,,chats ,,on ,,autographs ,,books ,,for ,,collectors ,with ,coloured ,frontispieces and many ,illustrations4 ,large ,crown #hvo1 cloth4 ,,chats ,,on ,,english ,,china4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,furniture4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,prints4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,silver4 ,by ,e4 ,l4 ,,lowes4 ,,chats ,,on ,,costume4 ,by ,g4 ,,woolliscroft ,,rhead4 ,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,lace ,,and ,,needlework4 ,by ,e4 ,l4 ,,lowes4 ,,chats ,,on ,,oriental ,,china4 ,by ,j4 ,f4 ,,blacker4 ,,chats ,,on ,,miniatures4 ,by ,j4 ,j4 ,,foster4 ,,chats ,,on ,,english ,,earthenware4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 7,companion ,volume to ,chats on ,english ,china47 ,,chats ,,on ,,autographs4 ,by ,a4 ,m4 ,,broadley4 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,william ,,wilson1 ,,an ,,actor ,,of ,,the ,,fortune ,,theatre1 ,,to ,,edward ,,alleyn1 ,,of ,,dulwich1 #afbj4 ,frontispiece4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chats ,,on ,,autographs ,,by ,a4 ,m4 ,,broadley ,,author ,,of ,,dr4 ,,johnson ,,and ,,mrs4 ,,thrale1 ,,joint ,,author ,,of ,,napoleon ,,and ,,the ,,invasion ,,of ,,england1 ,,nelson',s ,,hardy1 ,,dumouriez ,,and ,,the ,,defence ,,of ,,england ,,against ,,napoleon1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,,with ,,one ,,hundred ,,and ,,thirty-,,five ,,illustrations ,an ,autograph ,collection may be made an admirable adjunct to the study of ,history and ,biography4 ,l4 ,j4 ,,cist ,preface to ,tefft ,catalogue1 #ahff ,,london ,t4 ,,fisher ,,unwin ,,adelphi ,,terrace ,,mcmx 99 99 99 99 99 ,to ,,sir ,,isambard ,,owen1 ,d4,c4,l41 ,m4,d41 ,f4,r4,c4,p4 ,,hon4 ,,fellow ,,of ,,downing ,,college1 ,,cambridge1 ,,first ,,deputy ,,chancellor ,,of ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,wales1 ,,and ,,vice-,,chancellor ,,of ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,bristol1 ,a ,,royal ,,and ,,free ,,city1 ,,renowned ,,for ,,the ,,richness ,,of ,,its ,,archives1 ,,and ,,its ,,close ,,association ,,with ,,men ,,of ,,letters1 ,,this ,,volume ,,is1 ,,with ,,his ,,permission1 ,,inscribed ,,by ,,the ,,author4 ,,the ,,knapp1 ,,bradpole1 ,may #f1 #aiaj4 ,all rights reserved4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,preface ,life is a leaf of paper white ,whereon each one of us may write ,his word or two--then comes the night4 ,,lowell4 ,mr4 ,t4 ,fisher ,unwin has asked me to chat on autographs and autograph collecting4 ,fifteen years ago the late ,dr4 ,george ,birkbeck ,hill talked on the same subject in compliance with a similar request4 ,still more recently ,mr4 ,adrian ,h4 ,joline1 of ,new ,york1 has given the world his meditations on a pursuit which another ,american unkindly describes as that dreadful fever1 but which ,mr4 ,joline1 as well as the present writer1 regards in the light of the most gentle of emotions4 ,mr4 ,joline expressed1 on the first page of his interesting book1 a profound conviction that nobody could by any possibility be persuaded to read it unless already interested in the topic with which it so effectively deals4 ,one of the principal objects of the causeries ,i have undertaken to write is to reach1 if possible1 a public to which the peculiar fascination and indescribable excitement of the autograph cult are still unknown1 and to demonstrate 7to a certain extent from my own personal experience71 the practical utility1 as well as the possibilities of material profit1 inherent in this particular form of literary treasure-trove4 ,for the benefit of the uninitiated 7and in this case the uninitiated are in a vast majority7 it is necessary at the onset to differentiate between the ,autograph ,fiend 7the phrase is1 ,i believe1 ,american in its origin71 who pesters1 often with unpardonable persistence1 well-known personages for their signatures in albums or on photographs1 and the discriminating collector who accumulates for the benefit of posterity either important documents or the letters of famous men4 ,nothing1 writes ,horace ,walpole1 gives us so just an idea of an age as genuine letters1 nay history waits for its last seal from them4 ,adopting the words of one of the most gifted letter-writers who ever lived as a text1 let me clearly define an autograph for the purposes of these pages to be3-- ,a letter or document written or signed by any given person4 ,an autograph collector1 as ,i understand the term1 is one who acquires and arranges documents of the sort now described4 ,a collector of autograph signatures has nothing in common with the scientific autograph collector4 ,those who deliberately cut signatures from important letters are in reality the worst enemies both of the autograph collector and the historian4 ,vandalism of this kind 7often committed in happy unconsciousness of the consequences7 brings with it its own punishment1 for detached signatures are almost worthless4 ,many years ago a dealer was offered sixteen genuine signatures of ,samuel ,pepys1 their owner navely remarking that he had cut them from the letters to save trouble4 ,as a matter of fact he had in the course of a few seconds depreciated the value of his property to the extent of at least #aej4 ,the letters 7if intact7 would have fetched from #ae to #bj each6 ,album ,specimens--the results of the misplaced energy of the autograph hunter1 are of very little value as compared with holograph letters1 and collections of this kind1 although often elaborately bound up and provided with a lock and key1 generally prove a woeful disappointment to the representatives of those who bestowed so much time and trouble on their formation4 ,collections of franks1 or the signatures in virtue of which ,peers and ,members of the ,house of ,commons prior to #ahdj could transmit letters through the post free of charge1 must not be classed with those of clipped or isolated signatures4 ,frank ,collections were often very interesting1 and in the early years of the nineteenth century many well-known people devoted much time and trouble to their completion4 ,the subject will be further alluded to in my text4 ,although a personal element must of necessity pervade to some extent1 at least1 my chats on autographs1 it is obvious that the subject is one which necessitates the greatest discretion4 ,i shall carefully refrain from using any letter which has ever been addressed to me personally1 although ,i have ventured to reproduce the signature of ,h4,r4,h4 ,ismail ,pacha1 one of the most remarkable men of his time1 and that of ,arabi ,pacha1 for whom ,i acted as counsel before the court-martial held at ,cairo on ,december #b1 #ahhb4 ,between #ahhd and #ahhi ,i was in constant correspondence with the late ex-,khedive ,ismail1 and from #ahhc down to the present day ,i have frequently exchanged letters with my once celebrated ,egyptian client1 who returned from exile some five years ago to spend the rest of his life in ,cairo4 ,nor shall ,i1 with one or two exceptions1 give in extenso the letters of any living person1 or letters which can possibly give pain or concern to others4 ,those who carefully study1 as ,i do1 the catalogues issued from time to time by dealers in autographs1 both in this country and abroad1 must often be astonished at the rapidity with which the letters of ,royal and other illustrious personages come into the market4 ,at the death of a well-known authoress a few years ago the whole of the letters addressed to her were sold en bloc4 ,i was not surprised to learn that the appearance of these specimens was the cause of much consternation and many heart-burnings4 ,illustration3 ,,signatures ,,of ,,the ,,egyptian ,,clients ,,of ,,the ,,author1 #ahhb-ahhh1 ,h4,r4,h4 ,,the ,,khedive ,,ismail2 ,h4,r4,h4 ,,prince ,,ibrahim ,,hilmy1 ,,his ,,son1 ,,and ,,arabi ,,pacha4 7,the latter in both ,arabic and ,english47 ,the present age is essentially one of collecting1 and ,i hope to convince those who are interested in collecting generally1 but have not yet included autographs in their sphere of operations1 that a great opportunity awaits them1 and that no form of collecting1 either from a literary or antiquarian point of view1 possesses greater charm or greater possibilities4 ,in his recent works on the private life of ,napoleon1 ,m4 ,frdric ,masson has shown the inestimable value of autograph letters to the historian1 and it is from unpublished and hitherto unknown ,,mss4 in public and private collections that ,dr4 ,j4 ,holland ,rose has obtained much of the new information which will give exceptional value to his forthcoming ,life of ,pitt4 ,if there is1 as ,mr4 ,adrian ,joline points out1 an abundance of gentle emotion to be found in the cult of the autograph1 there is also no lack of pleasurable excitement4 ,if autograph frauds1 forgeries1 and fakes are abundant1 autograph finds are equally so4 ,there is an indescribable pleasure in the detection of the former1 and an amount of enjoyable excitement connected with the latter1 which none but the keen collector can entirely realise4 ,having convinced the antiquarian of the quite exceptional value of the autograph as a collecting subject1 ,i shall hope to show my readers how they may most rapidly and most economically obtain that special knowledge necessary to become an expert4 ,the autograph market1 as at present constituted1 is a very small one1 but it is growing rapidly1 and there is at this moment no better investment than the highest class of historical and literary autographs1 provided one exercises proper discretion in purchasing and is content to wait for opportunities which often occur4 ,the truth of my assertion as to the possibilities of profit in autograph collecting was never more clearly demonstrated than at the sale1 in ,december1 #aiji1 of the library of ,mr4 ,louis ,j4 ,haber1 of ,new ,york ,city1 which was conducted by the ,anderson ,auction ,company4 ,two days were exclusively devoted to autographs1 and ,mr4 ,haber has subsequently communicated to me a complete list of the prices at which he bought and sold the literary rariora now dispersed4 ,the sensation of the sale was the selling of a letter of ,john ,keats for #ejj4 ,for this letter 7an exceptionally fine and interesting one7 ,mr4 ,haber originally paid #be4 ,nevertheless1 as ,i shall have occasion to point out1 the ,english collector might have picked up some bargains at the ,haber sale4 ,an autograph poem by ,edmund ,burke1 written in #agdi1 was sold for #d #hs41 and ,i envy the purchaser of the characteristic letter of ,lord ,chesterfield1 knocked down to some fortunate bidder for #c #hs4 ,i do not hesitate to say that the ,burke poem and the ,chesterfield letter would have fetched double the prices realised at ,sotheby's4 ,a letter of ,mrs4 ,piozzi's 7not improved by inlaying7 fetched #h #abs4 ,mr4 ,haber gave #b #hs4 for it1 and ,i have bought a dozen equally good ,piozzi letters at considerably less than that4 ,the bonne camaraderie which exists amongst autograph collectors is exemplified by the ready assistance rendered me in the preparation of my chats4 ,dr4 ,h4 ,t4 ,scott1 who has devoted the greater part of his life to the practical study of the subject1 has given me many valuable hints2 ,mr4 ,telamon ,cuyler1 the future historian of ,georgia1 has rendered me important help in the matter of ,american autographs and autograph collecting2 ,mr4 ,charles ,de ,f4 ,burns1 of ,new ,york1 has given me 7through ,mr4 ,cuyler7 most interesting data concerning the development of a fondness for autographs in the ,united ,states2 while ,dr4 ,thos4 ,addis ,emmet has sent me the catalogue of his unrivalled collection of ,american ,,mss4 now in the ,lenox ,library1 ,new ,york4 ,i tender my best thanks for the aid in various directions which ,i have received from ,mr4 ,bernard ,quaritch2 ,mr4 ,turner1 ,president of the ,anderson ,auction ,company1 ,new ,york2 ,mr4 ,goodspeed1 of ,boston2 ,monsieur ,nol ,charavay1 of ,paris2 ,messrs4 ,maggs1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,stonehouse1 of ,messrs4 ,sotheran1 and ,mr4 ,w4 ,v4 ,daniell2 while ,professor ,m4 ,gerothwohl1 ,litt4,d41 of the ,university of ,bristol1 has kindly translated the important letter of the ,empress ,catharine of ,russia1 and one or two other difficult examples of eighteenth-century ,french4 ,my acknowledgments are also due to ,mr4 ,john ,lane and ,messrs4 ,harper ,brothers1 who have kindly allowed me to use certain illustrations1 originally given in my books published by them2 as well as to the proprietors of ,the ,country ,home for allowing me to reproduce some of the autographs which first appeared in connection with the articles ,i have had the honour to contribute to that journal4 ,if ,i succeed in awakening an extended and more intelligent interest in autographs and autograph collecting1 ,i shall have done something in my generation to help future historians1 whose task must1 of necessity1 become increasingly difficult as time goes on4 ,when ,i commenced collecting on my own account1 to borrow an old-world1 eighteenth-century phrase1 ,i was literally groping in the dark1 and necessity compelled me to buy my experience4 ,i do not think ,i purchased it dearly4 ,m4 ,nol ,charavay thinks all good judges of autographs are near-sighted1 and possibly this helped me in the early stages of my collecting career to distinguish the genuine article from a forged imitation4 ,by attending to the hints which ,i shall give in the proper place the young collector will soon be able to recognise the original from the counterfeit4 ,as the values of autographs increase 7as they are sure to do7 the temptation to forgery becomes greater1 and consequently the application of the maxim caveat emptor more urgent4 ,respectable autograph dealers guarantee the letters they sell1 but even experts are occasionally mistaken4 ,quite recently ,i lighted on a letter of ,archbishop ,fnelon in ,america1 and thought ,i had secured a bargain4 ,the source from which it came was unimpeachable1 but ,m4 ,nol ,charavay immediately confirmed my opinion that it was a lithographic forgery4 ,there is1 at any rate1 one privilege that the autograph collector alone enjoys4 ,it is difficult to say that any particular piece of china1 medal1 coin1 print1 or postage stamp is unique4 ,there is always the danger of a duplicate turning up4 ,with autograph letters1 on the other hand1 each specimen may fairly be described as absolutely unique4 ,i have only once met with an exception to this rule4 ,some twenty days before his death ,charles ,dickens wrote a letter in duplicate to ,buckstone the actor4 ,to avoid the possibility of its miscarrying one was addressed to the theatre1 and the other to ,sydenham4 ,i have the former and should much like to know what has become of the other1 but even in this case the letters are not precisely identical4 ,so vast is the range of autographs 7taking the subject as a whole and the term in its broadest sense7 that the collector of the rising generation will do well to limit his sphere of operations to one particular subject or locality4 ,it is only by doing this he can hope to arrive at anything like finality1 or to make his acquisitions really useful from an historical point of view4 ,let him make the worthies of his own county1 or birthplace1 or calling the objective of his researches1 and he will soon feel encouraged to go further afield4 ,as long ago as #ahee a writer in the ,athenum remarked that the story of what history owes to the autograph collector would make a pretty book4 ,the present and future possibilities of autograph collecting as the handmaiden of history-making cannot be more forcibly illustrated than by the perusal of the marvellous catalogue issued by ,messrs4 ,pearson1 of ,pall ,mall ,place1 while these pages were going through the press4 ,here we have a collection of autographs by ,english sovereigns valued at #a1fjj1 one of musical composers priced at #b1ejj1 and another of #aje letters by great artists1 beginning with ,antonio del ,pollajuolo 7born in #adbf7 and ending with ,corot1 who died in #ahge1 for which #c1ejj1 or an average price of #ce each is asked4 ,modern historians will possibly be more interested in the portfolios of unpublished letters by ,marlborough1 ,burke1 and ,pitt1 of which the ,house of ,pearson is at present the custodian4 ,without reference to them it will be impossible to say that the last word has been said about these three great men1 who played in turn so important a part in our national annals4 ,their ultimate owner may have the opportunity of assisting the historian in the manner ,i have ventured to indicate4 ,a4 ,m4 ,,broadley4 ,,contents ,,preface #g ,,chapter ,i ,,page ,,on ,,autograph ,,collecting ,,generally #bg ,autograph collecting in relation to kindred hobbies--,the genesis of the autograph--,examples of the alba amicorum of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries--,the conscript fathers of autograph collecting--,franks and their votaries--,album specimens and their value--,the autograph-hunter and his unconscious victims--,anecdotes of some recent autograph draws4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,modern ,,autograph ,,collector ,,and ,,his ,,equipment #ea ,useful books on autographs--,collections of autograph facsimiles--,the autograph markets of ,london and ,paris--,variations in price--,autograph catalogues and dealers--,the treatment and classification of autographs4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,caveat ,,emptor ,,of ,,autograph ,,collecting #ga ,forgeries and fakes--,cases of mistaken identity--,some famous autograph frauds--,practical methods of detection4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,some ,,famous ,,autograph ,,finds #ic ,personal reminiscences and experiences4 ,,chapter ,v ,,royal ,,autographs ,,past ,,and ,,present--,,the ,,copy-,,books ,,of ,,kings ,,and ,,princes #aac ,some unpublished specimens of the handwriting of ,royal ,personages present and past4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,autographs ,,of ,,statecraft1 ,,society1 ,,and ,,diplomacy #afi ,unpublished letters of the two ,pitts1 ,lord ,chesterfield1 and ,lord ,stanhope4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,literary ,,autographs ,,of ,,three ,,centuries #aic ,from the days of ,shakespeare and ,spenser to those of ,thackeray1 ,dickens1 ,tennyson1 and ,meredith--,the value of literary autographs and ,,mss4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,naval ,,and ,,military ,,autographs #bce ,unpublished letters of celebrated sailors and soldiers4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,autographs ,,of ,,music1 ,,the ,,drama1 ,,and ,,art #bee ,illustrated letters4 ,,chapter ,x ,,autograph ,,collecting ,,in ,,france #bhi ,autograph letters of ,napoleon--,his associates and contemporaries--,other ,french autographs4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,a ,,century ,,of ,,american ,,autograph ,,collecting #cag ,the great collectors and collections of the ,united ,states--,the autograph sale-rooms of ,new ,york1 ,boston1 and ,philadelphia4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,prices ,,of ,,autographs ,,and ,,their ,,variations #cde ,william ,upcott and his contemporaries--,sale prices #ahaj-aiaj4 ,,index #cgh ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,a4,l4,s4 of ,william ,wilson1 an ,actor of the ,fortune ,theatre1 to ,edward ,alleyn1 of ,dulwich1 #afbj ,frontispiece ,,page ,signatures of the ,egyptian ,clients of the ,author1 #ahhb-ahhh1 ,h4,r4,h4 the ,khedive ,ismail2 ,h4,r4,h4 ,prince ,ibrahim ,hilmy1 his ,son1 and ,arabi ,pacha #aa ,last page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,elizabeth ,chudleigh1 ,duchess of ,kingston1 at ,st4 ,petersburg1 to ,miss ,chudleigh1 at ,bath #bi ,warrant signed by ,warren ,hastings1 ,philip ,francis1 ,edward ,wheeler1 and ,eyre ,coote1 ,may #ca1 #aghj #cj ,a4,l4,s4 obtained from ,cardinal ,newman by an ,autograph-hunter1 ,september #d1 #ahgj #dc ,two pages of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,sir ,john ,tenniel1 of ,punch1 obtained by an ,autograph-hunter1 ,october #ac1 #aijc #de ,from the ,prelude of ,gerontius1 ,,ms4 ,bars signed by ,sir ,edward ,elgar1 ,september1 #aijj #di ,facsimile of the ,historic ,letter from ,george ,crabbe to ,edmund ,burke #fc ,the ,autograph of ,ludwig van ,beethoven #fd ,first page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,dr4 ,johnson to ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds on the subject of ,crabbe's ,poems1 #aghc #gd ,lines of ,thomas ,chatterton on ,horace ,walpole1 which cost ,sir ,george ,white1 of ,bristol1 #cd #gd ,a ,specimen of ,ireland's ,shakespearean ,forgeries attested by himself #gg ,william ,ireland's ,attestation of his ,forgeries of ,shakespeare's ,signature #gi ,forged ,letter of ,w4 ,m4 ,thackeray1 in which his later ,handwriting is imitated #hc ,two pages of a ,letter by ,lord ,brougham to ,e4 ,arago1 offering to become a ,naturalised ,frenchman and a ,candidate for the ,french ,chambers #ii ,specimen page of the ,dumouriez ,,ms4 discovered by the ,writer #ajb ,original ,dispatch of ,lord ,cawdor to ,duke of ,portland describing the ,landing and ,surrender of the ,french at ,fishguard1 ,february1 #agig #ajc ,,ms4 ,verses on ,trafalgar in the ,handwriting of ,charles ,dibdin1 #ahje #ajg ,bulletin issued a week after the birth of ,king ,edward ,,vii4 and signed by the ,medical ,men in attendance1 ,november #af1 #ahda #aad ,order to the ,duke of ,beaufort to destroy ,keynsham ,bridge1 near ,bristol1 on the approach of ,monmouth1 signed by ,king ,james ,,ii41 ,june #ba1 #afhe #aae ,a4,l4,s4 of the ,electress ,sophia of ,hanover to the ,duke of ,leeds1 ,october #ai1 #agaj #aaf ,a4,l4,s4 of ,king ,george ,,iii4 on the ,subject of the ,defence of ,england in the early stages of the ,great ,terror of #agif-ahje #aai ,commission signed by ,oliver ,cromwell1 ,october #bj1 #afea #aba ,signature of ,lord ,protector ,richard ,cromwell to a ,commission1 ,january1 #afeh #abb ,fourteen lines in the ,writing of ,napoleon on ,military ,order1 with his ,signature1 ,july #c1 #ahjc #abc ,autograph of ,henry ,,vii41 ,king of ,england 7#adef-aeji7 #abg ,a4,l4,s4 of ,king ,william ,,iii4 from ,camp before ,namur1 ,july #ac1 #agie #abh ,last page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,empress ,catherine of ,russia to ,mrs4 de ,bielke1 of ,hamburg1 ,july #bh1 #agfg #abh ,one of the earliest ,signatures of ,louis ,,xiv4 7aged six7 #ace ,interesting ,a4,l4,s4 of ,louis ,,xvi4 to the ,chemist ,lavoisier on the subject of the ,discovery of ,inflammable ,gas1 ,versailles1 ,march #ae1 #aghi #acf ,a4,l4,s4 of ,king ,george ,,iii4 to ,sir ,samuel ,hood 7afterwards ,lord ,hood71 ,june #ac1 #aggi #acg ,a4,l4,s4 of ,king ,george ,,iii4 written four days before the ,battle of ,trafalgar #ada ,a4,l4,s4 of ,queen ,alexandra to ,mrs4 ,gladstone1 ,december #g1 #ahhh #ade ,queen ,victoria's ,order on a ,letter of ,sir ,henry ,ponsonby1 ,april #bf1 #ahid #adf ,one of the last ,letters written by ,queen ,victoria1 addressed to ,general ,sir ,george ,white1 of ,ladysmith #adg ,autograph ,telegram from the late ,prince ,albert ,victor of ,wales to his ,grandmother1 ,queen ,victoria #adi ,holograph ,telegram of the ,duke of ,connaught to ,queen ,victoria1 ,st4 ,petersburg1 ,may #bf1 #ahif #aej ,one page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,queen ,victoria to her elder ,daughter1 aged six1 ,october #ba1 #ahdf #aec ,first page of ,a4,l4,s4 of the ,duchess of ,kent to her ,grandson1 ,king ,edward ,,vii41 aged eight1 ,august #bf1 #ahdi #aed ,first page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,queen ,adelaide to her ,great-niece1 the late ,empress ,frederick of ,germany1 circa #ahdh #aeg ,page of ,register containing the ,signatures of ,contracting ,parties and ,witnesses at the ,marriage of ,king ,edward ,,vii4 and ,queen ,alexandra1 #ahfc #aeh ,page from the ,,ms4 ,remark-book of ,prince ,william ,henry 7afterwards ,king ,william ,,iv471 in which he begins to describe ,new ,york1 ,january1 #agha #aei ,page of ,exercise ,book of ,king ,george ,,iv4 at the age of twelve #aei ,drawing by ,charlotte1 ,empress of ,mexico1 dated ,lacken1 #ahej #afj ,a sheet from the ,copy-book of the ,emperor ,alexander ,,ii4 of ,russia when a boy #afj ,a4,l4,s4 of ,queen ,charlotte to ,mr4 ,penn1 of ,portland1 ,november #ai1 #ahac #afc ,first page of ,a4,l4,s4 by ,albert1 ,prince ,consort1 to ,general ,peel1 #aheh #afe ,exercise of the late ,king ,edward ,,vii4 when ten years old1 ,december #ag1 #ahea #aff ,exercise of the late ,duke of ,coburg 7,prince ,alfred7 at the age of eight #aff ,one page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,king ,george ,v41 when ,duke of ,york to the late ,duchess ,dowager of ,manchester1 ,february #bb1 #ahhf #afg ,one page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,queen ,mary1 while ,duchess of ,york1 to a friend1 ,may #bd1 #aijj #afh ,first page of ,a4,l4,s4 of the ,empress ,frederick of ,germany to ,mr4 ,prothero1 ,february #bb1 #ahhi #afh ,last page of unpublished ,holograph ,poem in ,handwriting of ,william ,pitt1 ,may1 #agga #agg ,last ,whip issued by ,william ,pitt and signed by him1 ,december #ca1 #ahje #agh ,signature of ,sir ,isaac ,heard1 ,garter1 on ,card of ,admission to the ,funeral of ,william ,pitt1 #ahjf #agh ,a4,l4,s4 of ,earl of ,chesterfield1 ,october #h1 #agga1 describing the ,inaugural ,ball at the new ,bath ,assembly ,rooms #ahc ,one page of ,a4,l4,s4 from ,mr4 ,w4 ,e4 ,gladstone at ,balmoral to ,cardinal ,manning1 n4d4 #ahh ,one ,page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,mr4 ,disraeli 7afterwards ,lord ,beaconsfield7 on ,church matters1 n4d4 #aia ,the ,signature of ,shakespeare on the last page of his ,will #aif ,deed containing the ,signature of ,francis ,bacon1 ,lord ,verulam1 and nearly all the ,members of his ,family1 temp4 ,james ,i4 #aii ,a4,l4,s4 of ,john ,evelyn to ,samuel ,pepys1 ,deptford1 ,september #be1 #agij #bjj ,early ,signature of ,john ,milton on ,documents now in possession of ,mr4 ,quaritch #bjc ,page of ,dr4 ,johnson's ,diary recording his impressions of ,stonehenge1 c41 #aghc #bjg ,the two last pages of the ,,ms4 ,journal of ,mrs4 ,thrale's ,tour in ,wales1 ,july-,september1 #aggd1 describing the ,dinner at ,burke's #bjh ,holograph lines by ,goethe on ,blcher1 circa #ahab-ac #bac ,a4,l4,s4 of ,john ,keats 7three pages7 to ,j4 ,h4 ,reynolds1 ,february #bh1 #ahbj #bad ,letter of ,lord ,tennyson to ,mr4 ,moxon #bag ,a4,l4,s4 of ,lord ,byron to ,mr4 ,perry1 ,march #a1 #ahab #bag ,illustrated ,letter of ,w4 ,m4 ,thackeray from ,glasgow #bah ,lines from the ,iliad4 ,specimen of the ,,ms4 of the late ,mr4 ,george ,meredith #bai ,a4,l4,s4 of ,w4 ,m4 ,thackeray to ,count d',orsay on fly-leaf of circular announcing the ,publication of a ,picture1 n4d4 #bba ,early ,a4,l4,s4 of ,w4 ,m4 ,thackeray to ,mr4 ,macrone1 ,publisher1 discovered by ,mr4 ,george ,gregory1 of ,bath #bbb ,first page of one of ,charles ,dickens's last ,letters1 ,may #ae1 #ahgj #bbe ,a4,l4,s4 of ,honourable ,mrs4 ,norton containing an invitation to meet ,charles ,dickens1 the author of ,pickwick1 at dinner #bbf ,early ,letter of ,charles ,dickens to ,mr4 ,macrone 7#ahcf7 from ,furnival's ,inn #bbg ,a4,l4,s4 of ,perdita 7,mary ,robinson7 to ,george1 ,prince of ,wales1 ,january #ai1 #aghe #bbh ,holograph ,order of ,admission of ,thomas ,carlyle to his ,rectorial ,address at ,edinburgh ,university1 dated ,march #bc1 #ahff #bcj ,a4,l4,s4 of ,john ,wesley1 ,june #ad1 #aghh #bcb ,a4,l4,s4 of ,duke of ,montrose to the ,king #bci ,part of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,earl ,howe to ,earl ,spencer after his great ,victory of ,june #a1 #agid #bci ,official ,,ms4 ,account of ,expenses incurred at ,funeral of ,queen ,anne #bdj ,one page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,general ,byng1 ,october #bg1 #agbg #bdb ,signature of ,admiral ,byng on his ,will a few days before his death1 ,march1 #ageg #bdb ,a4,l4,s4 of ,lord ,nelson to ,earl ,spencer1 written with his right hand1 ,theseus1 ,may #bh1 #agih #bde ,a4,l4,s4 of ,nelson to ,lady ,hamilton about his wife1 written with his left hand1 ,january #bd1 #ahja #bde ,first page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,lady ,nelson to her ,husband1 ,december #aj1 #agii #bdf ,naval ,commission signed by ,lord ,nelson1 ,april #be1 #agha #bdf ,a4,l4,s4 of ,sir ,thomas ,hardy about ,lord ,nelson's ,beer1 ,torbay1 ,february #bj1 #ahja #bea ,letter of ,duke of ,wellington to ,mr4 ,algernon ,greville1 ,october #bd1 #ahda1 speaking of the necessity of his being present at the ,birth of ,king ,edward ,,vii4 #bea ,envelope directed by ,duke of ,wellington to ,lady ,sidmouth enclosing lock of ,napoleon's hair1 #ahba #beb ,a4,l4,s4 of the ,abb ,liszt to ,secretary of ,princess of ,wales 7,queen ,alexandra71 ,april #af1 #ahhf #beh ,a4,l4,s4 of ,joseph ,haydn1 the ,composer1 ,june #e1 #ahjc #bfj ,signature of the nonagenarian ,mrs4 ,garrick a few days before her death #bfc ,a genuine short ,note signed by ,edmund ,kean1 afterwards imitated #bfd ,a4,l4,s4 of ,r4 ,b4 ,sheridan asking for time to pay a draft #bfe ,a4,l4,s4 of ,charles ,mathews1 the ,actor1 proposing his son for election to ,garrick ,club1 n4d4 #bff ,last page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,mrs4 ,siddons to ,mrs4 ,piozzi after the ,fire at ,covent ,garden ,theatre #bfh ,letter of the ,chevalier d'on to ,colonel ,monson1 ,bath1 ,january #g1 #agif #bga ,account for ,supper given by the ,chevalier d'on to ,prince ,henry of ,prussia1 ,august #ae1 #aghd #bga ,one of the last ,letters ever written by ,grimaldi1 the great ,clown1 ,december #bj1 #ahbi #bgb ,a4,l4,s4 of ,william ,hogarth to his ,wife1 ,january #f1 #agdi #bgc ,last page of an ,a4,l4,s4 by the painter ,george ,romney #bgd ,a4,l4,s4 of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds to ,george ,crabbe1 ,march #d1 #aghc #bge ,a4,l4,s4 of ,george ,morland #bge ,two pages of ,illustrated ,letter from the ,honble4 ,mrs4 ,norton to a ,sister1 ,july1 #ahed #bgf ,portion of ,illustrated ,letter by ,john ,leech #bgi ,page of ,illustrated ,a4,l4,s4 from ,mr4 ,wheeler to ,sir ,f4 ,burnand #bhj ,illustrated ,a4,l4,s4 of ,fred ,barnard relating to the plates of ,dombey and ,son1 n4d4 #bha ,portrait of ,charles ,peace1 the murderer1 on ,a4,l4,s4 of ,sir ,frank ,lockwood1 who defended him1 written in #ahhh #bhb ,a4,l4,s4 of ,george ,cruickshank1 ,september1 #ahcf1 about ,dickens's first call on him #bhc ,postcard of ,james ,whistler from ,lion ,hotel1 ,lyme ,regis1 circa #ahhh #bhd ,first page of ,a4,l4,s4 of the ,painter ,meissonier1 ,july #be1 #ahfa #bhd ,portraits of ,sir ,r4 ,reid 7now ,lord ,loreburn7 and the late ,sir ,frank ,lockwood on an ,illustrated ,letter written by the latter during the ,parnell ,commission #bhe ,two pages of ,illustrated ,letter by ,hablot ,k4 ,browne #bhf ,two pages of a ,letter from ,richard ,cobden in ,the ,forties #bhg ,early ,signature of ,napoleon ,i4 as ,buonaparte on ,military ,document1 dated ,february #a1 #agif #big ,first page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,admiral ,villeneuve announcing to the ,french ,minister of ,marine the ,disaster of the ,nile1 ,september1 #agih #big ,signature of ,empress ,marie ,louise as ,regent1 ,july1 #ahac #bih ,a4,l4,s4 of ,joseph ,bonaparte1 afterwards ,king of ,spain1 ,january1 #ahjf #bii ,a4,l4,s4 of ,talleyrand in ,paris to ,napoleon ,i4 at ,bayonne congratulating him on the ,birth of ,napoleon ,,iii41 at which he had been present1 ,april1 #ahjh #cja ,letter signed by the ,empress ,josephine1 #c ventose an x ,february #bb1 #ahjb #cjb ,a4,l4,s4 of ,marshal ,ney1 ,paris1 ,december #bc1 #ahac #cjd ,exercise of the ,king of ,rome1 ,duke de ,reichstadt1 circa #ahbg #cje ,portion of ,essay on ,gunnery written by the late ,prince ,imperial of ,france while a ,cadet at the ,woolwich ,military ,academy #cjg ,page of ,a4,l4,s4 of ,napoleon ,,iii4 to ,dr4 ,o',meara1 ,march #i1 #ahcf #cjh ,sketch by the late ,prince ,imperial1 circa #ahff #cjh ,a4,l4,s4 of ,admiral ,brueys1 the ,french ,admiral ,commanding-in-,chief1 who was killed at ,trafalgar1 dated ,may #be1 #agig #caj ,two ,signatures of ,marie ,antoinette on a ,warrant1 ,october1 #aghc #cab ,a4,l4,s4 of ,napoleon ,,iii4 to ,lord ,alfred ,paget from ,wilhelmshohe1 ,october #bi1 #ahgj #cac ,first page of ,letter in ,english from ,voltaire to ,earl of ,chesterfield1 ,ferney1 ,august #e1 #agfa #cad ,the ,signature and ,writing of ,button ,gwinnett1 the rarest ,autograph of the ,signers #cbf ,the last page of the ,letter of ,thomas ,lynch1 jun41 one of the ,american ,signers1 which fetched #g1jjj dollars #cbh ,the last page of ,george ,washington's splendid ,a4,l4,s41 now published through the kindness of ,mr4 ,t4 ,c4 ,s4 ,cuyler #ccc ,a4,l4,s4 of ,benjamin ,franklin to ,george ,washington1 ,march #b1 #aggh #ccd ,early writing of the late ,king ,edward ,,vii41 circa #ahej #cdd ,i ,,on ,,autograph ,,collecting ,,generally ,illustration3 ,,last ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,elizabeth ,,chudleigh1 ,,duchess ,,of ,,kingston1 ,,at ,,st4 ,,petersburg1 ,,to ,,miss ,,chudleigh1 ,,at ,,bath4 ,illustration3 ,,warrant ,,signed ,,by ,,warren ,,hastings1 ,,philip ,,francis1 ,,edward ,,wheeler1 ,,and ,,eyre ,,coote1 ,,may #ca1 #aghj4 ,,chats ,,on ,,autographs ,,chapter ,i ,,on ,,autograph ,,collecting ,,generally ,autograph collecting in relation to kindred hobbies--,the genesis of the autograph--,examples of the alba amicorum of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries--,the conscript fathers of autograph collecting--,franks and their votaries--,album specimens and their value--,the autograph-hunter and his unconscious victims--,anecdotes of some recent autograph draws ,there can be no doubt that the handwriting of a man is related to his thought and character1 and that we may therefore gain a certain impression of his ordinary mode of life and conduct4--,,goethe ,,to ,,cardinal ,,preusker4 ,my friend ,judge ,philbrick1 for some time ,president of the ,royal ,philatelic ,society of ,london1 tells me that the stamps known to collectors as the ,post ,office ,mauritius fetch anything4 ,in his opinion a pair of fine examples of the #a;d4 red and #b;d4 blue would easily make #b1ejj4 ,he believes the ,king1 when ,prince of ,wales1 gave #a1ejj for a single specimen4 ,a set of the rarest issues of ,sandwich ,island stamps would be worth from #a1ejj to #b1jjj1 and there are at least twenty or thirty varieties which sell at something between #ej and #ajj4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,i believe the single ,mauritius ,post ,office referred to exchanged hands in ,january #aijd1 at no less a figure than #a1iej1 and that at a moment when much excitement was caused in autographic circles by the appearance at ,sotheby's of thirty-three pages of the ,,ms4 of ,paradise ,lost1 once the property of ,jacob ,tonson the publisher4 ,the ultimate fate of this precious ,,ms4 will be referred to in connection with the subject of ,milton's autographs1 but it may be noted that in the same month a series of seven superb folio holograph letters of ,napoleon1 written during his first campaign in ,italy1 when his handwriting was still legible and his signature not the perplexing variation of scratches and blots of later days1 was knocked down at the comparatively modest figure of #cej1 or less than one-fifth of the sum paid for the ,mauritius ,post ,office6 ,before me lie several of the priced catalogues of the ,sotheby autograph auctions of six years ago4 ,very few of the totals realised at these sales approached the price paid for this single stamp4 ,at one of them ,nelson's original letter-book of #agif-ig1 including the original drafts of #fg letters 7many of them of first-rate importance7 failed to fetch more than #aij1 while a two days' sale 7that of ,december #e and #f1 #aijd7 brought only an aggregate sum of #a1jji #afs41 notwithstanding the fact that the #daf lots disposed of comprised a splendid series of ,johnson and ,thrale letters1 a series of ,s4 ,t4 ,coleridge ,,mss41 and fine examples of letters by ,pope1 ,richardson1 ,marvell1 ,burke1 ,boswell1 ,goldsmith1 ,garrick1 ,nelson1 and ,lady ,hamilton1 together with historical documents signed by ,queen ,elizabeth1 the two ,charleses1 ,oliver ,cromwell1 and ,queen ,anne4 ,the items thus disposed of would in themselves have made a fine collection if acquired by any one owner1 for they represent the most interesting phases of our national annals1 and they might have been acquired en bloc for #idj1 less than half the cost of that one most expensive stamp4 ,far be it from me to disparage a sister hobby4 ,all ,i seek to prove is that autograph collection has moderation in price to recommend it1 as well as that inherent interest which ,mr4 ,joline alludes to as the gentlest of emotions4 ,in theory1 at any rate1 the lover of autographs can claim for his favourite pursuit an antiquity of origin which no print collector or philatelist1 however enthusiastic1 can possibly pretend to4 ,in some shape or another ,,mss4 were highly prized by the ancient ,egyptians as well as the ,greeks and ,romans4 ,the word autograph first occurs in the writings of ,suetonius4 ,we learn on good authority that ,ptolemy stole the archives of the ,athenians and replaced the originals with cunningly devised copies2 ,pliny and ,cicero were both collectors after the manner of the time in which they lived2 ,nero recorded his impressions in pocket-books1 and manuscripts of untold importance are supposed to lie buried in the lava-covered dwellings of ,herculaneum4 ,the ,chinese1 too1 at a very remote period of their national existence were wont to decorate their temples with the writing or the sign-manuals of their defunct rulers4 ,the ,emperors ,justinian and ,theodoric are both reputed to have affixed their signatures by the aid of a perforated tin plate2 and the mystery which attaches itself to the ,epistles of ,phalaris still awaits some definite solution4 ,these1 and a dozen other similar topics1 may concern the history of writing in the abstract1 but they are strange to the question of the genesis of the modern autograph in the sense already sufficiently defined and as considered from the collector's point of view4 ,by the irony of fate the origin of autograph collecting1 as we now understand it1 is clearly traced to the alba amicorum of the latter part of the sixteenth and the first decades of the seventeenth century4 ,men and women of light and leading were accustomed to carry about oblong volumes of vellum1 on which their friends and acquaintances were requested to write some motto or phrase under his or her signature4 ,several interesting examples of these alba are to be seen amongst the ,sloane ,,mss4 in the ,british ,museum4 ,the earliest of them 7,no4 #hea7 bears the date #aegi4 ,it commences with the motto and signature of the ,duc d',alenon1 the suitor of our ,virgin ,queen4 ,he has attempted a sketch1 something like a fire1 under which are the words ,fovet et disqutit ,francoys1 and below1 ,me servir quy mestre ,farnagues4 ,no4 #c1daf is bound in green velvet with the arms of the writers beautifully emblazoned on each page4 ,on one of these the ,duke of ,holst1 brother-in-law of ,james ,i41 has written3-- ,par mer et par terre ,wiwe la ,guerre4 ,it was in the album amicorum of ,christopher ,arnold1 ,professor of ,history at ,nuremberg1 that the author of ,paradise ,lost wrote ,in weakness ,i am made perfect4 ,to that most learned man1 and my courteous friend1 ,christopher ,arnold1 have ,i given this1 in token of his virtue1 as well as of my good will towards him4 ,,john ,,milton4 ,london1 ,a4,d4 #afea1 ,nov4 #ai4 ,to the album of ,charles de ,bousy 7,no4 #c1dae7 ,edward ,sackville1 afterwards ,earl of ,dorset1 has contributed a motto neatly written in six languages4 ,late in the nineteenth century these ancient alba had their counterpart in the books of questions which1 for a brief period1 found favour in the eyes of the ,british hostess with a literary turn of mind4 ,a page thus filled up by the late ,duke of ,coburg 7,prince ,alfred of ,england7 is in my collection4 ,in it the writer with perfect frankness discloses his ideas of happiness and misery1 his favourite poets1 painters1 and composers1 his pet aversions and the characters in history he most dislikes4 ,the sheet of this modern album amicorum fetched one sovereign in the open market1 and in many ways the views of the ,duke are as interesting as those of the princes and poets who yielded to the entreaties of ,charles de ,bousy and ,christopher ,arnold4 ,in these early alba the interest of the handwriting formed the predominant attraction1 but with the succeeding generations of collectors who gathered together stores of priceless ,,mss4 the point of interest was almost entirely historical4 ,it was reserved for the nineteenth century connoisseur to combine the interest which is purely historical with that which centres in the writer and the writing of any given letter or document4 ,the value of the services rendered to the cause of history by men like ,sir ,robert ,bruce ,cotton 7#aega-afca71 ,john ,evelyn 7#afbj-agjf71 ,robert ,harley1 #ast ,earl of ,oxford 7#affa-agbd71 ,edward ,harley1 #bnd ,earl of ,oxford 7#afhi-agda71 and ,sir ,hans ,sloane 7#affj-agec7 cannot possibly be over-estimated4 ,robert ,harley purchased the papers accumulated by ,fox1 ,stow1 and ,d',ewes1 and the ,harleian and ,sloane ,,mss4 form to-day a most important portion of the national collection in the ,british ,museum4 ,thomas ,hearne 7#afgh-agce7 laboured industriously at ,oxford on the same lines as ,robert ,harley and ,hans ,sloane4 ,he is said to have made each important discovery of autographic treasure-trove the subject of a devout thanksgiving4 ,good work was done about the same time by ,ralph ,thoresby 7#afeh-agbe7 and ,peter ,le ,neve 7#affa-agbi74 ,manuscripts entered largely into the ,museum of ,rarities formed by the first named1 and the ,,mss4 of the latter are now in the ,bodleian ,library and the ,heralds' ,college4 ,a little later came ,james ,west 7#agjd-aggb74 ,between #agda and #agfb he held the office of ,joint-secretary to the ,treasury1 and from #agdf till his death he was ,recorder of ,poole4 ,among other curiosities he got together a large number of valuable ,,mss4 ,born four years before ,west1 ,james ,bindley lived till #ahah1 thus becoming a contemporary of ,upcott1 ,dawson ,turner1 and other early nineteenth-century collectors who prepared the way for the great work since accomplished by ,mr4 ,alfred ,morrison and others4 ,it now becomes necessary to say something of the frank1 which for more than an entire century exercised the minds of men and women in every condition of life to an extent it is now almost impossible to understand4 ,the interest in the frank was philatelic as well as autographic1 but no frank ever attained the high position now held by a ,post ,office ,mauritius or early ,sandwich stamp4 ,the story of the frank is briefly thus3 ,the right to send letters free of charge was claimed by ,members of ,parliament as far back as the reign of ,james ,i4 ,it was fully discussed in the ,commons immediately after the ,restoration1 and the claim was affirmed1 although the ,speaker1 ,sir ,harbottle ,grimston1 refused to put a motion which he stigmatised as a poor mendicant proviso unworthy of the honour of the ,house4 ,the ,lords rejected the ,bill1 because apparently the privilege was not to be extended to them1 but it was eventually conceded to members of both ,houses4 ,the grossest abuses were soon committed4 ,under the cover of the frank fifteen couple of hounds were sent to the ,king of the ,romans2 two maid-servants going out as laundresses were forwarded to ,my ,lord ,ambassador ,methuen1 two bales of stockings found their way1 post free1 to our representative at the ,court of ,portugal4 ,the frank was continually used for the transit of live deer1 turkeys1 and haunches of venison4 ,in ,queen ,anne's time its operation was limited to packets weighing two ounces or less1 and in the fourth year of ,george ,,iii4 it was enacted that the franking ,peer or ,m4,p4 should write the whole address and date on each letter4 ,in #agie the maximum weight of a franked letter was reduced to one ounce1 and in #ahdj1 on the institution of ,sir ,rowland ,hill's penny postage system1 the privilege 7except in one or two special cases7 was entirely abolished4 ,mr4 ,bailie1 of ,ringdufferin1 ,killyleagh1 ,co4 ,down1 was one of the last of the frank-collecting enthusiasts4 ,about twenty years ago he thus wrote to the ,archivist3-- ,although no further limitation or alteration was made between #agie and #ahdj1 great abuses still existed4 ,members supplied larger packets of franks to friends and adherents2 some sold their privilege for large sums to banking and business firms2 they also accepted douceurs for allowing letters to be directed to them1 although intended for other persons1 and servants' wages were frequently paid by franks1 which were subsequently sold by them to tradesmen and others4 ,it was computed that a banking house1 having one of the firm an ,m4,p41 effected thereby a saving of #gjj a year4 ,in one week of ,november1 #ahcf1 about #id1gjj franks passed through the ,london post alone1 and in #ahcg there were #g1djj1jjj franked letters posted4 ,from #ahah to #ahcg it was estimated that #a1djj1jjj had been lost to the ,post ,office through the franking system4 ,the privilege was abolished on ,july #aj1 #ahdj1 the only exception made being in favour of the late ,queen's own letters and a few ,government ,departments4 ,the ,inspectors of ,franks in ,london1 ,dublin1 and ,edinburgh were highly paid and important officials4 ,mr4 ,william ,tayleure1 of ,adelaide ,street1 ,west ,strand1 headed a long list of dealers in franks4 ,frank auctions1 prior to #ahdj1 were as common as stamp auctions are to-day1 and amongst the best known frank collectors were ,lady ,chatham 7the daughter-in-law of the ,great ,commoner71 ,lord ,william ,fitz,roy and ,mr4 ,blott1 ,inspector of ,franks at the ,g4,p4,o4 ,mr4 ,bailie eventually became possessor of the ,chatham and ,fitz,roy collections4 ,he could boast of possessing the frank of every ,peer since the ,union1 with the single exception of ,f4 ,a4 ,hervey1 ,earl of ,bristol and ,bishop of ,derry4 ,for three generations at least one of the principal objects in life seems to have been the gratuitous acquisition of franks4 ,when ,james ,beattie visited the ,thrales of ,streatham1 his supreme delight lay in having secured six franks and the promise of a further supply2 millionaires excused their epistolary silence on the plea of the difficulty to get a frank1 and even late in the eighteen-thirties ,benjamin ,disraeli wrote to his sister that he was sure that the sight of an unprivileged 7i4e41 unfranked7 letter on the ,bradenham breakfast-table would cause the death of his venerable father4 ,the witty letters of ,joseph ,jekyll abound in amusing allusions to franks4 ,one day he writes1 ,don't go into histericks at a ,radical frank of ,burdett's2 on another occasion1 ,i have bribed the ,attorney-,general for this frank1 and again1 ,i postponed payment till the immaculate electors of ,stockbridge had agreed to save ninepence out of your pin-money4 ,writing to ,lady ,blessington the ,nestor of beaux esprits says3 ,i trust this will reach you if the ,post ,office can decipher my friend ,wetherell's hieroglyphical frank1 but ,tories always make a bad hand of it4 ,collections of franks like those of ,mr4 ,bailie must still have some value4 ,it is now difficult to obtain isolated examples1 and to my mind they are infinitely more interesting1 from every point of view1 than detached signatures of individuals1 however celebrated1 and the great majority of album specimens4 ,an album specimen is a letter or signature obtained in answer to a request for an autograph4 ,if the demand is made point-blank1 the reply is rarely of any real value4 ,there are1 of course1 many exceptions to the rule4 ,i have already alluded to the page of the ,confessions ,book filled up by the late ,duke of ,coburg4 ,bismarck is said to have been requested to add something on the page of an autograph album which already contained the autographs of ,guizot and ,thiers4 ,the former had written1 ,i have learned in my long life two rules of prudence4 ,the first is to forgive much2 the second1 never to forget4 ,thiers had placed below this the sentence1 ,a little forgetting would not detract from the sincerity of the forgiveness4 ,bismarck continued1 ,as for me1 ,i have learnt to forget much1 and to be asked to be forgiven much4 ,i should not be surprised if the page of that album with the conjunction of these three great names yielded a record price4 ,it is the persistent seeker for album specimens who is known in ,america as the ,autograph ,fiend1 and on this side as the ,autograph ,hunter4 ,possibly in the ,united ,states this type of collector is more aggressive than his ,english confrre4 ,longfellow was an early victim of the ,a4 ,f4 ,in his diary he plaintively mentions the necessity of complying with thirty or forty requests of this kind4 ,on ,january #i1 #aheg1 matters reached a climax4 ,on that day he made the following entry in his journal3 ,to-day ,i wrote1 sealed1 and dictated seventy autographs4 ,other celebrities were less complacent than the persecuted poet4 ,george ,eliot generally instructed ,mr4 ,lewes to write a point-blank refusal1 and an ,archbishop of ,york intended to follow her example1 but unintentionally delighted his tormentor with the signed reply1 ,sir1 ,i never give my autograph1 and never will4 ,frowde was in the habit of replying after this fashion3-- ,,dear ,,sir1--,mr4 ,weller's friend 7or perhaps ,mr4 ,weller himself7 would say that autographs is vanity6--but since you wish for mine1 ,i subscribe myself1 ,faithfully yours1 ,j4 ,a4 ,,frowde4 ,mr4 ,joline shows little mercy to such applicants4 ,lord ,rosebery replies to a similar application3-- ,lord ,rosebery presents his compliments to ,miss ,c41 and would rather not make her collection and himself ridiculous by sending it the autograph of so insignificant a person4 ,an exceptionally considerate type of autograph-hunter succeeded in extracting the following charming note from the late ,r4 ,l4 ,stevenson3-- ,,vailima1 ,,upolu1 ,,samoa4 ,you have sent me a slip to write on2 you have sent me an addressed envelope2 you have sent it me stamped2 many have done as much before4 ,you have spelled my name right1 and some have done that4 ,in one point you stand alone3 you have sent me the stamps for my post office1 not the stamps for yours4 ,what is asked with so much consideration ,i take a pleasure to grant4 ,here1 since you value it1 and have been at the pains to earn it by such unusual attentions--here is the signature1 ,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4 ,for the one civil autograph collector1 ,charles ,r4 ,poe1 like ,longfellow1 was merciful to his autograph-seeking correspondents1 and their name was legion4 ,in his opinion1 ,the feeling which prompts to the collection of autographs is a natural and rational one4 ,thackeray and ,dickens were equally considerate in the matter of these autograph petitions4 ,more years ago than ,i care to recollect a young cousin of mine wrote to the former1 and received1 almost by return of post1 a signed and dated card with a clever little sketch of a young lady inspecting an album4 ,at the present moment this particular specimen is worth at least #aj4 ,the most successful type of ,autograph ,fiend is the man who is able1 on some clever pretence1 to extract a letter of real interest and importance from his unconscious victim4 ,since ,i began to collect ,i have carefully watched the operation of these pious frauds1 and am often astonished at the ease with which political1 literary1 and artistic celebrities fall into an all too transparent trap4 ,portrait painters are ready to send estimates to persons they never heard of2 grave theologians are led by impostors into discussions on abstruse questions of faith and belief2 astute statesmen like ,mr4 ,chamberlain are induced to enlarge on burning problems of the hour2 and venerable artists like ,sir ,john ,tenniel are apparently ready to furnish two pages of reminiscences for the mere asking4 ,in the eighteen-fifties a swindler named ,ludovic ,picard acquired a really valuable series of autographs by writing to men like ,branger1 ,heine1 ,montalembert1 and ,lacordaire letters in which he posed as one of the odious race of the unappreciated who meditated suicide1 and sought in his hour of sore distress for valuable counsel and advice4 ,lacordaire sent him ten closely-written pages of earnest appeal1 and ,charles ,dickens1 who happened to be at ,boulogne1 fell an easy victim to the wiles of ,miserrimus1 who was finally unmasked by ,jules ,sandeau while carousing with a party of boon companions at a tavern4 ,dickens wrote as follows3-- ,voici encore de bons remdes contre votre affliction6 ,surtout1 on doit