SIR

2pp., 8vo. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn.

1p., 12mo. With mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged, laid down on part of a leaf from an album. Reads: 'My dear Mr Hammond | Will you cause a copy of Mr 's letter to Mr Fane to be sent, as speedily as may be convenient, to the Neutrality Laws Commiss[ion]ers'.

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. Bifolium. On paper watermarked 'J GREEN & SON'. In fair condition, on aged and worn paper, with slight loss at the spine.From the Harington family papers, the author's identity being established from other items. Clearly a youthful production, and either written during Harington's time at Eton in the 1870s, or Christ Church, Oxford, in the 1880s. Written employing the long s. The 140 lines of verse are numerated by the author, and a catch-word at the end suggests that more followed or the poet's invention failed him.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium with mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged. Written in a hurried, difficult hand. The recipient's name is indecipherable. King is returning a letter from the recipient's son, and is sorry to hear of 'Mrs Parker's death': 'It is very sad indeed as she was hoping to come to England after a very long absence'.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, aged and worn, with traces of mount adhering to the blank reverse. The male recipient is not identified. The letter reads: 'Sir, | My memory hardly serves me so as to answer your enquiry positively. I do not recollect Robert Craufurd in Holland in '99; and I am pretty sure that Robt: Anstruther, who died at Corunna, was our Depy. Quarter Master General'. According to Bunbury's entry in the Oxford DNB, he purchased 'a captaincy in the 16th Queen's light dragoons on 16 August 1797.

1p., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, wiht crease along one edge. The letter concerns international affairs. Regarding the United Kingdom Dilke writes: 'I think it would be quite proper for us to attempt to effect a reconciliation at any moment when it seems possible that we could be of use, and I fancy that we have made some such offer more than once, possibly along with Russia.' As it happens 'the belligerents have preferred, - which was not unnatural under the circumstances, - to avail themselves of the good offices of the United States'.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Addressed to 'My Dear Lord Chief Baron'. He is coming 'to Town for my waiting for a few days', and hopes that Pollock's 'important time could allow of you to see me for a few minutes'. He is willing either to call on Pollock, or receive a visit from him, 'at any time you would kindly appoint'.

2pp., 12mo. With mourning border. In good condition, lightly aged. When Twiss 'suggested the circumstance', Sir R. Palmer 'had some doubts about the United States Courts having limited the criminal consequences of violating neutrality to the cruise [last word underlined]'. There was also 'some doubt about the effect of a sale by a <?> of a Prize Court to a third party. Twiss thinks 'it might be desirable to print & circulate the enclosed observations bearing upon those two points'.

1p., 12mo. In fair condition, laid down on part of brown paper leaf from album. Annotated at head in a contemporary hand: 'Author of the life of Burke'. Reads: 'I shall feel obliged if you can forward the accompanying letter to its destination under a cover. It contains an inclosure which I do not like to entrust to the common channel, but with the cover I shall deem it safe.' In a postscript he reports that he is returning to Margate the following day, 'to scribble'.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. The name of the addressee has been amended from 'J. B. Waring' to 'J. R. Planché Eqr.' In 1854 Wyatt and Waring had collaborated on four architectural guidebooks to the courts of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, and the present item relates to sculptures present there. The letter beings iwth Wyatt thanking Planché for 'a copy of your interesting comments on Professor Cockerell's views with respect to the Wells & other sculptures', which he has read 'with care and interest'.

4pp., 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. Docketed crosswise across the valediction, including the signature, but not in an overly-obtrusive fashion. An interesting letter, casting light on the franking system and fraud within the pre-Hill Post Office.

1p., 12mo. Heavily aged and worn, with closed tear along fold line at head, and remains of mount on reverse. Horner's note, on the upper part of the paper, reads: 'Dear Sir | Be so good as admit Mr Phillips to the privileges of the Reading Room at the British Museum - | Yours faithfully | Leonard Horner | University of London | 11 Feby 1830'. Beneath this Ellis has written: 'My Dear Sir | Mr. Phillips can be admitted at the Age of Eighteen, but is not eligible for our Reading Room at present | Ever faithfully Yours | H. Ellis | L. Horner Esqr'.

2pp., 12mo. With postmarked frank (again signed 'Hardinge') addressed to 'Colonel Abbott C. B. | Addiscombe'. In good condition, lightly aged and worn. He is pleased that Abbott is 'to receive a mark of distinction from the Queen, which combines the satisfaction which your Services have given at Addiscombe [Abbott had become lieutenant-governor of Addiscombe Seminary in 1851] with those which you so efficiently & ably performed in the field in India'. He hopes to shake him at the hand 'at the Levée'.

2pp., 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. The year has been added in another hand in pencil. Reads: 'Most grateful to you dear Mrs Bartholomew for all your kind care & thought. I have yet to go finally through the sheets and correct all it [sic] stopping &c. so that your corrections will be of great use – I am just off to America for a good long holiday. | Good bye | Yours very truly | & obliged | G. Grove'.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged.. Addressed at start to 'Cher Monsieur', with indistinct name of recipient following Haden's signature. He is sending him, 'by the hands of Mr. Chapman the sum of 50 francs wh. I have received on yr. behalf from the authorities of South Kensington Museum – and have obtained the promise of this office that yr. Two splendid etchings (the large group of flowers) that he suspended among the Chefs D'Oeuvres of the Establishment.' He concludes: 'Mr. Chapman will explain the hurry in wh. I write'.

