History

Totalling: 32pp., 4to; 3pp., foolscap 8vo; 3pp., 12mo. Each letter a bifolium, addressed on the reverse of the second leaf, with various postmarks, wafers and seals, and each docketted by the Williamson. The collection in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The fourteen letters addressed by 'E. Williamson' to 'Alexr.

1p., 12mo. Docketted on reverse. Good, on lightly aged paper. Reads: Copy | Newington Edh. 12th. Octr. 1801 | Recd. from Mr. Edwd Mitchell Twenty Pounds Stg. being the Rent of a House in Alison's Square in Edh. belonging to me and possessed by him for the Year from Why one Thousand Eight Hundred and one, and the same is hereby discharged. But it is to be remembered that I granted another discharge for the said Rent, dated July 1801, which being mislaid, the discharge is granted in place of it, which is not to infer double payment - A. W.'

2pp., 4to. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper. The letter begins: 'For your letter of November you gave me to think that a Meeting of Adam Ogilvies Trustees would be after Martinmas. I now see that could not take place, but I want to see how his matters stand as your Rents and the Roup Bills will all be come in.

Both letters 1p., 4to, and both addressed, with two postmarks, on the reverse, to 'John Jackson Esqr. M.P. | New Broad Street | London'. Both are docketted by Jackson. ONE: Headed by accounts of payments by Sir William Forbes and Messrs Robert Stein & Co, totalling £4600 14s 3d, against the shares of Lord Keith and 'Miss Mercer Elphinstone'. In the letter Mercer explains that Stein's share is for 'his Rent to Lord Keith'.

3pp., 4to. Bifolium. Address, with two postmarks, on additional leaf. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. The letter contains references to Sir Ralph Abercromby, Sir Benjamin Dunbar, Lord McDonald, Lord Stonefield, the Duke of York, 'Mr. Geddes' and 'McGrigor'. It begins: 'Yesterday being Sunday I was prevented from doing any business, or leaving Town, before this day - I called on my friend Mr. Geddes to day, & communicated to him the reason of my absence from the Reg[imen]t.

Eight of the items are in very good condition, on lightly aged paper, the ninth (Item Four) is damp-stained. One letter (Item Five) is incomplete. Five letters (Items One to Five) are from Breadalbane's estate manager (and kinsman?) Duncan Campbell, and there are other letters from the latter's family.

Letter and address are on a foolscap 8vo bifolium, with the address covering the first three pages, and the letter the reverse of the second leaf, which also carries the address ('Mrs Hyde | 31, Henrietta Street, | Bath', forwarded to Kew and then 10 New Street, Margate) with ten postmarks and a red wax seal. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with a few nicks and short closed tears along folds. LETTER: 1p., foolscap 8vo. Addressed to 'My dear Elizabeth'.

On 4to bifolium, with the account of charges on the recto of the first page, and Brewster's letter on the recto of the second. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed, with Nottingham and Derby postmarks, on the reverse of the second leaf, to 'John Goodall Esq | Solr. | Derby'. Docketted: 'Brewster Jno. | Under Shff of Nttm | with acct. of Charges in Grammer at Melbourne | Same at Hides'. The letter reads 'Inclosed I forward you the Account of Charges relating to these

1p., 4to. Bifolium. Addressed, with postmark, on reverse of second leaf, which is docketed 'Mr A. Lang | About dividend from John Brydens funds'. In good condition, on aged and lightly creased paper. The letter reads: 'Gentlemen, | Mr. Lang has just now received your letter of yesterday's date. - Bryden's funds are not yet drawn from the Bank, and the dividends cannot be paid sooner than the latter end of next week, as Mr. L. goes from home on Sunday and will not return till that time. - You will get notice what time to send for Mr. James Brydons [sic] dividd.'

ONE: Autograph Petiton Signed. 'Unto the Right Honble. Lord John Russell Secrety of State &c &c | The Petition of Samuel Cleland residing near St George Dumfries Upper Canada'. 2pp., foolscap 8vo. In poor condition, aged and worn at edges, with one corner apparently nibbled away by mice. At least some of the damage would appear to be contemporary with the document, as Cleland has written within the boundaries of the loss to the corner, and there is no loss to text. Docketed in red at head '1091 U. Canada' and stamped 'Received | C. D. | June 1 1840'.