se souvenir constamment de la bont du grand ,dieu1 des beauts de la nature1 et de si touchantes flicits et misres de ces pauvres voisins dans cette vie de vicissitudes4 ,voici encore une manire de s'lever le cur et l'me1 depuis les tnbres de la terre jusqu' la clart du ciel4 ,courage1 courage6 ,c'est le voyageur faible qui succombe et qui meurt4 ,c'est le brave homme qui persvre1 et qui poursuit son voyage jusqu' la fin4 ,votre cas a t le cas d'une immense foule d'hommes1 dont les curs courageux ont t victorieux1 triomphants1 heureux4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,obtained ,,from ,,cardinal ,,newman ,,by ,,an ,,autograph-,,hunter1 ,,september #d1 #ahgj4 ,a query sent to ,sir ,john ,tenniel on the subject of the private theatricals at ,charles ,dickens's elicited this interesting letter3-- ,october #ac1 #aijc4 ,,dear ,,sir1--,with many apologies for the delay1 absolutely unavoidable1 ,i have much pleasure in offering you such information as the only surviving representative of the ,guild of ,literature and ,art and a memory of over fifty years may be able to supply in answering your polite letter of the #hth inst4 received on ,saturday4 ,the first performance of ,not so ,bad as we ,seem1 at ,devonshire ,house1 in the presence of the ,queen1 the ,prince ,consort1 and the ,court1 most certainly took place on the #afth of ,may1 #ahea1 just five months after ,i had joined the ,punch staff4 ,but there was also a second grand performance of the play on the #bgth1 to which the friends of the actors and distinguished people were invited by special invitation of the ,duke4 ,happily1 after an almost hopeless search1 ,i have found the bill of the play 7which please to return when done with7 of that performance1 which is identical with the first except that the farce of ,mr4 ,nightingale's ,diary1 by ,dickens and ,mark ,lemon1 was not produced for the delectation of ,royalty6 ,bill will also give you the names of the dramatis person1 and you will see that the names of ,maclise and ,leech are not included in the list4 ,the last-named characters1 some with only a line1 some with none1 were alluded to1 and cheerfully1 except by certain literary celebrities1 and for myself ,hodge was quite a good little part4 ,in the following year1 however1 owing to ,forster's illness1 the part of ,hardman 7a most important one7 was at once assigned to me1 and it is to that which ,dickens alludes in his letter to ,forster from ,sunderland1 ,august #bi1 #aheb4 ,i can hardly suppose that this letter can be of the least use to you1 but ,i am1 ,faithfully yours1 ,,john ,,tenniel4 ,illustration3 ,,two ,,pages ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,sir ,,john ,,tenniel1 ,,of ,,punch1 ,,obtained ,,by ,,an ,,autograph-,,hunter1 ,,october #ac1 #aijc4 ,within a month this letter figured in an autograph catalogue at the modest price of #abs4 ,a candid friend writes to the ,earl of ,rosebery that he is sorely troubled in conscience as to some difficulty which has arisen in connection with the ,premier's patronage of the race-course4 ,he obtains a reply1 seemingly after some demur3-- ,october #ac1 #ahie4 ,,my ,,dear ----1 ,i did not the least in the world mean to imply the slightest shadow of blame to you for asking the question1 which ,i do not doubt many other people are also asking4 ,but for all that ,i am not able to answer it1 and therefore you are unfettered in your treatment of it4 ,it is strange1 as regards my own position towards the ,sporting ,league1 ,liberal candidates are abused on the ground that ,liberals are opposed to sport1 and then1 on the other hand1 the ,nonconformist ,conscience fires a broadside into him for what is thought to be too much allied to sport4 ,yours very truly1 ,,rosebery4 ,lord ,rosebery's views on the elasticity of the ,nonconformist conscience were sold for a crown1 and the same price was asked and obtained for a letter most ingeniously obtained from ,mr4 ,chamberlain in the very early days of ,tariff ,reform ,agitation3-- ,september #ah1 #aijc4 ,,dear ,,sir1--,my correspondence is so enormous that ,i am compelled to dictate my letters even to my most intimate friends and relations1 and the uncharitable suggestion that ,i am too proud to reply to workmen in my own handwriting is quite uncalled for4 ,i greatly appreciated your friendly letter and the compliment which you and your wife propose to pay me and which ,i readily accept4 ,tell me when the baby is to be baptized and exactly what you mean to call him1 and ,i will see if ,i can find some little memento which may remind him in after years of his namesake4 ,meanwhile ,i am glad to know that the tariff question is being discussed in your workshop4 ,the time will come before long when all the working men will see how seriously their employment is threatened1 and how necessary it is for them that the ,colonial ,markets should be kept open4 ,the future of our trade depends on our relations with our kinsfolk across the seas1 and if we do not seize the opportunity offered to us by them of increasing our trade with them we may not have another chance1 but when we desire it may find that they have ceased to be willing4 ,the ,big ,loaf cry is a sheer imposture4 ,nothing that ,i have proposed would increase the cost of living to any working man1 and on the other hand it would give him the certainty of better trade and more employment4 ,wages1 which depend upon employment1 would tend to rise1 and labour would gain all round4 ,we have had wonderfully good trade during the last two years1 but there are signs approaching at present1 and if they are fulfilled and every trade in ,london suffers from the free import of the surplus of foreign countries1 the most bigoted ,free ,trader will regret that he was not wise in time and content to make preparation against the evil day4 ,truly yours1 ,,joseph ,,chamberlain4 ,the ,autograph ,fiend in this case certainly deserves his name4 ,he not only succeeds in obtaining an interesting letter1 signed and carefully corrected by an ex-,cabinet ,minister1 which he is able to convert into five shillings1 but he receives with it a promise that the writer will become the godfather of his real or supposed child6 ,mr4 ,ruskin's total lack of sympathy with the autograph-hunter was notorious4 ,he was also known to entertain a strong antipathy to a certain conventicle4 ,the following response to a demand for subscription elicited a very characteristic reply1 which was promptly converted into ten pounds4 ,in the presence of such recent examples of successful autograph draws as these1 there is no need to repeat the old story of the ,duke of ,wellington's reply to a fictitious demand for the payment of a washer-woman's bill said to be due from ,lord ,douro4 ,mr4 ,john ,ruskin to a correspondent3-- ,i am scornfully amused at your appeal to me1 of all people in the world1 the precisely less likely to give you a farthing4 ,my first word to all men and boys who care to hear me is1 ,don't get into debt4 ,starve and go to heaven--but don't borrow4 ,try first begging--,i don't mind1 if it's really needful1 stealing4 ,but don't buy things you can't pay for4 ,and of all manner of debtors1 pious people building churches they can't pay for1 are the most detestable nonsense to me4 ,can't you preach and pray behind the hedges--or in a sand-pit--or a coal-hole first8 ,and of all manner of churches thus idiotically built1 iron churches are the damnablest to me4 ,and of all sects of believers in ruling spirit--,hindoos1 ,turks1 ,feather ,idolaters1 and any ,mumbo-jumbo1 ,log and ,fire ,worshippers1 your modern ,english ,evangelical sect is the most absurd1 and entirely objectionable and unendurable to me4 ,all which they might very easily have found out from my books--any other sort of sect would--before bothering me to write to them4 ,ever1 nevertheless1 and in all this saying1 your faithful servant1 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,illustration3 ,,from ,,the ,,prelude ,,of ,,gerontius1 ,,ms4 ,,bars ,,signed ,,by ,,sir ,,edward ,,elgar1 ,,september1 #aijj4 ,autograph-hunting on the basis now exposed is only pursued in the hope of gain from the sale of the letter thus obtained4 ,to attempt to form a collection in such a manner might lead to very unpleasant consequences4 ,the only innocent form of autograph-hunting is that so frequently witnessed at concerts and musical festivals1 and the albums thus filled are ultimately sold for a price which would sadly disappoint the original owner4 ,in the next chapter ,i shall endeavour to give the beginner in autograph collecting such information as will enable him not only to purchase genuine letters at the lowest possible price1 but to arrange and classify them when so arranged to the greatest possible advantage4 ,my firm conviction that at the present moment the judicious buying of autographs is one of the best possible investments1 does not lessen the pleasure which we feel in examining those still-speaking relics of the past which enable us to say with ,thomas ,moore-- ,thus shall memory often in dreams sublime ,catch a glimpse of the days that are over2 ,thus sighing look through the waves of time ,for the long faded glories they cover4 ,,ii ,,the ,,modern ,,autograph ,,collector ,,and ,,his ,,equipment ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,modern ,,autograph ,,collector ,,and ,,his ,,equipment ,useful books on autographs--,collections of autograph facsimiles--,the autograph markets of ,london and ,paris--,variations in price--,autograph catalogues and dealers--,the treatment and classification of autographs ,letters are appendices to ,history--the best instructors in ,history and the best histories in themselves4--,,lord ,,bacon4 ,scripta ferunt annos4--,,ovid4 ,the modern autograph collector has certain advantages over his predecessors of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries which will compensate him in some measure for the difficulty of procuring choice specimens at the prices which ruled twenty and even ten years ago4 ,foremost amongst these advantages is facility of access to such autographic treasure-houses as the ,british ,museum1 the ,record ,office1 and the ,national ,library at ,paris4 ,it was as recently as the late eighteen-fifties that the priceless archives of the old ,india ,office were ruthlessly sacrificed by the lineal successors of ,john ,company4 ,amongst other valuable ,,mss4 the archives of the ,indian ,navy went en bloc to the paper-mills4 ,a single letter1 blown accidentally from one of the carts used by the contractors who carried out this work of desolation1 turned out to have been written in the reign of ,james ,i4 by the ,duke of ,buckingham1 and brought #e to its finder4 ,to-day it is probably worth at least five times as much again4 ,the ,record ,office1 in which such ,state documents and official correspondence as have survived the ignorance1 carelessness1 or iconoclasm of the past1 now find a home1 is1 comparatively speaking1 a modern institution4 ,notwithstanding the havoc wrought by the sans-culottes of the ,terror and the ,communists of forty years ago1 the ,national ,library in ,paris is to-day the home of one of the most interesting collections of autographs in the whole world1 including1 it is said1 something like ten thousand letters and documents written or signed by ,napoleon4 ,it is probably the result of the social upheavals of the past1 and the wholesale dispersal of the contents of public and private muniment rooms towards the close of the eighteenth century1 that autograph finds are more frequently made in ,paris than anywhere else4 ,it was there that ,i acquired the marriage settlement of ,pamela ,fitz,gerald1#a executed at ,tournay on ,december #bf1 #agib1 and a sixteenth-century deed in which mention is made of a ,royal ,commission for the further exploration of ,canada--,la ,canadie4 ,both of these documents cost less than #ajs41 and one of them1 presented by me through ,mr4 ,ross ,robertson to the ,public ,library at ,toronto1 has now been framed1 and is shown to visitors as a curiosity of the greatest interest and rarity4 ,these great public institutions carry on in the twentieth century the good work commenced long ago by men like ,evelyn1 the ,harleys1 and ,sloane4 ,the first thing ,i should advise an intending collector to do is to procure the ,guide to the ,,mss41 ,autographs1 c41 exhibited in the ,department of ,,mss4 and in the ,grenville ,library of the ,british ,museum4#b ,this useful little volume contains no less than thirty plates of various descriptions1 ranging from the articles of the ,magna ,charta and a page from the ,anglo-,saxon ,chronicle to ,nelson's last letter to ,lady ,hamilton1 and examples of the handwriting of ,marlborough1 ,wellington1 ,washington1 ,chatham1 and ,keats4 ,at the end is a list of the different series of autograph facsimiles issued at intervals since #ahie1 and sold at a very moderate price4 ,next to the careful study of original ,,mss41 nothing is so important to the collector as the careful and constant examination of well-executed facsimiles like those obtainable at the ,british ,museum1 where1 at the cost of #gs4 #f;d41 you can get thirty plates4 ,the first in order contains facsimiles of autograph letters by ,queen ,catharine of ,aragon1 #aeac2 ,archbishop ,cranmer1 #aecg2 ,bishop ,hugh ,latimer 7marginal notes by ,henry ,,viii471 about #aech2 ,edward ,,vi41 #aeea2 ,mary1 ,queen of ,scots1 #aega2 ,english ,commanders against the ,spanish ,armada1 #aehh2 ,queen ,elizabeth1 #afjc2 ,charles ,i41 #afdb2 ,oliver ,cromwell1 #afdi2 ,charles ,,ii41 #affj2 ,james1 ,duke of ,monmouth1 #afhe2 ,william ,,iii41 #afhi2 ,james ,stuart1 the ,pretender1 #agjc2 ,john ,churchill1 ,duke of ,marlborough1 #agjf2 ,william ,pitt1 ,earl of ,chatham1 #agei2 ,george ,,iii41 #agfj2 ,george ,washington1 #agic2 ,horatio1 ,viscount ,nelson1 and ,emma1 ,lady ,hamilton1 #ahje2 ,arthur ,wellesley1 ,duke of ,wellington1 #ahae2 ,general ,charles ,george ,gordon1 #ahhd2 ,queen ,victoria1 #ahhe2 ,john ,dryden1 #afhb2 ,joseph ,addison1 #agad2 ,s4 ,t4 ,coleridge1 #ahae2 ,william ,wordsworth1 #ahcd2 ,john ,keats1 #ahbj2 ,charles ,dickens1 #ahgj2 ,w4 ,m4 ,thackeray1 #ahea2 ,thomas ,carlyle1 #ahcb2 and ,robert ,browning1 #ahfh4 ,numerous collections of facsimiles have been published in ,england1 ,france1 and ,germany1 and the prudent collector must secure one or more of these invaluable aids to the identification of ,,mss4 ,most of the best catalogues issued1 both in ,london and ,paris1 contain several facsimiles1 but that does not lessen the utility of books like ,autographs of ,royal1 ,noble1 ,learned1 and ,remarkable ,personages conspicuous in ,english ,history from the ,reign of ,richard ,,ii4 to that of ,charles ,,ii41 with some illustrious ,foreigners2 containing many passages from important letters 7engraved under the direction of ,charles ,john ,smith and ,john ,gough ,nichols3 ,london1 #ahbi1 #a vol4 #dto72 or ,a ,collection of ,one ,hundred ,characteristic and ,interesting ,autograph ,letters written by ,royal and ,distinguished ,persons of ,great ,britain from the ,,xv4 to the ,,xviii4 ,century1 copied in perfect facsimile from the originals by ,joseph ,nethercliff 7,london1 #ahdi74 ,several useful facsimiles are to be found in ,a ,guide to the ,collector of ,historical ,documents1 ,literary ,,mss41 and ,autograph ,letters1 by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,scott and ,mr4 ,samuel ,davey1 published in #ahia4 ,dr4 ,h4 ,t4 ,scott is also responsible for a handy little volume1 entitled ,autograph ,collecting1 a ,practical ,manual for ,amateurs and ,historical ,students1 brought out three years later than the larger volume by ,mr4 ,upcott ,gill4 ,it must be confessed1 however1 that our ,french neighbours are far ahead of us in the matter of facsimiles1 as well as in other details connected with autograph collecting4 ,with us the subject is only now beginning to receive the treatment it merits4 ,in the opinion of our neighbours the cult of the autograph has for some generations held rank as a science4 ,i cannot too strongly impress upon beginners the expediency of carefully watching the ,paris autograph market1 and giving special attention to the catalogues issued monthly by ,m4 ,nol ,charavay1 of #c1 ,rue ,furstenberg1 and ,madame ,veuve ,gabriel ,charavay1 of #aec1 ,faubourg ,st4 ,honor4 ,at the ,fraser ,sale 7,april1 #aija7 ,i purchased three huge volumes forming an extra-illustrated copy of a portion of the famous ,letters of ,madame de ,svign1 compiled quite a century ago at the cost of several hundred pounds1 and finally acquired by ,miss ,eliza ,gulston4 ,in it1 in addition to an enormous number of prints and portraits1 were several genuine autograph letters1 supplemented by a large number of facsimiles4 ,under the genuine letters the maker of the book wrote their source and history2 he divided the facsimiles into tracings1 imitations by hand1 and so forth4 ,a copy of the ,isographie des ,hommes ,clbres1 in two #dto volumes1 is now worth between #c and #d1 and the late ,mr4 tienne ,charavay prepared two supplements to it which are also extremely valuable4 ,between ,march1 #ahhh1 and ,december1 #ahid1 the late ,mr4 ,davey published a quarterly journal--the ,archivist--which bid fair to become as indispensable to the ,english collector as the ,amateur d',autographes1 founded in the early eighteen-forties and now admirably edited by ,m4 ,nol ,charavay1 is to his ,french colleague4 ,every true lover of autographs must deplore its untimely end1 and the young collector is indeed fortunate if he can obtain a set of it4 ,in it ,dr4 ,scott1 who was from the first its principal contributor1 places quite a mine of information at the disposal of his readers4 ,i regard the two bound volumes of the ,archivist in my possession as one of the most useful books of reference obtainable in the matter of autographs4 ,in the forty odd volumes of the ,amateur d',autographes#c the student will discover a liberal education1 as far as his special subject is concerned1 ready at hand4 ,the ,charavay ,sale-catalogues are of great value in the matter of arrangement and description1 as well as for the facsimiles they give in abundance4 ,one of the finest is that of the ,alfred ,bovet ,collection1 dispersed during the spring and early summer of #ahhd4 ,it was prepared by ,m4 tienne ,charavay1 and fills over #hjj #dto pages plentifully illustrated with sketches and numerous facsimiles4 ,a very useful book for beginners who read ,french is ,les ,autographes en ,france et le got des ,autographes en ,france et l'tranger 7,paris1 #ahfe71 by ,m4 de ,lescure4 ,it contains a useful list of the numerous books on autographs published up to that date1 together with the various collections of facsimiles1 many of which can now be picked up on the bookstalls by the side of the ,seine or the adjoining streets for a few francs4 ,as far back as #ahbj the ,maison ,delpech commenced the publication of their various ,iconographies1 of which the ,isographie des ,hommes ,clbres was the natural successor4 ,there are one or two ,german books of facsimiles1 like the ,album von ,autographen 7,leipzig1 #ahdi7 and the ,sammlung histor3 berhmter ,autographen 7,stuttgart1 #ahdf-dg74 ,there is also a collection of five hundred facsimiles1 published in #ahdf by ,f4 ,bogaerts4 ,i do not1 of course1 pretend to provide my readers with a complete autographic bibliography1 but amongst the works ,i have mentioned he will find all that is necessary to set about collecting in earnest1 and without fear of making many initial blunders4 ,having handled and carefully examined a number of genuine autographs and having1 by the study of facsimiles1 familiarised himself with the handwriting of many famous men and women1 the collector in embryo may begin to buy1 but it must be a case of festina lente4 ,how cautiously he should proceed he will realise when1 in the next chapter1 ,i come to consider the critical question of autograph frauds and forgeries4 ,all respectable autograph dealers are ready to guarantee any specimen they offer for sale1 and to take it back if found to be doubtful4 ,it is from the careful reading of the catalogues#d issued from time to time by dealers like ,mr4 ,bernard ,quaritch1 of ,grafton ,street1 ,dr4 ,scott1 of #fi1 ,mill ,lane1 ,west ,hampstead1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,v4 ,daniell1 of #ec1 ,mortimer ,street1 ,messrs4 ,sotheran1 of #cg1 ,piccadilly1 ,messrs4 ,maggs1 of #aji1 ,strand1 ,messrs4 ,ellis1 of #bi1 ,new ,bond ,street1 and ,messrs4 ,pearson1 of ,pall ,mall ,court1 that one obtains an insight into the current value of autographs of every description4 ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin1 of #agb1 ,new ,bond ,street1 does not1 as a rule1 issue catalogues1 but he possesses one of the most valuable stocks of autographs in existence4 ,his ,thackeray1 ,civil ,war1 and ,nelson collections are alone worth many thousands of pounds4 ,while this volume was going through the press ,mr4 ,sabin paid the record sum of #h1fej for a collection of seventeenth-century ,,mss4 relating to ,america belonging to ,mr4 ,r4 ,w4 ,blathwayt4 ,in the provinces autograph catalogues are published now and then by ,mr4 ,w4 ,brown1 of ,edinburgh1 and ,messrs4 ,simmons ,waters1 of ,leamington ,spa4 ,all these gentlemen will readily send their catalogues on application4 ,i have already mentioned the two excellent catalogues issued monthly in ,paris4 ,that of ,m4 ,nol ,charavay1 entitled ,bulletin d',autographs1 has appeared ever since #ahdg4 ,the ,revue des ,autographs of ,madame ,veuve ,gabriel ,charavay dates from #ahff4 ,it is only right to say that autograph collecting is pursued so keenly just now in ,france1 that unless they can arrange to obtain advance copies of these catalogues1 the best items in them will probably be sold before their order arrives4 ,catalogues are sometimes published by ,herr mile ,hirsch1 of #f1 ,carl ,strasse1 ,munich4 ,the ,american dealers will be spoken of in the chapter devoted to the subject of autograph collecting in the ,united ,states4 ,english autographs of exceptional interest are often obtained abroad at far lower prices than in ,london1 and that fact makes it very necessary to look carefully through the foreign catalogues4 ,the same remark doubtless applies to ,french and ,german autographs in ,england4 ,i obtained in ,germany a fine autograph letter of ,charles ,i4 for #aj4 ,it would have fetched three times that amount in a ,london auction-room4 ,the same remark applies to a fine letter of the ,young ,pretender1 which came from ,paris and was priced only at #ee francs4 ,on the other hand ,i obtained in ,london for #aes4 each letters of ,madame de ,geoffrin and ,madame du ,deffand1 which would have cost twice or thrice as much in ,paris4 ,in one of the latest ,french catalogues which reached me1 an ,english letter was priced at #bj francs4 ,in an ,english catalogue1 a less lengthy letter by the same writer was offered for sale at #e4 ,for #ab francs ,i once succeeded in purchasing in ,paris a letter of ,lord ,shelbourne1 covering ten pages and throwing quite new light on the relations between the ,french and ,english ,courts at a certain epoch4 ,the prices for fine autographs in ,london are far higher than in ,paris and ,germany4 ,a ,paris dealer could hardly realise the possibility of a ,keats letter fetching #ejj 7#ab1ejj francs71 as at the ,louis ,j4 ,haber sale4 ,it was thought quite wonderful when a phenomenally early letter of ,napoleon--,i believe the earliest known--was sold for #e1jjj francs4 ,this figure is1 ,i believe1 the highest ever given in ,paris for a single letter4 ,in any case this unique relic of the young ,napoleon only fetched about one-tenth of the price obtained for the ,post ,office ,mauritius stamp which caused so much excitement in the philatelic world six years since4 ,illustration3 ,,facsimile ,,of ,,the ,,historic ,,letter ,,from ,,george ,,crabbe ,,to ,,edmund ,,burke4 7,see also p4 #baj47 ,in the case of ,,mss4 of every description it is necessary to read them carefully4 ,it is only by so doing that you can hope to ascertain anything like the real value4 ,this remark applies particularly to holograph letters4 ,the cataloguer often omits the name of the person to whom it is addressed1 or some sentence or allusion which adds materially to its value4 ,thus a letter of ,franklin addressed to ,washington1 or letters by any of the ,french marshals written to ,napoleon1 would be far more valuable than ordinary letters of any of these personages4 ,a letter signed by the ,russian ,emperor ,paul would not be intrinsically valuable4 ,but one addressed to ,nelson was lately priced at #ad4 ,the time at which a letter is written is often an important factor in determining its price4 ,an ordinary letter of ,wellington1 who wrote at least a hundred thousand letters during his public career1 can be bought for #cs4 #f;d4 ,a note written on the evening of ,june #ah1 #ahae1 not long since realised #aje4 ,then again1 letters acquire additional value when forming part of a series4 ,i purchased a letter of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds to the poet ,crabbe1 mentioning a communication he was sending him for ,dr4 ,johnson4 ,years after ,i secured the precious enclosure4 ,the two together are obviously worth more than when taken singly4 ,i possess the splendid letter of ,george ,crabbe1 appealing for help to ,burke1 which once belonged to ,sir ,theodore ,martin4 ,i failed to secure ,burke's reply1 which went1 ,i believe1 to the ,british ,museum4 ,i gave a few francs in ,paris for a letter of ,anne ,darner's asking ,madame de ,stal to meet her at ,miss ,berry's 7the friend and literary executrix of ,walpole74 ,quite accidentally1 in turning over a pile of autographs in ,london1 ,i came across the reply1 and a very characteristic one it was4 ,at the present moment both letters face the account of the reunion in question in my extra-illustrated copy of ,the ,journals and ,correspondence of ,miss ,berry4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,autograph ,,of ,,ludwig ,,van ,,beethoven4 7,see p4 #beg47 ,dr4 ,scott hopes ,i will impress upon my readers the necessity of mending autographs as little as possible4 ,to clip or trim them is rank heresy1 and gives them at once the appearance of counterfeits4 ,autographs must be treated with the greatest tenderness4 ,you can best strengthen decaying paper by the careful application of diluted solution of gelatine4 ,there are several methods of rendering faded writing again legible4 ,according to one authority the most effective agent is very finely powdered chlorate of potash added to a decoction of galls1 dabbed1 not rubbed1 over the ,,ms4 ,when dry1 the surface should be sponged with lime-water4 ,another expert advises that the paper should be moistened1 and a brush passed over the faded portion wetted with a solution of sulphide of ammonia1 an infusion of galls1 or a solution of ferrocyanide of potassium slightly acidulated with hydrochloric acid4#e ,personally ,i have found the ,a4,p4 brand of transparent adhesive tape invaluable both in mending and hinging autographs1 but worthless imitations must be avoided4 ,it can be bought of all stationers1 and with it ,i always use ,higgins's ,photographic ,paste4 ,this may possibly be a little extravagant1 and an expert gives me the following recipe for a useful paste in connection with autographs3-- ,take a tablespoonful of ,glenfield's ,patent ,starch and mix with a little cold water in an ordinary jam-pot1 then fill with boiling water4 ,when cool it will be ready for use4 ,the classification of autographs has given rise to endless discussion4 ,on this subject ,i am at issue with ,mr4 ,joline4 ,personally1 ,i regard extra-illustration as the most effective and interesting plan of arranging and preserving autographs4 ,mr4 ,joline1 on the other hand1 meditates upon extra-illustration as only an incident or contingent possibility in autograph collection4 ,i hope to deal with 7to me7 the most fascinating subject of ,extra-,illustration or ,grangerising in a separate volume4 ,in an article in ,the ,country ,home ,i have given examples of the effective use of autographs in extra-illustration1#f and ,i can conceive no form of the gentle emotion more enjoyable than that which one experiences when one sees an appropriate autograph placed in apposition to a fine portrait facing some text which they combine strikingly and felicitously to illustrate4 ,in my ,chesterfield's ,letters ,i have a letter in ,english from the ,sage of ,ferney to the ,hermit of ,blackheath1 together with a portrait of the same date1 opposite ,chesterfield's account of his meeting with and friendship for ,voltaire4 ,in an extended ,clarke and ,mc,arthur's ,life of ,nelson1 in immediate contiguity to the account of one of his most daring adventures1 and the honours it brought him1 may be seen ,nelson's original letter of thanks to ,george ,,iii4 7as touching an epistle as he ever penned71 together with a contemporary portrait in water-colours4 ,there is no better way of preserving autographs than to house them between the leaves of well-bound and carefully tended volumes4 ,there is no worse method than to frame them as a picture1 and expose them to the fading influence of a strong light4 ,i have seen autographs actually gummed to a glass before being framed6 ,if an accident occurs the autograph generally shares the fate of the glass4 ,for the orderly keeping of the autographs and ,,mss4 which ,i have not utilised in the forty or fifty books ,i have extra-illustrated since #aijj1 ,i employ a deep folio-sized receptacle known as a ,stone's filing cabinet1 with alphabetical divisions4#g ,it enables me to find any given paper at a moment's notice4 ,i have made the necessities of extra-illustration the mainspring1 as it were1 of my autograph collecting4 ,if the young autograph collector has no specific object of this kind in view 7and in the course of ten years' hard work in the vineyard of grangerising there are few kinds of autographs ,i have not required7 ,i should strongly recommend him to begin with some specific line1 be it soldiers or sailors1 painters or poets1 actors and actresses1 men of letters1 worthies of a particular city1 county1 or college1 and so forth4 ,if this course is adopted an interesting collection can be formed without incurring enormous cost1 and the value of good autographs is sure to rise4 ,it is given to few men in a generation1 or even in a century1 to form collections of a cosmopolitan and all-embracing character like that made by the late ,mr4 ,alfred ,morrison between the years #ahfe and #ahhb1 the catalogue of which1 prepared with the utmost care by ,m4 ,a4 ,w4 ,thibaudeau1 fills six folio and seven imperial octavo volumes1 and costs #fj4 ,french collectors pay great attention to classification1 and each letter is generally placed in a chemise or cover bearing some heraldic or other appropriate device4 ,in the case of a small collection like that which ,sir ,george ,white1 ,bart41 has acquired1 of letters and documents relating solely to ,bristol1 an alphabetical arrangement is preferable4 ,if1 however1 one gathers autographs of all conceivable kinds1 and of all nations and languages1 subdivisions become absolutely essential if you want to find any particular specimen without difficulty4 ,i have already referred to the ,alfred ,bovet ,catalogue1 prepared on scientific lines by ,m4 tienne ,charavay4 ,in this collection the many thousand items of which it consisted were divided into--7#a7 ,heads of ,government2 7#b7 ,statesmen and ,political ,personages2 7#c7 ,the ,french ,revolution2 7#d7 ,warriors2 7#e7 ,men of ,science and ,explorers2 7#f7 ,actors and ,actresses2 7#g7 ,writers2 7#h7 ,painters1 ,sculptors1 ,engravers1 and ,architects2 7#i7 ,huguenots2 and 7#aj7 ,women4 ,there was a further subdivision according to nationalities1 and these were finally arranged chronologically4 ,the preface to the ,bovet ,catalogue1 admirably written by ,m4 tienne ,charavay1 has been published separately under the attractive title of ,the ,science of ,autographs4 ,it deserves to be translated and published in ,english1 for no more thoughtful essay on the value of historical letters and the cult of the autograph has ever appeared4 ,it is now time to consider the application of the legal maxim of caveat emptor to the acquisition of ,,mss4 of every description4 ,the presence of a forgery will often discredit an otherwise interesting and valuable collection4 ,not long ago ,i was shown an album of autographs which represented the gleanings of two or three generations of a highly respectable county family4 ,the moment ,i opened it ,i recognised my old friend the ,byron-,galignani facsimile1 which is offered to dealers as a rare specimen at least once a week4 ,the owner1 who had paid several pounds for it1 declared he could vouch for its genuineness beyond the shadow of a doubt6 ,he never quite forgave my taking down the ,paris edition of ,byron's poems to convince him of his error4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,it was fortunately catalogued under the name of ,genlis1 ,flicit ,ducrest1 ,comtesse de1 and so escaped attention4 ,the principal witnesses are ,philippe galit1 ,duc d',orlans1 and ,general ,valence4 ,the bride is described as ,citizen ,anne ,caroline ,stphanie ,sims1 aged #ai1 living in ,paris1 known in ,france by the name of ,pamela1 a native of ,fago in ,newfoundland and daughter of ,william ,brixeij 7sic7 and ,mary ,sims4 ,the bridegroom is said to be ,edward ,fitz,gerald1 aged #bi1 generally living in ,dublin1 ,ireland1 a native of ,whitehall1 ,london1 and the son of ,james ,fitz,gerald de ,leinster and ,dame ,amlie ,lennox de ,leinster4 ,the ,duke of ,orlans figures in the deed only as ,citizen ,louis ,philippe galit4 #b ,published by order of the ,trustees in #aijf2 price #f;d4 #c ,issued every month at a yearly subscription of #aj francs4 ,the office is at #c1 ,rue de ,furstenberg1 ,paris4 ,amongst ,m4 ,charavay's collaborators are ,m4 ,anatole ,france1 of the ,french ,academy1 and ,m4 ,george ,cain1 of the ,muse ,carnavalet4 ,each number contains one or more facsimiles and a list of sale prices4 #d ,the publisher of ,autograph ,catalogues invariably adopts the following convenient abbreviations3 ,a4 ,l4 ,s4 7autograph letter signed71 ,a4 ,l4 7autograph letter unsigned71 ,a4 ,n4 ,s4 7autograph note signed71 ,d4 ,s4 7document signed74 ,in ,france ,l4 ,a4 ,s4 indicates an autograph letter signed and ,p4 ,s4 7pice signe7 a signed document4 #e ,dr4 ,scott says3 ,various suggestions have been offered for the restoration of vanished writing and of ink which has faded1 such as a solution of sulphide of ammonium washed over the writing1 previously moistened with water or a decoction of nut-galls1 but great care must be exercised so as not to injure valuable documents4 ,indeed1 ,i cannot too often repeat the warning that the less autographs are manipulated or altered from their original state the better4 ,the way in which so many fine old letters have had their margins trimmed to remove the ragged edges years ago is a dreadful eye-sore to the collector1 who1 of course1 likes to see the sheets of paper of the proper orthodox size1 with large spaces around the writing4 ,damping the ink should1 if possible1 be carefully avoided1 for there is something precious and inimitable in the fine1 indescribable tint which age alone gives to writing4 #f ,see ,the ,country ,home1 vol4 iv41 ,february1 #aiaj1 pp4 #bed-eh4 #g ,many varieties of these cabinets are obtainable at the establishment of ,terry ,co41 ,ltd41 wholesale stationers1 ,hatton ,garden4 ,,iii ,,the ,,caveat ,,emptor ,,of ,,autograph ,,collecting ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,dr4 ,,johnson ,,to ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds ,,on ,,the ,,subject ,,of ,,crabbe',s ,,poems1 #aghc4 ,illustration3 ,,lines ,,of ,,thomas ,,chatterton ,,on ,,horace ,,walpole1 ,,which ,,cost ,,sir ,,george ,,white1 ,,of ,,bristol1 #cd4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,caveat ,,emptor ,,of ,,autograph ,,collecting ,forgeries and fakes--,cases of mistaken identity--,some famous autograph frauds--,practical methods of detection ,the success of an imposture depends chiefly upon the receptive disposition of those who are selected as its victims4--,introduction to ,ireland's ,confessions4 ,oui1 il y a de faux autographes1 comme il y a de faux antiques4 ,mais est-ce-qu'on devra supprimer le muse des antiques parce qu'on a dcouvert de faux bronzes4--,,tienne ,,charavay1 ,l',affaire ,vrain-,lucas4 ,i must resist a strong temptation to enlarge on such interesting topics as ,w4 ,h4 ,ireland's wholesale manufacture of ,shakespearean ,,mss42 ,thomas ,chatterton's ingenious fabrication of ,rowley's poems1 and ,james ,macpherson's alleged translations from ,ossian4 ,the main object of ,ireland and ,chatterton was obviously to deceive the world of letters rather than the then little-known autograph collector with whose interests ,i am solely concerned4 ,by the irony of fate1 however1 there are at the present moment very few rarer or more costly autographs than that of ,thomas ,chatterton1 who might very well have lived for a twelvemonth on the price paid by ,sir ,george ,white for four or five lines of his handwriting scrawled on the back of a letter4 ,chatterton died by his own hand1 with starvation staring him in the face1 but ,ireland lived to make money by the ,confessions#h of his misdoings1 and more than thirty years ago #ej was paid for the scathing letter addressed to ,macpherson by ,samuel ,johnson4 ,the forger of autograph letters for the purpose of entrapping the over-trustful or ignorant collector is the product of the nineteenth century1 although some of the ,french imitations may possibly be a little older4 ,the modern forger obtains important aid from photography1 but by way of compensation the enlargement of any given specimen by the same means is invaluable for the purposes of detection4 ,the earliest imitations of autograph letters ,i have ever seen are of ,french origin1 and are contained in the extra-illustrated copy of ,madame de ,svign's ,letters already alluded to4 ,they are frankly labelled as tracings1 engravings1 lithographs1 and so forth1 and many of them seem to have been executed on old paper in order to simulate more completely the originals4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,specimen ,,of ,,ireland',s ,,shakespearean ,,forgeries ,,attested ,,by ,,himself4 7,by permission of the owners1 ,messrs4 ,sotheran47 ,the inexperienced collector must1 in the first instance1 beware of facsimiles of letters which have been published bon fide as illustrations of works of biography1 and1 having been extracted from them1 are offered for sale 7sometimes innocently7 as genuine specimens4 ,the most familiar instance of this is a letter of ,byron's addressed to ,mr4 ,galignani1 at #ah1 ,rue ,vivienne1 ,paris4 ,a facsimile of this1 with address1 c41 was prefixed to an edition of ,byron's poems published in ,paris4 ,not long ago ,i saw this lithographed facsimile figuring as genuine in a valuable collection of holograph letters1 the rest of which were above suspicion4 ,this letter commences with the words3-- ,sir1--,in various numbers of your journal ,i have seen mentioned a work entitled ',the ,vampire' with the addition of my name as that of the author4 ,i am not the author1 and never heard of the work in question until now1 and ends with the sentence1 ,you will oblige me by complying with my request of contradiction4 ,i assure you that ,i know nothing of the work or works in question1 and have the honour to be 7as the correspondents to magazines say71 'your constant reader' and very obedient servant1 ,byron4 ,to this is added the date1 ,venice1 ,april #bgth1 #ahai4 ,there is a well-known facsimile of a letter of ,lord ,nelson which occasionally does duty as an original4 ,some years ago ,i saw it in a catalogue priced at several pounds6 ,it is inserted after the preface in ,t4 ,o4 ,churchill's ,life of ,nelson1 published in #ahjh1 and the paper is therefore not unlike that of the period at which the letter is supposed to have been written1 and bears on the back the address1 ,to ,thomas ,lloyd1 ,esq41 ,no4 #ae1 ,mary's ,buildings1 ,st4 ,martin's ,lane1 ,london4 ,the original would be worth quite ten guineas4 ,buyers of ,nelson letters should remember that this dangerous facsimile begins as follows3 ,bath1 ,january #bith1 #agih4 ,my dear ,lloyd1--,there is nothing you can desire me to do that ,i shall not have the greatest pleasure in complying with1 for ,i am sure you can never possess a thought that is not strictly honourable4 ,i was much flattered by the ,marquis's#i kind notice of me1 and ,i beg you will make my respects acceptable to him4 ,tell him that ,i possess his place in ,mr4 ,palmer's ,box1 but his ,lordship did not tell me all its charms1 that generally some of the handsomest ,ladys at ,bath are partakers in the ,box1 and was ,i a bachelor ,i would not answer for being tempted1 but as ,i am possessed of everything that is valuable in a wife ,i have no occasion to think beyond a pretty face--and so forth4 ,illustration3 ,,william ,,ireland',s ,,attestation ,,of ,,his ,,forgeries ,,of ,,shakespeare',s ,,signature4 ,if either of these facsimiles had been touched with the end of a sable brush moistened with muriatic acid and water the print would remain unaffected4 ,in a genuine letter the writing if so touched would grow faint or disappear4 ,the same test may be applied to photographs or imitations in sepia4 ,i once purchased a quaint note written by ,edmund ,kean1 of which a reproduction is now given4 ,nearly a year later ,i saw an autograph1 identical in every particular1 offered for sale4 ,i sent for it1 and on applying the dilution of muriatic acid test found it to be a copy in sepia of the note already in my possession4 ,the owner of the genuine note had sent it to two or three applicants for inspection4 ,it had been traced over and then worked up in sepia4 ,i once discovered a letter of ,william ,pitt the ,elder to be a forgery by the mere accident of the sun falling on it1 and showing a narrow rim round each letter4 ,in this case the basis was a photograph1 touched up with black paint4 ,the autograph collector soon becomes accustomed to the appearance of genuine letters1 for the creases and stains of time cannot be perfectly imitated any more than the old-world appearance of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century ink4 ,watermarks are a good1 but not an infallible1 test of genuineness4 ,the thick1 gilt-edged letter paper of quarto size used by our ancestors cannot be satisfactorily counterfeited1 and the inexperienced buyer should eschew documents of all sorts written on morsels of paper of irregular size1 which may have been torn from books1 and lack the usual tests of authenticity4 ,collectors of autographs should bear in mind the facts that franks ceased to be used after the introduction of the penny postage in #ahdj2 that envelopes were first used about ten years earlier1 and that the letters denoting the various ,london postal districts did not form part of the postmark till some time after the invention of the adhesive stamp4 ,a forged letter of ,thackeray was detected by the appearance of the letter ,w4 after ,london in the counterfeit postmark quite ten years before it could have legitimately done so4 ,if hot water is applied to a genuine watermark1 it becomes clearer and stronger2 if to a fabricated one it disappears4 ,the autograph collector should carefully study a book which has quite recently been published on the subject of forgery and fabricated documents4#aj ,one chapter is devoted to the subject of forged literary autographs1 but those who desire to acquire an expert knowledge of this important question should master the whole of its contents1 and this is no difficult task1 for the volume only contains seventy-seven pages4 ,in proportion to the constant rise in the value of autographs the temptation to forgery increases1 and the gradual absorption of genuine specimens is sure to bring into existence a number of shams4 ,as the authors very rightly point out1 ,it is not surprising the profitable and growing autograph market should have attracted the fraudulent1 for the prizes when won are generally of a substantial character1 and amply repay the misapplied effort and ingenuity demanded4 ,the success which has attended too many of these frauds may be largely accounted for by the fact that in many cases the enthusiasm of the collector has outrun his caution4 ,the letters of ,washington1 ,franklin1 ,burns1 ,nelson1 ,byron1 ,keats1 ,shelley1 and ,scott were the first to attract the attention of the autograph forger in ,england4 ,thackeray and ,dickens have been recently the object of his unwelcome attentions4 ,most of the ,thackeray forgeries1 like the example reproduced1 are the work of one man1 who uses an ordinary pen and has a fondness for half-sheets of paper4 ,his feeble attempts to imitate ,thackeray's wit and style are alone sufficient to excite suspicion4 ,if the counterfeit is carefully compared with a genuine specimen like the one given1 deception will be impossible4 ,i possess a small collection of forged autograph letters to use for detective purposes1 and as a warning to others4 ,there are five of these duffer ,thackerays amongst them4 ,the forger apparently finds the upright hand ,thackeray adopted later in life more to his taste than the less angular calligraphy of his youth4 ,a few years ago the ,london autograph market was inundated with forged letters of ,thackeray and ,dickens4 ,at present they are kept out of the light of day1 and sold to the unwary in all sorts of out-of-the-way places1 often in shops at the sea-side4 ,the ,dickens forgeries are generally betrayed by the printed address at the top of the letter being lithographed and not embossed4 ,the gentleman to whom ,dickens is said to have addressed his last letter is supposed to have had a certain number of facsimiles made for distribution amongst his friends4 ,these are now used occasionally like the ,galignani-,byron or the ,churchill-,nelson4 ,it is here a clear case of caveat emptor4 ,illustration3 ,,forged ,,letter ,,of ,w4 ,m4 ,,thackeray1 ,,in ,,which ,,his ,,later ,,handwriting ,,is ,,imitated4 ,very often a letter is offered for sale which is in no sense of the word a forgery1 but which was never written by the person the buyer supposes4 ,in nine cases out of ten the seller is as ignorant of the true state of the case as the buyer4 ,i allude to letters written by persons bearing the same name1 but whose autographs possess a very different value4 ,in addition to the kings and queens whose names are identical1 we have two ,oliver ,cromwells1 two ,horace ,walpoles1 two ,sarah ,siddonses1 two ,charles ,dickenses1 and many other doubles4 ,i have within the last few months seen a letter of the less-known ,horace ,walpole catalogued as one of the owner of ,strawberry ,hill1 and a letter of ,sarah ,siddons the younger1 whose usual signature is ,s4 ,m4 ,siddons1 described as a long and pleasing specimen in the handwriting of her mother4 ,in these cases there is no sort of resemblance in the calligraphy of the two persons4 ,the error arises solely from the similarity of the name1 and a lack of care or knowledge on the part of the cataloguer4 ,as a matter of fact1 the letter of ,sarah ,martha ,siddons is an exceedingly interesting one1 and was written about two years before her death under the tragic circumstances graphically described by ,mr4 ,knapp in his ,artist's ,love ,story4 ,i never saw any other letter of ,sarah ,m4 ,siddons1 and ,i give it in extenso to show how careful one should be in studying an autograph before purchasing it4 ,it should be remembered that ,sally ,siddons promised her younger sister ,maria1 who died in #agih at ,bristol ,hot ,wells all for the love of the handsome painter1 that under no circumstances would she ever marry him4 ,the letter gives a striking picture of the ,kemble-,siddons circle at ,bath in the first year of the nineteenth century4 ,miss ,sarah ,m4 ,siddons at ,bath to ,miss ,patty ,wilkinson1#aa ,blake ,street1 ,york4 ,,bath1 ,july #ai1 #ahja4 ,indeed my dear ,patty ,i am extremely concerned to hear of your mother's serious illness which you may believe is not a little augmented by the necessity ,i cannot but feel there is1 for your staying with her if she does not soon get the better of this alarming attack1 but you know my dear ,i am by nature 7and heartily do ,i thank nature for it7 dispos'd to see the fairest side of things1 and ,i am flattering myself with the hopes that your next letter will bring me good tidings1 and that ,i shall see my dear ,patty arrive with my ,mother#ab at ,bath in less now than a fortnight4 ,heaven be prais'd1 if ,i should but be well to receive you both1 it will be one of the happiest days of my life4 ,did ,i tell you how sociable we all were while my uncle and ,mrs4 ,kemble#ac were in ,bath8 dining every day together1 either at our own or the ,twiss's house4 ,i never saw my ,uncle so cheerful and like other people1 and she was quite agreeable and did not overwhelm us with ,lords1 ,ladies1 ,balls and ,suppers4 ,mrs4 ,twiss#ad too is become quite kind1 nay affectionate to me since ,i got well1 but one smile1 one tender word1 or attention has more effect on me when ,i am ill and miserable than all the kindness and attention ,i can meet with1 when ,i am well1 and able 7at least in some degree7 to return pleasure for pleasure4 ,i have heard ,betty ,sharp sing several times1 and think she is very much improved in manner and ,i hope her voice will improve in power1 at present it is often too weak to have much effect in a large room1 crowded with people4 ,she is good humour'd and unaffected as far as ,i have seen her1 and her person as ,i told you before improv'd most astonishingly4 ,while my uncle and ,mrs4 ,kemble were here1 we spent an evening at ,mrs4 ,palmer's#ae which was rather dull1 and one at ,miss ,lee's#af which was a little better4 ,i am sure they both would have been very tiresome to me if it had not been for my own people4 ,pray remember me very kindly to poor ,mrs4 ,wilkinson1 who is ,i hope recovering every day--and to your friend ,miss ,brook4 ,i should like to see ,cora in all her glory4 ,i present by you a salute to her ,ladyship's divine parts4 ,george#ag will still be with us when you come4 ,cecy#ah will be gone to school and it is almost time she should1 for she is got so riotous nobody can manage her when ,i am not in the way1 for ,patty is too good natured 444 and tho' she continually threatens to tell me1 she never does and ,cecilia knows she never will4 ,adieu my dear girl4 ,i shall hear from you surely in a day or two1 till when1 ,i am impatiently ,your ever sincere and affectionate ,s4 ,m4 ,,siddons4 ,of the forged letters in my private pillory that of ,keats is by far the most cleverly executed4 ,the facsimiles of ,byron and ,nelson were never intended to be used for the purposes of deception4 ,the ,keats and ,thackeray counterfeits1 on the other hand1 are the work of a professional fabricator of spurious autographs4 ,in the ,keats letters 7dated ,wentworth ,place1 ,hampstead1 ,december #h1 #ahah7 the postmarks1 the creases1 the faded colour of the paper1 and the seal with the clasped hands and motto are all carefully imitated1 but it would not for a moment deceive an experienced hand4 ,collectors should carefully examine all ,keats letters offered for sale--particularly those addressed to ,my dear ,woodhouse4 ,the same remark applies to correspondence by ,burns1 ,scott1 ,shelley1 and ,byron1 for those much-prized and eagerly-sought-after letters have been each in turn the subject of ingenious and carefully prepared forgeries4 ,the ,byron forger 7who claimed relationship with the poet7 escaped the punishment he richly merited1 but the wholesale manufacturer of ,burns and ,scott ,,mss4 was sent to jail for a twelvemonth4 ,the most extraordinary case in the annals of autograph forgery occurred in ,france--the country par excellence of cunningly devised facsimiles--on the eve of the ,franco-,prussian ,war4 ,it is known as the ,affaire ,vrain-,lucas1 and an excellent account of it was published at the time by ,m4 tienne ,charavay4#ai ,vrain-,lucas was a needy adventurer2 ,michel ,chasles was a scientist of ,european reputation4 ,incredible as it may appear1 ,vrain-,lucas1 in the course of a few years1 induced one ,chasles to purchase from him at the aggregate price of about #f1jjj no less than #bg1jjj autographs1 nearly the whole of which were forgeries of the most audacious description4 ,vrain-,lucas bestowed on his counterfeits little of the care and attention to detail which characterises some of the ,keats1 ,byron1 ,shelley1 and ,scott forgeries4 ,beginning with a supposed correspondence between the youthful ,newton and ,pascal1 which ,sir ,david ,brewster proved conclusively to be impossible1 he proceeded to