1p., 16mo. In good condition. Reads: 'Dear Prof. Adams, | Will you give us the pleasure of your company at lunch at the Royal Observatory on July 8 at 1 o'clock?'

3pp., 16mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with traces of stub adhering to blank reverse of sevond leaf. He is 'very much flattered' at Waddington's 'wishing to include sonnets of mine in your proposed selection. You are quite welcome to those you have named, or any others of mine.' He hopes he will 'include some of Hartley Coleridge's beautiful sonnets', and asks him to accept 'a vol. of sonnets by my Father, the late Sir Aubrey de Vere. Wordsworth spoke of his sonnets (my Father's) as the best modern sonnets he was acquainted with'.

For details of Ady and his methods, see his entry in the Oxford DNB. The present item is on one side of a 9.5 x 22 cm piece of paper.

3pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair conditon, lightly aged and worn. He asks him 'to give insertion, among your literary notices, in the Globe, to the enclosed account of 2 little books on the German Spas, which I have just concocted. The author is a friend of mine, but I assure you, on my honour, I have not said one word more in praise of his Treatises than they deserve. To convince you of this I will send you the one on the “Homburg Spas” if you have time to read it – and you may give it to any friend going to Germany.

1p., 4to. In fair condition, aged and worn. The breaking open of the wafer has resulted in slight loss at the beginning of Maturin's signature. Addressed on reverse to 'William Spooner Esqre | at Mr Millikin's | Grafton Street'. (His not writing of 'Dublin' implies that he is writing from the same place.) Maturin was the great-uncle of Oscar Wilde, who adopted the name 'Sebastian Melmoth' during his self-exile on the continent.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn. He is 'deeply grieved' at the news of Howard's grandfather: 'I could wish, as you all do, his life spared a few years longer but when you tell me of his serious state and suffering, I feel we must be prepared for the worst and not desire a lingering death.' He asks for his 'sympathy and regret' to be conveyed to the whole family.

2pp., 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with unobtrusive traces of stub. The letter begins: 'Vixere fortes antes Agamemnona, all the Earls of Derby have of late been Edwards, in 1828 the Earl of Derby was the grandfather of the present one – I have known him – the great cockfighter – and husband of Miss Farren.' He asks him not to forget to send 'the book of diplomatic sports': he is leaving for the continent the following Saturday, but will not fail to return it.

2pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition. The recipient is not identified. The letter begins: 'Dear Madam | It always gives me pleasure when I can in any way assist a student of Geology, and the pleasure is not lessened when the student is a young lady.' He proceeds to explain how the two specimens about which she has written to him ('Frigonia incurva' and 'Pleuromya Voltzi') have been wrongly identified, concluding: 'Your specimens appear from your drawings to be only casts and may therefore be difficult to determine satisfactorily.'

3pp., 16mo. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged, worn and creased. See both men's entries in the Oxford DNB.

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.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair conditoin, aged and with central horizontal and vertical folds.The letter begins: 'What queer things people do write to you about.' On an unspecified question, Lawson doubts that Farrar 'can do anything in the matter', and thinks that 'the “Mrs. referred to in the plan is the Lady who gave £500 to the Alliance last October [...] she is worth conciliating if it can be done'. He thinks 'the Reform Bill ought to help an alliance crusade and feel – Hardly any publicans will be enfranchised by it, but numbers of their victims & their opponents'.

2pp., 12mo. In fair condition, lightly aged. He asks to be informed if the recipient has 'commenced any of your articles in C', as he 'may be able to restore some of the articles to you which have gone astray'. Clearly referring to an entry in the Dictionary, he offers to 'take Canticles off your hands'.

2pp., 12mo, and 1p., 8vo. On a 12mo bifolium, with the opening written lengthwise as one page. In good condition, lightly aged, with the Society's oval date stamp. He regrets 'exceedingly' that he was not able to meet Wood on the previous day 'when I was at the Hall'. He thanks him for 'recalling to me the Whitefoord Correspondence which I had forgotten altho I used it in writing my monograph on the Unique Portrait of Franklin at the Royal Society that was presented by Caleb Whitefoord and which the Royal Society did not know by whom it was painted until I discovered it & wrote my paper'.

4pp., 12mo. Bifolium. In fair conditoin, aged and with central horizontal and vertical folds.The letter begins: 'What queer things people do write to you about.' On an unspecified question, Lawson doubts that Farrar 'can do anything in the matter', and thinks that 'the “Mrs. referred to in the plan is the Lady who gave £500 to the Alliance last October [...] she is worth conciliating if it can be done'. He thinks 'the Reform Bill ought to help an alliance crusade and feel – Hardly any publicans will be enfranchised by it, but numbers of their victims & their opponents'.