Printed on one side of a piece of 23 x 19cm grey unwatermarked wove paper. In good condition, lightly-aged. Attractively printed in a restrained style. Reads: 'Instructions | for taking apprentices | by such freemen of the City of London, admitted by redemption, | without the intervention of a Company. | An ACT of Common Council has been passed For facilitating the binding of Apprentices to such Freemen of the City of London as may not be free of any of the Companies of this City.

2pp., 4to. 59 neatly and closely written lines. In good condition, on lightly aged paper. Addressed to Blair at the head. From the start the tone of the letter must have rung alarm bells: 'Encouraged by one of my Dublin Correspondents, who has just very lately won a rather considerable prize in my office as General Agent to the Board of Management for the Frankfort Ready Money Lottery, I beg hereby to take the liberty of tendering you my services in the purchase or sale of public securities, recovery of Debts, &c &c.

1p., 12mo. On aged and marked paper. Addressed to Ababrelton at 1 Northumberlandn Avenue. He thanks him for the letter and its enclosure. 'We have received copies of the latter by the dozen and we shall probably be dealing with the matter either in this or next week's issue of "Truth."'

2pp., 8vo. In good condition, on lightly aged and creased paper.

1p., 12mo. On bifolium, with the reverse of the second leaf docketted by the recipient. Good, on lightly-aged paper, with one small nick in spine causing minor loss. Reads: 'London March 18 1835 | My Dear Charles | I don't like to send an answer about the communication of your Letter without having it before me. I sent it to the King, and have not yet received it back; but I will look at it as soon as I shall receive it; and will let you know what I think | Ever Your's

66pp., 12mo. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper, each of the letters kept together with rusty staples. All the letters are signed 'David' and addressed to 'My Dear All'. Accompanying them is an envelope addressed in another hand to S. W. J. Tennant, Beechcote, Brands Hill Avenue, High Wycombe, and this may provide a clue to the identity of the recipients, to whom 'David' makes it clear on a couple of occasions that he is not related, signing off one letter 'from your muddle-headed friend'.

The material is loosely inserted in a copy of 'Passionate Nomad. The Life of Freya Stark' by Jane Fletcher Geniesse (New York: Random House, 1999). xxvi + 402 + [2]pp., 8vo. Very good, in like price-clipped dustwrapper, and inscribed to Drower by her daughter. Drower is described on p.296 as 'daughter of Freya's old Baghdad friend Lady Drower, [who] followed Pam Hore-Ruthven as her assistant and spent two years trying to get repaid for the cost, not to mention the enormous effort, of packing up Freya's belongings and sending them to Asolo after the war'.

348pp., 4to, with openings numbered 1-174. In original vellum binding, marbled endpapers. 'Day Book 1840 & 1841' on spine, and the following in faded letters upside-down on back board: 'Geo: Rimingtons Day Book, <...> Weather Letters <...> | Jany. 1st. 1840 Sepr 14 1841'. Internally in very good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in worn and grubby binding. An extraordinarily detailed volume, filled with disparate information, written out in a neat close hand, with twenty-one lines to a page.

4pp., foolscap 8vo. Bifolium. In fair condition, on aged paper. First page headed: 'The Edgware Road Fire | The proprietor of "The Daily Telegraph" have as hitherto on similar occasions opened a Subscription list for the Sufferers and it is estimated that £3,000 will be required to meeet the urgent claims for relief which are already too well known | I shall be glad to receive any donations you may be pleased to give on their behalf | (JNER.)'. Arranged in eight columns, two to a page, with running totals and a grand total of £16 1s 0d. The first donation is for 10s 6d from 'Mr.

1p., 12mo. On aged and worn wove paper. Headed with the royal crest and title 'The Patriot's Hymn.' Twenty-one lines arranged in three verses, numbered I to III. Printer's slug beneath swelled short rule at foot of page. The printer is possibly the Edward Bayley stated by BBTI to have been active in Macclesfield between 1788 and 1825. The absence of the long s, and the use of wove paper, suggest nineteenth-century publication before 1830, and probably during the Regency period.

