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If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Chats on Autographs - -Author: Alexander Meyrick Broadley - -Release Date: May 20, 2016 [EBook #52112] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - -CHATS ON -AUTOGRAPHS - - - - -BOOKS FOR COLLECTORS - - - _With Coloured Frontispieces and many Illustrations._ - _Large Crown 8vo, cloth._ - - CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA. - By ARTHUR HAYDEN. - - CHATS ON OLD FURNITURE. - By ARTHUR HAYDEN. - - CHATS ON OLD PRINTS. - By ARTHUR HAYDEN. - - CHATS ON OLD SILVER. - By E. L. LOWES. - - CHATS ON COSTUME. - By G. WOOLLISCROFT RHEAD. - - CHATS ON OLD LACE AND NEEDLEWORK. - By E. L. LOWES. - - CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA. - By J. F. BLACKER. - - CHATS ON MINIATURES. - By J. J. FOSTER. - - CHATS ON ENGLISH EARTHENWARE. - By ARTHUR HAYDEN. - (Companion Volume to "Chats on English China.") - - CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS. - By A. M. BROADLEY. - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF WILLIAM WILSON, AN ACTOR OF THE "FORTUNE" -THEATRE, TO EDWARD ALLEYN, OF DULWICH, 1620. - -Frontispiece.] - - * * * * * - - - - -CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS - -BY - -A. M. BROADLEY - - AUTHOR OF "DR. JOHNSON AND MRS. THRALE," JOINT AUTHOR OF - "NAPOLEON AND THE INVASION OF ENGLAND," "NELSON'S - HARDY," "DUMOURIEZ AND THE DEFENCE OF - ENGLAND AGAINST NAPOLEON," - ETC., ETC. - -WITH ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS - - - "An Autograph Collection may be made an admirable adjunct to - the study of History and Biography." - - L. J. CIST - [Preface to Tefft Catalogue, 1866] - - - LONDON - T. FISHER UNWIN - ADELPHI TERRACE - MCMX - - - * * * * * - - - To - - SIR ISAMBARD OWEN, - - D.C.L., M.D., F.R.C.P. - - HON. FELLOW OF DOWNING COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, - FIRST DEPUTY CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WALES, - AND VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL, - A ROYAL AND FREE CITY, RENOWNED FOR THE - RICHNESS OF ITS ARCHIVES, AND ITS CLOSE - ASSOCIATION WITH MEN OF LETTERS, - THIS VOLUME IS, WITH HIS PERMISSION, INSCRIBED - BY THE AUTHOR. - -_THE KNAPP, BRADPOLE, May 6, 1910._ - -[_All rights reserved._] - - * * * * * - - - - -PREFACE - - "Life is a leaf of paper white - Whereon each one of us may write - His word or two--then comes the night." - - LOWELL. - - -Mr. T. Fisher Unwin has asked me to "chat" on autographs and autograph -collecting. Fifteen years ago the late Dr. George Birkbeck Hill -"talked" on the same subject in compliance with a similar request. -Still more recently Mr. Adrian H. Joline, of New York, has given the -world his "meditations" on a pursuit which another American unkindly -describes as "that dreadful fever," but which Mr. Joline, as well -as the present writer, regards in the light of "the most gentle of -emotions." Mr. Joline expressed, on the first page of his interesting -book, 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 deals. One of the principal objects of the -_causeries_ I have undertaken to write is to reach, if possible, a -public to which the peculiar fascination and indescribable excitement -of the autograph cult are still unknown, and to demonstrate (to a -certain extent from my own personal experience), the practical utility, -as well as the possibilities of material profit, inherent in this -particular form of literary treasure-trove. For the benefit of the -uninitiated (and in this case the uninitiated are in a vast majority) -it is necessary at the onset to differentiate between the "Autograph -Fiend" (the phrase is, I believe, American in its origin), who pesters, -often with unpardonable persistence, well-known personages for their -signatures in albums or on photographs, and the discriminating -collector who accumulates for the benefit of posterity either important -documents or the letters of famous men. "Nothing," writes Horace -Walpole, "gives us so just an idea of an age as genuine letters, nay -history waits for its last seal from them." - -Adopting the words of one of the most gifted letter-writers who ever -lived as a text, let me clearly define an autograph for the purposes of -these pages to be:-- - -_A letter or document written or signed by any given person._ - -An autograph collector, as I understand the term, is one who acquires -and arranges documents of the sort now described. A collector of -autograph signatures has nothing in common with the scientific -autograph collector. Those who deliberately cut signatures from -important letters are in reality the worst enemies both of the -autograph collector and the historian. Vandalism of this kind (often -committed in happy unconsciousness of the consequences) brings with it -its own punishment, for detached signatures are almost worthless. Many -years ago a dealer was offered sixteen genuine signatures of Samuel -Pepys, their owner naïvely remarking that "he had cut them from the -letters _to save trouble_." 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 £150. The letters (if intact) would have fetched from £15 to -£20 each! "Album Specimens"--the results of the misplaced energy of the -"autograph hunter," are of very little value as compared with holograph -letters, and collections of this kind, although often elaborately -bound up and provided with a lock and key, generally prove a woeful -disappointment to the representatives of those who bestowed so much -time and trouble on their formation. Collections of "franks," or the -signatures in virtue of which Peers and Members of the House of Commons -prior to 1840 could transmit letters through the post free of charge, -must not be classed with those of "clipped" or isolated signatures. -"Frank Collections" were often very interesting, and in the early years -of the nineteenth century many well-known people devoted much time and -trouble to their completion. The subject will be further alluded to in -my text. - -Although a personal element must of necessity pervade to some extent, -at least, my chats on autographs, it is obvious that the subject is one -which necessitates the greatest discretion. I shall carefully refrain -from using any letter which has ever been addressed to me personally, -although I have ventured to reproduce the signature of H.R.H. Ismail -Pacha, one of the most remarkable men of his time, and that of Arabi -Pacha, for whom I acted as counsel before the court-martial held at -Cairo on December 2, 1882. Between 1884 and 1889 I was in constant -correspondence with the late ex-Khedive Ismail, and from 1883 down -to the present day I have frequently exchanged letters with my once -celebrated Egyptian client, who returned from exile some five years -ago to spend the rest of his life in Cairo. Nor shall I, with one or -two exceptions, give _in extenso_ the letters of any living person, -or letters which can possibly give pain or concern to others. Those -who carefully study, as I do, the catalogues issued from time to time -by dealers in autographs, both in this country and abroad, must often -be astonished at the rapidity with which the letters of Royal and -other illustrious personages "come into the market." At the death of a -well-known authoress a few years ago the whole of the letters addressed -to her were sold _en bloc_. I was not surprised to learn that the -appearance of these "specimens" was the cause of much consternation and -many heart-burnings. - -[Illustration: SIGNATURES OF THE EGYPTIAN CLIENTS OF THE AUTHOR, -1882-1888, H.R.H. THE KHEDIVE ISMAIL; H.R.H. PRINCE IBRAHIM HILMY, HIS -SON, AND ARABI PACHA. - -(The latter in both Arabic and English.)] - -The present age is essentially one of "collecting," and I hope to -convince those who are interested in collecting generally, but have -not yet included autographs in their sphere of operations, that a -great opportunity awaits them, and that no form of collecting, either -from a literary or antiquarian point of view, possesses greater charm -or greater possibilities. In his recent works on the private life -of Napoleon, M. Frédéric Masson has shown the inestimable value of -autograph letters to the historian, and it is from unpublished and -hitherto unknown MSS. in public and private collections that Dr. J. -Holland Rose has obtained much of the new information which will give -exceptional value to his forthcoming "Life of Pitt." If there is, -as Mr. Adrian Joline points out, an abundance of "gentle emotion" -to be found in the cult of the autograph, there is also no lack of -pleasurable excitement. If autograph frauds, forgeries, and fakes are -abundant, autograph "finds" are equally so. There is an indescribable -pleasure in the detection of the former, and an amount of enjoyable -excitement connected with the latter, which none but the keen collector -can entirely realise. Having convinced the antiquarian of the quite -exceptional value of the autograph as a collecting subject, I shall -hope to show my readers how they may most rapidly and most economically -obtain that special knowledge necessary to become an expert. The -autograph market, as at present constituted, is a very small one, but -it is growing rapidly, and there is at this moment no better investment -than the highest class of historical and literary autographs, provided -one exercises proper discretion in purchasing and is content to wait -for opportunities which often occur. The truth of my assertion as to -the possibilities of profit in autograph collecting was never more -clearly demonstrated than at the sale, in December, 1909, of the -library of Mr. Louis J. Haber, of New York City, which was conducted -by the Anderson Auction Company. Two days were exclusively devoted -to autographs, and Mr. Haber has subsequently communicated to me a -complete list of the prices at which he bought and sold the literary -_rariora_ now dispersed. The sensation of the sale was the selling of a -letter of John Keats for £500. For this letter (an exceptionally fine -and interesting one) Mr. Haber originally paid £25. Nevertheless, as -I shall have occasion to point out, the English collector might have -picked up some bargains at the Haber sale. An autograph poem by Edmund -Burke, written in 1749, was sold for £4 8s., and I envy the purchaser -of the characteristic letter of Lord Chesterfield, knocked down to -some fortunate bidder for £3 8s. I do not hesitate to say that the -Burke poem and the Chesterfield letter would have fetched double the -prices realised at Sotheby's. A letter of Mrs. Piozzi's (not improved -by inlaying) fetched £8 12s. Mr. Haber gave £2 8s. for it, and I have -bought a dozen equally good Piozzi letters at considerably less than -that. - -The _bonne camaraderie_ which exists amongst autograph collectors is -exemplified by the ready assistance rendered me in the preparation -of my "chats." Dr. H. T. Scott, who has devoted the greater part of -his life to the practical study of the subject, has given me many -valuable hints; Mr. Telamon Cuyler, the future historian of Georgia, -has rendered me important help in the matter of American autographs -and autograph collecting; Mr. Charles De F. Burns, of New York, has -given me (through Mr. Cuyler) most interesting data concerning the -development of a fondness for autographs in the United States; while -Dr. Thos. Addis Emmet has sent me the catalogue of his unrivalled -collection of American MSS. now in the Lenox Library, New York. I -tender my best thanks for the aid in various directions which I -have received from Mr. Bernard Quaritch; Mr. Turner, President of -the Anderson Auction Company, New York; Mr. Goodspeed, of Boston; -Monsieur Noël Charavay, of Paris; Messrs. Maggs, Mr. J. H. Stonehouse, -of Messrs. Sotheran, and Mr. W. V. Daniell; while Professor M. -Gerothwohl, Litt.D., of the University of Bristol, has kindly -translated the important letter of the Empress Catharine of Russia, -and one or two other difficult examples of eighteenth-century French. -My acknowledgments are also due to Mr. John Lane and Messrs. Harper -Brothers, who have kindly allowed me to use certain illustrations, -originally given in my books published by them; 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 journal. - -If I succeed in awakening an extended and more intelligent interest -in autographs and autograph collecting, I shall have done something -in my generation to help future historians, whose task must, of -necessity, become increasingly difficult as time goes on. When I -"commenced" collecting on my own account, to borrow an old-world, -eighteenth-century phrase, I was literally groping in the dark, and -necessity compelled me to buy my experience. I do not think I purchased -it dearly. M. Noël Charavay thinks all good judges of autographs are -near-sighted, and possibly this helped me in the early stages of my -collecting career to distinguish the genuine article from a forged -imitation. 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 counterfeit. As the values of autographs increase (as they are -sure to do) the temptation to forgery becomes greater, and consequently -the application of the maxim _caveat emptor_ more urgent. Respectable -autograph dealers guarantee the letters they sell, but even experts -are occasionally mistaken. Quite recently I lighted on a letter of -Archbishop Fénelon in America, and thought I had secured a bargain. -The source from which it came was unimpeachable, but M. Noël Charavay -immediately confirmed my opinion that it was a lithographic forgery. -There is, at any rate, one privilege that the autograph collector alone -enjoys. It is difficult to say that any particular piece of china, -medal, coin, print, or postage stamp is unique. There is always the -danger of a duplicate turning up. With autograph letters, on the other -hand, each specimen may fairly be described as "absolutely unique." -I have only once met with an exception to this rule. Some twenty -days before his death Charles Dickens wrote a letter in duplicate to -Buckstone the actor. To avoid the possibility of its miscarrying one -was addressed to the theatre, and the other to Sydenham. I have the -former and should much like to know what has become of the other, but -even in this case the letters are not precisely identical. - -So vast is the range of autographs (taking the subject as a whole -and the term in its broadest sense) that the collector of the rising -generation will do well to limit his sphere of operations to one -particular subject or locality. It is only by doing this he can hope to -arrive at anything like finality, or to make his acquisitions really -useful from an historical point of view. Let him make the worthies -of his own county, or birthplace, or calling the objective of his -researches, and he will soon feel encouraged to go further afield. As -long ago as 1855 a writer in the _Athenæum_ remarked that "the story of -what history owes to the autograph collector would make a pretty book." -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 Messrs. Pearson, -of Pall Mall Place, while these pages were going through the press. -Here we have a collection of autographs by English sovereigns valued at -£1,600, one of musical composers priced at £2,500, and another of 105 -letters by great artists, beginning with Antonio del Pollajuolo (born -in 1426) and ending with Corot, who died in 1875, for which £3,500, -or an average price of £35 each is asked. Modern historians will -possibly be more interested in the portfolios of _unpublished_ letters -by Marlborough, Burke, and Pitt, of which the House of Pearson is at -present the custodian. Without reference to them it will be impossible -to say that the last word has been said about these three great men, -who played in turn so important a part in our national annals. Their -ultimate owner may have the opportunity of assisting the historian in -the manner I have ventured to indicate. - - A. M. BROADLEY. - - - - -CONTENTS - - -PREFACE 7 - -CHAPTER I - - PAGE - -ON AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING GENERALLY 27 - - 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." - - -CHAPTER II - -THE MODERN AUTOGRAPH COLLECTOR AND HIS EQUIPMENT 51 - - 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. - - -CHAPTER III - -THE _CAVEAT EMPTOR_ OF AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING 71 - - Forgeries and fakes--Cases of mistaken identity--Some famous - autograph frauds--Practical methods of detection. - - -CHAPTER IV - -SOME FAMOUS AUTOGRAPH "FINDS" 93 - - Personal reminiscences and experiences. - - -CHAPTER V - -ROYAL AUTOGRAPHS PAST AND PRESENT--THE COPY-BOOKS OF KINGS - AND PRINCES 113 - - Some unpublished specimens of the handwriting of Royal - Personages present and past. - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE AUTOGRAPHS OF STATECRAFT, SOCIETY, AND DIPLOMACY 169 - - Unpublished letters of the two Pitts, Lord Chesterfield, and - Lord Stanhope. - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE LITERARY AUTOGRAPHS OF THREE CENTURIES 193 - - From the days of Shakespeare and Spenser to those of Thackeray, - Dickens, Tennyson, and Meredith--The value of literary - autographs and MSS. - - -CHAPTER VIII - -NAVAL AND MILITARY AUTOGRAPHS 235 - - Unpublished letters of celebrated sailors and soldiers. - - -CHAPTER IX - -AUTOGRAPHS OF MUSIC, THE DRAMA, AND ART 255 - - Illustrated letters. - - -CHAPTER X - -AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING IN FRANCE 289 - - Autograph letters of Napoleon--His associates and - contemporaries--Other French autographs. - - -CHAPTER XI - -A CENTURY OF AMERICAN AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING 317 - - The great collectors and collections of the United States--The - autograph sale-rooms of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE PRICES OF AUTOGRAPHS AND THEIR VARIATIONS 345 - - William Upcott and his contemporaries--Sale prices 1810-1910. - - -INDEX 378 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - A.L.S. of William Wilson, an Actor of the "Fortune" Theatre, to - Edward Alleyn, of Dulwich, 1620 _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - Signatures of the Egyptian Clients of the Author, 1882-1888, - H.R.H. the Khedive Ismail; H.R.H. Prince Ibrahim Hilmy, his - Son, and Arabi Pacha 11 - - Last page of A.L.S. of Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston, - at St. Petersburg, to Miss Chudleigh, at Bath 29 - - Warrant signed by Warren Hastings, Philip Francis, Edward - Wheeler, and Eyre Coote, May 31, 1780 30 - - A.L.S. obtained from Cardinal Newman by an Autograph-hunter, - September 4, 1870 43 - - Two pages of A.L.S. of Sir John Tenniel, of _Punch_, obtained by - an Autograph-hunter, October 13, 1903 45 - - From the Prelude of "Gerontius," MS. Bars signed by Sir Edward - Elgar, September, 1900 49 - - Facsimile of the Historic Letter from George Crabbe to Edmund - Burke 63 - - The Autograph of Ludwig van Beethoven 64 - - First page of A.L.S. of Dr. Johnson to Sir Joshua Reynolds on the - subject of Crabbe's Poems, 1783 74 - - Lines of Thomas Chatterton on Horace Walpole, which cost Sir - George White, of Bristol, £34 74 - - A Specimen of Ireland's Shakespearean Forgeries attested by - himself 77 - - William Ireland's Attestation of his Forgeries of Shakespeare's - Signature 79 - - Forged Letter of W. M. Thackeray, in which his later Handwriting - is imitated 83 - - Two pages of a Letter by Lord Brougham to E. Arago, offering to - become a Naturalised Frenchman and a Candidate for the French - Chambers 99 - - Specimen page of the Dumouriez MS. discovered by the Writer 102 - - Original Dispatch of Lord Cawdor to Duke of Portland describing - the Landing and Surrender of the French at Fishguard, - February, 1797 103 - - MS. Verses on Trafalgar in the Handwriting of Charles Dibdin, - 1805 107 - - Bulletin issued a week after the birth of King Edward VII. and - signed by the Medical Men in attendance, November 16, 1841 114 - - Order to the Duke of Beaufort to destroy Keynsham Bridge, near - Bristol, on the approach of Monmouth, signed by King James - II., June 21, 1685 115 - - A.L.S. of the Electress Sophia of Hanover to the Duke of Leeds, - October 19, 1710 116 - - A.L.S. of King George III. on the Subject of the Defence of - England in the early stages of the Great Terror of 1796-1805 119 - - Commission signed by Oliver Cromwell, October 20, 1651 121 - - Signature of Lord Protector Richard Cromwell to a Commission, - January, 1658 122 - - Fourteen lines in the Writing of Napoleon on Military Order, with - his Signature, July 3, 1803 123 - - Autograph of Henry VII., King of England (1456-1509) 127 - - A.L.S. of King William III. from Camp before Namur, July 13, 1795 - 128 - - Last page of A.L.S. of Empress Catherine of Russia to Mrs. de - Bielke, of Hamburg, July 28, 1767 128 - - One of the earliest Signatures of Louis XIV. (aged six) 135 - - Interesting A.L.S. of Louis XVI. to the Chemist Lavoisier on the - subject of the Discovery of Inflammable Gas, Versailles, - March 15, 1789 136 - - A.L.S. of King George III. to Sir Samuel Hood (afterwards Lord - Hood), June 13, 1779 137 - - A.L.S. of King George III. written four days before the Battle of - Trafalgar 141 - - A.L.S. of Queen Alexandra to Mrs. Gladstone, December 7, 1888 145 - - Queen Victoria's Order on a Letter of Sir Henry Ponsonby, April - 26, 1894 146 - - One of the last Letters written by Queen Victoria, addressed to - General Sir George White, of Ladysmith 147 - - Autograph Telegram from the late Prince Albert Victor of Wales to - his Grandmother, Queen Victoria 149 - - Holograph Telegram of the Duke of Connaught to Queen Victoria, - St. Petersburg, May 26, 1896 150 - - One page of A.L.S. of Queen Victoria to her elder Daughter, aged - six, October 21, 1846 153 - - First page of A.L.S. of the Duchess of Kent to her Grandson, King - Edward VII., aged eight, August 26, 1849 154 - - First page of A.L.S. of Queen Adelaide to her Great-niece, the - late Empress Frederick of Germany, circa 1848 157 - - Page of Register containing the Signatures of Contracting Parties - and Witnesses at the Marriage of King Edward VII. and Queen - Alexandra, 1863 158 - - Page from the MS. Remark-book of Prince William Henry (afterwards - King William IV.), in which he begins to describe New York, - January, 1781 159 - - Page of Exercise Book of King George IV. at the age of twelve 159 - - Drawing by Charlotte, Empress of Mexico, dated Lacken, 1850 160 - - A sheet from the Copy-book of the Emperor Alexander II. of - Russia when a boy 160 - - A.L.S. of Queen Charlotte to Mr. Penn, of Portland, November 19, - 1813 163 - - First page of A.L.S. by Albert, Prince Consort, to General Peel, - 1858 165 - - Exercise of the late King Edward VII. when ten years old, - December 17, 1851 166 - - Exercise of the late Duke of Coburg (Prince Alfred) at the age of - eight 166 - - One page of A.L.S. of King George V., when Duke of York to the - late Duchess Dowager of Manchester, February 22, 1886 167 - - One page of A.L.S. of Queen Mary, while Duchess of York, to a - friend, May 24, 1900 168 - - First page of A.L.S. of the Empress Frederick of Germany to Mr. - Prothero, February 22, 1889 168 - - Last page of unpublished Holograph Poem in Handwriting of William - Pitt, May, 1771 177 - - Last Whip issued by William Pitt and signed by him, December 31, - 1805 178 - - Signature of Sir Isaac Heard, Garter, on Card of Admission to the - Funeral of William Pitt, 1806 178 - - A.L.S. of Earl of Chesterfield, October 8, 1771, describing the - Inaugural Ball at the new Bath Assembly Rooms 183 - - One page of A.L.S. from Mr. W. E. Gladstone at Balmoral to - Cardinal Manning, n.d. 188 - - One Page of A.L.S. of Mr. Disraeli (afterwards Lord Beaconsfield) - on Church matters, n.d. 191 - - The Signature of Shakespeare on the last page of his Will 196 - - Deed containing the Signature of Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, and - nearly all the Members of his Family, temp. James I. 199 - - A.L.S. of John Evelyn to Samuel Pepys, Deptford, September 25, - 1790 200 - - Early Signature of John Milton on Documents now in possession of - Mr. Quaritch 203 - - Page of Dr. Johnson's Diary recording his impressions of - Stonehenge, &c., 1783 207 - - The two last pages of the MS. Journal of Mrs. Thrale's Tour in - Wales, July-September, 1774, describing the Dinner at Burke's 208 - - Holograph lines by Goethe on Blücher, circa 1812-13 213 - - A.L.S. of John Keats (three pages) to J. H. Reynolds, February - 28, 1820 214 - - Letter of Lord Tennyson to Mr. Moxon 217 - - A.L.S. of Lord Byron to Mr. Perry, March 1, 1812 217 - - Illustrated Letter of W. M. Thackeray from Glasgow 218 - - Lines from the "Iliad." Specimen of the MS. of the late Mr. - George Meredith 219 - - A.L.S. of W. M. Thackeray to Count d'Orsay on fly-leaf of - circular announcing the Publication of a Picture, n.d. 221 - - Early A.L.S. of W. M. Thackeray to Mr. Macrone, Publisher, - discovered by Mr. George Gregory, of Bath 222 - - First page of one of Charles Dickens's last Letters, May 15, 1870 225 - - A.L.S. of Honourable Mrs. Norton containing an invitation to meet - Charles Dickens, the author of "Pickwick," at dinner 226 - - Early Letter of Charles Dickens to Mr. Macrone (1836) from - Furnival's Inn 227 - - A.L.S. of "Perdita" (Mary Robinson) to George, Prince of Wales, - January 19, 1785 228 - - Holograph Order of Admission of Thomas Carlyle to his Rectorial - Address at Edinburgh University, dated March 23, 1866 230 - - A.L.S. of John Wesley, June 14, 1788 232 - - A.L.S. of Duke of Montrose to the King 239 - - Part of A.L.S. of Earl Howe to Earl Spencer after his great - Victory of June 1, 1794 239 - - Official MS. Account of Expenses incurred at Funeral of Queen - Anne 240 - - One page of A.L.S. of General Byng, October 27, 1727 242 - - Signature of Admiral Byng on his Will a few days before his - death, March, 1757 242 - - A.L.S. of Lord Nelson to Earl Spencer, written with his right - hand, _Theseus_, May 28, 1798 245 - - A.L.S. of Nelson to Lady Hamilton about his wife, written with - his left hand, January 24, 1801 245 - - First page of A.L.S. of Lady Nelson to her Husband, December 10, - 1799 246 - - Naval Commission signed by Lord Nelson, April 25, 1781 246 - - A.L.S. of Sir Thomas Hardy about Lord Nelson's Beer, Torbay, - February 20, 1801 251 - - Letter of Duke of Wellington to Mr. Algernon Greville, October - 24, 1841, speaking of the necessity of his being present at - the Birth of King Edward VII. 251 - - Envelope directed by Duke of Wellington to Lady Sidmouth - enclosing lock of Napoleon's hair, 1821 252 - - A.L.S. of the Abbé Liszt to Secretary of Princess of Wales (Queen - Alexandra), April 16, 1886 258 - - A.L.S. of Joseph Haydn, the Composer, June 5, 1803 260 - - Signature of the nonagenarian Mrs. Garrick a few days before her - death 263 - - A genuine short Note signed by Edmund Kean, afterwards imitated - 264 - - A.L.S. of R. B. Sheridan asking for time to pay a draft 265 - - A.L.S. of Charles Mathews, the Actor, proposing his son for - election to Garrick Club, n.d. 266 - - Last page of A.L.S. of Mrs. Siddons to Mrs. Piozzi after the Fire - at Covent Garden Theatre 268 - - Letter of the Chevalier d'Éon to Colonel Monson, Bath, January 7, - 1796 271 - - Account for Supper given by the Chevalier d'Éon to Prince Henry - of Prussia, August 15, 1784 271 - - One of the last Letters ever written by Grimaldi, the great - Clown, December 20, 1829 272 - - A.L.S. of William Hogarth to his Wife, January 6, 1749 273 - - Last page of an A.L.S. by the painter George Romney 274 - - A.L.S. of Sir Joshua Reynolds to George Crabbe, March 4, 1783 275 - - A.L.S. of George Morland 275 - - Two pages of Illustrated Letter from the Honble. Mrs. Norton to a - Sister, July, 1854 276 - - Portion of Illustrated Letter by John Leech 279 - - Page of Illustrated A.L.S. from Mr. Wheeler to Sir F. Burnand 280 - - Illustrated A.L.S. of Fred Barnard relating to the plates of - "Dombey and Son," n.d. 281 - - Portrait of Charles Peace, the murderer, on A.L.S. of Sir Frank - Lockwood, who defended him, written in 1888 282 - - A.L.S. of George Cruickshank, September, 1836, about Dickens's - first call on him 283 - - Postcard of James Whistler from Lion Hotel, Lyme Regis, - circa 1888 284 - - First page of A.L.S. of the Painter Meissonier, July 25, 1861 284 - - Portraits of Sir R. Reid (now Lord Loreburn) and the late Sir - Frank Lockwood on an Illustrated Letter written by the latter - during the Parnell Commission 285 - - Two pages of Illustrated Letter by Hablot K. Browne 286 - - Two pages of a Letter from Richard Cobden in "The Forties" 287 - - Early Signature of Napoleon I. as "Buonaparte" on Military - Document, dated February 1, 1796 297 - - First page of A.L.S. of Admiral Villeneuve announcing to - the French Minister of Marine the Disaster of the Nile, - September, 1798 297 - - Signature of Empress Marie Louise as Regent, July, 1813 298 - - A.L.S. of Joseph Bonaparte, afterwards King of Spain, January, - 1806 299 - - A.L.S. of Talleyrand in Paris to Napoleon I. at Bayonne - congratulating him on the Birth of Napoleon III., at which he - had been present, April, 1808 301 - - Letter signed by the Empress Josephine, 3 ventose an x [February - 22, 1802] 302 - - A.L.S. of Marshal Ney, Paris, December 23, 1813 304 - - Exercise of the King of Rome, Duke de Reichstadt, circa 1827 305 - - Portion of Essay on Gunnery written by the late Prince Imperial - of France while a Cadet at the Woolwich Military Academy 307 - - Page of A.L.S. of Napoleon III. to Dr. O'Meara, March 9, 1836 308 - - Sketch by the late Prince Imperial, circa 1866 308 - - A.L.S. of Admiral Brueys, the French Admiral Commanding-in-Chief, - who was killed at Trafalgar, dated May 25, 1797 310 - - Two Signatures of Marie Antoinette on a Warrant, October, 1783 312 - - A.L.S. of Napoleon III. to Lord Alfred Paget from Wilhelmshohe, - October 29, 1870 313 - - First page of Letter in English from Voltaire to Earl of - Chesterfield, Ferney, August 5, 1761 314 - - The Signature and Writing of Button Gwinnett, the rarest - Autograph of the "Signers" 326 - - The last page of the Letter of Thomas Lynch, jun., one of the - American "Signers," which fetched 7,000 dollars 328 - - The last page of George Washington's splendid A.L.S., now - published through the kindness of Mr. T. C. S. Cuyler 333 - - A.L.S. of Benjamin Franklin to George Washington, March 2, 1778 334 - - Early writing of the late King Edward VII., circa 1850 344 - - - - -I - -ON AUTOGRAPH -COLLECTING -GENERALLY - - -[Illustration: LAST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF ELIZABETH CHUDLEIGH, DUCHESS OF -KINGSTON, AT ST. PETERSBURG, TO MISS CHUDLEIGH, AT BATH.] - -[Illustration: WARRANT SIGNED BY WARREN HASTINGS, PHILIP FRANCIS, -EDWARD WHEELER, AND EYRE COOTE, MAY 31, 1780.] - - - - -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 character, and that we may therefore - gain a certain impression of his ordinary mode of life and - conduct.--GOETHE TO CARDINAL PREUSKER. - - -My friend Judge Philbrick, for some time President of the Royal -Philatelic Society of London, tells me that the stamps known to -collectors as the Post Office Mauritius "fetch anything." In his -opinion a pair of fine examples of the 1d. red and 2d. blue would -easily make £2,500. He believes the King, when Prince of Wales, gave -£1,500 for a single specimen. A set of the rarest issues of Sandwich -Island stamps would be worth from £1,500 to £2,000, and there are -at least twenty or thirty varieties which sell at something between -£50 and £100. As a matter of fact, I believe the single "Mauritius -Post Office" referred to exchanged hands in January 1904, at no less -a figure than £1,950, 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 MS. of "Paradise Lost," once the property -of Jacob Tonson the publisher. The ultimate fate of this precious -MS. will be referred to in connection with the subject of Milton's -autographs, but it may be noted that in the same month a series of -seven superb folio holograph letters of Napoleon, written during his -first campaign in Italy, when his handwriting was still legible and his -signature not the perplexing variation of scratches and blots of later -days, was knocked down at the comparatively modest figure of £350, or -less than one-fifth of the sum paid for the "Mauritius Post Office"! -Before me lie several of the priced catalogues of the Sotheby autograph -auctions of six years ago. Very few of the totals realised at these -sales approached the price paid for this single stamp. At one of them -Nelson's original letter-book of 1796-97, including the original drafts -of 67 letters (many of them of first-rate importance) failed to fetch -more than £190, while a two days' sale (that of December 5 and 6, 1904) -brought only an aggregate sum of £1,009 16s., notwithstanding the fact -that the 416 lots disposed of comprised a splendid series of Johnson -and Thrale letters, a series of S. T. Coleridge MSS., and fine examples -of letters by Pope, Richardson, Marvell, Burke, Boswell, Goldsmith, -Garrick, Nelson, and Lady Hamilton, together with historical documents -signed by Queen Elizabeth, the two Charleses, Oliver Cromwell, and -Queen Anne. The items thus disposed of would in themselves have made a -fine collection if acquired by any one owner, for they represent the -most interesting phases of our national annals, and they might have -been acquired _en bloc_ for £940, less than half the cost of that one -most expensive stamp. Far be it from me to disparage a sister "hobby." -All I seek to prove is that autograph collection has moderation in -price to recommend it, as well as that inherent interest which Mr. -Joline alludes to as "the gentlest of emotions." - -In theory, at any rate, the lover of autographs can claim for his -favourite pursuit an antiquity of origin which no print collector or -philatelist, however enthusiastic, can possibly pretend to. In some -shape or another MSS. were highly prized by the ancient Egyptians as -well as the Greeks and Romans. The word "autograph" first occurs in the -writings of Suetonius. We learn on good authority that Ptolemy stole -the archives of the Athenians and replaced the originals with cunningly -devised copies; Pliny and Cicero were both collectors after the manner -of the time in which they lived; Nero recorded his impressions in -pocket-books, and manuscripts of untold importance are supposed to -lie buried in the lava-covered dwellings of Herculaneum. The Chinese, -too, 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 rulers. The Emperors Justinian and Theodoric are both reputed -to have affixed their signatures by the aid of a perforated tin plate; -and the mystery which attaches itself to the Epistles of Phalaris -still awaits some definite solution. These, and a dozen other similar -topics, may concern the history of writing in the abstract, 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 view. - -By the irony of fate the origin of autograph collecting, as we now -understand it, is clearly traced to the _alba amicorum_ of the latter -part of the sixteenth and the first decades of the seventeenth century. -Men and women of light and leading were accustomed to carry about -oblong volumes of vellum, on which their friends and acquaintances were -requested to write some motto or phrase under his or her signature. -Several interesting examples of these _alba_ are to be seen amongst the -Sloane MSS. in the British Museum. The earliest of them (No. 851) bears -the date 1579. It commences with the motto and signature of the Duc -d'Alençon, the suitor of our Virgin Queen. He has attempted a sketch, -something like a fire, under which are the words "Fovet et disqutit -Francoys," and below, "Me servir quy mestre Farnagues." - -No. 3,416 is bound in green velvet with the arms of the writers -beautifully emblazoned on each page. On one of these the Duke of Holst, -brother-in-law of James I., has written:-- - - Par mer et par terre - Wiwe la Guerre. - -It was in the _album amicorum_ of Christopher Arnold, Professor of -History at Nuremberg, that the author of "Paradise Lost" wrote - - In weakness I am made perfect. - - To that most learned man, and my courteous friend, Christopher - Arnold, have I given this, in token of his virtue, as well as - of my good will towards him. - - JOHN MILTON. - - _London, A.D. 1651, Nov. 19._ - -To the album of Charles de Bousy (No. 3,415) Edward Sackville, -afterwards Earl of Dorset, has contributed a motto neatly written in -six languages. Late in the nineteenth century these ancient _alba_ had -their counterpart in the books of questions which, for a brief period, -found favour in the eyes of the British hostess with a literary turn -of mind. A page thus filled up by the late Duke of Coburg (Prince -Alfred of England) is in my collection. In it the writer with perfect -frankness discloses his ideas of happiness and misery, his favourite -poets, painters, and composers, his pet aversions and the characters -in history he most dislikes. The sheet of this modern _album amicorum_ -fetched one sovereign in the open market, 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 Arnold. - -In these early _alba_ the interest of the handwriting formed the -predominant attraction, but with the succeeding generations of -collectors who gathered together stores of priceless MSS. the point -of interest was almost entirely historical. 