Panama

Part of headed notepaper, 11 x 8.5cm, good condition, tipped on to slightly larger piece of paper, as is (corner) a small clipping from a newspaper about his activity against yellow fever. Text in his hand: W.C. Gorgas. | Colonel Medical Corps U.S. Army | Panama.

Bottom half of 8vo page, good condition. [Centralised] 'Ma devise: | "Aperire terram gentibus" | ferd. de Lesseps | (1884)'. ['Open the earth to people', or similar]. Motto of Ferdinand de Lesseps referring to the Suez and Panama Canals.

See image. One page, 12mo, crumpled and lined but text clear, but part nearly illegible, as follows: "Je vous envoie mes plus affectueux remerciements pour l'envoi de votre telegramme dont lequel vous m'adressez vos felicitations pour l'anniversaire. | subscription and signature followed by four lines in a sloping rather than nearly upright (as the quoted text) hand initialled with a squiggle, presumably him but mainly illegible except for the phrase "l'angleterre".

8vo: 1 p. Good, on lightly creased and aged paper. Good firm hand. Five lines of text and large, bold signature. Reads 'Enclosed please find the note of the General | With compliments to Madam and to Miss Chapman I remain | Very truly yours | [signed] John Bigelow'.

American diplomat and author (1817-1911), editor of Benjamin Franklin's works. All three items are very good on paper discoloured with age, though all with small punch holes for binding in upper corners, resulting to loss to six words of text. All three signed 'John Bigelow'. The second letter represents an important exposition of Bigelow's religious position at the very end of his life. LETTER ONE (14 March 1911, 21 Gramercy Park, two pages, octavo): In response to his correspondent's 'Syrenic appeal' he is sending a cheque for $25, 'at the rate of $5 for the next five years'.

New York journalist (1847-1928) and biographer of Theodore Roosevelt; Secretary, Isthmian Canal Commission. One page, quarto. Very good, but lightly creased a little grubby. Docketed and bearing the Society's stamp. He has received the letter 'asking me if I can furnish you with material on the social side of the work at Panama. It would give me much pleasure to supply this, were it in such form as to make it possible to do so. There has been a great deal written about it, but nothing in concrete form, so far as my knowledge goes.

American hydrographer and engineer (1830-1902). Wraps, detached and chipped, pp.370-385, contents good. Inscribed by the author to George Davidson (1825-1911) geodesist and geographer AND ANNOTATED extensively throughout by Davidson, marking passages with underlining, expressing doubts about accuracy with question marks and trenchant comment from "Rot" to short addition, to lengthy disquisition, and adding information from his own wide and detailed knowledge, both Davidson and Mitchell having an interest in the Panama Canal.