Military and Naval History

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

1p., 4to. Good, on lightly aged and creased paper. Raglan signs and addresses Bickerstaff at the foot of the letter, otherwise it is in a secretarial hand. It reads: 'Horse Guards | 18 November 1846 | Sir, | I am directed by The Commander in Chief [the Duke of Wellington] to acquaint you, that, on your lodging the Sum of £250 - in the hands of Messrs. Cox & Co of Craigs Court His Grace will submit your name to Her Majesty for the purchase of a Lieutenancy in the 64th Foot - | I have the honor to be, | Sir, | Your humble Servant, | Fitzroy Somerset | Ensign Bickerstaff | 64th Foot'.

On one side of a piece of laid paper, roughly 31 x 20 cm. 30 lines. Tipped in along one edge inside modern folder with grey paper boards. Good, on paper lightly creased at foot. Addessed 'To Dawson Turner Esqre' by 'Custom House | Yarmouth | 11 December 1826 | [signed]

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'.

Booklet, 44pp., 12mo, paper wraps, red with phot of the author on front, some marking top of front cover, mainly good condition. INSCRIBE by author on title: "With kind regards | from the Author | M. Montgomery".Scarce; four copies listed on WorldCat (the two major Irish libraries, NLS and Oxford).

1p., 4to. On bifolium. Very good on lightly-aged paper. Green date stamp of the Commander in Chief's Office. Docketed on reverse of second leaf with barely legible note by Somerset (he had had to learn to write with his left hand after losing his right arm at Waterloo), beginning 'Inform Messrs Cox of the intention'. Vandeleur considers that it 'would be a very great Indulgence to Mr. Gladstone to allow him the indulgence he asks provided it can be done without inconvenience to the Service'.

2pp., 12mo. On bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. In addition to the message he left for the recipient's guest 'as to Carnegie', he asks him to tell his father-in-law (the London parliamentary bookseller P. S. King?) 'that it will be a very great favour if he sends me, to glance over, those letters he spoke of'. He undertakes to 'return them at once', and gives his address in Aberdeenshire for August and September. He has 'called twice on the chance of seeing Mrs. Roberts to say Goodbye', and asks the recipient to 'say it for me, in kindly fashion'.

One page, 12mo, some marking, mainly good condition. "Mr Chirnside;'s pamphlet was published by Ridgway of Piccadilly. | Please let me have, as requested, Mr. Rossetto's accounts." Note: Chesson became secretary of the Aborigines' Protection Society. Andrew Chirnside had published in 1880 an exposé of the situation in Blantyre, Malawi ("The Blantyre missionaries, discreditable disclosures"), in which the Society took a great interest.

The fifteen items in fair condition, lightly aged and worn, laid down or pinned to leaves removed from an album. Items One to Three: three black and white landscape photographs, each around 15 x 20 cm. The first photograph, captioned 'November 1940', shows Ross standing in a field, in front of a platoon in two columns, shouldering rifles with bayonets. The second photograph, captioned '7. C. Coy of Batt., Herts Home Guard 1943', shows twenty-six officers, in three rows, in front of the entrance to a municipal building. The front row, seated, consists of seven senior officers with batons.

Both items in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper. Item One: Pencil inventory of 'RB | Select Books' - i.e. volumes of drawings by Richard Batty, dated June 1919. 3pp., 8vo, with separate inventory on last page headed 'Book of Engravings | In Drawing Room'. Bifolium. The first item in the list of 'Select Books' reads 'no Cover 1817 April Lyons Genoa Florence Rome (May) to 24 June'. Last entry on p.3: '1832 IV, thick 26 Decr Dawlish & 23 Jany | Coaxden [sic] Hall May 23 | Chard Torquay (July) Plymouth Falmouth | Lands End St Michaels M[oun]t 15 July 1833'.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, on lightly-aged paper. 'Lord Bingham presents his compliments to Sir Francis Freeling & will feel much obliged to him if he will be good enough to have the accompanying letter opened & returned to him free of postage as Ld. B. knows it to be a Petition to the House of Commons | Ld. B.

4pp., 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, on lightly aged and creased laid paper with Joynson watermark dated 1867. The document is headed 'To the Secretary of the Royal Agricultural Society of England', and it is the Secretary's post for which Batty is applying. He describes himself as '30 years of age, married, the son of hte late Col. Batty, of the Guards, and grandson of Sir John Barrow, Secretary of the Admiralty.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, on lightly aged and worn paper. The poem, of 60 irregular lines, is placed (with a facsimile of Verhaeren's signature at the foot) within a thick floral border, reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts movement. It begins: 'Ce n'est qu'un bout de sol dans l'infini du monde. | Le Nord | Y déchaîne le vent qui mord. | Ce n'est qu'un peu de terre avec sa mer au bord | Et le déroulement de sa dune inféconde.' Scarce: no copy in the Bibliotheque Nationale, on COPAC or in the Imperial War Museum.

One page, 15 x 19cm, corners missing at base with loss of part of first letter of witness signature, "John Eden". Payment of "six months Annuity" payable under a certain Act (duty on Wrought Plate, money arising from sale of forfeited estates, etc.

2 vols, 8vo. Vol.1 (1906): [8] + 106 + [1] + 17. Vol.2 (1907): [6] + 97pp. Both volumes with frontispieces and several plates. Both in original red cloth bindings with Sprot's crest in gilt on front board, and all edges gilt. Both in fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, and with the first volume (despite slight damp staining to the binding and damage to one plate) better and brighter than the second, which has wear at the foot of the spine.

The three items are in good condition, on lightly-aged paper. ONE. Autograph Letter Signed from Haldane to Potter. Head Quarters, VI Corp; 11 August 1916. 1p., 4to. In a difficult hand. He apologises for having to 'depart so hurriedly'. 'I want to thank you for the very loyal way you helped me when I was in command of the 3 Division and express my thanks through you to Buchanan and Prideaux and of your staff.