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 document. The value of the services rendered to -the cause of history by men like Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (1571-1631), -John Evelyn (1620-1706), Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford (1661-1724), -Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford (1689-1741), and Sir Hans Sloane -(1660-1753) cannot possibly be over-estimated. - -Robert Harley purchased the papers accumulated by Fox, Stow, and -D'Ewes, and the Harleian and Sloane MSS. form to-day a most important -portion of the national collection in the British Museum. Thomas Hearne -(1678-1735) laboured industriously at Oxford on the same lines as -Robert Harley and Hans Sloane. He is said to have made each important -discovery of autographic treasure-trove the subject of a devout -thanksgiving. - -Good work was done about the same time by Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725) -and Peter Le Neve (1661-1729). Manuscripts entered largely into the -"Museum of Rarities" formed by the first named, and the MSS. of the -latter are now in the Bodleian Library and the Heralds' College. A -little later came James West (1704-1772). Between 1741 and 1762 he held -the office of Joint-secretary to the Treasury, and from 1746 till his -death he was Recorder of Poole. Among other curiosities he got together -a large number of valuable MSS. Born four years before West, James -Bindley lived till 1818, thus becoming a contemporary of Upcott, Dawson -Turner, and other early nineteenth-century collectors who prepared the -way for the great work since accomplished by Mr. Alfred Morrison and -others. - -It now becomes necessary to say something of the "frank," 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 understand. The interest in the "frank" was philatelic as well -as autographic, but no "frank" ever attained the high position now -held by a Post Office Mauritius or early Sandwich stamp. The story -of the "frank" is briefly thus: The right to send letters free of -charge was claimed by Members of Parliament as far back as the reign -of James I. It was fully discussed in the Commons immediately after -the Restoration, and the claim was affirmed, although the Speaker, -Sir Harbottle Grimston, refused to put a motion which he stigmatised -as "a poor mendicant proviso unworthy of the honour of the House." -The Lords rejected the Bill, because apparently the privilege was not -to be extended to them, but it was eventually conceded to members of -both Houses. The grossest abuses were soon committed. Under the cover -of the "frank" fifteen couple of hounds were sent to the King of the -Romans; "two maid-servants going out as laundresses" were forwarded -to "My Lord Ambassador Methuen," two bales of stockings found their -way, "post free," to our representative at the Court of Portugal. The -"frank" was continually used for the transit of live deer, turkeys, and -haunches of venison. In Queen Anne's time its operation was limited to -packets weighing two ounces or less, and in the fourth year of George -III. it was enacted that the "franking" Peer or M.P. should write the -whole address and date on each letter. In 1795 the maximum weight -of a "franked" letter was reduced to one ounce, and in 1840, on the -institution of Sir Rowland Hill's penny postage system, the privilege -(except in one or two special cases) was entirely abolished. Mr. -Bailie, of Ringdufferin, Killyleagh, Co. Down, was one of the last of -the frank-collecting enthusiasts. About twenty years ago he thus wrote -to the _Archivist_:-- - -"Although no further limitation or alteration was made between 1795 and -1840, great abuses still existed. Members supplied larger packets of -franks to friends and adherents; some sold their privilege for large -sums to banking and business firms; they also accepted _douceurs_ for -allowing letters to be directed to them, although intended for other -persons, and servants' wages were frequently paid by franks, which were -subsequently sold by them to tradesmen and others. It was computed -that a banking house, having one of the firm an M.P., effected thereby -a saving of £700 a year. In one week of November, 1836, about 94,700 -franks passed through the London post alone, and in 1837 there were -7,400,000 franked letters posted. From 1818 to 1837 it was estimated -that £1,400,000 had been lost to the Post Office through the franking -system." The privilege was abolished on July 10, 1840, the only -exception made being in favour of the late Queen's own letters and a -few Government Departments. - -The Inspectors of Franks in London, Dublin, and Edinburgh were highly -paid and important officials. Mr. William Tayleure, of Adelaide Street, -West Strand, headed a long list of dealers in "franks." "Frank" -auctions, prior to 1840, were as common as stamp auctions are to-day, -and amongst the best known "frank" collectors were Lady Chatham (the -daughter-in-law of the "Great Commoner"), Lord William FitzRoy and Mr. -Blott, Inspector of Franks at the G.P.O. Mr. Bailie eventually became -possessor of the Chatham and FitzRoy collections. He could boast of -possessing the "frank" of every Peer since the Union, with the single -exception of F. A. Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry. - -For three generations at least one of the principal objects in life -seems to have been the gratuitous acquisition of "franks." When James -Beattie visited the Thrales of Streatham, his supreme delight lay -in having secured six "franks" and the promise of a further supply; -millionaires excused their epistolary silence on the plea of the -difficulty to "get" a "frank," and even late in the "eighteen-thirties" -Benjamin Disraeli wrote to his sister that he was sure that the -sight of an unprivileged (_i.e._, unfranked) letter on the Bradenham -breakfast-table would cause the death of his venerable father. - -The witty letters of Joseph Jekyll abound in amusing allusions -to "franks." One day he writes, "Don't go into histericks at a -Radical frank of Burdett's"; on another occasion, "I have bribed the -Attorney-General for this frank," and again, "I postponed payment till -the immaculate electors of Stockbridge had agreed to save _ninepence_ -out of your pin-money." Writing to Lady Blessington the Nestor of -_beaux esprits_ says: "I trust this will reach you if the Post Office -can decipher my friend Wetherell's hieroglyphical frank, but Tories -always make a bad hand of it." - -Collections of "franks" like those of Mr. Bailie must still have some -value. It is now difficult to obtain isolated examples, and to my mind -they are infinitely more interesting, from every point of view, than -detached signatures of individuals, however celebrated, and the great -majority of "album specimens." - -An "album specimen" is a letter or signature obtained in answer to a -request for an autograph. If the demand is made point-blank, the reply -is rarely of any real value. - -There are, of course, many exceptions to the rule. I have already -alluded to the page of the "Confessions" Book filled up by the late -Duke of Coburg. 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 Thiers. The former had written, "I have -learned in my long life two rules of prudence. The first is to forgive -much; the second, never to forget." Thiers had placed below this the -sentence, "A little forgetting would not detract from the sincerity -of the forgiveness." Bismarck continued, "As for me, I have learnt to -forget much, and to be asked to be forgiven much." I should not be -surprised if the page of that album with the conjunction of these three -great names yielded a record price. - -It is the persistent seeker for "album specimens" who is known in -America as the "Autograph Fiend," and on this side as the "Autograph -Hunter." Possibly in the United States this type of collector is more -aggressive than his English _confrère_. Longfellow was an early victim -of the "A. F." In his diary he plaintively mentions the necessity of -complying with thirty or forty requests of this kind. On January 9, -1857, matters reached a climax. On that day he made the following -entry in his journal: "To-day I wrote, sealed, and dictated seventy -autographs." Other celebrities were less complacent than the persecuted -poet. "George Eliot" generally instructed Mr. Lewes to write a -point-blank refusal, and an Archbishop of York intended to follow her -example, but unintentionally delighted his tormentor with the signed -reply, "Sir, I never give my autograph, and never will." Frowde was in -the habit of replying after this fashion:-- - - DEAR SIR,--Mr. Weller's friend (or perhaps Mr. Weller himself) - would say that "autographs is vanity!"--but since you wish for - mine, I subscribe myself, - - Faithfully yours, - J. A. FROWDE. - -Mr. Joline shows little mercy to such applicants. -Lord Rosebery replies to a similar application:-- - - Lord Rosebery presents his compliments to Miss C., and would - rather not make her collection and himself ridiculous by - sending _it_ the autograph of so insignificant a person. - -An exceptionally considerate type of autograph-hunter succeeded in -extracting the following charming note from the late R. L. Stevenson:-- - - VAILIMA, UPOLU, SAMOA. - - You have sent me a slip to write on; you have sent me an - addressed envelope; you have sent it me stamped; many have done - as much before. You have spelled my name right, and some have - done that. In one point you stand alone: you have sent me the - stamps for my post office, not the stamps for yours. What is - asked with so much consideration I take a pleasure to grant. - Here, since you value it, and have been at the pains to earn it - by such unusual attentions--here is the signature, - - ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON. - - For the one civil autograph collector, Charles R. - -Poe, like Longfellow, was merciful to his autograph-seeking -correspondents, and their name was legion. In his opinion, "The -feeling which prompts to the collection of autographs is a natural and -rational one." Thackeray and Dickens were equally considerate in the -matter of these autograph petitions. More years ago than I care to -recollect a young cousin of mine wrote to the former, and received, -almost by return of post, a signed and dated card with a clever little -sketch of a young lady inspecting an album. At the present moment this -particular "specimen" is worth at least £10. - -The most successful type of "Autograph Fiend" is the man who is able, -on some clever pretence, to extract a letter of real interest and -importance from his unconscious victim. Since I began to collect I -have carefully watched the operation of these pious frauds, and am -often astonished at the ease with which political, literary, and -artistic celebrities fall into an all too transparent trap. Portrait -painters are ready to send estimates to persons they never heard of; -grave theologians are led by impostors into discussions on abstruse -questions of faith and belief; astute statesmen like Mr. Chamberlain -are induced to enlarge on burning problems of the hour; and venerable -artists like Sir John Tenniel are apparently ready to furnish two -pages of reminiscences for the mere asking. In the "eighteen-fifties" -a swindler named Ludovic Picard acquired a really valuable series of -autographs by writing to men like Béranger, Heine, Montalembert, and -Lacordaire letters in which he posed as one of "the odious race of -the unappreciated who meditated suicide, and sought in his hour of -sore distress for valuable counsel and advice." Lacordaire sent him -ten closely-written pages of earnest appeal, and Charles Dickens, -who happened to be at Boulogne, fell an easy victim to the wiles -of "Miserrimus," who was finally unmasked by Jules Sandeau while -carousing with a party of boon companions at a tavern. Dickens wrote as -follows:-- - - Voici encore de bons remèdes contre votre affliction! Surtout, - on doit se souvenir constamment de la bonté du grand Dieu, - des beautés de la nature, et de si touchantes félicités et - misères de ces pauvres voisins dans cette vie de vicissitudes. - Voici encore une manière de s'élever le cÅ“ur et l'âme, depuis - les ténèbres de la terre jusqu'à la clarté du ciel. Courage, - courage! C'est le voyageur faible qui succombe et qui meurt. - C'est le brave homme qui persévère, et qui poursuit son - voyage jusqu'à la fin. Votre cas a été le cas d'une immense - foule d'hommes, dont les cÅ“urs courageux ont été victorieux, - triomphants, heureux. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OBTAINED FROM CARDINAL NEWMAN BY AN -AUTOGRAPH-HUNTER, SEPTEMBER 4, 1870.] - -A query sent to Sir John Tenniel on the subject of the private -theatricals at Charles Dickens's elicited this interesting letter:-- - - _October 13, 1903._ - - DEAR SIR,--With many apologies for the delay, absolutely - unavoidable, 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 8th inst. - received on Saturday. - - The first performance of "Not so Bad as we Seem," at Devonshire - House, in the presence of the Queen, the Prince Consort, and - the Court, most certainly took place on the _16th_ of May, - 1851, just five months after I had joined the _Punch_ staff. - - But there was also a _second_ grand performance of the - play on the _27th_, to which the friends of the actors and - distinguished people were invited by special invitation of the - Duke. - - Happily, after an almost hopeless search, I have found the bill - of the play (which please to return when done with) of that - performance, which is identical with the first except that the - farce of "Mr. Nightingale's Diary," by Dickens and Mark Lemon, - was _not_ produced for the delectation of "Royalty"! Bill will - also give you the names of the _dramatis personæ_, and you - will see that the names of Maclise and Leech are not included - in the list. - - The last-named characters, some with only a line, some with - none, were alluded to, and cheerfully, except by certain - literary celebrities, and for myself "Hodge" was quite a good - little part. - - In the following year, however, owing to Forster's illness, the - part of "Hardman" (a most important one) was at once assigned - to me, and it is to that which Dickens alludes in his letter to - Forster from Sunderland, August 29, 1852. I can hardly suppose - that this letter can be of the least use to you, but - - I am, - Faithfully yours, - JOHN TENNIEL. - -[Illustration: TWO PAGES OF A.L.S. OF SIR JOHN TENNIEL, OF _PUNCH_, -OBTAINED BY AN AUTOGRAPH-HUNTER, OCTOBER 13, 1903.] - -Within a month this letter figured in an autograph catalogue at the -modest price of 12s. - -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-course. He obtains -a reply, seemingly after some demur:-- - - _October 13, 1895._ - - MY DEAR ----, I did not the least in the world mean to imply - the slightest shadow of blame to you for asking the question, - which I do not doubt many other people are also asking. But - for all that I am not able to answer it, and therefore you are - unfettered in your treatment of it. It is strange, as regards - my own position towards the Sporting League, Liberal candidates - are abused on the ground that Liberals are opposed to sport, - and then, on the other hand, the Nonconformist Conscience fires - a broadside into him for what is thought to be too much allied - to sport. - - Yours very truly, - ROSEBERY. - -Lord Rosebery's views on the elasticity of the Nonconformist conscience -were sold for a crown, and the same price was asked and obtained for a -letter most ingeniously obtained from Mr. Chamberlain in the very early -days of Tariff Reform Agitation:-- - - _September 18, 1903._ - - DEAR SIR,--My correspondence is so enormous that I am compelled - to dictate my letters even to my most intimate friends and - relations, and the uncharitable suggestion that I am too proud - to reply to workmen in my own handwriting is quite uncalled for. - - I greatly appreciated your friendly letter and the compliment - which you and your wife propose to pay me and which I readily - accept. Tell me when the baby is to be baptized and exactly - what you mean to call him, and I will see if I can find some - little memento which may remind him in after years of his - namesake. - - Meanwhile I am glad to know that the tariff question is being - discussed in your workshop. The time will come before long when - all the working men will see how seriously their employment is - threatened, and how necessary it is for them that the Colonial - Markets should be kept open. The future of our trade depends on - our relations with our kinsfolk across the seas, and if we do - not seize the opportunity offered to us by them of increasing - our trade with them we may not have another chance, but when - we desire it may find that they have ceased to be willing. The - Big Loaf cry is a sheer imposture. Nothing that I have proposed - would increase the cost of living to any working man, and on - the other hand it would give him the certainty of better trade - and more employment. Wages, which depend upon employment, would - tend to rise, and labour would gain all round. - - We have had wonderfully good trade during the last two years, - but there are signs approaching at present, and if they are - fulfilled and every trade in London suffers from the free - import of the surplus of foreign countries, the most bigoted - Free Trader will regret that he was not wise in time and - content to make preparation against the evil day. - - Truly yours, - JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN. - -The "Autograph Fiend" in this case certainly deserves his name. He not -only succeeds in obtaining an interesting letter, signed and carefully -corrected by an ex-Cabinet Minister, which he is able to convert into -five shillings, but he receives with it a promise that the writer will -become the godfather of his real or supposed child! - -Mr. Ruskin's total lack of sympathy with the autograph-hunter -was notorious. He was also known to entertain a strong antipathy -to a certain conventicle. The following response to a demand for -subscription elicited a very characteristic reply, which was promptly -converted into ten pounds. In the presence of such recent examples of -successful autograph "draws" as these, 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 Douro. - -Mr. John Ruskin to a correspondent:-- - - I am scornfully amused at your appeal to me, of all people in - the world, the precisely less likely to give you a farthing. My - first word to all men and boys who care to hear me is, Don't - get into debt. Starve and go to heaven--but don't borrow. Try - first begging--I don't mind, if it's really needful, stealing. - But don't buy things you can't pay for. And of all manner of - debtors, pious people building churches they can't pay for, are - the most detestable nonsense to me. Can't you preach and pray - behind the hedges--or in a sand-pit--or a coal-hole first? And - of all manner of churches thus idiotically built, iron churches - are the damnablest to me. And of all sects of believers in - ruling spirit--Hindoos, Turks, Feather Idolaters, and any - Mumbo-jumbo, Log and Fire Worshippers, your modern English - Evangelical sect is the most absurd, and entirely objectionable - and unendurable to me. All which they might very easily have - found out from my books--any other sort of sect would--before - bothering me to write to them. Ever, nevertheless, and in all - this saying, your faithful servant, - - JOHN RUSKIN. - -[Illustration: FROM THE PRELUDE OF "GERONTIUS," MS. BARS SIGNED BY SIR -EDWARD ELGAR, SEPTEMBER, 1900.] - -Autograph-hunting on the basis now exposed is only pursued in the hope -of gain from the sale of the letter thus obtained. To attempt to form a -collection in such a manner might lead to very unpleasant consequences. -The only innocent form of autograph-hunting is that so frequently -witnessed at concerts and musical festivals, and the albums thus -filled are ultimately sold for a price which would sadly disappoint -the original owner. 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 price, but -to arrange and classify them when so arranged to the greatest possible -advantage. My firm conviction that at the present moment the judicious -buying of autographs is one of the best possible investments, 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 over; - Thus sighing look through the waves of time - For the long faded glories they cover. - - - - -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 themselves.--LORD BACON. - - Scripta ferunt annos.--OVID. - - -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 -ago. Foremost amongst these advantages is facility of access to such -autographic treasure-houses as the British Museum, the Record Office, -and the National Library at Paris. 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 Company." -Amongst other valuable MSS. the archives of the Indian Navy went _en -bloc_ to the paper-mills. A single letter, blown accidentally from -one of the carts used by the contractors who carried out this work of -desolation, turned out to have been written in the reign of James I. -by the Duke of Buckingham, and brought £5 to its finder. To-day it is -probably worth at least five times as much again. The Record Office, in -which such State documents and official correspondence as have survived -the ignorance, carelessness, or iconoclasm of the past, now find a -home, is, comparatively speaking, a modern institution. Notwithstanding -the havoc wrought by the _sans-culottes_ of the Terror and the -Communists of forty years ago, the National Library in Paris is to-day -the home of one of the most interesting collections of autographs in -the whole world, including, it is said, something like ten thousand -letters and documents written or signed by Napoleon. It is probably the -result of the social upheavals of the past, and the wholesale dispersal -of the contents of public and private muniment rooms towards the close -of the eighteenth century, that autograph "finds" are more frequently -made in Paris than anywhere else. It was there that I acquired the -marriage settlement of Pamela FitzGerald,[1] executed at Tournay on -December 26, 1792, and a sixteenth-century deed in which mention is -made of a Royal Commission for the further exploration of Canada--_La -Canadie_. Both of these documents cost less than 10s., and one of them, -presented by me through Mr. Ross Robertson to the Public Library at -Toronto, has now been framed, and is shown to visitors as a curiosity -of the greatest interest and rarity. These great public institutions -carry on in the twentieth century the good work commenced long ago by -men like Evelyn, the Harleys, and Sloane. - -The first thing I should advise an intending collector to do is -to procure the "Guide to the MSS., Autographs, &c., exhibited in -the Department of MSS. and in the Grenville Library of the British -Museum."[2] This useful little volume contains no less than thirty -plates of various descriptions, ranging from the articles of the -Magna Charta and a page from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to Nelson's -last letter to Lady Hamilton, and examples of the handwriting of -Marlborough, Wellington, Washington, Chatham, and Keats. At the end -is a list of the different series of autograph facsimiles issued at -intervals since 1895, and sold at a very moderate price. Next to -the careful study of original MSS., nothing is so important to the -collector as the careful and constant examination of well-executed -facsimiles like those obtainable at the British Museum, where, at the -cost of 7s. 6d., you can get thirty plates. The first in order contains -facsimiles of autograph letters by Queen Catharine of Aragon, 1513; -Archbishop Cranmer, 1537; Bishop Hugh Latimer (marginal notes by Henry -VIII.), about 1538; Edward VI., 1551; Mary, Queen of Scots, 1571; -English Commanders against the Spanish Armada, 1588; Queen Elizabeth, -1603; Charles I., 1642; Oliver Cromwell, 1649; Charles II., 1660; -James, Duke of Monmouth, 1685; William III., 1689; James Stuart, the -Pretender, 1703; John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, 1706; William -Pitt, Earl of Chatham, 1759; George III., 1760; George Washington, -1793; Horatio, Viscount Nelson, and Emma, Lady Hamilton, 1805; Arthur -Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, 1815; General Charles George Gordon, -1884; Queen Victoria, 1885; John Dryden, 1682; Joseph Addison, 1714; S. -T. Coleridge, 1815; William Wordsworth, 1834; John Keats, 1820; Charles -Dickens, 1870; W. M. Thackeray, 1851; Thomas Carlyle, 1832; and Robert -Browning, 1868. - -Numerous collections of facsimiles have been published in England, -France, and Germany, and the prudent collector must secure one or -more of these invaluable aids to the identification of MSS. Most -of the best catalogues issued, both in London and Paris, contain -several facsimiles, but that does not lessen the utility of books -like "Autographs of Royal, Noble, Learned, and Remarkable Personages -conspicuous in English History from the Reign of Richard II. to that of -Charles II., with some illustrious Foreigners; containing many passages -from important letters" (engraved under the direction of Charles -John Smith and John Gough Nichols: London, 1829, 1 vol. 4to); or "A -Collection of One Hundred Characteristic and Interesting Autograph -Letters written by Royal and Distinguished Persons of Great Britain -from the XV. to the XVIII. Century, copied in perfect facsimile from -the originals by Joseph Nethercliff" (London, 1849). Several useful -facsimiles are to be found in "A Guide to the Collector of Historical -Documents, Literary MSS., and Autograph Letters," by the Rev. Dr. -Scott and Mr. Samuel Davey, published in 1891. Dr. H. T. Scott is also -responsible for a handy little volume, entitled "Autograph Collecting, -a Practical Manual for Amateurs and Historical Students," brought out -three years later than the larger volume by Mr. Upcott Gill. - -It must be confessed, however, that our French neighbours are far -ahead of us in the matter of facsimiles, as well as in other details -connected with autograph collecting. With us the subject is only now -beginning to receive the treatment it merits. In the opinion of our -neighbours the cult of the autograph has for some generations held -rank as a science. I cannot too strongly impress upon beginners the -expediency of carefully watching the Paris autograph market, and -giving special attention to the catalogues issued monthly by M. Noël -Charavay, of 3, Rue Furstenberg, and Madame Veuve Gabriel Charavay, of -153, Faubourg St. Honoré. At the Fraser Sale (April, 1901) I purchased -three huge volumes forming an extra-illustrated copy of a portion of -the famous "Letters of Madame de Sévigné," compiled quite a century -ago at the cost of several hundred pounds, and finally acquired by -Miss Eliza Gulston. In it, in addition to an enormous number of prints -and portraits, were several genuine autograph letters, supplemented -by a large number of facsimiles. Under the genuine letters the maker -of the book wrote their source and history; he divided the facsimiles -into "tracings," "imitations by hand," and so forth. A copy of the -"Isographie des Hommes Célèbres," in two 4to volumes, is now worth -between £3 and £4, and the late Mr. Étienne Charavay prepared two -supplements to it which are also extremely valuable. Between March, -1888, and December, 1894, the late Mr. Davey published a quarterly -journal--the _Archivist_--which bid fair to become as indispensable -to the English collector as the _Amateur d'Autographes_, founded in -the early "eighteen-forties" and now admirably edited by M. Noël -Charavay, is to his French colleague. Every true lover of autographs -must deplore its untimely end, and the young collector is indeed -fortunate if he can obtain a set of it. In it Dr. Scott, who was from -the first its principal contributor, places quite a mine of information -at the disposal of his readers. 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 autographs. In the forty odd -volumes of the _Amateur d'Autographes_[3] the student will discover a -liberal education, as far as his special subject is concerned, ready at -hand. The Charavay Sale-catalogues are of great value in the matter of -arrangement and description, as well as for the facsimiles they give in -abundance. One of the finest is that of the Alfred Bovet Collection, -dispersed during the spring and early summer of 1884. It was prepared -by M. Étienne Charavay, and fills over 800 4to pages plentifully -illustrated with sketches and numerous facsimiles. A very useful book -for beginners who read French is "Les Autographes en France et le goût -des Autographes en France et à l'étranger" (Paris, 1865), by M. de -Lescure. It contains a useful list of the numerous books on autographs -published up to that date, together with the various collections of -facsimiles, many of which can now be picked up on the bookstalls by -the side of the Seine or the adjoining streets for a few francs. As -far back as 1820 the Maison Delpech commenced the publication of their -various "Iconographies," of which the "Isographie des Hommes Célèbres" -was the natural successor. There are one or two German books of -facsimiles, like the "Album von Autographen" (Leipzig, 1849) and the -"Sammlung histor: berühmter Autographen" (Stuttgart, 1846-47). There -is also a collection of five hundred facsimiles, published in 1846 by -F. Bogaerts. I do not, of course, pretend to provide my readers with -a complete autographic bibliography, but amongst the works I have -mentioned he will find all that is necessary to set about collecting in -earnest, and without fear of making many initial blunders. - -Having handled and carefully examined a number of genuine autographs -and having, by the study of facsimiles, familiarised himself with the -handwriting of many famous men and women, the collector in embryo may -begin to buy, but it must be a case of _festina lente_. How cautiously -he should proceed he will realise when, in the next chapter, I come to -consider the critical question of autograph frauds and forgeries. All -respectable autograph dealers are ready to guarantee any specimen they -offer for sale, and to take it back if found to be "doubtful." It is -from the careful reading of the catalogues[4] issued from time to time -by dealers like Mr. Bernard Quaritch, of Grafton Street, Dr. Scott, -of 69, Mill Lane, West Hampstead, Mr. W. V. Daniell, of 53, Mortimer -Street, Messrs. Sotheran, of 37, Piccadilly, Messrs. Maggs, of 109, -Strand, Messrs. Ellis, of 29, New Bond Street, and Messrs. Pearson, of -Pall Mall Court, that one obtains an insight into the current value -of autographs of every description. Mr. Frank Sabin, of 172, New Bond -Street, does not, as a rule, issue catalogues, but he possesses one of -the most valuable stocks of autographs in existence. His Thackeray, -Civil War, and Nelson collections are alone worth many thousands of -pounds. While this volume was going through the press Mr. Sabin paid -the record sum of £8,650 for a collection of seventeenth-century MSS. -relating to America belonging to Mr. R. W. Blathwayt. In the provinces -autograph catalogues are published now and then by Mr. W. Brown, of -Edinburgh, and Messrs. Simmons & Waters, of Leamington Spa. All these -gentlemen will readily send their catalogues on application. I have -already mentioned the two excellent catalogues issued monthly in -Paris. That of M. Noël Charavay, entitled _Bulletin d'Autographs_, -has appeared ever since 1847. The _Revue des Autographs_ of Madame -Veuve Gabriel Charavay dates from 1866. It is only right to say that -autograph collecting is pursued so keenly just now in France, that -unless they can arrange to obtain advance copies of these catalogues, -the best items in them will probably be sold before their order -arrives. Catalogues are sometimes published by Herr Émile Hirsch, of -6, Carl Strasse, Munich. The American dealers will be spoken of in the -chapter devoted to the subject of autograph collecting in the United -States. - -English autographs of exceptional interest are often obtained abroad -at far lower prices than in London, and that fact makes it very -necessary to look carefully through the foreign catalogues. The same -remark doubtless applies to French and German autographs in England. I -obtained in Germany a fine autograph letter of Charles I. for £10. It -would have fetched three times that amount in a London auction-room. -The same remark applies to a fine letter of the Young Pretender, which -came from Paris and was priced only at 55 francs. On the other hand -I obtained in London for 15s. each letters of Madame de Geoffrin and -Madame du Deffand, which would have cost twice or thrice as much in -Paris. In one of the latest French catalogues which reached me, an -English letter was priced at 20 francs. In an English catalogue, a -less lengthy letter by the same writer was offered for sale at £5. For -12 francs I once succeeded in purchasing in Paris a letter of Lord -Shelbourne, covering ten pages and throwing quite new light on the -relations between the French and English Courts at a certain epoch. -The prices for fine autographs in London are far higher than in Paris -and Germany. A Paris dealer could hardly realise the possibility -of a Keats letter fetching £500 (12,500 francs), as at the Louis J. -Haber sale. It was thought quite wonderful when a phenomenally early -letter of Napoleon--I believe the earliest known--was sold for 5,000 -francs. This figure is, I believe, the highest ever given in Paris for -a single letter. 