PARLIAMENT

34 + [1]pp., foolscap 8vo. Stitched and unbound, for folding into the customary packet ,with secondary title lengthwise on reverse of final leaf. On aged, worn and chipped paper, with small section torn away from outer margin of first leaf.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Recommending for employment in the Post Office 'Mr. Paul Scollard, who is a young man of most respectable connexions, but whose circumstances are such as to render a very humble situation an object to him - If a vacancy should soon occur in the Letter Carrying Department, I would respectfully solicit the appointment from Your Lordship for him'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Addressed to 'My dear Lord'. He assures him that the 'matter' to which his note refers will have his 'immediate attention'. He draws his attention to 'the Church Discipline Bill', which he has 'caused to be prepared, & which has been handed to the Bishop of London'. The bill had received a second reading on the previous day, 10 May 1899.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, tipped-in onto part of a page from an album. He begins by stating that he is returning a 'paper altered and corrected'. He goes on: 'We have had some warm work at the H[ouse]: of Commons of late'. (Percy had been appointed Superintendent of Ventilation of the Houses of Parliament in 1865. Percy is 'working very hard at my 3d volume, a large portion of which is in type'.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged with minor burn mark to fore-edge. Reads: 'Dear Mr E Whittingham, | I fear I cannot be in St as usual tomorrow - I will endeavour to run down in the course of the day -'. The newspaper cutting of an obituary of 'The Late Mr. Charles Gilpin' is unattributed and undated. The portrait, apparently cut from the same newspaper, is 14 x 13 cm., and depicts the head and shoulders of 'The Late Mr. Charles Gilpin, M.P.', looking rather dazed.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, on aged and worn paper. Possibly produced in court, as docketed at head: 'facsimile | printed 1st & 3rd' (the present item is not a facsimile). The male recipient is not identified. He wishes to reiterate his thanks 'for the hearty support and valuable assistance you have so kindly tendered in securing my Reelection as one of your Representatives for the Borough of Lambeth'.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. He asks her to say, 'in answer to the enquiries of Mr. Wiles that Lord Chandos comes forward as a Member of the Conservative party & a supporter of Lord Derby in opposition to the heterogenous combination found under Lord Palmerston'.

4pp., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged. Folded twice. An excellent letter, concerning a banking bill in the House of Commons, written while Hankey was briefly outside the House of Commons, and Northcote was in opposition (he would be appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer following the election the following year. Northcote has read and is returning Hankey's 'papers', and finds his argument 'sound and right, but I own to a little uneasiness as to the view the House may take of the bill, - whatever that may turn out to be, for as yet we have not been favoured with a sight of it.

21pp., 4to. On six loose bifoliums. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. Incomplete: paginated 23 to 32 (the last a mistake for 33).

1p., 8vo. . Aged and with particular wear to extremities. The usual printed text, completed in manuscript, with manuscript calculations in the right-hand margin. Begins (with manuscript text in square brackets): 'Annuities, 14 per Cent. | Record' [12o Oct. 1757] | Numb. | The [24th.] Day of [Oct.] 175[7] | Received by me [Phill: Gybbon, Assignee of John Gibbon & Ralph Snow Esqrs.] | Of the Honourable Thomas Townshend, Esq; One of the Four Tellers of His Majesty's Receipt of Exchequer, the Sum of [fifty six pounds] [...]'.

1p., 8vo. . Aged and worn, with some contemporary repair (from another Exchequer leaf), with the last letter of Winchilsea's signature cropped. Laid out in the usual way, with printed text completed in manuscript. Records the receipt of £18 from an annuity by 'Heneage Earle of Winchilsea (formerly calld Heneage Finch) Executor of the Lady Coventry assignee of Sr Cha Dutton'. With signature of witness 'Chas Rogers'.

1p., 8vo. In fair condition, on aged paper. The body of the letter, made out by the witness, reads: 'Received this 9th: day of Augt. 1732 of The Right Honble: Lord Onslow the Sum of Five hundred and fifty five pounds being in full of the annex'd order I say Recd: by me', with reiteration in the margin. Signed 'Winchelsea & Nottingham' and 'Witness | John Shepherd'.

Good firm and signature, repaired on reverse, on aged, worn and damaged page. Laid out in the usual fashion, with printed text completed in manuscript. Records payment to Brown on an annuity, as Assignee of Charles Williams'.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition. Addressed to 'Mr. Scharf;, He was unable to call on Scharf before leaving town the previous Friday, but will 'endeavour to be at the meeting of the Commission on the 8th'.

38 + [1]pp., folio. Disbound. In fair condition, on aged paper, with the first leaf chipped and frayed at edges. Repaginated with a stamp 119-158. Kilmainham Hospital was a home for retired soldiers along the lines of Les Invalides, and much of the material in this paper consists of correspondence of Secretaries of State for War John Cam Hobhouse and Edward Ellice. The volume is a response to Hobhouse's proposal 'to bring into one building, and under one management, the several establishments of the in-pensioners of Chelsea and of Kilmainham hospitals.

[title continued] "As it was publickly declared at Westminster the 16. day of December 1653 . . . OLIVER LORD PROTECTOR of the said Common-wealth, took a Solemn Oath for observing the same." Wing (CD-ROM, 1996), G1456F ; Thomason, E.1063[5] Signatures: E2 F-L² chi¹. Issued separately and possibly also as part of a through-paged set. The last leaf bears "The oath taken by His Highness Oliver Cromwel, Lord Protector" signed (printed): O. Cromwell.