fabricate letters of ,rabelais1 ,montesquieu1 and ,la ,bruyre4 ,before he had finished ,m4 ,chasles became the possessor of letters in ,french and written on paper made in ,france of ,julius ,csar1 ,cleopatra1 ,mary ,magdalene1 and even of ,lazarus1 after his resurrection4 ,on ,february #af1 #ahgj1 ,vrain-,lucas was brought before a ,paris ,criminal ,court 7,tribunal ,correctionnel74 ,amongst the forged ,,mss4 produced on behalf of the prosecution were #e letters of ,ablard1 #e from ,alcibiades to ,pericles1 #aha of ,alcuin1 #a of ,attila to a ,gallic general1 #f of ,alexander the ,great to ,aristotle1 to say nothing of examples of the private correspondence of ,herod1 ,pompey1 ,charles ,martel1 ,judas ,iscariot1 ,mary ,magdalene1 ,sapho1 ,pontius ,pilate1 and ,joan of ,arc4 ,another long alphabetical list of these fictitious rariora began with ,agns ,sorel1 ,anacreon1 and the ,emperor ,adrian1 and ended with ,st4 ,theresa1 ,tiberius1 ,turenne1 and ,voltaire4 ,here is a delicious example of this farrago of transparent fraud4 ,letter of ,queen ,cleopatra to ,julius ,csar4 ,clopatre royne son trs am ,jules ,csar1 ,empereur4 ,mon trs am1 nostre fils ,csarion va bien4 ,j'espre que bientt il sera en estat de supporter le voyage d'icy ,marseilles1 o j'ai besoin de le faire instruire tant cause de bon air qu'on y respire et des belles choses qu'on y enseigne4 ,je vous prins donc me dire combien de temps encore resterez dans ces contres1 car j'y veux conduire moy mme nostre fils et vous prier par icelle occasion4 ,c'est vous dire mon trs am le contentement que je ressens lorsque je me trouve prs de vous1 et ce attendant1 je prins les dieux avoir vous en consideration4 ,le xi ,mars l'an de ,rome ,,vccix4767 ,and next came a safe-conduct pass written by ,vercingetorix in favour of the young ,trogus ,pompeus on a secret mission to ,julius ,csar6 ,vrain-,lucas was promptly sentenced to two years' imprisonment for fraud1 together with a fine of #ejj francs and the costs of the trial4 ,the only excuse for ,m4 ,michel ,chasles1 mathematician of renown and ,member of the ,academy of ,sciences1 is to be found in his numerous preoccupations and advanced age4 ,he was seventy-six in #ahgj4 ,in ,england the ,affaire ,vrain-,lucas has to some extent its counterpart in the literary forgery carried out with consummate skill by ,dr4 ,constantine ,simonides1 who managed to deceive that too ardent collector1 ,sir ,thomas ,phillipps1 with such tempting rarities from a monastery on ,mount ,athos as part of the original ,gospel of ,st4 ,matthew1 the ,proverbs of ,pythagoras1 or a copy of ,homer written on serpent's skin4 ,but enough has been said of these literary frauds4 ,there is1 however1 one more class of forged autographs4 ,i refer to letters fabricated in order to injure another1 or in furtherance of some political object4 ,the ,parnell letters1 forged twenty years ago by ,richard ,pigott1 belonged to this class1 but they raised many of the questions which belong to forgeries of autographs4 ,i was lately shown a forged letter of ,napoleon ,,iii41 supposed to have been written in #ahdh1 which had evidently been fabricated many years later1 possibly in #ahfe1 in order to discredit him when the ,second ,empire began to lose its popularity4 ,according to the document he had ordered the assassination of some associate suspected of treason4 ,not only was the imitation of the calligraphy of ,napoleon ,,iii4 faulty in many respects1 but the signature1 ,napoleon ,bonaparte1 at once betrayed the falsity of the document4 ,it was1 curiously enough1 enclosed in an official envelope of ,prince ,jrme ,bonaparte's addressed to ,jules ,favre6 ,the best-known dealers in autographs always guarantee what they sell1 and will readily take back any doubtful specimen4 ,in the early stage of autograph collecting it is a manifest advantage to confine one's transactions to men of this class4 ,whenever the origin of an autograph is suspicious or mysterious1 it is always safest to obtain expert opinion4 ,as ,m4 ,charavay points out in dealing with the ,affaire ,vrain-,lucas1 the question of the source from which an article comes is often of capital importance4 ,never omit to read carefully any given letter1 and consider it from an historical point of view1 as well as a mere specimen of handwriting4 ,if ,m4 ,michel ,chasles had done this he would have saved his #adj1jjj francs4 ,if the first ,newton letter he purchased had been submitted to the historical test1 he would have discovered that at the time the philosopher was supposed to discuss problems of the greatest abstruseness he was only three years old4 ,it was on this deal that ,vrain-,lucas built up his mountain of successful fraud4 ,bear in mind all that has been said of watermarks1 postmarks1 the shape and quality of paper1 c4 ,avoid notes written on scraps of paper and ragged half-sheets4 ,if you suspect a letter to be a facsimile of some sort1 touch the writing gently with diluted muriatic acid4 ,forgeries effected by the use of water-colour paint yield at once to the application of hot water4 ,as yet the application of the useful maxim of caveat emptor is only necessary in the case of comparatively rare autographs4 ,letters of no great intrinsic value have as yet not proved remunerative to the forger1 but it by no means follows that this will always remain so4 ,,footnotes3 #h ,editions of ,ireland's ,confessions appeared both in ,england and ,america4 ,my own copy is entitled ,the ,confessions of ,william ,henry ,ireland4 ,a ,new ,edition with an introduction by ,richard ,grant ,white 7,new ,york1 #ahgd74 #i ,marquis of ,lansdowne4 #aj ,the ,detection of ,forgery4 ,a ,practical ,handbook1 by ,douglas ,blackburn and ,captain ,waithman ,caddell 7,london1 #aiji74 #aa ,the daughter of ,tate ,wilkinson1 of ,york1 the ,wandering ,patentee4 ,miss ,patty ,wilkinson eventually became the companion of ,mrs4 ,siddons1 and lived with her till her death4 #ab ,mr4 ,siddons was now a resident at ,bath1 and his wife frequently joined him there whenever her professional duties allowed of her doing so4 #ac ,j4 ,p4 ,kemble was playing at the ,orchard ,street ,theatre in the early summer of #ahja4 #ad ,a married sister of ,mrs4 ,siddons1 who also resided in ,bath4 ,the mother of ,horace ,twiss4 #ae ,the wife of the ,lessee of the ,bath ,theatre and ,director of ,posts4 #af ,the well-known ,sisters ,lee kept a school in ,bath4 #ag ,george ,siddons subsequently received an ,indian cadetship from the ,prince ,regent1 and survived his mother4 #ah ,cecilia ,siddons--,mrs4 ,siddons' youngest daughter4 ,mrs4 ,piozzi was her godmother4 ,lawrence's crayon drawing of ,cecilia ,siddons is now in possession of ,lady ,seymour1 #ca1 ,eccleston ,street4 ,cecilia ,siddons also survived her mother4 #ai ,faux ,autographes4 ,affaire ,vrain-,lucas4 tude ,critique sur la ,collection ,vendue ,mons4 ,michel ,chasles et ,observations sur les moyens de reconnatre les ,faux ,autographes1 par tienne ,charavay4 7,paris3 ,librairie ,jacques ,charavay ,an1 #ahgj47 ,,iv ,,some ,,famous ,,autograph ,,finds ,,chapter ,,iv ,,some ,,famous ,,autograph ,,finds ,personal reminiscences and experiences ,no pursuit is more exciting than that of ,autographs4--,the ,archivist1 #ahhh4 ,if autograph collecting is1 as ,mr4 ,joline defines it1 one of the gentlest of emotions1 it certainly gives its votaries occasional moments of harmless excitement4 ,many of my readers will doubtless remember the faded handwriting on the battledores of our childhood1 which1 it may be presumed1 represented the periodical clearings-out of lawyers' offices2 but it requires a considerable stretch of the imagination to credit the presence of a portion of one of the copies of the ,magna ,charta on a drum-head1 although the anecdote finds its place in all autograph handbooks4 ,ample evidence1 however1 exists of the strong natural affinity which once existed between ancient documents and the callings of the grocer and the fishmonger1 but the use for old paper in this connection has almost entirely gone out of fashion1 and the greater part of the discarded ,,mss4 go straight to the pulp-mills for the purposes of reconversion4 ,i will not attempt to disguise my envy of the pleasurable sensations ,dr4 ,raffles must have experienced when he picked up the original account of the expenses incurred at the execution of ,mary ,queen of ,scots1 duly attested by ,burleigh1 for eighteenpence at a book-stall on ,holborn ,hill4 ,almost equally lucky was the discoverer1 on a printing-house file at ,wrexham1 of the ,,ms4 of ,bishop ,heber's famous missionary hymn1 which not very long ago fetched forty guineas at ,sotheby's2 and still more so the traveller who reclaimed the whole of the forty years' correspondence between ,james ,boswell and the ,rev4 ,w4 ,j4 ,temple from the proprietor of a ,boulogne fish-shop4 ,as the value of autographs becomes more and more widely known1 and the search for them becomes keener1 chances of important finds become rarer1 but the possibilities of this kind of treasure-trove are by no means exhausted4 ,english ,,mss4 of great interest and value continually come to light abroad4 ,letters of the early ,reformers often turn up in ,holland4 ,hooper1 ,bishop of ,gloucester1 sent the whole of his ,,mss4 to his friend ,bullinger1 and as yet only a single letter of ,tyndall has ever come to light4 ,others1 in all human probability1 are hidden away in the bahuts and presses of the ,low ,countries1 where letters of the ,duke of ,marlborough are not unfrequently offered for sale4 ,fine ,stuart autographs constantly turn up both in ,germany and ,rome4 ,it was in the ,eternal ,city that the priceless ,,mss4 of ,cardinal ,york were offered for sale at the modest price of #bj4 ,the ,english collector cannot too carefully examine the catalogues regularly issued by foreign dealers4 ,i have already alluded to my discovery of the marriage settlement of ,pamela ,fitz,gerald and the sixteenth-century deed relating to a ,french commission for the colonisation of ,canada4 ,it was in a ,paris price-list that ,i came across the following extraordinary letter of ,sir ,humphry ,davy on the subject of his quarrel with ,george ,stephenson3-- ,sir ,humphry ,davy to ,john ,buddle1 ,esq41 ,wallsend1 ,newcastle4 ,,london1 ,february #h1 #ahag4 ,,dear ,,sir1--,newman appears dilatory and has not yet made the apparatus to my mind2 but ,i hope soon to send it you and to give you your new right4 ,i hope no one will try expts with platinum in explosive atmospheres till my paper is published for if fine wire is used and suffered to hang out of the lamp so as to ignite to whiteness in the external air explosion will follow2 but by the most simple precaution security is absolute4 ,stevenson's ,pamphlet has proved to the satisfaction of every person who has looked at it in ,london1 that he endeavoured to steal from what he had heard of my researches1 safety tubes and apertures3 no one could have established his piracy so effectively as himself4 ,it is stated in one of these malignant advertisements which are below my contempt that ,i was in the coal district in the end of ,september #ahae4 ,whereas ,i left it two days after ,i saw you at ,wallsend which ,i think was the #bcrd or #bdth of ,august and went to ,bishop ,auckland where ,i stayed only three days and ,i spent the greater part of the month of ,september with ,lord ,harewood and was in ,london working in my ,laboratory early in ,october and had discovered several apertures and tubes in the middle of last month whilst ,mr4 ,stevenson's absurd idea of admitting ,hydrogen in undetached portions by a slider was fermenting in his mind4 ,i certainly never thought of employing capilliary sic tubes4 ,my tubes were merely safe tubes for ,i knew perfectly well and have proved by expts that no lamp could be fed on air through real capilliary tubes4 ,to make a lamp that will burn on three capilliary tubes is as impossible as to make it burn in a closed decanter4 ,stevenson's capilliary tubes are evidently stolen from what ,mr4 ,hodgson communicated early in ,november of my small safe tubes and made capilliary to suit ,mr4 ,brandlings marvellous discovery that wire gauze is the extremity of capilliary tubes4 ,i am my dear ,sir1 ,very sincerely yours1 ,h4 ,,davy4 ,a specimen of an advertisement suited to ,mr4 ,w4 ,brandling4 ,aladdin should sign his name ,assassin for he endeavours to stab in the dark4 ,an assassin is a proper associate for a private purloiner4 ,one may attempt to murder while the other carries off the plunder4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,brandling must be ashamed of such friends as ,aladdin and ,fair play1 at least he cannot wish to be seen in public with them even though he should love them as dearly as himself4 ,,truth4 ,one suited to ,stevenson4 ,mr4 ,george ,stevenson has changed his note from capilliary tubes to small tubes4 ,no one can doubt that he pilfered these from ,mr4 ,hodgson's communication of ,sir ,h4 ,davy's discoveries4 ,his original principle to admit ,hydrogen in small detached portions 7detached by a slider7 is now kept out of sight4 ,a man who in the face of the whole world and in open day light steals the safety trimmer and a safe top in ,killingworth ,colliery and in the dark may endeavour to steal safety apertures and tubes4 ,but does he now know what is a safe aperture8 ,let those people who use his lamp1 his capilliary tube lamp1 look to themselves4 ,,vindex4 ,it is fit that great ingratitude and little malevolence should be united in the same cause1 fortunately in this case they are associated with great ignorance4 ,from the same source came the correspondence between ,lord ,brougham and his friend ,arago1 in the course of which the ex-,chancellor of ,great ,britain proposed to abandon his own nationality1 and1 if elected1 take his seat in the ,french ,assembly4 ,illustration3 ,,two ,,pages ,,of ,a ,,letter ,,by ,,lord ,,brougham ,,to ,e4 ,,arago1 ,,offering ,,to ,,become ,a ,,naturalised ,,frenchman ,,and ,a ,,candidate ,,for ,,the ,,french ,,chambers4 ,there is scarcely a country house or muniment-room in ,england which may not afford a happy hunting-ground to the collector4 ,it is only quite lately missing originals of the ,paston ,letters 7lost ever since #aghi7 were recovered in the library of the descendants of ,pitt's friend and literary executor1 ,bishop ,pretyman-,tomline4 ,although ,moore1 ,murray1 and ,hobhouse burned one copy of ,byron's ,,ms4 autobiography in #ahbd1 a duplicate is supposed to be in existence1 but its present whereabouts is unknown4 ,in a quiet corner of the ,harcourt ,library at ,nuneham1 ,whitelock's ,,ms4 was found quite unexpectedly1 and ,burckhardt's journal of the ,euphrates ,expedition of #ahaa1 and the ,,mss4 of ,william ,oldys are still missing4 ,a bundle of genuine ,keats letters was disinterred at ,melbourne1 and the letters of the ,rev4 ,george ,crabbe to ,miss ,elizabeth ,charter1 now in my possession1 sojourned for many years in the ,antipodes4 ,within the last half-century letters of ,addison1 ,prior1 and ,mordaunt ,earl of ,peterborough1 and other ,,mss4 of great value1 were saved from imminent destruction in a manor house1 near ,llangollen4 ,it was only seventy years ago that a dealer in ,hungerford ,market1 named ,jay1 purchased at #g a ton a large accumulation of waste-paper from the ,somerset ,house authorities4 ,by the merest accident it transpired that amongst the ,,mss4 thus unceremoniously treated were ,exchequer ,office ,accounts of the reign of ,henry ,,vii41 ,secret ,service ,accounts signed by ,eleanor ,gwynne1 and ,wardrobe ,accounts of ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,several bundles of parchments were sold by ,jay to a ,fleet ,street confectioner1 and turned into jelly1 before any suspicion arose as to their possible value or importance4 ,it was seventeen years later than this1 in #aheg1 that three hundred tons of papers1 including the records of the ,indian ,navy1 went from the old ,india ,house to the paper-mill4 ,comparatively few of the ,jay ,,mss4 were recovered1 for three tons of paper which remained untouched were accidentally burned4 ,there is no more picturesque incident in the annals of literary discovery than ,sir ,h4 ,maxwell ,lyle's account of his find in a loft at ,belvoir1 the clue to which was afforded by a faded label on a rusty key4 ,the disturbance of the surface1 we are told1 caused a horrible stench1 and it soon became evident that the loft had been tenanted by rats1 who had done lasting damage to valuable ,,mss4 by gnawing and staining them4 ,some documents had been reduced to powder1 others had lost their dates or their signatures4 ,the entire centre of a long letter in the hand of ,robert ,dudley1 ,earl of ,leicester1 had entirely disappeared4 ,those that remained were of a very varied character4 ,a deed of the time of ,henry ,,ii4 was found among some granary accounts of the eighteenth century1 and gossiping letters of the ,court of ,elizabeth among modern vouchers4 ,letters to ,henry ,vernon of ,haddon from the ,duke of ,clarence1 the ,earl of ,warwick1 and ,kings ,edward ,,iv41 ,richard ,,iii41 and ,henry ,,vii41 written on paper and folded very small1 lay hidden between large leases engrossed on thick parchment4 ,illustration3 ,,specimen ,,page ,,of ,,the ,,dumouriez ,,ms4 ,,discovered ,,by ,,the ,,writer4 ,by permission of ,mr4 ,john ,lane4 ,the loft at ,belvoir is certainly not the only place in the ,united ,kingdom where autographic treasure-trove lies hid1 and no opportunity should be missed of turning over collections of ,,mss41 when the occasion presents itself4 ,some five years ago an entry in one of the catalogues of ,mr4 ,b4 ,dobell1 of #gg1 ,charing ,cross ,road1 led me to become the possessor of the holograph project for the ,defence of ,england drawn up in #ahjc-e by ,general ,dumouriez1 on behalf of the last ,pitt ,administration4 ,the ,,ms4 covers nearly four hundred pages1 and is carefully bound in white vellum4 ,every page of it is in ,dumouriez's handwriting4 ,from first to last the work done by ,dumouriez cost the ,government quite #bj1jjj4 ,only fragments of the scheme exist in the archives of the ,war ,office4 ,this book contains the project in its entirety4 ,it cost me twenty-seven shillings1 and formed the basis of a book written in collaboration with ,dr4 ,holland ,rose4#bj ,i have certainly been fortunate in acquiring a great many unknown documents relating to ,napoleon and the ,napoleonic wars4 ,while rummaging amongst the miscellaneous papers in the possession of ,mr4 ,george ,mackey1 the well-known ,birmingham antiquary1 ,i lighted on the whole correspondence between ,lord ,cawdor and the ,duke of ,portland relating to the landing in ,february1 #agig1 of the ,french ,black ,legion under ,tate at ,fishguard1 then an almost entirely unknown ,welsh fishing village1 and now transformed by the ,great ,western ,railway into an important port-of-call4 ,by the kind permission of ,mr4 ,j4 ,c4 ,inglis1 ,general ,manager of the ,g4,w4,r41 a reproduction is now given of the important ,cawdor letter first published in the ,company's travel-books1 ,the ,country of ,castles4 ,the unexpected recovery of these ,,mss4 enabled me to give an exhaustive account of the romantic occurrence with which they deal in ,napoleon and the ,invasion of ,england4#ba ,illustration3 ,,original ,,dispatch ,,of ,,lord ,,cawdor ,,to ,,duke ,,of ,,portland ,,describing ,,the ,,landing ,,and ,,surrender ,,of ,,the ,,french ,,at ,,fishguard1 ,,february1 #agig4 7,by permission of the ,g4,w4,r47 ,but these were not the only discoveries ,i made in ,mr4 ,mackey's autographic store4 ,i came upon a number of the original drafts of unpublished patriotic songs by ,charles ,dibdin1 including three in honour of ,trafalgar1 of which the following is a specimen3-- ,when ,nelson fell the voice of ,fame ,with mingled joy and pain ,lamented that no other name ,so glorious could remain4 ,and worthily is ,nelson loved2 ,yet1 ere a short month's dawn1 ,fresh glory ,britain's sons have proved1 ,led on by gallant ,strachan4 ,pellew and ,smith and ,collingwood1 fellows ,fine sailors yet exist2 ,but to name sailors good ,i would take the ,navy ,list4 ,great ,nelson's brothers called1 ,and who though for ever gone1 ,his spirit 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,and such a tar is ,strachan4 ,then1 ,britons1 be not out of heart1 ,likewise of hopes bereft1 ,in twain did the sheet-anchor part1 ,yet is the best bower#bb left4 ,still ,nelson's name inspires renown1 ,and though for ever gone1 ,his spirit shall in smiles look down ,and point to gallant ,strachan4 ,great ,nelson with his parting breath ,their character has drawn1 ,he called them brothers1 and his death ,they'll emulate like ,strachan4 ,for some unaccountable reason the commonplace book of the unofficial laureate of the ,navy had drifted to ,birmingham4 ,it was found by me in the same bin of literary odds and ends as the ,cawdor dispatches1 which obviously ought to have been in the ,home ,office or the ,record ,office4 ,at the same time and place ,i lighted on the letters of ,colonel ,digby1 the ,mr4 ,fairly1 of ,fanny ,burney's ,journal1 to the beautiful sisters ,margaret and ,isabella ,gunning1 the first of whom he afterwards married1 thereby 7if the ,court gossip of the day may be trusted7 sorely disappointing the literary ,assistant-,keeper of the ,royal ,robes4 ,illustration3 ,,ms4 ,,verses ,,on ,,trafalgar ,,in ,,the ,,handwriting ,,of ,,charles ,,dibdin1 #ahje4 ,it was from ,mr4 ,dobell that ,i obtained another of the ,,mss4 in my collection which ,i specially prize--,i allude to the holograph copy of ,mrs4 ,robinson's ,memoirs1 written nearly entirely on the covering sheets of old letters upon which one reads the signatures of such important and fashionable personages as the ,duke of ,clarence1 ,duchesses of ,ancaster and ,dorset1 the ,earl of ,jersey1 the ,marquis of ,lothian1 the ,duke of ,grafton1 and so forth4 ,it is also curious to trace the frequent flittings of the unfortunate ,perdita1 the early love of the ,prince described in bitter irony as the first gentleman in ,europe4 ,from ,berkeley ,square she moves to ,clarges ,street1 and thence in rapid succession to ,piccadilly1 ,curzon ,street1 ,st4 ,james's ,place1 ,hill ,street1 ,stanhope ,street1 and ,south ,audley ,street4 ,now she is at the ,ship ,inn at ,brighton2 now at the ,htel de ,russie and the ,htel de ,chartres at ,paris2 now at ,no4 #aj1 ,north ,parade1 ,bath4 ,one or two letters seem to have been addressed to ,englefield ,cottage1 where she died4 ,on an ivy-grown tomb in ,old ,windsor churchyard one can still decipher ,samuel ,pratt's lines beginning3-- ,of ,beauty's ,isle her daughters must declare ,she who sleeps here was fairest of the fair4 ,from this ,,ms4 the ,story of ,perdita and ,florizel may some day be re-written or re-edited4 ,by the kindness of ,dr4 ,scott ,i added to my collection a genuine letter of great ,shakespearean interest1 for it is addressed to ,edward ,alleyn1 the ,founder of ,dulwich ,college1 by ,william ,wilson1 one of the actors in ,shakespeare's troop at the ,fortune ,theatre4 ,it runs as follows3-- ,to my most dear and especial good friend ,mr4 ,edward ,alleyn at ,dulwich4 ,right worshipful1 my humble duty remembered hoping in the ,almighty that your health and prosperity1 which on my knees ,i beseech ,him long to continue1 for the many favours which ,i have from time to time received4 ,my poor ability is not in the least degree able to give you satisfaction unless as ,i and mine have been bound to you for your many kindnesses so will we during life pray for your prosperity4 ,i confess ,i have found you my chiefest friend in the midst of my extremities which makes me loth to press or request your favour any further1 yet for that ,i am to be married on ,sunday next and your kindness may be a great help and furtherance unto me towards the raising of my poor and deserted estate ,i am enforced once again to entreat your worship's furtherance in a charitable request which is that ,i may have your worship's letter to ,mr4 ,dowton and ,mr4 ,edward ,juby to be a means that the company of players of the ,fortune may either offer at my wedding at ,st4 ,saviour's ,church or of their own good nature bestow something upon me on that day and as ever ,i and mine will not only rest bounden unto yourself but continually pray for your worship's health with increase of all happiness long to continue4 ,i hope of your worship's favour herein4 ,i humbly take my leave4 ,resting your ,worship's during life to be commanded ,,william ,,wilson4 ,from the registers of ,st4 ,saviour's1 ,southwark1 it is clear that ,wilson's marriage took place there on ,sunday1 ,november #b1 #afag1 about eighteen months after ,shakespeare's death4 ,dowton1 like ,farren1 is an hereditary theatrical name1 and the ,wilson letter reveals another actor ,dowton1 probably an ancestor of the ,dowtons of a later time4 ,dr4 ,wallace1 the erudite discoverer of the new ,shakespeare document at the ,record ,office1 writes me that he considers the letter of ,william ,wilson an excellent specimen of the epistolary style of ,shakespeare's time1 and of singular interest to ,shakespearean students4 ,some of my most interesting finds are now placed in my ,napoleonic collection1 which ,i have almost doubled in extent since the publication of ,collectanea ,napoleonica4#bc ,for #e ,i obtained1 some five years ago at ,sotheby's1 the letter of #bd #dto pages in which ,sir ,stamford ,raffles describes his visit to ,st4 ,helena and his interview with ,napoleon4 ,as ,i received a very substantial sum for permission to reproduce a portion of it in a daily paper1 this interesting and valuable ,,ms4 cost me nothing4 ,at the ,bunbury sale a great many letters of historical importance fetched a comparatively low price4 ,it was at this sale that ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin bought the second and more lengthy letter from ,george ,crabbe to ,edmund ,burke now in my possession4 ,it was at the ,bunbury dispersal that the late ,mr4 ,frederick ,barker bought for me the extraordinary official letter and holograph proclamation to the ,vendans penned by ,louis ,larochejaquelein on ,june #b1 #ahae1 an hour or two before his death4 ,these documents would certainly have fetched five times the price ,i paid for them in ,paris1 where ,i had to pay #aj for a letter of his more famous brother ,henry1 killed in #agid4 ,i also purchased at the ,bunbury sale two long letters of ,c4 ,j4 ,fox to his uncle1 ,general ,fox1 and a confidential letter of ,earl ,bathurst giving ,bunbury his opinion of ,gourgaud1 and enclosing four sheets of a private letter from ,sir ,hudson ,lowe4 ,the companionship of autographs is curious4 ,in a letter of the ,marquis ,montchenu1 the garrulous ,french ,commissioner at ,st4 ,helena1 ,i found an autograph of ,sir ,hudson ,lowe1 written in #aghj at the ,london ,inn1 ,exeter1 when he was a boy-ensign in the ,devon ,militia6 ,it was ,montchenu who caused a sensation at the ,courts of the ,allied ,powers by declaring that ,lowe was about to make ,napoleon the godfather of his son1 who in #aheg was one of the garrison in the ,lucknow ,residence4 ,in ,june1 #aijf1 ,m4 ,nol ,charavay bought for me at the ,dablin sale a number of ,napoleonic rariora1 amongst them the ,longwood ,household ,expenses ,book kept by ,pierron1 the matre d'htel1 between ,march1 #ahah1 and ,april #cj1 #ahba4 ,the entries are always countersigned by ,montholon1 and in many cases are controlled by ,napoleon1 who frequently made calculations as to the relative value of pounds and shillings in francs4 ,all these papers will1 doubtless1 be useful to some one who desires to say the last word on the ,last ,phase1 and ,i am very grateful to ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin1 who procured for me the original copy of the elaborately-bound ,last ,reign of ,napoleon1 which ,mr4 ,j4 ,c4 ,hobhouse1 afterwards ,lord ,broughton1 sent out to ,sir ,hudson ,lowe for presentation to ,napoleon1 but which was never given to him4 ,on the flyleaf the author copied out a suggestive quotation from ,tacitus4 ,the romance of these volumes belongs rather to the subject of extra-illustration1 which ,i hope to deal with in a future work4 ,i have already pointed out the utility of this interesting pursuit for the proper preservation of valuable autographs4 ,in ,america1 where so many collectors believe that the political is ephemeral and the literary eternal1 thousands of autographs are inserted in as many books1 to which the special charm and value of association is thus given4 ,i need not say that ,i have placed a characteristic ,john ,cam ,hobhouse letter in the second volume of this unique copy of ,the ,last ,reign of ,napoleon4 ,some two years since ,i obtained through ,messrs4 ,maggs1 of #aji1 ,strand1 two very interesting ,,mss4 connected with the ,irish ,rebellion of #agih4 ,one of these is the ,camolin ,cavalry ,detail ,book1 ,may #be-,october #h1 #agih1 and the other is made up of a collection of the letters written between #agif and #ahae by ,arthur1 ,earl of ,mount ,norris1 a ,royalist leader4 ,with the new light obtained from them and the ,,ms4 journal of a lady who was an eye-witness of the occurrences she describes1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,f4 ,b4 ,wheeler and the writer have endeavoured to again deal with the story of the ,war in ,wexford4 ,i have by no means completed my list of finds4 ,i trust1 however1 ,i have said enough to illustrate the utility of autograph-hunting and the pleasurable excitement derivable from the unexpected running to earth of some long-since forgotten letter or document which is not only of money value1 but can help to throw new light either on the life of the writer1 or the far-off times in which it was written4 ,,footnotes3 #bj ,dumouriez and the ,defence of ,england against ,napoleon 7,london1 #aiji4 ,vide ,preface1 pp4 xi-xiii74 #ba ,see ,napoleon and the ,invasion of ,england1 by ,h4 ,wheeler and ,a4 ,m4 ,broadley1 vol4 i4 chapter ii4 ,a ,three ,days' ,war4 ,the ,invasion of ,england by ,hoche's ,black ,brigade1 ,february #bb1 #bc1 and #bd1 #agig1 pp4 #ca-gd4 #bb ,i4e41 strongest anchor4 #bc ,collectanea ,napoleonica4 ,a ,catalogue of the ,collection of ,autographs1 c41 c41 relating to ,napoleon ,i4 formed by ,a4 ,m4 ,broadley1 compiled by ,w4 ,v4 ,daniell1 with a preface by ,a4 ,m4 ,broadley 7,london1 #aije74 ,v ,,royal ,,autographs ,,past ,,and ,,present ,illustration3 ,,bulletin ,,issued ,a ,,week ,,after ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,king ,,edward ,,vii4 ,,and ,,signed ,,by ,,the ,,medical ,,men ,,in ,,attendance1 ,,november #af1 #ahda4 ,illustration3 ,,order ,,to ,,the ,,duke ,,of ,,beaufort ,,to ,,destroy ,,keynsham ,,bridge1 ,,near ,,bristol1 ,,on ,,the ,,approach ,,of ,,monmouth1 ,,signed ,,by ,,king ,,james ,,ii41 ,,june #ba1 #afhe4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,the ,,electress ,,sophia ,,of ,,hanover ,,to ,,the ,,duke ,,of ,,leeds1 ,,october #ai1 #agaj4 ,,chapter ,v ,,royal ,,autographs ,,past ,,and ,,present--,,the ,,copy-,,books ,,of ,,kings ,,and ,,princes ,some unpublished specimens of the handwriting of ,royal ,personages present and past ,the very dust of whose writings is gold4 ,,richard ,,bentley4 ,the autographs of ,royalty have1 for more than a century1 formed a favourite subject for collection1 not only in the ,united ,kingdom1 but on the ,continent and in the ,united ,states1 where ,i am told the finest examples of this fascinating branch of the autograph cult 7,mr4 ,adrian ,joline calls it frankly a hobby7 are to be found4 ,royal letters and signatures figure conspicuously and plentifully in all books of facsimiles1 but the young collector would do well to study carefully two volumes devoted exclusively to this particular branch of calligraphy4#bd ,examples of ,royal handwriting abound in both the ,record ,office and the ,british ,museum1 although a good many were either turned into jelly1 burned1 or otherwise wasted in consequence of such regrettable transactions as the waste-paper deals between the officials of ,somerset ,house and ,mr4 ,jay1 and those of the new ,india ,office and the pulping-mills4#be ,it is clear that ,royal autographs may be looked for in all sorts of out-of-the-way and unexpected places4 ,henry ,,viii4's love-letters to ,anne ,boleyn are said to be hidden away in the ,vatican1 and ,sir ,h4 ,maxwell ,lyte found the sign manuals of monarchs amongst the dbris of the ,belvoir hay-loft4 ,in no class of autographs is the rise of prices and increase of value so remarkable as in those now under discussion4 ,i cannot precisely ascertain the present worth of the signature of ,richard ,,ii41 with whom the ,english series is supposed to commence1 but ,m4 ,nol ,charavay tells me that a document signed by ,john ,,ii41 the first of the ,french ,royal signers1 would fetch #aj4 ,before me lie some interesting details as to the value of ,royal autographs in #ahbg1 and a group of catalogues1 containing a good many desirable items of this kind1 issued in ,london between #ahge and #ahhe4 ,it will be instructive to note the prices which choice specimens fetched at these comparatively recent periods4 ,in ,the ,archivist of ,december1 #ahhi1 we are informed that according to the price-currents of #ahbg the autographs of ,elizabeth the adored of her people are worth #b #bs41 while ,charles ,i41 worshipped as a martyr1 commands the same price4 ,charles ,,ii41 with his ,queen1 ,catharine of ,braganza1 thrown in1 fetches no more than #a #es4 ,james ,,ii4 is worth #c #hs41 owing to a limited supply4 ,william ,,iii4 yields less than half that figure1 but a whole letter of ,queen ,mary was knocked down for #c #ajs4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,king ,,george ,,iii4 ,,on ,,the ,,subject ,,of ,,the ,,defence ,,of ,,england ,,in ,,the ,,early ,,stages ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,terror ,,of #agif-ahje4 7,by permission of ,mr4 ,john ,lane47 ,the expert of this excellent journal continues3 ,george ,i41 'a heavy1 dull ,german gentleman1' is reckoned worth only #a #as41 and ,george ,,ii41 ,i am ashamed to say it1 only #ads4 ,our beloved monarch ,george ,,iii41 being well remembered1 rises to #c #ajs4 ,george ,,iv41 the most complete gentleman of his age1#bf rises above all his ,royal predecessors and reaches #d #ads4 #f;d42 it is also curious to see how so great a king and so fine a gentleman wrote when he was a boy and to possess a leaf of his copybook4 ,here ,i fain would conclude this estimate of ,british rulers1 but truth compels me to add that ,oliver ,cromwell is deemed worth #e #aes4 #f;d4 ,french kings are sadly degraded4 ,five ,grands ,monarques1 among whom are ,francis ,i4 and ,louis ,,xiv41 are estimated at the average price of #ds4 #a;d4 each2 ,henry ,,iv4 advanced to #ads41 but ,napoleon1 in the very teeth of ,french legitimacy1 reaches #bjs4 higher4 ,a ,french ,queen1 ,anne of ,austria1 is worth #gs41 while ,josephine1 the shadow of a ,french empress1 is worth more than five times this sum4 ,a great and wise ,emperor of ,russia1 and the brave ,king of ,prussia1 require the aid of a ,french prince1 an ,english princess1 and seven ,english peers to push them up to #afs4 ,these were indeed halcyon days for the collectors1 but at that period they were few and far between4 ,mr4 ,william ,upcott1 the doyen of modern autograph collectors1 reigned almost supreme at ,autograph ,cottage1 ,islington1 his only possible competitors being ,mr4 ,young and ,mr4 ,john ,dillon4 ,illustration3 ,,commission ,,signed ,,by ,,oliver ,,cromwell1 ,,october #bj1 #afea4 7,in the collection of ,sir ,george ,white1 ,bart41 of ,bristol47 ,illustration3 ,,signature ,,of ,,lord ,,protector ,,richard ,,cromwell ,,to ,a ,,commission1 ,,january1 #afeh4 ,in the mid eighteen-seventies ,mr4 ,john ,waller1 the conscript father of ,london autograph-dealers1 was about to move from #eh1 ,fleet ,street to ,harley ,house1 ,artesian ,road1 ,westbourne ,grove4 ,a little later the late ,mr4 ,frederick ,barker began to issue catalogues of autograph letters and historical documents from ,rowan ,road1 ,brook ,green4 ,he became the agent of ,mr4 ,william ,evarts ,benjamin1 now the doyen of the autograph merchants in ,new ,york1 then residing at #gdd1 ,broadway4 ,in ,mr4 ,waller's first catalogues ,i find the following ,royalties3 ,charles ,,ii4 ,royal ,sign ,manual1 #gs4 #f;d42 letter from ,charles ,,ii4 of ,spain to ,william ,,iii41 #ds4 #f;d42 ,george ,sign ,manual when blind1 #gs4 #f;d42 ,george ,i4 ,sign ,manual1 #a p4 folio1 #abs4 #f;d42 ,henry ,,ii4 of ,france1 fine ,d4,s4 with ,state seal1 #abs4 #f;d42 ,king of ,siam1 #gs4 #f;d42 ,papal ,bull of ,urban ,,viii41 #cjs42 ,warrant of ,privy ,council of ,edward ,,vi4 with numerous rare signatures1 #bes42 ,duke of ,sussex1 interesting letter on the trial of ,queen ,caroline1 #ds4 #f;d42 ,queen ,victoria1 two ,royal ,sign ,manuals at #ajs4 each2 ,henry ,,viii4 ,royal ,sign ,manual on vellum1 document of great beauty1 #dhs42 ,henry ,,vii4 ,royal ,sign ,manual on document of greatest interest1 #gjs42 ,frederick ,prince of ,wales1 ,l4,s41 #ajs42 ,charles ,i4 when ,prince of ,wales1 ,d4,s41 #cds42 ,louis ,,xvi4 and ,marie ,antoinette--signatures on two important documents1 #bds4 the pair2 ,napoleon ,i4 ,l4,s4 #b pp4 #dto to ,prince of ,neuchatel1 ,valladolid1 ,january #aa1 #ahji1 #bes42 ,papal ,bull ,alexander ,,iii41 #aaha1 #dgs4 #f;d42 ,mary ,,ii4 ,royal ,sign ,manual1 #cjs42 ,original ,orders for ,arrest of ,louis ,napoleon 7,napoleon ,,iii471 ,june #ac1 #ahdh1 #ebs4 #f;d42 ,napoleon ,,ii4 7,king of ,rome71 #d pp4 of an original historical essay1 #dhs42 ,royal ,sign ,manual of ,philip and ,mary1 ten guineas2 ,a4,l4,s4 of ,charles ,,ii41 #a pp41 ,whitehall1 ,september #bf1 #affj1 sa chre sur1 #gcs4 #f;d4 ,i will not pursue this list further4 ,the reader can judge of the relative value of ,royal autographs in #ahbg and #ahge-hj4 ,illustration3 ,,fourteen ,,lines ,,in ,,the ,,writing ,,of ,,napoleon ,,on ,,military ,,order1 ,,with ,,his ,,signature1 ,,july #c1 #ahjc4 ,in the price of the autographs of sovereigns of minor importance there has been no striking rise since #ahhj4 ,indeed1 ,i note that on ,december #agth1 #aiji1 letters and documents signed by ,ferdinand1 ,grand ,duke of ,tuscany1 ,louis ,,xviii4 of ,france1 ,mathias de ,medicis1 also of ,tuscany1 and ,rudolph ,,ii41 ,emperor of ,germany1 were knocked down in one lot at ,sotheby's for five shillings4 ,but letters of the ,tudor and ,stuart sovereigns are fetching as many pounds in #aiaj as they did shillings eighty years ago4 ,a pardon granted by ,james ,,ii4 to ,edward ,strode1 of ,downside1 on account of his entertaining the ,duke of ,monmouth for one night immediately after his defeat at ,sedgemoor1 sold on ,december #ag1 #aiji1 for #eg4 ,mr4 ,waller in #ahgf would assuredly have catalogued it at #egs4 or less4 ,four years ago ,i purchased for ,sir ,george ,white1 ,bart41 of ,bristol1 an order1 signed by the same sovereign1 enjoining the ,duke of ,beaufort to burn ,keynsham ,bridge on the approach of ,monmouth and his followers1 at the modest price of #dbs4 ,amongst other letters or documents belonging to this category figuring in the last sale of #aiji may be mentioned a letter signed by ,cromwell addressed to the ,genevan ,senate on the recent ,protestant massacres in the ,alps 7,july #bh1 #afee71 for which ,mr4 ,sabin gave #ca1 and two ,a4,l4,s4--one of ,george ,,iv4 and one of ,william ,,iv41 which went to ,mr4 ,w4 ,v4 ,daniell for #abs4 ,to what indignation would this startling fall in value have moved the righteous soul of the chronicler of the sale-prices of #ahbg6 ,,mss4 of ,the ,first ,gentleman in ,europe rank no longer amongst the high-priced autographs1 but ,i shall have more to say of them presently4 ,experience has taught me to look in ,munich and ,paris for bargains in the matter of seventeenth-century ,stuart letters4 ,at ,munich ,i quite lately came across a fine ,a4,l4,s4 of ,charles ,i4 for #aj1 and a delightful ,l4,s4 of his eldest son while in exile to the ,elector ,palatine1 with seals and silken cords intact1 for #ejs4 ,good ,william ,,iii4 letters now average #aj1 but ,i obtained the following characteristic letter written from the ,camp before ,namur for less than half that sum3-- ,,au ,,camp ,,devand ,,namur1 #ac de juillet1 #afie4 ,a neuf heures du soir4 ,j'ay receu ce matin vostre lettre de hier du matin a neuf eures1 j'ay donne les ordres pour faire marcher demain a la pointe du jour le ,brigadier ,st4 ,paul avec cinq batt2 selon la route que ,dopp vous envoyerez pour les ,dragons je vous en ay ecrit hier et attendres vostre reponse4 ,si vous trouves que vous n'avez pas besoin de ces batt3 vous les pouvez faire halte en chemain et me les renvoyer4 ,jusque a present je n'ay point de nouvelle que ,precontal a marche vers le ,haynaut aussi tot que je le sauroi je vous en advertires1 ce qui se passeray ,dopp vous le mendra je suis tres touche du malheur du povre fagel qui nous faira grand faute je ne scai 444 s'il en ecchapera1 je suis toujours a vous4 ,,william ,r4 ,illustration3 ,,autograph ,,of ,,henry ,,vii41 ,,king ,,of ,,england 7#adef-aeji74 7,in the collection of ,messrs4 ,maggs47 ,letters of the ,electress ,sophia of ,hanover very rarely turn up1 and ,i consider the following quaint epistle addressed to that astute trimmer1 the ,duke of ,leeds1 when she was over eighty1 a great bargain at #cjs43-- ,,hanover le #ai ,decbre #agaj4 ,a ,monsieur le ,duc de ,leeds4 ,,monsieur1--,longtems que j'ay le bien de vous connoitre come il y a par la reputation que vous vous estes acquise dans le monde1 vous devez estre assur my ,lord que les marques de votre amiti m'ont este fort agreable et que i'ay este bien aise que vous sers ,contant de l'acceuil que j'ais fait au my ,lords vos petits fils lesquels par leur propre merite s'attirent l'estime de tous ceux qui les voie1 et dont vous devez estre fort content4 ,je les chargeres fort leur retour de vous assurer du cas que je faits de votre amiti et de la reconnaissance avec la qu'elle je suis ,monsieur ,votre tres affectione a vous servir ,,sophie ,,electrice4 ,je me souviens fort bien du tems que vous faites le mariage du ,roy ,guillaume et des bons bons sentiment que vous tenies en cur4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,king ,,william ,,iii4 ,,from ,,camp ,,before ,,namur1 ,,july #ac1 #agie4 ,illustration3 ,,last ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,empress ,,catherine ,,of ,,russia ,,to ,,mrs4 ,,de ,,bielke1 ,,of ,,hamburg1 ,,july #bh1 #agfg4 ,letters of ,frederick the ,great1 be they holograph or merely signed1 are cheaper in ,england than on the ,continent4 ,even the ,l4,s4 are often witty1 and ,i have met with many good specimens at from #ajs4 to #aes4 ,one of the greatest treasures in my collection is a superb letter of the ,empress ,catharine ,,ii4 of ,russia1 dated ,july #bh1 #agfg1 and addressed to ,madame de ,bielke1 of ,hamburg1 who gave it to a ,foreign ,office official1 ,sir ,charles ,flint1 from whose descendant it passed into my possession4 ,it was submitted by ,m4 ,nol ,charavay#bg to ,m4 ,rambaud1 ex-,minister of ,public ,instruction1 ,professor at the ,sorbonne1 who discovered it to be one of an important series1 of which sixteen are published in the ,collection de la ,socit impriale d'histoire de ,russie4 ,sir ,charles ,flint was an early collector of autographs1 and his duties as a ,king's ,messenger gave him excellent opportunities of picking up treasures like this4 ,i think it best to give the letter in the original ,french1 instead of following the modernised version adopted in ,paris3-- ,a ,,ma ,,terre ,,de ,,kolominska ,a ,,sept ,,werste ,,de ,,moscou le #bh ,juillet #agfg4 ,,madame1--,je suis de retour de mon grand voyage depuis six semaine1 et pendant ce tems a peine aije trouv le moment pour vous repondre1 quoique tout les jours je me disois demain j'ecrirs et lorsque demain venoit j'avois autant de tracas1 que la veille1 et au sortir de la j'etois si fatigu que je pouvoit dire come le ,philosophe mari1 ,a force de penser je n'ai plus d'ide2 en attendant j'ai a repondre a cinq de vos lettre dans lequelles je trouve repandu un sentimens universel de votre part de m'obliger2 je vous en ai bien de l'obligation madame1 et j'y reconnois parfaitement ce caractere aimable qui vous a toujours distingu4 ,en revange des nouvelles de l',europe dont vous me faite part quelque fois je vous en conters d',asie1 j'ai fait #acjj ,werstes sur le ,volga j'ai descendu dans les endroits les plus remarquables1 j'ai trouv les deux bords du ,volga d'une beaut au dessus presque de l'expression1 peupls et cultivs tres honetement1 mais l'endroit qui a le plus attir mon attention est sans contredit la ville de ,casan2 au premier coup d'il l'on voit que s'est la capitale d'un grand ,royaume2 j'y ai trouv des habitans de huit nations aussi differentes par leur habillement que par leurs murs1 ,religions1 languages1 et ides1 cette ,ville est tres opulente et s'est la premiere des ntres qui a reconu que les batimens de bois sont moins bons que ceux de pierres1 qui peut1 en fait a present de cette derniere espee1 et ceux qui n'ont pas eu cette facults ont eu le malheur de perdre les leurs il y a deux ans par un incendie1 j'ai trouv la moiti de la ville brule mais en verit l'on ne s'en aperevoit pas1 tant cette ville est grande1 je fais rebatir la moiti bruls en pierre et probablement ce sera un quartier trs honete1 la ,ville m'a don une mascarade un souper un feu d'artifie et une fete publique pour le peuple ou chaque nation dansoit a sa faon devant la maison1 au j'tois2 il y avoit une affluance de ,noblesse d'allentour qui fit qu'il y eut jusqu'a quatre cent masque de cet tat des deux sexe4 ,j'ai trouv outre cela de tres belle fabrique et des marchandise de touttes espece4 ,on avait lev un arc de triomphe pour mon entre come je n'en ai vu encore1 de pareil a aucune solemnellit4 ,enfin aprs sept jours j'ai quit a regret cette ville qui n'a d'autre defaut que d'tre situ a #hjj ,werste de cellei et en ,asie1 en revange le sol est excellent1 les asperges sauvage les serises les abricots sauvages et les roses y vienent come les broussailles dans les autres pays1 on chauffe les fourneaux avec du chene et des tilleuls faute d'autre bois4 ,nous y avons trouv une chaleur excessive a la fin de may et l'hiver y dure moins qu'ici1 j'ai t de la jusqu'au confins du ,royaume de ,casan et ou celui d',astracan comene1 j'y ai trouv les ruine d'une ville que ,tamerlan avoit batis pour son petit fils il y a encore en entier deux minarets fort haut de pierre de taille la mosque et six ,votes de maison la terre est noire come du charbon et quand on ensemence l'on na pas besoin de labourer l'on passe lentement pardessus la semence avec l'instrument dont on se sert partout a cet usage et dont j'ai oubli le nom4 ,ensuite je suis revenue ici et j'ai fait #hjj werste en six jours1 en tres bone sant1 je souhaite ,madame que la votre soi de meme et que vous soys bien assur de mon estime et amiti4 ,,caterine4 ,la plupart de neuf deputs choisis pour travailler a notre nouveaue ,code tant arriv1 l'on comenera aprs demain avec beaucoup d'appareil ce grand et memorable ouvrage4 ,for the following translation ,i am indebted to ,professor ,maurice ,a4 ,gerothwohl1 ,litt4,d41 of the ,university of ,bristol3-- ,,at ,,my ,,estate ,,of ,,kolominska1 ,,seven ,,versts ,,from ,,moscow4 ,july #bh1 #agfg4 ,,madam1--,it is now six weeks since ,i returned from my long journey1 and during this time ,i have been scarcely able to find a moment in which to reply to you1 although ,i said to myself daily1 ,i will write to-morrow2 but1 when the morrow came1 ,i experienced the same trouble as on the previous day1 and in the end ,i was so tired that ,i might well have exclaimed with ,the ,married ,philosopher1#bh ,i have thought so much that ,i have no thoughts left4 ,meanwhile ,i have to answer five letters of your own1 all of which breathe a general desire on your part to be of some service to me4 ,i am1 indeed1 obliged to you for this1 ,madam1 wherein ,i readily discern that lovable disposition which has ever been one of your distinguishing traits4 ,in return for the ,european news which you communicate to me from time to time1 here is news from ,asia4 ,i did #a1cjj versts on the ,volga1 landing at the most notable spots4 ,i found both banks of the ,volga beautiful almost beyond expression1 and withal fairly populated and cultivated4 ,but the spot which attracted most attention on my part is unquestionably the ,city of ,kazan4#bi ,you recognise at first sight that you are here in the capital of a great kingdom4 ,i found there members of eight nationalities1 all equally distinct in dress1 customs1 religion1 language1 and modes of thought4 ,the city is very prosperous1 and the first of our towns to recognise that wooden are inferior to stone buildings4 ,all who can afford it1 now build houses of the latter type1 and those who were precluded from doing so had the misfortune of seeing their homes wrecked in a conflagration which occurred some two years since4 ,but as a matter of fact1 we never noticed this1 as the city is so vast4 ,i am having the ruined half of the city rebuilt in stone1 and it will probably present a very respectable appearance4 ,the city authorities entertained me to a masque1 a supper1 fireworks1 while for the people there was held a public festival1 at which each nation danced in its own peculiar style in front of the house in which ,i was staying4 ,there was a great influx of the nobility of the neighbourhood1 so that the masks of both sexes belonging to this order numbered no fewer than four hundred4 ,apart from all this1 ,i came across fine factories1 and goods of all descriptions4 ,for my entry1 they had erected a triumphal arch such as ,i had never yet beheld at any solemnity4 ,finally1 when seven days had elapsed1 ,i left with some diffidence this town whose only fault is that it is situated in ,asia1 and distant from here by some #hjj versts4 ,on the other hand1 its soil is most fruitful1 wild asparagus1 cherries1 apricots1 and roses growing there like brushwood in other lands4 ,they heat their ovens with oak and lime-tree1 there being no other wood available4 ,we found it excessively hot there at the end of ,may1 and their winter is shorter than our own4 ,thence ,i proceeded to the limits of the ,kingdom of ,kazan1 and the starting point of the boundaries of the ,astrakhan ,kingdom4 ,and here ,i came across the ruins of a town built by ,tamerlane for his grandson1 of which all that survives in its entirety are a couple of minarets built of freestone1 a mosque1 and six vaulted chambers4 ,the soil there is as black as coal1 and when you sow there is no need to till2 you need only pass lightly over the seeds with an instrument used everywhere for that purpose1 the name of which ,i have forgotten4 ,following upon that1 ,i returned here1 covering #hjj versts in six days1 and feeling none the worse for it4 ,i only hope that your health is equally satisfactory1 and that you entertain no doubts as to my regard and friendship for you4 ,,catharine4 ,the majority of the nine deputies who have been appointed to work at our new ,code having now arrived1 we shall embark to-morrow upon that great and epoch-making task with due solemnity4 ,what a contrast does the vigorous letter of ,catharine ,slay-,czar1 as ,horace ,walpole was pleased to call her1 present to the following letter of ,louis ,,xvi41 written to ,lavoisier1 the ,physicist1 while the premonitory grumblings of the coming storm were still audible6 ,,versailles le #ae ,mars #aghi4 ,votre derniere experience1 ,monsieur1 fixe encore toutte mon admiration4 ,cette dcouverte prouve que vous avez aggrandi la sphre des connoissances utiles4 ,vos expriences sur le gaz inflammable prouvent combien vous vous occupiez de cette science admirable qui1 tous les jours1 fait de nouveaux progrs4 ,la ,reine et quelques personnes que je desire rendre tmoins de votre dcouverte1 se runiront dans mon cabinet1 demain a sept heures du soir4 ,vous me ferez plaisir de m'i apporter le traitt des gaz inflammables4 ,vous connoissez1 ,monsieur1 toutte mon amiti pour vous4 ,,louis4 ,,translation4 ,,versailles #ae ,march #aghi4 ,,sir1--,my admiration is still wholly riveted upon your latest experiment4 ,this discovery proves that you have enlarged the sphere of useful knowledge4 ,your experiments on inflammable gas prove to what extent you have cultivated that admirable science which is daily making further strides4 ,the ,queen and a few persons to whom ,i am anxious to show your discovery will meet in my study to-morrow evening1 at seven4 ,i shall be pleased if you will bring with you the ,treatise on inflammable ,gas4 ,you are not unaware1 sir1 of the very great friendship which ,i bear you4 ,,louis4 ,the old ,princess ,amelia1 ,aunt to ,george ,,iii41 the legends of whose snuff-taking and card-playing still linger at ,gunnersbury and in ,cavendish ,square1 was a wit in her way4 ,horace ,walpole yawned incontinently at