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 since. - -[Illustration: FACSIMILE OF THE HISTORIC LETTER FROM GEORGE CRABBE TO -EDMUND BURKE. - -(See also p. 210.)] - -In the case of MSS. of every description it is necessary to read them -carefully. It is only by so doing that you can hope to ascertain -anything like the real value. This remark applies particularly -to holograph letters. The cataloguer often omits the name of the -person to whom it is addressed, or some sentence or allusion which -adds materially to its value. Thus a letter of Franklin addressed -to Washington, or letters by any of the French marshals written to -Napoleon, would be far more valuable than ordinary letters of any -of these personages. A letter signed by the Russian Emperor Paul -would not be intrinsically valuable. But one addressed to Nelson was -lately priced at £14. The time at which a letter is written is often -an important factor in determining its price. An ordinary letter of -Wellington, who wrote at least a hundred thousand letters during his -public career, can be bought for 3s. 6d. A note written on the evening -of June 18, 1815, not long since realised £105. Then again, letters -acquire additional value when forming part of a series. I purchased -a letter of Sir Joshua Reynolds to the poet Crabbe, mentioning a -communication he was sending him for Dr. Johnson. Years after -I secured the precious enclosure. The two together are obviously -worth more than when taken singly. I possess the splendid letter of -George Crabbe, appealing for help to Burke, which once belonged to -Sir Theodore Martin. I failed to secure Burke's reply, which went, -I believe, to the British Museum. I gave a few francs in Paris for -a letter of Anne Darner's asking Madame de Staël to meet her at -Miss Berry's (the friend and literary executrix of Walpole). Quite -accidentally, in turning over a pile of autographs in London, I came -across the reply, and a very characteristic one it was. 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 -Berry." - -[Illustration: THE AUTOGRAPH OF LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN. - -(See p. 257.)] - -Dr. Scott hopes I will impress upon my readers the necessity of mending -autographs as little as possible. To clip or trim them is rank heresy, -and gives them at once the appearance of counterfeits. Autographs -must be treated with the greatest tenderness. You can best strengthen -decaying paper by the careful application of diluted solution of -gelatine. There are several methods of rendering faded writing again -legible. According to one authority the most effective agent is very -finely powdered chlorate of potash added to a decoction of galls, -_dabbed_, not rubbed, over the MS. When dry, the surface should be -sponged with lime-water. Another expert advises that the paper should -be moistened, and a brush passed over the faded portion wetted with a -solution of sulphide of ammonia, an infusion of galls, or a solution -of ferrocyanide of potassium slightly acidulated with hydrochloric -acid.[5] Personally I have found the "A.P." brand of transparent -adhesive tape invaluable both in mending and hinging autographs, -but worthless imitations must be avoided. It can be bought of all -stationers, and with it I always use Higgins's Photographic Paste. -This may possibly be a little extravagant, and an expert gives me the -following recipe for a useful paste in connection with autographs:-- - -"Take a tablespoonful of Glenfield's Patent Starch and mix with a -little cold water in an ordinary jam-pot, then fill with boiling water. -When cool it will be ready for use." - -The classification of autographs has given rise to endless discussion. -On this subject I am at issue with Mr. Joline. Personally, I regard -extra-illustration as the most effective and interesting plan of -arranging and preserving autographs. Mr. Joline, on the other hand, -"meditates" upon extra-illustration as only an incident or contingent -possibility in autograph collection. I hope to deal with (to me) the -most fascinating subject of Extra-Illustration or Grangerising in a -separate volume. In an article in _The Country Home_ I have given -examples of the effective use of autographs in extra-illustration,[6] -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 illustrate. In my -"Chesterfield's Letters" I have a letter in English from the Sage of -Ferney to the Hermit of Blackheath, together with a portrait of the -same date, opposite Chesterfield's account of his meeting with and -friendship for Voltaire. In an "extended" Clarke and McArthur's "Life -of Nelson," in immediate contiguity to the account of one of his most -daring adventures, and the honours it brought him, may be seen Nelson's -original letter of thanks to George III. (as touching an epistle as he -ever penned), together with a contemporary portrait in water-colours. -There is no better way of preserving autographs than to house them -between the leaves of well-bound and carefully tended volumes. There -is no worse method than to frame them as a picture, and expose them -to the fading influence of a strong light. I have seen autographs -actually gummed to a glass before being framed! If an accident occurs -the autograph generally shares the fate of the glass. For the orderly -keeping of the autographs and MSS. which I have not utilised in the -forty or fifty books I have extra-illustrated since 1900, I employ a -deep folio-sized receptacle known as a Stone's "filing" cabinet, with -alphabetical divisions.[7] It enables me to find any given paper at a -moment's notice. - -I have made the necessities of extra-illustration the mainspring, as -it were, of my autograph collecting. If the young autograph collector -has no specific object of this kind in view (and in the course of ten -years' hard work in the vineyard of grangerising there are few kinds -of autographs I have not required) I should strongly recommend him to -begin with some specific line, be it soldiers or sailors, painters or -poets, actors and actresses, men of letters, worthies of a particular -city, county, or college, and so forth. If this course is adopted an -interesting collection can be formed without incurring enormous cost, -and the value of good autographs is sure to rise. It is given to few -men in a generation, or even in a century, to form collections of a -cosmopolitan and all-embracing character like that made by the late -Mr. Alfred Morrison between the years 1865 and 1882, the catalogue of -which, prepared with the utmost care by M. A. W. Thibaudeau, fills -six folio and seven imperial octavo volumes, and costs £60. French -collectors pay great attention to classification, and each letter is -generally placed in a _chemise_ or cover bearing some heraldic or -other appropriate device. In the case of a small collection like that -which Sir George White, Bart., has acquired, of letters and documents -relating solely to Bristol, an alphabetical arrangement is preferable. -If, however, one gathers autographs of all conceivable kinds, and "of -all nations and languages," subdivisions become absolutely essential -if you want to find any particular specimen without difficulty. I have -already referred to the Alfred Bovet Catalogue, prepared on scientific -lines by M. Étienne Charavay. In this collection the many thousand -items of which it consisted were divided into--(1) Heads of Government; -(2) Statesmen and Political Personages; (3) The French Revolution; (4) -Warriors; (5) Men of Science and Explorers; (6) Actors and Actresses; -(7) Writers; (8) Painters, Sculptors, Engravers, and Architects; (9) -Huguenots; and (10) Women. There was a further subdivision according -to nationalities, and these were finally arranged chronologically. -The preface to the Bovet Catalogue, admirably written by M. Étienne -Charavay, has been published separately under the attractive title of -"The Science of Autographs." It deserves to be translated and published -in English, for no more thoughtful essay on the value of historical -letters and the cult of the autograph has ever appeared. It is now time -to consider the application of the legal maxim of _caveat emptor_ to -the acquisition of MSS. of every description. The presence of a forgery -will often discredit an otherwise interesting and valuable collection. -Not long ago I was shown an album of autographs which represented -the gleanings of two or three generations of a highly respectable -county family. The moment I opened it I recognised my old friend the -Byron-Galignani facsimile, which is offered to dealers as a rare -specimen at least once a week. The owner, who had paid several pounds -for it, declared he could vouch for its genuineness beyond the shadow -of a doubt! He never quite forgave my taking down the Paris edition of -Byron's poems to convince him of his error. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] It was fortunately catalogued under the name of "Genlis, Félicité -Ducrest, Comtesse de," and so escaped attention. The principal -witnesses are Philippe Égalité, Duc d'Orléans, and General Valence. -The bride is described as "Citizen Anne Caroline Stéphanie Sims, aged -19, living in Paris, known in France by the name of Pamela, a native -of Fago in Newfoundland and daughter of William Brixeij (_sic_) and -Mary Sims." The bridegroom is said to be "Edward FitzGerald, aged 29, -generally living in Dublin, Ireland, a native of Whitehall, London, -and the son of James FitzGerald de Leinster and Dame Amélie Lennox de -Leinster." The Duke of Orléans figures in the deed only as Citizen -Louis Philippe Égalité. - -[2] Published by order of the Trustees in 1906; price 6d. - -[3] Issued every month at a yearly subscription of 10 francs. The -office is at 3, Rue de Furstenberg, Paris. Amongst M. Charavay's -collaborators are M. Anatole France, of the French Academy, and M. -George Cain, of the Musée Carnavalet. Each number contains one or more -facsimiles and a list of sale prices. - -[4] The publisher of Autograph Catalogues invariably adopts the -following convenient abbreviations: A. L. S. (autograph letter signed), -A. L. (autograph letter unsigned), A. N. S. (autograph note signed), D. -S. (document signed). In France L. A. S. indicates an autograph letter -signed and P. S. (_pièce signée_) a signed document. - -[5] Dr. Scott says: "Various suggestions have been offered for the -restoration of vanished writing and of ink which has faded, such as a -solution of sulphide of ammonium washed over the writing, previously -moistened with water or a decoction of nut-galls, but great care must -be exercised so as not to injure valuable documents. Indeed, I cannot -too often repeat the warning that the less autographs are manipulated -or altered from their original state the better. 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 collector, who, -of course, likes to see the sheets of paper of the proper orthodox -size, with large spaces around the writing. Damping the ink should, if -possible, be carefully avoided, for there is something precious and -inimitable in the fine, indescribable tint which age alone gives to -writing." - -[6] See _The Country Home_, vol. iv., February, 1910, pp. 254-58. - -[7] Many varieties of these cabinets are obtainable at the -establishment of Terry & Co., Ltd., wholesale stationers, Hatton Garden. - - - - -III - -THE -_CAVEAT EMPTOR_ -OF AUTOGRAPH -COLLECTING - - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF DR. JOHNSON TO SIR JOSHUA -REYNOLDS ON THE SUBJECT OF CRABBE'S POEMS, 1783.] - -[Illustration: LINES OF THOMAS CHATTERTON ON HORACE WALPOLE, WHICH COST -SIR GEORGE WHITE, OF BRISTOL, £34.] - - - - -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 - victims.--_Introduction to_ "Ireland's Confessions." - - Oui, il y a de faux autographes, comme il y a de faux antiques. - Mais est-ce-qu'on devra supprimer le musée des antiques - parce qu'on a découvert de faux bronzes.--ÉTIENNE CHARAVAY, - "L'Affaire Vrain-Lucas." - - -I must resist a strong temptation to enlarge on such interesting -topics as W. H. Ireland's wholesale manufacture of Shakespearean MSS.; -Thomas Chatterton's ingenious fabrication of Rowley's poems, and James -Macpherson's alleged translations from Ossian. 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 concerned. By the irony of fate, however, there -are at the present moment very few rarer or more costly autographs -than that of Thomas Chatterton, 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 letter. Chatterton -died by his own hand, with starvation staring him in the face, but -Ireland lived to make money by the "Confessions"[8] of his misdoings, -and more than thirty years ago £50 was paid for the scathing letter -addressed to Macpherson by Samuel Johnson. The forger of autograph -letters for the purpose of entrapping the over-trustful or ignorant -collector is the product of the nineteenth century, although some of -the French imitations may possibly be a little older. The modern forger -obtains important aid from photography, but by way of compensation -the enlargement of any given specimen by the same means is invaluable -for the purposes of detection. The earliest imitations of autograph -letters I have ever seen are of French origin, and are contained in -the extra-illustrated copy of Madame de Sévigné's Letters already -alluded to. They are frankly labelled as "tracings," "engravings," -"lithographs," and so forth, and many of them seem to have been -executed on old paper in order to simulate more completely the -originals. - -[Illustration: A SPECIMEN OF IRELAND'S SHAKESPEAREAN FORGERIES ATTESTED -BY HIMSELF. - -(By permission of the owners, Messrs. Sotheran.)] - -The inexperienced collector must, in the first instance, beware -of facsimiles of letters which have been published _bonâ fide_ as -illustrations of works of biography, and, having been extracted from -them, are offered for sale (sometimes innocently) as genuine specimens. -The most familiar instance of this is a letter of Byron's addressed -to "Mr. Galignani, at 18, Rue Vivienne, Paris." A facsimile of -this, with address, &c., was prefixed to an edition of Byron's poems -published in Paris. Not long ago I saw this lithographed facsimile -figuring as genuine in a valuable collection of holograph letters, the -rest of which were above suspicion. - -This letter commences with the words:-- - -"Sir,--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 author. I am not the author, and never heard of the work in -question until now," and ends with the sentence, "You will oblige me -by complying with my request of contradiction. I assure you that I -know nothing of the work or works in question, and have the honour to -be (as the correspondents to magazines say), 'your constant reader' -and very obedient servant, Byron." To this is added the date, "Venice, -April 27th, 1819." There is a well-known facsimile of a letter of Lord -Nelson which occasionally does duty as an original. Some years ago I -saw it in a catalogue priced at several pounds! It is inserted after -the preface in T. O. Churchill's "Life of Nelson," published in 1808, -and the paper is therefore not unlike that of the period at which the -letter is supposed to have been written, and bears on the back the -address, "To Thomas Lloyd, Esq., No. 15, Mary's Buildings, St. Martin's -Lane, London." The original would be worth quite ten guineas. Buyers of -Nelson letters should remember that this dangerous facsimile begins as -follows: "Bath, January 29th, 1798. My dear Lloyd,--There is nothing -you can desire me to do that I shall not have the greatest pleasure in -complying with, for I am sure you can never possess a thought that is -not strictly honourable. I was much flattered by the Marquis's[9] kind -notice of me, and I beg you will make my respects acceptable to him. -Tell him that I possess his place in Mr. Palmer's Box, but his Lordship -did not tell me all its charms, that generally some of the handsomest -Ladys at Bath are partakers in the Box, and was I a bachelor I would -not answer for being tempted, 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 forth. - -[Illustration: WILLIAM IRELAND'S ATTESTATION OF HIS FORGERIES OF -SHAKESPEARE'S SIGNATURE.] - -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 -unaffected. In a genuine letter the writing if so touched would grow -faint or disappear. The same test may be applied to photographs or -imitations in sepia. I once purchased a quaint note written by Edmund -Kean, of which a reproduction is now given. Nearly a year later I saw -an autograph, identical in every particular, offered for sale. I sent -for it, and on applying the dilution of muriatic acid test found it to -be a copy in sepia of the note already in my possession. The owner of -the genuine note had sent it to two or three applicants for inspection. -It had been traced over and then worked up in sepia. I once discovered -a letter of William Pitt the Elder to be a forgery by the mere accident -of the sun falling on it, and showing a narrow rim round each letter. -In this case the basis was a photograph, touched up with black paint. - -The autograph collector soon becomes accustomed to the appearance of -genuine letters, for the creases and stains of time cannot be perfectly -imitated any more than the old-world appearance of seventeenth- and -eighteenth-century ink. Watermarks are a good, but not an infallible, -test of genuineness. The thick, gilt-edged letter paper of quarto -size used by our ancestors cannot be satisfactorily counterfeited, -and the inexperienced buyer should eschew documents of all sorts -written on morsels of paper of irregular size, which may have been -torn from books, and lack the usual tests of authenticity. Collectors -of autographs should bear in mind the facts that "franks" ceased to -be used after the introduction of the penny postage in 1840; that -envelopes were first used about ten years earlier, 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 stamp. A -forged letter of Thackeray was detected by the appearance of the letter -W. after London in the counterfeit postmark quite ten years before it -could have legitimately done so. If hot water is applied to a genuine -watermark, it becomes clearer and stronger; if to a fabricated one -it disappears. The autograph collector should carefully study a book -which has quite recently been published on the subject of forgery and -fabricated documents.[10] One chapter is devoted to the subject of -forged literary autographs, but those who desire to acquire an expert -knowledge of this important question should master the whole of its -contents, and this is no difficult task, for the volume only contains -seventy-seven pages. In proportion to the constant rise in the value -of autographs the temptation to forgery increases, and the gradual -absorption of genuine specimens is sure to bring into existence a -number of shams. As the authors very rightly point out, "It is not -surprising the profitable and growing autograph market should have -attracted the fraudulent, for the prizes when won are generally of -a substantial character, and amply repay the misapplied effort and -ingenuity demanded. 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 caution." - -The letters of Washington, Franklin, Burns, Nelson, Byron, Keats, -Shelley, and Scott were the first to attract the attention of the -autograph forger in England. Thackeray and Dickens have been recently -the object of his unwelcome attentions. Most of the Thackeray -forgeries, like the example reproduced, are the work of one man, who -uses an ordinary pen and has a fondness for half-sheets of paper. -His feeble attempts to imitate Thackeray's wit and style are alone -sufficient to excite suspicion. If the counterfeit is carefully -compared with a genuine specimen like the one given, deception will be -impossible. I possess a small collection of forged autograph letters to -use for detective purposes, and as a warning to others. There are five -of these "duffer" Thackerays amongst them. The forger apparently finds -the upright hand Thackeray adopted later in life more to his taste than -the less angular calligraphy of his youth. A few years ago the London -autograph market was inundated with forged letters of Thackeray and -Dickens. At present they are kept out of the light of day, and sold to -the unwary in all sorts of out-of-the-way places, often in shops at the -sea-side. The Dickens forgeries are generally betrayed by the printed -address at the top of the letter being lithographed and not embossed. -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 friends. These are now used occasionally like -the Galignani-Byron or the Churchill-Nelson. It is here a clear case of -_caveat emptor_. - -[Illustration: FORGED LETTER OF W. M. THACKERAY, IN WHICH HIS LATER -HANDWRITING IS IMITATED.] - -Very often a letter is offered for sale which is in no sense of the -word a forgery, but which was never written by the person the buyer -supposes. In nine cases out of ten the seller is as ignorant of the -true state of the case as the buyer. I allude to letters written by -persons bearing the same name, but whose autographs possess a very -different value. In addition to the kings and queens whose names are -identical, we have two Oliver Cromwells, two Horace Walpoles, two -Sarah Siddonses, two Charles Dickenses, and many other "doubles." I -have within the last few months seen a letter of the less-known Horace -Walpole catalogued as one of the owner of Strawberry Hill, and a letter -of Sarah Siddons the younger, whose usual signature is "S. M. Siddons," -described as a "long and pleasing" specimen in the handwriting of -her mother. In these cases there is no sort of resemblance in the -calligraphy of the two persons. The error arises solely from the -similarity of the name, and a lack of care or knowledge on the part of -the cataloguer. As a matter of fact, the letter of Sarah Martha Siddons -is an exceedingly interesting one, and was written about two years -before her death under the tragic circumstances graphically described -by Mr. Knapp in his "Artist's Love Story." I never saw any other -letter of Sarah M. Siddons, and I give it _in extenso_ to show how -careful one should be in studying an autograph before purchasing it. It -should be remembered that "Sally" Siddons promised her younger sister -Maria, who died in 1798 at Bristol Hot Wells "all for the love" of the -handsome painter, that under no circumstances would she ever marry him. -The letter gives a striking picture of the Kemble-Siddons "circle" at -Bath in the first year of the nineteenth century. - - -_Miss Sarah M. Siddons at Bath to Miss Patty Wilkinson,[11] Blake -Street, York._ - - _BATH, July 19, 1801._ - - 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 is, for your - staying with her if she does not soon get the better of this - alarming attack, but you know my dear I am by nature (_and - heartily do I thank nature for it_) dispos'd to see the fairest - side of things, and I am flattering myself with the hopes that - your next letter will bring me good tidings, and that I shall - see my dear Patty arrive with my Mother[12] at Bath in less now - than a fortnight. Heaven be prais'd, _if I should but be well_ - to receive you both, it will be one of the happiest days of my - life. Did I tell you how sociable we all were while my uncle - and Mrs. Kemble[13] were in Bath? dining every day together, - either at our own or the Twiss's house. I never saw my Uncle so - cheerful and like other people, and she was quite agreeable and - did not overwhelm us with Lords, Ladies, Balls and Suppers. - Mrs. Twiss[14] too is become quite kind, nay _affectionate_ - to me _since I got well_, but _one smile, one tender word, or - attention_ has more effect on me when I am ill and miserable - than all the kindness and attention I can meet with, when I am - well, and able (at least in some degree) to return pleasure - for pleasure. I have heard Betty Sharp sing several times, and - think she is very much improved in manner and I hope her voice - will improve in power, at present it is often too weak to have - much effect in a large room, crowded with people. She is good - humour'd and unaffected as far as I have seen her, and her - person as I told you before improv'd most astonishingly. While - my uncle and Mrs. Kemble were here, we spent an evening at Mrs. - Palmer's[15] which was rather dull, and one at Miss Lee's[16] - which was a little better. I am sure they both would have been - very tiresome to me if it had not been for _my own people_. - Pray remember me very kindly to poor Mrs. Wilkinson, who is I - hope recovering every day--and to your friend Miss Brook. I - should like to see Cora in all her glory. I present by you a - salute to her Ladyship's divine parts. George[17] will still - be with us when you come. Cecy[18] will be gone to school and - it is almost time she should, for she is got so riotous nobody - can manage her when I am not in the way, for Patty is too good - natured ... and tho' she continually threatens to tell me, she - never does and Cecilia knows she never will. Adieu my dear - girl. I shall hear from you surely in a day or two, till when, - I am impatiently - - Your ever sincere and affectionate - S. M. SIDDONS. - -Of the forged letters in my private "pillory" that of Keats is by -far the most cleverly executed. The facsimiles of Byron and Nelson -were never intended to be used for the purposes of deception. The -Keats and Thackeray counterfeits, on the other hand, are the work of a -professional fabricator of spurious autographs. In the Keats letters -(dated Wentworth Place, Hampstead, December 8, 1818) the postmarks, the -creases, the faded colour of the paper, and the seal with the clasped -hands and motto are all carefully imitated, but it would not for a -moment deceive an experienced hand. Collectors should carefully examine -all Keats letters offered for sale--particularly those addressed -to "My dear Woodhouse." The same remark applies to correspondence -by Burns, Scott, Shelley, and Byron, for those much-prized and -eagerly-sought-after letters have been each in turn the subject of -ingenious and carefully prepared forgeries. The Byron forger (who -claimed relationship with the poet) escaped the punishment he richly -merited, but the wholesale manufacturer of Burns and Scott MSS. was -sent to jail for a twelvemonth. - -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 War. It is known as the -_Affaire Vrain-Lucas_, and an excellent account of it was published -at the time by M. Étienne Charavay.[19] Vrain-Lucas was a needy -adventurer; Michel Chasles was a scientist of European reputation. -Incredible as it may appear, Vrain-Lucas, in the course of a few years, -induced one Chasles to purchase from him at the aggregate price of -about £6,000 no less than 27,000 autographs, nearly the whole of which -were forgeries of the most audacious description. Vrain-Lucas bestowed -on his counterfeits little of the care and attention to detail which -characterises some of the Keats, Byron, Shelley, and Scott forgeries. -Beginning with a supposed correspondence between the youthful Newton -and Pascal, which Sir David Brewster proved conclusively to be -impossible, he proceeded to fabricate letters of Rabelais, Montesquieu, -and La Bruyère. Before he had finished M. Chasles became the possessor -of letters _in French_ and written on _paper made in France_ of Julius -Cæsar, Cleopatra, Mary Magdalene, and even of Lazarus, after his -resurrection. On February 16, 1870, Vrain-Lucas was brought before a -Paris Criminal Court (_Tribunal Correctionnel_). Amongst the forged -MSS. produced on behalf of the prosecution were 5 letters of Abélard, -5 from Alcibiades to Pericles, 181 of Alcuin, 1 of Attila to a Gallic -general, 6 of Alexander the Great to Aristotle, to say nothing of -examples of the private correspondence of Herod, Pompey, Charles -Martel, Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, Sapho, Pontius Pilate, and Joan -of Arc. Another long alphabetical list of these fictitious _rariora_ -began with Agnès Sorel, Anacreon, and the Emperor Adrian, and ended -with St. Theresa, Tiberius, Turenne, and Voltaire. - -Here is a delicious example of this farrago of transparent fraud. - - -_Letter of Queen Cleopatra to Julius Cæsar._ - - Cléopatre royne à son très amé Jules César, Empereur. - - Mon très amé, nostre fils Césarion va bien. J'espère que - bientôt il sera en estat de supporter le voyage d'icy à - Marseilles, où j'ai besoin de le faire instruire tant à cause - de bon air qu'on y respire et des belles choses qu'on y - enseigne. Je vous prins donc me dire combien de temps encore - resterez dans ces contrées, car j'y veux conduire moy même - nostre fils et vous prier par icelle occasion. C'est vous dire - mon très amé le contentement que je ressens lorsque je me - trouve près de vous, et ce attendant, je prins les dieux avoir - vous en consideration. Le xi Mars l'an de Rome VCCIX.(!) - -And next came a safe-conduct pass written by Vercingetorix in favour -of "the young Trogus Pompeus on a secret mission to Julius Cæsar"! -Vrain-Lucas was promptly sentenced to two years' imprisonment for -fraud, together with a fine of 500 francs and the costs of the trial. -The only excuse for M. Michel Chasles, mathematician of renown and -Member of the Academy of Sciences, is to be found in his numerous -preoccupations and advanced age. He was seventy-six in 1870. - -In England the _Affaire Vrain-Lucas_ has to some extent its counterpart -in the literary forgery carried out with consummate skill by Dr. -Constantine Simonides, who managed to deceive that too ardent -collector, Sir Thomas Phillipps, with such tempting rarities from a -monastery on Mount Athos as part of the original Gospel of St. Matthew, -the Proverbs of Pythagoras, or a copy of Homer written on serpent's -skin. But enough has been said of these literary frauds. - -There is, however, one more class of forged autographs. I refer to -letters fabricated in order to injure another, or in furtherance of -some political object. The Parnell letters, forged twenty years ago -by Richard Pigott, belonged to this class, but they raised many of the -questions which belong to forgeries of autographs. I was lately shown a -forged letter of Napoleon III., supposed to have been written in 1848, -which had evidently been fabricated many years later, possibly in 1865, -in order to discredit him when the Second Empire began to lose its -popularity. According to the document he had ordered the assassination -of some associate suspected of treason. Not only was the imitation -of the calligraphy of Napoleon III. faulty in many respects, but the -signature, "Napoleon Bonaparte," at once betrayed the falsity of the -document. It was, curiously enough, enclosed in an official envelope of -Prince Jérôme Bonaparte's addressed to Jules Favre! - -The best-known dealers in autographs always guarantee what they -sell, and will readily take back any doubtful specimen. In the early -stage of autograph collecting it is a manifest advantage to confine -one's transactions to men of this class. Whenever the origin of an -autograph is suspicious or mysterious, it is always safest to obtain -expert opinion. As M. Charavay points out in dealing with the _Affaire -Vrain-Lucas_, the question of the source from which an article comes -is often of capital importance. Never omit to read carefully any given -letter, and consider it from an historical point of view, as well as -a mere specimen of handwriting. If M. Michel Chasles had done this he -would have saved his 140,000 francs. If the first Newton letter he -purchased had been submitted to the historical test, he would have -discovered that at the time the philosopher was supposed to discuss -problems of the greatest abstruseness he was only three years old. It -was on this deal that Vrain-Lucas built up his mountain of successful -fraud. Bear in mind all that has been said of watermarks, postmarks, -the shape and quality of paper, &c. Avoid notes written on scraps of -paper and ragged half-sheets. If you suspect a letter to be a facsimile -of some sort, touch the writing gently with diluted muriatic acid. -Forgeries effected by the use of water-colour paint yield at once to -the application of hot water. As yet the application of the useful -maxim of _caveat emptor_ is only necessary in the case of comparatively -rare autographs. Letters of no great intrinsic value have as yet not -proved remunerative to the forger, but it by no means follows that this -will always remain so. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[8] Editions of Ireland's "Confessions" appeared both in England and -America. My own copy is entitled "The Confessions of William Henry -Ireland. A New Edition with an introduction by Richard Grant White" -(New York, 1874). - -[9] Marquis of Lansdowne. - -[10] "The Detection of Forgery." A Practical Handbook, by Douglas -Blackburn and Captain Waithman Caddell (London, 1909). - -[11] The daughter of Tate Wilkinson, of York, the "Wandering Patentee." -Miss Patty Wilkinson eventually became the companion of Mrs. Siddons, -and lived with her till her death. - -[12] Mr. Siddons was now a resident at Bath, and his wife frequently -joined him there whenever her professional duties allowed of her doing -so. - -[13] J. P. Kemble was playing at the Orchard Street Theatre in the -early summer of 1801. - -[14] A married sister of Mrs. Siddons, who also resided in Bath. The -mother of Horace Twiss. - -[15] The wife of the Lessee of the Bath Theatre and Director of Posts. - -[16] The well-known Sisters Lee kept a school in Bath. - -[17] George Siddons subsequently received an Indian cadetship from the -Prince Regent, and survived his mother. - -[18] Cecilia Siddons--Mrs. Siddons' youngest daughter. Mrs. Piozzi was -her godmother. Lawrence's crayon drawing of Cecilia Siddons is now in -possession of Lady Seymour, 31, Eccleston Street. Cecilia Siddons also -survived her mother. - -[19] "Faux Autographes. Affaire Vrain-Lucas. Étude Critique sur la -Collection Vendue à Mons. Michel Chasles et Observations sur les moyens -de reconnaître les Faux Autographes," par Étienne Charavay. (Paris: -Librairie Jacques Charavay Aîné, 1870.) - - - - -IV - -SOME -FAMOUS -AUTOGRAPH -"FINDS" - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -SOME FAMOUS AUTOGRAPH "FINDS" - - =Personal reminiscences and experiences= - - No pursuit is more exciting than that of Autographs.--_The - Archivist_, 1888. - - -If autograph collecting is, as Mr. Joline defines it, "one of the -gentlest of emotions," it certainly gives its votaries occasional -moments of harmless excitement. Many of my readers will doubtless -remember the faded handwriting on the battledores of our childhood, -which, it may be presumed, represented the periodical clearings-out -of lawyers' offices; 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-head, although the anecdote finds its place -in all autograph handbooks. Ample evidence, however, exists of the -strong natural affinity which once existed between ancient documents -and the callings of the grocer and the fishmonger, but the use for old -paper in this connection has almost entirely gone out of fashion, and -the greater part of the discarded MSS. go straight to the pulp-mills -for the purposes of reconversion. I will not attempt to disguise my -envy of the pleasurable sensations Dr. Raffles must have experienced -when he picked up the original account of the expenses incurred at -the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, duly attested by Burleigh, for -eighteenpence at a book-stall on Holborn Hill. Almost equally lucky -was the discoverer, on a printing-house file at Wrexham, of the MS. -of Bishop Heber's famous missionary hymn, which not very long ago -fetched forty guineas at Sotheby's; and still more so the traveller who -reclaimed the whole of the forty years' correspondence between James -Boswell and the Rev. W. J. Temple from the proprietor of a Boulogne -fish-shop. - -As the value of autographs becomes more and more widely known, and the -search for them becomes keener, chances of important "finds" become -rarer, but the possibilities of this kind of treasure-trove are by no -means exhausted. English MSS. of great interest and value continually -come to light abroad. Letters of the early Reformers often turn up in -Holland. Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester, sent the whole of his MSS. to -his friend Bullinger, and as yet only a single letter of Tyndall has -ever come to light. Others, in all human probability, are hidden away -in the _bahuts_ and presses of the Low Countries, where letters of the -Duke of Marlborough are not unfrequently offered for sale. Fine Stuart -autographs constantly turn up both in Germany and Rome. It was in the -Eternal City that the priceless MSS. of Cardinal York were offered for -sale at the modest price of £20. The English collector _cannot too -carefully examine the catalogues regularly issued by foreign dealers_. -I have already alluded to my discovery of the marriage settlement of -Pamela FitzGerald and the sixteenth-century deed relating to a French -commission for the colonisation of Canada. 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 Stephenson:-- - - -_Sir Humphry Davy to John Buddle, Esq., Wallsend, Newcastle._ - - _LONDON, February 8, 1817._ - - DEAR SIR,--Newman appears dilatory and has not yet made the - apparatus to my mind; but I hope soon to send it you and to - give you your _new right_. 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 follow; but by the most simple precaution - security is absolute. Stevenson's Pamphlet has proved to the - satisfaction of every person who has looked at it in London, - that he _endeavoured_ to steal from what he had heard of my - researches, safety tubes and apertures: no one could have - established his piracy so effectively as himself. - - 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 1815. Whereas I left it two days after I saw you at - Wallsend which I think was the 23rd or 24th 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 Mr. Stevenson's absurd idea of _admitting - Hydrogen_ in undetached portions by a slider was fermenting in - his mind. I certainly never thought of employing _capilliary_ - [_sic_] tubes. 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 tubes. To make a lamp that - will burn on three capilliary tubes is as impossible as to make - it burn in a closed decanter. Stevenson's capilliary tubes are - evidently stolen from what Mr. Hodgson communicated early in - November of my small safe tubes and made capilliary to suit - Mr. Brandlings marvellous discovery that wire gauze is the - extremity of capilliary tubes. - - I am my dear Sir, - Very sincerely yours, - H. DAVY. - - A specimen of an advertisement suited to Mr. W. Brandling. - - _Aladdin_ should sign his name _Assassin_ for he endeavours - to stab in the dark. An assassin is a proper associate for a - private purloiner. One may attempt to murder while the other - carries off the plunder. Mr. W. J. Brandling must be ashamed of - such friends as Aladdin and Fair play, at least he cannot wish - to be seen in public with them even though he should love them - as dearly as _himself_. - - TRUTH. - - One suited to Stevenson. - - Mr. George Stevenson has changed his note from capilliary tubes - to small tubes. No one can doubt that he pilfered these from - Mr. Hodgson's communication of Sir H. Davy's discoveries. His - original principle to admit Hydrogen in small detached portions - (detached by a slider) is now kept out of sight. 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 tubes. - But does he now know what is a safe aperture? Let those people - who use his lamp, his capilliary tube lamp, look to themselves. - - VINDEX. - - It is fit that great ingratitude and little malevolence should - be united in the same cause, fortunately in this case they are - associated with great ignorance. - -From the same source came the correspondence between Lord Brougham and -his friend Arago, in the course of which the ex-Chancellor of Great -Britain proposed to abandon his own nationality, and, if elected, take -his seat in the French Assembly. - -[Illustration: TWO PAGES OF A LETTER BY LORD BROUGHAM TO E. ARAGO, -OFFERING TO BECOME A NATURALISED FRENCHMAN AND A CANDIDATE FOR THE -FRENCH CHAMBERS.] - -There is scarcely a country house or muniment-room in England which may -not afford a happy hunting-ground to the collector. It is only quite -lately missing originals of the Paston Letters (lost ever since 1789) -were recovered in the library of the descendants of Pitt's friend and -literary executor, Bishop Pretyman-Tomline. Although Moore, Murray, -and Hobhouse burned one copy of Byron's MS. autobiography in 1824, a -duplicate is supposed to be in existence, but its present whereabouts -is unknown. In a quiet corner of the Harcourt Library at Nuneham, -Whitelock's MS. was found quite unexpectedly, and Burckhardt's journal -of the Euphrates Expedition of 1811, and the MSS. of William Oldys are -still missing. A bundle of genuine Keats letters was disinterred at -Melbourne, and the letters of the Rev. George Crabbe to Miss Elizabeth -Charter, now in my possession, sojourned for many years in the -Antipodes. - -Within the last half-century letters of Addison, Prior, and Mordaunt -Earl of Peterborough, and other MSS. of great value, were saved from -imminent destruction in a manor house, near Llangollen. - -It was only seventy years ago that a dealer in Hungerford Market, named -Jay, purchased at £7 a ton a large accumulation of "waste-paper" from -the Somerset House authorities. By the merest accident it transpired -that amongst the MSS. thus unceremoniously treated were Exchequer -Office Accounts of the reign of Henry VII., Secret Service Accounts -signed by Eleanor Gwynne, and Wardrobe Accounts of Queen Elizabeth. -Several bundles of parchments were sold by Jay to a Fleet Street -confectioner, and turned into jelly, before any suspicion arose as to -their possible value or importance. It was seventeen years later than -this, in 1857, that three hundred tons of papers, including the records -of the Indian Navy, went from the old India House to the paper-mill. -Comparatively few of the Jay MSS. were recovered, for three tons of -paper which remained untouched were accidentally burned. - -There is no more picturesque incident in the annals of literary -discovery than Sir H. Maxwell Lyle's account of his "find" in a loft at -Belvoir, the clue to which was afforded by a faded label on a rusty -key. "The disturbance of the surface," we are told, "caused a horrible -stench, and it soon became evident that the loft had been tenanted -by rats, who had done lasting damage to valuable MSS. by gnawing and -staining them. Some documents had been reduced to powder, others had -lost their dates or their signatures. The entire centre of a long -letter in the hand of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, had entirely -disappeared. Those that remained were of a very varied character. A -deed of the time of Henry II. was found among some granary accounts of -the eighteenth century, and gossiping letters of the Court of Elizabeth -among modern vouchers. Letters to Henry Vernon of Haddon from the Duke -of Clarence, the Earl of Warwick, and Kings Edward IV., Richard III., -and Henry VII., written on paper and folded very small, lay hidden -between large leases engrossed on thick parchment." - -[Illustration: SPECIMEN PAGE OF THE DUMOURIEZ MS. DISCOVERED BY THE -WRITER. - -By permission of Mr. John Lane.] - -The loft at Belvoir is certainly not the only place in the United -Kingdom where autographic treasure-trove lies hid, and no opportunity -should be missed of turning over collections of MSS., when the -occasion presents itself. Some five years ago an entry in one of -the catalogues of Mr. B. Dobell, of 77, Charing Cross Road, led me -to become the possessor of the holograph project for the Defence of -England drawn up in 1803-5 by General Dumouriez, on behalf of the last -Pitt Administration. The MS. covers nearly four hundred pages, and is -carefully bound in white vellum. Every page of it is in Dumouriez's -handwriting. From first to last the work done by Dumouriez cost the -Government quite £20,000. Only fragments of the scheme exist in the -archives of the War Office. This book contains the project in its -entirety. It cost me twenty-seven shillings, and formed the basis of -a book written in collaboration with Dr. Holland Rose.[20] I have -certainly been fortunate in acquiring a great many unknown documents -relating to Napoleon and the Napoleonic wars. While rummaging amongst -the miscellaneous papers in the possession of Mr. George Mackey, the -well-known Birmingham antiquary, I lighted on the whole correspondence -between Lord Cawdor and the Duke of Portland relating to the landing -in February, 1797, of the French "Black Legion" under Tate at -Fishguard, then an almost entirely unknown Welsh fishing village, -and now transformed by the Great Western Railway into an important -port-of-call. By the kind permission of Mr. J. C. Inglis, General -Manager of the G.W.R., a reproduction is now given of the important -Cawdor letter first published in the Company's travel-books, "The -Country of Castles." The unexpected recovery of these MSS. enabled me -to give an exhaustive account of the romantic occurrence with which -they deal in "Napoleon and the Invasion of England."[21] - -[Illustration: ORIGINAL DISPATCH OF LORD CAWDOR TO DUKE OF PORTLAND -DESCRIBING THE LANDING AND SURRENDER OF THE FRENCH AT FISHGUARD, -FEBRUARY, 1797. - -(By permission of the G.W.R.)] - -But these were not the only discoveries I made in Mr. Mackey's -autographic store. I came upon a number of the original drafts of -unpublished patriotic songs by Charles Dibdin, including three in -honour of Trafalgar, of which the following is a specimen:-- - - When Nelson fell the voice of Fame - With mingled joy and pain - Lamented that no other name - So glorious could remain. - - And worthily is Nelson loved; - Yet, ere a short month's dawn, - Fresh glory Britain's sons have proved, - Led on by gallant Strachan. - - Pellew and Smith and Collingwood, fellows - Fine sailors yet exist; - But to name sailors good - I would take the Navy List. - - Great Nelson's brothers called, - And who though for ever gone, - His spirit . . . . . . . - And such a tar is Strachan. - - Then, Britons, be not out of heart, - Likewise of hopes bereft, - In twain did the sheet-anchor part, - Yet is the best "bower"[22] left. - - Still Nelson's name inspires renown, - And though for ever gone, - His spirit shall in smiles look down - And point to gallant Strachan. - - Great Nelson with his parting breath - Their character has drawn, - He called them brothers, and his death - They'll emulate like Strachan. - -For some unaccountable reason the commonplace book of the unofficial -laureate of the Navy had drifted to Birmingham. It was found by me -in the same bin of literary odds and ends as the Cawdor dispatches, -which obviously ought to have been in the Home Office or the Record -Office. At the same time and place I lighted on the letters of Colonel -Digby, the "Mr. Fairly," of Fanny Burney's Journal, to the beautiful -sisters Margaret and Isabella Gunning, the first of whom he afterwards -married, thereby (if the Court gossip of the day may be trusted) sorely -disappointing the literary Assistant-Keeper of the Royal Robes. - -[Illustration: MS. VERSES ON TRAFALGAR IN THE HANDWRITING OF CHARLES -DIBDIN, 1805.] - -It was from Mr. Dobell that I obtained another of the MSS. in my -collection which I specially prize--I allude to the holograph copy of -Mrs. Robinson's "Memoirs," 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 Clarence, Duchesses -of Ancaster and Dorset, the Earl of Jersey, the Marquis of Lothian, -the Duke of Grafton, and so forth. It is also curious to trace the -frequent flittings of the unfortunate "Perdita," the early love of -the Prince described in bitter irony as "the first gentleman in -Europe." From Berkeley Square she moves to Clarges Street, and thence -in rapid succession to Piccadilly, Curzon Street, St. James's Place, -Hill Street, Stanhope Street, and South Audley Street. Now she is at -the Ship Inn at Brighton; now at the Hôtel de Russie and the Hôtel -de Chartres at Paris; now at No. 10, North Parade, Bath. One or two -letters seem to have been addressed to Englefield Cottage, where she -died. On an ivy-grown tomb in Old Windsor churchyard one can still -decipher Samuel Pratt's lines beginning:-- - - Of Beauty's Isle her daughters must declare - She who sleeps here was fairest of the fair. - -From this MS. the "Story of Perdita and Florizel" may some day be -re-written or re-edited. - -By the kindness of Dr. Scott I added to my collection a genuine letter -of great Shakespearean interest, for it is addressed to Edward Alleyn, -the Founder of Dulwich College, by William Wilson, one of the actors in -Shakespeare's troop at the Fortune Theatre. It runs as follows:-- - - -To my most dear and especial good friend Mr. Edward Alleyn at Dulwich. - - Right worshipful, my humble duty remembered hoping in the - Almighty that your health and prosperity, which on my knees I - beseech Him long to continue, for the many favours which I have - from time to time received. 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 prosperity. 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 further, 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 Mr. Dowton and Mr. - Edward Juby to be a means that the company of players of the - Fortune [may] either offer at my wedding at St. 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 continue. I hope of your - worship's favour herein. I humbly take my leave. Resting your - Worship's during life to be commanded - - WILLIAM WILSON. - -From the registers of St. Saviour's, Southwark, it is clear that -Wilson's marriage took place there on _Sunday_, November 2, 1617, about -eighteen months after Shakespeare's death. Dowton, like Farren, is an -hereditary theatrical name, and the Wilson letter reveals another -actor Dowton, probably an ancestor of the Dowtons of a later time. Dr. -Wallace, the erudite discoverer of the new Shakespeare document at the -Record Office, writes me that he considers the letter of William Wilson -an excellent specimen of the epistolary style of Shakespeare's time, -and of singular interest to Shakespearean students. - -Some of my most interesting "finds" are now placed in my Napoleonic -collection, which I have almost doubled in extent since the publication -of "Collectanea Napoleonica."[23] For £5 I obtained, some five years -ago at Sotheby's, the letter of 24 4to pages in which Sir Stamford -Raffles describes his visit to St. Helena and his interview with -Napoleon. As I received a very substantial sum for permission to -reproduce a portion of it in a daily paper, this interesting and -valuable MS. cost me nothing. At the Bunbury sale a great many letters -of historical importance fetched a comparatively low price. It was -at this sale that Mr. Frank Sabin bought the second and more lengthy -letter from George Crabbe to Edmund Burke now in my possession. It was -at the Bunbury "dispersal" that the late Mr. Frederick Barker bought -for me the extraordinary official letter and holograph proclamation -to the Vendéans penned by Louis Larochejaquelein on June 2, 1815, an -hour or two before his death. These documents would certainly have -fetched five times the price I paid for them in Paris, where I had to -pay £10 for a letter of his more famous brother Henry, killed in 1794. -I also purchased at the Bunbury sale two long letters of C. J. Fox -to his uncle, General Fox, and a confidential letter of Earl Bathurst -giving Bunbury his opinion of Gourgaud, and enclosing four sheets of -a private letter from Sir Hudson Lowe. The companionship of autographs -is curious. In a letter of the Marquis Montchenu, the garrulous French -Commissioner at St. Helena, I found an autograph of Sir Hudson Lowe, -written in 1780 at the London Inn, Exeter, when he was a boy-ensign -in the Devon Militia! 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 son, who in 1857 was one of the garrison -in the Lucknow Residence. In June, 1906, M. Noël Charavay bought for -me at the Dablin sale a number of Napoleonic _rariora_, amongst them -the Longwood Household Expenses Book kept by Pierron, the _maître -d'hôtel_, between March, 1818, and April 30, 1821. The entries are -always countersigned by Montholon, and in many cases are controlled by -Napoleon, who frequently made calculations as to the relative value -of pounds and shillings in francs. All these papers will, doubtless, -be useful to some one who desires to say the last word on the Last -Phase, and I am very grateful to Mr. Frank Sabin, who procured for me -the original copy of the elaborately-bound "Last Reign of Napoleon," -which Mr. J. C. Hobhouse, afterwards Lord Broughton, sent out to Sir -Hudson Lowe for presentation to Napoleon, but which was never given to -him. On the flyleaf the author copied out a suggestive quotation from -Tacitus. The romance of these volumes belongs rather to the subject -of extra-illustration, which I hope to deal with in a future work. -I have already pointed out the utility of this interesting pursuit -for the proper preservation of valuable autographs. In America, where -so many collectors believe that "the political is ephemeral and the -literary eternal," thousands of autographs are inserted in as many -books, to which the special charm and value of "association" is thus -given. 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 Napoleon." Some two years since I obtained through Messrs. -Maggs, of 109, Strand, two very interesting MSS. connected with the -Irish Rebellion of 1798. One of these is the Camolin Cavalry Detail -Book, May 25-October 8, 1798, and the other is made up of a collection -of the letters written between 1796 and 1815 by Arthur, Earl of Mount -Norris, a Royalist leader. With the new light obtained from them and -the MS. journal of a lady who was an eye-witness of the occurrences -she describes, Mr. H. F. B. Wheeler and the writer have endeavoured to -again deal with the story of the "War in Wexford." I have by no means -completed my list of "finds." I trust, however, 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 -value, but can help to throw new light either on the life of the -writer, or the far-off times in which it was written. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[20] "Dumouriez and the Defence of England against Napoleon" (London, -1909. _Vide_ Preface, pp. xi-xiii). - -[21] See "Napoleon and the Invasion of England," by H. Wheeler and A. -M. Broadley, vol. i. chapter ii. "A Three Days' War. The Invasion of -England by Hoche's Black Brigade, February 22, 23, and 24, 1797," pp. -31-74. - -[22] _I.e._, strongest anchor. - -[23] "Collectanea Napoleonica." A Catalogue of the Collection of -Autographs, &c., &c., relating to Napoleon I. formed by A. M. Broadley, -compiled by W. V. Daniell, with a preface by A. M. Broadley (London, -1905). - - - - -V - -ROYAL -AUTOGRAPHS -PAST AND -PRESENT - - -[Illustration: BULLETIN ISSUED A WEEK AFTER THE BIRTH OF KING EDWARD -VII. AND SIGNED BY THE MEDICAL MEN IN ATTENDANCE, NOVEMBER 16, 1841.] - -[Illustration: ORDER TO THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT TO DESTROY KEYNSHAM -BRIDGE, NEAR BRISTOL, ON THE APPROACH OF MONMOUTH, SIGNED BY KING JAMES -II., JUNE 21, 1685.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF THE ELECTRESS SOPHIA OF HANOVER TO THE DUKE OF -LEEDS, OCTOBER 19, 1710.] - - - - -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 gold. - - RICHARD BENTLEY. - - -The autographs of Royalty have, for more than a century, formed a -favourite subject for collection, not only in the United Kingdom, -but on the Continent and in the United States, where I am told the -finest examples of this fascinating branch of the autograph cult -(Mr. Adrian Joline calls it frankly a hobby) are to be found. Royal -letters and signatures figure conspicuously and plentifully in all -books of facsimiles, but the young collector would do well to study -carefully two volumes devoted exclusively to this particular branch -of calligraphy.[24] Examples of Royal handwriting abound in both the -Record Office and the British Museum, although a good many were either -turned into jelly, burned, or otherwise wasted in consequence of -such regrettable transactions as the "waste-paper" deals between the -officials of Somerset House and Mr. Jay, and those of the new India -Office and the pulping-mills.[25] It is clear that Royal autographs may -be looked for in all sorts of out-of-the-way and unexpected places. -Henry VIII.'s love-letters to Anne Boleyn are said to be hidden away in -the Vatican, and Sir H. Maxwell Lyte found the sign manuals of monarchs -amongst the débris of the Belvoir hay-loft. - -In no class of autographs is the rise of prices and increase of value -so remarkable as in those now under discussion. I cannot precisely -ascertain the present worth of the signature of Richard II., with whom -the English series is supposed to commence, but M. Noël Charavay tells -me that a document signed by John II., the first of the French Royal -signers, would fetch £10. Before me lie some interesting details as -to the value of Royal autographs in 1827, and a group of catalogues, -containing a good many desirable items of this kind, issued in London -between 1875 and 1885. - -It will be instructive to note the prices which choice specimens -fetched at these comparatively recent periods. In _The Archivist_ of -December, 1889, we are informed that according to the price-currents -of 1827 the autographs of "Elizabeth the adored of her people" are -worth £2 2s., while Charles I., "worshipped as a martyr," commands the -same price. Charles II., with his Queen, Catharine of Braganza, thrown -in, fetches no more than £1 5s. James II. is worth £3 8s., owing to a -limited supply. William III. yields less than half that figure, but a -whole letter of Queen Mary was knocked down for £3 10s. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF KING GEORGE III. ON THE SUBJECT OF THE DEFENCE -OF ENGLAND IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE GREAT TERROR OF 1796-1805. - -(By permission of Mr. John Lane.)] - -The expert of this excellent journal continues: "George I., 'a heavy, -dull German gentleman,' is reckoned worth only £1 1s., and George II., -I am ashamed to say it, only 14s. Our beloved monarch George III., -being well remembered, rises to £3 10s. George IV., the most complete -gentleman of his age,[26] rises above all his Royal predecessors -and reaches £4 14s. 6d.; 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 copybook. Here I fain would conclude this estimate of -British rulers, but truth compels me to add that Oliver Cromwell is -deemed worth £5 15s. 6d. French kings are sadly degraded. Five _Grands -Monarques_, among whom are Francis I. and Louis XIV., are estimated at -the average price of 4s. 1½d. each; Henry IV. advanced to 14s., but -Napoleon, in the very teeth of French legitimacy, reaches 20s. higher. -A French Queen, Anne of Austria, is worth 7s., while Josephine, the -shadow of a French empress, is worth more than five times this sum. -A great and wise Emperor of Russia, and the brave King of Prussia, -require the aid of a French prince, an English princess, and seven -English peers to push them up to 16s." These were indeed halcyon days -for the collectors, but at that period they were few and far between. -Mr. William Upcott, the _doyen_ of modern autograph collectors, reigned -almost supreme at "Autograph Cottage," Islington, his only possible -competitors being Mr. Young and Mr. John Dillon. - -[Illustration: COMMISSION SIGNED BY OLIVER CROMWELL, OCTOBER 20, 1651. - -(In the collection of Sir George White, Bart., of Bristol.)] - -[Illustration: SIGNATURE OF LORD PROTECTOR RICHARD CROMWELL TO A -COMMISSION, JANUARY, 1658.] - -In the mid "eighteen-seventies" Mr. John Waller, the conscript father -of London autograph-dealers, was about to move from 58, Fleet Street to -Harley House, Artesian Road, Westbourne Grove. A little later the late -Mr. Frederick Barker began to issue catalogues of autograph letters and -historical documents from Rowan Road, Brook Green. He became the -agent of Mr. William Evarts Benjamin, now the _doyen_ of the autograph -merchants in New York, then residing at 744, Broadway. In Mr. Waller's -first catalogues I find the following "Royalties": Charles II. Royal -Sign Manual, 7s. 6d.; letter from Charles II. of Spain to William III., -4s. 6d.; George Sign Manual when blind, 7s. 6d.; George I. Sign Manual, -1 p. folio, 12s. 6d.; Henry II. of France, fine D.S. with State seal, -12s. 6d.; King of Siam, 7s. 6d.; Papal Bull of Urban VIII., 30s.; -Warrant of Privy Council of Edward VI. with numerous rare signatures, -25s.; Duke of Sussex, interesting letter on the trial of Queen -Caroline, 4s. 6d.; Queen Victoria, two Royal Sign Manuals at 10s. each; -Henry VIII. Royal Sign Manual on "vellum, document of great beauty," -48s.; Henry VII. Royal Sign Manual on "document of greatest interest," -70s.; Frederick Prince of Wales, L.S., 10s.; Charles I. when Prince -of Wales, D.S., 34s.; Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette--signatures on -two "important documents," 24s. the pair; Napoleon I. L.S. 2 pp. 4to -to Prince of Neuchatel, Valladolid, January 11, 1809, 25s.; Papal Bull -Alexander III., 1181, 47s. 6d.; Mary II. Royal Sign Manual, 30s.; -Original Orders for Arrest of Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III.), June -13, 1848, 52s. 6d.; Napoleon II. (King of Rome), 4 pp. of an original -historical essay, 48s.; Royal Sign Manual of Philip and Mary, ten -guineas; A.L.S. of Charles II., 1½ pp., Whitehall, September 26, 1660, -_à sa chère sÅ“ur_, 73s. 6d. I will not pursue this list further. The -reader can judge of the relative value of Royal autographs in 1827 and -1875-80. - -[Illustration: FOURTEEN LINES IN THE WRITING OF NAPOLEON ON MILITARY -ORDER, WITH HIS SIGNATURE, JULY 3, 1803.] - -In the price of the autographs of sovereigns of minor importance there -has been no striking rise since 1880. Indeed, I note that on December -17th, 1909, letters and documents signed by Ferdinand, Grand Duke of -Tuscany, Louis XVIII. of France, Mathias de Medicis, also of Tuscany, -and Rudolph II., Emperor of Germany, were knocked down in one lot at -Sotheby's for five shillings. But letters of the Tudor and Stuart -sovereigns are fetching as many pounds in 1910 as they did shillings -eighty years ago. A pardon granted by James II. to Edward Strode, of -Downside, "on account of his entertaining the Duke of Monmouth for one -night immediately after his defeat at Sedgemoor," sold on December 17, -1909, for £57. Mr. Waller in 1876 would assuredly have catalogued it at -57s. or less. Four years ago I purchased for Sir George White, Bart., -of Bristol, an order, signed by the same sovereign, enjoining the -Duke of Beaufort to burn Keynsham Bridge on the approach of Monmouth -and his followers, at the modest price of 42s. Amongst other letters -or documents belonging to this category figuring in the last sale of -1909 may be mentioned a letter signed by Cromwell addressed to the -Genevan Senate on the recent Protestant massacres in the Alps (July -28, 1655), for which Mr. Sabin gave £31, and two A.L.S.--one of George -IV. and one of William IV., which went to Mr. W. V. Daniell for 12s. -To what indignation would this startling fall in value have moved the -righteous soul of the chronicler of the sale-prices of 1827! MSS. of -"The First Gentleman in Europe" rank no longer amongst the high-priced -autographs, but I shall have more to say of them presently. Experience -has taught me to look in Munich and Paris for bargains in the matter -of seventeenth-century Stuart letters. At Munich I quite lately came -across a fine A.L.S. of Charles I. for £10, and a delightful L.S. of -his eldest son while in exile to the Elector Palatine, with seals and -silken cords intact, for 50s. Good William III. letters now average -£10, but I obtained the following characteristic letter written from -the Camp before Namur for less than half that sum:-- - - _AU CAMP DEVAND NAMUR, 13 de juillet, 1695._ - _A neuf heures du soir._ - - J'ay receu ce matin vostre lettre de hier du matin a neuf - eures, j'ay donne les ordres pour faire marcher demain a la - pointe du jour le Brigadier St. Paul avec cinq batt; selon la - route que Dopp vous envoyerez pour les Dragons je vous en ay - ecrit hier et attendres vostre reponse. Si vous trouves que - vous n'avez pas besoin de ces batt: vous les pouvez faire halte - en chemain et me les renvoyer. 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 advertires, 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 ... s'il en ecchapera, je - suis toujours a vous. - - WILLIAM R. - -[Illustration: AUTOGRAPH OF HENRY VII., KING OF ENGLAND (1456-1509). - -(In the collection of Messrs. Maggs.)] - -Letters of the Electress Sophia of Hanover very rarely turn up, and -I consider the following quaint epistle addressed to that astute -"trimmer," the Duke of Leeds, when she was over eighty, a great bargain -at 30s.:-- - - _HANOVER le 19 Decbre 1710._ - - _A Monsieur le Duc de Leeds._ - - MONSIEUR,--Longtems que j'ay le bien de vous connoitre come - il y a par la reputation que vous vous estes acquise dans le - monde, vous devez estre assuré my Lord que les marques de votre - amitié m'ont este fort agreable et que i'ay este bien aise que - vous serés 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 voie, et dont vous devez estre fort - content. Je les chargeres fort à leur retour de vous assurer du - cas que je faits de votre amitié et de la reconnaissance avec - la qu'elle je suis Monsieur - - Votre tres affectione - a vous servir - SOPHIE ELECTRICE. - - Je me souviens fort bien du tems que vous faites le mariage du - Roy Guillaume et des bons bons sentiment que vous tenies en - cÅ“ur. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF KING WILLIAM III. FROM CAMP BEFORE NAMUR, JULY -13, 1795.] - -[Illustration: LAST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF EMPRESS CATHERINE OF RUSSIA TO -MRS. DE BIELKE, OF HAMBURG, JULY 28, 1767.] - -Letters of Frederick the Great, be they holograph or merely signed, -are cheaper in England than on the Continent. Even the L.S. are often -witty, and I have met with many good specimens at from 10s. to 15s. One -of the greatest treasures in my collection is a superb letter of the -Empress Catharine II. of Russia, dated July 28, 1767, and addressed to -Madame de Bielke, of Hamburg, who gave it to a Foreign Office official, -Sir Charles Flint, from whose descendant it passed into my possession. -It was submitted by M. Noël Charavay[27] to M. Rambaud, ex-Minister of -Public Instruction, Professor at the Sorbonne, who discovered it to -be one of an important series, of which sixteen are published in the -"Collection de la Société impériale d'histoire de Russie." Sir Charles -Flint was an early collector of autographs, and his duties as a King's -Messenger gave him excellent opportunities of picking up treasures -like this. I think it best to give the letter in the original French, -instead of following the modernised version adopted in Paris:-- - - A MA TERRE DE KOLOMINSKA A SEPT WERSTE DE MOSCOU - - _le 28 Juillet 1767_. - - MADAME,--Je suis de retour de mon grand voyage depuis six - semaine, et pendant ce tems a peine aije trouvé le moment - pour vous repondre, quoique tout les jours je me disois demain - j'ecrirés et lorsque demain venoit j'avois autant de tracas, - que la veille, et au sortir de la j'etois si fatigué que je - pouvoit dire comÌ„e le Philosophe marié, A force de penser je - n'ai plus d'idée; en attendant j'ai a repondre a cinq de vos - lettre dans lequelles je trouve repandu un sentimens universel - de votre part de m'obliger; je vous en ai bien de l'obligation - madame, et j'y reconnois parfaitement ce caractere aimable qui - vous a toujours distingué. En revange des nouvelles de l'Europe - dont vous me faite part quelque fois je vous en conterés - d'Asie, j'ai fait 1300 Werstes sur le Volga j'ai descendu - dans les endroits les plus remarquables, j'ai trouvé les deux - bords du Volga d'une beauté au dessus presque de l'expression, - peuplés et cultivés tres honetement, mais l'endroit qui a - le plus attiré mon attention est sans contredit la ville de - Casan; au premier coup d'Å“il l'on voit que s'est la capitale - d'un grand Royaume; j'y ai trouvé des habitans de huit nations - aussi differentes par leur habillement que par leurs mÅ“urs, - Religions, languages, et idées, cette Ville est tres opulente - et s'est la premiere des nôtres qui a reconÌ„u que les - batimens de bois sont moins bons que ceux de pierres, qui peut, - en fait a present de cette derniere espeçe, et ceux qui n'ont - pas euë cette facultés ont euë le malheur de perdre les leurs - il y a deux ans par un incendie, j'ai trouvé la moitié de la - ville brulée mais en verité l'on ne s'en aperçevoit pas, tant - cette ville est grande, je fais rebatir la moitié brulés en - pierre et probablement ce sera un quartier très honÌ„ete, la - Ville m'a don̄é une mascarade un souper un feu d'artifiçe et - une fete publique pour le peuple ou chaque nation dansoit a sa - façon devant la maison, au j'étois; il y avoit une affluance de - Noblesse d'allentour qui fit qu'il y eut jusqu'a quatre cent - masque de cet état des deux sexe. J'ai trouvé outre cela de - tres belle fabrique et des marchandise de touttes espece. On - avait élevé un arc de triomphe pour mon entrée comÌ„e je n'en - ai vuë encore, de pareil a aucune solemnellité. Enfin après - sept jours j'ai quité a regret cette ville qui n'a d'autre - defaut que d'être situé a 800 Werste de celleçi et en Asie, en - revange le sol est excellent, les asperges sauvage les serises - les abricots sauvages et les roses y vienÌ„ent comÌ„e les - broussailles dans les autres pays, on chauffe les fourneaux - avec du chene et des tilleuls faute d'autre bois. Nous y avons - trouvé une chaleur excessive a la fin de may et l'hiver y dure - moins qu'ici, j'ai été de la jusqu'au confins du Royaume de - Casan et ou celui d'Astracan comÌ„ençe, j'y ai trouvé 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 mosquée et six Voûtes de maison la terre est noire - comÌ„e 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 - oublié le nom. Ensuite je suis revenue ici et j'ai fait 800 - werste en six jours, en tres bonÌ„e santé, je souhaite Madame - que la votre soi de meme et que vous soyés bien assuré de mon - estime et amitié. - - CATERINE. - - La plupart de neuf deputés choisis pour travailler a notre - nouveaue Code étant arrivé, l'on comÌ„ençera après demain avec - beaucoup d'appareil ce grand et memorable ouvrage. - -For the following translation I am indebted to Professor Maurice A. -Gerothwohl, Litt.D., of the University of Bristol:-- - - AT MY ESTATE OF KOLOMINSKA, SEVEN VERSTS FROM MOSCOW. - - _July 28, 1767._ - - MADAM,--It is now six weeks since I returned from my long - journey, and during this time I have been scarcely able to find - a moment in which to reply to you, although I said to myself - daily, "I will write to-morrow"; but, when the morrow came, I - experienced the same trouble as on the previous day, and in the - end I was so tired that I might well have exclaimed with "The - Married Philosopher,"[28] "I have thought so much that I have - no thoughts left." Meanwhile I have to answer five letters of - your own, all of which breathe a general desire on your part - to be of some service to me. I am, indeed, obliged to you for - this, Madam, wherein I readily discern that lovable disposition - which has ever been one of your distinguishing traits. - - In return for the European news which you communicate to me - from time to time, here is news from Asia. I did 1,300 versts - on the Volga, landing at the most notable spots. I found both - banks of the Volga beautiful almost beyond expression, and - withal fairly populated and cultivated. But the spot which - attracted most attention on my part is unquestionably the City - of Kazan.[29] You recognise at first sight that you are here - in the capital of a great kingdom. I found there members of - eight nationalities, all equally distinct in dress, customs, - religion, language, and modes of thought. The city is very - prosperous, and the first of our towns to recognise that wooden - are inferior to stone buildings. All who can afford it, now - build houses of the latter type, and those who were precluded - from doing so had the misfortune of seeing their homes wrecked - in a conflagration which occurred some two years since. But - as a matter of fact, we never noticed this, as the city is so - vast. I am having the ruined half of the city rebuilt in stone, - and it will probably present a very respectable appearance. - The city authorities entertained me to a masque, a supper, - fireworks, while for the people there was held a public - festival, at which each nation danced in its own peculiar style - in front of the house in which I was staying. There was a - great influx of the nobility of the neighbourhood, so that the - masks of both sexes belonging to this order numbered no fewer - than four hundred. Apart from all this, I came across fine - factories, and goods of all descriptions. For my entry, they - had erected a triumphal arch such as I had never yet beheld at - any solemnity. Finally, when seven days had elapsed, I left - with some diffidence this town whose only fault is that it is - situated in Asia, and distant from here by some 800 versts. - On the other hand, its soil is most fruitful, wild asparagus, - cherries, apricots, and roses growing there like brushwood in - other lands. They heat their ovens with oak and lime-tree, - there being no other wood available. We found it excessively - hot there at the end of May, and their winter is shorter than - our own. Thence I proceeded to the limits of the Kingdom - of Kazan, and the starting point of the boundaries of the - Astrakhan Kingdom. And here I came across the ruins of a town - built by Tamerlane for his grandson, of which all that survives - in its entirety are a couple of minarets built of freestone, a - mosque, and six vaulted chambers. The soil there is as black as - coal, and when you sow there is no need to till; you need only - pass lightly over the seeds with an instrument used everywhere - for that purpose, the name of which I have forgotten. Following - upon that, I returned here, covering 800 versts in six days, - and feeling none the worse for it. I only hope that your health - is equally satisfactory, and that you entertain no doubts as to - my regard and friendship for you. - - CATHARINE. - - The majority of the nine deputies who have been appointed - to work at our new Code having now arrived, we shall embark - to-morrow upon that great and epoch-making task with due - solemnity. - - -What a contrast does the vigorous letter of Catharine "Slay-Czar," -as Horace Walpole was pleased to call her, present to the following -letter of Louis XVI., written to Lavoisier, the Physicist, while the -premonitory grumblings of the coming storm were still audible! - - _VERSAILLES le 15 Mars 1789._ - - Votre derniere experience, Monsieur, fixe encore toutte mon - admiration. Cette découverte prouve que vous avez aggrandi - la sphère des connoissances utiles. Vos expériences sur le - gaz inflammable prouvent combien vous vous occupiez de cette - science admirable qui, tous les jours, fait de nouveaux - progrès. La Reine et quelques personnes que je desire rendre - témoins de votre découverte, se réuniront dans mon cabinet, - demain a sept heures du soir. Vous me ferez plaisir de m'i - apporter le _traitté des gaz inflammables_. Vous connoissez, - Monsieur, toutte mon amitié pour vous. - - LOUIS. - - -[TRANSLATION]. - - _VERSAILLES 15 March 1789._ - - SIR,--My admiration is still wholly riveted upon your latest - experiment. This discovery proves that you have enlarged the - sphere of useful knowledge. Your experiments on inflammable gas - prove to what extent you have cultivated that admirable science - which is daily making further strides. The Queen and a few - persons to whom I am anxious to show your discovery will meet - in my study to-morrow evening, at seven. I shall be pleased if - you will bring with you the _Treatise on inflammable Gas_. You - are not unaware, sir, of the very great friendship which I bear - you. - - LOUIS. - -The old Princess Amelia, Aunt to George III., the legends of whose -snuff-taking and card-playing still linger at Gunnersbury and in -Cavendish Square, was a wit in her way. Horace Walpole yawned -incontinently at one of her whist parties, and made amends in verse. -This is what she wrote him in return:-- - - -_Princess Amelia to Horace Walpole._ - - _17 of June._ - - I wish I had a name that could answer your proud verses. Your - yawning yesterday opend your vein for pleasing me and I return - you my thanks my good Mr. Walpole and remain, - - Sincerely your friend, - AMELIA. - -At the back, in the handwriting of Walpole, "From Her Royal Highness -Princess Amelia June 17 1786." - -[Illustration: ONE OF THE EARLIEST SIGNATURES OF LOUIS XIV. (AGED SIX).] - -[Illustration: INTERESTING A.L.S. OF LOUIS XVI. TO THE CHEMIST -LAVOISIER ON THE SUBJECT OF THE DISCOVERY OF INFLAMMABLE GAS, -VERSAILLES, MARCH 15, 1789.] - -Few Royal letters interest me more than those of George III., upon -whose worth of character, in my opinion, they throw a strong light. -Five years ago they were comparatively rare, although Farmer George -was his own Secretary, and appears to have been at his desk at all -hours of the day and night from 1760 until his Jubilee in 1809, when -blindness fell upon him, and his signature became an undecipherable -scrawl. His writing was peculiarly neat and legible. 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 month. Here is an early letter -written to the future Lord Hood, when the future King William IV. went -to sea as a boy of twelve.[30] - - -_George III. to Sir Samuel Hood,_ - - _June 13th, 1779._ - - SIR SAMUEL HOOD,--This will be delivered to you by Major - General de Budé, 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 situation, 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 him. If the fleet sails - in the course of the Week I hope you will find some means of - letting him attend it to St. Hellens; as it will be a very - additional pleasure if he can bring me the news that this noble - Fleet is under way. - - GEORGE R. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF KING GEORGE III. TO SIR SAMUEL HOOD -(AFTERWARDS LORD HOOD), JUNE 13, 1779.] - -Nine years later he goes to Cheltenham with the threatenings of his -first attack of mental affliction upon him. He writes thus banteringly -to his daughter the Princess Sophia, who lived down to our own time, -and whom my mother remembered seeing in a sedan chair in Bond Street:-- - - _CHELTENHAM Aug 4 1788_ - - MY DEAREST SOPHIA,--The account this day of Mary is so charming - that it has quite put me into spirits, 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 Handel. - - Yesterday evening Lady Reed with all her curtsies left this - place, but not without inviting _your Gentleman_ to come as a - _connoisseur_ to assist her Mackaws, Parrots and Paroqueets. - Tell Gooly that she is not forgot for Sestini's songs are - play'd in honour of her on the walks and _dear Mr. Hunt_ - enquir'd very kindly of the Colonel after her, I ever remain - - My dearest Sophia - Your most affectionate Father, - GEORGE R. - - PS.--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 time, indeed, - I believe the knowledge of his coming has brought them from all - parts of the Island. - -Lady Reed was one of those persons who followed the Court everywhere--a -peculiarity not wholly extinct. There is a curious caricature of -her making her bow to Royalty on the Weymouth Esplanade, surrounded -by a bevy of spaniels, the companions of the "Mackaws, Parrots and -Paroqueets" mentioned by the King, who evidently understood her. In the -late autumn the King's affliction declared itself, but in the following -April he became convalescent, and the following is one of the first -letters he wrote on his recovery:-- - - -_George III to Lord Sydney._ - - Though heartily tired of receiving addresses, as I am on - Saturday to receive through the hands of the Lord Mayor of - London and the Sheriffs one from the livery of London, I do - not object to the Laity of the Protestant Dissenters sending - a Deputation with an Address on the same day. Lord Sydney may - therefore authorize Mr. Nepean to give a favourable answer to - the Application of Mr. Boyle French. - - G. R. - Windsor, - _April 11, 1789._ - -Here is a letter of seven years later, when the strained relations of -the "First Gentleman in Europe" and his wife, the Princess Caroline, -became a public scandal:-- - - -_George III. to Caroline, Princess of Wales._ - - _WINDSOR, 28 Juin 1796_ - - MADAME MA FILLE,--J'ai reçu hier votre lettre au sujet du bruit - repandu dans le public de Votre repugnance a vous preter à une - parfaite reconcilliation avec Mon Fils le Prince de Galles je - ne disconvient pas (_sic_) que cette opinion commence à prendre - racine, et qu'il n'y a qu'une manière de la détruire c'est que - Mon Fils ayant consenti que la Comtesse de Jersey doit suivant - votre desire quitter Votre Service et ne pas être admise à - Votre Societé privée. Vous devez témoigner votre desir qu'il - revient chez lui, et pour rendre la reconcilliation complette - on doit des deux cote's abstenir de reproches, et ne faire des - confidences à d'autres sur ce sujet. Une conduite si propre - certainement remettra cette Union entre mon Fils et Vous qui - est un des evenemens que j'ai le plus à louer. - - Mon fils le Duc de York Vous remettra cette lettre et Vous - assurera de plus de l'amitié sincere avec la quelle je suis - - Madame Ma Belle Fille - Votre très affectueux Beau Pere - GEORGE R. - -The finest letters of George III. from a moral and patriotic point of -view are unquestionably those written during the "Great Terror," when -for nearly ten years the practical realisation of Napoleon's threatened -invasion of our shores was expected at any moment. Some years ago, at -the cost of £5, I obtained the following letter addressed by the King -to Lord Mulgrave just four days before Trafalgar:-- - - _KEW, October 17 1805_ - - The information received by the mail just arrived is so - important that Lord Mulgrave has judged very properly in - instantly communicating it, though at an irregular hour. The - violence of Bonaparte is highly advantageous to the good cause, - 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 it. - - GEORGE R. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF KING GEORGE III. WRITTEN FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE -BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR.] - -Shortly after the death of the late Duke of Cambridge a vast number of -George III.'s letters suddenly flooded the market. The average price -fell from £5 and more to £2 and less. Every autograph dealer in London -had a stock, so there could be no "corner" in "Georges." I contrived to -get thirty or forty--mostly written from Weymouth. It seems that during -the great crisis King George wrote almost daily to "Dear Frederic" -(his son the Duke of York, Commander-in-Chief), and many of these -letters are of the greatest interest. For 10s. I picked up the King's -holograph draft of a plan for mobilising an army of defence between -Dorchester and Weymouth.[31] Between 1789 and 1805 George III. paid -fourteen visits to Weymouth. Many momentous acts of State were carried -out at the Royal Lodge, now transformed, with hardly any structural -change, into the Gloucester Hotel. If it had not been for the death -of the Duke of Gloucester, the King would have received the news of -Trafalgar in the same place where he had talked a few weeks previously -with "Nelson's Hardy." Some day these letters will help materially the -telling of the story of the "Court by the Sea." I thank Thackeray for -the lines which made George III., when old, blind, and forsaken, say:-- - - "My brain perhaps might be a feeble part, - But yet I think I had an English heart - When all the Kings were prostrate; I alone - Stood face to face against Napoleon, - Nor even could the ruthless Frenchman forge - A fetter for old England and old George." - -The letters of the Princess of Wales (1796-1819), the Queen Caroline -of 1820-21, are not very valuable, but they are curious.[32] They -are now quite as valuable as those of her worthless husband and his -successor, of whom I possess several interesting examples, beginning -in the days when he was sailing with Digby and earning the sobriquet -of "Jolly Young Tarry-breeks." At the sale of the library of the -Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar (June 21, 1904) I purchased three -volumes, bound in green calf, full of Prince William's early notes and -exercises. One of these is docketed by the youthful sailor "Remarks -on Countries, Harbours, Towns, etc. on board the _Prince George_, -Feb 8 1780 William Henry." Some day my friends in the United States -will read a description of New York from the pen of a future King of -England, written a century and a quarter ago, and the romantic story -connected with it. Here is a letter he wrote home to his tutor, Dr. -Majendie, from Sandy Hook. It speaks volumes, at any rate, for his good -intentions:-- - - DEAR SIR,--I send you enclosed a key of a table of mine that - stands in the long room next to my bed-chamber in London. 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 draw. - - I understand that the convoy does not sail till late, therefore - you will go in the Packet, I suppose: In this case I must - heartily wish you a quick passage, a sight of your family in - London, to whom I beg you will make my best wishes, thank your - Brother in my name for having collected the Poets for me. - - The little I have seen of Captain Napier I like very well; - I hope he does the same of me; 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 nobody, but - particularly from you I have so long lived with. - - I am, Dear Sir, - Your most affectionate and sincere friend, - WILLIAM HENRY. - -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 Atlantic. Mr. Joline gives a very startling -instance of this, and I believe all her late Majesty's correspondence -with Mr. Gladstone went to America, and that for a very inadequate -consideration. The examples I give of the writing of living members -of the Royal Family are only fragments reproduced as specimens of -calligraphy. I can never quite understand how the Royal letters came -to figure in dealers' catalogues, notwithstanding in many cases -the confidential nature of their contents. In his "Collections and -Recollections" (1898) Mr. George W. E. Russell gives the following -autograph anecdote:-- - -"Like many other little boys, Prince Alexander of Battenberg ran -short of pocket-money and wrote an ingenious letter to his august -Grandmother, Queen Victoria, asking for some slight pecuniary -assistance. He received in return a just rebuke, telling him that -little boys should keep within their limits and that he must wait till -his allowance next became due. Shortly afterwards the undefeated little -Prince resumed the correspondence in something like the following form: -'My dear Grandmama, I am sure you will be glad to know that I need not -trouble you for any money just now, for I sold your last letter to -another boy here for thirty shillings.'" - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF QUEEN ALEXANDRA TO MRS. GLADSTONE, DECEMBER 7, -1888.] - -[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA'S ORDER ON A LETTER OF SIR HENRY -PONSONBY, APRIL 26, 1894.] - -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 -kind, including whole bundles of telegrams in the handwriting of their -employers. From a similar source came one of the last letters Queen -Victoria ever penned, and a very touching relic it is, showing the -care for others and deep womanly sympathy which characterised the whole -of her life. I have since learned that it is customary to retranscribe -the originals of telegrams penned by illustrious personages. If this is -so the practice is most reprehensible. The telegrams from H.R.H. the -Duke of Connaught to the late Queen Victoria have nothing in them of a -confidential character. The first telegram is reproduced by permission -of the Editor of _The Country Home_; the second runs as follows:-- - - -_The Duke of Connaught at Moscow to Queen Victoria, Balmoral._ - - _MOSCOW, May 31 1896_ - - QUEEN, Balmoral, England,--Very deplorable accident occurred at - beginning of yesterday's fête hours before arrival of Emperor - many peasants crushed to death Accident due over eagerness and - entirely fault of people themselves 700,000 people on ground. - Very sad. - - ARTHUR. - -[Illustration: ONE OF THE LAST LETTERS WRITTEN BY QUEEN VICTORIA, -ADDRESSED TO GENERAL SIR GEORGE WHITE, OF LADYSMITH.] - -[Illustration: AUTOGRAPH TELEGRAM FROM THE LATE PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR OF -WALES TO HIS GRANDMOTHER, QUEEN VICTORIA.] - -The autograph of the late Prince Albert Victor will some day become -exceedingly rare and costly. The only example I have of his writing -is the telegram he sent to his grandmother, Queen Victoria, at -Darmstadt, from that _caravanserai_ of kings, the Hôtel Bristol, in -the Place Vendôme, Paris. It is not often that Royalty honours one of -those irritating social tortures entitled "An Album of Confessions to -Record Thoughts and Feelings." The late Duke of Coburg (Prince Alfred -of England) fell a victim to the possessor of one thirty-seven years -ago, and the results figured at the modest price of £1 in a London -catalogue:-- - - CONFESSIONS. - - 1. Your favourite virtue--Self-denial. - - 2. Your favourite qualities in man--Decision and hardihood. - - 3. Your favourite qualities in woman--Dress and paint. - - 4. Your favourite occupation--Hunting and riding. - - 5. Your chief characteristic--Good nature. - - 6. Your idea of happiness--A good wife. - - 7. Your idea of misery--A mother-in-law. - - 8. Your favourite colour and flower--White, and lilies of the - valley. - - 9. If not yourself who would you be?--Some one else. - - 10. Where would you like to live?--In Rome or Vienna. - - 11. Your favourite prose authors--White-Melville and Lever. - - 12. Your favourite poets--Moore and Walter Scott. - - 13. Your favourite painters and composers--Raphael and - Mendelssohn. - - 14. Your favourite heroes in real life--Bayard and Leonidas. - - 15. Your favourite heroines in real life--Joan of Arc and - Boadicea. - - 16. Your favourite heroes in fiction--"The Claimant" and Lord - Rivers. - - 17. Your favourite heroines in fiction--Mother Gamp and Mrs. - Brown. - - 18. Your favourite food and drink--A mutton chop and a glass of - porter. - - 19. Your favourite names--Cerise, Blanche, Georgiana. - - 20. Your pet aversion--Flattery. - - 21. What characters in history do you most dislike?--Gessler - and Gambetta. - - 22. What is your present state of mind?--Doubtful. - - 23. For what fault have you most toleration?--Vanity. - - 24. Your favourite motto--"Honi soit qui mal y pense." - - ALFRED. - - _ROME, February 16, 1873._ - -[Illustration: HOLOGRAPH TELEGRAM OF THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT TO QUEEN -VICTORIA, ST. PETERSBURG, MAY 26, 1896.] - -[Illustration: ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF QUEEN VICTORIA TO HER ELDER -DAUGHTER, AGED SIX, OCTOBER 21, 1846. - -(By permission of Harper Brothers.)] - -Some years ago, when I first took up autograph collecting as a serious -occupation, I bought from Mr. James Tregaskis, of the "Caxton Head," -a copy-book of George, Prince of Wales, filled up when he was in his -thirteenth year. Few boys of that age could, in this twentieth century, -emulate the copper-plate of the then industrious Heir Apparent. With -the copybooks went his first cap and frock, both edged with the -daintiest Valenciennes lace. The genuineness of these relics of Royalty -was attested by the Dowager Countess of Effingham, Lady-in-Waiting -to Queen Charlotte, and their subsequent possessor, Mr. F. Madan, -of the Bodleian Library. A little later I purchased the Prince's -"exercise-book" of three years later, which begins with an "Extract -of the First Oration of Cicero against Catiline, spoken before their -Majesties in the Picture Gallery at Windsor, August 12, 1778." At the -same time I acquired the Duke of York's "Translations from Terence." On -the first page, the student of fifteen writes: "Frederick. This volume -begun January 9th, 1778. _Dimidium facti, qui bene cÅ“pit, habet._" It -is sad to think they were within measurable distance of the "Perdita" -entanglement of 1780-81. I was already in a position to satisfy the -curiosity of the expert of 1827 as to a page of the copy-book, "of the -best king that ever lived," 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 Consort, and the up-bringing of -their elder children. There was nothing of a confidential nature in -these MSS. 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-forties," and the care bestowed on the -up-bringing of his late Majesty King Edward VII. These documents formed -the nucleus of a book, and by the permission of Messrs. Harper & -Brothers several of them are now reproduced. The _édition de luxe_ -of this book[33] has been extra-illustrated by two ladies in New York. -I have also treated a copy very elaborately in this way, and I venture -to think it will make history some day. Many of the "unconsidered -trifles" it contains are not likely to be soon met with again, and -the _ensemble_ reconstitutes the Court atmosphere of 1840-45. In the -opening chapters of the "Boyhood of a Great King," I have given a brief -account of the upbringing of five generations of the British Royal -Family. Since then I have come across an interesting bundle of papers -once in possession of the Earl of Holdernesse, for some years governor -of the children of George III. In 1776 the King writes thus to Lord -Holdernesse:-- - - LORD HOLDERNESSE,--The opinion I have of your being the - most fit Person in all respects to have the direction of - the education of my Sons, which I should imagine the many - interesting Conversations I have had with you this winter - must have thoroughly convinced you, must have prepared you to - expect that the contents of your letter would occasion equal - sorrow and surprise. If you are determined in the plan you now - propose, 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 me. - - GEORGE R. - _QUEEN'S HOUSE May 22 1776_ - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF THE DUCHESS OF KENT TO HER -GRANDSON, KING EDWARD VII., AGED EIGHT, AUGUST 26, 1849. - -(By permission of Harper Brothers.)] - -Three years previously the Earl, during a period of temporary absence, -had received a good many letters from his pupils, in which good -feeling seemingly vies with excellence of calligraphy. Here are some -examples:-- - - -_The Duke of York, aged ten, to his tutor, the Earl of Holdernesse._ - - _KEW October 25 1773_ - - MY LORD,--I am glad to here (_sic_) that you are (_sic_) arived - safe at last, and I hope that you will finish your business so - as to return to us by the sixth. The King and Queen were so - good as to send for us on Monday evening quite unexpectedly. - I hope your Lordship will be as good as to continue your good - wishes to me, and I will try to deserve them. We have not had - another letter from Mr. Smelt since you have been gone. The - Bishop[34] and Mr. Jackson[35] send their compliments to your - Lordship. - - My dear Lord, I am always your's - FREDERICK. - - -_Prince William (afterwards Duke of Clarence and King William IV.), -aged eight, to the Earl of Holdernesse [1773]._ - - MY LORD,--J'ai eté bien aise d'apprendre que vous avez eu un - bon passage et j'espere que tout le reste de votre voyage sera - aussi heureux. Nous avons eu un beau feu d'artifice au lieu - de bal a la naissance de La Reyne. Je presente mes amitiés à - My Lady et a vous My Lord bien des voeux pour votre santé. Je - suis impatient de vous revoir et bien sincerement votre tres - affectionné ami - - GUILLAUME - - -_Prince Edward (afterwards Duke of Kent), aged six, to the Earl of -Holdernesse._ - - MY LORD,--Comme j'ai surement autant d'amitié pour vous que mon - frère 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 affectionné ami - - EDOUARD. - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF QUEEN ADELAIDE TO HER -GREAT-NIECE, THE LATE EMPRESS FREDERICK OF GERMANY, CIRCA 1848. - -(By permission of Harper Brothers.)] - -[Illustration: PAGE OF REGISTER CONTAINING THE SIGNATURES OF -CONTRACTING PARTIES AND WITNESSES AT THE MARRIAGE OF KING EDWARD VII. -AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA, 1863.] - -[Illustration: PAGE FROM THE MS. REMARK-BOOK OF PRINCE WILLIAM HENRY -(AFTERWARDS KING WILLIAM IV.), IN WHICH HE BEGINS TO DESCRIBE NEW YORK, -JANUARY, 1781.] - -[Illustration: PAGE OF EXERCISE BOOK OF KING GEORGE IV. AT THE AGE OF -TWELVE.] - -[Illustration: DRAWING BY CHARLOTTE, EMPRESS OF MEXICO, DATED LACKEN, -1850.] - -[Illustration: A SHEET FROM THE COPY-BOOK OF THE EMPEROR ALEXANDER II. -OF RUSSIA WHEN A BOY.] - -In the following year the Prince of Wales, aged twelve, thus addresses -his absent tutor:-- - - _KEW, July 22 1774._ - - MY DEAR LORD,--I am glad to hear you are so much better, 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 otherwise. There is a man come from - Otaheite with Cap^{n} Furneaux. He is about five foot 10 high - almost quite black, his nose is flat like that of the Negroes, - his lips are purple. 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 some. In my next letter to you I will give - you a fuller description of him. 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 Lord, - I am your Faithful Friend - GEORGE P. - -The following letter of the Duke of Sussex, aged fourteen, and already -at the University of Göttingen, came from the same source:-- - - DEAR DUNBAR,--I make a thousand excuses for not having wrote - to you, but my time is so taken up that it is out of my power. - I long very much to see you again. We pass our time very - agreeably here as there are many pretty and agreeable Girls - ... and you know the Company of Ladies is very agreeable. I - hope you spend your time with pleasure. Pray write to me where - you are and your Employment at present. I can't stay longer to - write. Adieu! - - Your's ever - AUGUSTUS FREDERICK - - Göttingen, _Jan. 15 1787_ - -The Princess Charlotte, for some years heiress to the British Crown, -was apparently as diligent as her uncles and aunts of the previous -generation. The following letter was sold at Sotheby's for a few -shillings. It is difficult to imagine the Queen Caroline of the -pro-Georgian caricaturist playing blindman's buff with her little -daughter! Possibly it afforded her one of the few happy hours of her -_vie orageuse_:-- - - -_The Princess Charlotte, aged 8 years and 6 months, to her Aunt the -Electress Charlotte of Würtemberg._ - - MY DEAR AUNT,--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 Elgin, - who wishes me to resemble you in everything. I am very anxious - to write better that I may let you know how I go on in my - learning. I am very busy and I try to be very good. I hope to - go to Windsor soon and see my Dear Grandpapa and Grandmama. I - love very much to go there and play with my aunts. Mama comes - very often to see me and then we play at merry games--Colin - Maillard. - - I am much obliged to you for sending me so many pretty things - and wish you and the Elector[36] were here and would bring my - cousin Princess Theresa with you. - - Adieu my dear Aunt and Believe me - Your ever Affectionate and Dutiful Niece - CHARLOTTE - - PS.--My duty to the Elector - - Shrewsbury Lodge _August 17 1804_ - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF QUEEN CHARLOTTE TO MR. PENN, OF PORTLAND, -NOVEMBER 19, 1813.] - -The daughters of George III. and Queen Charlotte were all excellent -letter writers, but their ordinary letters fetch absurdly low prices, -although many of them are historically important. Queen Adelaide, the -consort of William IV., was fond of writing texts on cards edged with -filigree to be sold for philanthropic purposes. Her autographs are, -in consequence, exceedingly common. The copy-book, page, and drawing -of the still-living Empress Charlotte of Mexico have a melancholy -interest. Her autograph and that of her ill-fated husband sell well -abroad. The late Comte de Chambord and the late Comte de Paris wrote -better hands as boys than the King of Rome or the Prince Imperial, of -whose autographs I shall speak in connection with Napoleonic MSS. The -rough sketch of soldiers drawn by the Prince Imperial and the artillery -essay written by him at the Royal Military College, Woolwich, certainly -form interesting items in that portion of my autograph collection which -I label the Copy-books of Kings. - -While the present volume was going through the press a most important -sale of Royal autographs took place at Sotheby's. At the sale of May -4, 1910, no less a sum than £5,446 6s. was realised for 195 lots. -Amongst the letters of Royal personages then dispersed, an A.L.S. of -Mary Queen of Scots, dated Chatsworth, June 13, 1570, and addressed -to her brother-in-law, Charles IX. of France, fetched £715; a D.S. of -Edward VI., £370; an A.L.S. of Queen Mary I., £205; an A.L.S. of Queen -Elizabeth, £160; 7 A.L.S. of Catherine de Medicis, £145; a L.S. of -Henry VII., £24; a L.S. of Henry VIII., £25; three A.L.S. of Charles -I., £55, £49, and £39 respectively, and three A.L.S. of Charles II., -£25, £23 10s., and £22 respectively. The account of the expenses -incurred at the "Meeting of the Field of the Cloth of Gold," signed by -Francis I., was sold for £130. - -The following examples of the handwriting of the late Prince Consort, -the late King Edward VII., the late Duke of Coburg, King George V., -Queen Mary, and the late Empress Frederick of Germany may prove -interesting to my readers, as well as useful to collectors:-- - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. BY ALBERT, PRINCE CONSORT, TO -GENERAL PEEL, 1858.] - -[Illustration: EXERCISE OF THE LATE KING EDWARD VII. WHEN TEN YEARS -OLD, DECEMBER 17, 1851. - -(By permission of Harper Brothers.)] - -[Illustration: EXERCISE OF THE LATE DUKE OF COBURG (PRINCE ALFRED) AT -THE AGE OF EIGHT. - -(By permission of Harper Brothers.)] - -[Illustration: ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF KING GEORGE V. WHEN DUKE OF YORK -TO THE LATE DUCHESS DOWAGER OF MANCHESTER, FEBRUARY 22 1886.] - -[Illustration: ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF QUEEN MARY WHILE DUCHESS OF YORK -TO A FRIEND, MAY 24, 1900.] - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF THE EMPRESS FREDERICK OF GERMANY -TO MR. PROTHERO, FEBRUARY 22, 1889.] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[24] "The Handwriting of the Kings and Queens of England," by W. -J. Hardy (The Religious Tract Society, London, 1893). "Manuel de -Diplomatique," by A. Giry (Paris, 1894). The latter is a veritable -mine of wealth, and its 1,000 pages abound in all sorts of useful -information concerning Royal and official documents. It may almost be -described as a key to the archives of Europe. - -[25] See _ante_, p. 100. - -[26] George IV. was alive in 1827. - -[27] "L'Amateur d'Autographes," August, 1905, pp. 191-93. - -[28] Comedy by Destouches. "The Married Philosopher" was played at the -Comédie Française in 1727. - -[29] A Russian city on the left bank of the Kasanka, 460 miles east -of Moscow. Its university and library were already famous at the time -of the Empress's visit. It is fortified by a stone wall six miles in -circumference. - -[30] See _post_, p. 143. - -[31] This is published in "Dumouriez and the Defence of England against -Napoleon." Others appear in "Napoleon and the Invasion of England" -(1907), and the "War in Wexford" (1910). - -[32] Several letters of Queen Caroline in my possession are published -in Mr. Frederic Chapman's "A Queen of Indiscretions" (London, 1907). -In my copy of this interesting book I have inserted a furious exchange -of letters between Prince Leopold (Leopold I. of Belgium) and Lady -Anne Hamilton as to a supposed slight offered by the former to Queen -Caroline in June, 1820. - -[33] "The Boyhood of a Great King," by A. M. Broadley. Harper & -Brothers, London and New York, 1906. _Édition de luxe_, 4to size with -additional plates, limited to 125 copies. - -[34] Dr. Hurd, afterwards Bishop of Worcester. - -[35] Dr. Cyril Jackson, afterwards Dean of Christchurch. - -[36] In May, 1797, the Princess Royal of England married Frederick, -Prince of Würtemberg, born in 1754. Later in the year he succeeded to -the dukedom on the death of his father. In April, 1803, a decree of -Napoleon raised him to the rank of Elector. Hence the title given to -her aunt by the young Princess. The Elector subsequently became King of -Würtemberg in virtue of the Treaty of Presbourg (January 7, 1806). - - - - -VI - -THE AUTOGRAPHS -OF STATECRAFT, -SOCIETY, -AND DIPLOMACY - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE AUTOGRAPHS OF STATECRAFT, SOCIETY, AND DIPLOMACY - - =Unpublished letters of the two Pitts, Lord Chesterfield, and - Lord Stanhope= - - "As keys do open chests - So letters open breasts." - - JAMES HOWELL (1595-1666). - - -"Letters of affairs from such as manage them, or are privy to them," -writes Lord Bacon, "are, of all others, the best instructors for -history, and to a diligent reader, the best histories in themselves." -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 life. -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 centuries. Almost all the American -autographs of great value[37] may be classed in this category. It is -obvious that some writers, like Lord Chesterfield, united in their -persons the attributes of statesmen, diplomatists, and men of fashion. - -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-making. The chronicler of 1827 already -alluded to makes no secret of the fact. "Hands which the reins of -empire might have swayed," he frankly confesses, "are hands of very -inferior value on paper. Sir Francis Walsingham, the able and upright -secretary of Queen Elizabeth, must have five other celebrated persons -added to mount up to 9s. The price of the great Sir Robert Walpole, -who discovered the price of more than half the House of Commons, and -made the whole of the Government run smoothly, is 18s. Mr. Pitt, the -Pilot that weathered the storm, and Mr. Perceval, who fell by the ball -of an assassin, join hands to reach 13s.; and Lord Castlereagh, who -once towered high above the heads of the people, now needs the help -of Lord Grenville, and a Lord Chief Justice, to lift him up to a like -sum. The average value of a common Lord Chancellor is about 2s. 6d. -Lenthall, the Speaker of the House of Commons in the Long Parliament, -and Thurloe, the Secretary of Oliver Cromwell, are valued together at -52s. 6d." - -I am hardly disposed to altogether credit this statement, as large -sums, comparatively speaking, were paid even then for documents -signed by Thomas More, the Earl of Pembroke (Shakespeare's friend), -and Francis Bacon, who, according to the writer, would be pitilessly -relegated to the half-crown class. In Frederic Barker's catalogue -for 1887 I find a Privy Council letter, signed by Bacon and several -others, priced at £7 7s., and Mr. Waller, ten years before, offers a -2 p. A.L.S. of the younger Pitt for 18s. It was nevertheless a letter -of considerable historical value. In this kind of autographs important -finds may often be made by buying letters written by little known -personages to eminent politicians. In a recent sale at Sotheby's a -dozen letters addressed to William Windham went for 1s. the lot. It is -quite possible they may enshrine some unknown State secret. I lately -saw at the shop of Messrs. Ellis, in New Bond Street, a deed signed -not only by Bacon but his wife, and nearly the whole of his relatives -and connections. It is in an excellent state of preservation, and was -priced at £30. - -At the present moment, when the sixth generation of our Royal Family -is represented in the Senior Service, two letters of the elder Pitt, -the Great Commoner, arranging for the entry into the Navy of the first -Prince of the House of Brunswick to join it, cannot but be interesting. -These letters were addressed in 1759 to Lord Holdernesse, and concern -the Duke of York, a younger brother of King George III.[38] - - -_William Pitt (afterwards Earl of Chatham) to Lord Holdernesse._ - - _past 5 o'clock_ - (1758-9?). - - DEAR LORD,--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 Navy. His Majesty, at the same - time signifyd his Intentions to the Duke of Newcastle not to - allot any appointments to the Prince on this account. Proper - representations, however will be made for an allowance for - Table at least, which it is hoped will not be without effect. - - I am doubly happy, my Dear Lord, at the favourable and speedy - determination of this very important arrangement, and cannot do - sufficient Justice to the Instant and efficacious attentions - paid to the Intentions of Leicester House, which I had the - great honour to be commanded to make known. - - I am ever - My dear Lord's - most affectionate Friend - and humble servant - W. PITT - - The King reviews the Cavalry Monday next. - - -_William Pitt (afterwards Earl of Chatham)._ - - _Monday_ ½ past 4 - - MY DEAR LORD,--I am able to put your mind entirely at ease as - to some doubts which seemed to have arisen, by acquainting - your Lordship that in consequence of the signification of the - King's pleasure by me, the Lords of the Admiralty have ordered - Captain Howe _to enter Prince Edward in the Ship's books, as a - volunteer for wages and victuals, and his Retinue as part of - the allowed complement of the Ship_. This is the Form and puts - everything out of doubt. The King is pressing for the Departure - of the Expedition, and has named General Bligh to command the - Forces. Lord Ligonier is gone to the General to acquaint him - of the King's pleasure. I conceive Howe will sail by Thursday - at latest if the weather permits. Preparations having been - ordered to be made for the Reception of Prince Edward on - Board of Captain Howe's own ship, Mr. Cleveland informs me - that _everything_ will be provided for His Royal Highness's - accomodation if Bligh accepts (for such is the style of our - army) and the King should approve the Draught of Instructions - to be laid before His Majesty tomorrow, nothing but a wind will - be wanting. - - Prince Ferdinand recommends the continuation of attack on their - coasts as _la guerre la plus sensible à la France de l'attaquer - dans ses Foyers_. And yet this great Prince is certainly a - Stranger to the Common Council, Beckford and _the Buchaneers_. - Olmutz may draw into some length; 10,000 men in the Place and - old General Marshall defending it with great vigour. I could - not possibly see General Elliot this morning, being obliged to - go to Kensington, and I am this evening to be at a meeting by - seven. I am, - - Ever my dear Lord's - Most Affectionate Friend - W. PITT. - -Seven years later, on the afternoon of February 22, 1766, the Premier, -after a tempestuous debate, concluded a letter to his wife in the -country thus:-- - - Love to the sweet babes, _patriotic_ or not, tho' I hope - impetuous William is not behind in feelings of that kind. Send - the saddle horses if you please, so as to be in town early - tomorrow morning. I propose and hope to execute my journey to - Hayes by 11. Your ever loving husband - - W. PITT. - -The patriotism of William Pitt the younger, born in the very year -Prince Edward joined Captain Howe's ship as a "volunteer for wages -and victuals," was soon to blossom forth not only in an infantile -drama,[39] but in a poem hitherto unpublished, which I had the good -fortune to obtain through Mr. F. Sabin. It was the joint work of -"impetuous William" and his sister in the spring of 1777, and is in the -handwriting of the former:-- - - -ON POETRY - - Ye sacred Imps of thund'ring Jove descend. - Immortal Nine, to me propitious, bend - Inclining downward from Parnassus' brow; - To me, young Bard, some heav'nly fire allow. - From Agannippe's murmur strait repair, - Assist my Labours and attend my Pray'r. - Inspire my Verse. Of Poetry it sings. - Thro' _Her_, the Deeds of Heroes and of Kings, - Renownd in Arms, with Fame immortal stand; - By _Her_, no less, are spread thro' ev'ry Land - Those Patriot names, who in their Country's cause - Triumphant fall, for Liberty and Laws. - Exalted high, the Spartan Hero stands, - Encircled with his far-renowned Bands, - Who e'er devoted for their Country die; - Thro' _Her_ their Fame ascends the starry Sky. - _She_ too perpetuates each horrid Deed, - When Laws are trampled, when their Guardians bleed. - Then shall the Muse, to Infamy prolong - Example dread, and theme of trajick Song, - Nor less immortal than the Chiefs resound - The Poets' names, who spread their deeds around. - Homer shall flourish first in rolls of Fame; - And still shall live the Roman Virgil's name. - With living bays is Lofty Pindar crowned, - In distant ages Horace stands renowned. - These Bards, and more, fair Greece and Rome may boast - And some may flourish on this British coast. - Witness the man, on whom the Muse did smile, - Who sung our parents' Fall, and Satan's Guile. - A second Homer, favour'd by the Nine, - Sweet Spenser, Johnson, Shakespear the Divine, - And He, fair Virtue's Bard, who rapt doth sing - The praise of Freedom, and Laconia's King. - But high o'er Chiefs and Bards supremely great - Shall Publius shine, the Guardian of our State. - Him shall th' immortal Nine themselves record - With deathless Fame, his gen'rous toil reward. - Shall tune the Harp to loftier sounding lays - And thro' the world shall spread his ceaseless praise. - Their hands alone can match the heav'nly String - And with due fire his wond'rous glories sing. - - HARRIETT PITT, May 1771, 13 years old. - WILLIAM PITT, 12 years old. - -[Illustration: LAST PAGE OF UNPUBLISHED HOLOGRAPH POEM IN HANDWRITING -OF WILLIAM PITT, MAY, 1771.] - -[Illustration: LAST WHIP ISSUED BY WILLIAM PITT AND SIGNED BY HIM, -DECEMBER 31, 1805.] - -[Illustration: SIGNATURE OF SIR ISAAC HEARD, GARTER, ON CARD OF -ADMISSION TO THE FUNERAL OF WILLIAM PITT 1806.] - -Here is a letter written by him thirty-three years later, after his -return to office on the resignation of Addington. It shows conclusively -that his share in helping the Fatherland to weather the storm was -physical as well as moral:-- - - -_William Pitt in Downing Street to Lieut.-Colonel Dillon of Walmer._ - - _DOWNING STREET, September 1, 1804._ - - MY DEAR SIR,--As the Harvest is now nearly over, I imagine - this would be a very fitting time for proposing to assemble - your Battalion on permanent duty; and there seems chance - enough of the occasion arriving for actual Service, to make it - desirable that there should be as little delay as possible. - Lord Carrington has gone to Deal Castle to-day, and if you can - contrive to see him tomorrow, or next day, I shall be glad if - you will settle with him the necessary arrangements. I think - the time should not be less than Three weeks, and in that case, - an extra allowance will be made of a guinea pr Man, which - added to the usual pay will amount to 2s pr day for the whole - period. This will enable us to give the men full compensation - for at least six or seven hours a day, on an average; and - will therefore allow of three or four long Field Days in each - week, and only short drills in the remaining days; and such - arrangement would, I think, answer every purpose. I should hope - you might fix the commencement of permanent duty for Monday - fortnight, very soon after which day I hope to come to Walmer - to make some stay. I shall be at Dover on Tuesday next for a - day, but have some business which will carry me from thence - along the Coast, and probably back to town before I reach - Walmer. - - Believe me, my dear Sir, yours very sincerely, - W. PITT. - -In June, 1909, an extraordinary series of letters by Pitt, Burke, and -others was offered for sale. They were manifestly of supreme importance -to the history of England during one of her most terrible political -crises. I am glad to say certain steps were taken which led to the -issue of the following notice:-- - - SALE OF AUTOGRAPH LETTERS, - _June 9th and 10th._ - - * * * * * - - WINDHAM CORRESPONDENCE. - _Lots 519 to 550._ - - * * * * * - - Messrs. SOTHEBY, WILKINSON & HODGE - having Sold these Lots privately, by direction - of the Executors, they will not be included in - the Sale on June 10th.[40] - -The patriotism of Pitt certainly finds no echo in the following -extraordinary letter of his opponent, Lord Stanhope, which I purchased -in Paris for 15 francs:-- - - _The Earl of Stanhope to M. Palloy, Entrepreneur de la demolition - de la Bastille, Grenadier Volontier de la 1^{ere} Division de - l'Armée Parisienne, Rue du Fossé St. Bernard, Paris_:-- - - CHEEVENING HOUSE - near SEVENOAKS KENT - _Aout 25 1790_ - - MONSIEUR,--Je vous rend bien des Graces pour votre lettre - obligéante du 7^{e} courant. On vous a mal informé quand on - vous a dit que nous avions à notre fête à Londres un Chapiteau - d'une des Colonnes de la Bastille; ce n'était point partie - d'une colonne; mais seulement une vraie pierre de la Bastille, - comme nous nous sommes assurés. Je ne profiterez [_sic_] donc, - par de votre trés obligéante offre, mais je ne vous en suis par - moins obligé. Je me rejouis, chaque jour de la demolition de la - Bastille et de la Liberté des Français - - Je suis, Monsieur, - Votre très humble et obeissant serviteur - STANHOPE - - à M Palloy - -A year or so ago I was lucky enough to secure the official dispatch-box -bearing the Royal cipher and his initials, which Pitt left behind him -at Bath, when returning to Putney a few days before his death. In it -is his last Whip, signed on December 31, 1805. On January 21st he was -dying, and on the 23rd he died. This melancholy document now lies -within the forgotten dispatch-box! - -Chesterfield--the "great" Earl of Chesterfield--died when the younger -Pitt was fourteen years old. It is more correct to describe him as a -contemporary of his father, the Great Commoner. He was, as an amusing -and able letter-writer, superior to both, but he loved society and -they did not. In the recent Haber Sale at New York (December 10, -1909) a very fine Chesterfield letter only fetched £3 8s. It is thus -described:-- - - CHESTERFIELD (PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, FOURTH EARL OF). A.L.S., - 2 pp. 4to, London, June 14, 1746. (Endorsed on the back "_To - Thos. Prior_.") With portrait. - - Thomas Prior was the Irish philanthropist, with whom Earl - Chesterfield became acquainted while Viceroy of Ireland. - - A remarkable letter proposing schemes for manufactures in - Ireland. He first suggests glass manufacture, and next - writing and printing paper, and states that the specimens - shown him of Irish manufacture impressed him greatly, and - only "_industry is wanting_"; another suggestion is the - manufacture of starch, and he writes that he has been shown - a method of making it from potatoes easily and cheaply, - and while the law in England prevents it being made from - anything else than flour in that country, that law might - not apply in Ireland, and proceeds: "_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 - Nature._" Many other reflections show sound common sense. - -Two years ago I gave £4 each for five unknown and unpublished letters, -written between 1762 and 1771 by Chesterfield to his relative, Mr. -Welbore Ellis Agar ("Gatty"). The specimen I now give of them is -interesting, as it concerns Bath, a city which I regard as the great -source and centre of the lighter and more gossipy letters of the -eighteenth century:-- - - _BATH, October ye 8th 1771._ - - DEAR GATTY,--When we parted we agreed to correspond by way of - letter, but we did not as I remember stipulate which should - make the first advance, but as I always sacrificed my Dignity - to my pleasure, I here make the first step though Cozen and - Counsillor to the _King_ and your Unkle, which is a kind of - Deputy Parent. Admire my condescension. To begin, then, with - an account of my Caducity. I made my journey to this place in - two days, which I did not think I could have done, much tired - with it but alive. Since I came I have seen no mortal till last - night, 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 Vere. The _new rooms_ are really Magnificent - finely finished and furnished, the Dancing-room, which the Lady - Thanet used to call the Posture-room, particularly spacious - and adorned. A large and fine play room, and a convenient Tea - room well contrived, either to drink or part with that liquor. - So much for this and more I cannot tell you, for as for the - people who are not yet many, they are absolute strangers to me, - and I to them. In my review of the fair sex last night I did - not see one tolerably handsome, so that I am in no danger - of falling in love this season, and indeed my heart and mind - are so engrossed by Mr. Agar's fair cousin _Mrs. Mathews_, - that I have no room left for a second choice. I hope that at - her return to England, he will do me what good offices he can - with her; my way is to end my letters abruptly, and without a - well-turned period. - - So God bless you - CHESTERFIELD. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF EARL OF CHESTERFIELD, OCTOBER 8, 1771, -DESCRIBING THE INAUGURAL BALL AT THE NEW BATH ASSEMBLY ROOMS.] - -The Mrs. Mathews alluded to in the letter was probably the wife of -Captain Mathews, who afterwards fought a duel with Richard Brinsley -Sheridan. - -Here is another Chesterfield letter from a different source:-- - - -_Earl of Chesterfield to Mrs. Montague, May 14, 1771._ - - Lord Chesterfield presents his respects to Mrs. Montague and - desires her to accept of the enclosed trifle for her poor - women; his charity purse is at present as light as hers can - possibly be, not from being as formerly his Play-purse too - but from the various applications of wretched objects which - humanity cannot withstand. - -Of the early nineteenth-century statesmen letter-writers Brougham -was one of the most prolific, but I have already spoken of a curious -"find" of somewhat sensational Brougham correspondence in Paris.[41] -His ordinary letters only fetch from 3s. to 5s. Far more costly are the -letters of Curran, Grattan, and O'Connell. Here is a typical letter of -the "Liberator," written from Bath:-- - - -_Daniel O'Connell to Mr. W. H. Curran._ - - _BATH, October 14, 1817._ - - MY DEAR CURRAN,--I have wept over your letter. Oh God your - Father never offended me,--we once differed on the subject of - the details of our Petition, but if my information on facts - respecting that detail was not superior to his, I feel my - inferiority in every other respect too sensibly to dare to - differ with him. 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 slavery. How naturally - does the thought fly from his bed of sickness to the sorrows of - Ireland. The Boldest, best, most eloquent, most enthusiastic, - and perhaps more than the most persevering of her Patriots, he - was. Alas he leaves none like or second to him. You will my - friend think I declaim while I only run rapidly through the - thoughts that his illness crowds upon me. You do well, quite - well. It will, in every respect, console you to recollect that - you have done your _duty_. 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 well. If your - letter afforded me hope that I could see your Father, so as - to be able to converse with him, I would answer your letter - in person, as it is I wait only your reply to go to you. It - would suit most convenient not to leave this before Saturday, - but your reply will command me. The Funeral must be Public. - I will of course attend it. We will arouse everything Irish - in London and pay a tribute to _his_ memory unequalled by - any which London has witnessed. Tell Phillips I only wait a - _reply_ to join you both. Do you think of conveying his remains - to Ireland? this if practicable would be best. Write, or get - Phillips to write, as soon as you receive this. You perceive - that I write in the extreme of haste, but I am for ten thousand - reasons convinced that you should listen to no suggestion of - a private funeral. You would repent it only once, that is all - your life. Would to God I could offer you consolation. - - Believe me, my dear friend, to be most faithfully yours, - - DANIEL O'CONNELL. - -Mr. Gladstone was, like Wellington and Brougham, a writer of -innumerable letters. There was a demand for them once, but at the -present moment, by the irony of fate, an average Gladstone letter -fetches less than one of his wife. Special circumstances, however, -may give them special value. This is exemplified in the case of the -Gladstone-Manning correspondence written from Balmoral, which I found -at Brighton. The introduction of the economical and space-saving -postcard spoiled Gladstone as a letter-writer in his old age. Here is a -typical letter of his, relating to the present of a bust of O'Connell -and interesting at the present political juncture:-- - - -_Mr. Gladstone to Mrs. O'Connell._ - - _10 DOWNING STREET January 28. 1882._ - - MY DEAR MADAM,--I accept with many thanks the Bust you have - been so kind to send me. It is a most interesting memorial - of early days, and of a man of powerful mind and will, and - profound attachment to his Country; whose name can never be - forgotten there. - - In my early years of Parliamentary life, casual circumstances - brought me into slight personal relations with Mr. O'Connel, - and I have ever retained the lively recollection of his - courtesy and kindness. - - I remain, my dear Madam, your very faithful and obedient, - - W. E. GLADSTONE. - - I must not omit to thank you for the kind terms in which you - speak of my efforts on behalf of Ireland, and I cling in that - confidence to the hope that a happy future is yet in store for - her. - -[Illustration: ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. FROM MR. W. E. GLADSTONE AT BALMORAL -TO CARDINAL MANNING, N.D.] - -Four years ago I saw ten letters of the late Lord Beaconsfield -catalogued at £70. Personally I regard him as almost the last of -the now extinct race of letter-writers, for the epistolary art has -succumbed beyond hope of recovery to the combined influences of the -telegraph, the telephone, the type-writer and the halfpenny newspaper. -A "newspaper" letter, as Mrs. Montagu, Lord Lyttelton, and Lord Bath -used to call them, would be as ridiculous as a conversation on _les -belles lettres_. How Lord Beaconsfield's life is ever to be written -with any hope of completeness, I cannot imagine. _Hundreds_ of his -letters have been sold since his death, and a specimen of average -interest can now be obtained for 20s. or less. I have gradually -acquired thirty or forty and am certain that sooner or later a rise in -price is inevitable. People will soon discover that in the fragmentary -and wholly unsatisfactory published collections of Beaconsfield's -letters _the originals have been ruthlessly mangled or transformed_. -I shall only include two examples in this book, beginning with a very -early one from the inevitable Bath:-- - - -_Benjamin Disraeli to his Sister._ - -(Franked by E. Lytton Bulwer.) - - _BATH, Thursday [Jany 24 1833]_ - - MY DEAREST,--You ought to have rec^{d} my letter on Sunday and - I should have answered your's immediately, but it is almost - impossible to get a frank out of Bulwer and I thought my father - w^{d} go quite mad if he received an unprivileged letter under - present circumstances. We quit this place tomorrow and sh^{d} - have done so to-day, but dine with a Mr. Murray here. I like - Bath very much. At a public ball I met the Horfords, Hawksleys - etc. Bulwer and myself went in very late and got quite mobbed. - - I have nearly finished Iskander, a very pretty thing indeed, - and have printed the 1st Vol of Alroy. - - I have answered the agric. affair which was forwarded to me - from London. - - Directly I am in town I will write about the bills. - - The Horfords (father and brother here) asked us to dine, but - were engaged. - - Met the Bayntums, but not Clementina. Rather think I may to day. - - yrs ever - B. D. - - Let me have a letter in Duke S^{t}. Bulwer is getting on - immensely and I sh^{d} not be surprised if we shortly see him - in a _most eminent_ position, but this not to be spoken of. Met - Ensor. - -Omitting many letters of piquant interest I come to one written in the -autumn of 1851, in which the rising statesman deals somewhat severely -with his old friend, _The Times_. It runs as follows:-- - - _HUGHENDEN, Sept 19 1851_ - - MY DEAR SA,--Your mischance was very vexatious, but I was glad - to hear that you had arrived all safe in such kind quarters. - - I see Jem on Tuesday, who passed a longish morning here. - - At Monday I was at Aylesbury where I was obliged to dine with - the old society--Lowndes, Stone, Howard Wyse, Bernard, Hale, - Isham, and Young of Quainton and 3 clergymen supported me, - and Lowndes of Chesham in the chair. I made a good speech - on a difficult subject, and the meeting seemed in heart. - I saw to-day in _The Times_ two columns of incoherent and - contradictory nonsense w^{h} made me blush, tho' I ought to be - hardened by this time on such subjects. I have seen no other - papers. They can't be worse, and perhaps may in some degree - neutralise the nonsense of _The Times_. I am only afraid the - world will think it all Delphi and diplomatic, and that the - wordy obscurity was intentional, whereas I flattered myself I - was as terse and simple as suited a farmer's table. - - I am rather improving and getting on a little. - - I hope you will enjoy yourself very much. - - We went over to Cliefden the other day--there is one bed of - flowers, called the scarlet ribbon--4,000 geraniums--the - Duchess's[42] own design, very new and wonderful, winding over - a lawn like a sea-serpent, but the plantation in sad order. The - gardener has £10 per week to pay everything in his department, - as the Duchess will not spend more on a place which yields - nothing. My kind remembrances to Mrs. Peacock. - - Affec^{ly} yrs. - D. - -[Illustration: ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF MR. DISRAELI (AFTERWARDS LORD -BEACONSFIELD) ON CHURCH MATTERS, N.D.] - -I venture to think that in the near future the letters of Benjamin -Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, will be found as essential to the -annals of the Victorian era, as those of Pitt, Windham, and Burke are -to those of the reign of George III. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[37] See _post_, Chapter XI. - -[38] See _ante_, p. 156. - -[39] Copious extracts from the future Prime Minister's juvenile -dramatic production will be given in Dr. J. Holland Rose's forthcoming -"Life of Pitt." - -[40] A large number of unpublished letters of William Pitt and his -contemporaries will also appear in Dr. Holland Rose's forthcoming "Life -of Pitt." - -[41] See _ante_, pp. 98-99. - -[42] The late Duchess of Cleveland, one of Queen Victoria's bridesmaids. - - - - -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 - Thackeray, Dickens, Tennyson, and Meredith--The value of - literary autographs and MSS.= - - In a man's letters, you know, Madame, his soul lies naked--his - letters are only the mirror of his heart.--DR. JOHNSON to MRS. - THRALE. - - Political interest is ephemeral, but literary interest is - eternal.--ADRIAN H. JOLINE, "Meditations of an Autograph - Collector." - - -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 chapter. The first is the discovery in the -Record Office by Dr. Wallace of the signed deposition of Shakespeare -in an early seventeenth-century lawsuit, under the circumstances -picturesquely set forth in the issue of _Harper's Monthly Magazine_ -for March, 1910. Without conceding to Dr. Wallace's "find" the supreme -importance claimed for it by this able and patient examiner of ancient -MSS., there can be no doubt that it deals a fatal and final blow to the -Baconian theory. On the very day I read Dr. Wallace's article, Mr. J. -H. Stonehouse[43] showed me several fictitious Shakespeare signatures -fabricated by W. H. Ireland nearly forty years after the appearance of -"Vortigern," for the avowed purpose of demonstrating his ability to -imitate them. I cannot help thinking that Dr. Wallace's article lends -increased interest to the letter of the Shakespearean actor, Dowton, -which has already been alluded to in these pages.[44] In the elaborate -essay in which the fifth Shakespeare signature has been enshrined will -be found reproductions of the other four.[45] - -[Illustration: THE SIGNATURE OF SHAKESPEARE ON THE LAST PAGE OF HIS -WILL.] - -Mr. 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 MSS., when the -signatures of kings and statesmen were almost at a discount. "I shall -now," writes the chronicler of autograph prices in 1827, "set poetry, -philosophy, history, and works of imagination against sceptres, swords, -robes, and big-wigs.... Addison is worth £2 15s., Pope £3 5s., and -Swift £3. Thomson has sold for £5 10s. and Burns for £3 10s. Churchill, -the abuser of his compatriots, is valued at £1 18s. In philosophy Dr. -Franklin reaches £1 17s.; in history, Hume is valued at £1 18s. and -Gibbon at only 8s. The sturdy moralist Johnson ranks at £1 16s., the -graceful trifler Sterne at £2 2s., Smollett at £2 10s., and Richardson -at £1. Scott only yields 8s." In the half-century which intervened -between 1827 and 1877 the prices of literary autographs had risen by -leaps and bounds. In his catalogue of 1876 Mr. Waller asked £8 10s. -for a short Latin essay of Thomas Gray, while Longfellow is priced -at £1 18s., George Borrow at £3 3s., and Wordsworth at £1 1s. A fine -letter of Schiller's is priced at £2 5s. In the next catalogue (1878) -I find the following: Gibbon (a fine A.L.S.) £4 4s.; Voltaire (a 2 -pp. A.L.S.) £3 15s.; Rousseau, a series of letters, including one -of the philosopher, £3 10s.; five verses by Scott, £4 4s.; William -Cowper, A.L.S., £3 7s. 6d.; Gray, a bundle of printed matter including -one hundred lines of MS., £6 6s. In the late Mr. Frederick Barker's -catalogues of the same period we have Edmund Burke (A.L.S.), £3 3s.; -Thomas Hood (A.L.S.), £2 2s.; Voltaire (A.L.S.), £4 4s.; Horace Walpole -(A.L.S.), £3 5s.; and a love-letter from John Keats to Fanny Brawne, -£28. - -In cataloguing the last-named item Mr. Barker says "that one of these -celebrated letters realised by auction a short time since no less -than £47." He also prices two A.L.S. of Robert Burns at £35 and £32 -respectively. It will be remembered that in 1827 the price for a Burns -letter was £3 10s. only. For a letter of Schiller (4 pp., 8vo, 1801) -Mr. Barker asks £7 7s. In several catalogues of this period I find -Keats letters averaging £20 to £30. The interesting catalogue issued by -Mr. Barker in 1891 is remarkable for its wealth of literary _rariora_. -Autograph letters are priced in it as follows: Schiller, £10 10s.; -Burns, £25; Wordsworth, £3 3s.; Thackeray, £25. The last-named letter -is worth describing. It was addressed to Miss Holmes, with a postscript -on the inside of the envelope, and on the third sheet a clever sketch -of Thackeray and Bulwer Lytton standing behind a lady seated at a -piano. The letter itself runs thus:-- - - There is a comfortable Hotel in this street, kept by a - respectable family man, the charges are Beds gratis, - Breakfasts, thank you, dinner and tea, ditto, servants - included in these charges. Get a cab from the station, and - come straightway to No. 13. I dine out with the Dean of St. - Paul's (you have heard of a large meeting house we have between - Ludgate Hill and Cheapside, with a round roof?). Some night we - will have a select T party, but _not_ whilst you are staying - here. When you are in your lodgings. Why I will ask Sir Edward - George Earle Lytton, Bulwer Lytton himself. Bulwer's boots are - very fine in the accompanying masterly design (refer to the - sketch), remark the traces of emotion on the cheeks of the - other author (the notorious W. M. T.), I have caricatured Dr. - Newman (with an immense nose) and the Cardinal too, you ought - to know that. - -This letter would be now worth quite £50, and some of the fine -illustrated Thackeray letters now in possession of Mr. Frank Sabin -would probably be cheap at £100 each. Mr. Sabin's collection of the -Thackerayana is probably unrivalled both as regards the United Kingdom -and America.