Total two pages, 12mo, one corner of each damaged (removal from an album leaf), but text complete, good condition. [1883] "I have forwarded your letter to Mr Hoppin who has charge of the Legation during my absence on leave. He will I am sure do whatever is possible"; [1884] "I pray you to accept my very sincere thanks for your interesting volume & for the very kind note that accompanied it. | I do npot know whether I am to leave England or not, but whenever I do your book & notes will be two of the pleasantest memorials I shall take with me." Two items,

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and creased paper. After thanking him for his assistant Stuart informs Moore that he is 'delaying a further approach to the Council until you tell me that the new Provost has been appointed and you have been able to make unofficial approaches to him about a Deputation meeting me in Edinburgh'. Annotated in pencil by Moore.

The seven items are in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Strong's two letters are each 1p., 8vo, and are both on thin paper with slight wear to the edges; the second letter is docketed on the reverse by Bourne. In his first letter Strong congratulates Bourne on 'the new journal "The Environment This Month"'. He was 'favourably impressed with the first issue' and congratulates Bourne 'on the initiative you have taken in filling in such a promising way the need which existed for a high quality international journal on environmental affairs'.

The circular on 1p., 4to, on recto of first leaf of bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. It reads: 'MY LORD, | The House-Committee and Stewards for conducting the Anniversary Dinner of the Governors of this Charity, present their compliments with the enclosed Card of Invitation for THURSDAY, the 22nd of APRIL, and request to be favored with your Lordship's [corrected in manuscript to 'Grace's'] Company on that day.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, on aged paper, with a nineteenth-century repair to short closed tears. The letter reads: 'The Duke of Wellington presents his Compliments to Quarter Master Jones and begs leave to inform him in answer to His Letter of the 3d Inst, thaht He must apply to the General Comm[andin]g. the Army in Chief; the Duke has nothing whatever to say to the Details of the Army or to the Selection of Gentlemen to be removed from half to full pay. | London Feb. 8. 1829'.

The three items derive from the Bilainkin papers. Each is separately paginated and stapled, with the text on one side only of the leaves. All three in good condition, on lightly-aged and creased paper, with rusty staples. Item One: Titled 'ADD 1960 DIARY. Saturday, July 23.' 7pp., foolscap 8vo. With carbon copy of the same.

192pp., 8vo., on 188 letterheads of the Village of Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. Irregularly paginated to 179d. Six pages (6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 17) are lacking, but the missing text is supplied in an accompanying typescript, with two carbon copies, of the first 31pp. of the manuscript, each of the three copies being 11pp., 8vo. The author of this memoir, Arthur Gilbert Bedell (b.c.1851), was printer and proprietor, with his brothers Edwin Bedell and George Canfield Bedell, of the Westchester Times.

The Oxford DNB entry on Sir Walter Besant states that, 'Concerned to cultivate better understanding with North America, Besant worked in the last two years of his life for the Atlantic Union.' In fact it was Besant who founded the club in 1900, with Conan Doyle and others, with the object, according to The Times, 22 February 1900, 'of drawing together the various English-speaking peoples and strengthening the bonds of union by the formation of ties of personal friendship among individual members'.

Both items in fair condition, on aged and worn paper. Letter One: 4pp., 12mo. Harvey begins: 'Of course I well remember the too short time when I had the pleasure of being your colleague at the British Museum.' He would like to see Aldrich's 'old Dutch masters' but may not be able to visit him at Bowes Park before 'returning to reconstruction work in France in which I am interested'. He suggests a meeting in the new year, before enquiring whether Aldrich has 'got Sir Sidney Colvin's opinion of your Old masters. He is very interested in these things.' Letter Two: 2pp., 4to.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper. Headed 'To the Independent Electors of the Borough of King's Lynn' and beginning: 'Gentlemen, | I have canvassed the constituency of your Town as an Independent candidate who as your representative supported in the last Parliament the measures of Sir Robert Peel's administration.' He thanks 'the Electors at large' for 'the courtesy with which I have been invariably received' and also 'that overwhelming majority of their body who have honored me with promises of support'.