12pp, small 4to. Disbound. In fair condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. In small type and double column. An item of surprising rarity considering its historical importance: no other copy traced, either on ESTC, WorldCat, COPAC or at the National Library of Ireland. Sandys, who has been described as 'the earliest engraver of any importance in Ireland', was also notable as the printer from 1705 of the 'Dublin Gazette'. The previous year he had published 'Articles of the Treaty of Union, agreed on by the Commissioners of both Kingdoms, on the 22d of July, 1706' (ESTC N471342).

Two pages, 4to, bifolium, fold marks, good condition, large handwriting. "p.13 [page of report or similar presumably] Is it quite decided that any Species of Degree of bodily Infirmity shall entirely disqualify a child from receiving any benefit from this charitable Institution. There are many Trades to which infirm Children may be apprenticed; and to provide such Children with the Means of procuring a Subsistence for themselves in Life, is surely a most beneficial Act of Charity not only to themselves but to their Parents, who may have been Persons of the highest Class of Merits.

On 3 x 11 cm slip of paper. In fair condition, lightly aged. Cut from the end of a letter. Good firm signature. Reads: 'Yours faithfully | Charles Barry'.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. He thanks him for his congratulations on 'the honour His Majesty has conferred upon me', adding 'The kind and generous way in which the announcement has been received by our friends has been most gratifying to my Wife and myself.'

On 4 x 13.5 cm. strip of paper, cut from the front panel of an envelope. In fair condition, lightly aged. Addressed to 'John Head Esq | Ransome Sims & Head | Ipswich', with the underlined signature 'Samuel Plimsoll' at bottom left.

On 2.5 x 11.5 cm. piece of paper, cut from front panel of envelope. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. Lower part of address present, reading 'Gt Grimsby | Grantham'. Circular frank in red ink over this, reading 'FREE | 8 JY 8 | 18<5?>9'. Good firm signature underlined at bottom left: 'W E Gladstone'.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on lightly aged and ruckled paper. He invites him to pay him a four-day visit at Brock Park, 'to meet many of your Liberal friends'. Note: Tomline had his observatory at Orwell Park, hence a neighbour of Ransome's (Orwell House).

An anonymous document, clearly the work of a member of the British Parliament. Typescript of 12pp., folio. With retrospective title page in neat manuscript, reading: 'Skeleton Draft of a Bill prepared in August 1914. | How many troubles and disasters might have been saved if some such scheme had been carried out.' A few minor emendations in the same hand. On 'British Loan' Britannia wove paper. In good condition, with light signs of age and wear.

1p., landscape 12mo. In good condition, lightly-aged, with minor traces of glue from mount on reverse. With a large firm signature, the text reads: 'Admit the Bearer to the Gallery of the House of Lords | Byron. | Monday | March 7th 1846'.

2pp., 12mo. On bifolium with mourning border. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with 6cm vertical closed tear to first leaf, affecting a couple of words. The reverse of the second leaf carries a broken seal in black wax, and is addressed to Clanricarde. The letter begins: 'My dear Ld C: | We are in a great difficulty at the H. of Lords today for want of a third Peer.' He will esteem it a great favour if Clanricarde 'will come at ten and enable me to go on with the Causes - for otherwise there will be the whole expence thrown upon the packs'.

The eight items are unbound, in fair condition, on aged paper with loss to extremities of some documents.ONE: Printed parliamentary bill: 'Compulsory Weighing and Measurement. | A Bill To provide for the Weighing and Measurement of the Material used in the process of manufacture, as well as the Product thereof, in all Iron or Steel Works, Cement Works, Lime Works, and Chalk Quarries. | Presented by Mr. Barnes, | supported by | Mr. Keir Hardie, Mr. Hodge, [and nine others] | Ordered, by The House of Commons, to be Printed, 22 February 1906.

ONE: Northcote's letter to Barnett. 7pp., 12mo. On two bifoliums, in a close hand. In good condition, in aged envelope, with red wax seal and two postmarks (one of Woodstock), addressed to 'Henry Barnett Esqre | Woodstock | Oxon.' At the time of writing Northcote was Gladstone's personal secretary at the Board of Trade. The letter begins: 'Coleridge has left town for Sessions, and will not I fear return for some time. This will account for your letter of the 1st. remaining so long unanswered. I am sure we are much indebted to you for your suggestions, by which I doubt not we shall profit.

Piece of paper, 10 x 4, black border one side, edges sl. ragged, mounts on reverse (formerly in album), text clear as follows: We remain Dr Sir | Yours very truly | Arthur E. Guinness | Jonathan Pim".

Hertford's Letter: 1p., 4to. Bifolium. Addressed on reverse of second leaf, with broken seal in read wax, 'To | Sir Robert B. Harvey Bt'. In good condition, lightly aged, with closed tear caused by breaking open of seal. Reads: 'The dissolution of Parliament will I trust apologize for the liberty I take in requesting the continuance of your friendly offices in the county of Antrim, but I cannot apply for a new favor without expressing my obligations for those already conferred, and of assuring you that I remain most truly, Sir, Your faithful & very humble Servant'.