The seven items are from the papers of Brig.-Gen. H. C. Potter, who served in the 3rd Division, whose conduct during the Spring Offensive of 1918 is the main subject. Of particular interest is Item Two, concerning a visit by King George V. The collection is in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, Item Five having a few closed tears to one edge. ONE. Manuscript copy (or original) dispatch headed '1/North L. Fus. 4/Royal Fus. | 13/ Kings. R./S.H.B. | The following messages have been received from 3rd Division for communication to all ranks'.

A collection including an autograph notebook, photographs, receipts, circulars, received by Mrs Amy Mary Irving Driberg (d.1939) [née Bell], of Uckfield Lodge, Crowborough, wife of J.J.S. Driberg, and mother of Labour politician Tom Driberg (Baron Bradwell) (1905-76), in connection with her efforts on behalf of allied prisoners of war. An interesting and informative collection, casting light on a generally-overlooked aspect of the Great War. In good overall condition, on lightly-aged paper.ONE. Notebook in the autograph of Mrs A. M.

One page, 8vo, laid down on another paper, fold marks and slightly crumpled, trimmed with loss of part of "K" of "Knebworth" only, otherwise text clear and complete. "It is with many thanks that Ireturn your Ladyship's Poems [...] I must differ from your Ladyship in the remark that 'Tragedy is not the field for female powers- I cannot help particualrly admiring the nobleness of the characters you have described, & the sentiments they atter are such as Man should utter.

The nine items in this collection provide valuable information regarding the management of the estate of a Georgian colonial British army office. Coane's battalion had served in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land between 1812 and 1814, and had been in Ceylon (under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Giels) since 1814 by the time Coane died on 5 January 1819, his demise much regretted by his superiors. The nine items are on aged and worn paper with chipping to extremities. ONE: Autograph Letter Signed from 'G[eorge]. Minter' to unnamed recipient. Kandy; 29 December 1818. 4pp., 12mo. Bifolium.

2 pp, 12mo. 18 lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Begins 'Its Alberta <(Songfeld)?> who is at 2 Lowndes Street not the undersigned - Are these cards en rêgle? [sic]' A pencil note by the recipient at the head of the first page reads 'Sent 2 June to Sumner Pl: card returned - answer does not live there.' Refers to 'Sumner Place' and 'the Coming Ball'. He wishes 'the Powers - which they aren't by the by - had let our fat friend Ismail alone just tightening the bit a little'.

12mo, 3 pp. 38 lines. Text clear and complete. The two leaves attached along the margins. Signed in Devanagari and European ('So: Rustam Khan Captain') scripts. He acknowledges 'receipt of the Commission conferring on me the honorary rank of captaincy with a deep sense of gratitude to you and all the Officers of the Regiment'. States that he will 'ever cherish a grateful remembrance of all that the Officers and Regiment have done for me'.

The fifteen black and white photographic prints are each roughly 14 cm square. All on 'Crown Copyright' paper. Each is photographed with a dated code at the foot in white ink. All images legible. In fair condition, lightly-creased and worn. Eight of the photographs have brief captions on reverse. The shadow of the reconnaissance plane can be seen in one image.

Five manuscript items, all in the same pencil hand. The name and address of Jean B. Maclachlan written twice on Item One indicates the identity of the notetaker. All texts clear and complete. Fair, on aged paper (but see slight damage to Item Two). Item One: Manuscript notebook. 12mo, 61 pp. Stapled. In original blue wraps, 'SUPPLIED FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE'. Repeatedly and untidily stamped in red ink on front cover 'PLYMOUTH', with 'CAPTAIN, R.M. | ASSISTANT PAYMASTER' and 'ROYAL MARINES | PLYMOUTH'.

Folio, 3 pp. Fair, on lightly-creased and aged paper. The lengthy form is printed, and completed with typewritten additions and its own 'Registry No.'

12mo, 3 pp. Thirty-six lines. Text clear and complete. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed by Bonaparte, with stamp, red wax seal and postmarks, on reverse of second leaf, to 'Monsieur le Lieutenant-Colonel Lherbette Adt. au comm. de l'artillerie dans la 1re. division militaire | Vincennes'. Were he not leaving for the country, he would have presented in person 'Mr. Colt, citoyen des Etats-Unis, inventeur d'un ingénieux système d'armes à feu à plusieurs coups'.

Two pages, broadsheet, 64 x 50cm, one side giving the "Distribution of the British Arny" (in red and black), the other the "Distribution of the British Navy in Commission" (in blue and black), folded, small closed tears on folds, and other very minor defects. An attractive piece obviously designed for a wall or notice-board, military or naval.

Folio, 1 p. On bifolium. Docketed on reverse of second leaf. Good, on lightly-aged paper. Martin having written to him on 16 September, 'renewing [his] application to be permitted to retire with the Rank and Half pay of Captain', Somerset is 'directed by the General Commanding in Chief [Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill]' to acquaint Martin 'that His Lordship can only repeat the Substance of the communication which I was desired to address to Mr. Daly on the 4th. Instant on the same subject, viz - that it is wholly out of Lord Hill's power to comply with your request'.

On rectangle of paper, 11 x 5.5 cm, cut from front frank. Aged and spotted, with closed tear at head repaired on reverse with archival tape. The whole in Amherst's hand, with his signature (as usual on frank) in bottom left-hand corner between two horizontal lines. Launched in 1805, the Pomone was a 38-gun Leda-class fifth rate Royal Navy ship, built by Josiah and Thomas Brindley at Frindsbury. She saw action during the Napoleonic Wars, primarily in the Mediterranean, and was wrecked off the Needles in 1811.