one of her whist parties1 and made amends in verse4 ,this is what she wrote him in return3-- ,princess ,amelia to ,horace ,walpole4 #ag of ,june4 ,i wish ,i had a name that could answer your proud verses4 ,your yawning yesterday opend your vein for pleasing me and ,i return you my thanks my good ,mr4 ,walpole and remain1 ,sincerely your friend1 ,,amelia4 ,at the back1 in the handwriting of ,walpole1 ,from ,her ,royal ,highness ,princess ,amelia ,june #ag #aghf4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,earliest ,,signatures ,,of ,,louis ,,xiv4 7,,aged ,,six74 ,illustration3 ,,interesting ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,louis ,,xvi4 ,,to ,,the ,,chemist ,,lavoisier ,,on ,,the ,,subject ,,of ,,the ,,discovery ,,of ,,inflammable ,,gas1 ,,versailles1 ,,march #ae1 #aghi4 ,few ,royal letters interest me more than those of ,george ,,iii41 upon whose worth of character1 in my opinion1 they throw a strong light4 ,five years ago they were comparatively rare1 although ,farmer ,george was his own ,secretary1 and appears to have been at his desk at all hours of the day and night from #agfj until his ,jubilee in #ahji1 when blindness fell upon him1 and his signature became an undecipherable scrawl4 ,his writing was peculiarly neat and legible4 ,only when under the influence of illness or strong emotion did he omit to add the hour and minutes to the day of the week and month4 ,here is an early letter written to the future ,lord ,hood1 when the future ,king ,william ,,iv4 went to sea as a boy of twelve4#cj ,george ,,iii4 to ,sir ,samuel ,hood1 ,june #acth1 #aggi4 ,,sir ,,samuel ,,hood1--,this will be delivered to you by ,major ,general de ,bud1 whom ,i have directed to stay a few days at ,portsmouth that he may be able to bring me some accounts how far the ,midshipman takes to his situation1 besides ,i think it may be of use to ,rear ,admiral ,digby to be thoroughly apprised with many particulars concerning my ,boy that will enable him to fix the better his mode of treating him4 ,if the fleet sails in the course of the ,week ,i hope you will find some means of letting him attend it to ,st4 ,hellens2 as it will be a very additional pleasure if he can bring me the news that this noble ,fleet is under way4 ,,george ,r4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,king ,,george ,,iii4 ,,to ,,sir ,,samuel ,,hood 7,,afterwards ,,lord ,,hood71 ,,june #ac1 #aggi4 ,nine years later he goes to ,cheltenham with the threatenings of his first attack of mental affliction upon him4 ,he writes thus banteringly to his daughter the ,princess ,sophia1 who lived down to our own time1 and whom my mother remembered seeing in a sedan chair in ,bond ,street3-- ,,cheltenham ,aug #d #aghh ,,my ,,dearest ,,sophia1--,the account this day of ,mary is so charming that it has quite put me into spirits1 and prepared me for going tomorrow after dinner to ,worcester where ,i shall remain till ,friday evening that ,i may attend the three ,mornings at the ,cathedral the ,musick of my admiration ,handel4 ,yesterday evening ,lady ,reed with all her curtsies left this place1 but not without inviting your ,gentleman to come as a connoisseur to assist her ,mackaws1 ,parrots and ,paroqueets4 ,tell ,gooly that she is not forgot for ,sestini's songs are play'd in honour of her on the walks and dear ,mr4 ,hunt enquir'd very kindly of the ,colonel after her1 ,i ever remain ,my dearest ,sophia ,your most affectionate ,father1 ,,george ,r4 ,,ps4--,it is not right to tell stories out of school or ,i could mention that the ,gentleman is the admiration of all the ,ladies and that on the ,walks he is ever talking to some ,lady or other not known by those who have been here some time1 indeed1 ,i believe the knowledge of his coming has brought them from all parts of the ,island4 ,lady ,reed was one of those persons who followed the ,court everywhere--a peculiarity not wholly extinct4 ,there is a curious caricature of her making her bow to ,royalty on the ,weymouth ,esplanade1 surrounded by a bevy of spaniels1 the companions of the ,mackaws1 ,parrots and ,paroqueets mentioned by the ,king1 who evidently understood her4 ,in the late autumn the ,king's affliction declared itself1 but in the following ,april he became convalescent1 and the following is one of the first letters he wrote on his recovery3-- ,george ,,iii to ,lord ,sydney4 ,though heartily tired of receiving addresses1 as ,i am on ,saturday to receive through the hands of the ,lord ,mayor of ,london and the ,sheriffs one from the livery of ,london1 ,i do not object to the ,laity of the ,protestant ,dissenters sending a ,deputation with an ,address on the same day4 ,lord ,sydney may therefore authorize ,mr4 ,nepean to give a favourable answer to the ,application of ,mr4 ,boyle ,french4 ,g4 ,r4 ,windsor1 ,april #aa1 #aghi4 ,here is a letter of seven years later1 when the strained relations of the ,first ,gentleman in ,europe and his wife1 the ,princess ,caroline1 became a public scandal3-- ,george ,,iii4 to ,caroline1 ,princess of ,wales4 ,,windsor1 #bh ,juin #agif ,,madame ,,ma ,,fille1--,j'ai reu hier votre lettre au sujet du bruit repandu dans le public de ,votre repugnance a vous preter une parfaite reconcilliation avec ,mon ,fils le ,prince de ,galles je ne disconvient pas 7sic7 que cette opinion commence prendre racine1 et qu'il n'y a qu'une manire de la dtruire c'est que ,mon ,fils ayant consenti que la ,comtesse de ,jersey doit suivant votre desire quitter ,votre ,service et ne pas tre admise ,votre ,societ prive4 ,vous devez tmoigner votre desir qu'il revient chez lui1 et pour rendre la reconcilliation complette on doit des deux cote's abstenir de reproches1 et ne faire des confidences d'autres sur ce sujet4 ,une conduite si propre certainement remettra cette ,union entre mon ,fils et ,vous qui est un des evenemens que j'ai le plus louer4 ,mon fils le ,duc de ,york ,vous remettra cette lettre et ,vous assurera de plus de l'amiti sincere avec la quelle je suis ,madame ,ma ,belle ,fille ,votre trs affectueux ,beau ,pere ,,george ,r4 ,the finest letters of ,george ,,iii4 from a moral and patriotic point of view are unquestionably those written during the ,great ,terror1 when for nearly ten years the practical realisation of ,napoleon's threatened invasion of our shores was expected at any moment4 ,some years ago1 at the cost of #e1 ,i obtained the following letter addressed by the ,king to ,lord ,mulgrave just four days before ,trafalgar3-- ,,kew1 ,october #ag #ahje ,the information received by the mail just arrived is so important that ,lord ,mulgrave has judged very properly in instantly communicating it1 though at an irregular hour4 ,the violence of ,bonaparte is highly advantageous to the good cause1 and probably has affected a decision in the line to be pursued by the ,king of ,prussia that will be more efficacious than the interview with the ,emperor of ,russia would have produced without it4 ,,george ,r4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,king ,,george ,,iii4 ,,written ,,four ,,days ,,before ,,the ,,battle ,,of ,,trafalgar4 ,shortly after the death of the late ,duke of ,cambridge a vast number of ,george ,,iii4's letters suddenly flooded the market4 ,the average price fell from #e and more to #b and less4 ,every autograph dealer in ,london had a stock1 so there could be no corner in ,georges4 ,i contrived to get thirty or forty--mostly written from ,weymouth4 ,it seems that during the great crisis ,king ,george wrote almost daily to ,dear ,frederic 7his son the ,duke of ,york1 ,commander-in-,chief71 and many of these letters are of the greatest interest4 ,for #ajs4 ,i picked up the ,king's holograph draft of a plan for mobilising an army of defence between ,dorchester and ,weymouth4#ca ,between #aghi and #ahje ,george ,,iii4 paid fourteen visits to ,weymouth4 ,many momentous acts of ,state were carried out at the ,royal ,lodge1 now transformed1 with hardly any structural change1 into the ,gloucester ,hotel4 ,if it had not been for the death of the ,duke of ,gloucester1 the ,king would have received the news of ,trafalgar in the same place where he had talked a few weeks previously with ,nelson's ,hardy4 ,some day these letters will help materially the telling of the story of the ,court by the ,sea4 ,i thank ,thackeray for the lines which made ,george ,,iii41 when old1 blind1 and forsaken1 say3-- ,my brain perhaps might be a feeble part1 ,but yet ,i think ,i had an ,english heart ,when all the ,kings were prostrate2 ,i alone ,stood face to face against ,napoleon1 ,nor even could the ruthless ,frenchman forge ,a fetter for old ,england and old ,george4 ,the letters of the ,princess of ,wales 7#agif-ahai71 the ,queen ,caroline of #ahbj-ba1 are not very valuable1 but they are curious4#cb ,they are now quite as valuable as those of her worthless husband and his successor1 of whom ,i possess several interesting examples1 beginning in the days when he was sailing with ,digby and earning the sobriquet of ,jolly ,young ,tarry-breeks4 ,at the sale of the library of the ,princess ,edward of ,saxe-,weimar 7,june #ba1 #aijd7 ,i purchased three volumes1 bound in green calf1 full of ,prince ,william's early notes and exercises4 ,one of these is docketed by the youthful sailor ,remarks on ,countries1 ,harbours1 ,towns1 etc4 on board the ,prince ,george1 ,feb #h #aghj ,william ,henry4 ,some day my friends in the ,united ,states will read a description of ,new ,york from the pen of a future ,king of ,england1 written a century and a quarter ago1 and the romantic story connected with it4 ,here is a letter he wrote home to his tutor1 ,dr4 ,majendie1 from ,sandy ,hook4 ,it speaks volumes1 at any rate1 for his good intentions3-- ,,dear ,,sir1--,i send you enclosed a key of a table of mine that stands in the long room next to my bed-chamber in ,london4 ,i shall beg as a favour you would send me to the ,west ,indies everything in those drawers and a box with colours and pencils as ,captain ,knight is so good as to teach me to draw4 ,i understand that the convoy does not sail till late1 therefore you will go in the ,packet1 ,i suppose3 ,in this case ,i must heartily wish you a quick passage1 a sight of your family in ,london1 to whom ,i beg you will make my best wishes1 thank your ,brother in my name for having collected the ,poets for me4 ,the little ,i have seen of ,captain ,napier ,i like very well2 ,i hope he does the same of me2 in the letters you allowed me the pleasure to write pray give me such advice as you think necessary ,i shall hope to receive it from nobody1 but particularly from you ,i have so long lived with4 ,i am1 ,dear ,sir1 ,your most affectionate and sincere friend1 ,,william ,,henry4 ,there is nothing more astonishing than the manner in which the letters of the late ,queen ,victoria have got into the autograph market on either side of the ,atlantic4 ,mr4 ,joline gives a very startling instance of this1 and ,i believe all her late ,majesty's correspondence with ,mr4 ,gladstone went to ,america1 and that for a very inadequate consideration4 ,the examples ,i give of the writing of living members of the ,royal ,family are only fragments reproduced as specimens of calligraphy4 ,i can never quite understand how the ,royal letters came to figure in dealers' catalogues1 notwithstanding in many cases the confidential nature of their contents4 ,in his ,collections and ,recollections 7#ahih7 ,mr4 ,george ,w4 ,e4 ,russell gives the following autograph anecdote3-- ,like many other little boys1 ,prince ,alexander of ,battenberg ran short of pocket-money and wrote an ingenious letter to his august ,grandmother1 ,queen ,victoria1 asking for some slight pecuniary assistance4 ,he received in return a just rebuke1 telling him that little boys should keep within their limits and that he must wait till his allowance next became due4 ,shortly afterwards the undefeated little ,prince resumed the correspondence in something like the following form3 ',my dear ,grandmama1 ,i am sure you will be glad to know that ,i need not trouble you for any money just now1 for ,i sold your last letter to another boy here for thirty shillings4' ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,queen ,,alexandra ,,to ,,mrs4 ,,gladstone1 ,,december #g1 #ahhh4 ,illustration3 ,,queen ,,victoria',s ,,order ,,on ,a ,,letter ,,of ,,sir ,,henry ,,ponsonby1 ,,april #bf1 #ahid4 ,within the last few years the death of two or three trusted couriers and upper servants accounts for the sale of a great many papers of this kind1 including whole bundles of telegrams in the handwriting of their employers4 ,from a similar source came one of the last letters ,queen ,victoria ever penned1 and a very touching relic it is1 showing the care for others and deep womanly sympathy which characterised the whole of her life4 ,i have since learned that it is customary to retranscribe the originals of telegrams penned by illustrious personages4 ,if this is so the practice is most reprehensible4 ,the telegrams from ,h4,r4,h4 the ,duke of ,connaught to the late ,queen ,victoria have nothing in them of a confidential character4 ,the first telegram is reproduced by permission of the ,editor of ,the ,country ,home2 the second runs as follows3-- ,the ,duke of ,connaught at ,moscow to ,queen ,victoria1 ,balmoral4 ,,moscow1 ,may #ca #ahif ,,queen1 ,balmoral1 ,england1--,very deplorable accident occurred at beginning of yesterday's fte hours before arrival of ,emperor many peasants crushed to death ,accident due over eagerness and entirely fault of people themselves #gjj1jjj people on ground4 ,very sad4 ,,arthur4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,last ,,letters ,,written ,,by ,,queen ,,victoria1 ,,addressed ,,to ,,general ,,sir ,,george ,,white1 ,,of ,,ladysmith4 ,illustration3 ,,autograph ,,telegram ,,from ,,the ,,late ,,prince ,,albert ,,victor ,,of ,,wales ,,to ,,his ,,grandmother1 ,,queen ,,victoria4 ,the autograph of the late ,prince ,albert ,victor will some day become exceedingly rare and costly4 ,the only example ,i have of his writing is the telegram he sent to his grandmother1 ,queen ,victoria1 at ,darmstadt1 from that caravanserai of kings1 the ,htel ,bristol1 in the ,place ,vendme1 ,paris4 ,it is not often that ,royalty honours one of those irritating social tortures entitled ,an ,album of ,confessions to ,record ,thoughts and ,feelings4 ,the late ,duke of ,coburg 7,prince ,alfred of ,england7 fell a victim to the possessor of one thirty-seven years ago1 and the results figured at the modest price of #a in a ,london catalogue3-- ,,confessions4 #a4 ,your favourite virtue--,self-denial4 #b4 ,your favourite qualities in man--,decision and hardihood4 #c4 ,your favourite qualities in woman--,dress and paint4 #d4 ,your favourite occupation--,hunting and riding4 #e4 ,your chief characteristic--,good nature4 #f4 ,your idea of happiness--,a good wife4 #g4 ,your idea of misery--,a mother-in-law4 #h4 ,your favourite colour and flower--,white1 and lilies of the valley4 #i4 ,if not yourself who would you be8--,some one else4 #aj4 ,where would you like to live8--,in ,rome or ,vienna4 #aa4 ,your favourite prose authors--,white-,melville and ,lever4 #ab4 ,your favourite poets--,moore and ,walter ,scott4 #ac4 ,your favourite painters and composers--,raphael and ,mendelssohn4 #ad4 ,your favourite heroes in real life--,bayard and ,leonidas4 #ae4 ,your favourite heroines in real life--,joan of ,arc and ,boadicea4 #af4 ,your favourite heroes in fiction--,the ,claimant and ,lord ,rivers4 #ag4 ,your favourite heroines in fiction--,mother ,gamp and ,mrs4 ,brown4 #ah4 ,your favourite food and drink--,a mutton chop and a glass of porter4 #ai4 ,your favourite names--,cerise1 ,blanche1 ,georgiana4 #bj4 ,your pet aversion--,flattery4 #ba4 ,what characters in history do you most dislike8--,gessler and ,gambetta4 #bb4 ,what is your present state of mind8--,doubtful4 #bc4 ,for what fault have you most toleration8--,vanity4 #bd4 ,your favourite motto--,honi soit qui mal y pense4 ,,alfred4 ,,rome1 ,february #af1 #ahgc4 ,illustration3 ,,holograph ,,telegram ,,of ,,the ,,duke ,,of ,,connaught ,,to ,,queen ,,victoria1 ,,st4 ,,petersburg1 ,,may #bf1 #ahif4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,queen ,,victoria ,,to ,,her ,,elder ,,daughter1 ,,aged ,,six1 ,,october #ba1 #ahdf4 7,by permission of ,harper ,brothers47 ,some years ago1 when ,i first took up autograph collecting as a serious occupation1 ,i bought from ,mr4 ,james ,tregaskis1 of the ,caxton ,head1 a copy-book of ,george1 ,prince of ,wales1 filled up when he was in his thirteenth year4 ,few boys of that age could1 in this twentieth century1 emulate the copper-plate of the then industrious ,heir ,apparent4 ,with the copybooks went his first cap and frock1 both edged with the daintiest ,valenciennes lace4 ,the genuineness of these relics of ,royalty was attested by the ,dowager ,countess of ,effingham1 ,lady-in-,waiting to ,queen ,charlotte1 and their subsequent possessor1 ,mr4 ,f4 ,madan1 of the ,bodleian ,library4 ,a little later ,i purchased the ,prince's exercise-book of three years later1 which begins with an ,extract of the ,first ,oration of ,cicero against ,catiline1 spoken before their ,majesties in the ,picture ,gallery at ,windsor1 ,august #ab1 #aggh4 ,at the same time ,i acquired the ,duke of ,york's ,translations from ,terence4 ,on the first page1 the student of fifteen writes3 ,frederick4 ,this volume begun ,january #ith1 #aggh4 ,dimidium facti1 qui bene cpit1 habet4 ,it is sad to think they were within measurable distance of the ,perdita entanglement of #aghj-ha4 ,i was already in a position to satisfy the curiosity of the expert of #ahbg as to a page of the copy-book1 of the best king that ever lived1 but some time later ,i became the owner of a whole collection of ,royal letters relating to the early married life of ,queen ,victoria and the ,prince ,consort1 and the up-bringing of their elder children4 ,there was nothing of a confidential nature in these ,,mss4 ,everything tended to demonstrate the beauty and simplicity of the home-life of the ,sovereign at ,windsor and ,buckingham ,palace in the now far away eighteen-forties1 and the care bestowed on the up-bringing of his late ,majesty ,king ,edward ,,vii4 ,these documents formed the nucleus of a book1 and by the permission of ,messrs4 ,harper ,brothers several of them are now reproduced4 ,the dition de luxe of this book#cc has been extra-illustrated by two ladies in ,new ,york4 ,i have also treated a copy very elaborately in this way1 and ,i venture to think it will make history some day4 ,many of the unconsidered trifles it contains are not likely to be soon met with again1 and the ensemble reconstitutes the ,court atmosphere of #ahdj-de4 ,in the opening chapters of the ,boyhood of a ,great ,king1 ,i have given a brief account of the upbringing of five generations of the ,british ,royal ,family4 ,since then ,i have come across an interesting bundle of papers once in possession of the ,earl of ,holdernesse1 for some years governor of the children of ,george ,,iii4 ,in #aggf the ,king writes thus to ,lord ,holdernesse3-- ,,lord ,,holdernesse1--,the opinion ,i have of your being the most fit ,person in all respects to have the direction of the education of my ,sons1 which ,i should imagine the many interesting ,conversations ,i have had with you this winter must have thoroughly convinced you1 must have prepared you to expect that the contents of your letter would occasion equal sorrow and surprise4 ,if you are determined in the plan you now propose1 ,i have no consolation but in the knowledge of the rectitude of my intention fully to have supported you and that your retreat is not in the least owing to any step taken by me4 ,,george ,r4 ,,queen',s ,,house ,may #bb #aggf ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,the ,,duchess ,,of ,,kent ,,to ,,her ,,grandson1 ,,king ,,edward ,,vii41 ,,aged ,,eight1 ,,august #bf1 #ahdi4 7,by permission of ,harper ,brothers47 ,three years previously the ,earl1 during a period of temporary absence1 had received a good many letters from his pupils1 in which good feeling seemingly vies with excellence of calligraphy4 ,here are some examples3-- ,the ,duke of ,york1 aged ten1 to his tutor1 the ,earl of ,holdernesse4 ,,kew ,october #be #aggc ,,my ,,lord1--,i am glad to here 7sic7 that you are 7sic7 arived safe at last1 and ,i hope that you will finish your business so as to return to us by the sixth4 ,the ,king and ,queen were so good as to send for us on ,monday evening quite unexpectedly4 ,i hope your ,lordship will be as good as to continue your good wishes to me1 and ,i will try to deserve them4 ,we have not had another letter from ,mr4 ,smelt since you have been gone4 ,the ,bishop#cd and ,mr4 ,jackson#ce send their compliments to your ,lordship4 ,my dear ,lord1 ,i am always your's ,,frederick4 ,prince ,william 7afterwards ,duke of ,clarence and ,king ,william ,,iv471 aged eight1 to the ,earl of ,holdernesse #aggc4 ,,my ,,lord1--,j'ai et bien aise d'apprendre que vous avez eu un bon passage et j'espere que tout le reste de votre voyage sera aussi heureux4 ,nous avons eu un beau feu d'artifice au lieu de bal a la naissance de ,la ,reyne4 ,je presente mes amitis ,my ,lady et a vous ,my ,lord bien des voeux pour votre sant4 ,je suis impatient de vous revoir et bien sincerement votre tres affectionn ami ,,guillaume ,prince ,edward 7afterwards ,duke of ,kent71 aged six1 to the ,earl of ,holdernesse4 ,,my ,,lord1--,comme j'ai surement autant d'amiti pour vous que mon frre je pense tout ce qu'il vous a ecrit et je n'y ajoute ceci que pour vous assurer moi meme que je suis aussi veritablement que lui votre tres affectionn ami ,,edouard4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,queen ,,adelaide ,,to ,,her ,,great-,,niece1 ,,the ,,late ,,empress ,,frederick ,,of ,,germany1 ,,circa #ahdh4 7,by permission of ,harper ,brothers47 ,illustration3 ,,page ,,of ,,register ,,containing ,,the ,,signatures ,,of ,,contracting ,,parties ,,and ,,witnesses ,,at ,,the ,,marriage ,,of ,,king ,,edward ,,vii4 ,,and ,,queen ,,alexandra1 #ahfc4 ,illustration3 ,,page ,,from ,,the ,,ms4 ,,remark-,,book ,,of ,,prince ,,william ,,henry 7,,afterwards ,,king ,,william ,,iv471 ,,in ,,which ,,he ,,begins ,,to ,,describe ,,new ,,york1 ,,january1 #agha4 ,illustration3 ,,page ,,of ,,exercise ,,book ,,of ,,king ,,george ,,iv4 ,,at ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,twelve4 ,illustration3 ,,drawing ,,by ,,charlotte1 ,,empress ,,of ,,mexico1 ,,dated ,,lacken1 #ahej4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,sheet ,,from ,,the ,,copy-,,book ,,of ,,the ,,emperor ,,alexander ,,ii4 ,,of ,,russia ,,when ,a ,,boy4 ,in the following year the ,prince of ,wales1 aged twelve1 thus addresses his absent tutor3-- ,,kew1 ,july #bb #aggd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,lord1--,i am glad to hear you are so much better1 for when you come back again into ,england ,i hope your health will be then so strong that you may be then of more use to us than you would have been otherwise4 ,there is a man come from ,otaheite with ,capn ,furneaux4 ,he is about five foot #aj high almost quite black1 his nose is flat like that of the ,negroes1 his lips are purple4 ,he came to the ,king and ,queen in the habit of his ,country which is made of the ,cloth of which your ,lordship has seen some4 ,in my next letter to you ,i will give you a fuller description of him4 ,i beg your ,lordship will be so good as to give my best wishes to my ,lady ,holdernesse and my ,lady ,carmarthen and my compliments to my ,lord ,carmarthen ,my dear ,lord1 ,i am your ,faithful ,friend ,,george ,p4 ,the following letter of the ,duke of ,sussex1 aged fourteen1 and already at the ,university of ,gttingen1 came from the same source3-- ,,dear ,,dunbar1--,i make a thousand excuses for not having wrote to you1 but my time is so taken up that it is out of my power4 ,i long very much to see you again4 ,we pass our time very agreeably here as there are many pretty and agreeable ,girls 444 and you know the ,company of ,ladies is very agreeable4 ,i hope you spend your time with pleasure4 ,pray write to me where you are and your ,employment at present4 ,i can't stay longer to write4 ,adieu6 ,your's ever ,,augustus ,,frederick ,gttingen1 ,jan4 #ae #aghg ,the ,princess ,charlotte1 for some years heiress to the ,british ,crown1 was apparently as diligent as her uncles and aunts of the previous generation4 ,the following letter was sold at ,sotheby's for a few shillings4 ,it is difficult to imagine the ,queen ,caroline of the pro-,georgian caricaturist playing blindman's buff with her little daughter6 ,possibly it afforded her one of the few happy hours of her vie orageuse3-- ,the ,princess ,charlotte1 aged #h years and #f months1 to her ,aunt the ,electress ,charlotte of ,wrtemberg4 ,,my ,,dear ,,aunt1--,i am very happy to find by ,lady ,kingston that you are so good to love me so much and ,i assure you ,i love you very dearly for ,i know a great deal about you from ,lady ,elgin1 who wishes me to resemble you in everything4 ,i am very anxious to write better that ,i may let you know how ,i go on in my learning4 ,i am very busy and ,i try to be very good4 ,i hope to go to ,windsor soon and see my ,dear ,grandpapa and ,grandmama4 ,i love very much to go there and play with my aunts4 ,mama comes very often to see me and then we play at merry games--,colin ,maillard4 ,i am much obliged to you for sending me so many pretty things and wish you and the ,elector#cf were here and would bring my cousin ,princess ,theresa with you4 ,adieu my dear ,aunt and ,believe me ,your ever ,affectionate and ,dutiful ,niece ,,charlotte ,,ps4--,my duty to the ,elector ,shrewsbury ,lodge ,august #ag #ahjd ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,queen ,,charlotte ,,to ,,mr4 ,,penn1 ,,of ,,portland1 ,,november #ai1 #ahac4 ,the daughters of ,george ,,iii4 and ,queen ,charlotte were all excellent letter writers1 but their ordinary letters fetch absurdly low prices1 although many of them are historically important4 ,queen ,adelaide1 the consort of ,william ,,iv41 was fond of writing texts on cards edged with filigree to be sold for philanthropic purposes4 ,her autographs are1 in consequence1 exceedingly common4 ,the copy-book1 page1 and drawing of the still-living ,empress ,charlotte of ,mexico have a melancholy interest4 ,her autograph and that of her ill-fated husband sell well abroad4 ,the late ,comte de ,chambord and the late ,comte de ,paris wrote better hands as boys than the ,king of ,rome or the ,prince ,imperial1 of whose autographs ,i shall speak in connection with ,napoleonic ,,mss4 ,the rough sketch of soldiers drawn by the ,prince ,imperial and the artillery essay written by him at the ,royal ,military ,college1 ,woolwich1 certainly form interesting items in that portion of my autograph collection which ,i label the ,copy-books of ,kings4 ,while the present volume was going through the press a most important sale of ,royal autographs took place at ,sotheby's4 ,at the sale of ,may #d1 #aiaj1 no less a sum than #e1ddf #fs4 was realised for #aie lots4 ,amongst the letters of ,royal personages then dispersed1 an ,a4,l4,s4 of ,mary ,queen of ,scots1 dated ,chatsworth1 ,june #ac1 #aegj1 and addressed to her brother-in-law1 ,charles ,,ix4 of ,france1 fetched #gae2 a ,d4,s4 of ,edward ,,vi41 #cgj2 an ,a4,l4,s4 of ,queen ,mary ,i41 #bje2 an ,a4,l4,s4 of ,queen ,elizabeth1 #afj2 #g ,a4,l4,s4 of ,catherine de ,medicis1 #ade2 a ,l4,s4 of ,henry ,,vii41 #bd2 a ,l4,s4 of ,henry ,,viii41 #be2 three ,a4,l4,s4 of ,charles ,i41 #ee1 #di1 and #ci respectively1 and three ,a4,l4,s4 of ,charles ,,ii41 #be1 #bc #ajs41 and #bb respectively4 ,the account of the expenses incurred at the ,meeting of the ,field of the ,cloth of ,gold1 signed by ,francis ,i41 was sold for #acj4 ,the following examples of the handwriting of the late ,prince ,consort1 the late ,king ,edward ,,vii41 the late ,duke of ,coburg1 ,king ,george ,v41 ,queen ,mary1 and the late ,empress ,frederick of ,germany may prove interesting to my readers1 as well as useful to collectors3-- ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,by ,,albert1 ,,prince ,,consort1 ,,to ,,general ,,peel1 #aheh4 ,illustration3 ,,exercise ,,of ,,the ,,late ,,king ,,edward ,,vii4 ,,when ,,ten ,,years ,,old1 ,,december #ag1 #ahea4 7,by permission of ,harper ,brothers47 ,illustration3 ,,exercise ,,of ,,the ,,late ,,duke ,,of ,,coburg 7,,prince ,,alfred7 ,,at ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,eight4 7,by permission of ,harper ,brothers47 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,king ,,george ,v4 ,,when ,,duke ,,of ,,york ,,to ,,the ,,late ,,duchess ,,dowager ,,of ,,manchester1 ,,february #bb #ahhf4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,queen ,,mary ,,while ,,duchess ,,of ,,york ,,to ,a ,,friend1 ,,may #bd1 #aijj4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,the ,,empress ,,frederick ,,of ,,germany ,,to ,,mr4 ,,prothero1 ,,february #bb1 #ahhi4 ,,footnotes3 #bd ,the ,handwriting of the ,kings and ,queens of ,england1 by ,w4 ,j4 ,hardy 7,the ,religious ,tract ,society1 ,london1 #ahic74 ,manuel de ,diplomatique1 by ,a4 ,giry 7,paris1 #ahid74 ,the latter is a veritable mine of wealth1 and its #a1jjj pages abound in all sorts of useful information concerning ,royal and official documents4 ,it may almost be described as a key to the archives of ,europe4 #be ,see ante1 p4 #ajj4 #bf ,george ,,iv4 was alive in #ahbg4 #bg ,l',amateur d',autographes1 ,august1 #aije1 pp4 #aia-ic4 #bh ,comedy by ,destouches4 ,the ,married ,philosopher was played at the ,comdie ,franaise in #agbg4 #bi ,a ,russian city on the left bank of the ,kasanka1 #dfj miles east of ,moscow4 ,its university and library were already famous at the time of the ,empress's visit4 ,it is fortified by a stone wall six miles in circumference4 #cj ,see post1 p4 #adc4 #ca ,this is published in ,dumouriez and the ,defence of ,england against ,napoleon4 ,others appear in ,napoleon and the ,invasion of ,england 7#aijg71 and the ,war in ,wexford 7#aiaj74 #cb ,several letters of ,queen ,caroline in my possession are published in ,mr4 ,frederic ,chapman's ,a ,queen of ,indiscretions 7,london1 #aijg74 ,in my copy of this interesting book ,i have inserted a furious exchange of letters between ,prince ,leopold 7,leopold ,i4 of ,belgium7 and ,lady ,anne ,hamilton as to a supposed slight offered by the former to ,queen ,caroline in ,june1 #ahbj4 #cc ,the ,boyhood of a ,great ,king1 by ,a4 ,m4 ,broadley4 ,harper ,brothers1 ,london and ,new ,york1 #aijf4 dition de luxe1 #dto size with additional plates1 limited to #abe copies4 #cd ,dr4 ,hurd1 afterwards ,bishop of ,worcester4 #ce ,dr4 ,cyril ,jackson1 afterwards ,dean of ,christchurch4 #cf ,in ,may1 #agig1 the ,princess ,royal of ,england married ,frederick1 ,prince of ,wrtemberg1 born in #aged4 ,later in the year he succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his father4 ,in ,april1 #ahjc1 a decree of ,napoleon raised him to the rank of ,elector4 ,hence the title given to her aunt by the young ,princess4 ,the ,elector subsequently became ,king of ,wrtemberg in virtue of the ,treaty of ,presbourg 7,january #g1 #ahjf74 ,,vi ,,the ,,autographs ,,of ,,statecraft1 ,,society1 ,,and ,,diplomacy ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,autographs ,,of ,,statecraft1 ,,society1 ,,and ,,diplomacy ,unpublished letters of the two ,pitts1 ,lord ,chesterfield1 and ,lord ,stanhope ,as keys do open chests ,so letters open breasts4 ,,james ,,howell 7#aeie-afff74 ,letters of affairs from such as manage them1 or are privy to them1 writes ,lord ,bacon1 are1 of all others1 the best instructors for history1 and to a diligent reader1 the best histories in themselves4 ,hence the peculiar and exceptional value of the autographs of ,statecraft and ,diplomacy as important sources of reliable information in dealing with the annals of any given period of national life4 ,writers like ,frederic ,masson have discovered that the faded and forgotten correspondence of men and women of fashion constitute a veritable treasury of knowledge concerning the manners and customs of our ancestors during the past three centuries4 ,almost all the ,american autographs of great value#cg may be classed in this category4 ,it is obvious that some writers1 like ,lord ,chesterfield1 united in their persons the attributes of statesmen1 diplomatists1 and men of fashion4 ,eighty years ago it is evident the money value of the letters of celebrated statesmen in no way corresponded with their worth as potential aids to history-making4 ,the chronicler of #ahbg already alluded to makes no secret of the fact4 ,hands which the reins of empire might have swayed1 he frankly confesses1 are hands of very inferior value on paper4 ,sir ,francis ,walsingham1 the able and upright secretary of ,queen ,elizabeth1 must have five other celebrated persons added to mount up to #is4 ,the price of the great ,sir ,robert ,walpole1 who discovered the price of more than half the ,house of ,commons1 and made the whole of the ,government run smoothly1 is #ahs4 ,mr4 ,pitt1 the ,pilot that weathered the storm1 and ,mr4 ,perceval1 who fell by the ball of an assassin1 join hands to reach #acs42 and ,lord ,castlereagh1 who once towered high above the heads of the people1 now needs the help of ,lord ,grenville1 and a ,lord ,chief ,justice1 to lift him up to a like sum4 ,the average value of a common ,lord ,chancellor is about #bs4 #f;d4 ,lenthall1 the ,speaker of the ,house of ,commons in the ,long ,parliament1 and ,thurloe1 the ,secretary of ,oliver ,cromwell1 are valued together at #ebs4 #f;d4 ,i am hardly disposed to altogether credit this statement1 as large sums1 comparatively speaking1 were paid even then for documents signed by ,thomas ,more1 the ,earl of ,pembroke 7,shakespeare's friend71 and ,francis ,bacon1 who1 according to the writer1 would be pitilessly relegated to the half-crown class4 ,in ,frederic ,barker's catalogue for #ahhg ,i find a ,privy ,council letter1 signed by ,bacon and several others1 priced at #g #gs41 and ,mr4 ,waller1 ten years before1 offers a #b p4 ,a4,l4,s4 of the younger ,pitt for #ahs4 ,it was nevertheless a letter of considerable historical value4 ,in this kind of autographs important finds may often be made by buying letters written by little known personages to eminent politicians4 ,in a recent sale at ,sotheby's a dozen letters addressed to ,william ,windham went for #as4 the lot4 ,it is quite possible they may enshrine some unknown ,state secret4 ,i lately saw at the shop of ,messrs4 ,ellis1 in ,new ,bond ,street1 a deed signed not only by ,bacon but his wife1 and nearly the whole of his relatives and connections4 ,it is in an excellent state of preservation1 and was priced at #cj4 ,at the present moment1 when the sixth generation of our ,royal ,family is represented in the ,senior ,service1 two letters of the elder ,pitt1 the ,great ,commoner1 arranging for the entry into the ,navy of the first ,prince of the ,house of ,brunswick to join it1 cannot but be interesting4 ,these letters were addressed in #agei to ,lord ,holdernesse1 and concern the ,duke of ,york1 a younger brother of ,king ,george ,,iii4#ch ,william ,pitt 7afterwards ,earl of ,chatham7 to ,lord ,holdernesse4 past #e o'clock 7#ageh-i874 ,,dear ,,lord1--,i have the very great satisfaction to acquaint your ,lordship that the ,king has been graciously pleased to approve that ,prince ,edward should go on board the fleet and enter into the ,department of the ,navy4 ,his ,majesty1 at the same time signifyd his ,intentions to the ,duke of ,newcastle not to allot any appointments to the ,prince on this account4 ,proper representations1 however will be made for an allowance for ,table at least1 which it is hoped will not be without effect4 ,i am doubly happy1 my ,dear ,lord1 at the favourable and speedy determination of this very important arrangement1 and cannot do sufficient ,justice to the ,instant and efficacious attentions paid to the ,intentions of ,leicester ,house1 which ,i had the great honour to be commanded to make known4 ,i am ever ,my dear ,lord's most affectionate ,friend and humble servant ,w4 ,,pitt ,the ,king reviews the ,cavalry ,monday next4 ,william ,pitt 7afterwards ,earl of ,chatham74 ,monday past #d ,,my ,,dear ,,lord1--,i am able to put your mind entirely at ease as to some doubts which seemed to have arisen1 by acquainting your ,lordship that in consequence of the signification of the ,king's pleasure by me1 the ,lords of the ,admiralty have ordered ,captain ,howe to enter ,prince ,edward in the ,ship's books1 as a volunteer for wages and victuals1 and his ,retinue as part of the allowed complement of the ,ship4 ,this is the ,form and puts everything out of doubt4 ,the ,king is pressing for the ,departure of the ,expedition1 and has named ,general ,bligh to command the ,forces4 ,lord ,ligonier is gone to the ,general to acquaint him of the ,king's pleasure4 ,i conceive ,howe will sail by ,thursday at latest if the weather permits4 ,preparations having been ordered to be made for the ,reception of ,prince ,edward on ,board of ,captain ,howe's own ship1 ,mr4 ,cleveland informs me that everything will be provided for ,his ,royal ,highness's accomodation if ,bligh accepts 7for such is the style of our army7 and the ,king should approve the ,draught of ,instructions to be laid before ,his ,majesty tomorrow1 nothing but a wind will be wanting4 ,prince ,ferdinand recommends the continuation of attack on their coasts as la guerre la plus sensible la ,france de l'attaquer dans ses ,foyers4 ,and yet this great ,prince is certainly a ,stranger to the ,common ,council1 ,beckford and the ,buchaneers4 ,olmutz may draw into some length2 #aj1jjj men in the ,place and old ,general ,marshall defending it with great vigour4 ,i could not possibly see ,general ,elliot this morning1 being obliged to go to ,kensington1 and ,i am this evening to be at a meeting by seven4 ,i am1 ,ever my dear ,lord's ,most ,affectionate ,friend ,w4 ,,pitt4 ,seven years later1 on the afternoon of ,february #bb1 #agff1 the ,premier1 after a tempestuous debate1 concluded a letter to his wife in the country thus3-- ,love to the sweet babes1 patriotic or not1 tho' ,i hope impetuous ,william is not behind in feelings of that kind4 ,send the saddle horses if you please1 so as to be in town early tomorrow morning4 ,i propose and hope to execute my journey to ,hayes by #aa4 ,your ever loving husband ,w4 ,,pitt4 ,the patriotism of ,william ,pitt the younger1 born in the very year ,prince ,edward joined ,captain ,howe's ship as a volunteer for wages and victuals1 was soon to blossom forth not only in an infantile drama1#ci but in a poem hitherto unpublished1 which ,i had the good fortune to obtain through ,mr4 ,f4 ,sabin4 ,it was the joint work of impetuous ,william and his sister in the spring of #aggg1 and is in the handwriting of the former3-- ,,on ,,poetry ,ye sacred ,imps of thund'ring ,jove descend4 ,immortal ,nine1 to me propitious1 bend ,inclining downward from ,parnassus' brow2 ,to me1 young ,bard1 some heav'nly fire allow4 ,from ,agannippe's murmur strait repair1 ,assist my ,labours and attend my ,pray'r4 ,inspire my ,verse4 ,of ,poetry it sings4 ,thro' ,her1 the ,deeds of ,heroes and of ,kings1 ,renownd in ,arms1 with ,fame immortal stand2 ,by ,her1 no less1 are spread thro' ev'ry ,land ,those ,patriot names1 who in their ,country's cause ,triumphant fall1 for ,liberty and ,laws4 ,exalted high1 the ,spartan ,hero stands1 ,encircled with his far-renowned ,bands1 ,who e'er devoted for their ,country die2 ,thro' ,her their ,fame ascends the starry ,sky4 ,she too perpetuates each horrid ,deed1 ,when ,laws are trampled1 when their ,guardians bleed4 ,then shall the ,muse1 to ,infamy prolong ,example dread1 and theme of trajick ,song1 ,nor less immortal than the ,chiefs resound ,the ,poets' names1 who spread their deeds around4 ,homer shall flourish first in rolls of ,fame2 ,and still shall live the ,roman ,virgil's name4 ,with living bays is ,lofty ,pindar crowned1 ,in distant ages ,horace stands renowned4 ,these ,bards1 and more1 fair ,greece and ,rome may boast ,and some may flourish on this ,british coast4 ,witness the man1 on whom the ,muse did smile1 ,who sung our parents' ,fall1 and ,satan's ,guile4 ,a second ,homer1 favour'd by the ,nine1 ,sweet ,spenser1 ,johnson1 ,shakespear the ,divine1 ,and ,he1 fair ,virtue's ,bard1 who rapt doth sing ,the praise of ,freedom1 and ,laconia's ,king4 ,but high o'er ,chiefs and ,bards supremely great ,shall ,publius shine1 the ,guardian of our ,state4 ,him shall th' immortal ,nine themselves record ,with deathless ,fame1 his gen'rous toil reward4 ,shall tune the ,harp to loftier sounding lays ,and thro' the world shall spread his ceaseless praise4 ,their hands alone can match the heav'nly ,string ,and with due fire his wond'rous glories sing4 ,,harriett ,,pitt1 ,may #agga1 #ac years old4 ,,william ,,pitt1 #ab years old4 ,illustration3 ,,last ,,page ,,of ,,unpublished ,,holograph ,,poem ,,in ,,handwriting ,,of ,,william ,,pitt1 ,,may1 #agga4 ,illustration3 ,,last ,,whip ,,issued ,,by ,,william ,,pitt ,,and ,,signed ,,by ,,him1 ,,december #ca1 #ahje4 ,illustration3 ,,signature ,,of ,,sir ,,isaac ,,heard1 ,,garter1 ,,on ,,card ,,of ,,admission ,,to ,,the ,,funeral ,,of ,,william ,,pitt #ahjf4 ,here is a letter written by him thirty-three years later1 after his return to office on the resignation of ,addington4 ,it shows conclusively that his share in helping the ,fatherland to weather the storm was physical as well as moral3-- ,william ,pitt in ,downing ,street to ,lieut4-,colonel ,dillon of ,walmer4 ,,downing ,,street1 ,september #a1 #ahjd4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,as the ,harvest is now nearly over1 ,i imagine this would be a very fitting time for proposing to assemble your ,battalion on permanent duty2 and there seems chance enough of the occasion arriving for actual ,service1 to make it desirable that there should be as little delay as possible4 ,lord ,carrington has gone to ,deal ,castle to-day1 and if you can contrive to see him tomorrow1 or next day1 ,i shall be glad if you will settle with him the necessary arrangements4 ,i think the time should not be less than ,three weeks1 and in that case1 an extra allowance will be made of a guinea pr ,man1 which added to the usual pay will amount to #bs pr day for the whole period4 ,this will enable us to give the men full compensation for at least six or seven hours a day1 on an average2 and will therefore allow of three or four long ,field ,days in each week1 and only short drills in the remaining days2 and such arrangement would1 ,i think1 answer every purpose4 ,i should hope you might fix the commencement of permanent duty for ,monday fortnight1 very soon after which day ,i hope to come to ,walmer to make some stay4 ,i shall be at ,dover on ,tuesday next for a day1 but have some business which will carry me from thence along the ,coast1 and probably back to town before ,i reach ,walmer4 ,believe me1 my dear ,sir1 yours very sincerely1 ,w4 ,,pitt4 ,in ,june1 #aiji1 an extraordinary series of letters by ,pitt1 ,burke1 and others was offered for sale4 ,they were manifestly of supreme importance to the history of ,england during one of her most terrible political crises4 ,i am glad to say certain steps were taken which led to the issue of the following notice3-- ,,sale ,,of ,,autograph ,,letters1 ,june #ith and #ajth4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,windham ,,correspondence4 ,lots #eai to #eej4 99 99 99 99 99 ,messrs4 ,,sotheby1 ,,wilkinson ,,hodge having ,sold these ,lots privately1 by direction of the ,executors1 they will not be included in the ,sale on ,june #ajth4#dj ,the patriotism of ,pitt certainly finds no echo in the following extraordinary letter of his opponent1 ,lord ,stanhope1 which ,i purchased in ,paris for #ae francs3-- ,the ,earl of ,stanhope to ,m4 ,palloy1 ,entrepreneur de la demolition de la ,bastille1 ,grenadier ,volontier de la #a;ere ,division de l',arme ,parisienne1 ,rue du ,foss ,st4 ,bernard1 ,paris3-- ,,cheevening ,,house near ,,sevenoaks ,,kent ,aout #be #agij ,,monsieur1--,je vous rend bien des ,graces pour votre lettre obligante du #g;e courant4 ,on vous a mal inform quand on vous a dit que nous avions notre fte ,londres un ,chapiteau d'une des ,colonnes de la ,bastille2 ce n'tait point partie d'une colonne2 mais seulement une vraie pierre de la ,bastille1 comme nous nous sommes assurs4 ,je ne profiterez sic donc1 par de votre trs obligante offre1 mais je ne vous en suis par moins oblig4 ,je me rejouis1 chaque jour de la demolition de la ,bastille et de la ,libert des ,franais ,je suis1 ,monsieur1 ,votre trs humble et obeissant serviteur ,,stanhope ,m ,palloy ,a year or so ago ,i was lucky enough to secure the official dispatch-box bearing the ,royal cipher and his initials1 which ,pitt left behind him at ,bath1 when returning to ,putney a few days before his death4 ,in it is his last ,whip1 signed on ,december #ca1 #ahje4 ,on ,january #bast he was dying1 and on the #bcrd he died4 ,this melancholy document now lies within the forgotten dispatch-box6 ,chesterfield--the great ,earl of ,chesterfield--died when the younger ,pitt was fourteen years old4 ,it is more correct to describe him as a contemporary of his father1 the ,great ,commoner4 ,he was1 as an amusing and able letter-writer1 superior to both1 but he loved society and they did not4 ,in the recent ,haber ,sale at ,new ,york 7,december #aj1 #aiji7 a very fine ,chesterfield letter only fetched #c #hs4 ,it is thus described3-- ,,chesterfield 7,,philip ,,dormer ,,stanhope1 ,,fourth ,,earl ,,of74 ,a4,l4,s41 #b pp4 #dto1 ,london1 ,june #ad1 #agdf4 7,endorsed on the back ,to ,thos4 ,prior47 ,with portrait4 ,thomas ,prior was the ,irish philanthropist1 with whom ,earl ,chesterfield became acquainted while ,viceroy of ,ireland4 ,a remarkable letter proposing schemes for manufactures in ,ireland4 ,he first suggests glass manufacture1 and next writing and printing paper1 and states that the specimens shown him of ,irish manufacture impressed him greatly1 and only industry is wanting2 another suggestion is the manufacture of starch1 and he writes that he has been shown a method of making it from potatoes easily and cheaply1 and while the law in ,england prevents it being made from anything else than flour in that country1 that law might not apply in ,ireland1 and proceeds3 ,these are the ,jobbs that ,i wish the ,people in ,ireland would attend with as much ,industry and ,care as they do ,jobbs of a very different ,nature4 ,many other reflections show sound common sense4 ,two years ago ,i gave #d each for five unknown and unpublished letters1 written between #agfb and #agga by ,chesterfield to his relative1 ,mr4 ,welbore ,ellis ,agar 7,gatty74 ,the specimen ,i now give of them is interesting1 as it concerns ,bath1 a city which ,i regard as the great source and centre of the lighter and more gossipy letters of the eighteenth century3-- ,,bath1 ,october ye #hth #agga4 ,,dear ,,gatty1--,when we parted we agreed to correspond by way of letter1 but we did not as ,i remember stipulate which should make the first advance1 but as ,i always sacrificed my ,dignity to my pleasure1 ,i here make the first step though ,cozen and ,counsillor to the ,king and your ,unkle1 which is a kind of ,deputy ,parent4 ,admire my condescension4 ,to begin1 then1 with an account of my ,caducity4 ,i made my journey to this place in two days1 which ,i did not think ,i could have done1 much tired with it but alive4 ,since ,i came ,i have seen no mortal till last night1 when ,i went to the ,ball with which the new rooms were opened and when ,i was there ,i knew not one creature except ,lord and ,lady ,vere4 ,the new rooms are really ,magnificent finely finished and furnished1 the ,dancing-room1 which the ,lady ,thanet used to call the ,posture-room1 particularly spacious and adorned4 ,a large and fine play room1 and a convenient ,tea room well contrived1 either to drink or part with that liquor4 ,so much for this and more ,i cannot tell you1 for as for the people who are not yet many1 they are absolute strangers to me1 and ,i to them4 ,in my review of the fair sex last night ,i did not see one tolerably handsome1 so that ,i am in no danger of falling in love this season1 and indeed my heart and mind are so engrossed by ,mr4 ,agar's fair cousin ,mrs4 ,mathews1 that ,i have no room left for a second choice4 ,i hope that at her return to ,england1 he will do me what good offices he can with her2 my way is to end my letters abruptly1 and without a well-turned period4 ,so ,god bless you ,,chesterfield4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,earl ,,of ,,chesterfield1 ,,october #h1 #agga1 ,,describing ,,the ,,inaugural ,,ball ,,at ,,the ,,new ,,bath ,,assembly ,,rooms4 ,the ,mrs4 ,mathews alluded to in the letter was probably the wife of ,captain ,mathews1 who afterwards fought a duel with ,richard ,brinsley ,sheridan4 ,here is another ,chesterfield letter from a different source3-- ,earl of ,chesterfield to ,mrs4 ,montague1 ,may #ad1 #agga4 ,lord ,chesterfield presents his respects to ,mrs4 ,montague and desires her to accept of the enclosed trifle for her poor women2 his charity purse is at present as light as hers can possibly be1 not from being as formerly his ,play-purse too but from the various applications of wretched objects which humanity cannot withstand4 ,of the early nineteenth-century statesmen letter-writers ,brougham was one of the most prolific1 but ,i have already spoken of a curious find of somewhat sensational ,brougham correspondence in ,paris4#da ,his ordinary letters only fetch from #cs4 to #es4 ,far more costly are the letters of ,curran1 ,grattan1 and ,o',connell4 ,here is a typical letter of the ,liberator1 written from ,bath3-- ,daniel ,o',connell to ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,curran4 ,,bath1 ,october #ad1 #ahag4 ,,my ,,dear ,,curran1--,i have wept over your letter4 ,oh ,god your ,father never offended me1--we once differed on the subject of the details of our ,petition1 but if my information on facts respecting that detail was not superior to his1 ,i feel my inferiority in every other respect too sensibly to dare to differ with him4 ,as ,brutus was called the last of the ,romans so ,ireland will weep over him as the last survivor of those great spirits who almost burst the iron ,bondage of ,britain and would have made her free but that the ancient curse has still bound her and she lingers yet in slavery4 ,how naturally does the thought fly from his bed of sickness to the sorrows of ,ireland4 ,the ,boldest1 best1 most eloquent1 most enthusiastic1 and perhaps more than the most persevering of her ,patriots1 he was4 ,alas he leaves none like or second to him4 ,you will my friend think ,i declaim while ,i only run rapidly through the thoughts that his illness crowds upon me4 ,you do well1 quite well4 ,it will1 in every respect1 console you to recollect that you have done your duty4 ,i rejoice with all the joy of my heart can mingle with his state that you have this precious opportunity of doing that duty cordially and well4 ,if your letter afforded me hope that ,i could see your ,father1 so as to be able to converse with him1 ,i would answer your letter in person1 as it is ,i wait only your reply to go to you4 ,it would suit most convenient not to leave this before ,saturday1 but your reply will command me4 ,the ,funeral must be ,public4 ,i will of course attend it4 ,we will arouse everything ,irish in ,london and pay a tribute to his memory unequalled by any which ,london has witnessed4 ,tell ,phillips ,i only wait a reply to join you both4 ,do you think of conveying his remains to ,ireland8 this if practicable would be best4 ,write1 or get ,phillips to write1 as soon as you receive this4 ,you perceive that ,i write in the extreme of haste1 but ,i am for ten thousand reasons convinced that you should listen to no suggestion of a private funeral4 ,you would repent it only once1 that is all your life4 ,would to ,god ,i could offer you consolation4 ,believe me1 my dear friend1 to be most faithfully yours1 ,,daniel ,o',,connell4 ,mr4 ,gladstone was1 like ,wellington and ,brougham1 a writer of innumerable letters4 ,there was a demand for them once1 but at the present moment1 by the irony of fate1 an average ,gladstone letter fetches less than one of his wife4 ,special circumstances1 however1 may give them special value4 ,this is exemplified in the case of the ,gladstone-,manning correspondence written from ,balmoral1 which ,i found at ,brighton4 ,the introduction of the economical and space-saving postcard spoiled ,gladstone as a letter-writer in his old age4 ,here is a typical letter of his1 relating to the present of a bust of ,o',connell and interesting at the present political juncture3-- ,mr4 ,gladstone to ,mrs4 ,o',connell4 #aj ,,downing ,,street ,january #bh4 #ahhb4 ,,my ,,dear ,,madam1--,i accept with many thanks the ,bust you have been so kind to send me4 ,it is a most interesting memorial of early days1 and of a man of powerful