorious Revolution to the accession of George I. Internal evidence suggests that it was compiled around 1715, and that it was amended until the mid-1720s. The care with which it was compiled, over a decade and in a number of hands, would appear to suggest some sort of official standing. It is on nineteen 18 x 7.5 cm leaves of laid paper, formed in ten bifoliums, now loose but originally bound together, and with traces of thread still present.

1p, 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded once. The salutation 'Dear B. J.' and valediction 'Yours | Jack' are in Priestley's autograph; the rest is typed. Maire Lynd's letter was 'a delight surprise', Priestley being unaware that her son was 'in the film business'.

Two pages, 12mo, fold marks, one edge stained and roughened (perhaps blank second leaf of bifolium removed, and item tipped into album), text clear as follows: "The points which are partally fixed in Ireland extend to the southward as far as Bray Head on the East Coast. And they can be given to the Admiralty Surveyor if required in the course the present year. The North East Coast is already surveyed, and may be copied by the Admiralty surveyors at any time.

3pp, 4to. Bifolium. On wove paper with Whatman watermark dated 1820. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight loss of paper at one corner of second leaf, resulting in loss of one word of text. Folded twice. From the papers of William Jerdan, editor of the Literary Gazette, who published the poem with one other ('In the Ivy'), in the edition of 23 June 1821, giving the identity of the author given in a footnote: 'We have to thank the elegant pen of MRS. HEMANS, for these two exquisite poems. Ed.' Heman's manuscript is endorsed by Jerdan: 'Poetry origl | 231 | W J | Mrs. Hemans'.

On one side of a piece of paper cropped to 11 x 8 cm, resulting in loss of text at edges. Otherwise in fair condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Septr 13th 18[...] | [...] dear Sir - | As Mrs. Moore is [...] | [...]ith a parcel for Beafort Build[...] | [...] the opportunity of returning a book whi[...] | [...] to a set, you may be inconvenienced [...] | [...], and I have got all I wanted out of it [...] | You will have the goodness to send the [...] | [...] basket to Mrs. Dyke. | Yours ever | T.

The earldom of Glengall was created in 1816 for Lord Cahir who died three years later; the second and last earl held the title from 1819 to his death in 1858. Another of the signatories, Dr Richard Burgess, was active in Clonmell in the Regency period. On one side of 24 x 19 cm piece of watermarked laid paper. Clearly the left hand half (only) of a 24 x 38 cm petition addressed 'To the Kings Most Excellent Majesty'. In fair condition, aged and worn, with closed tears and chipping along one edge, and one signature cut away, leaving only the acronym 'D.

3pp, 8vo. On three leaves with hole in one corner where they were attached with stud. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. The letter is clearly a draft of a public letter to be signed by a number of eminent individuals, and was presumably composed by Bryce himself. No date or place, simply headed: 'To the Chairman of | The Government Distress Committee.' It begins: 'Sir, | We whose names are appended hereto view with concern the methods that seem about to be adopted for the relief of the distress caused by the war.

2pp, folio. In fair condition, aged, worn and with chipping to extremities. Several folds. Begins: 'My Lord, | I hae the honor of transmitting the following Addresses of Condolence to Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and His Serene Highness the Prince Leopold of Sax Cobourgh'. A list of six addresses follows, variously sent to different members of the royal family from noblemen, gentlemen, clergy, freeholders, burgesses, inhabitants. sheriffs, aldermen, of the county of Wexford, and cities of Armagh and Limerick.

According to his entry in the Oxford DNB, 'In 1844 Lover abandoned miniature painting as a result of failing eyesight but continued to paint and exhibit landscapes. He invented a new form of entertainment which he called Irish Evenings, a monologue of songs, recitations, and stories, all of his own composition. These he performed at the Princess's Concert Rooms, London.' Between 1846 and 1848 he toured North America with great success. 3pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with minor traces of mount adhering to blank reverse of second leaf. Folded twice.

Lady Bulwer Lytton is now best-known for her mistreatment at the hands of her husband (see their entries in the Oxford DNB). Both letters are in good condition, lightly aged and worn, the first carrying traces of mount and with slight damage at one corner. ONE: 28 February 1836. 4pp, 16mo. She is delighted to hear of Lady Cullum's return to England.

4pp, 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once. With embossed armorial letterhead. Good firm signature: 'Clara Novello.' An interesting letter, casting light on the practical arrangement of musical concerts in Victorian Britain and Ireland. The recipient is not named, and the letter begins: 'Dear Sir, | I have not heard from Mr. Bussell of your Concert, but on receipt of your favor of the 15th. consider myself engaged to Belfast for the 1st.

4pp, 16mo. Bifolium. Forty-two lines of text. Letterhead of family crest in gold and red. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of white paper mount adhering to last page. Three fold lines. The editor's 'obliging Note' affords her 'sincere pleasure to have the opportunity of expressing her gratitude to him in person', and she asks him not to call some day the following week (she is 'going out of Town' the week after), but not in the morning, as she has 'much business, of a disagreeable and imperative nature to transact now'.

On one side of 4.5 x 10.5 cm piece of paper, cut from end of letter for autograph hunter. In good condition, lightly aged. Reads: 'Believe me, dear Mr Browne | Yours very sincerely | Katharine Tynan Hinkson | Robert Browne Esq.'

1p, 12mo. Bifolium. Addressed on reverse of the second leaf, with broken seal in red wax, 'To / | S. C. Hall Esqre | 59 Sloane Street'. In fair condition, on aged paper. Folded by Blessington into a diamond-shaped packet. Reads: 'Saturday Evening. | Lady Blessingtons Compts. To Mr Hall, and requests that he will call on her, as soon as may suit his convenience, as she wishes to consult him, about having an Enquiry executed.'