mind and will1 and profound attachment to his ,country2 whose name can never be forgotten there4 ,in my early years of ,parliamentary life1 casual circumstances brought me into slight personal relations with ,mr4 ,o',connel1 and ,i have ever retained the lively recollection of his courtesy and kindness4 ,i remain1 my dear ,madam1 your very faithful and obedient1 ,w4 ,e4 ,,gladstone4 ,i must not omit to thank you for the kind terms in which you speak of my efforts on behalf of ,ireland1 and ,i cling in that confidence to the hope that a happy future is yet in store for her4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,from ,,mr4 ,w4 ,e4 ,,gladstone ,,at ,,balmoral ,,to ,,cardinal ,,manning1 ,n4,d4 ,four years ago ,i saw ten letters of the late ,lord ,beaconsfield catalogued at #gj4 ,personally ,i regard him as almost the last of the now extinct race of letter-writers1 for the epistolary art has succumbed beyond hope of recovery to the combined influences of the telegraph1 the telephone1 the type-writer and the halfpenny newspaper4 ,a newspaper letter1 as ,mrs4 ,montagu1 ,lord ,lyttelton1 and ,lord ,bath used to call them1 would be as ridiculous as a conversation on les belles lettres4 ,how ,lord ,beaconsfield's life is ever to be written with any hope of completeness1 ,i cannot imagine4 ,hundreds of his letters have been sold since his death1 and a specimen of average interest can now be obtained for #bjs4 or less4 ,i have gradually acquired thirty or forty and am certain that sooner or later a rise in price is inevitable4 ,people will soon discover that in the fragmentary and wholly unsatisfactory published collections of ,beaconsfield's letters the originals have been ruthlessly mangled or transformed4 ,i shall only include two examples in this book1 beginning with a very early one from the inevitable ,bath3-- ,benjamin ,disraeli to his ,sister4 7,franked by ,e4 ,lytton ,bulwer47 ,,bath1 ,thursday ,jany #bd #ahcc ,,my ,,dearest1--,you ought to have recd my letter on ,sunday and ,i should have answered your's immediately1 but it is almost impossible to get a frank out of ,bulwer and ,i thought my father wd go quite mad if he received an unprivileged letter under present circumstances4 ,we quit this place tomorrow and shd have done so to-day1 but dine with a ,mr4 ,murray here4 ,i like ,bath very much4 ,at a public ball ,i met the ,horfords1 ,hawksleys etc4 ,bulwer and myself went in very late and got quite mobbed4 ,i have nearly finished ,iskander1 a very pretty thing indeed1 and have printed the #ast ,vol of ,alroy4 ,i have answered the agric4 affair which was forwarded to me from ,london4 ,directly ,i am in town ,i will write about the bills4 ,the ,horfords 7father and brother here7 asked us to dine1 but were engaged4 ,met the ,bayntums1 but not ,clementina4 ,rather think ,i may to day4 yrs ever ,b4 ,d4 ,let me have a letter in ,duke ,st4 ,bulwer is getting on immensely and ,i shd not be surprised if we shortly see him in a most eminent position1 but this not to be spoken of4 ,met ,ensor4 ,omitting many letters of piquant interest ,i come to one written in the autumn of #ahea1 in which the rising statesman deals somewhat severely with his old friend1 ,the ,times4 ,it runs as follows3-- ,,hughenden1 ,sept #ai #ahea ,,my ,,dear ,,sa1--,your mischance was very vexatious1 but ,i was glad to hear that you had arrived all safe in such kind quarters4 ,i see ,jem on ,tuesday1 who passed a longish morning here4 ,at ,monday ,i was at ,aylesbury where ,i was obliged to dine with the old society--,lowndes1 ,stone1 ,howard ,wyse1 ,bernard1 ,hale1 ,isham1 and ,young of ,quainton and #c clergymen supported me1 and ,lowndes of ,chesham in the chair4 ,i made a good speech on a difficult subject1 and the meeting seemed in heart4 ,i saw to-day in ,the ,times two columns of incoherent and contradictory nonsense wh made me blush1 tho' ,i ought to be hardened by this time on such subjects4 ,i have seen no other papers4 ,they can't be worse1 and perhaps may in some degree neutralise the nonsense of ,the ,times4 ,i am only afraid the world will think it all ,delphi and diplomatic1 and that the wordy obscurity was intentional1 whereas ,i flattered myself ,i was as terse and simple as suited a farmer's table4 ,i am rather improving and getting on a little4 ,i hope you will enjoy yourself very much4 ,we went over to ,cliefden the other day--there is one bed of flowers1 called the scarlet ribbon--#d1jjj geraniums--the ,duchess's#db own design1 very new and wonderful1 winding over a lawn like a sea-serpent1 but the plantation in sad order4 ,the gardener has #aj per week to pay everything in his department1 as the ,duchess will not spend more on a place which yields nothing4 ,my kind remembrances to ,mrs4 ,peacock4 ,affecly yrs4 ,d4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,mr4 ,,disraeli 7,,afterwards ,,lord ,,beaconsfield7 ,,on ,,church ,,matters1 ,n4,d4 ,i venture to think that in the near future the letters of ,benjamin ,disraeli1 ,earl of ,beaconsfield1 will be found as essential to the annals of the ,victorian era1 as those of ,pitt1 ,windham1 and ,burke are to those of the reign of ,george ,,iii4 ,,footnotes3 #cg ,see post1 ,chapter ,,xi4 #ch ,see ante1 p4 #aef4 #ci ,copious extracts from the future ,prime ,minister's juvenile dramatic production will be given in ,dr4 ,j4 ,holland ,rose's forthcoming ,life of ,pitt4 #dj ,a large number of unpublished letters of ,william ,pitt and his contemporaries will also appear in ,dr4 ,holland ,rose's forthcoming ,life of ,pitt4 #da ,see ante1 pp4 #ih-ii4 #db ,the late ,duchess of ,cleveland1 one of ,queen ,victoria's bridesmaids4 ,,vii ,,the ,,literary ,,autographs ,,of ,,three ,,centuries ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,literary ,,autographs ,,of ,,three ,,centuries ,from the days of ,shakespeare and ,spenser to those of ,thackeray1 ,dickens1 ,tennyson1 and ,meredith--,the value of literary autographs and ,,mss4 ,in a man's letters1 you know1 ,madame1 his soul lies naked--his letters are only the mirror of his heart4--,,dr4 ,,johnson to ,,mrs4 ,,thrale4 ,political interest is ephemeral1 but literary interest is eternal4--,,adrian ,h4 ,,joline1 ,meditations of an ,autograph ,collector4 ,by a felicitous coincidence two literary autographs of more than ordinary interest have come to light at the moment ,i was preparing to write the present chapter4 ,the first is the discovery in the ,record ,office by ,dr4 ,wallace of the signed deposition of ,shakespeare in an early seventeenth-century lawsuit1 under the circumstances picturesquely set forth in the issue of ,harper's ,monthly ,magazine for ,march1 #aiaj4 ,without conceding to ,dr4 ,wallace's find the supreme importance claimed for it by this able and patient examiner of ancient ,,mss41 there can be no doubt that it deals a fatal and final blow to the ,baconian theory4 ,on the very day ,i read ,dr4 ,wallace's article1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,stonehouse#dc showed me several fictitious ,shakespeare signatures fabricated by ,w4 ,h4 ,ireland nearly forty years after the appearance of ,vortigern1 for the avowed purpose of demonstrating his ability to imitate them4 ,i cannot help thinking that ,dr4 ,wallace's article lends increased interest to the letter of the ,shakespearean actor1 ,dowton1 which has already been alluded to in these pages4#dd ,in the elaborate essay in which the fifth ,shakespeare signature has been enshrined will be found reproductions of the other four4#de ,illustration3 ,,the ,,signature ,,of ,,shakespeare ,,on ,,the ,,last ,,page ,,of ,,his ,,will4 ,mr4 ,adrian ,joline's theory as to the eternity of interest in literary autographs receives support from the exceptionally high prices they have commanded from the early days of the collection of ,,mss41 when the signatures of kings and statesmen were almost at a discount4 ,i shall now1 writes the chronicler of autograph prices in #ahbg1 set poetry1 philosophy1 history1 and works of imagination against sceptres1 swords1 robes1 and big-wigs4444 ,addison is worth #b #aes41 ,pope #c #es41 and ,swift #c4 ,thomson has sold for #e #ajs4 and ,burns for #c #ajs4 ,churchill1 the abuser of his compatriots1 is valued at #a #ahs4 ,in philosophy ,dr4 ,franklin reaches #a #ags42 in history1 ,hume is valued at #a #ahs4 and ,gibbon at only #hs4 ,the sturdy moralist ,johnson ranks at #a #afs41 the graceful trifler ,sterne at #b #bs41 ,smollett at #b #ajs41 and ,richardson at #a4 ,scott only yields #hs4 ,in the half-century which intervened between #ahbg and #ahgg the prices of literary autographs had risen by leaps and bounds4 ,in his catalogue of #ahgf ,mr4 ,waller asked #h #ajs4 for a short ,latin essay of ,thomas ,gray1 while ,longfellow is priced at #a #ahs41 ,george ,borrow at #c #cs41 and ,wordsworth at #a #as4 ,a fine letter of ,schiller's is priced at #b #es4 ,in the next catalogue 7#ahgh7 ,i find the following3 ,gibbon 7a fine ,a4,l4,s47 #d #ds42 ,voltaire 7a #b pp4 ,a4,l4,s47 #c #aes42 ,rousseau1 a series of letters1 including one of the philosopher1 #c #ajs42 five verses by ,scott1 #d #ds42 ,william ,cowper1 ,a4,l4,s41 #c #gs4 #f;d42 ,gray1 a bundle of printed matter including one hundred lines of ,,ms41 #f #fs4 ,in the late ,mr4 ,frederick ,barker's catalogues of the same period we have ,edmund ,burke 7,a4,l4,s471 #c #cs42 ,thomas ,hood 7,a4,l4,s471 #b #bs42 ,voltaire 7,a4,l4,s471 #d #ds42 ,horace ,walpole 7,a4,l4,s471 #c #es42 and a love-letter from ,john ,keats to ,fanny ,brawne1 #bh4 ,in cataloguing the last-named item ,mr4 ,barker says that one of these celebrated letters realised by auction a short time since no less than #dg4 ,he also prices two ,a4,l4,s4 of ,robert ,burns at #ce and #cb respectively4 ,it will be remembered that in #ahbg the price for a ,burns letter was #c #ajs4 only4 ,for a letter of ,schiller 7#d pp41 #hvo1 #ahja7 ,mr4 ,barker asks #g #gs4 ,in several catalogues of this period ,i find ,keats letters averaging #bj to #cj4 ,the interesting catalogue issued by ,mr4 ,barker in #ahia is remarkable for its wealth of literary rariora4 ,autograph letters are priced in it as follows3 ,schiller1 #aj #ajs42 ,burns1 #be2 ,wordsworth1 #c #cs42 ,thackeray1 #be4 ,the last-named letter is worth describing4 ,it was addressed to ,miss ,holmes1 with a postscript on the inside of the envelope1 and on the third sheet a clever sketch of ,thackeray and ,bulwer ,lytton standing behind a lady seated at a piano4 ,the letter itself runs thus3-- ,there is a comfortable ,hotel in this street1 kept by a respectable family man1 the charges are ,beds gratis1 ,breakfasts1 thank you1 dinner and tea1 ditto1 servants included in these charges4 ,get a cab from the station1 and come straightway to ,no4 #ac4 ,i dine out with the ,dean of ,st4 ,paul's 7you have heard of a large meeting house we have between ,ludgate ,hill and ,cheapside1 with a round roof874 ,some night we will have a select ,t party1 but not whilst you are staying here4 ,when you are in your lodgings4 ,why ,i will ask ,sir ,edward ,george ,earle ,lytton1 ,bulwer ,lytton himself4 ,bulwer's boots are very fine in the accompanying masterly design 7refer to the sketch71 remark the traces of emotion on the cheeks of the other author 7the notorious ,w4 ,m4 ,t471 ,i have caricatured ,dr4 ,newman 7with an immense nose7 and the ,cardinal too1 you ought to know that4 ,this letter would be now worth quite #ej1 and some of the fine illustrated ,thackeray letters now in possession of ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin would probably be cheap at #ajj each4 ,mr4 ,sabin's collection of the ,thackerayana is probably unrivalled both as regards the ,united ,kingdom and ,america4#df ,in ,mr4 ,barker's #ahia catalogue there are four letters of ,shelley1 priced at #ah #ahs41 #ai #ais41 #aj #ajs41 and #i #is4 respectively4 ,there is also a ,schiller at #be1 and an ,alexander ,pope covering one page #hvo only at #h4 ,darwin is already at #a #ajs41 ,disraeli at #ahs41 and the ,dickens letters average about #b4 ,a letter of ,dr4 ,priestley1 worth perhaps #es4 in #ahbg1 is now offered at #b #bs4 ,illustration3 ,,deed ,,containing ,,the ,,signature ,,of ,,francis ,,bacon1 ,,lord ,,verulam1 ,,and ,,nearly ,,all ,,the ,,members ,,of ,,his ,,family1 ,,temp4 ,,james ,i4 7,in the collection of ,messrs4 ,ellis47 ,i am permitted by ,mr4 ,f4 ,sabin to reproduce a very early literary letter addressed in #afij by ,john ,evelyn to ,samuel ,pepys4 ,it must not be forgotten that ,evelyn was one of the earliest collectors of ,,mss4 ,,depfd1 #be--g3--ij4 ',tis now 7methinks7 so very long since ,i saw or heard from my ,ext ,friend3 that ,i cannot but enquire after his ,health3 ,if he aske what ,i am doing all this while8 ,sarcinam compono1 ,i am making up my fardle1 that ,i may march the freer3 for the meane time-- ,do you expect a more proper ,conjuncture than this approaching ,session1 to do yourself ,right--by publishing that which all good men 7who love and honour you7 cannot but rejoice to see8 you owe it to ,god1 to your ,country to yr ,selfe1 and therefore ,i hope you seriously think of resolve upon it4 ,i am just now making a step to ,wotton to ,visite my good ,brother there1 ,importunately desiring to see me3 himselfe succumbing apace to ,age and its ,accidents3 ,i think not of staying above a week or ten daies1 within a little after my returne be almost ready to remove our small family neerer you for the winter1 ,in which ,i promise myselfe the ,hapynesse of a ,conversation the most ,gratefull to ,sr ,your ,most ,humble ,faithfull ,servant ,j ,,evelyn ,i rent this page from the other before ,i was aware1 and now tis to full to begin againe for good maners4 ,give my most ,humble ,service to ,dr4 ,gule4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,john ,,evelyn ,,to ,,samuel ,,pepys1 ,,deptford1 ,,september #be1 #agjj4 7,in the collection of ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin47 ,milton1 to a certain extent1 was a contemporary of both ,pepys and ,evelyn1 but he had been dead sixteen years at the date of the letter now quoted4 ,the value of ,milton's autographs is fully discussed by ,dr4 ,scott in the pages of ,the ,archivist4#dg ,when the subject first attracted my attention early in #aijd much excitement was caused by the appearance in ,sotheby's ,salerooms of what was alleged to be #cb pp4 of the ,,ms4 of ,paradise ,lost4 ,the value of the document was warmly discussed at the time and sensational bidding was anticipated4 ,it was bought in1 but ,i believe it was ultimately sold to an ,american collector for #e1jjj or thereabouts4 ,mr4 ,quaritch now possesses a very fine ,milton deed1 which is priced at #dbj1 and is dated ,november #bg1 #afbc4 ,it is signed by ,john ,milton1 as one of the witnesses to the ,marriage ,covenant between ,edward ,phillips of ,london and ,anne1 daughter of ,john ,milton1 ,citizen and ,scrivener of ,london4 ,illustration3 ,,early ,,signature ,,of ,,john ,,milton ,,on ,,documents ,,now ,,in ,,possession ,,of ,,mr4 ,,quaritch4 ,letters of ,dryden and ,cowley have fetched very high prices1#dh and the autograph of ,edmund ,waller is also rare1 but ,alexander ,pope's letters are abundant1 although they are much less valuable than those of ,swift4 ,a good letter of ,pope can be obtained for from #g to #aj4 ,the late ,mr4 ,frederick ,barker told me he was once asked as an autographic expert to advise a well-known nobleman1 ,lord ,h41 who said he had a bundle of letters written by one of the ,popes in his possession and desired to ascertain their value1 but as they were merely signed ,a ,pope he did not know which of the ,holy ,fathers was responsible for them6 ,mr4 ,barker of course identified the bard of ,twickenham as their author4 ,they were bound up under his supervision1 and fetched over #bjj1 but still the owner was not quite satisfied6 ,of the four ,pope letters in my collection1 only one has ever been published1 and that but partially4 ,it is of such manifest historical interest that ,i do not apologise for reproducing it in its entirety3-- ,alexander ,pope at ,twickenham to ,ralph ,allen1 ,esq41 ,widcombe1 ,bath4 7,november #b4 #agch47 ,,dear ,,sir1--,i trouble you with my answers to the ,inclosed wch ,i beg you to give to ,mr ,lyttelton as ,i wd do him all ye ,good ,i can1 wh the ,virtues ,i know him possest of1 deserve2 and therefore ,i wd ,present him with so ,honest a ,man as you1 and you with so ,honest a man as he3 ,the ,matter concerning ,urns ,i wd gladly leave in yr ,care1 and ,i desire four small ones with their ,pedestals1 may be made1 and two of a size larger4 ,i'l send those sizes to you and ,i send a ,draft of ye two sorts1 #d of one and #b of ye other4 ,i am going to insert in the body of my ,works1 my two last ,poems in ,quarto4 ,i always ,profit myself of ye opinion of ye publick to correct myself on such occasions4 ,and sometimes the ,merits of particular ,men1 whose names ,i have made free with for examples either of ,good or of ,bad1 determine me to alteration4 ,i have found the ,virtue in you more than ,i certainly knew before till ,i had made experiment of it1 ,i mean ,humility6 ,i must therefore in justice to my own conscience of it bear testimony to it and change the epithet ,i first gave you of ,low-born1 to ,humble4 ,i shall take care to do you the justice to tell everybody this change was not made at yours1 or at any friends request for you3 but my own knowledge 7of7 you merited it4 ,i receive daily fresh proofs of your kind remembrance of me4 ,the ,bristol waters1 the ,guinea ,hens1 the ,oyl and ,wine 7two ,scripture benedictions7 all came safe except ye wine1 wch was turned on one side1 and spilt at ye ,corks4 ,however tis no loss to me for that sort ,i dare not drink on acct of ye ,bile1 but my friends may and that is the same thing as if ,i did4 ,adieu6 ,is ,mr ,hook with you8 ,i wish ,i were1 for a month at least2 for less ,i wd not come4 ,pray advise him not to be so modest4 ,i hope he sees ,mr4 ,lyttelton4 ,i must expect your good offices with ,mrs4 ,allen1 so let her know ,i honour a good woman much but a good ,wife more4 ,i am ever1 yours faithfully1 ,a4 ,,pope ,twitnam4 ,nov #b 7#agch74 ,my other three ,pope letters are unknown4 ,they are addressed to ,mr4 ,bethel on ,tower ,hill1 ,london1 ,mr4 ,charles ,ford in ,park ,place1 and ,mr4 ,jonathan ,richardson1 of ,queen ,square1 ,london4 ,the last-named was catalogued last year as written to ,samuel ,richardson4 ,i gave #e for it4 ,mr4 ,barker valued it at #h in #ahia4 ,it provides an antidote to the unkind things ,pope wrote about ,sulphureous ,bath on other occasions3-- ,,bath4 ,november #ad4 #agdb4 ,,de ,,sir1--,the whole purpose of this is only to tell you that the length of my stay at this distance from you1 has not made me unmindful of you2 and that ,i think you have regard enough for me to be pleased to hear1 ,i have been1 and am1 better than usual4 ,in about a fortnight or three weeks ,i hope to find you as little altered as possible at yr age1 as when ,i left you1 as ,i am at mine4 ,god send you all ,ease1 philosophical and physical4 ,i am your sincerely-affectionate friend and servant1 ,a4 ,,pope ,my services to yr ,son4 ,the letters of ,horace ,walpole1 who generally wrote for posterity1 are valuable1#di but by no means as costly as those of ,thomas ,gray4 ,mr4 ,quaritch lately showed a group of holograph letters1 illustrating the quadruple alliance of ,gray1 ,walpole1 ,west1 and ,ashton1 which began at ,eton4 ,it included two fairly long letters of ,gray and ,walpole4 ,i consider the collection very cheap at #ee4 ,here is a characteristic unpublished note written by ,horace ,walpole to ,hannah ,more1 while the latter was staying with the ,garricks in the ,adelphi3-- ,horace ,walpole to ,hannah ,more4 ,march #aa4 ,i heard at ,mrs4 ,ord's last night that you are not well4 ,i wou'd fain flatter myself that you had only a pain in your apprehension of the coaches full of mob that were crowding the streets1 but as ,i do not take for granted whatever will excuse me from caring1 as people that are indifferent readily do1 ,i beg to hear from yourself how you are4 ,i do not mean from your own hand1 but lips--send me an exact message1 and if it is a good one it will give real pleasure to yours most sincerely1 ,h4 ,,walpole4 ,,ps4--,mrs4 ,prospero1 who is my ,miranda1 was there last night with a true blue embroidered favour1 that cast a ten times more important colour on her accents and made her as potent in her own eyes as ,sycorax4 ,to ,miss ,more at the ,adelphi4 ,illustration3 ,,page ,,of ,,dr4 ,,johnson',s ,,diary ,,recording ,,his ,,impressions ,,of ,,stonehenge1 ,,etc41 #aghc4 ,the value of ,johnson's letters has varied very little during the past quarter of a century1 an ,a4,l4,s4 of exceptional interest often bringing #dj or #ej4 ,possibly his historic letters to ,macpherson and ,chesterfield or his ultimatum to ,mrs4 ,thrale would now fetch considerably more4 ,in the ,haber ,sale at ,new ,york a #b pp4 #dto ,a4,l4,s4 dated ,april #ac1 #aggi1 to ,cadell brought #ag4 ,i possess several ,johnson letters1 many of them unpublished and written during the last year of his life4 ,the following ,a4,l4,s4 to ,mr4 ,ryland was seemingly unknown to ,dr4 ,birkbeck ,hill3-- ,to ,mr4 ,ryland1 ,merchant in ,london4 ,,dear ,,sir1--,i have slackened in my diligence of correspondence1 certainly not by ingratitude or less delight to hear from my friends1 and as little would ,i have it imputed to idleness1 or amusement of any other kind4 ,the truth is that ,i care not much to think on my own state4 ,i have for some time past grown worse1 the water makes slow advances1 and my breath though not so much obstructed as in some former periods of my disorder is very short4 ,i am not however heartless4 ,the water has1 since its first great effusion1 invaded me thrice1 and thrice has retreated4 ,accept my sincere thanks for your care in laying down the stone#ej wh you and young ,mr4 ,ryland have done4 ,i doubt not of finding it well done1 if ever ,i can make my mind firm enough to visit it4 ,i am now contriving to return1 and hope to be yet no disgrace to our monthly meeting#ea when ,i shall be with you1 as my resolution is not very steady and as chance must have some part in the opportunity1 ,i cannot tell4 ,do not omit to write1 for your letters are a great part of my comfort4 ,i am1 ,dear ,sir ,your most humble servant ,,sam ,,johnson ,pray write4 ,lichfield1 ,oct4 #cj1 #aghd4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,two ,,last ,,pages ,,of ,,the ,,ms4 ,,journal ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,thrale',s ,,tour ,,in ,,wales1 ,,july-,,september1 #aggd1 ,,describing ,,the ,,dinner ,,at ,,burke',s4 ,six months before his death he writes thus to ,mr4 ,nicoll on the subject of ,cook's voyages3-- ,to ,mr4 ,nicoll1 ,bookseller1 ,in the ,strand1 ,london4 ,you were pleased to promise me that when the great ,voyage should be published1 you would send it to me4 ,i am now at ,pembroke ,college1 ,oxford1 and if you can conveniently enclose it in a parcel1 or send it any other way1 ,i shall think the perusal of it a great favour4 ,i am1 ,sir ,your most humble servant ,,sam ,,johnson ,june #h #aghd ,curiously enough1 one of the last subjects upon which ,johnson concentrated his waning energies in #aghc-hd was that of the possibilities of the balloon1 which he persistently called ballon4#eb 99 99 99 99 99 ,for some years ,i have been an assiduous collector of the letters and ,,mss4 of ,george ,crabbe4 ,i now possess his two historic letters to ,edmund ,burke4 ,it was in the earliest of these 7once the property of ,sir ,theodore ,martin7 that he made his despairing appeal for pecuniary aid to save him from suicide or starvation4 ,fifty-one years later1 ,george ,crabbe1 ,rector of ,trowbridge1 lay a-dying4 ,he receives in his sick-chamber the following letter from ,john ,forster3-- ,john ,forster to ,george ,crabbe4 ,letter franked by ,edward ,lytton ,bulwer4 #d ,,burton ,,st4 ,,burton ,,crescent1 ,,london ,jany #bj '#cb ,,revd4 ,,sir1--,i beg1 very respectfully to submit to your inspection the enclosed paper4#ec ,may ,i venture to hope that your sympathy with the cause of the world of letters--independently of considerations unfortunately still more urgent1 will induce you to lend the favour of your distinguished name to a project now become necessary to rescue ,mr4 ,leigh ,hunt from a hard crisis in his fortune ,with the greatest respect1 ,i am1 ,sir1 ,your very obdt4 servant ,,john ,,forster4 ,after ,crabbe's death the following almost illegible draft of a reply was found amongst his papers3-- ,it wd ill become me who have been so greatly much indebted to the kindness of my ,friends1 that ,i should refuse to do what ,i could disregard not respond to the application you are so good as to make on behalf of ,mr4 ,leigh ,hunt4 ,my influence ,i fear is small living residing as1 ,i do1 where little except ,cloth is made1 little except ,newspapers read4 ,this is1 however1 not without exceptions4 ,it is ,i consider it as doing myself ,honour to join however feebly my name with those endeavouring attempt to serve a distinguished member of a man for whose welfare those such distinguished persons are interested whose names are connected to the printed copy paper of the paper printed destined for general ,circulation ,i am ,sir ---- ,history had repeated itself1 only the rles were reversed4 ,in #ahcb the benefactor was ,crabbe1 and the distressed man of letters ,hunt6 ,i have elected to speak of ,burke amongst the writers1 although he can claim a high place amongst the statesmen4 ,his letters are always valuable1 although the price fetched for two exceptionally fine specimens at the ,haber ,sale 7,new ,york1 ,december #aj1 #aiji7 was disappointing4 ,a long letter1 written in his twentieth year1 brought only #d #hs42 a splendid letter from ,bath a short time before his death was sold for #f #hs4 ,the following letter from ,edmund ,burke to ,mrs4 ,montagu 7one of many ,i have the good fortune to possess7 has a distinct vein of ,american interest3-- ,,westminster1 ,,may #d #aggf1 ,friday4 ,,dear ,,madam1--,i was in hopes1 that ,i might have sent you1 together with my acknowledgement for your kindness1 the only reward you desire for acts of friendship1 an account of the full effect of them4 ,mrs4 ,james's letter was undoubtedly what it ought to be on application from you4 ,we have nothing to complain of ,mrs4 ,j4 in point of civility but there is no further result of your indisposition4 ,as yet indeed we do not despair4 ,but to give the application its full effect on him1 if in answer to ,mrs4 ,j4 you keep the matter in some degree alive1 ,i do not question but that it will succeed at last4 ,almost all the others are secure4 ,i cannot at all express how much obliged ,i am for the extremely friendly manner in which you take up my friends ,mr4 ,burke's case4 ,he is himself as sensible1 as he is worthy of your goodness4 ,it is something to be distinguished by the regards of those who regard but few4 ,but to have a distinguished part in the mind where all have their places is much more flattering4 ,we have now almost finished our tedious ,sessions2 and ,i hope to make you my acknowledgement when you return1 somewhat more at leisure4 ,the news from ,america is not very pleasing4 ,indeed ,i know of no ,news but that of ,peace which can be so1 to any well-disposed mind4 ,general ,howe has been driven from ,boston1 partly by scarcity1 partly by a sharp ,cannonade and ,bombardment4 ,he therefore made his disposition so well that they had not induced his return soon enough to give him any disturbance4 ,he has collected everything with him and he has retired to the only place we have now on that extensive coast1 ,halifax1 where1 ,i doubt1 for some little time at least he will not be much better commanded in point of provision though he will be practically out of reach of an enemy4 ,mrs4 ,burke joins me with all the rest of the family in faithful pledge to you1 in the best compliments to yourself and to your most agreeable ,miss ,gregory4 ,i am1 with the most sincere regard and highest esteem ,dear ,madam1 ,your sincere friend and very obliged and humble servant1 ,,edm4 ,,burke4 ,passing to the nineteenth century1 which was to witness the eclipse of the art of letter-writing as well as the disappearance of the frank1 we come to the age of ,keats1 ,shelley1 ,byron and ,lamb4 ,it was at the beginning of this eventful epoch that ,goethe wrote the lines to ,blcher1 which form one of the shortest autographs ,i possess1 but not the least curious or valuable3-- ,in ,harren und ,krieg in ,sturz und ,sieg bewust und gros ,so riss er uns ,von ,feinden los ,illustration3 ,,holograph ,,lines ,,by ,,goethe ,,on ,,bl,,cher1 ,,circa #ahab-ac4 ,my friend1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,l4 de ,st4 ,m4 ,watson1 gives me a forcible metrical translation3 ,in warring or tarrying1 ,in victory or woe1 ,he towers2 and through him ,we're freed from the foe4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,john ,,keats 7,,three ,,pages7 ,,to ,j4 ,h4 ,,reynolds1 ,,february #bh1 #ahbj4 ,goethe was an enthusiastic collector of ,,mss4 as well as a poet4 ,of the autograph cult he wrote3-- ,as ,i personally possess a considerable collection of autographs and often take occasion to examine and reflect upon them1 it seems to me that every one who directs his thoughts to this subject may succeed in taking several steps in the right direction1 which may lead to his own improvement and satisfaction1 if not to the instruction of others4 ,the value of ,keats1 ,shelley1 ,byron and ,scott letters ,i have already spoken of4 ,in the ,haber ,sale a ,keats letter brought #ejj6 ,letters of ,charles ,lamb range from #d to #aj or more in price4 ,i purchased the following note to ,hone for #b #bs4 and believe ,i secured a bargain3-- ,to ,mr4 ,hone4 #de ,,ludgate ,,hill ,,dear ,,sir1--,i was not very well or in spirits when your pleasing note reached me or should have noticed sooner4 ,our ,hebrew ,brethren seem to appreciate the good news of this life in more liberal latitude than we to judge from frequent graces4 ,one ,i think you must have omitted ,after concluding a bargain4 ,their distinction of fruits growing upon trees and upon the ground ,i can understand4 ,a sow makes quite a different grunt her grace from eating chestnuts and pignuts4 ,the last is a little above ,ela with this and wishing grace be with you1 ,yours ,c4 ,,lamb #i ,nov4 #ahba4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,of ,,lord ,,tennyson ,,to ,,mr4 ,,moxon4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,lord ,,byron ,,to ,,mr4 ,,perry1 ,,march #a1 #ahab4 ,of the literary autograph letters and ,,mss4 of the ,victorian era the highest prices are obtained for those of ,alfred ,tennyson and ,george ,meredith4 ,in a catalogue lately issued by ,messrs4 ,sotheran#ed the author's copy of ,tennyson's ,ode on the ,death of the ,duke of ,wellington1 with thirty lines of ,,ms4 additions and a large number of alterations and corrections1 is priced at #abj4 ,the ,,ms4 draft of his famous dedication to ,queen ,victoria published in #ahec1 and consisting of eight four-line verses1 is considered a little more valuable4 ,an ordinary #hvo letter of one page frequently fetches as much as #b or #c4 ,george ,meredith's ,,mss4 have been lately sold for several hundred pounds1 and an ordinary letter would be cheap at anything between #b and #c4 ,through the kindness of my friend ,mr4 ,clement ,shorter ,i am able to give a specimen of ,meredith's handwriting4 ,illustration3 ,,illustrated ,,letter ,,of ,w4 ,m4 ,,thackeray ,,from ,,glasgow4 7,in the collection of ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin47 ,illustration3 ,,lines ,,from ,,the ,,iliad4 ,,specimen ,,of ,,the ,,ms4 ,,of ,,the ,,late ,,mr4 ,,george ,,meredith4 7,by kind permission of ,mr4 ,clement ,k4 ,shorter47 ,w4 ,m4 ,thackeray and ,charles ,dickens were both voluminous letter-writers4 ,the letters of the former now command higher prices than those of any ,victorian writer4 ,he also frequently illustrated his witty notes with amusing sketches in pen and ink and other oddities4 ,one of these 7from the splendid collection of ,mr4 ,sabin7 forms one of the illustrations of this volume4 ,into another he introduces a typical ,scotch sandwich-man carrying on his back the advertisement of the ,thackeray ,lectures at ,merchants' ,hall1 ,glasgow4 ,from my own collection ,i give a very interesting example of ,thackeray's wit1 in the shape of a letter addressed to ,count d',orsay1 on the subject of the proposed publication of a sacred picture by the famous dandy4 ,on the back of the circular announcing its appearance he wrote3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,count1--,this note has just come to hand1 and you see ,i take the freedom with you of speaking the truth4 ,i dont like this announcement at all4 ,our ,saviour and the ,count d',orsay ought not to appear in those big letters4 ,it somehow looks as if you and our ,lord were on a par1 and put forth as equal attractions by the publisher4 ,dont mind my saying this1 for ,i'm sure this sort of announcement 7merely on account of the unfortunate typography7 is likely to shock many honest folks4 ,yours always faithfully ,w ,m ,,thackeray4 ,in the earlier part of his career1 ,thackeray wrote a running hand very different to the upright calligraphy of his later life4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,w4 ,m4 ,,thackeray ,,to ,,count ,d',,orsay ,,on ,,fly-,,leaf ,,of ,,circular ,,announcing ,,the ,,publication ,,of ,a ,,picture1 ,n4,d4 ,early ,dickens letters of any length are eagerly sought for1 and sell for nearly three times as much as those written between #ahej and his death4 ,i am able to give illustrations of some exceptionally early ,thackeray and ,dickens letters1 which came into the possession of ,mr4 ,george ,gregory1 of ,bath1 through whose hands the ,autograph ,album of the first ,mrs4 ,sheridan recently passed4 ,the earliest ,dickens letter1 of the fifteen autographs in my collection1 was written when he was in his twenty-ninth year4 ,it is interesting as containing a frank exposition of his political creed3-- ,charles ,dickens at ,broadstairs to ,frederick ,dickens1 ,commissariat1 ,treasury1 ,whitehall4 ,sunday ,september ,twelfth #ahda4 ,,my ,,dear ,,fred1--,the wording of the ,minute is certainly discouraging4 ,if ,i saw any way of helping you by coming up to town1 ,i would do so1 immediately4 ,but ,i cannot possibly apply to the ,tories for anything4 ,i daresay they would be glad enough if ,i would1 but ,i cannot with any regard to honor1 consistency1 or truth1 ask any favour of people whom politically1 ,i despise and abhor4 ,it would tie my hands1 seal my lips1 rob my pen of its honesty1 and bind me neck and heels in discreditable fetters4 ,is ,archer in ,town8 ,if so1 have you spoken to him8 ,if not1 when is he coming8 ,you should speak to him certainly4 ,i have told you before1 that ,i am much afraid you have not treated him with that show of respect1 which he has a right to claim4 ,why in the name of ,god should he have a personal dislike to you1 but for some such reason as this8 ,if you think1 and ,i see no objection to your asking ,mr4 ,archer the question1 that without doing anything improper1 you might memorialise the ,treasury1 ,i will draw a memorial for you4 ,if you have reason to think this would be unofficial and ill-advised1 ,i know of nothing better than waiting and hoping4 ,i should be as sorry as you1 if you were to lose this step4 ,let me hear from you by return ,affectionately always ,c4 ,d4 ,illustration3 ,,early ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,w4 ,m4 ,,thackeray ,,to ,,mr4 ,,macrone1 ,,publisher1 ,,discovered ,,by ,,mr4 ,,george ,,gregory1 ,,of ,,bath4 7,first style of handwriting in #ahcf47 ,the touching letter recording his feelings at the death of his little daughter is1 ,i think1 a human document of more than ordinary interest3-- ,charles ,dickens to ,thomas ,mitton4 ,,devonshire ,,terrace ,nineteenth ,april #ahea ,,my ,,dear ,,mitton1--,i have been in trouble1 or ,i should have written to you sooner4 ,my wife has been1 and is1 far from well4 ,frederick caused me much vexation and expense4 ,my poor father's death caused me much distress--and more expense--but of that1 in such a case ,i say nothing4 ,i came to ,london last ,monday to preside at a public dinner--played with little ,dora my youngest child before ,i went--and was told1 when ,i left the chair1 that she had died in a moment4 ,i am quite myself again1 but ,i have undergone a great deal4 ,i send you all the papers ,i have relating to ,thompson's affair4 ,i am in town again now and shall be at home on ,monday1 ,tuesday1 ,friday and ,saturday mornings4 ,i am not going back to ,malvern1 but have let this house until ,september1 and taken the ,fort at ,broadstairs4 ,yrs faithfully ,c4 ,d4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,,one ,,of ,,charles ,,dickens',s ,,last ,,letters1 ,,may #ae1 #ahgj4 ,here is one of the last letters he ever wrote1 to which ,i have already alluded as a rare specimen of a valuable autograph written in duplicate3-- ,charles ,dickens to ,j4 ,b4 ,buckstone4 ,,gad',s ,,hill ,,place1 ,,higham ,,by ,,rochester1 ,,kent ,,sunday ,fifteenth ,may #ahgj4 #e ,,hyde ,,park ,,place ,w4 ,,my ,,dear ,,buckstone1--,i send a duplicate of this note to your private address at ,sydenham in case it should miss you at the ,haymarket4 ,for a few years past1 ,i have been liable1 at wholly uncertain and incalculable times1 to a severe attack of ,neuralgia in the foot1 about once in the course of the year4 ,it began in an injury to the finer muscles or nerves1 occasioned by over-walking in deep snow4 ,when it comes on1 ,i cannot stand and can bear no covering whatever on the sensitive place4 ,one of these seizures is upon me now4 ,until it leaves me ,i could no more walk into ,st4 ,james's ,hall than ,i could fly in4 ,i hope you will present my duty to the ,prince1 and assure ,his ,royal ,highness that nothing short of my being 7most unfortunately7 disabled for the moment1 would have prevented my attending as a ,trustee of the ,fund1 at the dinner1 and warmly express my poor sense of the great and inestimable service his ,royal ,highness renders to a most deserving ,institution by so very kindly commending it to the public4 ,faithfully your's always ,,charles ,,dickens ,j4 ,b4 ,,buckstone ,,eqr ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,honourable ,,mrs4 ,,norton ,,containing ,,an ,,invitation ,,to ,,meet ,,charles ,,dickens1 ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,pickwick1 ,,at ,,dinner4 ,illustration3 ,,early ,,letter ,,of ,,charles ,,dickens ,,to ,,mr4 ,,macrone 7#ahcf7 ,,from ,,furnival',s ,,inn4 7,now in the collection of ,mr4 ,peter ,keary47 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,perdita 7,,mary ,,robinson7 ,,to ,,george1 ,,prince ,,of ,,wales1 ,,january #ai1 #aghe4 ,carlyle's letters vary in price from #b #bs4 to #e #es4 or more4 ,the following note explains how the specimen of his calligraphy ,i reproduce was obtained for an autograph hunter by his nephew in #ahgg3-- ,,newlands ,,cottage #gth ,december #ahgg ,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,i was much pleased to have your's of the #dth inst4 ,i enclose card of admission to the ,installn at ,edinburgh which ,i cribbed from the ,govr's ,sunday coat long after its date1 and which to tell the truth ,i did not intend to part with2 but ,i think it so thoroughly what your friend would like that ,i have resolved to send it4 ,all ,uncle ,tom's late letters to his relatives are written on scraps of paper that might be at hand when he finished work for the day and signed ',t4 ,c4' only--all full signatures in letters in my possession have long ago been clipped off4444 ,always faithfully your's ,,james ,,carlyle4 ,the letters of ,whistler have quadrupled in value since his death4 ,i possess several of them1 but only give as an illustration of his handwriting a post-card from ,lyme ,regis bearing by way of signature the once familiar butterfly4 ,mark ,twain was also a very amusing letter-writer4 ,the following postscript is characteristic of his humour3-- ,since penning the foregoing the ,atlantic has come to hand with that most thoroughly and entirely satisfactory notice of ,roughing it1 and ,i am as uplifted and reassured by it as a mother who has given birth to a white baby when she was awfully afraid it was going to be a mulatto4 ,i have been afraid and shaky all along1 but now unless the ,n4 of ,tribune gives the book a black eye1 ,i am all right4 ,with many thanks ,,twain ,illustration3 ,,holograph ,,order ,,of ,,admission ,,of ,,thomas ,,carlyle ,,to ,,his ,,rectorial ,,address ,,at ,,edinburgh ,,university1 ,,dated ,,march #bc1 #ahff4 ,george ,augustus ,sala and ,edmund ,yates were friends and contemporaries of ,charles ,dickens1 and survived him4 ,they are both entitled to a place amongst the last of the ,victorian letter-writers4 ,the minute handwriting of ,sala was even more distinct than that of ,thackeray4 ,here is a typical ,sala letter3-- ,,hotel ,,de ,,flandre1 ,,montagne ,,de ,,la ,,cour1 ,,brussels1 ,thursday ,november ,twenty ,seventh #ahhd4 ,,dear ,,lady ,,wolseley1--,my wife who during my absence is my ,postmistress ,general1 ,chancellor of the ,exchequer1 ,secretary of ,state for ,home and ,foreign ,affairs and ,chief ,commissioner of ,works all rolled into one1 has forwarded me your note1 and has scribbled on the margin with two lovely photographs4 ,i hasten to thank you for the graceful and thoughtful kindness which has prompted your welcome gift4 ,i am proud to believe that you know how much ,i admire and esteem your illustrious husband2 how eagerly ,i have followed the course of his splendid and well-deserved fortunes1 and how highly ,i value the friendship with which during so many years he has honoured me4 ,it is really to me a pleasure to have grown old when ,i remember that amongst my most prized relics at home are a visiting card inscribed ,major ,wolseley1 for ,mr4 ,sala1 ,st4 ,lawrence ,hall1 ,montreal #ahfc2 the walking stick which ,sir ,garnet ,wolseley brought me home from ,south ,africa2 the letter which ,lord ,wolseley wrote me from the ,kremlin1 ,moscow on ,coronation ,day #ahhc1 to which ,i am now able to add two lovely photographs and your kind note4 ,were ,i going alone on my long and arduous journey1 my abiding hope would be1 of course1 to come home safe and sound to my wife4 ,happily we are not to be separated 7although the friendly but cynical solicitor1 who made my will just before ,i left town was good enough to remark you must add a codicil in case you are both drowned72 so we shall both1 during our wanderings be able to nourish the pleasant hope that we shall be permitted on our return to pay our homage to the ,earl and ,countess ,wolseley4 ,i have1 dear ,madam1 in my time1 prophesied a great deal more in print about your ,lord than you are aware of1 and ,i am confident that my latest prediction will come true--and more than true4 ,meanwhile1 ,i am1 ,your ,ladyship's faithful and obliged servant ,,george ,,augustus ,,sala ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,john ,,wesley1 ,,june #ad1 #aghh4 ,some hundreds of ,edmund ,yates's letters are in my possession1 and ,i have utilised them to extra-illustrate his ,recollections which ,i have extended to seventeen volumes4 ,in the last edition of his entertaining book he alludes to the pleasure a letter from ,mr4 ,charles ,kent1 the friend of ,dickens1 gave him in troublous times4 ,more than twenty years after ,i gladly gave #es4 for the original in the auction room3-- ,to ,charles ,kent ,esq #a ,campden ,grove1 ,kensington1 ,w ,ah6 my dear old friend1 how good and thoughtful of you and what a perfectly acceptable gift6 'though fallen on evil days on evil days though fallen and evil tongues' 7vide to-day's ,times7 ,i am receiving such evidences of love and sympathy from my friends1 and such kindness from officials here1 that ,i am fairly broken down by them4 ,god bless you ,,edmund ,,yates ,,holloway1 ,jany #ag '#he ,,footnotes3 #dc ,manager of ,messrs4 ,sotheran's1 #cg1 ,piccadilly4 #dd ,see ante1 ,chapter ,,iv41 p4 #aji4 #de ,see my own article in ,the ,outlook1 ,march1 #aiaj4 #df ,see post1 p4 #bbj4 #dg ,march1 ,june1 ,september1 and ,december1 #ahib4 #dh ,from #cj upwards4 #di ,from #c to #aj4 #ej ,anna ,williams's ,memorial4 #ea ,mr4 ,ryland was associated with ,johnson in the formation of the last ,club which owed its existence to ,johnson's initiative and support4 #eb ,see ,outlook1 ,march #e1 #aiaj4 ,article on ,johnson and balloons4 #ec ,appeal for subscription for the relief of ,leigh ,hunt 7#aghd-ahei74 ,it reached ,trowbridge ,january #bcrd4 ,on ,february #crd ,crabbe died4 #ed #cg1 ,piccadilly1 ,w4 ,,viii ,,naval ,,and ,,military ,,autographs ,,chapter ,,viii ,naval and military autographs ,good ink1 like good wine1 is none the worse for age4 ,,samuel ,,johnson4 ,there are some autograph collectors who limit their sphere of operations to the writings of great sailors and soldiers4 ,the subject has already been touched on incidentally under the head of ,royal ,autographs1 for ,james ,,ii4 and ,william ,,iv4 were for a time ,lord ,high ,admirals of ,england1 while other sovereigns met the enemy on the field of battle4#ee ,if ,wellington can claim distinction as our greatest soldier1 he ranks also amongst our most prolific letter-writers4 ,the same may be said of ,nelson with almost equal truth4 ,of ,wellington's innumerable letters1 a great many are supposed to have been written by his ,secretary1 ,colonel ,gurwood1 and ,nelson's amanuensis is also said to have successfully imitated the handwriting of his chief4 ,there are numerous facsimiles of the letters of both ,nelson and ,wellington1 and the axiom caveat emptor cannot be too frequently remembered when a suspicious specimen is offered for sale4 ,in #ahbg we are informed that ,english ,generals and ,admirals vary greatly in value1 and they do still4 ,we are told1 moreover1 that at this epoch the ,royalist ,prince ,rupert is worth #a #is41 while the ,parliamentary ,general1 ,fairfax1 with four ,peers for his supporters1 is worth only #ajs4 ,the naval hero1 ,lord ,nelson1 commands #b #aes41 while four other gallant admirals sink to #gs4 #c;d4 each4 ,washington ranks with ,cromwell at #e #aes4 #f;d41 and leaves all other competitors behind4 ,to-day a letter of ,thomas ,fairfax would bring anything from #g to #bj or more1 and a good ,d4,s4 at least #d or #e4 ,his autographs are always much in request4 ,washington letters have realised as much as #ajj and more1 and so have ,cromwell's4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,duke ,,of ,,montrose ,,to ,,the ,,king4 7,in the collection of ,mr4 ,f4 ,sabin47 ,illustration3 ,,part ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,earl ,,howe ,,to ,,earl ,,spencer ,,after ,,his ,,great ,,victory ,,of ,,june #a1 #agid4 ,in #ahgf-gg-gh ,mr4 ,waller was selling letters of ,hood and ,rodney at prices varying from #ds4 #f;d4 to #gs4 and ,wellingtons at an average of #es41 but asked #abs4 #f;d4 for a good letter of ,villeneuve1 who was defeated and taken prisoner at ,trafalgar4 ,in the same catalogue ,i find an ,a4,l4,s4 of ,wellington for #cs4 #f;d41 and fine specimens of ,turenne ,mordaunt1 ,earl of ,peterborough 7,commander-in-,chief of the ,forces in ,spain temp4 ,queen ,anne71 priced respectively at #b #ajs4 ,five years ago1 however1 a short letter written by the ,iron ,duke on the evening after ,waterloo realised #aje at ,sotheby's1 and1 as ,i have already stated1 ,wellington paid #fj for two similar letters during his lifetime--and committed them to the flames4 ,at this time ,i see three interesting letters of ,marlborough and three of his wife1 with one document signed by the latter1 were sold in a lot for #aj #ajs4 ,very good letters of ,marlborough may even now be bought in ,germany and ,belgium for #c or #d4 ,in the eighteen-seventies very little ,nelson ,,ms4 seems to have been in the market1 but ,mr4 ,frederick ,barker offered a long ,a4,l4,s4 of ,lady ,nelson 7,may #b1 #ahje7 for #fs41 and directions for approaching ,cadiz1 #a p4 folio1 wholly in ,nelson's handwriting1 for #c #es4 ,he priced two good ,a4,l4,s4 of #agid and #agie at #e #es4 and #d #ds4 ,in #ahhg ,i met with a letter of ,general ,gordon1 quoted as very rare1 for #b #bs4 ,in the same catalogue is a fine letter of ,prince ,rupert for #c #cs4 ,i frankly envy the purchaser for #is4 #f;d4 of a letter written by ,marshal ,ney1 from ,montreuil1 ,boulogne1 in #ahjd1 when the terror of ,french invasion was at its height4 ,illustration3 ,,official ,,ms4 ,,account ,,of ,,expenses ,,incurred ,,at ,,funeral ,,of ,,queen ,,anne4 ,at the present moment there is little demand for the letters of the less known sailors and soldiers of the latter part of the seventeenth and first half of the eighteenth centuries1 like ,shovel1 ,wager1 and ,rooke1 and ,i have seen a letter of ,vernon1 whose coat of grogram gave rise to the familiar word which still denotes the dilution of spirits with water1 sold for #es46 ,there is1 however1 one naval autograph of this period which now commands high prices4 ,i allude to letters and other ,,mss4 of the ill-fated ,john ,byng1 judicially murdered on ,march #ad1 #ageg1 pour encourager les autres1 as ,voltaire says in ,candide1 or in other words1 to save the face of an inefficient and discredited ,ministry4 ,i gave #c in #aijg for an ,a4,l4,s4 of his which thirty years ago was sold by ,mr4 ,waller for #abs4 #f;d41 but ,i regard as a veritable autographic treasure the original of his will1 which bears his signature in three places1 and was executed only forty-eight hours before his tragic death4 ,the sang-froid displayed in its elaboration shows the courage and deliberation of the unlucky admiral when face to face with the ,grim ,sergeant4 ,illustration3 ,,one ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,general ,,byng1 ,,october #bg1 #agbg4 ,illustration3 ,,signature ,,of ,,admiral ,,byng ,,on ,,his ,,will ,a ,,few ,,days ,,before ,,his ,,death1 ,,march1 #ageg4 ,only twelve months divide the death of ,byng from the birth of ,nelson1 whose autographs are even more costly than those of the ,elizabethan heroes of #aehh4 ,they now hold1 as ,i shall presently show1 the record as regards both price and interest4 ,i have already alluded to the perils and pitfalls of ,nelson forgeries4 ,the collector must1 of course1 bear in mind the striking differences in the calligraphy of the great ,admiral before and after the loss of his right arm in ,july1 #agig4 ,the earliest example ,i possess of ,nelson's handwriting is a commission1 signed on ,april #e1 #agha1 by him as well as by ,lord ,lisbourne1 ,bamber ,gascoyne1 and ,j4 ,greville4 ,nelson was then twenty-three4 ,he was thirty-nine when he penned with his right hand the following historic letter to ,earl ,spencer3-- ,lord ,nelson to ,earl ,spencer4 ,,theseus1 ,may #bh #agig4 ,,my ,,lord1--,on my arrival from the ,mediterranean two days past ,i received from ,sir ,john ,jervis your ,lordship's ,letter of ,april #c together with a ,gold ,medal which the ,king has been pleased to order to be struck in ,commemoration of the ,victory obtained by ,his ,fleet on the fourteenth of ,february last and which ,his ,majesty has been graciously pleased to direct me the honor of wearing4 ,may ,i presume to say that when ,i observe the ,medal that it must be a strong inducement for the continuance of my exertion for ,his ,majesty and for my ,country and my ,country's ,service and it shall be my pride to preserve it unsullied to posterity4 ,your ,lordship having from the moment of your coming to the ,admiralty represented my services in the most favourable point of view to the ,king1 allow me once more to return you my thanks together with those for the very handsome and flattering manner in which your ,lordship have executed the ,king's ,commands4 ,i have the ,honor to be my ,lord1 ,your most obedient servant1 ,,horatio ,,nelson4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,lord ,,nelson ,,to ,,earl ,,spencer1 ,,written ,,with ,,his ,,right ,,hand1 ,,theseus1 ,,may #bh1 #agih4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,nelson ,,to ,,lady ,,hamilton ,,about ,,his ,,wife1 ,,written ,,with ,,his ,,left ,,hand1 ,,january #bd1 #ahja4 ,two months later occurred the accident which deprived ,nelson of his right hand4 ,the ,bath facsimile#ef is a good specimen of his writing with his left hand in the last years of the eighteenth century4 ,in reading any life of ,nelson one cannot help being struck with the tenderness of the letters he addressed to his wife up to their abrupt separation4 ,at the end of #agii1 while he was still in the ,mediterranean1 she wrote him the following letter1 now in my collection3-- ,,st ,,james',s ,,st ,dec #aj #agig ,,my ,,dear ,,husband1--,i have seen a letter from ,lady ,berry to ,mr4 ,davison4 ,she tells him of ,sir ,edward's letter1 dated ,foudroyant1 ,minorca1 ,octr #ahth1 and mentions you were quite well which ,i hope is true4 ,i dined a few days back at ,mr ,nepean's4 ,he told me you were at ,gibralter 7sic74 ,i thanked him for his intelligence4 ,would have given something to have asked a question1 but that could not be done--therefore ,i still flatter myself as you are half way we may stand some chance of seeing you4 ,captn ,foley has this instant left me4 ,from what ,captn ,hood said ,i was in great hopes ,captn ,f had very lately seen you4 ,he is full of the ,earl's commanding the ,channel ,fleet4 ,lord ,bridport has sailed again4 ,our good father received yesterday a letter from your ,br4 ,william teazing him about no dignitaries 7sic7 for the ,nelson family4 ,i must write to the ,rector and beg him not to be so tiresome1 for truly ,i am nursing and doing everything ,i can to make your father comfortable and then he is quite upset by one of these epistles ,mr ,w4 ,n4 ,william ,nesbit requested me to give ,mr ,windham a gentle hint4 ,sir ,peter and ,lady ,parker called yesterday4 ,we have agreed to go and see the famous ,french milliner4 ,lady ,p declares they will put me in a sack and send me to ,bonaparte4 ,her spirits are good indeed4 ,she sends ,sir ,peter to the ,admiralty to hear when you are expected home4 ,i don't know what she is not to do--,dance and grow young4 ,we dined yesterday 7,susanna ,i mean7 with the ,hamiltons4 ,i wish ,i could say ,mrs ,hamilton is the least modernized of all the antique figures4 ,she certainly 7is7 the most4 ,mr ,morton pais 7sic7 great attention4 ,bob ,jones tells me ,forbes has got ,mr ,m to sign some papers for him4 ,i long to hear what you have done for ,captain ,hardy4 ,his character is excellent indeed4 ,our father has received direction how to proceed in sending to the stage coach for ,horace ,susanna ,bolton is to go to buy ,maps in ,st ,paul's ,churchyard to amuse his children4 ,our good father's love to you and ,blessing4 ,god ,bless and ,protect my ,dearest ,husband ,believe me your affec4 ,wife ,,frances ,h ,,nelson ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,lady ,,nelson ,,to ,,her ,,husband1 ,,december #aj1 #agii4 ,illustration3 ,,naval ,,commission ,,signed ,,by ,,lord ,,nelson1 ,,april #be1 #agha4 ,the tone of ,lady ,nelson's letter to her husband presents a striking contrast to that in which1 little more than a year later1 he speaks of her in a letter to ,lady ,hamilton1 for which ,i paid a very large sum early in #aije4 ,as might be expected1 the demand for ,nelson autographs became more urgent as the centenary of ,trafalgar approached1 but1 on the whole1 the rise of price was not quite as marked as might be expected1 although one particular letter to ,lady ,hamilton1 apparently little more striking than the one now given1 was sold for #a1jej4 ,the great ,nelson sensation 7as far as the autograph market is concerned7 came off some five months later1 viz41 on ,march #ad1 #aijf1 when the unique ,nelson document described as follows was disposed of at ,christie's3-- ,,nelson',s ,,famous ,,memorandum ,,to ,,the ,,fleet ,,on ,,the ,,eve ,,of ,,trafalgar4 #acc4 ,,nelson 7,,admiral ,,lord7 ,,general ,,memorandum1 ,,in ,,the ,,autograph ,,of ,,the ,,famous ,,admiral1 ,,in ,,which ,,he ,,foreshadowed ,,the ,,plan ,,of ,,attack ,,at ,,trafalgar1 ,,and ,,which ,,he ,,actually ,,carried ,,out4 ,,victory1 ,,off ,,cadiz1 #i ,,oct4 #ahje1 #h pp4 #dto4 ,thinking it almost impossible to bring a fleet of #dj sail of the line into a line of ,battle1 in variable winds1 thick weather1 and other circumstances which must occur1 without such a loss of time1 that the opportunity would probably be lost4444 ,i have therefore made up my mind to keep the fleet in that position of sailing 7with the exception of the first and second in command7 that the order of sailing is to be the order of battle2 placing the fleet in two lines of #af ships each1 with an advanced squadron of eight of the fastest sailing two-decked ships which will always make if wanted a line of #bd sail1 on whichever line the ,commander-in-,chief may direct1 etc4 ,it was bought by ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin for #c1fjj4 ,a newspaper controversy at once arose on the subject of the transaction4 ,public attention was forcibly directed to the supreme importance of the document1 and an effort was made to secure it for the nation1 ,mr4 ,sabin most generously offering to sell it to the authorities at cost price4 ,the movement to acquire it fell through1 owing to the impossibility of obtaining a grant-in-aid4 ,quite unexpectedly the late ,mr4 ,b4 ,m4 ,woollan offered to buy it for the nation1 but stipulated that during his life-time the ,,ms4 should remain in his possession and be accessible to the public in the ,town ,hall at ,tunbridge ,wells4 ,this was agreed to1 ,mr4 ,sabin maintaining his proposal to sell at cost price4 ,the ,trafalgar order was framed in oak taken from the ,victory under the direction of a ,british ,museum expert1 and after remaining for some time at ,tunbridge ,wells1 has found 7since ,mr4 ,woollan's death7 a final resting-place in the ,national ,collection4 ,on ,march #ad1 #aijf1 ,messrs4 ,maggs paid #agj for one of the official copies of the ,general ,memorandum1 viz41 that addressed to ,william ,lechmere1 ,captain of the ,thunderer4 ,it filled #e pp4 ,it was marked secret1 and contained a note to the effect that the ,captain should return the ,secret ,memorandum to the ,victory when the ,thunderer quits the fleet for ,england4 ,the original has been1 or will shortly be1 facsimiled by the ,british ,museum ,,ms4 ,department4 ,collectors will then be able to procure copies of it at an almost nominal price4 ,during the weeks which followed ,march #ad1 #aijf1 the ,memorandum became the subject of a dozen romantic legends4 ,several years ago ,i purchased the signature of ,nelson appended to the last few lines of another of these official copies for one sovereign4 ,it was formally attested by the widow of the ,captain to whom it was originally sent4 ,i possess a #c pp4 ,a4,l4,s4 written by ,lord ,nelson to ,lord ,collingwood on board ,h4,m4,s4 ,victory1 on ,october #aj1 #ahje--;eleven days before ,trafalgar4 ,it cost #bj4 ,some time since1 the album of the ,honourable ,charles ,greville1 the first lover of ,emma ,hart 7,lady ,hamilton7 was broken up4 ,amongst the documents ,i purchased from it was a ,,ms4 account of ,nelson's household expenses while residing in ,bond ,street1 with ,mr4 ,greville1 from ,april #g to #ah1 #ahjc4 ,the letters of ,nelson's ,hardy#eg fetch from #a to #b each4 ,they lack style1 but are characterised by the breezy heartiness which was typical of the man whom ,nelson loved and trusted4 ,the discovery of many hundreds of ,hardy's letters to his ,dorset relatives in #aije enabled me1 writing in collaboration with my friend the ,rev4 ,r4 ,g4 ,bartelot1 to supply to some extent a long-felt want in naval history4 ,here are two ,hardy letters which came to light subsequent to our examination of the great mass of his correspondence3-- ,captain ,t4 ,m4 ,hardy1 at ,plymouth1 to his brother-in-law1 ,mr4 ,manfield1 at ,dorchester4 ,,san ,,josef--,,torbay4 ,feby #h #ahja ,,dear ,,manfield1--,we are in ,hourly expectation of the ,st ,george1 where the ,admiral is to hoist his flag4 ,the moment she arrives myself and all the officers go with him4 ,we shall sail as soon as possible for ,portsmouth1 and from thence to the ,north ,sea4 ,after we have done the business there1 which we expect to do in about two months1 the ,flag is again to be hoisted in ,san ,josef4 ,the ,squadron under ,sir ,henry ,harvey arrived the day before yesterday and sailed the same evening to detach a squadron after the ships that left ,brest about a fortnight ago4 ,lawrence arrived yesterday with ,roberts4 ,he is a fine lad and will do1 but he is very young4 ,admiral ,lord ,nelson tells me he saw you4 ,you landed and of course you made your grand salam to him4 ,i suppose a number of wonderful stories has been told of ,san ,josef in and about ,dorchester4 ,our ,beer is reduced to six bottles and on a moderate calculation that cannot last more than three days4 ,therefore you will add to the many obligations ,i am under to you if you will order our friend ,oakley to send as soon as possible six or eight dozen more directed to ,lord ,nelson1 ,st ,george1 ,spithead1 by any vessel that sails from ,weymouth4 ,with duty to all friends1 ,i remain1 dear ,manfield ,your's sincerely ,t4 ,m4 ,,hardy ,captain ,t4 ,m4 ,hardy1 ,torbay1 to ,mr4 ,manfield1 ,dorchester4 ,,dear ,,manfield1--,i have only time to say that we are now getting under weigh for ,spithead1 and shall probably pass ,abbotsbury ,ferry during the night4 ,do write to me at ,spithead and tell me if the ,beer is sent as the ,adml longs for it every day at ,dinner ,your's in great haste ,t4 ,m4 ,,hardy ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,sir ,,thomas ,,hardy ,,about ,,lord ,,nelson',s ,,beer1 ,,torbay1 ,,february #bj1 #ahja4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,of ,,duke ,,of ,,wellington ,,to ,,mr4 ,,algernon ,,greville1 ,,october #bd1 #ahda1 ,,speaking ,,of ,,the ,,necessity ,,of ,,his ,,being ,,present ,,at ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,king ,,edward ,,vii4 ,letters of ,rodney and ,howe now fetch from #a to #b each2 those of ,st4 ,vincent1 ,collingwood1 and the ,hoods somewhat less4 ,illustration3 ,,envelope ,,directed ,,by ,,duke ,,of ,,wellington ,,to ,,lady ,,sidmouth ,,enclosing ,,lock ,,of ,,napoleon',s ,,hair1 #ahba4 ,letters of most of the ,nelson captains can still be bought at very moderate prices1 but if addressed to ,nelson the value would be at once doubled4 ,the finest collection of letters by ,fairfax and other soldiers of the ,civil ,war1 both ,royalist and ,parliamentarian1 ,i know of1 is in the possession of ,mr4 ,f4 ,sabin1 by whose permission ,i reproduce the letter of ,montrose to the ,king1 which is priced at #fj3-- ,superscription1 for the ,king's ,maiesty1 and endorsement1 ,,lord ,,of ,,montrose1 #c;d ,february4 ,,please ,,yr ,,maiesty ,haveing never receaved any of yr ,mas ,commands1 since ,i had the honor to attend you1 bot on letter from france only1 and knoweing what strange newses yr ,ma may daly heare1 ,i heave directed thes that your ,ma may know 7notwithstanding all opposition and encouragements7 ,i am hopefull1 to be once againe in the termes to doe your service ,i will not trouble yr ,ma with particulars bot leave them unto ,mr ,elliott1 who will informe yr ,ma att greatter lenth ,i am ,yr ,mas ,subject and ,servant ,,montrose ,i have already alluded to the varying prices of ,wellington's letters1 which depend entirely on the time at which they were written4 ,if dated ,june #ag1 #ah1 #ai or #bj1 #ahae1 they might be worth anything from #ej upwards2 letters from the ,peninsula on military topics bring from #b to #e1 but ,i only gave #cjs4 for the note and envelope franked and addressed to ,lady ,sidmouth1 covering a lock of ,napoleon's hair--the latter being included in the price6 ,in my opinion there could not possibly be a more interesting souvenir of the victor of ,waterloo4 ,the letters of ,sir ,hudson ,lowe are sold from #a to #c1 those of ,marshal ,blcher fetching about the same price4 ,few of the letters of living warriors fetch high prices4 ,the amusing and satirical letters of ,frederick ,burnaby are worth from #ds4 to #ajs41 but ,i refrain from publishing those in my collection4 ,letters of ,earl ,roberts and ,viscount ,wolseley average from #cs4 to #es41 but ,lord ,kitchener writes little and declines persistently to be drawn4 ,i once saw a letter of his priced at #b #abs4 #f;d41 but that was when the ,boer ,war was at its height4 ,,footnotes3 #ee ,see ante1 p4 #abf4 #ef ,vide ,chapter ,,iii41 p4 #gh4 #eg ,see further ,the ,three ,dorset ,captains and ,nelson's ,hardy1 by ,a4 ,m4 ,broadley and ,r4 ,g4 ,bartelot 7,london3 ,john ,murray1 #aijf and #aiji74 ,,ix ,,autographs ,,of ,,music1 ,,the ,,drama1 ,,and ,,art ,,chapter ,,ix ,,autographs ,,of ,,music1 ,,the ,,drama1 ,,and ,,art ,illustrated letters ,we pry ,in the dark archives and tenacious scrolls ,of written thought4--,,hartley ,,coleridge4 ,on ,december #ag1 #aijg1 four-and-twenty letters of ,ludwig van ,beethoven were sold at ,sotheby's for #ffj1 notwithstanding the fact that the autographs of musicians1 artists1 and actors1 are not even mentioned by the chronicler of prices in #ahbg6 ,for the solitary letter of ,beethoven in my collection ,i paid ,m4 ,nol ,charavay #aj1 and it was at the same outlay ,i acquired in ,england an interesting letter of ,joseph ,haydn's4 ,in extra-illustrating the ,history of the ,festivals of the ,three ,choirs1 of which my ancestor1 ,william ,hayes1 ,mus4 ,doc4 7#agjg-aggg71 was one of the founders and subsequently a conductor1 ,i acquired considerable experience in the market prices of all sorts of musical ,,mss4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,the ,,abb ,,liszt ,,to ,,secretary ,,of ,,princess ,,of ,,wales 7,,queen ,,alexandra71 ,,april #af1 #ahhf4 ,in this particular class of autographs album specimens have often considerable value1 for musicians have always been the target of the autograph-hunter1 especially so of those of the fair sex4#eh ,it is no uncommon sight after a star concert to see the tired-out central attraction in a state of autograph siege1 either for inscriptions in albums or signatures to photographs4 ,the plaintive autograph letter of ,franz ,liszt tells the tale of the request made on behalf of the owner of a ,royal ,album to the exigencies of which he gracefully surrendered4 ,a few bars of music written and signed by ,handel would now be worth quite #bj or #be2 and some day the musical autographs of ,edward ,elgar will fetch very high prices4 ,william and ,philip ,hayes rank in the first class of ,english composers of ,church music1 although the father was overshadowed by his loyal friendship for ,handel1 and the latter by his admiration for ,haydn4 ,i have acquired 7with one or two trifling exceptions7 the ,,mss4 of their compositions1 several of which have never been published4 ,like most musicians1 the ,hayeses were humourists4 ,they wrote anthems and chants1 but they won fame in their generation by catches1 canons1 glees1 madrigals1 and fugitive pieces of all sorts4 ,the tuneful airs of ,philip ,hayes #agch-agig re-echoed amidst the glades of ,blenheim1 and were often heard at ,ranelagh1 ,vauxhall1 and ,marybone4#ei ,musical autographs have risen considerably in price during the past thirty years1 as shown at the comparatively recent ,taphouse ,sale4 ,a very fine letter of ,chopin's was offered for sale at #bej francs last year by ,madame ,veuve ,gabriel ,charavay4 ,letters of ,mendelssohn and ,wagner are in great request4 ,the former vary in price from #c to #aj4 ,although ,richard ,wagner was a prolific letter-writer1 any letter of his is worth #e or thereabouts1 and many have sold at from #bj to #ej4 ,i have never seen an ,a4,l4,s4 of ,handel's in the sale-rooms4 ,a good one will probably fetch #ej4 ,a fragment of one of his compositions1 once in the possession of ,william ,hayes1 lately realised #ajj4 ,much of his music seems to have been written out by ,smart4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,joseph ,,haydn1 ,,the ,,composer1 ,,june #e1 #ahjc4 ,in #ahgf ,mr4 ,waller offered a letter of ,beethoven's for sale at #c #ajs42 one by ,dr4 ,blow for #a and #b pp4 of one of ,william ,boyce's compositions for #gs4 #f;d46 ,the latter would certainly fetch #djs4 to-day1 but thirty years ago autographs of ,catalani1 ,bishop1 ,cooke1 ,holmes1 ,hummel1 ,michael ,kelly1 ,lablache1 ,loder1 ,meyerbeer1 ,offenbach1 ,louisa ,pyne1 ,rossini1 ,rudersdorff1 ,tamburini1 and ,samuel ,wesley averaged about #cs46 ,i lately gave #c #cs4 for the signed ,,ms4 of ,wesley's ,ode on the ,death of ,boyce1 the bicentenary of whose birth occurs this year 7#aiaj71 in which also the centenary of the birth of ,wesley's musical son1 ,samuel ,sebastian ,wesley1 might appropriately be celebrated at ,gloucester4 ,amongst ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin's autographic rariora is the ,,ms4 of the original score of ,thomas ,moore's ,last ,rose of ,summer4 ,there is a great demand in ,america just now for ,moore ,,mss4 of this sort1 although ordinary letters rarely fetch high prices4 ,charles ,burney's letters 7of which ,i have many7 are to my mind always interesting1 although they only bring from #aes4 to #cjs4 in the sale-rooms4 ,for some collectors the ,drama offers a peculiar fascination4 ,i have already described the letter of ,william ,wilson of the ,fortune ,theatre1 with whom ,shakespeare possibly played4#fj ,the great dramatist himself1 from the autograph point of view1 has been alluded to4 ,in turning over the catalogues of #ahgf-hf one is struck with the high prices of letters of ,david ,garrick and ,sarah ,siddons4 ,garrick rarely wrote a dull letter4 ,when ,paul ,sandby asked for a box he replied-- ,i will maintain ,good ,master ,sandby ,and with my blood1 the ,fact will stand by1 ,the trifle ask'd is no great favour1 ,and you and your's are wellcome ever ,d ,,garrick ,here are some examples of ,garrick's letters to ,mrs4 ,montagu not generally known3-- ,mr4 ,garrick to ,mrs4 ,montagu4 ,,drury ,,lane ,,theatre4 ,,dear ,,madam1--,i take up ye first piece of paper to answer your note4 ,i feel for you and for poor amiable ,miss ,gregory from my heart of hearts6 ,these exquisite feelings are too often tortured not to wish them changed for the less sensible dispositions and were mortal matters balanc'd and calmly considered it would be a question whether ,mrs4 ,montagu is more to be envied than a late female cousin of mine who being told of a favourite ,brother's death said she foresaw it long ago for he would not leave drinking ,punch and then she bespoke her mourning4 ,i shall take care that you have your refusal of a box next ,friday if ,i am able to perform4 ,if you should be engaged pray let it revert to me4 ,i must desire you not to say a word to anybody of my intentions4444 ,mrs4 ,garrick and ,i shall do ourselves the honour of attending you on ,sunday4 ,most faithful ever and ever ,yours1 ,d4 ,,garrick4 ,david ,garrick to ,mrs4 ,montagu4 ,,my ,,dear ,,madam1--,we are unfortunately engaged on ,sunday next but if we are able to quit our ,company1 may we be permitted to pay our respects to you8 ,if you should be engaged we will wait upon you ye first opportunity4 ,i have made bold to answer for you a subscription to ,mr4 ,capel's ,school of ,shakespeare4 ,i will tell you more of this when ,i have the honour and pleasure of seeing you4 ,i am most devotedly yours1 ,d4 ,,garrick4 ,illustration3 ,,signature ,,of ,,the ,,nonagenarian ,,mrs4 ,,garrick ,a ,,few ,,days ,,before ,,her ,,death4 ,i have in my collection a ,drury ,lane box-ticket dated and signed by ,mrs4 ,garrick a few days before her death4 ,in the last decade of the nineteenth century the late ,mr4 ,thomas ,knox ,holmes told me he had danced with ,mrs4 ,garrick in her drawing-room at the ,adelphi when she was past ninety4 ,she was actually engaged in inspecting her dress for the theatre when ,death once more eclipsed the gaiety of the brilliant little cterie in which ,garrick's widow moved4 ,the letters of ,sarah ,siddons fetched quite as much or even more in the eighteen-seventies than they do now4 ,as a matter of fact1 the charming letter to ,mrs4 ,piozzi1 now reproduced1 exchanged hands in #ahgf at #b #bs4 more than ,i gave for it in #aiaj4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,genuine ,,short ,,note ,,signed ,,by ,,edmund ,,kean1 ,,afterwards ,,imitated4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,r4 ,b4 ,,sheridan ,,asking ,,for ,,time ,,to ,,pay ,a ,,draft4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,charles ,,mathews1 ,,the ,,actor1 ,,proposing ,,his ,,son ,,for ,,election ,,to ,,garrick ,,club1 ,n4,d4 ,mrs4 ,siddons to ,mrs4 ,piozzi1 ,westbourne ,farm1 ,paddington1 ,january #bi1 #ahji4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,i am merely anxious to know how you and ,mr4 ,piozzi are1 and the distance between me and your fair daughters1 are now so great that ,i get no accounts of you4 ,you know of old1 my distaste of writing1 and ,i know full well my inability of amusing you1 so that my letter has nothing to recommend it1 except the true love of the writer1 which knows no change4 ,often1 very often1 do ,i think of you1 and most sincerely do ,i lament your suffering1 but there is nowhere but heaven ,i believe that is exempt from affliction2 but dear ,soul let me hear from you4 ,you have heard of the fire in which ,i lost every stage ornament so many years collecting1 and at so great expense of time and money4 ,all my ,jewels1 all my lace1 and in short nothing left4 ,the ,duke of ,northumberland has given my ,brother ,ten thousand pounds6 and the manner of bestowing this noble gift was so great as anything ,i have ever heard or read of1 ,the lucky have whole years and those they choose ,th' unlucky have but hours and those they lose but poor fellow he is ,i fear in a wretched state of health1 yet he looked the other night in ,macbeth as beautiful as ever2 he is never now without his cough1 which they say is gouty 7certainly the disorder is flying about him7 and if it would come to a good fit that he woud be well4 ,it seems a strange thing to say that a man recovers his health by the loss of his limbs4 ,so thinks poor ,mr4 ,piozzi ,i suppose1 poor dear ,soul1 how he has suffered from it6 and you6 ,you will perhaps scarcely believe how often and how tenderly ,i think of you1 and how deeply ,i regret the distance between us1 but it is nevertheless true4 ,pray dear ,soul let me hear from you very soon and tell me truly how your health and spirits hold out the incessant claims upon them4 ,i have got ,cecilia home from school1 she is very well at present1 but to keep her well she must have sea bathing in the summer4 ,is there any place of that sort near ,brynn ,bella8 if so1 ,i shoud hope ,i might be able to see you sometimes4 ,i have got a genteel well principled young woman as a ,governess for her1 and my family which would consist of seven or eight persons would perhaps be too large to be accommodated very near you4 ,oh that you were again at ,streatham6 ,remember me very kindly to dear ,mr ,piozzi4 ,god bless and support you my very dear friend4 ,i am unalterably ,your affte ,s4 ,,siddons#fa ,i lost in the fire a ,toilette of the poor ,queen of ,france1 a piece of beautiful point ,lace an ell wide and five yards long which having belonged to so interesting a person of course ,i regret more than all other things4 ,it could not have cost at first less than a thousand pounds4 ,i us'd to wear it only in the trial scene of ,hermione in the ,winters ,tale1 it covered me all over from head to foot4 ,i suppose my losses could not be repaired for ,twelve hundred pounds1 but ,god be praised that the fire did not break out while the people were in the house666 ,illustration3 ,,last ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,siddons ,,to ,,mrs4 ,,piozzi ,,after ,,the ,,fire ,,at ,,covent ,,garden ,,theatre4 ,fine letters from ,mrs4 ,siddons fetch from #aj to #bj4 ,a specimen may be obtained for #e or even less1 for ,i note an invitation to dine at pretty ,westbourne has just been sold 7,february #bh1 #aiaj7 for #b #ads4 ,the letters of the brother of the great actress1 ,j4 ,p4 ,kemble1 sell at from #a to #c each4 ,he evidently 7according to one of the specimens in my collection7 moved in very high circles4 ,this letter is addressed to ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence1 whose fatal relations with the ,siddons family circle have already been alluded to3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,lawrence1--,i am this moment come from ,carlton ,house4 ,i did not myself see the ,prince of ,wales2 but ,his ,royal ,highness desired ,mr4 ,mc,mahon to tell me how highly pleased he is with the ,drawing2 but would submit to your consideration whether or not the forehead is a little too round and in obedience to ,his ,royal ,highness ,i do submit it to your consideration4 ,the ,prince1 my dear ,lawrence1 is charmed with the ,portrait4 ,mr4 ,smirke writes to-night to the ,engraver at ,birmingham ,yours1 ,j4 ,p4 ,,kemble ,friday1 ,october #bh1 #ahjh4 ,the most curious letters of that mysterious personage the ,chevalier d'on in my collection relate to two public exhibitions of his skill as a fencer1 given in ,bath during the year #agif4 ,while staying in his native ,tonnerre the ex-charg d'affaires gave a supper in honour of ,prince ,henry of ,prussia4 ,in a bundle of his ,,mss4 ,i bought in ,france ,i found the bill for the historic feast4 ,it was not expensive1 and must surely have been enjoyed tte--tte4 ,the letters of artists do not as a rule command large prices1 but there are many exceptions4 ,i have never seen a letter from ,sir ,a4 ,vandyke or ,sir ,p4 ,lely1 but ,mr4 ,w4 ,v4 ,daniell prices the following letter of ,william ,hogarth to his wife in ,dorset at #ce3-- ,,london1 ,june #f #agdi ,,dear ,,jenny1--,i write to you now1 not because ,i think you may expect it only1 but because ,i find a pleasure in it1 which is more than ,i can say of writing to any body else1 and ,i insist on it you don't take it for a mere complement2 your last letter pleased more than ,i'll say1 but this ,i will own if the postman should knock at the door in a week's time after the receipt of this1 ,i shall think there is more musick in't than the beat of a kettle drum1 and if the words to the tune are made by you 7to carry on metafor7 and brings news of your all coming soon to ,town1 ,i shall think the words much better than the musick1 but don't hasten out of a scene of pleasure to make me one4 ,you'll find by the enclosed that ,i shall be glad to be a small contributer to it4 ,i don't know whether or no you know that ,garrick was going to be married to the ,violetta when you went away4 ,i supt with him last night and had a deal of talk about her4 ,i can't write any more than what this side will contain2 you know ,i won't turn over a new leaf ,i am so obstinate1 but then ,i am no less obstinate in loving you ,your affectionate ,husband1 ,,wm4 ,,hogarth4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,of ,,the ,,chevalier ,d',,on ,,to ,,colonel ,,monson1 ,,bath1 ,,january #g1 #agif4 ,illustration3 ,,account ,,for ,,supper ,,given ,,by ,,the ,,chevalier ,d',,on ,,to ,,prince ,,henry ,,of ,,prussia1 ,,august #ae1 #aghd4 ,letters of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 ,george ,romney1 and ,george ,morland always fetch from #c to #aj or more4 ,i gave #g #gs4 for the letter of ,reynolds to ,crabbe1 covering ,dr4 ,johnson's criticism of the poem submitted to him4 ,the examples of ,romney and ,morland ,i possess are placed behind the frontispieces of standard works on their ,art4 ,the letter of poor ,morland is melancholy reading1 and suggestive of the squalor in which he moved and died3-- ,george ,morland to ,mr4 ,graham4 ,,dear ,,graham1--,i am worse than ever4 ,had an opium pill to take last night1 and as ,i thought two must do me more good than one1 ,i took them both4 ,i expected it was up4 ,however ,i am not quite so bad1 but ,i will use my best endeavour to get on for you this week the whole of which ,i must keep quiet4 ,good bie1 ,g4 ,,morland4 ,wednesday ,on other side-- ,john ,graham ,esqre #cj ,red ,lion ,square ,london ,postmark--,may #f #ahja ,illustration3 ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,last ,,letters ,,ever ,,written ,,by ,,grimaldi1 ,,the ,,great ,,clown1 ,,december #bj1 #ahbi4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,william ,,hogarth ,,to ,,his ,,wife1 ,,january #f1 #agdi4 ,illustration3 ,,last ,,page ,,of ,,an ,a4,l4,s4 ,,by ,,the ,,painter ,,george ,,romney4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds ,,to ,,george ,,crabbe1 ,,march #d1 #aghc4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,george ,,morland4 ,illustration3 ,,two ,,pages ,,of ,,illustrated ,,letter ,,from ,,the ,,honble4 ,,mrs4 ,,norton ,,to ,a ,,sister1 ,,july1 #ahed4 ,in ,may1 #ahaj1 ,george ,cruikshank1 born in #agib1 was in the thick of the fight which the caricaturists waged against ,napoleon4 ,it was seventy years later than the date of ,morland's grotesque scrawl that there appeared in ,the ,times 7,december #cj1 #ahga7 a letter from ,glorious ,george claiming to be the originator of the idea of ,oliver ,twist4 ,on the following day ,charles ,manby1 a mutual friend of the writer and the artist1 thus writes to the latter3-- #fj ,,westbourne ,,terrace ,,hyde ,,park ,december #cj #ahga ,,my ,,dear ,,old ,,friend1--,i see with pleasure that1 as ,i expected you have in the ,times of this day vindicated your claim to originating the story of ,oliver ,twist1 which ,i have a notion you told me of a long time ago4 ,i am persuaded that ,dickens himself1 would1 with his inherent love of truth1 have confirmed your statement1 and it is a pity that his historian should have written vehemently on the subject4 ,be prepared with your ,sketches1 etc4 to maintain the position which will be hotly contested1 although in reality there is so much positive merit in all that ,dickens originated and did1 that there is not any necessity for laying claim to the works of others1--his collaborateurs4 ,i should much like someday to see the sketches in question--that is if there is not any indiscretion in the request4 ,i will ask you to allow me to call upon you and look over them4 ,with every good wish for the ,new ,year believe me ,your's very sincerely ,,charles ,,manby ,lt ,col3 ,cruikshank4 ,on ,january #b1 #ahgb1 ,cruikshank replies as follows3-- #bfc ,,hampstead ,,road ,n ,w ,,my ,,dear ,,old ,,friend1--,it is so long since ,i illustrated ,oliver ,twist1 that ,i do not at present know where the original sketches are1 but will look over the bundles of papers for them and when found will let you know1 and shall be highly pleased if you will visit my studio and take a peep at them1 although some are so rough that they are hardly worth looking at1 having been done in such haste4 ,the sketches that ,dr4 ,sheldon ,mackenzie alludes to of ,the ,life of a ,london ,thief were made about #ej years back1 when ,charles ,dickens was a little boy1 and it is a chance if ,i ever see these sketches again1 but ,i have a list of the subjects which ,i will show you4 ,wishing you and your's a happy ,new ,year and many of them1 ,i am1 ,dear ,friend1 ,your's truly ,,george ,,cruikshank4 ,charles ,manby ,esqre ,,ce etc4 ,illustration3 ,,portion ,,of ,,illustrated ,,letter ,,by ,,john ,,leech4 ,illustration3 ,,page ,,of ,,illustrated ,a4,l4,s4 ,,from ,,mr4 ,,wheeler ,,to ,,sir ,f4 ,,burnand4 ,i often wonder that some zealous collector does not confine his attention solely to letters illustrated by the writers4 ,i have already mentioned the achievements in this connection of ,thackeray#fb and ,sir ,frank ,lockwood4 ,i have come across illustrated letters in the correspondence of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds and ,mrs4 ,piozzi2 ,mrs4 ,norton embellished her letters with admirable sketches of a humorous character1 and so did ,john ,leech1 ,hablot ,k4 ,browne1 ,frederick ,barnard1 and1 of course1 ,george ,cruikshank4 ,in my three grangerised volumes relating to the history of ,punch are letters illustrated by ,sir ,francis ,burnand 7who delighted his friends with this kind of jeu d'esprit before he left ,cambridge71 ,mr4 ,g4 ,a4 ,sala1 ,mr4 ,linley ,sambourne1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,furniss1 ,mr4 ,phil ,may1 and ,mr4 ,e4 ,t4 ,reed4 ,one of the most curious illustrated letters in my possession is a rough sketch of a projected bath at ,windsor1 made by ,king ,george ,,iii4 for the benefit of ,wyatt1 the architect4 ,napoleon often added sketch-plans of battles and movements of troops to his letters1 and ,louis ,philippe was fond of making quaint drawings1 which are sometimes to be found even on the official documents which passed through his hands4 ,it was from a rough sketch in a letter of ,mr4 ,cobden1 now in possession of ,mr4 ,t4 ,fisher ,unwin1 that we find the genesis of the idea of the big and little loaf1 which has achieved something very like political immortality4 ,illustration3 ,,illustrated ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,fred ,,barnard ,,relating ,,to ,,the ,,plates ,,of ,,dombey ,,and ,,son1 ,n4,d4 ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,of ,,charles ,,peace1 ,,the ,,murderer1 ,,on ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,sir ,,frank ,,lockwood1 ,,who ,,defended ,,him1 ,,written ,,in #ahhh4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,george ,,cruickshank1 ,,september1 #ahcf1 ,,about ,,dickens',s ,,first ,,call ,,on ,,him4 ,illustration3 ,,postcard ,,of ,,james ,,whistler ,,from ,,lion ,,hotel1 ,,lyme ,,regis1 ,,circa #ahhh4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,the ,,painter ,,meissonier1 ,,july #be1 #ahfa4 ,illustration3 ,,portraits ,,of ,,sir ,r4 ,,reid 7,,now ,,lord ,,loreburn7 ,,and ,,the ,,late ,,sir ,,frank ,,lockwood ,,on ,,an ,,illustrated ,,letter ,,written ,,by ,,the ,,latter ,,during ,,the ,,parnell ,,commission4 ,illustration3 ,,two ,,pages ,,of ,,an ,,illustrated ,,letter ,,by ,,hablot ,k4 ,,browne4 ,illustration3 ,,two ,,pages ,,of ,a ,,letter ,,from ,,richard ,,cobden ,,in ,,the ,,forties4 7,by courtesy of ,mr4 ,william ,darby1 ,edgbaston47 ,,footnotes3 #eh ,a fan covered with the drawings1 signatures1 and handwriting of modern artists and musicians was sold at ,sotheby's on ,may #d1 #aiaj1 for #aja4 #ei ,a great deal of interesting information on this head will be found in ,dr4 ,mee's ,history of the ,oldest ,music ,room in ,europe1 which will shortly be published by ,mr4 ,john ,lane4 #fj ,see ante1 ,chapter ,,iv41 p4 #aji1 and ,chapter ,,vii41 p4 #aif4 #fa ,for another exceptionally fine letter of ,mrs4 ,siddons to ,mrs4 ,piozzi see ,dr4 ,johnson and ,mrs4 ,thrale1 ,chapter ,,iii41 p4 #adh4 #fb ,see ante1 p4 #aih4 ,x ,,autograph ,,collecting ,,in ,,france ,,chapter ,x ,,autograph ,,collecting ,,in ,,france ,autograph letters of ,napoleon--,his associates and contemporaries--,other ,french autographs ,i cannot write well because my mind is engaged on two subjects at once2 one1 my ideas2 the other1 my handwriting4 ,the ideas go on fastest1 and then goodbye to the letters and the lines6 ,i can only dictate now4 ,it is very convenient to dictate4 ,it is just as if one were holding a conversation 7,napoleon74--,,gourgaud1 p4 #bfa4 ,the subjects of autograph collecting and autograph dealing in ,france1 as well as the wealth of ,french literature dealing with the whole subject1 and the abundance of collections of facsimiles1 have already been incidentally alluded to4 ,the business now carried on by ,m4 ,nol ,charavay was founded in #ahdc by his father1 ,m4 ,jacques ,charavay1 who died in #ahfg4 ,he was succeeded by his son1 ,stephen ,charavay1 who lived till #ahii4 ,at his funeral an eloquent address was delivered by ,m4 ,anatole ,france4 ,five years before the autograph business had been made over by ,m4 ,stephen ,charavay to his brother1 ,nol ,charavay1 who now carries it on4 ,in #ahfe ,m4 ,gabriel ,charavay1 the brother of ,jacques ,charavay1 acquired the goodwill and connection of ,m4 ,laverdet1 one of the earliest dealers in autographs4 ,his son and successor1 ,eugne1 died young in #ahib1 and the head of the house is now the widow of ,gabriel ,charavay4 ,monthly catalogues are issued by both firms under the respective titles of ,bulletin d',autographes and ,revue des ,autographes4 ,the first publication is now 7#aiaj7 in its #fcrd1 the other in its #deth year4 ,autograph collectors would do well to study both1 as ,english letters are frequently offered for sale in them1 and the price of ,napoleonic ,,mss4 and similar rariora is1 as a rule1 much less in ,england than in ,france4 ,i strongly recommend beginners in autograph collecting to carefully read the introduction to the fine ,bovet catalogue1 afterwards published as a pamphlet by ,m4 ,stephen ,charavay4 ,the four volumes1 entitled ,l',isographie des ,hommes ,clbres1 are of inestimable use in acquiring familiarity with the handwriting of celebrated ,french men and women4 ,m4 ,jacques ,charavay and his sons are responsible as experts 7and in ,france autograph experts have an official character7 for the compilation of nearly the whole of the elaborate catalogues of autograph sales which have taken place in ,paris since #ahdc4 ,the solitary exception to this assertion is the sale of the ,,mss4 of ,madame ,rcamier4 ,it was ,jacques ,charavay and his two successors who presided over the dispersals of the autograph collections formed in succession by ,brunet1 ,ymeniz1 ,fillon1 ,bovet1 ,piot1 ,champfleury1 ,pichon1 and ,dablin4#fc ,a list of these catalogues down to #aijb was prepared by ,m4 ,edmund ,brbion and published4 ,it is already out of print4 ,of ,napoleon ,i4 as a scribe my friend ,dr4 ,j4 ,holland ,rose writes me as follows3-- ,napoleon was the greatest letter-writer of all time4 ,the number of letters written or dictated by him up to the end of the ,waterloo ,campaign is #bb1jfa2 many more belong to the subsequent period1 and some #b1jjj or #c1jjj letters have been found since the publication of the ,correspondance de ,napolon1 published by order of ,napoleon ,,iii4 ,on very many occasions he wrote or dictated thirty or forty letters and dispatches in one day4 ,a well-known example of his epistolary activity is that recorded by a ,saxon ,colonel1 von ,odleben1 who describes him while staying at ,dben shortly before the ,battle of ,leipsic1 ,october1 #ahac4 ,in those anxious days ,napoleon kept his secretaries on the watch day and night1 and is known to have sent off six important letters in the small hours of ,october #abth1 shortly before he set out for ,leipsic4 ,in later days he wrote comparatively few of his letters himself1 simply because his writing was almost illegible4 ,his early letters to ,josephine were of course in his own handwriting2 they are remarkable1 among the love-letters of great men1 for their passionate ardour3 which1 however1 soon cooled under the frivolities and neglect of his ,consort4 ,some of his letters never have been deciphered4 ,the present writer has in his possession an excellent photograph of a long ,napoleon letter which is a rough draft of a proclamation to his army after the great victory at ,rivoli in ,january1 #agig4 ,it has been much erased and altered4 ,the skill of experts at ,paris and ,london has failed to decipher the contents of three-fourths of this scrawl1 yet the original was sold recently for a very large sum of money4 ,i have already mentioned#fd the seven ,napoleon letters sold in ,london in #aijd for #cej4 ,in the following year ,i was much interested in three letters which ,m4 ,nol ,charavay offered for sale at the modest price of #ajj1 throwing light on certain negotiations between ,bonaparte and the ,bourbons1 which supplement a curt letter of the former in the ,morrison ,collection declining to entertain certain proposals4 ,the three letters sold in #aije are in the easily recognisable handwriting of ,louis ,,xviii4 7known in #ahja1 when they were written1 as the ,comte de ,lille71 and in them he puts before the ,abb de ,montesquieu1 who was acting as a go-between in the matter1 the reasons which should induce the ,first ,consul to facilitate the return of the descendant of ,st4 ,louis to the throne of his forefathers4 ,in the first of the series 7dated ,warsaw1 ,march #bb1 #ahja7 ,louis congratulates himself on the idea which has prompted him to take the initiative in the matter4 ,he writes as follows3 ,buonaparte is to-day the greatest of our country's soldiers4 ,he will be her saviour4 ,as the ,father of the ,french it is for me to make the first advance4444 ,i charge you to communicate to him the following arguments3 the restoration of the ,monarchy is necessary2 the existence of the ,republic has only proved its impossibility2 the only ,republicans in ,france are abstract reasoners1 faddists1 c4 ,in a last and final memorandum he says3 ,when ,i appeal to ,buonaparte1 do ,i do so merely to march over the bodies of the dead8 ,if glory has chosen him to restore the ,monarchy1 let glory be the witness of my engagements4 ,at the same time he energetically denies the allegation that he has ever encouraged or approved any project for the assassination of the ,first ,consul4 ,in ,february of the present year ,i saw in ,london a superb ,napoleonic letter of great historic importance1 and authenticated by a declaration made by the ,duke of ,wellington4 ,this letter once belonged to an ,english ,prime ,minister4 ,it was written on ,may #a1 #ahjc1 when the delusive ,treaty 7or ,truce7 of ,amiens was about to be torn up4 ,a part of the letter has appeared1 but ,i now give it in extenso with a translation#fe3-- ,,st4 ,,cloud #d4 ,je recois votre lettre1 qui m'a t remise la ,malmaison1 je dsire que la conference ne se tourne pas en parlage--mettez vous y froid1 altier et mme un peu fier4 ,si la notte 7sic7 contient le mot ultimatum fait lui sentir que ce mot renferme celui de guerre1 que cette manire de negocier est d'un superieur un inferieur1 si la notte ne contient pas ce mot1 fait qu'il le mette1 en lui observant qu'il faut enfin savoir qui nous en tenir1 que nous sommes las de etat d'anxiet--que jamais en n'obtiendra de nous1 ce que l'on a obtenu des dernires annes des ,bourbons1 que nous ne sommes plus ce peuple que recevoit un commissaire ,dunkerque1 que l'ultimatum remis1 tout deviendra rompu4 ,effrayez le sur les suites de cette remise ,s'il est inbranlable1 accompagnez le dans votre salon sur le point de vous quitter1 dit lui mais le ,cap1 et l'ile de ,gore1 sont ils evacus radoucissez un peu la fin de la ,confrence1 et invitez le revenir avant d'crire sa ,cour1 enfin que vous puisiez lui dire l'impression qu'elle a fait sur moi1 qu'elle pouvoit tre diminue1 par l'assurance de l'evacuation de ,cap et de l'ile de ,gore4 ,,nap4 ,,translation4 ,,st4 ,,cloud #d ,i am in receipt of your letter which was given me at ,malmaison4 ,i desire that the conference should not end in idle words4 ,be cold in your demeanour--haughty and if need be proud4 ,if the note contains the word ultimatum1 let him feel that this word means war1 and that this manner of negotiating is that of a superior to an inferior2 if the note does not contain this word see that he uses it saying that we must really know where we are1 that we are weary of this state of tension and that they will never obtain from us1 what they obtained in the last years of the ,bourbons1 that we are no longer the people to receive a ,commissioner at ,dunkirk and that the ultimatum once delivered everything will be broken off4 ,frighten him as to the consequence of this act on his part1 if he is unwavering take him to your drawing-room and as he is on the point of leaving say to him ,but the ,cape and the ,isle of ,gore1 are they evacuated8 ,then towards the end of the interview tone down matters a little1 and suggest his coming back before writing to his ,court1 so that you may be able to tell him the impression which the conference has made upon me1 and that it could be softened by the assurance of the evacuation of these places4 ,,nap4 ,this letter was purchased by the ,earl of ,crawford and ,balcarres1 whose attention ,i called to its great interest4 ,lord ,crawford probably possesses one of the finest sets of ,revolutionary and ,napoleonic ,,mss4 in the hands of any private collector4 ,he is at the present moment engaged in cataloguing them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration3 ,,early ,,signature ,,of ,,napoleon ,i4 ,,as ,,buonaparte ,,on ,,military ,,document1 ,,dated ,,february #a1 #agif4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,admiral ,,villeneuve ,,announcing ,,to ,,the ,,french ,,minister ,,of ,,marine ,,the ,,disaster ,,of ,,the ,,nile1 ,,september1 #agih4 ,of the various autographs of ,napoleon in my own collection1 the earliest 7now reproduced7 is dated ,february #a1 #agif4 ,napoleon then signed himself ,buonaparte4 ,he was then ,commander-in-,chief of the ,army of the ,interior4 ,the last ,i possess consist of a note in pencil written at ,st4 ,helena and the various hieroglyphics with which he controlled the entries in ,pierron's journal of household disbursements4 ,all the autographs of the ,bonaparte family fetch high prices1 especially letters of ,madame ,mre 7,napoleon's mother71 ,josephine and ,marie ,louise 7his wives71 and the sisters ,eliza1 ,pauline1 and ,caroline4 ,letters of his father are now extremely difficult to obtain1 although ten years ago they fetched only from #a to #b4 ,letters of ,talleyrand are not rare1 but the one ,i now place before my readers possesses both exceptional interest and value4 ,talleyrand to ,napoleon ,i4 ,,sire1--,la naissance d'un prince dans la famille de votre majest est un venement heureux pour tous ses sujets4 ,je dois en sentir davantage l'importance moi que le sentiment1 le respect1 et la reconnaissance attachent d'une maniere plus particulaire votre majest4 ,je la supplie d'agrer avec bont l'expression de ma joie et les veux ardents que je forme chaque moment de ma vie pour la prosperit de son auguste famille1 elle ne peut tre trop nombreuse pour la tranquillit et le bonheur du monde4 ,je supplie votre majest de recevoir avec bont l'assurance du profond respect avec lequel je suis de votre majest impriale et royale les trs humble1 trs obeissant et trs fidle serviteur et sujet ,,charles ,,maurice ,,talleyrand ,prince de ,bnvento ,,translation4 ,,sire1--,the birth of a prince in your ,majesty's family is a happy event for all your subjects4 ,i feel the importance of it more particularly on account of the sentiment1 the respect and the gratitude which bind me to your ,majesty4 ,i entreat you to accept with favour my congratulations1 as well as my ardent wishes1 formed every moment of my life for the prosperity of your august family1 which cannot be sufficiently numerous for the peace and prosperity of the world4 ,i entreat your ,majesty to graciously accept the assurance of profound esteem with which ,i subscribe myself1 ,your ,imperial and ,royal ,majesty's faithful servant and subject ,,charles ,,maurice ,,de ,,talleyrand1 ,prince de ,benevento4 ,illustration3 ,,signature ,,of ,,empress ,,marie ,,louise ,,as ,,regent1 ,,july1 #ahac4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,joseph ,,bonaparte1 ,,afterwards ,,king ,,of ,,spain1 ,,january1 #ahjf4 ,in this letter1 dated ,april #bj1 #ahjh1 ,talleyrand conveys to the ,emperor1 then at ,bayonne1 his congratulations on the birth of the future ,emperor1 ,napoleon ,,iii41 at which he was present1 and it must have been written the very day when that event took place4 ,in his ,life of ,napoleon ,,iii41 at page #aj1 the late ,mr4 ,archibald ,forbes writes thus3 ,it was on the afternoon of ,april #bj1 #ahjh1 in her htel in the ,rue ,crutti1 now the banking-house of the ,rothschilds in the ,rue ,lafitte1 that ,queen ,hortense gave birth to her third son1 the future ,napoleon ,,iii4 ,the ,empress was then at ,bordeaux and the ,emperor at ,bayonne4 ,talleyrand1 with other high officers1 had been commanded by ,napoleon to be present at the impending accouchement of ,queen ,hortense4 ,she thus notes regarding him3 ',the visit of ,m4 de ,talleyrand aggravated my nervous state4 ,he constantly wore powder1 the scent of which was so strong that when he approached me ,i was nearly suffocated4' ,talleyrand looked down solemnly on the new-born infant2 some thirty years later1 in ,lady ,tankerville's drawing-room in ,london1 he did not choose to recognise the son of ,hortense4 ,the heir of the ,empire was then an exile1 and ,talleyrand was serving a new master4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,talleyrand ,,in ,,paris ,,to ,,napoleon ,i4 ,,at ,,bayonne ,,congratulating ,,him ,,on ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,napoleon ,,iii41 ,,at ,,which ,,he ,,had ,,been ,,present1 ,,april1 #ahjh4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,signed ,,by ,,the ,,empress ,,josephine1 #c ,,ventose ,,an ,x 7,,february #bb1 #ahjb74 ,i possess letters and documents signed by ,napoleon in ,egypt 7#agih-ii71 at ,rambouillet 7#ahjg71 at ,bayonne 7#ahjh71 and on a pardon 7#ahab74 ,possibly the finest is on a letter written in #ahje from the camp at ,boulogne4 ,i paid #e for this2 it is worth at least five times as much now4 ,letters of most of ,napoleon's ,marshals vary in value from #ajs4 to #bjs4 ,the rarest are those of ,desaix 7killed at ,marengo7 and ,poniatowski 7drowned in the ,elster in #ahac74 ,they are worth from #c to #e4 ,an autograph letter of the ,duc d',enghien would probably bring its owner #bj4 ,i gave #e for a good ,l4,s4 ,letters of ,murat are worth from #aes4 to #bjs4 ,i bought the letter written to ,napoleon by him for #abs4 #f;d4 in ,england4 ,letters of ,eliza ,bonaparte and ,marshal ,massna are now somewhat hard to procure1 as those of the former are purchased by an historian1 while the present holder of the title of the ,prince d',essling is credited with being a liberal buyer of the ,,mss4 of his gallant ancestor4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,marshal ,,ney1 ,,paris1 ,,december #bc1 #ahac4 ,illustration3 ,,exercise ,,of ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,rome1 ,,duke ,,de ,,reichstadt1 ,,circa #ahbg4 ,as regards the ,roi de ,rome 7,napoleon ,,ii471 ,i have already referred to his exercise-books4 ,if he had lived he would have had a rival in the ,comte de ,chambord1 of whose early compositions ,i now give an example4 ,his handwriting was excellent4 ,few boys at eight write anything like as well3-- ,exercise of ,count de ,chambord1 #ahbj-hc4 ,franois ,premier aprs avoir vaillamment combattu sous les murs de ,pavie1 fut fait prisonnier par les ,espagnols4 ,ce roy chevalier annona son malheur sa mre par ces mots crits sur le champ de bataille ',tout est perdu fors l'honneur4' ,il fut conduit en ,espagne et men ,madrid o il fut gard dans un chteau4 ,charlequint l'y laissa long temps sans l'aller voir4 ,st4 ,cloud le #ah ,juillet #ahbh4 ,nearly half a century later the writer preferred to lose his chances of a throne rather than renounce the white flag of his ancestors4 ,if ,i mistake not he used the very words of ,francis ,i4 recorded on the copy-book page now in my possession6 ,illustration3 ,,portion ,,of ,,essay ,,on ,,gunnery ,,written ,,by ,,the ,,late ,,prince ,,imperial ,,of ,,france ,,while ,a ,,cadet ,,at ,,the ,,woolwich ,,military ,,academy4 ,ordinary letters of ,napoleon ,,iii4 and the ,empress ,eugnie are priced at figures varying from l to #e4 ,like ,napoleon ,i41 the heir to the ,napoleonic traditions was an industrious letter-writer4 ,i possess many examples of his letters1 ranging from #ahcj to #ahgj4 ,here is one written during his detention in ,germany3-- ,,wilhelmshoe le #bi ,oct4 #ahgj ,,mon ,,cher ,,lord ,,alfred1--,je suis bien touch de votre bon souvenir2 les sentiments qui renferme la lettre que vous avez bien voulu m'adresser m'ont fait grand plaisir et je vous remercie des nouvelles que vous me donnez de l',imperatrice et de mon fils4 ,c'est une vrai consolation pour moi dans mon malheur que de recevoir des preuves de sympathie comme les votres1 et je vous prie de dire ,lady ,paget combien je suis sensible son souvenir4 ,je vous prie aussi de vouloir bien vous charger de la lettre ci-jointe pour ,sir ,john ,burgoyne4 ,il m'a crit une lettre trs aimable1 mais on m'a pas donn une adresse1 et je perir le remercier4 ,recevez1 mon cher ,lord ,alfred l'assurance de mes sentiments d'amiti4 ,,napol,,on4 ,illustration3 ,,page ,,of ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,napoleon ,,iii4 ,,to ,,dr4 ,o',,meara1 ,,march #i1 #ahcf4 ,illustration3 ,,sketch ,,by ,,the ,,late ,,prince ,,imperial1 ,,circa #ahff4 ,autograph letters of the ,prince ,imperial fetch very high prices indeed--anything from #e upwards4 ,the fine essay written by him at the ,royal ,military ,college1 ,woolwich1 is worth quite twice that sum4 ,letters of the ,empress ,eugnie are now generally priced higher than those of her husband1 and ,i have known as much as #aj asked for one4 ,her ,majesty is1 or was1 a zealous collector of autographs4 ,twenty years ago she was credited with possessing several letters of ,catherine of ,aragon1 and a letter from ,henry ,,vii4 to ,king and ,queen ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 of the highest historical importance4 ,fine letters of ,louis ,,xviii41 ,charles ,x41 and ,louis ,philippe can be obtained for a pound or less1 and the correspondence of the statesmen who served under them is even cheaper4 ,i gave #bj francs for a very confidential letter written to the last-named monarch by ,count ,mol 7#agha-ahec7 in ,july1 #ahce4 ,it begins thus3-- ,,sire1--,his ,majesty will probably recollect that by means of a little monthly arrangement ,i have very nearly silenced the grape-shot of the ,morning ,chronicle1 obtaining occasionally even favourable mention4 ,i have undertaken now and then to obtain news paragraphs from ,london4 ,here is the first4 ,it is curious1 very curious indeed4 ,i believe in the truth of its contents4 ,i have opened up relations with ,the ,times4 ,at this point he suddenly drops the subject1 and enlarges on certain gossip from the ,german ,courts and the lack of intelligence shown by the ,war ,minister1 ,general ,bernard4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,admiral ,,brueys1 ,,the ,,french ,,admiral ,,commanding-,,in-,,chief1 ,,who ,,was ,,killed ,,at ,,trafalgar1 ,,dated ,,may #be1 #agig4 ,the official letters of the ,revolutionary and ,napoleonic periods are often distinguished by engraved vignettes of great artistic beauty4 ,the designs of the earlier ones are often classical4 ,the letters of naval officers are often headed by a medallion on which a ,roman galley figures conspicuously4 ,it was by carefully studying the sale catalogues that ,i obtained the letter of ,talleyrand to ,napoleon at an outlay of #bg francs4 ,for #eb francs ,i purchased in the open market one of the earliest official letters of ,villeneuve to the ,minister of ,marine at ,paris1 after the battle of the ,nile4 ,some of the autographs of the ,revolution fetch very high prices4 ,letters of ,mirabeau are comparatively cheap1 but those of the ,robespierres and ,anacharsis ,cloots command almost as much as those of ,montesquieu4 ,letters of ,madame ,roland and ,marat are also much in request4 ,autographs of ,charlotte ,corday are probably more valuable than those of ,marie ,antoinette4 ,illustration3 ,,two ,,signatures ,,of ,,marie ,,antoinette ,,on ,a ,,warrant1 ,,october1 #aghc4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,napoleon ,,iii4 ,,to ,,lord ,,alfred ,,paget ,,from ,,wilhelmshohe1 ,,october #bi1 #ahgj4 ,in the early part of the nineteenth century ,,mss4 of every description were sold at prices which now seem incredible4 ,miss ,berry tells us that the ,deffand collection of letters and documents consisting of #a folio of uvres de ,boufflers2 #a do4 of letters from different persons2 #b do4 of letters from ,voltaire to ,madame de ,deffand2 #a do4 ,journal of do42 #a do4 divers ouvrages of do42 #e large bundles of manuscript papers2 #a packet containing several hundred letters from ,voltaire1 ,rousseau1 ,delille1 ,montesquieu1 de ,stal1 ,walpole1 ,henault1 and #g large packets containing #hjj letters from ,madame de ,deffand to ,horace ,walpole were sold in one lot to ,dyce ,sombre for #aeg4 ,lucky ,nabob6 ,i may say without indiscretion that the single letter from ,napoleon to ,talleyrand mentioned at the opening of this chapter obtained a better price4 ,letters of ,voltaire are worth from #a to #e each4 ,i gave #aj francs for the apothecary's account for the embalming of his body prior to its inhumation in the ,pantheon4 ,the following letter in ,english from ,voltaire to ,lord ,chesterfield--certainly a rarity--cost me #c #cs43-- ,voltaire to the ,earl of ,chesterfield4 ,,ferney ,,par ,,geneve1 #e ,august #agfa4 ,,my ,,lord1--give me leave to apply from the foot of the ,alps to the english nobleman whose wit is the most adapted to the taste of every nation4 j have in my old age a sort of conformity with you4 tis not in point of wit1 but in point of ears1 mine are much hard too4 the consolation of deaf people is to read1 and sometimes to scribble4 j have as a scribbler1 made a prety curious commentary on many tragedies of corneille4 t'is my duty since the gran daughter of corneille is in my house4 if there was a gran daughter of ,shakespear j would subscribe for her4 j hope those who take ponticher will take subscriptions too4 the work is prodigeously cheap and no money is to be given but at the reception of the book nurse receives the names of the subscribers4 yr name will be the most honourable and the dearest to me4 ,i wish yr lordship long life1 good eyes and good stomak4 my lord souvenez vous de votre ancien serviteur ,voltaire qui vous est attach comme s'il tait a londres4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the original spelling of the letter has been preserved4 ,illustration3 ,,first ,,page ,,of ,,letter ,,in ,,english ,,from ,,voltaire ,,to ,,earl ,,of ,,chesterfield1 ,,ferney1 ,,august #e1 #agfa4 ,it is needless to discuss the value of such priceless treasures as the autographs of ,rabelais and ,molire1 the subjects of so much discussion and 7if truth be told7 so much deception4 ,like the signatures of ,shakespeare1 they may be described as the ,koh-i-noors of calligraphy4 ,they do not come within the domain of practical autograph collecting4 ,,footnotes3 #fc ,it was at this sale ,i acquired the ,house-expenses book of ,napoleon at ,st4 ,helena and the correspondence of ,poniatowski4 #fd ,see ante1 ,chapter ,i41 p4 #cb4 #fe ,see ,life of ,napoleon1 by ,j4 ,holland ,rose1 ,litt4,d41 vol4 i4 p4 #dbd4 ,,xi ,a ,,century ,,of ,,american ,,autograph ,,collecting ,,chapter ,,xi ,a ,,century ,,of ,,american ,,autograph ,,collecting ,the great collectors and collections of the ,united ,states--,the autograph sale-rooms of ,new ,york1 ,boston1 and ,philadelphia ,how very inconsiderate some of our great people have been in the matter of epistolary correspondence6 ,if ,thomas ,lynch1 jun41 and ,button ,gwinnett1 and ,john ,morton had only understood the feelings of a collector1 they would surely have favoured their friends more frequently with an ,a4,l4,s4 or even an ,a4,n4,s4 ,when they were signing the ,declaration on that warm ,july afternoon1 and committing themselves to the famous fallacy that 'all men are created equal1' they might have foreseen the day when every ,american collector would begin his colligendering career by gathering 'signers4'--,,adrian ,h4 ,,joline4 ,if the conscript fathers of autograph collecting can be fairly claimed by the country of their birth1 the majority of their most ardent and enthusiastic successors are to be found to-day on the other side of the ,atlantic4 ,it is in ,new ,york1 ,boston1 ,baltimore1 ,philadelphia1 ,san ,francisco1 ,st4 ,louis1 ,savannah1 and elsewhere that one must now look for many of the choicest and most priceless literary ,,mss4 in existence1 and it is obvious that the ,new ,world has in a measure become the guardian of many of the traditions and treasures of the ,old4 ,before me lie the calendar of the ,emmet collection of papers relating to ,american history1 presented some ten years ago to the ,new ,york ,public ,library1 which fills no less than #efc closely printed pages2 next to it is the catalogue1 in three parts1 of the ,louis ,j4 ,haber collection1 sold in ,december1 #aiji1 by the ,anderson ,auction ,company of ,new ,york1 the successors of the historic firm of ,bangs2 the monograph1 ,privately ,illustrated ,books1 by ,daniel ,m4 ,tredwell1 of ,new ,york--the largest and most carefully written book on the subject yet produced in ,america 7#dge pages1 handsomely printed in ,de ,vinne's best style71 the exhaustive catalogue of that treasure-house of ,southern history1 beneath the laurel and jasmines of historic ,wormsloe1 ,georgia1 recently sent me by ,wimberley ,j4 ,de ,renne2 the already often-referred-to ,meditations of ,mr4 ,adrian ,h4 ,joline2 the standard ,american book1 ,autographic ,collections of the ,signers of the ,declaration of ,independence and the ,constitution1 by the late ,lyman ,c4 ,draper1 ,,ll4,d41 the interesting ,,mss4 so carefully arranged by ,chas4 ,de ,f4 ,burns1 of ,new ,york1 whose knowledge of early ,american collecting is very great2 and1 last but not least1 a pile of valuable notes and statistics from the pen of my excellent friend ,mr4 ,telamon ,cuyler1 without whose aid the present chapter could never have been written4 ,my initial difficulty is a plethora of interesting information4 ,i must not even attempt to summarise the autographic trophies to be found in such famous libraries as those of ,mr4 ,pierpont ,morgan1 ,dr4 ,thomas ,addis ,emmet 7at the present moment the ,nestor of the world's great collectors of ,,mss471 ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,de ,renne of ,wormsloe1 or ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,bexby of ,st4 ,louis4 ,dr4 ,emmet1 now the most vigorous octogenarian in ,new ,york1 and divided only by a single generation from the ,irish patriot of #ahjd 7his uncle71 forms a living link between the days of ,israel ,k4 ,tefft of ,savannah1 the pioneer of ,american autograph collecting1 whose library was sold half a century ago in ,philadelphia1 and men like ,mr4 ,louis ,j4 ,haber1 ,mr4 ,bexby1 and ,mr4 ,telamon ,cuyler himself2 for is not my enthusiastic confrre himself the proud possessor of a holograph document containing seven times the name of ,button ,gwinnett8 ,to nine-tenths of my lay readers the mention of ,b4 ,gwinnett1 who was killed in a duel in ,may1 #aggg1 and ,t4 ,lynch1 drowned at sea in the same fateful year1 will probably have no particular signification4 ,let me tell them that if they could discover a fine autograph letter1 duly signed1 of either of these signers of the ,declaration of ,american ,independence1 they may consider themselves provided for for life1 and far richer than the owners of red and blue ,post ,office ,mauritius1 ,hawaian blues1 or other priceless rariora dear to the votaries of philately6 ,the great majority of ,american autograph collectors apparently utilise their letters and documents for the purposes of extra-illustration1 or the creation of association-books4#ff ,although the arrangement of autographs on these lines does not receive the whole-hearted sanction of ,mr4 ,joline1 ,dr4 ,emmet has successfully demonstrated the supreme importance of this source of illustration to the grangeriser1 and it is constantly practised by both ,mr4 ,cuyler and myself4 ,in this connection ,i do not1 of course1 allude to the ,,mss4 of famous authors1 which should obviously be kept apart1 and bound by experts like ,mr4 ,cedric ,chivers1 in such a way as not to interfere with their original condition or appearance1 but to isolated letters or documents4 ,i fail to imagine anything more interesting or attractive than a copy of ,clarendon's ,history1 illustrated not only by portraits and views1 but by ,,mss4 like those in the possession of ,mr4 ,sabin1 or those ,i shall describe when giving some account of the sales of the last decade4#fg ,then1 and then only1 do you seem to actually live again in the veritable atmosphere of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries4 ,the ,american collector generally begins his career1 both as an autograph collector and extra-illustrator1 by dealing with such works as ,sanderson's ,lives of the ,signers of the ,declaration of ,independence and ,lossing's ,field-book of the ,revolution 7#aggf-aghc74 ,the ,emmet ,collection in the ,new ,york ,public ,library1#fh which numbers #aj1hjj documents1 is classified under such heads as the ,albany ,congress of #aged1 the ,stamp-,act ,congress of #agfe1 the ,continental ,congress of #aggd1 the members of the ,continental ,congress1 #aggd-aghi1 ,presidents of ,congress1 ,presidents of the ,united ,states1 the ,signers of the ,declaration of ,independence1 and so forth4 ,the cult of the ,signers is one of the most distinctive features of ,american autograph collecting4#fi ,the late ,dr4 ,raffles1 of ,liverpool1 is credited with having got together a complete series1 and ,i have heard the subject attracted the sympathetic interest of ,queen ,victoria4 ,while the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,wm4 ,b4 ,sprague 7born at ,andover1 ,conn41 ,u4,s4,a47 was the first man to form the first unbroken set of the immortal fifty-six ,signers1 ,dr4 ,raffles' set was the second to be completed4 ,this fact is shown in a letter of ,june1 #ahce1 by ,benjamin ,b4 ,thatcher 7born at ,warren1 ,me41 #ahji2 died ,boston1 ,mass41 #ahdj71 the earliest writer on ,american autograph collections4 ,some of the signatures of the ,signers are common enough1 but those of ,button ,gwinnett and ,lynch1 both of which ,i am able1 thanks to the kindness of ,mr4 ,cuyler1 to illustrate1 are of quite phenomenal rarity4 ,gwinnett and ,lynch both died tragically before their time1 and this may possibly account for the scarceness of their handwriting4 ,some collectors spend their lives in the perpetual quest of these unfindable autographs4 ,mr4 ,cuyler has sent me several anecdotes on the subject of these ,gwinnett and ,lynch signatures4 ,he informs me that the earliest ,american collector1 ,israel ,k4 ,tefft1 was called from ,savannah to the estate of a gentleman resident near that city4 ,having to wait1 he wandered on the lawn1 under the cypress and the jasmine1 and1 perceiving a scrap of paper blowing about1 he carelessly picked it up4 ,to his joyous astonishment he found that it was a draft on the ,treasury of ,georgia1 dated #aggg1 ordering certain payments1 and signed by ,button ,gwinnett6 ,though ,mr4 ,tefft was the first autograph collector in ,america1 and had begun operations as early as #ahae-bj1 in ,savannah1 he had1 until that tour1 never even seen the signature of ,button ,gwinnett--other than that appearing upon facsimiles of the ,declaration of ,independence4 ,after transacting his business1 he exhibited his find to his client1 and said that he would gladly take the paper in place of money for his services4 ,the gentleman generously presented him with the paper and also paid him4 7,this signature of ,b4 ,g4 is now preserved in the ,set of ,signers in the ,state ,library at ,albany1 ,new ,york1 ,u4,s4,a47 ,mr4 ,cuyler has ascertained that there are only twenty-two known signatures of ,button ,gwinnett extant4 ,these include his holograph will1 drawn up a few hours before his fatal duel with ,gen4 ,mc,intosh 7,may1 #aggg71 which is now in the collection of ,mr4 ,j4 ,pierpont ,morgan1 of ,new ,york4 ,no ,a4,l4,s4 of ,gwinnett is known4 ,the ,state of ,georgia1 in which he was ,master of ,pilotage1 ,justice of the ,peace1 ,member of the ,provincial ,assembly1 ,member of ,council of ,safety1 and ,governor1 possesses not a line of his writing4 ,one ,l4,s4 is in the private collection of ,thos4 ,addis ,emmet1 ,m4,d41 of ,new ,york4 ,i have previously alluded to the holograph document1 with his name repeated seven times1 in possession of ,mr4 ,cuyler4 ,the ,a4,l4,s4 of ,thomas ,lynch1 jun41 ,signer for ,south ,carolina 7now published71 came from the ,washington correspondence4#gj ,it was ultimately sold for #a1djj 7i4e41 #cgj more than the record ,nelson letter71 and is the only one in existence4 ,it now figures in ,dr4 ,emmet's best set of ,signers in the ,new ,york ,public ,library4 ,in this set fifty-five out of the fifty-six signers of the ,american ,magna ,charta are represented by signed holograph letters4 ,dr4 ,emmet regards the acquisition of a letter signed by ,gwinnett as the crowning triumph of his sixty years' work in the fields of autograph collecting4 ,if a holograph letter of ,gwinnett could be discovered1 and such a letter may very likely exist in ,england1 it would probably fetch #e1jjj4 ,gwinnett was an ,englishman1 a descendant of ,admiral ,sir ,thomas ,button 7who entered our navy in #aehi1 explored ,hudson's ,bay1 and died in #afcd71 migrated early in life to ,charleston1 ,south ,carolina1 finally settling in ,georgia1 where he accumulated wealth4 ,after his tragic death1 his widow and only child1 a daughter1 returned to ,england4 ,the daughter married but died childless4 ,in the list of ,american collectors ,dr4 ,sprague comes next to ,mr4 ,tefft4 ,george ,washington at his death left his correspondence neatly arranged and filed4 ,his widow1 however1 burned the whole of the letters she had ever received from the first ,president of the ,united ,states6 ,this is almost the greatest known destruction of valuable autograph matter4 ,from his first love-letter1 penned in ,virginia1 to the young ,widow ,custis1 his correspondence during the fatal ,braddock campaign1 his homely domestic instructions to the chtelaine of ,mount ,vernon1 to his war letters1 in which he opened his heart and there recorded the true history of the ,american ,war1 she had preserved all1 which now went into the fire and #ajj1jjj on to-day's valuation1 and priceless ,american historical data1 went up in smoke6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,signature ,,and ,,writing ,,of ,,button ,,gwinnett1 ,,the ,,rarest ,,autograph ,,of ,,the ,,signers4 ,by the unwise permission of the ,washington family1 ,dr4 ,sprague was permitted to abstract as many letters as he liked from the wonderfully accurate letter-files of ,george ,washington1 preserved at his home1 ,mount ,vernon1 in ,virginia4 ,dr4 ,s4 there got some of his best papers1 being only requested to leave copies of all letters he took6 ,among the papers he thus acquired was the ,a4,l4,s4 of ,thomas ,lynch1 jun41 ,signer for ,south ,carolina4 ,the following is the text of this wonderful autograph1 a portion of which is reproduced in facsimile3-- ,,sir1--',though the acquaintance ,i have with your ,excellency be but slight1 ,i am induced to hope that you will readily excuse the trouble ,i am going to give you1 when you shall become acquainted with the merits of the ,gentleman1 in whose favour that trouble is given4 ,coll3 ,pinckney1 the ,bearer of this ,letter1 now ,commands the first ,regiment raised in this ,state for the ,continental ,service4 ,at the commencement of the present ,war1 he entered into the ,service with the rank of ,captain1 and has since1 to the satisfaction of every real friend of ,american liberty in this ,state1 been advanced by various promotions to that of ,coll4 ,his family being as respectable as any amongst us1 and his fortune abundantly competent1 nothing but a passion for glory and a zeal for the cause of his ,country1 could have led him into this measure4 ,i shall say nothing of his ,abilities1 convinced as ,i am that your ,excellency's penetration and the frequent opportunities he cannot fail to have1 will soon discover them1 but as to ,principles1 ,i will be bold to say1 that no ,man living has a higher ,spirit1 a nicer sense of ,honour1 or a more incorruptable ,heart1 than he has4 ,such a man cannot but be highly acceptable to one in your ,excellency's situation1 ,i will willingly engage my life that the friend ,i now venture to recommend to your favour is such an one--,i fervently pray ,god to watch over your ,excelly's life1 to make you as happy and successful as you are good and brave4 ,i have the honour to be with the most sincere regard and most profound esteem1 your ,excellency's most obedient huble servt ,,thomas ,,lynch ,charles ,town1 ,july #e #aggg ,his ,excellency ,general ,washington4#ga ,illustration3 ,,the ,,last ,,page ,,of ,,the ,,letter ,,of ,,thomas ,,lynch1 ,,jun41 ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,american ,,signers1 ,,which ,,fetched #g1jjj ,,dollars4 ,letters of ,george ,washington often find their way into the ,english sale-rooms4 ,during the first decade of the present century they have varied in price from #f to #fj4 ,mr4 ,cuyler enables me to give my readers not only one of the finest letters of ,washington's in existence1 but one hitherto unpublished4 ,i need not point out either its characteristic style or historic value1 but will only observe that ,lund ,washington1 his cousin and manager of his ,virginia estates1 possessed his confidence before any other person1 excepting perhaps ,mrs4 ,washington4 ,,camp ,,at ,,cambridge ,augt #bjth #agge ,,dear ,,lund1--,your ,letter by ,captn ,prince came to my hands last night--,i was glad to learn by it that all are well4--the acct given of the behaviour of the ,scotchmen at ,port ,tobacco ,piscataway surpriz'd vexed me--,why did they ,imbark in the ,cause8--,what do they say for themselves8--,what does other say of them8--are they admitted into company8--or kicked out of it8--,what does their ,countrymen urge in justification of them8--they are fertile in invention1 and will offer excuses where excuses can be made4 ,i cannot say but ,i am curious to learn the reasons why men1 who had subscribed1 and bound themselves to each other1 and their ,country1 to stand forth in defence of it1 should lay down their ,arms the first moment they were called upon4 ,although ,i never hear of the ,mill under the direction of ,simpson1 without a degree of warmth vexation at his extreame stupidity1 yet1 if you can spare money from other purposes1 ,i could wish to have it sent to him1 that it may1 if possible1 be set a going before the works get ruined spoilt1 my whole ,money perhaps totally lost4--,if ,i am really to loose ,barran's debt to me1 it will be a pretty severe stroke upon the back of ,adams1 the expense ,i am led into by that confounded fellow ,simpson1 and necessarily so--in seating my ,lands under the management of ,cleveland4-- ,spinning should go forward with all possible dispatch1 as we shall have nothing else to depend upon if these disputes continue another year4--,i can hardly think that ,lord ,dunmore can act so low1 and unmanly a part1 as think of seizing ,mrs4 ,washington by way of revenge upon me2 howevr as ,i suppose she is1 before this time gone over to ,mr ,calverts1 will soon after retug1 go down to ,new ,kent1 she will be out of his reach for #b or #c months to come1 in which time matters may1 and probably will1 take such a turn as to render her removal either absolutely necessary1 or quite useless4--,i am nevertheless exceedingly thankful to the ,gentlemen of ,alexandria for their friendly attention to this point and desire you will if there is any sort of reason to suspect a thing of this kind provide a ,kitchen for her in ,alexandria1 or some other place of safety elsewhere for her and my ,papers4 ,the ,people of this ,government have obtained a character which they by no means deserved--their officers generally speaking are the most indyferent kind of ,people ,i ever saw4--,i have already broke one ,col4 and five ,captains for ,cowardice1 and for drawing more ,pay and ,provisions than they had men in their ,companies there is two more ,cols now under arrest1 and to be tried for the same offences--in short they are by no means such ,troops1 in any respect as you are led to believe of them from the accts which are published1 but ,i need not make myself ,enemies among them1 by this declaration although it is consistant with truth4--,i daresay the men would fight very well 7if properly officered7 although they are an exceeding dirty hasty people4--had they been properly conducted at ,bunkers ,hill 7on the #agth of ,june7 or those that were there properly supported1 the ,regulars would have met with a shameful defeat1 a much more considerable loss than they did1 which is now known to be exactly #ajeg killed wounded--it was for their behaviour on that occasion that the above officers were broke1 for ,i never spared one that was accused of ,cowardice but brot'em to immediate ,tryal4 ,our ,lines of ,defence are now compleated1 as near so at least as can be--we men wish them to come out as soon as they please1 but they 7that is the enemy7 discover no ,inclination to quit their own ,works of ,defence1 as it is almost impossible for us to get to them1 we do nothing but watch each others motions all day at the distance of about a mile1 every now and then picking off a stragler when we can catch them without their ,intrenchments1 in return they often attempt to ,cannonad our ,lines to no other purpose than the waste of a considerable quantity of powder to themselves which we should be very glad to get4-- ,what does ,doctr ,craik say to the behaviour of his ,countrymen1 ,townspeople8 ,remember me kindly to him tell him that ,i should be very glad to see him here if there was any thing worth his acceptance1 but the ,massachusets ,people suffer nothing to go by them that they can lay hands upon4-- ,i wish the money could be had from ,hill the ,bills of ,exchange 7except ,col ,fairfax's1 which ought to be sent to him immediately7 turned into ,cash1 you might then1 ,i should think1 be able to furnish ,simpson with about #cjj1 but you are to recollect that ,i have got ,cleveland the hired ,people with him to pay also4--,i would not have you buy a single bushel of wheat till you can see with some kind of certainty what ,market the ,flour is to go to-- if you cannot find sufficient employment in repairing the ,mill works1 and other things of this kind for ,mr4 ,robets and ,thomas ,alferd1 they must be closely employed in making ,cask or working at the ,carpenters or other business otherwise they must be discharged for it is not reasonable1 as all ,mill business will probably be at an end for a while1 that ,i am to pay them #ajj a year to be ,idle4--,i should think ,roberts himself must see1 be sensible of the reasonableness of this request1 as ,i believe few ,millers will find employment if our ,ports are shut up1 the wheat kept in the straw1 or otherwise for greater security4 ,i will write to ,mr4 ,milnor to forward you a good ,country ,boulting ,cloth for ,simpson which endeavour to have contrived to him by the first safe conveyance4--,i wish you would quicken ,lasphire ,sears about the ,dining ,room ,chimney ,piece 7to be executed as mentioned in one of my last letters7 as ,i could wish to have that end of the house compleatly finished before ,i return4--,i wish you had done the end of the ,new ,kitchen next the garden as also the old ,kitchen with ,rusticated ,board1 however as it is not ,i would have the corners done so in the manner of our ,new ,church 7those two especially which ,fronts the ,quarter4--,what have you done with the ,well8 ,is that walled up8--have you any accts of the ,painter8 how does he behave at ,fredericksburg8-- ,i much approve of your sowing wheat in clean ground1 although you should be late in doing it1 and if for no other purpose than a tryal4--,it is a growing ,i find1 as well as a new practice1 that of ,overseers keeping ,horses1 for what purpose1 unless it be to make fat ,horses at my expense1 ,i know not as it is no saving of my own ,horses4 ,i do not like the custom1 wish you would break it1 but do as you will1 as ,i cannot pretend to interfere at this distance4 ,remember me kindly to all the neighbours who enquire after yr affecte friend and servt ,g4 ,,washington ,letters of ,franklin are less valuable than those of ,washington4 ,the letter reproduced was purchased by me in ,paris for #aj4 ,it of course derives additional value from being addressed to ,washington4 ,the seal is intact4 ,,passy1 ,,near ,,paris1 ,march #b4 #aggh4 ,,dear ,,sir1--,m4 de ,fontevieux1 who hopes to have the honour of delivering this into your hands1 is a young ,gentleman of a considerable ,family1 and of excellent character1 who goes over with ,views of improving himself in the military ,art under your ,auspices4 ,he is willing to serve as ,volunteer1 in any ,capacity for which your ,excelly shall find him qualified4 ,he is warmly recommended to me by ,persons of great ,distinction here1 who are zealous ,friends to the ,american ,cause4 ,and ,i beg leave to recommend him earnestly to your ,excellency's ,protection1 being confident that he will endeavour to merit it4 ,with the greatest ,esteem ,respect ,i have the ,honour to be1 ,your ,excellency's most obedient and most humble ,servant ,b4 ,,franklin ,to his ,excellency ,george ,washington ,esqre ,general ,commander in chief of the ,american ,armies1 ,philadelphia4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,last ,,page ,,of ,,george ,,washington',s ,,splendid ,a4,l4,s41 ,,now ,,published ,,through ,,the ,,kindness ,,of ,,mr4 ,t4 ,c4 ,s4 ,,cuyler4 ,illustration3 ,a4,l4,s4 ,,of ,,benjamin ,,franklin ,,to ,,george ,,washington ,,march #b1 #aggh4 ,the names of ,lyman ,draper1 ,g4 ,w4 ,childs ,kennedy1 ,proctor1 ,fogg1 ,dreer1 ,c4 ,c4 ,jones1 jun41 ,w4 ,j4 ,de ,renne1 and ,elliot ,danforth1 are1 like those of ,emmet1 ,j4 ,pierpont ,morgan1 and ,joline1 familiar to all ,american autograph collectors4 ,i find in ,the ,archivist 7#ahid7 many interesting details of the wonderful collection of ,mr4 ,george ,washington ,childs1 publisher and proprietor of the ,philadelphia ,ledger4 ,mr4 ,childs acquired amongst other rariora1 the ,,mss4 of ,byron's ,bride of ,abydos1 ,thackeray's ,lecture on the ,four ,georges1 and ,scott's ,chronicles of ,canongate4 ,he possessed a ,,ms4 parody by ,byron on ,wordsworth's ,peter ,bell1 which began with the somewhat prosaic lines3-- ,there's something in a flying horse ,and something in a huge balloon4 ,byron wrote3-- ,there's something in a stupid ass1 ,and something in a heavy dunce2 ,but never since ,i went to school ,i heard or saw so d----d a fool ,as ,william ,wordsworth is for once4 ,amongst the autographs greatly sought after in ,america is that of the ill-fated ,major ,andr4 ,one of the gems of ,mr4 ,childs's collection is described as a holograph poem by the unlucky soldier1 entitled the ,cow ,chase1 and dated ,july #ba1 #aghj4 ,its closing stanza runs3-- ,and now ,i've closed my epic strain ,i tremble as ,i show it1 ,lest this same warrior-drover ,wayne ,should ever catch the poet4 ,andr was soon after captured and executed4 ,to the concluding verse some unkind and unknown hand has added the lines-- ,and when the epic strain was sung ,the poet by the neck was hung1 ,and to his cost he finds too late ,the dung born tribe decides his fate4#gb ,mr4 ,cuyler sends me some interesting information on the subject of ,andr from the collector's point of view4 ,it appears that ,andr was twice captured during the ,american ,war4 ,upon the first occasion he was hastily searched1 and though he lost his watch1 arms1 sword1 and purse1 he managed to save the framed miniature of his beloved ,honora ,sneyd by concealing it in his mouth6 ,the occasion of his second capture was on that fatal ride along the east bank of the ,hudson ,river1 after his interview with ,benedict ,arnold4 ,at this time the whole of ,andr's papers1 both official and personal1 were in ,new ,york4 ,upon the evacuation of ,new ,york1 #aghc1 some one took his papers to ,halifax1 ,nova ,scotia4 ,seventy-five years later a friend of ,dr4 ,emmet called on a gentleman resident there4 ,receiving no response to his ring1 he walked through the house1 and as he entered the kitchen he found his friend kicking the last of a heap of musty1 faded papers into the fire1 on an open hearth4 ,leaping over several great oaken chests1 the visitor saved seven or eight documents1 several already scorched1 from the flames4 ,the gentleman of ,halifax explained that he needed the chests1 which his grandfather had deposited in their garret1 and so burned the papers4 ,those saved were autograph documents of ,andr--and the ,new ,yorker gave them to ,dr4 ,emmet1 in whose collection they now are4 ,andr's writings in ,america are exceedingly scarce4 ,andr was an artist1 and executed several drawings of his friends1 among whom were portraits of ,abraham ,cuyler and his wife1 which are now preserved in that family4 ,this man was the last ,royal ,mayor of ,albany1 ,new ,york1 and the father of ,general ,sir ,cornelius ,cuyler1 whose sons fought in the ,guards defending ,hougomont at ,waterloo4 ,as in ,france and ,england1 there has been much wanton destruction of ,,mss4 in the ,united ,states1 on which subjects ,mr4 ,joline speaks feelingly4 ,mr4 ,t4 ,cuyler tells me that after the crushing defeat of the ,federals by the ,confederate ,army at ,bull ,run 7,first ,manassas71 ,virginia1 in #ahfa1 the former fled in wildest disorder to ,washington ,city1 where they rallied4 ,the consequent confusion1 the urgent demands for food and lodgings for a large force of men1 caused improvised bakeries to be established in the lower story of the ,national ,capitol4 ,a lady1 in passing through a corridor1 observed an officer urging his men to roll away into an adjacent marsh great barrels1 dusty and stained with age1 out of which protruded ancient papers4 ,she paused1 and thinking of ,dr4 ,emmet's collection1 she begged leave to fill her pockets with documents4 ,those which she so saved were found to be priceless--being correspondence of #aggf-aghc1 and among her finds was a long letter from ,benjamin ,franklin1 dated at ,passy1 ,france1 during the ,american ,revolutionary ,war4 ,later inquiries disclosed the fact that1 after the ,british victory at ,bladensburg1 ,maryland1 the secretaries of the ,federal ,government had hastily packed these archives in barrels and carried them to safety before the ,british forces had taken ,washington ,city1 in the ,war of #ahab4 ,upon their return1 these precious papers had been left in the ,capitol until ruthlessly tossed out in #ahfa4 ,one of the most striking features in ,american autograph collecting1 important and extensive as it is to-day1 is the smallness of its beginnings4 ,tefft1 the originator of the autograph cult1 who commenced operations by securing a few signatures in the year of ,waterloo1 was only a bank-cashier2 ,dr4 ,sprague was a clerical tutor in the ,washington family1 and pure accident put unique opportunities in his way2 ,ferdinand ,j4 ,dreer was a merchant who took up the hobby when his health gave way1 and lived to complete a collection second only in importance to that formed by ,dr4 ,emmet4 ,it was ,dreer who1 at the expense of #bjj1 recovered ,washington's last letter1 after it had remained for nearly a century in ,sweden4 ,charles ,c4 ,jones1 jun41 of ,augusta1 ,georgia1 was the first to set the fashion of looking for letters connected with the ,civil ,war of #ahfa-fe4 ,the era of autograph sales began in #ahaj1 at ,charleston1 ,south ,carolina1 by the dispersal of the collection of ,,mss4 formed by a ,french ,consul1 but the first autograph sale catalogue is nearly a quarter of a century later1 and includes the papers of ,aaron ,burr1 at one time ,vice-,president of the ,united ,states4 ,it was not1 however1 till the eighteen-fifties that dealing in autographs came to rank as a business4 ,as regards the prospects of this popular pursuit in the ,united ,states1 ,mr4 ,telamon ,cuyler writes as follows3-- ,the future of ,american autograph collecting seems to be directed to the illustration of the beginnings of our industrial and financial life rather than to the forming or attempting to form what would only result in being very inferior sets of ',signers1' generals1 governors1 c4 ,the beginnings of newspaper life1 of iron manufacturing1 of cotton milling1 of cotton culture1 of the steamboat business1 of maritime life along the ,atlantic seaboard1 and such efforts with special attention to great inventions1 such as the telephone1 telegraph1 typewriter1 electric light1 automobile1 flying machines1 and many hundreds of smaller discoveries4 ,the gathering of documents connected with the foundations of great industries1 such as the steel business1 is now being carried forward by collectors of great wealth who have drawn their immense fortunes from the source which they endeavour to retrace to its petty beginning4 ,you can readily understand how perfectly natural such a form of collecting appears when you view it in the light of our national development and our national character4 ,i myself have taken up certain lines of collecting in this field and which ,i find of the greatest interest4 ,mr4 ,c4 ,e4 ,goodspeed1 of #e;,a1 ,park ,street1 ,boston1 who1 like ,mr4 ,benjamin of ,new ,york1 issues frequently very useful sale catalogues of autograph letters1 also writes me3-- ,i think the most interesting autograph which ,i have ever had was a one-page quarto letter from ,martha ,washington to ,mrs4 ,john ,adams1 the wife of the second ,president of the ,u4,s41 in answer to ,mrs4 ,adams' letter of condolence on the death of her husband 7,president ,washington74 ,that letter sold for #cjj4jj1 but would bring perhaps twice that to-day4 ,the most interesting historical document1 perhaps1 which ,i have had was a letter from ,governor ,hutchinson to the ,committee of the town of ,boston in answer to the demand of the ,committee for the removal of the troops4 ,this was written the day after the famous ,boston ,massacre of ,march #e1 #aggj4 ,i have had a great many ,washington letters1 but never any of great historical importance4 ,an interesting note might be made of those aggravating incidents where autographs are brought in by parties who wish to find their value1 but who would not sell them4 ,amongst items of this class ,i may mention1 having been brought in quite recently1 ,benjamin ,franklin's famous epitaph for his own tombstone1 written in his own autograph2 it is found in all the ,lives of ,franklin2 an autograph album containing about a dozen letters from ,byron to ,lady ,blessington2 a letter from ,byron to his wife1 written after their separation1 but never sent1 as ,lady ,blessington advised against it and retained the letter2 also in the same album three or four letters from ,dickens to ,lady ,blessington2 two charming ,thackeray letters followed with pretty pen-and-ink sketches2 an autograph poem of ,thackeray's2 two autograph poems1 each of ,elizabeth ,barrett and ,robert ,browning2 and poems of ,landor1 and others6 ,was not that a nice little collection1 and was it not an aggravation not to be able to even make an offer on it8 ,the ,president of the ,anderson ,auction ,company 7#ab1 ,east #dfth ,street1 ,new ,york7 has most obligingly sent me a priced catalogue of the ,haber ,sale1 already more than once mentioned in these pages4 ,mr4 ,l4 ,j4 ,haber has also given me the price at which the letters sold were originally acquired4 ,if the reader bears in mind that five dollars represent a pound he will easily be able to judge not only the prices which now rule in the autograph market of ,new ,york1 but the rise in them which has taken place in the past ten or twenty years4 ,no list of this kind has ever before appeared3-- ,,from ,,parts ,i4 ,,and ,,ii4 ,cost4 ,sale ,price4 ,lot ,no4 #i ,aldrich #g4ej #cb4jj #ij ,presidents #dae4jj #icj4jj #cab ,browning 7,e4 ,b47 #bg4ej #ajj4jj #cae #bj4jj #cg4jj #cbf ,bryant 7,w4 ,c47 #i4jj #ac4jj #cee ,burroughs 7,john7 #g4ej #df4jj #dji ,mark ,twain #ae4jj #aej4jj #daj #e4jj #ajj4jj #dbb ,coleridge #ab4jj #bi4jj #dca ,cooper #ac4jj #he4jj #dgh ,de ,quincey #aj4jj #cd4jj #dhf ,dickens #ab4ej #ec4jj #eec ,emerson #ah4jj #aae4jj #gfh ,hardy 7,t47 #e4jj #cf4jj #ggd ,harris 7,joel ,c47 #aj4jj #ec4jj #gge ,harte 7,bret7 #bd4jj #afa4jj #ghd ,hawthorne#gc #af4jj #ge4jj #hbe ,holmes #bh4jj #aie4jj #hha ,irving #abj4jj #dde4jj #ibi ,keats #abe4jj #b1ejj4jj ,the above-mentioned autographs were either included in books or bound up separately4 ,the following apparently were detached letters3-- ,,part ,,iii4 ,cost4 ,sale ,price4 ,lot ,no4 #a ,addison #bj4jj #db4jj #cj ,jane ,austen #bj4jj #fj4jj #db ,beecher 7,h4 ,w47 #b4jj #ba4jj #de ,blackmore #b4ej #h4ej #dg ,blake 7,wm47 #ae4jj #ee4jj #dd #a4jj #h4ej #ea ,john ,bright #a4jj #g4be #eb ,bront 7,c47 #ae4jj #be4jj #df ,john ,brown #bj4jj #df4jj #fj ,browning 7,e4 ,b47 #bj4jj #ce4jj #gf ,burns #gj4jj #afe4jj #ha ,byron #dj4jj #he4jj #hd ,carlyle #aj4jj #ba4jj #ia ,chesterfield #ab4jj #ag4jj #aad ,darwin #d4jj #ab4jj #aah ,dickens #ah4jj #ce4jj #abg ,doyle 7,richard7 #aj4jj #ba4jj #add ,franklin #cj4jj #hf4jj #aea ,gladstone #a4ej #e4jj #afe ,hardy 7,thomas7 #a4ej #i4ge #agj ,hawthorne #bj4jj #de4jj #bjh ,johnson 7,samuel7 #ce4jj #he4jj #baf ,kipling 7,r47 #d4jj #ag4jj #bbi ,lewes #b4ej #ad4jj #bdb ,macpherson 7,james7 #b4ej #i4ej #bdf ,marryat 7,capt47 #c4jj #i4jj #bea ,meredith 7,geo47 #e4jj #ae4ej #bfb ,morris 7,wm47 #i4jj #ba4jj #bgd ,paine 7,thos47 #aj4jj #be4jj #bhh ,piozzi 7,mme47 #ab4jj #dc4jj #bij ,poe 7,e4 ,a47 #bh4jj #if4jj #bib ,pope 7,a47 #dj4jj #ade4jj #bic ,porter 7,jane7 #b4jj #aj4jj #cjd ,reade 7,chas47 #a4jj #f4jj #cji ,richardson 7,samuel7 #ae4jj #bi4jj #cae ,rossetti 7,d4 ,g47 #d4jj #af4ej #cbe ,shelley #fj4jj #aje4jj #cbf #g4ej #hj4jj #cdg ,stevenson 7,r4 ,l47 #ab4jj #ea4jj #cec ,swinburne 7,a47 #c4jj #ae4jj #ceh ,tennyson 7,a47 #i4jj #ca4jj #ceh ,thackeray 7,w4 ,m47 #h4jj #fj4jj #cga ,walpole 7,h47 #aj4jj #bd4jj #cgg ,wesley 7,j47 #h4jj #bj4jj ,the majority of the ,haber ,,mss4 are of ,british origin4 ,it gives me little opportunity of saying anything about the varying prices of the ,a4,l4,s4 of ,american ,presidents1 or of the rise in value of the letters of ,abraham ,lincoln and ,ulysses ,grant4 ,i note1 however1 that a letter of ,e4 ,a4 ,poe has more than trebled in value since ,mr4 ,haber acquired it4 ,letters of ,longfellow are still in demand1 but those of ,o4 ,w4 ,holmes are somewhat at a discount and were not largely represented in the ,haber ,sale1 at which a fine specimen of ,benjamin ,jowett went for #ds4 ,a #d-pp4 letter of ,mr4 ,thomas ,hardy was sold for #a #ais41 but a #a-p4 #hvo of ,rudyard ,kipling brought #c #hs46 ,a verse by ,mr4 ,andrew ,lang1 to which his signature was appended1 went for #a #ds4 ,it was entitled ,the ,optimism of an ,undertaker1 and ran3-- ,ah1 why drag on unhappy days 7,this rede the undertaker says71 ,misguided race of men6 ,who handsomely interred might be ,by ,mr4 ,silas ,mould 7that's me7 ,for only three pound ten4 ,twelve lines by ,alexander ,pope excited keen competition1 and were sold eventually for #bi4 ,it is evident that1 in spite of the set back of two years ago which brought a good many autographs back to ,england1 the ,american market is still higher than any other1 and there is every chance of its continuing so4 ,on ,april #be1 #aiaj1 ,mr4 ,frank ,sabin paid #h1fej at ,sotheby's for the voluminous correspondence1 chiefly addressed to ,w4 ,blathwayt1 ,secretary of ,state and ,commissioner for ,trade and ,plantations1 relative to the ,american ,colonies1 during the last quarter of the seventeenth century4 ,william ,blathwayt 7#afdi-agag7 served his political apprenticeship under ,sir ,w4 ,temple1 subsequently filling the posts of ,secretary at ,war 7#afhc71 ,secretary of ,state to ,william ,,iii4 during the campaign in ,flanders1 ,commissioner for ,trade and ,plantations and ,clerk of the ,privy ,council4 ,some years ago a parcel of ,blathwayt's own letters1 which ,i used in extra-illustrating the ,account of ,william ,,iii4's ,achievements at the ,siege of ,namur1 cost me #bjs4 ,another interesting lot at the sale of ,april #beth consisted of thirteen ,,ms4 and thirty-five early printed maps4 ,this went to ,mr4 ,quaritch for #fij--;a price solely attributable to its unique ,american interest4 ,illustration3 ,,early ,,writing ,,of ,,the ,,late ,,king ,,edward ,,vii41 ,,circa #ahej4 7,by permission of ,messrs4 ,harper ,bros47 ,,footnotes3 #ff ,see my article in ,the ,country ,home1 ,march1 #aiaj4 #fg ,see post1 ,chapter ,,xii4 #fh ,since #ahif ,dr4 ,t4 ,a4 ,emmet has formed a second collection of little less importance than the one now alluded to4 #fi ,mr4 ,t4 ,cuyler hopes some day to publish a ,visitation of the ,signers which will comprise a complete transcript of all the principal letters and documents collected under this head4 ,the value and interest of such a work will be of manifold importance4 ,he has already made a beginning4 #gj ,see post1 p4 #cbh4 #ga ,the original is now in the ,emmet ,collection1 ,new ,york ,public ,library4 #gb ,andr's journals are now in the magnificent collection of ,mr4 ,bexby1 of ,st4 ,louis4 #gc ,cost is for letter only2 sale price includes book4 ,,xii ,,the ,,prices ,,of ,,autographs ,,and ,,their ,,variations ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,prices ,,of ,,autographs ,,and ,,their ,,variations ,william ,upcott and his contemporaries--,sale prices #ahaj-aiaj ,letters are the soul of trade4--,,james ,,howell 7#aeie-afff74 ,william ,upcott1 the conscript father of modern autograph-collecting1 was born in #aggj1 and lived until #ahde4 ,he was the natural son of the painter ,ozias ,humphry1 the maiden-name of whose mother he assumed4 ,his own mother was ,dolly ,wickens1 the daughter of an ,oxford tradesman4 ,from his father he inherited a taste for antiques of every description1 as well as a valuable collection of miniatures1 pictures1 and engravings4 ,the life-story of ,upcott is told with unusual detail in the ,dictionary of ,national ,biography4#gd ,while acting as an assistant to the well-known booksellers1 ,evans of ,pall ,mall and ,wright of ,piccadilly1 he attracted the attention of ,dean ,ireland and other literati4 ,he was appointed ,assistant-,secretary to ,porson at the ,london ,institution in #ahjf1 and on his death continued to occupy the same post under ,maltby4 ,mr4 ,h4 ,r4 ,tedder tells us that every inch of the walls in his rooms1 whether at the ,london ,institution or in his subsequent residence1 was covered with paintings1 drawings1 and prints1 most of them by ,gainsborough or ,humphry1 while all the drawers1 shelves1 boxes1 and cupboards were crammed with his autograph collections4 ,upcott spent the evening of his useful life at #ajb1 ,upper ,street1 ,islington1 naming his house ,autograph ,cottage4 ,in #ahcf he published privately a catalogue of his ,,mss4 ,one of his greatest finds 7and they may be counted by scores7 was the discovery of the ,,ms4 of ,chatterton's ,amphitryon 7now in the ,british ,museum7 in a cheesemonger's shop4 ,he never married4 ,there is a capital portrait of ,upcott engraved in ,march1 #ahah1 by ,t4 ,bragg1 after a drawing by ,w4 ,behnes4 ,my copy of it is inscribed in minute but peculiarly clear handwriting1 ,presented to his much esteemed ,friend and fellow-traveller ,mrs4 ,robert ,nasmyth of ,edinburgh4 ,william ,upcott1 ,london ,institution1 ,august #bf1 #ahcc4 ,by his side is a cabinet of medals2 in his hands a volume of ,topography1 and on the table a deed on which one at once recognises the sign-manual of ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,it is impossible to over-estimate the value of the work done by ,upcott in providing sources of reliable information for future generations of historians4 ,in my own collection is the following interesting letter of this collector1 written nine years before his death3-- ,,autograph ,,cottage1 ,,upper ,,st1 ,,islington ,sep #ai #ahcf ,,dear ,,sir1--,when you favoured me with a visit to take a hasty glance at my collection of autographs ,i was much pleased to find that you were gratified by the inspection4 ,i expressed a wish1 which ,i still entertain1 that this collection--a labour of more than #be years--should be placed in the hands of those who could appreciate its value either in a ,public ,library1 or with a private individual of acknowledged taste4 ,at present1 it remains in the same state as when you saw it1 nor am ,i desirous to accede to its removal from my shelves until you shall again repeat your visit1 agreeably to your promise4 ,when may ,i expect that gratification8 ,should you deem the mass1 as particularized in my printed catalogue1 too voluminous to purchase1 what say you with possession of the #ac volumes in folio not noticed in my catalogue containing #bjgh ,autographs including ,letters and illustrated with #ajjj portraits with ,short ,biographical notices1 subjoined1 written by myself and bound by ,herring in morocco with leather joints4 ,their contents comprise ,sovereigns1 ,statesmen1 ,divines1 ,lawyers1 ,noble and ,military ,officers1 ,medical men1 ,authors1 ,men of ,science1 ,artists1 ,actors1 ,musicians1 ,foreigners and celebrated ,women with property2 printed ,title pages and ,indexes4 ,all the ,autographs are mounted on tinted drawing paper and those who have examined the drawings pronounce them to be altogether unique4 ,the collecting and writing of the ,memoirs cost me #c years' labour4 ,when my friend ,dawson ,turner inspected them in #ahcj he furnished me with his opinion of its merits of which the following is a copy3-- ,,my ,,dear ,,upcott1--,you asked me as to the value of the #ac volumes of ,autographs and ,i should be glad that1 if you are disposed to sell them1 ,i might be allowed to place a price upon them for ,i have often examined them as you know very carefully1 and now think that nobody is much better able than myself to esteem property of this description4 ,pass on a few short years and these volumes will be one of the best ,biographical ,records in existence4 ,considered in the four-fold character which they derive from the interest of the individuals they contain1 the beauty of the portraits the care you have taken in illustrating the history of the parties and the exquisite beauty and taste with which they are put together3--,i certainly know no series of the kind equally desirable1 and ,i regard the whole as unquestionably unique4 ,such is my idea of their merit1 and their price ,i should say should be at least seven hundred pounds4 ,i am a single man1 without a relation possessing a corresponding feeling with myself4 ,my earnest desire therefore is to see all my articles of vertu as well as ,pictures1 ,drawings1 ,autographs1 and curiously ,illustrated ,books1 pass from me to other hands who can appreciate their works1 without the notoriety of a public sale4 ,my friend ,turner's valuation of the #ac volumes just alluded to has1 ,i find1 been backed by the opinion of other collectors1 yet if you should entertain the idea of possessing them ,i will part with them for #ejj ,guineas4 ,an early answer1 stating when ,i shall be likely to see you will be esteemed a favour1 as my intention is to go to ,paris for a short time about the end of the month4 ,believe me to remain1 dear ,sir1 ,your ever faithful servant1 ,,william ,,upcott4 ,p4,s4--,did you mention to your friend my small collection of ,original ,pictures8 ,you kindly told me you would favour me with his company4 ,my best compliments were on ,mr4 ,lomax and ,mr4 ,bentley1 your travelling companions4 ,it was to his brother autograph collector1 ,mr4 ,dawson ,turner1 of ,yarmouth1 that ,upcott dedicated in #ahah his standard work on the literature of ,english topography4 ,mr4 ,greaves1 of ,isham ,hall1 ,manchester1 apparently missed the chance of a lifetime4 ,he might have acquired for #ejj what would be now worth #ae1jjj or even #bj1jjj4 ,in #ahdf ,upcott's rariora were sold by ,sotheby at ,evans's auction-rooms1 #ajf1 ,new ,bond ,street1 and realised #d1abe #ags4 #f;d41 and that at a time when the science of autographs was in its infancy4 ,in the ,dictionary of ,national ,biography reference is made to the large paper copy of the ,upcott catalogue now in the ,british ,museum as once belonging to ,dawson ,turner4 ,numerous purchases were made for the national collection1 which now form the series known as additional ,,mss4 #aehda to #aeieg4 ,amongst these #aaf volumes are the papers of ,john ,nicholas1 the papers of ,brown and ,evelyn1 ,burton's diary1 ,curtius's letters1 the ,dayrolles correspondence1 the letters addressed to ,sir ,christopher ,hatton1 ,shenstone's poem1 the ,snuff-,box1 and many other items of extraordinary interest1 including ,prior's papers while in ,paris1 and the papers of the ,french ,army in ,italy4 ,the following are fair examples of the prices realised at this memorable sale of ,january #bb-bd1 #ahdf3-- ,,lot #dc4 ,dayrolles ,correspondence4--#a1cfh ,letters and ,documents and ,diplomas 7,a4,l4,s4 fr4 ,harley1 ,boyle1 ,bothmer1 ,st4 ,john1 ,addison1 ,craggs1 ,stone1 ,holdernesse1 ,george ,,ii41 ,newcastle1 ,chesterfield1 ,pelham1 c47 #aaj #j #j ,,lot #fg4 ,autographs of ,kings of ,france on ,vellum4--,original ,documents from ,philip ,v41 #acai1 to ,napoleon1 #b vols4 #g #aj #j ,,lot #adj4 ,navy4--#ece ,letters and ,documents from ,papers of ,adm4 ,norris w4 ,portraits 7e4g41 ,blake1 ,monk1 ,pr4 ,rupert1 ,pepys1 ,byng1 ,rooke1 ,oxford1 ,lestock1 ,wager1 ,anson1 ,sandwich1 ,warren1 ,nelson1 ,keith1 ,cornwallis1 ,popham1 ,s4 ,smith1 ,st4 ,vincent1 c47 #aj #j #j ,,lot #aff4 ,sidney ,correspondence4--#ff ,letters addressed to ,sir ,ph4 ,sidney and his family 7e4g41 ,leycester1 ,danby1 ,thanet1 ,ormond1 ,sir ,j4 ,temple1 ,robert ,sidney1 father of ,algernon1 c47 #e #g #f ,,lot #aii4 ,voltaire--,,ms4 copy of ,la ,pucelle d',orleans w4 marginal notes by ,v41 #agee #b #c #j ,,lot #baa4 ,napoleon1 as ,first ,consul2 ,do4 as ,emperor from ,wilna and from ,moscow1 #ahab2 ,portion of ,las ,cases' ,life of ,napoleon corrected by ,n4 at ,st4 ,helena2 ,marie ,louise as ,regent1 and various papers #af #j #j ,,lot #bbh4 ,letter of ,washington1 #agij4 ,letters and signatures of ,adams1 ,madison1 ,monroe1 ,jefferson1 ,von ,buren1 c4 #c #aj #j ,,lot #dba4 #chc ,letters of literary men of ,,xvi41 ,,xvii4 and ,x,v,i,i,ith centuries1 most addressed to ,john ,evelyn1 w4 #fb ,portraits 7,addison1 ,attenbury1 ,t4 ,browne1 ,boyle1 ,congreve1 ,marvel1 ,pope1 ,prynne1 ,newton1 ,flamstead1 ,pepys1 ,orrery1 ,waller1 ,vanbrugh1 ,sloane1 c47 #hj #j #j ,,lot #dbb4 #geb ,letters of literary men of ,,xviii4 and ,x,i,xth ,centuries1 w4 #aha ,portraits 7,boswell1 ,blair1 ,beattie1 ,gifford1 ,herschel1 ,horne1 ,hoole1 ,percy1 ,wilkes1 ,young1 c47 #cc #j #j ,,lot #dbc4 #a1bgi ,letters of literary men ,,xviii4 and ,x,i,xth centuries1 w4 #aji ,portraits 7,astle1 ,byron1 ,cary1 ,ducarel1 ,gibbon1 ,t4 ,paine1 ,pownall1 ,scott1 ,white1 c47 #db #j #j ,,lot #dbd4 #a1gfh ,letters of literary men ,,xviii4 and ,x,i,xth centuries1 w4 #bi ,portraits 7,chalmers1 ,dibdin1 ,foscolo1 ,hazlitt1 ,lort1 ,malthus1 ,pinkerton1 ,steevens1 ,whalley1 ,dr4 ,parr1 c47 #af #j #j ,the examination of this truly marvellous catalogue not only shows the extent of ,mr4 ,graves's loss1 but that the increase of prices between #ahbg and #ahdf had been infinitesimal4 ,the earliest indications of a noteworthy upward movement are discernible at the ,donnadieu ,sale of #ahea1 and still more markedly so at the dispersal of the collections of ,mr4 ,young and ,mr4 ,dillon in #ahfi4 ,it was reserved for the present year of grace to see a ,keats letter sell for #ejj1 and one of ,charlotte ,bront for #ej4 ,my friend ,dr4 ,scott is quite in despair over the prices of ,february #bh1 #aiaj1 and regards the figure at which the ,bront autograph sold as positively wicked6 ,one of the most industrious 7but not always discriminating7 collectors who followed was ,sir ,thomas ,phillipps1 of ,cheltenham 7#agib-ahgb71 who not unfrequently acquired the whole contents of a dealer's catalogue en bloc4 ,sales from the ,bibliotheca ,phillippica have taken place at intervals since #ahib1 and the store is not yet exhausted4#ge ,i am personally grateful to this voracious accumulator of autographic treasure1 as ,i picked up at one of the sales seven volumes of eighteenth-century water-colour sketches of ,dorset buildings and scenery for--five shillings6 ,in #ahcb he wrote the following letter 7now in my possession7 to the late ,sir ,henry ,ellis3-- ,february #af #ahcb ,,dear ,,sir1--,you expressed a wish that ,i would consent to part with my ,library of ,,mss to the ,british ,museum4 ,it cannot be expected that ,i should make a gift of them after the enormous sum ,i have paid for them1 but ,i am willing to cede them1 if the nation will pay my debts1 which ,i now owe4 ,the number of ,,mss ,i consider to be above #hjjj ,vols1 containing probably #bj1jjj articles4 ,believe me to be yrs truly ,,thos ,,phillipps ,,ps4--,i must observe that the money thus paid1 will not be lost to the nation1 while the manuscripts will be gained4 ,the priceless ,morrison ,collection has already been mentioned4 ,its dispersal would certainly occasion a dislocation in autograph prices throughout the world4 ,since #aijj ,i have carefully noted the prices realised at all the principal sales in ,london1 and more recently in ,new ,york1 and although there has been a steady rise in prices for high-class autographs1 not a single sale has ever occurred at which some bargain or other might not have been picked up4 ,the existing firm of ,sotheby1 ,wilkinson1 ,hodge1 of #ac1 ,wellington ,street1 ,strand 7the premises1 by a strange coincidence1 once occupied by the elder ,ireland71 was really founded as far back as #afif1 when ,messrs4 ,cooper ,milling first began to dispose of ,,mss4--generally in the evening4 ,the business passed successively through the hands of ,messrs4 ,ballard1 ,paterson1 ,baker4 ,in #agdd ,samuel ,baker moved to auction-rooms over ,exeter ',change in the ,strand4 ,at the death of ,mr4 ,baker he was succeeded by ,mr4 ,john ,sotheby1 when the firm became ,leigh ,sotheby4 ,from #ade1 ,strand1 they removed to the premises in ,wellington ,street1 long familiar to buyers of ,,mss4 ,at the ,sotheby sale of ,november #a1 #aija1 ,i note the following prices3-- s4 d4 ,queen ,henrietta ,maria1 ,d4,s4 #e #ab #f ,queen ,victoria1 ,a4,l4,s41 to ,lady ,dover #e #aj #j 7,now in my collection47 ,sir ,walter ,scott1 ,a4,l4,s41 #b pp4 #c #aj #j ,edmund ,burke1 ,a4,l4,s41 #b pp4 #b #aj #j ,several ,a4,l4,s4 of ,thos4 ,campbell1 averaged #j #aj #j ,several ,a4,l4,s4 of ,wm4 ,cowper1 averaged #c #j #j ,several ,a4,l4,s4 of ,edwin ,landseer1 averaged #j #h #j ,several ,a4,l4,s4 of ,thomas ,moore1 averaged #j #aa #j ,a fine ,a4,l4,s4 of ,william ,pitt the elder #d #ae #j ,a whole series of ,a4,l4,s4 of the ,duke ,from of ,wellington to ,lord ,beresford #g #j #j 7over #ej71 nearly all written during to the ,peninsular ,war #j #g #j ,at the sale of ,colonel ,john ,moore's autographs at ,sotheby's 7,november #bi-cj1 #aija71 ,i note a magnificent series of ,civil ,war ,,mss4 ,amongst the letters sold were the following3-- s4 d4 ,a4,l4,s4 ,john ,bradshaw 7#afdd7 #bd #aj #j ,sir ,wm4 ,brereton 7#afdc7 #h #j #j ,lord ,byron 7#afeb7 #g #e #j ,d4,s4,o4 ,cromwell 7#afdi7 #h #j #j 7#afdi7 #ab #j #j 7#afea7 #aj #ab #f ,a4,l4,s4 ,william1 ,earl of ,derby 7with other papers7 7#afgb7 #aj #aj #j ,d4,s4 ,thomas1 ,lord ,fairfax 7#afdc7 #i #aj #j ,l4,s4 7#afdi7 #ac #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,colonel ,john ,hewson 7#afdh7 #h #ae #j ,d4,s4 ,william ,lenthall 7#afde7 #e #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,sir ,edward ,massey 7#affj7 #b #aj #j ,d4,s4 ,colonel ,john ,moore 7#afde7 #g #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 7#afdg7 #aa #j #j 7#afdf7 #aa #ae #j 7#afej7 #h #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,algernon ,percy1 ,duke of ,northumberland 7#afde7 #ai #ae #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,sir ,christopher ,wren 7#afic7 #di #j #j ,the two days' sale of #cah lots realised #ief #acs4 ,in the five-days' sale at ,sotheby's1 which commenced on ,december #b1 #aija1 books and autographs were mixed4 ,the total reached #f1baf #aas4 #f;d4 ,amongst the autographs figured3-- ,,ms4 of ,isaac ,watts's ,address to the ,church of ,christ assembled s4 d4 in ,mark ,lane 7#agjb7 #g #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,isaac ,watts 7#agce7 #d #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,thomas ,gray 7#ageh7 #ae #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,thomas ,king1 actor1 to ,garrick 7n4d47 #f #ae #j ,holograph ,prayer by ,samuel ,johnson1 ,jan4 #a 7#aghd7 #ac #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,charles ,lamb 7n4d47 #f #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,lord ,tennyson1 #b pp41 #hvo #g #e #j ,gathered ,leaves1 collected by ,edmund ,yates1 including about #ajj ,a4,l4,s41 including two from ,dickens and one from ,thackeray #di #j #j 7,at the sale of ,mr4 ,yates's ,library in #ahie ,gathered ,leaves had fetched #fe47 ,there was a two-days' sale on ,december #i and #aj1 #aija1 devoted solely to autographs1 in which #dgh lots brought #dgc #abs4 s4 d4 ,a4,l4,s4 ,allan ,ramsay1 #a p4 7#agcb7 #g #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,sir ,walter ,scott1 #c pp4 7#ahaa7 #i #ae #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,lord ,tennyson1 #a p4 7#ahed7 #c #ag #f ,a4,l4,s4 ,earl of ,chesterfield1 #b pp4 7#agfb7 #g #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,thomas ,doggett1 #b pp4 7#agad7 #e #b #f ,a4,l4,s4 ,edward ,gibbon1 #d pp4 7#aghi7 #ac #e #j ,d4,s4 ,robespierre 7,m47 7#agic7 #d #ae #j ,fifteen ,a4,l4,s4 of ,charles ,dickens ranged in price from #f to #ajs4 ,of the autograph sales at ,sotheby's in #aijb the most interesting took place on ,december #aa1 #ab1 and #ac4 ,the #hfe lots sold realised a total of #a1cgc #ds4 #f;d4 ,amongst the ,,mss4 sold may be noted3-- s4 d4 ,a4,l4,s4 ,thomas ,chippendale 7#ahac7 #e #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,garrick to ,hannah ,more 7#aggg7 #e #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,mendelssohn1 #c pp4 7#ahda7 #f #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,w4 ,m4 ,thackeray1 #b pp4 7#ahdi7 #ab #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,samuel ,foote1 #d pp4 n4d4 #h #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,david ,garrick 7#agei7 #e #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,samuel ,johnson1 #b pp4 7#agga7 #aa #ae #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,bishop ,percy to ,s4 ,johnson 7#aghc7 #aj #j #j 7,the value of this letter was evidently determined by the person to whom it was addressed47 ,a4,l4,s4 ,verdi 7#ahfc7 #e #b #f ,a4,l4,s4 ,sir ,t4 ,fairfax to ,duke of ,buckingham 7#affc7 #ba #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,hugh ,peters1 ,regicide 7#afeb7 #aa #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,george ,eliot1 #e pp4 7#ahei7 #bb #j #j 7#ahei7 #i #j #j 7#ahfc7 #g #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,samuel ,richardson 7#agdf7 #d #ah #j ,d4,s4 ,william ,penn 7#afhb7 #e #ag #f ,a4,l4,s4 ,sarah ,siddons 7n4d47 #aj #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,sir ,w4 ,scott 7#ahad7 #ab #ae #j #bc ,a4,l4,s4 ,thomas ,campbell #ad #j #j ,there were several autograph sales at ,sotheby's in #aijc4 ,the late ,mr4 ,frederick ,barker was good enough to price for me the catalogue of the sale of ,june #bcrd-#bdth4 ,on the first day five long letters of ,samuel ,richardson to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,lobb 7#agdc-ef7 averaged about #ab #abs4 ,a conveyance signed by ,guido ,fawkes 7reputed to have been picked up for #ajs47 fetched #aja1 and a #f-pp4 letter of ,nelson to ,sir ,alexander ,ball was sold for #cj #ajs4 ,throughout this sale prices ruled very high--quite a short note of ,thackeray's realising #g #es4 ,a fine series of letters by ,earl ,st4 ,vincent averaged about #b1 but one of these 7dated ,january #ag1 #ahja71 in which he wrote3 ,nelson was very low when he came here1 the day before yesterday1 appeared and acted as if he had done me an injury1 and felt apprehensive that ,i was acquainted with it4 ,poor man6 he is devoured with vanity1 weakness and folly1 was strung with ribbons1 medals1 c41 and yet pretended he wished to avoid the honours and ceremonies he everywhere met with on the road1 brought no less than #i #es4 ,a number of letters by ,edward ,fitzgerald1 the translator of ,omar ,khayym1 addressed to ,joseph ,fletcher 7,posh71 averaged about #cjs41 and several letters of ,charles ,dickens #b #bs4 each4 ,the two-days' sale of ,june #hth and #ith in this year brought no less than #a1ifc #is4 #f;d4 for only #fah lots4 ,amongst the autographs disposed of at this sale were3-- s4 d4 ,a4,l4,s4 ,robert ,browning1 #b pp4 7#ahhj7 #c #ah #j ,a4,l4 ,lindley ,murray 7#ahba7 #g #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,john ,boydell 7#ahjd7 #e #e #j #ab ,d4,s4 ,colley ,cibber 7bearing also the signatures of ,wilks and ,booth7 #ah #j #j ,,ms4 ,richard ,cumberland1 relating to altercation between ,dr4 ,johnson and the ,dean of ,derry #i #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,william ,herbert1 ,earl of ,pembroke 7#afai7 #bd #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,thomas ,king to ,david ,garrick #ab #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,richard ,porson 7#ahjg7 #e #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,william ,smith1 actor 7n4d47 #e #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,lord ,byron 7#ahaa7 #ab #ae #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,sir ,w4 ,scott to ,southey #ab #aj #j ,,ms4 ,charles ,lamb4 ,lines ,the ,first ,leaf in ,spring #aa #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,shenstone 7#agej7 #g #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,john ,keats--#bh in number #a1jgj #j #j 7purchased by ,mr4 ,quaritch74 ,several letters by ,de ,quincey and ,carlyle averaged #c #j #j ,another autograph sale was held at ,sotheby's on ,july #bc1 #aijc1 and the following days1 when some fine letters by ,oliver ,cromwell1 ,burns1 ,dickens1 and ,george ,eliot1 were sold at good prices4 ,the last sale of this season took place in ,wellington ,street on the #aith of ,november and two following days4 ,the #gch lots in this sale brought a total of #iga #abs4 #f;d4 ,amongst the autographs sold were3-- s4 d4 ,a4,l4,s4 ,lord ,byron 7#ahai7 #aj #j #j ,d4,s4 ,sir ,francis ,drake 7#aeic7 #ah #aj #j ,d4,s4 ,sir ,r4 ,hawkins 7#afae7 #e #e #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,elizabeth ,browning 7#ahdd7 #c #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,william ,penn 7#afhd7 #cd #j #j ,twenty letters of ,charles ,dickens averaging only #a #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,colley ,cibber 7#agdb7 #e #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,samuel ,johnson #f #ae #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,walter ,scott to ,thomas ,moore 7enclosing ,notes on ,byron7 7#ahbi7 #cg #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,marat #ac #j #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,andrew ,marvel #aa #j #j ,the first autograph sale of #aijd in ,wellington ,street lasted two days only 7#acth and #adth of ,may71 but it included ,no4 #bah1 the ,a4,l4,s4 of ,nelson to ,lady ,hamilton 7,september #be1 #ahje71 #d pp4 #dto1 which realised #a1jcj1 possibly still the record price for a single letter4 ,other letters of ,nelson at this sale fetched #af1 #ac 7two71 #f #aes41 and #d #aes4 ,a letter of ,lady ,mary ,wortley ,montagu1 beginning with the emphatic words1 ,ay1 ay1 as you say my dear1 men are vile inconstant toads1 was sold for #aes4 only4 ,a great many letters of great interest were included in this catalogue4 ,amongst them may be noted ,a4,l4,s4 ,beethoven1 #cj2 ,a4,l4,s4 ,sir ,stamford ,raffles1 nearly #be pp4 #dto1 described as giving a most lively and interesting description of the interior description of ,st4 ,helena with ,napoleon ,buonaparte1 and ,napoleon's answers to certain charges commonly brought against him1 etc41 marked 'private1' probably unpublished4 ,off ,st4 ,helena1 ,may #bj1 #ahaf4 ,this is now in my collection4 ,it was at this sale that a letter of the ,duke of ,wellington fetched the record price 7as far as his autographs are concerned7 of #aja4 ,it was thus described3-- #abg4 ,,extremely ,,interesting ,,letter ,,written ,,the ,,day ,,after ,,the ,,battle ,,of ,,waterloo4 ,,letters ,,written ,,at ,,this ,,period ,,by ,,the ,,great ,,duke ,,are ,,extremely ,,scarce4 ,poor ,canning had my small dispatch box in our battle yesterday and when he was killed it was lost4 ,i shall be very much obliged to you if you will send me another of the same size as the last with the same lock and key and leather cover1 c41 as soon as possible4 ,let it have in it a small silver or thick glass inkstand with one of ,braham's patent penholders and one of his pens4 ,what do you think of the total defeat of ,buonaparte ,,by ,,the ,,british ,,army8 ,never was there in the annals of the world so desperate or so hard fought an action or such a defeat4 ,it was really the battle of the ,giants4 ,my heart is broken by the terrible loss ,i have sustained of my old friends and companions and my poor soldiers4 ,i shall not be satisfied with the battle however glorious if it does not of itself put an end to ,buonaparte4 ,this letter was written at #d o'clock in the morning after the battle4 ,the letter before it 7#abf7 realised only #hs41 and two letters sold together 7#abh7 after it1 only #is41 although both were excellent specimens of ,wellington's style4 ,there was another autograph sale at ,sotheby's on ,july #ahth and #aith4 ,in this sale the following prices were obtained3-- s4 d4 ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,letter with sign-manual #aj #j #j ,henry ,,viii4 ,letter with sign-manual #h #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,john ,keats1 #c pp4 7#ahah7 #ce #aj #j ,a4,l4,s4 ,matthew ,prior 7#agjd7 #aj #e #j ,francis ,bacon1 note of #aj lines1 signed #cj #j #j ,one hundred ,a4,l4,s4 of ,dorothy ,wordsworth #bf #j #j ,by way of contrast the following letter of the late ,sir ,h4 ,m4 ,stanley1 addressed to the ,secretary of the ,temple ,club1 realised only one shilling3-- ,i can assure you it is none the less welcome1 on the contrary when my eyes glance over the list of illustrious men composing the ,honorary ,committee ,i am lost in admiration of the brilliant prize ,i have so unexpectedly received4 ,where ,froude and ,dickens1 ,dixon1 ,taylor1 and ,hood tread ,i am only too conscious that very much greater men than myself ought to be proud to follow4 ,the following ,a4,l4,s4 of ,lady ,hamilton's was sold for #ab #aes43-- ,,clarges ,,st41 ,may #h1 to3 ,,my ,,dearest ,,tyson1--,the long absence of our dearest ,nelson makes me apply to you4 ,first ,i must tell you that what money ,i had in my banker's hands1 ,i have laid out at ,merton1 and ,lord ,nelson thanked me in his last letter and said he would settle with me with thanks when he came home4 ,could you then my dearest ,tyson either on my account or ,lord ,nelson's lend me a hundred and fifty pounds4 ,i lately saw1 in possession of ,mr4 ,sabin1 ,nelson's private banker's pass-book during the last eighteen months of his life4 ,with two exceptions every cheque he had drawn was in favour of his dearest ,emma4 ,a one day's sale of #bac lots at ,sotheby's on ,december #a1 #aijd1 brought #ehb #ags4 ,an account verified by ,henry ,,vii4 with his royal initials realised #aj1 and a document with sign-manual of ,henry ,,viii41 #g #es4 ,a ,privy ,council letter from ,whitehall 7,april #bg1 #afdj7 was sold for #h #aes4 ,a series of official papers signed by ,bonaparte averaged #c1 but a certificate of service signed by ,captain ,james ,napoleon sold for more than twice as much4 ,one of the features of this sale was quite a number of letters by ,governors1 ,deputy-,governors1 and ,judges in ,australia4 ,many of these fetched #aj each4 ,a letter of ,colonel ,william ,paterson to ,sir ,joseph ,banks 7#ahje7 went as high as #ac #ajs41 and one of ,david ,collins1 founder and first ,governor of the ,van ,diemen's ,land ,settlement1 yielded the same price4 ,this was followed by the sale of ,december #eth and #fth1 in which #d1aaf lots brought #a1jji #afs4 ,nelson's letter-book 7#agif-ig7 was sold for #aej4 ,a series of six holograph letters from ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson to his friend ,sir ,robert ,chambers1 afterwards a judge in ,bengal1 all said to be unpublished1 and extending from ,october #bb1 #agfb1 to ,april #ai1 #aghc1 realised #abe2 the original galley and second proof sheets of ,the ,impregnable ,rock of ,holy ,scripture1 with numerous corrections and alterations in the handwriting of ,mr4 ,gladstone1 #aj #ajs42 an autograph letter of ,john ,keats1 ,june1 #ahai1 to ,miss ,jeffrey1 in which he says1 ,you will judge of my #ahai temper when ,i tell you that the thing ,i have most enjoyed this year has been writing an ',ode to ,indolence1' #d pp4 #dto1 #ce 7,quaritch72 and the autograph manuscript of ,w4 ,morris's ,a ,king's ,lesson1 an ,old ,story ,retold1 on six leaves of paper1 #bg #ajs4 ,the second day's sale included a remarkable series of autograph letters addressed to ,mrs4 ,thrale and inherited by a descendant4 ,sixteen of the letters were written by ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson1 chiefly to ,mrs4 ,thrale2 two were from ,boswell to the same1 and there were others from ,mrs4 ,siddons1 ,garrick1 ,goldsmith1 ,burke1 and various other celebrities of the day4 ,the ,johnson letters for the most part possessed but little literary interest1 but in the longest one in the series1 written by ,boswell and dated from ,banff1 ,august #be1 #aggc1 he refers to his journey in ,scotland1 and says concerning their arrival at ,st ,andrews3 ,the professors who happened to be resident in the vacation made a public dinner and treated us very kindly and respectfully4 ,they showed us their colleges1 in one of which there is a library that for luminousness and elegance may vie with the new edifice at ,streatham4 ,but learning seems not to prosper among them2 one of their colleges has been lately alienated1 and one of their churches lately deserted4 ,the ,johnson letters date from ,july #ai1 #agee1 to ,april #ae1 #aghd1 and the entire series was sold en bloc for #cjj4gf ,the sale also included an interesting series of five autograph letters from ,s4 ,t4 ,coleridge to ,thomas ,poole1 #agig-ih1 giving a history of his life1 and covering #ag pages folio and quarto1 which fetched #ad #ajs41 and an autograph letter from ,charles ,lamb to ,j4 ,h4 ,green1 ,august #bf1 #ahcd1 which sold for #f #bs4 #f;d4 ,allusion has been made elsewhere to the excitement caused at the beginning of #aije by the sale of ,january #beth1 at which the #cc #dto pages1 described as belonging to the original ,,ms4 of ,paradise ,lost1 were bought in1 the reserve price of #e1jjj not having been reached4#gg ,from the #bnd to the #dth of ,march following there was a three-days' autograph sale in ,wellington ,street1 in which #ije lots brought #a1hcd #is4 #f;d4 ,a series of letters by ,general ,gordon averaged #a each2 the ,dickens letters disposed of sold better than in #aijc or #aijd1 realising from #b to #f1 and #eb letters of ,gilbert ,white brought #aej4 ,some splendid musical and dramatic letters collected by the late ,mr4 ,julian ,marshall realised high prices1 showing a marked advance in this kind of autographs4 s4 d4 ,dr4 ,arne ,a4,l4,s4 7n4d47 #g #j #j ,brahms ,a4,l4,s4 #d #af #j ,donizetti ,,ms4 #e #e #j ,handel ,autograph on ,,ms4 #aj #j #j ,haydn ,a4,l4,s4 #aj #aj #j ,paganini ,a4,l4,s4 #f #j #j ,schumann ,a4,l4,s4 #g #e #j ,scarlati ,,ms4 signed #ad #e #j ,schubert ,,ms4 signed #ab #ae #j ,the one-day sale of ,april #ac1 #aije1 was almost entirely devoted to ,civil ,war and ,royal autographs1 #bje lots 7in striking contrast to the ,upcott ,sale7 making a total of #b1jji--or nearly #aj each lot6 ,some of the rarest items fetched the following prices3-- s4 d4 ,henry ,jermyn ,a4,l4,s4 7,feb4 #bb1 #afdi7 #da #j #j ,charles ,,ii4 ,l4,s4 7,may #aj1 #afdi7 #ae #aj #j ,james ,graham1 ,duke of ,montrose1 ,a4,l4,s4 7,sept4 #d1 #afdi7 #dh #j #j ,william1 ,prince of ,orange1 ,a4,l4,s4 7,nov4 #d1 #afdi7 #bg #j #j ,abraham ,cowley ,a4,l4,s4 7,jan4 #h1 #afej7 #ca #j #j ,queen ,henrietta ,maria ,a4,l4,s4 7,jan4 #h1 #afej7 #ca #j #j ,queen ,henrietta ,maria ,a4,l4,s4 7addressed to ,charles ,,ii47 7,jan4 #be1 #afej7 #aea #j #j ,queen ,henrietta ,maria 7addressed to ,charles ,,ii47 7,may #bj1 #afej7 #ea #j #j ,the late ,mr4 ,frederick ,barker showed me the whole of this collection bound up in a shabby looking volume1 with small rope and thick glue6 ,the separating them without injury was a matter of the greatest difficulty1 and the necessary operation was performed at ,oxford4 ,this was the centenary year of ,trafalgar1 and its influence was soon felt in the autograph market4 ,the one-day sale at ,sotheby's on ,may #agth offered abundant attractions to ,nelson buyers2 but the #bbf lots only fetched #cig #ajs4 ,the ,nelson items were somewhat over-catalogued1 and the results were probably disappointing4 ,the highest price paid for a ,nelson letter was #be4 ,some went as low as #c #cs4 ,nelson's captains fared badly4 ,letters of ,berry1 ,bickerton1 ,brereton1 and so forth went for two or three shillings each1 and ,ganteaume1 ,decrs1 and ,gravina were equally unfortunate4 ,an order signed by ,hardy1 informing ,admiral ,berkeley that three men had been lashed with the cat-o'-nine-tails1 was disposed of for #gs4 ,far more important1 however1 was the sale of the previous week 7,may #aath1 #abth1 and #acth71 which included the ,bunbury ,,mss4 ,in this sale #hdb lots fetched #b1ajh4 ,the ,bunbury correspondence was quite as important to the story of the days of ,george ,,iii4 as the documents sold during the previous month were to that of the ,civil ,war4 ,the dispersal of both collections must ever be a matter of regret4 ,i do not think the ,bunbury letters would have been sold at all in #aiaj4 ,before the ,bunbury portion of the sale was reached a series of twenty-four letters addressed by ,mrs4 ,siddons to ,mrs4 ,pennington1 chiefly relating to the troubles occasioned by ,thomas ,lawrence's courtship of her daughters1#gh was disposed of4 ,they belonged to ,mr4 ,oswald ,g4 ,knapp and realised #ajj4 ,as no letter of ,sarah ,m4 ,siddons was included in the lot1 ,i do not regret having acquired the letter catalogued in error as that of her mother4 ,the letters of ,mrs4 ,piozzi to ,dr4 ,whalley 7twenty-five in all7 published in the ,rev4 ,hill ,wickham's book on his ancestor#gi were sold for #af4 ,mrs4 ,wickham parted with them for #f1 and got little more fifty years ago for ,dr4 ,whalley's correspondence with ,mrs4 ,siddons4 ,two letters of ,burns brought #be and #ad #ajs4 respectively1 and the buyer of the letters written by ,sir ,thomas ,nol ,hill1 ,k4,c4,b41 during the campaign in the ,peninsula and in ,flanders1 possibly got a bargain4 ,one ,nelson letter only was sold on ,may #aath4 ,it was addressed to ,lady ,hamilton from the ,victory1 on ,may #d1 #ahje1 and realised #ga4 ,in my opinion it was far finer than that for which #a1jcj was paid4 ,it ran thus3-- ,your poor dear ,nelson is my dearest beloved ,emma very very unwell1 after a two years hard fag it has been mortifying the not being able to get at the ,enemy1 as yet ,i can get no information about them1 at ,lisbon this day week they knew nothing about them but it is now generally believed that they are gone to the ,west ,indies4 ,my movements must be guided by the best ,judgment ,i am able to form4 ,john ,bull may be angry1 but he never had any officer1 who has served him more faithfully1 but ,providence ,i rely will yet crown my never failing exertions with success1 and that it has only been a hard trial of my fortitude in bearing up against untoward events4 ,you my own ,emma are my first and last thoughts and to the last moment of my breath1 they will be occupied in leaving you independent of the world1 and all ,i long in the world that you will be a kind and affectionate ,father to my dear a word obliterated ,,daughter ,,horatia1 but my ,emma your ,nelson is not the nearer being lost to you for taking care of you in case of events which are only known when they are to happen and an all wise ,providence1 and ,i hope for many years of comfort with you1 only think of all you wish me to say and you may be assured it exceeds if possible your wishes4 ,may ,god protect you and ,,my ,,dear ,,horatia1 prays ever your most faithful and affectionate ,,nelson4 ,the ,bunbury ,,mss4 were included in the lots from #fjg to #hdb4 ,considering their great historical importance the total price paid for them--#hif #ais4--can hardly be considered adequate4 ,the ,crabbe ,a4,l4,s4 to ,burke 7#f pp4 #dto71 for which ,i subsequently gave #bj1 went for #ad4 ,some very important letters of ,general ,dumouriez were sold for #f #ajs4 and #f #es41 and ,c4 ,j4 ,fox's confidential letters to his brother1 ,general ,fox1 averaged less than #c4 ,some important ,a4,l4,s4 and ,l4,s4 of ,frederick the ,great brought from #f to #bj1 and a letter from ,oliver ,goldsmith to ,mrs4 ,bunbury1 partly in verse and extremely witty1 was cheap at #hb1 although it made a record as far as ,goldsmith's letter is concerned4 ,another ,goldsmith letter to ,h4 ,w4 ,bunbury about his last literary effort 7,she ,stoops to ,conquer71 fetched only #ej4 ,the letters of the third ,lord ,holland 7#aggc-ahdj7 went for a song1 although every page of them would materially help the historian4 ,the finest letter of ,sir ,hudson ,lowe was sold for #ae1 and three letters from ,pope to ,lord ,strafford realised #bi #ajs41 #ab1 and #h #aes4 respectively4 ,ten letters of ,matthew ,prior in one lot were disposed of at #adj4 ,the letters of ,charles1 ,duke of ,richmond 7#agce-ahjf71 to ,lady ,louisa ,conolly almost failed to find buyers1 although in reality they were little less historically important than those of ,lord ,holland4 ,it must not be forgotten that the ,,mss4 of ,sir ,thomas ,hanmer were sold with those of the ,hanbury family4 ,an ,a4,l4,s4 of ,sir ,richard ,steele to ,sir ,t4 ,hanmer fetched #be #ajs41 and one of ,swift #ah #ajs4 ,i am quite unable to understand why a letter of ,benjamin ,west should have brought #bd #ajs41 while a long political letter of the ,duke of ,wellington to ,colonel ,bunbury sold for only #f4 ,in these two last lots there were the makings of two books1 but ,mr4 ,quaritch obtained the whole of the ,,mss4 relating to the affairs of the ,mediterranean1 #ahjf-ad1 for #ce1 and those connected with the ,war in ,germany and in ,belgium1 #ahac-ae1 for #e more4 ,the next sale devoted solely to autographs took place at ,sotheby's on ,july #h1 #aije4 ,it was essentially a ,trafalgar commemoration1 and #bae lots made a total of #a1jcd #ads4 ,in this sale a very curious letter of ,general ,dumouriez to ,my good and glorious ,nelson1 written in ,english1 was purchased for the ,british ,museum by ,mr4 ,quaritch at the low price of #c #gs4 #f;d4#hj ,i must content myself with giving the price of the principal ,nelson letters now sold4 s4 d4 ,a4,l4,s4 of ,lord ,nelson 7,april #a1 #agih7 #aa #j #j 7,october1 #agih7 #ag #j #j 7,july #ad1 #agii7 #h #j #j 7,july #ai1 #agii7 #g #g #j 7,august #bi1 #agii7 #ac #aj #j 7,september #ac1 #agii7 #i #j #j 7,september #ag1 #agii7 #h #aj #j 7,october #aa1 #agii7 #i #j #j 7,october #bf1 #agii7 #ab #j #j 7,november #ab1 #agii7 #i #j #j 7,all these letters are addressed to ,sir ,james ,st4 ,clair ,erskine47 s4 d4 ,a4,l4,s4 of ,lord ,nelson 7,february #ad1 #ahja7 #i #j #j 7,september #bc1 #ahja7 #ae #aj #j 7,may #ah1 #ahjc7 #bf #j #j 7n4d47 #bg #j #j 7,these letters are addressed to ,lady ,hamilton47 ,a4,l4,s4 of ,lord ,nelson to ,sir ,a4 ,j4 ,ball 7,november #g1 #ahjc7 #ej #j #j ,the official dispatch announcing the ,battle of ,trafalgar and the death of ,nelson1 from ,lord ,collingwood to the ,rt4 ,honble4 ,lord ,robert ,fitzgerald1 ,minister ,plenipotentiary1 ,ambassador at ,lisbon1 dated ,october #bd1 #ahje1 was purchased by ,mr4 ,sabin for #ie4 ,five letters from ,lady ,hamilton to ,mr4 ,george ,rose1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,f4 ,greville1 and ,lord ,stowell1 were sold for #ab1 #ac #ajs41 and #bg respectively4 ,just at the end of this sale two letters of ,shelley realised #ch and #bj respectively4 ,there was another three-days' autograph sale at ,sotheby's on the #bdth1 #beth1 and #bfth of ,july of this year4 ,the #a1jhg lots included in it brought a sum total of #a1egh #hs4 ,in the autumn of #aijf ,mr4 ,frederick ,barker1 who was held in high esteem as an autograph expert1 died1 and three sales were devoted to the dispersal of his ,,mss41 but these sales call for no note4 ,in fact1 they were felt to be disappointing4 ,most of ,mr4 ,barker's best finds had been parted with during his lifetime4 ,the first of the ,barker sales commenced on ,december #ah1 #aije4 ,almost simultaneously the ,irving relics were dispersed at ,christie's4 ,amongst them were a few autographs4 ,the death of the famous actor caused a sudden rise in the price of his letters1 but it has since subsided4 ,on the night before his tragic death ,irving had signed a few portrait postcards for my friend ,mr4 ,peter ,keary1 who has very kindly given me one of them4 ,the three days of the ,barker ,sale1 with #iaj lots1 only brought #iaf #abs4 #f;d4 ,it should be noted that the price of ,nelson autographs since the centenary year of his death has been well maintained1 and the writer is well aware that some of the very best of his letters have still to come into the market4 ,possibly they never will4 ,the sales of the following year opened with the dispersal of ,mr4 ,barker's ,royal autographs on ,january #bbnd4 ,on ,february #aith1 #bgi lots belonging to him and relating to ,napoleon fetched only #adg #es4 #f;d4 ,there was another autograph sale at ,sotheby's on ,february #bf1 #aijf1 when #cbg lots yielded #ggi #ahs4 ,nelsonians were still very much to the fore4 ,an important bundle of ,temple-,greville-,lyttelton-,pitt ,,mss4 was sold for #aj #aes4 ,i also notice the following interesting items3-- s4 d4 #b ,a4,l4,s4 of ,benjamin ,disraeli about his duel with ,o',connell #aj #ab #f #bf other ,a4,l4,s4 of ,disraeli averaging #a #aj #j ,naval document signed by ,lord ,nelson1 dated ,victory1 ,april #bi1 #ahje1 showing disposition of ships and the historic signal4 7,the date given in the catalogue is manifestly absurd7 #gj #j #j ,lord ,nelson ,a4,l4,s4 to ,lady ,hamilton 7,september #bd1 #ahja7 #g #aj #j ,,mss4 relating to ,keats #gj #j #j ,lord ,nelson ,a4,l4,s4 to ,horatia1 dr4 of ,lady ,hamilton4 ,my dear ,horatia1 ,i send you a watch which ,i give you permission to wear on ,sundays and on very particular days1 when you are dressed and have behaved exceedingly well and obedient4 ,i have kissed it and send it with the affectionate blessing of your ,nelson and ,bront ,victory1 ,january #bj1 #ahjd #ea #j #j ,lord ,nelson ,a4,l4,s4 to ,lady ,hamilton ,victory1 ,june #af1 #ahje #bd #j #j ,on the last day of a mixed book and autograph sale1 ,march #bg-ca1 #aijf1 ,ben ,jonson's ,bible with the words ,benedica ,dominum in omni tempore ,semper laus eius in ore meo 7,psa4 xxxii471 fetched #cbj4 ,a #b pp4 folio ,a4,l4,s4 of ,general ,washington 7,july #bj1 #aghh7 was sold for #bf #ajs41 and a number of documents signed by ,napoleon averaged about #c4 ,one page of holograph notes in pencil1 made at ,st4 ,helena by ,napoleon1 and relating to ,montholon's ,mmoires1 fetched #af #es4 and another #aj4 ,a series of documents and letters signed by ,napoleon ,,iii4 averaged from #as4 to #bs46 ,the autograph section of this sale1 including only #abc lots1 realised #iha #acs4 ,the autograph sale of ,may #aith1 at ,sotheby's1 was distinguished by a wealth of ,english ,royal autographs and a small series of letters by ,lady ,hamilton3-- s4 d4 ,charles ,,ii4 short ,a4,l4,s4 in ,french 7,april #aa1 #afgj7 #be #aj #j ,richard ,plantagenet1 ,regent of ,france4 ,signature ,r4 ,york to ,state paper #he #j #j ,edward ,,vi41 sign-manual to superb document dated ,april #a1 #aedg #dej #j #j ,disraeli1 ,b41 ,a4,l4,s4 to the ,duke of ,wellington1 ,will you accept a mouthful of ,caviare8 ,it comes direct from ,astrachan4 ,i tasted it1 but it seemed selfish to eat it alone--it shall be shared with a friend4 ,but who has a friend8 ,i think ,i have and so send it to you #b #b #j ,in this sale #ccb lots brought a total of #a1bce4 ,the sale of ,july #i-aj1 #aijf1 attracted a crowd of ,wesley autograph buyers4 ,the #bif lots sold realised a total of #a1jfi #ags4 #f;d4 ,the seven unpublished letters of ,wesley fetched from #b to #i #es4--averaging over #d4 ,oliver ,goldsmith's desk-chair figured between some copies of letters by ,frederick the ,great and the probate of a ,wesley will4 ,it went for #ci4 ,another sale on ,december #ast1 comprising #bdb lots1 brought a total of #gbe #ads4 ,in this sale some letters of the actress ,kitty ,clive were sold at #ag and #c #cs4 respectively4 ,the latter had been mutilated4 ,the autograph season of #aijg began with a two-days' sale at ,sotheby's--,january #bast-#bbnd4 ,the #gdc lots disposed of realised a total of #a1baj #ads4 #f;d4 ,another series of eleven ,disraeli letters was sold at good prices1 ranging from #i #abs4 #f;d4 7,heard ,macaulay's best speech 444 but between ourselves ,i could floor them all4 ,this entress nous 7sic74 ,i was never more confident of anything than that ,i could carry everything before me in that house4 ,the ,time will come1 ,january #g1 #ahcc7 to #b #abs4 ,in this sale ,messrs4 ,maggs acquired a series of twenty-five letters of ,johnson to ,mrs4 ,piozzi for #bdj4 ,mrs4 ,mainwaring1 of ,brynbella1 gave #id for five volumes of ,piozziana1 presented by the writer1 ,h4 ,l4 ,piozzi1 in #ahaj1 to her adopted nephew and heir1 ,john ,piozzi ,salusbury4 ,at the sale of ,june #c-d1 #aijg1 ,messrs4 ,sotheby disposed of #dei lots for #a1aja #ais4 ,a series of letters about ,keats1 addressed to ,john ,taylor the publisher1 was sold for #dd2 a notable advance was made in the price of ,thackeray letters2 ,disraeli letters showed a distinct fall1 one selling for only #afs41 and a very fine letter of ,samuel ,pepys1 covering four folio pages1 went to ,mr4 ,sabin for #bb4 ,the #cae lots sold on ,november #hth realised #a1jie4 ,for thirty-six letters addressed to ,lady ,blessington1 by ,thackeray1 ,dickens1 and others1 ,mr4 ,sabin gave #cae4 ,a single letter of ,shelley's brought #df1 and six letters of ,byron to ,trelawny #gj4 ,a letter of ,charles ,i4 to the ,elector ,palatine went to the late ,mr4 ,w4 ,brown for #ef4 ,on ,march #aj-aa1 #aijh1 a two-days' autograph sale of #eeg lots realised a total of #a1aia4 ,a number of ,nelson documents1 the property of the late ,viscount ,bridport1 ,duke of ,bront1 were sold for #abe4 ,six days in ,june were taken up by the sale of autographs4 ,on ,june #a1 #bed lots realised #bfj4 ,at this sale ,i secured for #es4 two most interesting letters of ,captain ,wright1 whose death in the ,temple 7,october1 #ahje7 brought so much obloquy on ,napoleon4 ,messrs4 ,sotheby devoted no less than four days 7,june #aeth-#ahth7 to the dispersal of another section of the ,phillipps ,library4 ,the #hee lots brought #c1gif #ais4 ,the sale was devoid of any sensational ,incidents4 ,on ,july #crd1 #beb lots were sold in ,wellington ,street for #dae #ahs4 ,sixteen important letters of ,mr4 ,gladstone sold for #d #ajs41 and ,i secured several very interesting ,disraeli letters at prices varying from #aes4 to #bas4 ,at this sale ,disraeli letters went as low as #bs41 #cs41 #es41 and #gs4 ,a fine series of ,thomas ,carlyle letters varied in price from #b #bs4 to #h #aes4 ,the ,sir ,arthur ,vicars' sale of heraldic and genealogical ,,mss4 7,july #bgth-#bhth7 excited some interest4 ,the #fga lots brought a total of #a1ega #ajs4 ,the sale of ,november #af-ag1 #aijh1 was of more than ordinary interest1 and the #ccd lots of which it was made up realised #a1jjg #is4 ,amongst the interesting ,,mss4 disposed of were-- s4 d4 ,robert ,burns1 #cd lines of verse #be #aj #j ,queen ,henrietta ,maria1 ,a4,l4,s4 7n4d47 #bj #j #j ,keats1 original assignment of poems #ej #j #j ,cotton ,mather ,a4,l4,s41 ,october #aj1 #agbj #ch #j #j ,schiller ,a4,l4,s41 ,january #bg1 #agia #aj #aj #j ,swift ,a4,l4,s4 7short71 ,june #a1 #agcg #ad #ae #j ,the season of #aiji opened with the ,stoddart ,sale of historical ,,mss4 7,february #bbnd-#bcrd74 ,in this sale #djd lots brought #eaj #fs4 ,the fine ,a4,l4,s4 of ,mrs4 ,siddons1 now in my collection1 fetched #ab #es41 or #b less than it did thirty years ago4 ,the price of ,nelson letters was well maintained1 a small collection of them1 with portraits and sundry relics1 fetching #ade4 ,a letter to ,lady ,hamilton1 dated ,march #bc1 #ahja1 although covering only half a page1 went for #ca4 ,on ,march #ast 7a one-day's sale7 #bja lots brought #gih #bs4 #f;d4 ,a short letter of ,keats sold for #be #ajs41 two ,a4,l4,s4 of ,james ,wolfe for #ce #ajs41 and a fine holograph letter of ,raphael ,sanzio d',urbino for #da4 ,a series of ,,mss4 relating to the ,american ,war of ,independence 7including four letters and documents signed by ,washington7 was purchased by ,messrs4 ,maggs for #dj4 ,i have already alluded to the sale of ,june #ith-#ajth1 from which the ,windham correspondence was withdrawn4 ,the remaining #ebd lots realised no less than #b1ade #ajs4 #f;d4 ,a series of twenty-four ,nelson letters and other ,,mss4 relating to him was purchased by ,mr4 ,sabin for #aba1 a very low price considering that fourteen letters of ,lady ,hamilton went with the others1 as well as ,nelson's original will and seven codicils1 from which eight signatures had been removed6 ,mr4 ,quaritch1 at this sale1 gave #bge for the correspondence of ,john ,robinson1 ,secretary of the ,treasury1 #aggj to #aghb1 which included #aid letters from ,george ,,iii4 ,these ,,mss4 have an important bearing on both ,american and ,british history1 and ought to have been acquired by the nation along with the ,windham papers4 ,a one-day's sale on ,july #bbnd1 consisting of only #bfi lots1 realised #a1aac #ads4 #f;d41 and another on ,december #agth1 composed of #bfi lots1 brought a total of #a1cah #fs4 ,a rise in price at both these sales was very marked4 ,in the first a song of ,burns 7#b pp47 fetched #eg1 and two unpublished letters of ,lord ,byron #ag #ajs4 and #bh respectively4 #bj was paid for some notes of ,goethe in pencil1 and #dj for a #b pp4 #hvo letter of ,shelley4 ,it was in the latter that the twenty-four letters of ,beethoven were sold for #ffj4 ,on the same day ,mr4 ,cromwell gave #ca for an exceedingly interesting letter addressed to the ,genevan ,senate1 signed by ,oliver ,cromwell4 ,on the #bhth of ,january of the present year 7#aiaj7 #bfd lots realised #gdb #acs4 #f;d4 ,it was on this occasion that #ej was given for an #h pp4 #hvo letter of ,charlotte ,bront4 ,it is doubtless a high price1 but only just before ,mr4 ,sabin paid #ag #ajs4 for a letter of ,mr4 ,r4 ,waldo ,emerson to ,thomas ,carlyle 7,october #g1 #ahce71 and ,mr4 ,quaritch gave #ef for a #b pp4 #dto letter of ,george ,washington to ,s4 ,powell 7,may #be1 #aghf74 ,within a few days no less than #ha was expended on a blue ,hawaian postage-stamp1 in ,leicester ,square4 ,about a quarter of that sum gave ,mr4 ,sabin1 on ,february #bhth1 a long holograph poem of ,frederick the ,great addressed to ,algarotti1 beginning with the lines3-- ,my trembling timid pen ,presents its first attempt ,to the rigid public censor1 ,to assure it against attacks ,may ,minerva guide it4 ,the cost of the ,hawaian specimen would have sufficed to buy both the poem of the ,prussian ,king and ,charlotte ,bront's touching confession that the only glimpses of society she ever had were obtained in her vocation of governess1 and her earnest appeal to the necessity of a creed4 ,,footnotes3 #gd ,vol4 ,,lviii4 pp4 #cf-g4 #ge ,a further ,phillipps sale took place at ,sotheby's1 ,june #f-i1 #aiaj4 #gf ,a number of these letters1 including that of ,oliver ,goldsmith1 are now in my collection1 and were utilised in writing ,dr4 ,johnson and ,mrs4 ,thrale1 #aiji4 #gg ,see ante1 ,chapter ,i41 p4 #cb4 #gh ,see ante1 ,chapter ,,iii41 pp4 #he-f4 #gi ,see ,dr4 ,johnson and ,mrs4 ,thrale1 p4 #ei4 #hj ,see ,dumouriez and the ,defence of ,england against ,napoleon1 by ,j4 ,holland ,rose and ,a4 ,m4 ,broadley1 p4 #bjh4 ,,index ,addison1 ,joseph1 #ef1 #cda ,adelaide1 ,queen1 #afc-d ,agar1 ,welbore ,ellis1 #ahb ,albert1 ,prince1 facsimile of letter of1 #afe ,aldrich1 #cdj d',alenon1 ,duc1 #cd ,alexander of ,battenberg1 anecdote of1 #add ,algarotti1 letter to1 #cgg ,alleyn1 ,edward1 letter to1 #aji ,amateur d',autographes1 #eh ,amelia1 ,princess1 #acd ,american catalogues and books on autographs1 #cbj1 #cbb ,american ,,mss41 destruction of1 #ccg2 prices1 #cda-b2 ,civil ,war documents1 #cge ,andr1 ,major1 #cce-g ,arabi ,pacha1 #i1 #aa ,arago1 ,e41 #ih-i ,archivist1 ,the1 #eh ,arne1 ,dr41 #cfe ,arnold1 ,christopher1 #cd-e ,austen1 ,jane1 #cda ,autographs1 antiquity of collecting1 #cc-d2 tricks of collectors1 #db-i2 hints to collectors1 #ec-i2 dealers1 #fj-a2 care and restoration of1 #fe-f2 royal1 #aah2 statesmen's1 #agb2 literary1 #aif-h2 naval and military1 #bch-da1 #bed2 music1 drama1 and art1 #bei-ha2 collecting in ,america1 #bcg-dj ,bacon1 ,lord1 quoted1 #aga1 #cfa ,bailie1 ,mr41 #cg-i ,ball1 ,nelson's letters to ,sir ,a4 ,j41 #cgj ,ball1 ,sir ,alex41 letter from ,nelson to1 #ceh ,banks1 ,sir ,joseph1 #cfb ,barker1 ,frederick1 #aaj1 #abj1 #aig1 #bjb1 #ceg1 #cfe1 #cgj-a ,barnard1 ,fred1 illustration by1 #bha ,bathurst1 ,earl1 #aaa ,beaconsfield1 ,lord1 #ci1 #ahg1 #ahi-ib1 #cga1 #cgc-e ,beattie1 ,james1 #ci ,beecher1 ,h4 ,w41 #cda ,beethoven1 ,l4 van1 #beg1 #cfj ,belvoir1 discovery of letters at1 #ajj-a ,benjamin1 ,william ,evarts1 #abd ,berry1 ,miss1 #fe1 #caa ,bindley1 ,james1 #cf ,bismarck1 ,prince1 #dj ,blackburn1 ,douglas1 work by1 #ha ,blackmore1 #cda ,blake1 ,william1 #cda ,blathwayt1 ,r4 ,w41 #fj ,blathwayt1 ,william1 #cdc ,blessington1 ,lady1 #cgd ,blott1 ,mr41 #ch ,blcher1 ,marshal1 #bed ,bodleian ,library1 the1 #cf ,books on ,autographs1 #ef-i1 #fi ,boswell's correspondence1 discovery of1 #if2 letter to ,mrs4 ,thrale1 #cfc ,bousy1 ,charles de1 #ce ,bovet1 ,alfred1 collection of1 #eh-i1 #fi1 #bib ,boydell1 ,john1 #ceh ,boyhood of a ,great ,king1 the1 #aed-e ,bradshaw1 ,john1 #cee ,brahms1 #cfe ,brandling1 ,w41 letter of1 #ih ,brbion1 ,edmund1 #bic ,brereton1 ,sir ,william1 #cee ,brewster1 ,sir ,david1 #hh ,bright1 ,john1 #cda ,bront1 ,charlotte1 #cec1 #cgf1 #cda ,brougham1 ,lord1 #ih-i1 #ahe ,broughton1 ,lord1 #aaa ,brown1 ,john1 #cda ,browne1 ,hablot ,k41 illustration of1 #bhf ,browning1 ,e4 ,b41 #cdj-a ,browning1 ,robert1 #ef1 #ceh-i ,brueys1 ,admiral1 facsimile of letter of1 #caj ,bryant1 ,w4 ,c41 #cdj ,buckingham1 ,duke of1 letter of1 #ed2 letter to1 #ceg ,bulletin d',autographs1 #eg1 #fj1 #bib ,bunbury sale of ,,mss41 #aaj-aa1 #cff1 #cfh-i ,burckhardt's ,journal1 #ajj ,burke1 ,edmund1 sale of poem by1 #ab2 letter to from ,crabbe1 #fe2 letter to ,mrs4 ,montagu1 #baa-ab2 value of autograph of1 #cee1 #cfc1 #cfh ,burns1 ,charles de ,f41 #ac ,burns1 ,robert1 #cda1 #cei1 #cfg1 #cge-f ,burr1 ,aaron1 #cch ,burroughs1 ,john1 #cda ,byng1 ,admiral ,john1 #bda-b ,byron1 ,lord1 #fi1 #gf1 #gh1 #ii1 #cda1 #cee1 #cei1 #cgf ,caddell1 ,captain ,w41 work by1 #ha ,cain1 ,george1 #eh ,camolin ,cavalry ,detail ,book1 the1 #aab ,campbell1 ,thomas1 #cee1 #ceg ,canadie1 ,la1 #ed-e ,carlyle1 ,james1 #bbi-cj ,carlyle1 ,thomas1 #ef1 #bbi1 #cda1 #cei1 #cge-f ,caroline1 ,queen1 #aci-dc ,catharine of ,aragon1 #ef ,catharine ,,ii4 of ,russia1 #abi-cc ,cawdor1 ,lord1 #aje ,chamberlain1 ,joseph1 #dg ,chambers1 ,sir ,robert1 #cfc ,chambord1 ,comte de1 #afd1 #cjf ,chapman1 ,frederic1 work by1 #adb ,charavay1 tienne1 works by1 #eh-i1 #fi1 #hg1 #ij ,charavay1 ,mme4 ,veuve ,g41 #eg1 #fj-a ,charavay1 ,nol1 #ac-ad1 #eg-h1 #fj-a1 #aah1 #abi1 #beg ,charavay1 the house of1 #bia-b ,charles ,edward ,stuart1 #fa ,charles ,i41 #fa ,charles ,,ii41 #ef1 #cfe1 #cgb ,charlotte1 ,queen1 #afb-c ,chasles1 ,michel1 #hh-i ,chatham1 ,lady1 #ch ,chesterfield1 ,lord1 #ab1 #aha-e1 #cda1 #cef ,chesterfield's ,letters1 #fg ,child1 ,mr41 #cce ,chippendale1 ,thomas1 #ceg ,churchill1 ,john1 #ef ,cibber1 ,colley1 #ceh-i ,cleopatra1 copy of forged letter from1 #hi ,clive1 ,kitty1 #cgc ,cobden1 ,richard1 illustrated letter of1 #bha2 facsimile of letter of1 #bhg-h ,coburg1 ,duke of1 #ce1 #dj1 #adh-i1 #aff ,coleridge1 ,s4 ,t41 #ef1 #cda1 #cfd ,collectanea ,napoleonica1 #aaj ,collingwood1 ,lord1 #cgj ,collins1 ,david1 #cfb ,connaught1 ,duke of1 #adh ,conolly1 ,lady ,louisa1 letters from ,duke of ,richmond to1 #cfh ,cooper1 #cda ,corot1 #ae ,cowley1 ,abraham1 #cfe ,cowper1 ,william1 #cee ,crabbe1 ,george1 #fe1 #ajj1 #aaj1 #baj-aa1 #cfh ,cranmer1 ,archbishop1 #ef ,crawford1 ,earl of1 #bif ,cromwell1 ,oliver1 #ef1 #abj1 #abe1 #cee1 #cei1 #cgf ,cruikshank1 ,george1 #bgg-h ,cumberland1 ,richard1 #ceh ,cuyler1 ,t4 ,c4 ,s41 #ac1 #cbj-d1 #cbi1 #ccf-g1 #cci ,damer1 ,arne1 #fe ,darwin1 ,charles1 #cdb ,davey1 ,samuel1 #eg-h ,davy1 ,sir ,humphry1 #ig ,dayrolles ,correspondence1 #cea ,deffand1 ,mme4 du1 #fa ,de ,quincey1 #cda1 #cei ,derby1 ,earl of1 #cee ,desaix1 ,marshal1 #cjc ,dibdin1 ,charles1 discovery of songs by1 #aje-g ,dickens1 ,charles1 #ae1 #db1 #dd1 #ef2 forgeries1 #hb1 #hd2 letters of1 #bbj-f1 #cef2 value of autograph of1 #cef1 #cei1 #cfd1 #cgd1 #cda-b ,digby1 ,colonel1 #ajg-h ,dillon1 ,john1 #abj1 #cec ,diplomatique1 ,manuel de1 #aag ,disraeli1 see ,beaconsfield ,doggett1 ,thomas1 #cef ,donizetti1 #cfe ,donnadieu ,sale1 the1 #cec ,doyle1 ,richard1 #cdb ,drake1 ,sir ,francis1 #cei ,dreer1 ,ferdinand ,j41 #cch ,dryden1 ,john1 #ef ,dumouriez and the ,defence of ,england against ,napoleon1 #aje1 #cfi ,dumouriez1 ,general1 ,,ms4 by1 #aja1 #ajb1 #aje1 #cfh-i ,edward ,,vi41 #ef1 #cgb ,edward ,,vii41 facsimile of bulletin of birth of1 #aaf2 facsimile of the early writing of1 #cdd ,elgar1 ,sir ,edward1 facsimile of bars of a song by1 #di ,elizabeth1 ,queen1 #ef1 #cfa ,elliot1 ,george1 #dj1 #ceg1 #cei ,ellis1 ,sir ,henry1 #cec ,emerson1 ,r4 ,waldo1 #cda1 #cgf ,emmet1 ,dr4 ,t4 ,a41 #ac1 #cba-b1 #cbd1 #cbg1 #ccf-g ,erskine1 ,nelson's letters to ,sir ,j4 ,st4 ,c41 #cfi ,evelyn1 ,john1 #bja1 #ceb ,extra-illustrating1 #ff-h ,facsimiles1 how to obtain1 #ee-f ,fairfax1 ,lord1 #cee ,fairfax1 ,sir ,thomas1 #ceg ,fawkes1 ,guido1 #ceg ,fnelon1 ,archbishop1 #ad ,fishguard ,invasion1 correspondence regarding the1 #aje ,fitz,gerald1 ,edward1 #ceh ,fitz,gerald1 ,lord ,robert1 #cgj ,fitz,gerald1 ,pamela1 #ed ,fitz,roy1 ,lord ,william1 #ch ,fletcher1 ,joseph1 letter to1 #ceh ,flint1 ,sir ,charles1 #abi ,foote1 ,samuel1 #ceg ,forbes1 ,archibald1 #cjc ,forgeries1 #ge-ia2 how to detect1 #hj-b1 #ij-a ,forster1 ,john1 #baj ,fox1 ,c4 ,j41 #aaa1 #cfh ,france1 ,anatole1 #eh ,france1 autographs of ,kings of1 #cea ,frank1 the1 #cf-i ,franklin1 ,benjamin1 letter of1 #ccb2 facsimile of letter of1 #ccd2 value of autograph of1 #cdb ,frederick1 ,duke of ,york1 #aef ,frederick1 ,empress 7of ,germany71 #afh ,frederick the ,great1 #cfh1 #cgc1 #cgg ,french autographs1 #bib-c ,frowde1 ,j4 ,a41 #da ,garrick1 ,david1 #bfb-c1 #ceg-h1 #cfc ,garrick1 ,mrs41 #bfc ,gascoyne1 ,bamber1 #bdc ,gatty1 see ,agar ,geoffrin1 ,mme4 de1 #fa ,george ,,iii41 #ef1 #aai1 #acg-db1 #aee1 #bgh1 #cgf ,george ,,iv41 #afa ,george ,v41 facsimile of letter of1 #afg ,gerothwohl1 ,prof41 #ac1 #aca ,gibbon1 ,edward1 #cef ,giry1 ,a41 work of1 #aag ,gladstone1 ,w4 ,e41 #ahg-h1 #cdb1 #cfc1 #cgd ,goethe1 ,w4 von1 #bac-d1 #baf1 #cgf ,goldsmith1 ,oliver1 #cfc1 #cfh1 #cgc ,goodspeed1 ,c4 ,e41 #cci ,gordon1 ,general1 #ef1 #cfd ,grangerising1 see ,extra-illustrating ,gray1 ,thomas1 #cef ,greaves1 ,mr41 #cej ,green1 ,j4 ,h41 #cfd ,grenville ,library1 #ee ,greville1 ,c4 ,f41 #cgj ,greville1 ,j41 #bdc ,greville1 ,hon4 ,charles1 #bdi ,grimston1 ,sir ,harbottle1 #cg ,guizot1 ,f4 ,p4 ,g41 #dj ,gulston1 ,miss ,e41 #eg ,gurwood1 ,colonel1 #bcg ,gwinnett1 ,button1 #cba1 #cbc-e2 facsimile of writing and signature of1 #cbf ,haber1 ,louis ,j41 sale of library of1 #ab-c1 #baa1 #baf1 #cbj2 catalogue of1 #cdj-b ,hamilton1 ,lady1 #ef1 #cfj1 #cfb1 #cfg1 #cgj1 #cge-f ,handel1 #cfe ,handwriting of ,kings and ,queens of ,england1 ,the1 #aag ,hanmer1 ,,mss4 of ,sir ,thos41 #cfh-i ,hardy1 ,captain ,t4 ,m41 #bdi-ej ,hardy1 ,t41 #cda-b ,hardy1 ,w4 ,j41 work by1 #aag ,harley1 see ,oxford1 ,earl of ,harris1 ,j4 ,c41 #cda ,harte1 ,bret1 #cda ,hawaian postage stamp1 #cgg ,hawkins1 ,sir ,r41 #cei ,hawthorne1 ,n41 #cda-b ,haydn1 ,joseph1 #beg1 #bfj1 #cfe ,hayes1 ,william1 #beg ,hearne1 ,thomas1 #cf ,heber's hymn1 discovery of ,bishop1 #if ,henrietta ,maria1 ,queen1 #cee1 #cfe1 #cge ,henry ,,vii41 #cfb ,henry ,,viii41 #ef1 #aah1 #cfa-b ,heralds' ,college1 #cf ,hewson1 ,colonel ,john1 #cee ,hill1 ,sir ,thomas ,nol1 #cfg ,history of the ,festivals of the ,three ,choirs1 #beg ,hobhouse1 see ,broughton ,hogarth1 ,william1 #bgj1 #bgc ,holdernesse1 ,earl of1 #aee-fa1 #agc ,holland1 ,lord1 #cfh ,holmes1 #cda ,holmes1 ,thomas ,knox1 #bfc ,holst1 ,duke of1 #cd ,hood1 ,lord1 letter of ,george ,,iii4 to1 #acg-h ,hooper1 correspondence of ,bishop1 #if ,hortense1 ,queen1 #cjc ,ibrahim1 ,hilmy1 ,prince1 #aa ,iconographies1 the1 #ei ,illustrated letters1 #bgh ,ireland1 finds relating to rebellion in1 #aab ,ireland1 ,w4 ,h41 forgeries of1 #ge-f1 #aif2 facsimile of1 #gg ,irving1 ,sir ,henry1 #cda1 #cgj-a ,ismail ,pacha1 #i1 #aa ,l',isographie des ,hommes ,clbres1 #eh1 #bib ,james ,,ii41 #abe ,james ,stewart1 #ef ,jay ,,mss41 the1 #ajj ,jeffrey1 ,miss1 letter from ,keats to1 #cfc ,jekyll1 ,joseph1 #ci ,jermyn1 ,henry1 #cfe ,john ,,ii4 of ,france1 #aah ,johnson1 ,dr41 and ,mrs4 ,thrale1 #cfd1 #cfg ,johnson1 ,samuel1 #gf1 #bjf-aj1 #cdb1 #cef-g1 #cei1 #cfc-d1 #cgc ,joline1 ,adrian1 quoted1 #aj1 #cc1 #da1 #ff1 #aag1 #add1 #aif1 #ccg ,jones1 ,charles ,c41 ,jr41 #cch ,jonson1 ,ben1 #cgb ,joseph ,bonaparte 7,king of ,spain71 facsimile letter of1 #bii ,kean1 ,edmund1 #hj1 #bfd ,keary1 ,mr4 ,peter1 #cga ,keats1 ,john1 sale of letter of1 #ab1 #fb2 facsimile of1 #ef2 forgery1 #hg2 discovery of letters of1 #ajj2 letter of1 #bae2 value of autograph of1 #cda1 #cec1 #cei1 #cfa1 #cfc1 #cga1 #cgd1 #cge ,kemble1 ,j4 ,p41 #bfi ,kent1 ,duke of1 #aef ,king1 ,thomas1 #cef1 #ceh ,kipling1 ,rudyard1 #cdb ,knapp1 ,o4 ,g41 collection of1 #cff ,lacordaire1 #db ,lamb1 ,charles1 #baf1 #cef1 #cei1 #cfd ,landseer1 ,edwin1 #cee ,lang1 ,andrew1 signed poem by1 #cdc 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,benjamin1 #cfi ,west1 ,james1 #cf ,wexford1 the ,war in1 #aab ,whalley1 ,dr41 #cfg ,wheeler1 ,h4 ,f4 ,b41 works by1 #aje1 #aab ,whistler1 ,j4 ,arch41 #bbi ,white1 ,sir ,george1 collection of1 #fh1 #gf1 #abe ,white1 ,gilbert1 #cfd ,whitelock's ,,ms41 discovery of1 #ii ,wilkinson1 ,miss ,patty1 #he ,william ,,iii41 #ef1 #abf ,william ,,iv41 #adc1 #aef ,william of ,orange1 #cfe ,wilson1 ,william1 #aji ,wolfe1 ,james1 #cge ,woollan1 ,b4 ,m41 #bdh ,wordsworth1 ,dorothy1 #ef1 #cfa ,wren1 ,sir ,christopher1 #cee ,wright1 ,captain1 #cgd ,yates1 ,edmund1 #bcc1 #cef ,york1 ,cardinal1 ,,mss4 of1 #if ,young1 ,mr41 #abj1 #cec 99 99 99 99 99 ,,unwin ,,brothers1 ,,limited1 ,,the ,,gresham ,,press1 ,,woking ,,and ,,london4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note--,the following corrections have been made to this text3 ,page #ha3 nowledge to knowledge--an expert knowledge of ,page #aaa3 ,gourgarid to ,gourgaud--opinion of ,gourgaud ,page #abi3 ,bielka to ,bielke--,madame de ,bielke ,page #bbj3 colletion to collection--from the splendid collection ,page #cgd3 ,thackerary to ,thackeray--,thackeray1 ,dickens1 and others ,page #cgh3 von to van--,beethoven1 ,l4 van1 ,page #cgi3 ,etienne to tienne--,charavay1 tienne1 works by ,page #cha3 ,iconographics to ,iconographies--,iconographies1 the1