[46] - -In Mr. Barker's 1891 catalogue there are four letters of Shelley, -priced at £18 18s., £19 19s., £10 10s., and £9 9s. respectively. There -is also a Schiller at £25, and an Alexander Pope covering one page 8vo -only at £8. Darwin is already at £1 10s., Disraeli at 18s., and the -Dickens letters average about £2. A letter of Dr. Priestley, worth -perhaps 5s. in 1827, is now offered at £2 2s. - -[Illustration: DEED CONTAINING THE SIGNATURE OF FRANCIS BACON, LORD -VERULAM, AND NEARLY ALL THE MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY, TEMP. JAMES I. - -(In the collection of Messrs. Ellis.)] - -I am permitted by Mr. F. Sabin to reproduce a very early literary -letter addressed in 1690 by John Evelyn to Samuel Pepys. It must not be -forgotten that Evelyn was one of the earliest collectors of MSS. - - DEPFD, 25--7:--90. - - 'Tis now (methinks) so very long since I saw or heard from my - Ex^{t} Friend: that I cannot but enquire after his Health: If he - aske what I am doing all this while? _Sarcinam compono_, I am - making up my fardle, that I may march the freer: for the meane - time-- - - Do you expect a more proper Conjuncture than this approaching - Session, to do yourself Right--by publishing that which all - good men (who love and honour you) cannot but rejoice to see? - you owe it to God, to your Country & to yr Selfe, and therefore - I hope you seriously think of & resolve upon it. - - I am just now making a step to Wotton to Visite my good Brother - there, Importunately desiring to see me: himselfe succumbing - apace to Age and its Accidents: I think not of staying above a - week or ten daies, & within a little after my returne be almost - ready to remove our small family neerer you for the winter, In - which I promise myselfe the Hapynesse of a Conversation the - most Gratefull to - - S^{r} - Your Most Humble - Faithfull Servant - J EVELYN - - I rent this page from the other before I was aware, and now tis - to full to begin againe for good manÌ„ers. - - Give my most Humble Service to Dr. Gule. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF JOHN EVELYN TO SAMUEL PEPYS, DEPTFORD, -SEPTEMBER 25, 1700. - -(In the collection of Mr. Frank Sabin.)] - -Milton, to a certain extent, was a contemporary of both Pepys and -Evelyn, but he had been dead sixteen years at the date of the letter -now quoted. The value of Milton's autographs is fully discussed by -Dr. Scott in the pages of _The Archivist_.[47] When the subject first -attracted my attention early in 1904 much excitement was caused by -the appearance in Sotheby's Salerooms of what was alleged to be 32 pp. -of the MS. of "Paradise Lost." The value of the document was warmly -discussed at the time and sensational bidding was anticipated. It -was bought in, but I believe it was ultimately sold to an American -collector for £5,000 or thereabouts. Mr. Quaritch now possesses a -very fine Milton deed, which is priced at £420, and is dated November -27, 1623. It is signed by John Milton, as one of the witnesses to the -Marriage Covenant between Edward Phillips of London and Anne, daughter -of John Milton, Citizen and Scrivener of London. - -[Illustration: EARLY SIGNATURE OF JOHN MILTON ON DOCUMENTS NOW IN -POSSESSION OF MR. QUARITCH.] - -Letters of Dryden and Cowley have fetched very high prices,[48] and the -autograph of Edmund Waller is also rare, but Alexander Pope's letters -are abundant, although they are much less valuable than those of Swift. -A good letter of Pope can be obtained for from £7 to £10. The late Mr. -Frederick Barker told me he was once asked as an autographic expert -to advise a well-known nobleman, Lord H., who said he had a bundle of -letters written by _one of the Popes_ in his possession and desired -to ascertain their value, but as they were merely signed "A Pope" he -did not know which of the Holy Fathers was responsible for them! Mr. -Barker of course identified the "bard of Twickenham" as their author. -They were bound up under his supervision, and fetched over £200, but -still the owner was not quite satisfied! Of the four Pope letters in my -collection, only one has ever been published, and that but partially. -It is of such manifest historical interest that I do not apologise -for reproducing it in its entirety:-- - - -_Alexander Pope at Twickenham to Ralph Allen, Esq., Widcombe, Bath._ - - (_November 2. 1738._) - - DEAR SIR,--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 can, wh the Virtues I know him possest of, deserve; and - therefore I wd Present him with so Honest a Man as you, and - you with so Honest a man as he: The Matter concerning Urns I - wd gladly leave in yr Care, and I desire four small ones with - their Pedestals, may be made, and two of a size larger. I'l - send those sizes to you and I send a Draft of ye two sorts, - 4 of one and 2 of ye other. I am going to insert in the body - of my Works, my two last Poems in Quarto. I always Profit - myself of ye opinion of ye publick to correct myself on such - occasions. And sometimes the Merits of particular Men, whose - names I have made free with for examples either of Good or of - Bad, determine me to alteration. I have found the Virtue in you - more than I certainly knew before till I had made experiment - of it, I mean Humility! 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-born_, to _Humble_. I shall take care - to do you the justice to tell everybody this change was not - made at yours, or at any friends request for you: but my own - knowledge (of) you merited it. I receive daily fresh proofs of - your kind remembrance of me. The Bristol waters, the Guinea - Hens, the Oyl and Wine (two Scripture benedictions) all came - safe except ye wine, wch was turned on one side, and spilt at - ye Corks. However tis no loss to _me_ for that sort I dare not - drink on acct of ye Bile, but my friends may and that is the - same thing as if I did. Adieu! Is Mr Hook with you? I wish I - were, for a month at least; for less I wd not come. Pray advise - him not to be so modest. I hope he sees Mr. Lyttelton. I must - expect your good offices with Mrs. Allen, so let her know I - honour a good woman much but a good Wife more. - - I am ever, yours faithfully, - A. POPE - - Twitnam. _Nov 2 (1738)._ - -My other three Pope letters are unknown. They are addressed to Mr. -Bethel on Tower Hill, London, Mr. Charles Ford in Park Place, and -Mr. Jonathan Richardson, of Queen Square, London. The last-named was -catalogued last year as written to _Samuel_ Richardson. I gave £5 for -it. Mr. Barker valued it at £8 in 1891. It provides an antidote to the -unkind things Pope wrote about "Sulphureous" Bath on other occasions:-- - - _BATH. November 14. 1742._ - - DE SIR,--The whole purpose of this is only to tell you that - the length of my stay at this distance from you, has not made - me unmindful of you; and that I think you have regard enough - for me to be pleased to hear, I have been, and am, better than - usual. In about a fortnight or three weeks I hope to find you - as little altered as possible at yr age, as when I left you, as - I am at mine. God send you all Ease, philosophical and physical. - - I am your sincerely-affectionate friend and servant, - A. POPE - - My services to yr Son. - -The letters of Horace Walpole, who generally wrote for posterity, are -valuable,[49] but by no means as costly as those of Thomas Gray. Mr. -Quaritch lately showed a group of holograph letters, illustrating the -"quadruple alliance" of Gray, Walpole, West, and Ashton, which began -at Eton. It included two fairly long letters of Gray and Walpole. I -consider the collection very cheap at £55. Here is a characteristic -unpublished note written by Horace Walpole to Hannah More, while the -latter was staying with the Garricks in the Adelphi:-- - - -_Horace Walpole to Hannah More._ - - _March 11._ - - I heard at Mrs. Ord's last night that you are not well. 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 - streets, but as I do not take for granted whatever will excuse - me from caring, as people that are indifferent readily do, I - beg to hear from yourself how you are. I do not mean from your - own hand, but lips--send me an exact message, and if it is a - good one it will give real pleasure to yours most sincerely, - - H. WALPOLE. - - PS.--Mrs. Prospero, who is my Miranda, was there last night - with a true blue embroidered favour, that cast a ten times more - important colour on her accents and made her as potent in her - own eyes as Sycorax. - - To Miss More at the Adelphi. - -[Illustration: PAGE OF DR. JOHNSON'S DIARY RECORDING HIS IMPRESSIONS OF -STONEHENGE, ETC., 1783.] - -The value of Johnson's letters has varied very little during the -past quarter of a century, an A.L.S. of exceptional interest often -bringing £40 or £50. Possibly his historic letters to Macpherson -and Chesterfield or his ultimatum to Mrs. Thrale would now fetch -considerably more. In the Haber Sale at New York a 2 pp. 4to A.L.S. -dated April 13, 1779, to Cadell brought £17. I possess several Johnson -letters, many of them unpublished and written during the last year of -his life. The following A.L.S. to Mr. Ryland was seemingly unknown to -Dr. Birkbeck Hill:-- - - -_To Mr. Ryland, Merchant in London._ - - DEAR SIR,--I have slackened in my diligence of correspondence, - certainly not by ingratitude or less delight to hear from my - friends, and as little would I have it imputed to idleness, - or amusement of any other kind. The truth is that I care not - much to think on my own state. I have for some time past grown - worse, the water makes slow advances, and my breath though - not so much obstructed as in some former periods of my disorder - is very short. I am not however heartless. The water has, since - its first great effusion, invaded me thrice, and thrice has - retreated. Accept my sincere thanks for your care in laying - down the stone[50] w^{h} you and young Mr. Ryland have done. I - doubt not of finding [it] well done, if ever I can make my mind - firm enough to visit it. I am now contriving to return, and - hope to be yet no disgrace to our monthly meeting[51] when I - shall be with you, as my resolution is not very steady and as - chance must have some part in the opportunity, I cannot tell. - Do not omit to write, for your letters are a great part of my - comfort. - - I am, - Dear Sir - Your most humble servant - SAM JOHNSON - - Pray write. - - Lichfield, _Oct. 30, 1784_. - -[Illustration: THE TWO LAST PAGES OF THE MS. JOURNAL OF MRS. THRALE'S -TOUR IN WALES, JULY-SEPTEMBER, 1774, DESCRIBING THE DINNER AT BURKE'S.] - -Six months before his death he writes thus to Mr. Nicoll on the subject -of Cook's voyages:-- - - To Mr. Nicoll, - Bookseller, - In the Strand, London. - - You were pleased to promise me that when the great Voyage - should be published, you would send it to me. I am now at - Pembroke College, Oxford, and if you can conveniently enclose - it in a parcel, or send it any other way, I shall think the - perusal of it a great favour. - - I am, - Sir - Your most humble servant - SAM JOHNSON - _June 8 1784_ - -Curiously enough, one of the last subjects upon which Johnson -concentrated his waning energies in 1783-84 was that of the -possibilities of the balloon, which he persistently called "ballon."[52] - - * * * * * - -For some years I have been an assiduous collector of the letters and -MSS. of George Crabbe. I now possess his two historic letters to -Edmund Burke. It was in the earliest of these (once the property of -Sir Theodore Martin) that he made his despairing appeal for pecuniary -aid to save him from suicide or starvation. Fifty-one years later, -George Crabbe, Rector of Trowbridge, lay a-dying. He receives in his -sick-chamber the following letter from John Forster:-- - - -_John Forster to George Crabbe._ - -[Letter franked by Edward Lytton Bulwer.] - - 4 BURTON ST. - BURTON CRESCENT, LONDON - _Jany 20 '32_ - - REVD. SIR,--I beg, very respectfully to submit to your - inspection the enclosed paper.[53] May I venture to - hope that your sympathy with the cause of the world of - letters--independently of considerations unfortunately still - more urgent, will induce you to lend the favour of your - distinguished name to a project now become necessary to rescue - Mr. Leigh Hunt from a hard crisis in his fortune - - With the greatest respect, - I am, Sir, - Your very ob^{dt}. servant - JOHN FORSTER. - -After Crabbe's death the following almost illegible draft of a reply -was found amongst his papers:-- - - It w^{d} ill become me who have been so greatly [much] indebted - to the kindness of my Friends, 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 Mr. Leigh Hunt. My influence - I fear is small [living] residing as, I do, where little - except Cloth is made, little except Newspapers read. This is, - however, not without exceptions. [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 itself, only the rôles were reversed. In 1832 the -benefactor was Crabbe, and the distressed man of letters Hunt! - -I have elected to speak of Burke amongst the writers, although -he can claim a high place amongst the statesmen. His letters are -always valuable, although the price fetched for two exceptionally -fine specimens at the Haber Sale (New York, December 10, 1909) was -disappointing. A long letter, written in his twentieth year, brought -only £4 8s.; a splendid letter from Bath a short time before his death -was sold for £6 8s. The following letter from Edmund Burke to Mrs. -Montagu (one of many I have the good fortune to possess) has a distinct -vein of American interest:-- - - WESTMINSTER, - _MAY 4 1776, Friday._ - - DEAR MADAM,--I was in hopes, that I might have sent you, - together with my acknowledgement for your kindness, the only - reward you desire for acts of friendship, an account of the - full effect of them. Mrs. James's letter was undoubtedly - what it ought to be on application from you. We have nothing - to complain of Mrs. J. in point of civility but there is no - further result of your indisposition. As yet indeed we do not - despair. But to give the application its full effect on him, if - in answer to Mrs. J. you keep the matter in some degree alive, - I do not question but that it will succeed at last. Almost all - the others are secure. - - I cannot at all express how much obliged I am for the extremely - friendly manner in which you take up my friends Mr. Burke's - case. He is himself as sensible, as he is worthy of your - goodness. It is something to be distinguished by the regards of - those who regard but few. But to have a distinguished part in - the mind where all have their places is much more flattering. - - We have now almost finished our tedious Sessions; and I hope - to make you my acknowledgement when you return, somewhat - more at leisure. The news from America is not very pleasing. - Indeed I know of no News but that of Peace which can be so, - to any well-disposed mind. General Howe has been driven from - Boston, partly by scarcity, partly by a sharp Cannonade and - Bombardment. He therefore made his disposition so well that - they had not induced his return soon enough to give him any - disturbance. He has collected everything with him and he has - retired to the only place we have now on that extensive coast, - Halifax, where, I doubt, 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 enemy. Mrs. Burke joins - me with all the rest of the family in faithful pledge to you, - in the best compliments to yourself and to your most agreeable - Miss Gregory. - - I am, with the most sincere regard and highest esteem - Dear Madam, - Your sincere friend - and very obliged and humble servant, - EDM. BURKE. - -Passing to the nineteenth century, which was to witness the eclipse of -the art of letter-writing as well as the disappearance of the frank, -we come to the age of Keats, Shelley, Byron and Lamb. It was at -the beginning of this eventful epoch that Goethe wrote the lines to -Blücher, which form one of the shortest autographs I possess, but not -the least curious or valuable:-- - - In Harren - und Krieg - in Sturz - und Sieg - bewust und gros - So riss er uns - Von Feinden los - -[Illustration: HOLOGRAPH LINES BY GOETHE ON BLÃœCHER, CIRCA 1812-13.] - -My friend, Mr. G. L. de St. M. Watson, gives me a forcible metrical -translation: - - In warring or tarrying, - In victory or woe, - He towers; and through him - We're freed from the foe. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF JOHN KEATS (THREE PAGES) TO J. H. REYNOLDS, -FEBRUARY 28, 1820.] - -Goethe was an enthusiastic collector of MSS. as well as a poet. Of the -autograph cult he wrote:-- - - As I personally possess a considerable collection of autographs - and often take occasion to examine and reflect upon them, - it seems to me that every one who directs his thoughts to - this subject may succeed in taking several steps in the - right direction, which may lead to his own improvement and - satisfaction, if not to the instruction of others. - -The value of Keats, Shelley, Byron and Scott letters I have already -spoken of. In the Haber Sale a Keats letter brought £500! Letters of -Charles Lamb range from £4 to £10 or more in price. I purchased the -following note to Hone for £2 2s. and believe I secured a bargain:-- - - -_To Mr. Hone._ - - 45 LUDGATE HILL - - DEAR SIR,--I was not very well or in spirits when your pleasing - note reached me or should have noticed sooner. Our Hebrew - Brethren seem to appreciate the good news of this life in more - liberal latitude than we to judge from frequent graces. One - I think you must have omitted "After concluding a bargain." - Their distinction of "fruits growing upon trees" and "upon the - ground" I can understand. A sow makes quite a different grunt - _her grace_ from eating chestnuts and pignuts. The last is a - little above Ela with this and wishing grace be with you, - - Yours - C. LAMB - _9 Nov. 1821._ - -[Illustration: LETTER OF LORD TENNYSON TO MR. MOXON.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF LORD BYRON TO MR. PERRY, MARCH 1, 1812.] - -Of the literary autograph letters and MSS. of the Victorian era the -highest prices are obtained for those of Alfred Tennyson and George -Meredith. In a catalogue lately issued by Messrs. Sotheran[54] -the author's copy of Tennyson's "Ode on the Death of the Duke of -Wellington," with thirty lines of MS. additions and a large number of -alterations and corrections, is priced at £120. The MS. draft of his -famous dedication to Queen Victoria published in 1853, and consisting -of eight four-line verses, is considered a little more valuable. An -ordinary 8vo letter of one page frequently fetches as much as £2 or -£3. George Meredith's MSS. have been lately sold for several hundred -pounds, and an ordinary letter would be cheap at anything between £2 -and £3. Through the kindness of my friend Mr. Clement Shorter I am able -to give a specimen of Meredith's handwriting. - -[Illustration: ILLUSTRATED LETTER OF W. M. THACKERAY FROM GLASGOW. - -(In the collection of Mr. Frank Sabin.)] - -[Illustration: LINES FROM THE "ILIAD." SPECIMEN OF THE MS. OF THE -LATE MR. GEORGE MEREDITH. - -(By kind permission of Mr. Clement K. Shorter.)] - -W. M. Thackeray and Charles Dickens were both voluminous -letter-writers. The letters of the former now command higher prices -than those of any Victorian writer. He also frequently illustrated his -witty notes with amusing sketches in pen and ink and other oddities. -One of these (from the splendid collection of Mr. Sabin) forms one of -the illustrations of this volume. Into another he introduces a typical -Scotch "sandwich-man" carrying on his back the advertisement of the -Thackeray Lectures at Merchants' Hall, Glasgow. From my own collection -I give a very interesting example of Thackeray's wit, in the shape of -a letter addressed to Count d'Orsay, on the subject of the proposed -publication of a sacred picture by the famous dandy. On the back of the -circular announcing its appearance he wrote:-- - - MY DEAR COUNT,--This note has just come to hand, and you see I - take the freedom with you of speaking the truth. I dont like - this announcement at all. Our Saviour and the Count d'Orsay - ought not to appear in those big letters. It somehow looks - as if you and our Lord were on a par, and put forth as equal - attractions by the publisher. Dont mind my saying this, for - I'm sure this sort of announcement (merely on account of the - unfortunate typography) is likely to shock many honest folks. - - Yours always faithfully - W M THACKERAY. - -In the earlier part of his career, Thackeray wrote a running hand very -different to the upright calligraphy of his later life. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF W. M. THACKERAY TO COUNT D'ORSAY ON FLY-LEAF -OF CIRCULAR ANNOUNCING THE PUBLICATION OF A PICTURE, N.D.] - -Early Dickens letters of any length are eagerly sought for, and sell -for nearly three times as much as those written between 1850 and his -death. I am able to give illustrations of some exceptionally early -Thackeray and Dickens letters, which came into the possession of Mr. -George Gregory, of Bath, through whose hands the Autograph Album of the -first Mrs. Sheridan recently passed. The earliest Dickens letter, of -the fifteen autographs in my collection, was written when he was in his -twenty-ninth year. It is interesting as containing a frank exposition -of his political creed:-- - - -_Charles Dickens at Broadstairs to Frederick Dickens, Commissariat, -Treasury, Whitehall._ - - _Sunday September Twelfth 1841._ - - MY DEAR FRED,--The wording of the Minute is certainly - discouraging. If I saw any way of helping you by coming up - to town, I would do so, immediately. But I cannot possibly - apply to the Tories for _anything_. I daresay they would - be glad enough if I would, but I cannot with any regard to - honor, consistency, or truth, ask any favour of people whom - politically, I despise and abhor. It would tie my hands, seal - my lips, rob my pen of its honesty, and bind me neck and heels - in discreditable fetters. - - _Is_ Archer in Town? If so, have you spoken to him? If not, - when is he coming? You should speak to him certainly. I have - told you before, that I am much afraid you have not treated him - with that show of respect, which he has a right to claim. Why - in the name of God should he have a personal dislike to you, - but for some such reason as this? - - If you think, and I see no objection to your asking Mr. Archer - the question, that without doing anything improper, you might - memorialise the Treasury, I will draw a memorial for you. - If you have reason to think this would be unofficial and - ill-advised, I know of nothing better than waiting and hoping. - - I should be as sorry as you, if you were to lose this step. Let - me hear from you by return - - Affectionately always - C. D. - -[Illustration: EARLY A.L.S. OF W. M. THACKERAY TO MR. MACRONE, -PUBLISHER, DISCOVERED BY MR. GEORGE GREGORY, OF BATH. - -(First style of handwriting in 1836.)] - -The touching letter recording his feelings at the death of his -little daughter is, I think, a human document of more than ordinary -interest:-- - - -_Charles Dickens to Thomas Mitton._ - - DEVONSHIRE TERRACE - _Nineteenth April 1851_ - - MY DEAR MITTON,--I have been in trouble, or I should have - written to you sooner. My wife has been, and is, far from well. - Frederick caused me much vexation and expense. My poor father's - death caused me much distress--and more expense--but of that, - in such a case I say nothing. I came to London last Monday to - preside at a public dinner--played with little Dora my youngest - child before I went--and was told, when I left the chair, that - she had died in a moment. I am quite myself again, but I have - undergone a great deal. - - I send you all the papers I have relating to Thompson's affair. - I am in town again now and shall be at home on Monday, Tuesday, - Friday and Saturday mornings. I am not going back to Malvern, - but have let this house until September, and taken the Fort at - Broadstairs. - - Y^{rs} faithfully - C. D. - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF ONE OF CHARLES DICKENS'S LAST LETTERS, MAY -15, 1870.] - -Here is one of the last letters he ever wrote, to which I have -already alluded as a rare specimen of a valuable autograph written in -duplicate:-- - - -_Charles Dickens to J. B. Buckstone._ - - GAD'S HILL PLACE, - HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT - _SUNDAY Fifteenth May 1870._ - 5 HYDE PARK PLACE W. - - MY DEAR BUCKSTONE,--I send a duplicate of this note to your - private address at Sydenham in case it should miss you at the - Haymarket. - - For a few years past, I have been liable, at wholly uncertain - and incalculable times, to a severe attack of Neuralgia in - the foot, about once in the course of the year. It began - in an injury to the finer muscles or nerves, occasioned by - over-walking in deep snow. When it comes on, I cannot stand - and can bear no covering whatever on the sensitive place. One - of these seizures is upon me now. Until it leaves me I could no - more walk into St. James's Hall than I could fly in. - - I hope you will present my duty to the Prince, and assure - His Royal Highness that nothing short of my being (most - unfortunately) disabled for the moment, would have prevented my - attending as a Trustee of the Fund, at the dinner, 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 public. - - Faithfully your's always - CHARLES DICKENS - - J. B. BUCKSTONE EQR - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF HONOURABLE MRS. NORTON CONTAINING AN -INVITATION TO MEET CHARLES DICKENS, THE AUTHOR OF "PICKWICK," AT -DINNER.] - -[Illustration: EARLY LETTER OF CHARLES DICKENS TO MR. MACRONE (1836) -FROM FURNIVAL'S INN. - -(Now in the collection of Mr. Peter Keary.)] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF "PERDITA" (MARY ROBINSON) TO GEORGE, PRINCE OF -WALES, JANUARY 19, 1785.] - -Carlyle's letters vary in price from £2 2s. to £5 5s. or more. The -following note explains how the specimen of his calligraphy I reproduce -was obtained for an autograph hunter by his nephew in 1877:-- - - NEWLANDS COTTAGE - _7th December 1877_ - - MY DEAR SIR,--I was much pleased to have your's of the 4th - inst. I enclose card of admission to the Install^{n} at - Edinburgh which I cribbed from the Gov^{r's} Sunday coat long - after its date, and which to tell the truth I did not intend to - part with; but I think it so thoroughly what your friend would - like that I have resolved to send it. - - 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 'T. C.' only--all full signatures in letters - in my possession have long ago been clipped off.... - - Always faithfully your's - JAMES CARLYLE. - -The letters of Whistler have quadrupled in value since his death. -I possess several of them, but only give as an illustration of his -handwriting a post-card from Lyme Regis bearing by way of signature -the once familiar butterfly. "Mark Twain" was also a very amusing -letter-writer. The following postscript is characteristic of his -humour:-- - - Since penning the foregoing the "Atlantic" has come to hand - with that most thoroughly and entirely satisfactory notice of - "Roughing it," 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 mulatto. I have been afraid and - shaky all along, but now unless the N. of "Tribune" gives the - book a black eye, I am all right. - - With many thanks - TWAIN - -[Illustration: HOLOGRAPH ORDER OF ADMISSION OF THOMAS CARLYLE TO HIS -RECTORIAL ADDRESS AT EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY, DATED MARCH 23, 1866.] - -George Augustus Sala and Edmund Yates were friends and contemporaries -of Charles Dickens, and survived him. They are both entitled to a -place amongst the last of the Victorian letter-writers. The minute -handwriting of Sala was even more distinct than that of Thackeray. Here -is a typical Sala letter:-- - - HOTEL DE FLANDRE, MONTAGNE DE LA COUR, BRUSSELS, - _Thursday November Twenty Seventh 1884._ - - DEAR LADY WOLSELEY,--My wife who during my absence is my - Postmistress General, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of - State for Home and Foreign Affairs and Chief Commissioner of - Works all rolled into one, has forwarded me your note, and has - scribbled on the margin "with two lovely photographs." I hasten - to thank you for the graceful and thoughtful kindness which - has prompted your welcome gift. I am proud to believe that you - _know_ how much I admire and esteem your illustrious husband; - how eagerly I have followed the course of his splendid and - well-deserved fortunes, and how highly I value the friendship - with which during so many years he has honoured me. 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_ Wolseley, for Mr. Sala, St. Lawrence Hall, - Montreal 1863"; the walking stick which _Sir Garnet_ Wolseley - brought me home from South Africa; the letter which _Lord_ - Wolseley wrote me from the Kremlin, Moscow on Coronation Day - 1883, to which I am now able to add "two lovely photographs" - and your kind note. Were I going alone on my long and arduous - journey, my abiding hope would be, of course, to come home - safe and sound to my wife. Happily we are not to be separated - (although the friendly but cynical solicitor, who made my will - just before I left town was good enough to remark _you must add - a codicil in case you are both drowned_); so we shall both, - 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_ Wolseley. I have, dear Madam, in my time, - prophesied a great deal more in print about your Lord than you - are aware of, and I am confident that my latest prediction - will come true--_and more than true_. Meanwhile, I am, - - Your Ladyship's faithful and obliged servant - GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF JOHN WESLEY, JUNE 14, 1788.] - -Some hundreds of Edmund Yates's letters are in my possession, and I -have utilised them to extra-illustrate his "Recollections" which I have -extended to seventeen volumes. In the last edition of his entertaining -book he alludes to the pleasure a letter from Mr. Charles Kent, the -friend of Dickens, gave him in "troublous times." More than twenty -years after I gladly gave 5s. for the original in the auction room:-- - - - To Charles Kent Esq - - 1 Campden Grove, Kensington, W - - Ah! my dear old friend, how good and thoughtful of you and what - a perfectly acceptable gift! - - 'though fallen on evil days - on evil days though fallen and evil tongues' - - (vide to-day's _Times_) - - I am receiving such evidences of love and sympathy from my - friends, and such kindness from officials here, that I am - fairly broken down by them. - - God bless you - EDMUND YATES - - _HOLLOWAY, Jany 17 '85_ - -FOOTNOTES: - -[43] Manager of Messrs. Sotheran's, 37, Piccadilly. - -[44] See _ante_, Chapter IV., p. 109. - -[45] See my own article in _The Outlook_, March, 1910. - -[46] See _post_, p. 220. - -[47] March, June, September, and December, 1892. - -[48] From £30 upwards. - -[49] From £3 to £10. - -[50] Anna Williams's Memorial. - -[51] Mr. Ryland was associated with Johnson in the formation of the -last Club which owed its existence to Johnson's initiative and support. - -[52] See _Outlook_, March 5, 1910. Article on Johnson and balloons. - -[53] Appeal for subscription for the relief of Leigh Hunt (1784-1859). -It reached Trowbridge January 23rd. On February 3rd Crabbe died. - -[54] 37, Piccadilly, W. - - - - -VIII - -NAVAL -AND -MILITARY -AUTOGRAPHS - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - =Naval and military autographs= - - Good ink, like good wine, is none the worse for age. - - SAMUEL JOHNSON. - - -There are some autograph collectors who limit their sphere of -operations to the writings of great sailors and soldiers. The subject -has already been touched on incidentally under the head of Royal -Autographs, for James II. and William IV. were for a time Lord High -Admirals of England, while other sovereigns met the enemy on the field -of battle.[55] If Wellington can claim distinction as our greatest -soldier, he ranks also amongst our most prolific letter-writers. The -same may be said of Nelson with almost equal truth. Of Wellington's -innumerable letters, a great many are supposed to have been written by -his Secretary, Colonel Gurwood, and Nelson's amanuensis is also said -to have successfully imitated the handwriting of his chief. There are -numerous facsimiles of the letters of both Nelson and Wellington, -and the axiom _caveat emptor_ cannot be too frequently remembered when -a suspicious specimen is offered for sale. In 1827 we are informed that -"English Generals and Admirals vary greatly in value," and they do -still. We are told, moreover, that at this epoch "the Royalist Prince -Rupert is worth £1 9s., while the Parliamentary General, Fairfax, with -four Peers for his supporters, is worth only 10s. The naval hero, Lord -Nelson, commands £2 15s., while four other gallant admirals sink to 7s. -3d. each. Washington ranks with Cromwell at £5 15s. 6d., and leaves -all other competitors behind." To-day a letter of Thomas Fairfax would -bring anything from £7 to £20 or more, and a good D.S. at least £4 or -£5. His autographs are always much in request. Washington letters have -realised as much as £100 and more, and so have Cromwell's. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF DUKE OF MONTROSE TO THE KING. - -(In the collection of Mr. F. Sabin.)] - -[Illustration: PART OF A.L.S. OF EARL HOWE TO EARL SPENCER AFTER HIS -GREAT VICTORY OF JUNE 1, 1794.] - -In 1876-77-78 Mr. Waller was selling letters of Hood and Rodney at -prices varying from 4s. 6d. to 7s. and "Wellingtons" at an average -of 5s., but asked 12s. 6d. for a good letter of Villeneuve, who was -defeated and taken prisoner at Trafalgar. In the same catalogue I -find an A.L.S. of Wellington for 3s. 6d., and "fine specimens" of -Turenne Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough (Commander-in-Chief of the -Forces in Spain _temp._ Queen Anne), priced respectively at £2 10s. -Five years ago, however, a short letter written by the Iron Duke on -the evening after Waterloo realised £105 at Sotheby's, and, as I have -already stated, Wellington paid £60 for two similar letters during -his lifetime--and committed them to the flames. At this time I see -three interesting letters of Marlborough and three of his wife, with -one document signed by the latter, were sold in a lot for £10 10s. -Very good letters of Marlborough may even now be bought in Germany -and Belgium for £3 or £4. In the "eighteen-seventies" very little -Nelson MS. seems to have been in the market, but Mr. Frederick -Barker offered a long A.L.S. of Lady Nelson (May 2, 1805) for 6s., -and "directions for approaching Cadiz, 1 p. folio, wholly in Nelson's -handwriting," for £3 5s. He priced two good A.L.S. of 1794 and 1795 at -£5 5s. and £4 4s. In 1887 I met with a letter of General Gordon, quoted -as "very rare," for £2 2s. In the same catalogue is a fine letter of -Prince Rupert for £3 3s. I frankly envy the purchaser for 9s. 6d. of a -letter written by Marshal Ney, from Montreuil, Boulogne, in 1804, when -the terror of French invasion was at its height. - -[Illustration: OFFICIAL MS. ACCOUNT OF EXPENSES INCURRED AT FUNERAL OF -QUEEN ANNE.] - -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 centuries, like Shovel, Wager, and -Rooke, and I have seen a letter of Vernon, whose coat of grogram gave -rise to the familiar word which still denotes the dilution of spirits -with water, sold for 5s.! There is, however, one naval autograph -of this period which now commands high prices. I allude to letters -and other MSS. of the ill-fated John Byng, judicially murdered on -March 14, 1757, "_pour encourager les autres_," as Voltaire says in -"Candide," or in other words, to save the face of an inefficient and -discredited Ministry. I gave £3 in 1907 for an A.L.S. of his which -thirty years ago was sold by Mr. Waller for 12s. 6d., but I regard as -a veritable autographic treasure the original of his will, which bears -his signature in three places, and was executed only forty-eight hours -before his tragic death. The _sang-froid_ displayed in its elaboration -shows the courage and deliberation of the unlucky admiral when face to -face with the "Grim Sergeant." - -[Illustration: ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF GENERAL BYNG, OCTOBER 27, 1727.] - -[Illustration: SIGNATURE OF ADMIRAL BYNG ON HIS WILL A FEW DAYS BEFORE -HIS DEATH, MARCH, 1757.] - -Only twelve months divide the death of Byng from the birth of Nelson, -whose autographs are even more costly than those of the Elizabethan -heroes of 1588. They now hold, as I shall presently show, the record -as regards both price and interest. I have already alluded to the -perils and pitfalls of Nelson forgeries. The collector must, of course, -bear in mind the striking differences in the calligraphy of the great -Admiral before and after the loss of his right arm in July, 1797. The -earliest example I possess of Nelson's handwriting is a commission, -signed on April 5, 1781, by him as well as by Lord Lisbourne, Bamber -Gascoyne, and J. Greville. Nelson was then twenty-three. He was -thirty-nine when he penned with his _right hand_ the following historic -letter to Earl Spencer:-- - - -_Lord Nelson to Earl Spencer._ - - _THESEUS, May 28 1797._ - - MY LORD,--On my arrival from the Mediterranean two days past I - received from Sir John Jervis your Lordship's Letter of April - 3 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 - wearing. - - 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 posterity. - - Your Lordship having from the moment of your coming to the - Admiralty represented my services in the most favourable point - of view to the King, 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 Commands. - - I have the Honor to be my Lord, - Your most obedient servant, - HORATIO NELSON. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF LORD NELSON TO EARL SPENCER, WRITTEN WITH HIS -RIGHT HAND, _THESEUS_, MAY 28, 1798.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF NELSON TO LADY HAMILTON ABOUT HIS WIFE, -WRITTEN WITH HIS LEFT HAND, JANUARY 24, 1801.] - -Two months later occurred the accident which deprived Nelson of -his right hand. The Bath facsimile[56] is a good specimen of his -writing with his left hand in the last years of the eighteenth -century. 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 separation. At the end of 1799, while he was still in -the Mediterranean, she wrote him the following letter, now in my -collection:-- - - ST JAMES'S ST - _Dec 10 1797_ - - MY DEAR HUSBAND,--I have seen a letter from Lady Berry - to Mr. Davison. She tells him of Sir Edward's letter, dated - Foudroyant, Minorca, Oct^{r} 18^{th}, and mentions you were - quite well which I hope is true. I dined a few days back at Mr - Nepean's. He told me you were at Gibralter (_sic_). I thanked - him for his intelligence. Would have given something to have - asked a question, but that could not be done--therefore I still - flatter myself as you are half way we may stand some chance of - seeing you. Capt^{n} Foley has this instant left me. From what - Capt^{n} Hood said I was in great hopes Capt^{n} F had very lately - seen you. He is full of the Earl's commanding the Channel - Fleet. Lord Bridport has sailed again. Our good father received - yesterday [a letter] from your B^{r}. William teazing him about - no dignitaries (_sic_) for the Nelson family. I must write - to the Rector and beg him not to be so tiresome, 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 W. N. [William Nesbit] requested me to give Mr Windham a - _gentle hint_. Sir Peter and Lady Parker called yesterday. We - have agreed to go and see the famous French milliner. Lady P - declares they will put me in a sack and send me to Bonaparte. - Her spirits are good indeed. She sends Sir Peter to the - Admiralty to hear when you are expected home. I don't know what - she is _not_ to do--Dance and grow young. We dined yesterday - (Susanna I mean) with the Hamiltons. I wish I could say Mrs - Hamilton is the least modernized of all the antique figures. - She certainly (is) the most. Mr Morton pais (_sic_) great - attention. Bob Jones tells me Forbes has got Mr M to sign some - papers for him. I long to hear what you have done for Captain - Hardy. _His_ character is excellent indeed. - - 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 children. Our good - father's love to you and Blessing. God Bless and Protect my - Dearest Husband - - Believe me your affec. Wife - FRANCES H NELSON - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF LADY NELSON TO HER HUSBAND, -DECEMBER 10, 1799.] - -[Illustration: NAVAL COMMISSION SIGNED BY LORD NELSON, APRIL 25, 1781.] - -The tone of Lady Nelson's letter to her husband presents a striking -contrast to that in which, little more than a year later, he speaks of -her in a letter to Lady Hamilton, for which I paid a very large sum -early in 1905. As might be expected, the demand for Nelson autographs -became more urgent as the centenary of Trafalgar approached, but, -on the whole, the rise of price was not quite as marked as might be -expected, although one particular letter to Lady Hamilton, apparently -little more striking than the one now given, was sold for £1,050. The -great Nelson sensation (as far as the autograph market is concerned) -came off some five months later, viz., on March 14, 1906, when the -unique Nelson document described as follows was disposed of at -Christie's:-- - - -NELSON'S FAMOUS MEMORANDUM TO THE FLEET ON THE EVE OF TRAFALGAR. - - 133. NELSON (ADMIRAL LORD) "GENERAL MEMORANDUM," IN THE AUTOGRAPH - OF THE FAMOUS ADMIRAL, IN WHICH HE FORESHADOWED THE PLAN - OF ATTACK AT TRAFALGAR, AND WHICH HE ACTUALLY CARRIED OUT. - "VICTORY," OFF CADIZ, 9 OCT. 1805, 8 pp. 4to. - - Thinking it almost impossible to bring a fleet of 40 sail - of the line into a line of Battle, in variable winds, thick - weather, and other circumstances which must occur, without - such a loss of time, that the opportunity would probably be - lost.... I have therefore made up my mind to keep the fleet - in that position of sailing (with the exception of the first - and second in command) that the order of sailing is to be the - order of battle; placing the fleet in two lines of 16 ships - each, with an advanced squadron of eight of the fastest sailing - two-decked ships [which] will always make if wanted a line of - 24 sail, on whichever line the Commander-in-Chief may direct, - etc. - -It was bought by Mr. Frank Sabin for £3,600. A newspaper controversy -at once arose on the subject of the transaction. Public attention was -forcibly directed to the supreme importance of the document, and an -effort was made to secure it for the nation, Mr. Sabin most generously -offering to sell it to the authorities at cost price. The movement to -acquire it fell through, owing to the impossibility of obtaining a -grant-in-aid. Quite unexpectedly the late Mr. B. M. Woollan offered to -buy it for the nation, but stipulated that during his life-time the -MS. "should remain in his possession and be accessible to the public -in the Town Hall at Tunbridge Wells." This was agreed to, Mr. Sabin -maintaining his proposal to sell at cost price. The Trafalgar order -was framed in oak taken from the _Victory_ under the direction of a -British Museum expert, and after remaining for some time at Tunbridge -Wells, has found (since Mr. Woollan's death) a final resting-place in -the National Collection. On March 14, 1906, Messrs. Maggs paid £170 -for one of the official copies of the "General Memorandum," viz., that -addressed to William Lechmere, Captain of the _Thunderer_. It filled -5 pp. It was marked "secret," 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 England." The original has been, -or will shortly be, facsimiled by the British Museum MS. Department. -Collectors will then be able to procure copies of it at an almost -nominal price. During the weeks which followed March 14, 1906, the -"Memorandum" became the subject of a dozen romantic legends. Several -years ago I purchased the signature of Nelson appended to the last -few lines of another of these "official copies" for one sovereign. -It was formally attested by the widow of the Captain to whom it was -originally sent. I possess a 3 pp. A.L.S. written by Lord Nelson to -Lord Collingwood on board H.M.S. _Victory_, on October 10, 1805--eleven -days before Trafalgar. It cost £20. Some time since, the album of -the Honourable Charles Greville, the first lover of Emma Hart (Lady -Hamilton) was broken up. Amongst the documents I purchased from it was -a MS. account of Nelson's household expenses while residing in Bond -Street, with Mr. Greville, from April 7 to 18, 1803. - -The letters of "Nelson's Hardy"[57] fetch from £1 to £2 each. They -lack style, but are characterised by the breezy heartiness which was -typical of the man whom Nelson loved and trusted. The discovery of many -hundreds of Hardy's letters to his Dorset relatives in 1905 enabled me, -writing in collaboration with my friend the Rev. R. G. Bartelot, to -supply to some extent a long-felt want in naval history. Here are two -Hardy letters which came to light subsequent to our examination of the -great mass of his correspondence:-- - - -_Captain T. M. Hardy, at Plymouth, to his brother-in-law, Mr. Manfield, -at Dorchester._ - - SAN JOSEF--TORBAY. - _Feby 8 1801_ - - DEAR MANFIELD,--We are in Hourly expectation of the St George, - where the Admiral is to hoist his flag. The moment she arrives - myself and all the officers go with him. We shall sail as soon - as possible for Portsmouth, and from thence to the North Sea. - After we have done _the business_ there, which we expect to - do in about two months, the Flag is again to be hoisted in - San Josef. 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 - ago. Lawrence arrived yesterday with Roberts. He is a fine - lad and will do, but he is very young. Admiral [Lord Nelson] - tells me he saw you. You landed and of course you made your - _grand salam_ to him. I suppose a number of _wonderful_ stories - has been told of San Josef in and about Dorchester. Our Beer - is reduced to six bottles and on a moderate calculation that - cannot last more than three days. 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 Nelson, St George, Spithead, by any vessel - that sails from Weymouth. With duty to all friends, I remain, - dear Manfield - - Your's sincerely - T. M. HARDY - - -_Captain T. M. Hardy, Torbay, to Mr. Manfield, Dorchester._ - - DEAR MANFIELD,--I have only time to say that we are now getting - under weigh for Spithead, and shall probably pass Abbotsbury - Ferry during the night. Do write to me at Spithead and tell me - if the Beer is sent as the Ad^{ml} _longs_ for it every day at - Dinner - - Your's in great haste - T. M. HARDY - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF SIR THOMAS HARDY ABOUT LORD NELSON'S BEER, -TORBAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1801.] - -[Illustration: LETTER OF DUKE OF WELLINGTON TO MR. ALGERNON GREVILLE, -OCTOBER 24, 1841, SPEAKING OF THE NECESSITY OF HIS BEING PRESENT AT THE -BIRTH OF KING EDWARD VII.] - -Letters of Rodney and Howe now fetch from £1 to £2 each; those of -St. Vincent, Collingwood, and the Hoods somewhat less. - -[Illustration: ENVELOPE DIRECTED BY DUKE OF WELLINGTON TO LADY SIDMOUTH -ENCLOSING LOCK OF NAPOLEON'S HAIR, 1821.] - -Letters of most of the Nelson captains can still be bought at very -moderate prices, but if addressed to Nelson the value would be at once -doubled. - -The finest collection of letters by Fairfax and other soldiers of the -Civil War, both Royalist and Parliamentarian, I know of, is in the -possession of Mr. F. Sabin, by whose permission I reproduce the letter -of Montrose to the King, which is priced at £60:-- - - -Superscription, "for the King's Maiesty," and endorsement, "LORD OF -MONTROSE, 3d February." - - PLEASE YR MAIESTY - - Haveing never receaved any of yr Mas Commands, since I had - the honor to attend you, bot on letter from france only, and - knoweing what strange newses yr Ma may daly heare, I heave - directed thes that your Ma may know (notwithstanding all - opposition and encouragements) I am hopefull, to be once againe - in the termes to doe your service I will not trouble yr - Ma with particulars bot leave them unto Mr Elliott, 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 letters, -which depend entirely on the time at which they were written. If dated -June 17, 18, 19 or 20, 1815, they might be worth anything from £50 -upwards; letters from the Peninsula on military topics bring from £2 -to £5, but I only gave 30s. for the note and envelope franked and -addressed to Lady Sidmouth, covering a lock of Napoleon's hair--the -latter being included in the price! In my opinion there could not -possibly be a more interesting souvenir of the victor of Waterloo. The -letters of Sir Hudson Lowe are sold from £1 to £3, those of Marshal -Blücher fetching about the same price. - -Few of the letters of living warriors fetch high prices. The amusing -and satirical letters of Frederick Burnaby are worth from 4s. to 10s., -but I refrain from publishing those in my collection. Letters of -Earl Roberts and Viscount Wolseley average from 3s. to 5s., but Lord -Kitchener writes little and declines persistently to be "drawn." I once -saw a letter of his priced at £2 12s. 6d., but that was when the Boer -War was at its height. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[55] See _ante_, p. 126. - -[56] _Vide_ Chapter III., p. 78. - -[57] See further "The Three Dorset Captains" and "Nelson's Hardy," by -A. M. Broadley and R. G. Bartelot (London: John Murray, 1906 and 1909). - - - - -IX - -AUTOGRAPHS -OF MUSIC, -THE DRAMA, -AND ART - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -AUTOGRAPHS OF MUSIC, THE DRAMA, AND ART - - =Illustrated letters= - - We pry - In the dark archives and tenacious scrolls - Of written thought.--HARTLEY COLERIDGE. - - -On December 17, 1907, four-and-twenty letters of Ludwig van Beethoven -were sold at Sotheby's for £660, notwithstanding the fact that the -autographs of musicians, artists, and actors, are not even mentioned by -the chronicler of prices in 1827! For the solitary letter of Beethoven -in my collection I paid M. Noël Charavay £10, and it was at the same -outlay I acquired in England an interesting letter of Joseph Haydn's. -In extra-illustrating the "History of the Festivals of the Three -Choirs," of which my ancestor, William Hayes, Mus. Doc. (1707-1777), -was one of the founders and subsequently a conductor, I acquired -considerable experience in the market prices of all sorts of musical -MSS. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF THE ABBÉ LISZT TO SECRETARY OF PRINCESS OF -WALES (QUEEN ALEXANDRA), APRIL 16, 1886.] - -In this particular class of autographs "album specimens" have often -considerable value, for musicians have always been the target of the -autograph-hunter, especially so of those of the fair sex.[58] It is -no uncommon sight after a "star" concert to see the tired-out central -attraction in a state of autograph siege, either for inscriptions in -albums or signatures to photographs. 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 surrendered. -A few bars of music written and signed by Handel would now be worth -quite £20 or £25; and some day the musical autographs of Edward Elgar -will fetch very high prices. William and Philip Hayes rank in the first -class of English composers of Church music, although the father was -overshadowed by his loyal friendship for Handel, and the latter by -his admiration for Haydn. I have acquired (with one or two trifling -exceptions) the MSS. of their compositions, several of which have never -been published. Like most musicians, the Hayeses were humourists. They -wrote anthems and chants, but they won fame in their generation by -catches, canons, glees, madrigals, and fugitive pieces of all sorts. -The tuneful airs of Philip Hayes [1738-1797] re-echoed amidst the -glades of Blenheim, and were often heard at Ranelagh, Vauxhall, and -"Marybone."[59] Musical autographs have risen considerably in price -during the past thirty years, as shown at the comparatively recent -Taphouse Sale. A very fine letter of Chopin's was offered for sale at -250 francs last year by Madame Veuve Gabriel Charavay. Letters of -Mendelssohn and Wagner are in great request. The former vary in price -from £3 to £10. Although Richard Wagner was a prolific letter-writer, -any letter of his is worth £5 or thereabouts, and many have sold -at from £20 to £50. I have never seen an A.L.S. of Handel's in the -sale-rooms. A good one will probably fetch £50. A fragment of one of -his compositions, once in the possession of William Hayes, lately -realised £100. Much of his music seems to have been written out by -Smart. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF JOSEPH HAYDN, THE COMPOSER, JUNE 5, 1803.] - -In 1876 Mr. Waller offered a letter of Beethoven's for sale at £3 10s.; -one by Dr. Blow for £1 and 2 pp. of one of William Boyce's compositions -for 7s. 6d.! The latter would certainly fetch 40s. to-day, but thirty -years ago autographs of Catalani, Bishop, Cooke, Holmes, Hummel, -Michael Kelly, Lablache, Loder, Meyerbeer, Offenbach, Louisa Pyne, -Rossini, Rudersdorff, Tamburini, and Samuel Wesley averaged about 3s.! -I lately gave £3 3s. for the signed MS. of Wesley's "Ode on the Death -of Boyce," the bicentenary of whose birth occurs this year (1910), in -which also the centenary of the birth of Wesley's musical son, Samuel -Sebastian Wesley, might appropriately be celebrated at Gloucester. -Amongst Mr. Frank Sabin's autographic _rariora_ is the MS. of the -original score of Thomas Moore's "Last Rose of Summer." There is a -great demand in America just now for Moore MSS. of this sort, although -ordinary letters rarely fetch high prices. Charles Burney's letters (of -which I have many) are to my mind always interesting, although they -only bring from 15s. to 30s. in the sale-rooms. - -For some collectors the Drama offers a peculiar fascination. I have -already described the letter of William Wilson of the "Fortune" -Theatre, with whom Shakespeare possibly played.[60] The great dramatist -himself, from the autograph point of view, has been alluded to. In -turning over the catalogues of 1876-86 one is struck with the high -prices of letters of David Garrick and Sarah Siddons. Garrick rarely -wrote a dull letter. When Paul Sandby asked for a box he replied-- - - I will maintain Good Master Sandby - And with my blood, the Fact will stand by, - The trifle ask'd is no great favour, - And you and your's are wellcome ever - - D GARRICK - -Here are some examples of Garrick's letters to Mrs. Montagu not -generally known:-- - - -_Mr. Garrick to Mrs. Montagu._ - - DRURY LANE THEATRE. - - DEAR MADAM,--I take up ye first piece of paper to answer - your note. I feel for you and for poor amiable Miss Gregory - from my heart of hearts! 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 Mrs. 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 - mourning. I shall take care that you have your refusal of a box - next Friday if I am able to perform. If you should be engaged - pray let it revert to me. I must desire you not to say a word - to anybody of my intentions.... - - Mrs. Garrick and I shall do ourselves the honour of attending - you on Sunday. - - Most faithful ever and ever Yours, - D. GARRICK. - - -_David Garrick to Mrs. Montagu._ - - MY DEAR MADAM,--We are unfortunately engaged on Sunday next but - if we are able to quit our Company, may we be permitted to pay - our respects to you? If you should be engaged we will wait upon - you ye first opportunity. I have made bold to answer for you a - subscription to Mr. Capel's School of Shakespeare. I will tell - you more of this when I have the honour and pleasure of seeing - you. - - I am most devotedly yours, - D. GARRICK. - -[Illustration: SIGNATURE OF THE NONAGENARIAN MRS. GARRICK A FEW DAYS -BEFORE HER DEATH.] - -I have in my collection a Drury Lane box-ticket dated and signed by -Mrs. Garrick a few days before her death. In the last decade of the -nineteenth century the late Mr. Thomas Knox Holmes told me he had -danced with Mrs. Garrick in her drawing-room at the Adelphi when she -was past ninety. She was actually engaged in inspecting her dress -for the theatre when Death once more "eclipsed the gaiety" of the -brilliant little côterie in which Garrick's widow moved. - -The letters of Sarah Siddons fetched quite as much or even more in -the "eighteen-seventies" than they do now. As a matter of fact, the -charming letter to Mrs. Piozzi, now reproduced, exchanged hands in 1876 -at £2 2s. more than I gave for it in 1910. - -[Illustration: A GENUINE SHORT NOTE SIGNED BY EDMUND KEAN, AFTERWARDS -IMITATED.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF R. B. SHERIDAN ASKING FOR TIME TO PAY A DRAFT.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF CHARLES MATHEWS, THE ACTOR, PROPOSING HIS SON -FOR ELECTION TO GARRICK CLUB, N.D.] - - -_Mrs. Siddons to Mrs. Piozzi, Westbourne Farm, Paddington, -January 29, 1809._ - - MY DEAR FRIEND,--I am merely anxious to know how you and - Mr. Piozzi are, and the distance between me and your fair - daughters, are now so great that I get no accounts of you. - You know of old, my distaste of writing, and I know full well - my inability of amusing you, so that my letter has nothing to - recommend it, except the true love of the writer, which knows - no change. Often, very often, do I think of you, and most - sincerely do I lament your suffering, but there is nowhere but - heaven I believe that is exempt from affliction; but dear Soul - let me hear from you. You have heard of the fire in which I - lost every stage ornament so many years collecting, and at so - great expense of time and money. All my Jewels, all my lace, - and in short nothing left. The Duke of Northumberland has given - my Brother Ten thousand pounds! and the manner of bestowing - this noble gift was so great as anything I have ever heard or - read of, - - "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 health, - yet he looked the other night in Macbeth as beautiful as ever; - he is never now without his cough, which they say is gouty - (certainly the disorder is flying about him) and if it would - come to a good fit that he woud be well. It seems a strange - thing to say that a man recovers his health by the loss of his - limbs. So thinks poor Mr. Piozzi I suppose, poor dear Soul, how - he has suffered from it! and _you_! You will perhaps scarcely - believe how often and how tenderly I think of you, and how - deeply I regret the distance between us, but it is nevertheless - true. 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 them. I have got Cecilia home from school, she is - very well at present, but to keep her well she must have sea - bathing in the summer. Is there any place of that sort near - Brynn Bella? if so, I shoud hope I might be able to see you - sometimes. I have got a genteel well principled young woman as - a Governess for her, and my family which would consist of seven - or eight persons would perhaps be too large to be accommodated - very near you. Oh that you were again at Streatham! Remember - me very kindly to dear Mr Piozzi. God bless and support you my - very dear friend. I am unalterably - - Your affte - S. SIDDONS[61] - - I lost in the fire a Toilette of the poor Queen of France, 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 things. It could not have cost at - first less than a thousand pounds. I us'd to wear it _only_ in - the trial scene of Hermione in the Winters Tale, it covered me - all over from head to foot. I suppose my losses could not be - repaired for Twelve hundred pounds, but God be praised that the - fire did not break out while the people were in the house!!! - -[Illustration: LAST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF MRS. SIDDONS TO MRS. PIOZZI AFTER -THE FIRE AT COVENT GARDEN THEATRE.] - -Fine letters from Mrs. Siddons fetch from £10 to £20. A specimen may -be obtained for £5 or even less, for I note an invitation "to dine at -pretty Westbourne" has just been sold (February 28, 1910) for £2 14s. -The letters of the brother of the great actress, J. P. Kemble, sell at -from £1 to £3 each. He evidently (according to one of the specimens in -my collection) moved in very high circles. This letter is addressed -to Sir Thomas Lawrence, whose fatal relations with the Siddons family -circle have already been alluded to:-- - - MY DEAR LAWRENCE,--I am this moment come from Carlton House. I - did not myself see the Prince of Wales; but His Royal Highness - desired Mr. McMahon to tell me how highly pleased he is with - the Drawing; 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 consideration. The - Prince, my dear Lawrence, is charmed with the Portrait. Mr. - Smirke writes to-night to the Engraver at Birmingham - - Yours, - J. P. KEMBLE - - Friday, _October 28, 1808_. - -The most curious letters of that mysterious personage the Chevalier -d'Éon in my collection relate to two public exhibitions of his skill -as a fencer, given in Bath during the year 1796. While staying in his -native Tonnerre the _ex-chargé d'affaires_ gave a supper in honour of -Prince Henry of Prussia. In a bundle of his MSS. I bought in France I -found the bill for the historic feast. It was not expensive, and must -surely have been enjoyed _tête-à -tête_. - -The letters of artists do not as a rule command large prices, but there -are many exceptions. I have never seen a letter from Sir A. Vandyke -or Sir P. Lely, but Mr. W. V. Daniell prices the following letter of -William Hogarth to his wife in Dorset at £35:-- - - _LONDON, June 6 1749_ - - DEAR JENNY,--I write to you now, not because I think you may - expect it only, but because I find a pleasure in it, which is - more than I can say of writing to any body else, and I insist - on it you don't take it for a mere complement; your last letter - pleased more than I'll say, but this I will own if the postman - should knock at the door in a week's time after the receipt of - this, I shall think there is more musick in't than the beat of - a kettle drum, and if the words to the tune are made by you - (to carry on metafor) and brings news of your all coming soon - to Town, I shall think the words much better than the musick, - but don't hasten out of a scene of pleasure to make me one. - You'll find by the enclosed that I shall be glad to be a small - contributer to it. I don't know whether or no you know that - Garrick was going to be married to the Violetta when you went - away. I supt with him last night and had a deal of talk about - her. I can't write any more than what this side will contain; - you know I won't turn over a new leaf I am so obstinate, but - then I am no less obstinate in loving you - - Your affectionate Husband, - WM. HOGARTH. - -[Illustration: LETTER OF THE CHEVALIER D'ÉON TO COLONEL MONSON, BATH, -JANUARY 7, 1796.] - -[Illustration: ACCOUNT FOR SUPPER GIVEN BY THE CHEVALIER D'ÉON TO -PRINCE HENRY OF PRUSSIA, AUGUST 15, 1784.] - -Letters of Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, and George Morland -always fetch from £3 to £10 or more. I gave £7 7s. for the letter of -Reynolds to Crabbe, covering Dr. Johnson's criticism of the poem -submitted to him. The examples of Romney and Morland I possess are -placed behind the frontispieces of standard works on their Art. The -letter of poor Morland is melancholy reading, and suggestive of the -squalor in which he moved and died:-- - -_George Morland to Mr. Graham._ - - DEAR GRAHAM,--I am worse than ever. Had an opium pill to take - last night, and as I thought two must do me more good than one, - I took them both. I expected it was _up_. - - However I am not quite so bad, but I will use my best endeavour - to get on for you this week the whole of which I must keep - quiet. - - Good bie, - G. MORLAND. - - Wednesday - _On other side_-- - John Graham Esqre - 30 Red Lion Square London - _Postmark--May 6 1801_ - -[Illustration: ONE OF THE LAST LETTERS EVER WRITTEN BY GRIMALDI, THE -GREAT CLOWN, DECEMBER 20, 1829.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF WILLIAM HOGARTH TO HIS WIFE, JANUARY 6, 1749.] - -[Illustration: LAST PAGE OF AN A.L.S. BY THE PAINTER GEORGE ROMNEY.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS TO GEORGE CRABBE, MARCH 4, -1783.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF GEORGE MORLAND.] - -[Illustration: TWO PAGES OF ILLUSTRATED LETTER FROM THE HONBLE. MRS. -NORTON TO A SISTER, JULY, 1854.] - -In May, 1810, George Cruikshank, born in 1792, was in the thick of the -fight which the caricaturists waged against Napoleon. It was seventy -years later than the date of Morland's grotesque scrawl that there -appeared in _The Times_ (December 30, 1871) a letter from "Glorious -George" claiming to be the originator of the idea of "Oliver Twist." On -the following day Charles Manby, a mutual friend of the writer and the -artist, thus writes to the latter:-- - - 60 WESTBOURNE TERRACE HYDE PARK - _December 30 1871_ - - MY DEAR OLD FRIEND,--I see with pleasure that, as I expected - you have in the "Times" of this day vindicated your claim to - originating the story of "Oliver Twist," which I have a notion - you told me of a long time ago. I am persuaded that Dickens - himself, would, with his inherent love of truth, have confirmed - your statement, and it is a pity that his historian should - have written vehemently on the subject. Be prepared with your - Sketches, etc. to maintain the position which will be hotly - contested, although in reality there is so much positive merit - in all that Dickens originated and did, that there is not - any necessity for laying claim to the works of others,--his - collaborateurs. I should much like someday to see the sketches - in question--that is if there is not any indiscretion in the - request. I will ask you to allow me to call upon you and look - over them. - - With every good wish for the New Year believe me - - Your's very sincerely - CHARLES MANBY - - Lt Col: Cruikshank. - -On January 2, 1872, Cruikshank replies as follows:-- - - 263 HAMPSTEAD ROAD N W - - MY DEAR OLD FRIEND,--It is so long since I illustrated "Oliver - Twist," that I do not at present know where the original - sketches are, but will look over the bundles of papers for them - and when found will let you know, and shall be highly pleased - if you will visit my studio and take a peep at them, although - some are so rough that they are hardly worth looking at, - having been done in such haste. The sketches that Dr. Sheldon - Mackenzie alludes to of "The Life of a London Thief" were made - about 50 years back, when Charles Dickens was a little boy, and - it is a chance if I ever see these sketches again, but I have a - list of the subjects which I will show you. - - Wishing you and your's a happy New Year and many of them, - - I am, Dear Friend, Your's truly - GEORGE CRUIKSHANK. - - Charles Manby Esqre CE etc. - -[Illustration: PORTION OF ILLUSTRATED LETTER BY JOHN LEECH.] - -[Illustration: PAGE OF ILLUSTRATED A.L.S. FROM MR. WHEELER TO SIR F. -BURNAND.] - -I often wonder that some zealous collector does not confine his -attention solely to letters illustrated by the writers. I have already -mentioned the achievements in this connection of Thackeray[62] and -Sir Frank Lockwood. I have come across illustrated letters in the -correspondence of Sir Joshua Reynolds and Mrs. Piozzi; Mrs. Norton -embellished her letters with admirable sketches of a humorous -character, and so did John Leech, Hablot K. Browne, Frederick Barnard, -and, of course, George Cruikshank. In my three grangerised volumes -relating to the history of _Punch_ are letters illustrated by Sir -Francis Burnand (who delighted his friends with this kind of _jeu -d'esprit_ before he left Cambridge), Mr. G. A. Sala, Mr. Linley -Sambourne, Mr. H. Furniss, Mr. Phil May, and Mr. E. T. Reed. One of the -most curious illustrated letters in my possession is a rough sketch of -a projected bath at Windsor, made by King George III. for the benefit -of Wyatt, the architect. Napoleon often added sketch-plans of battles -and movements of troops to his letters, and Louis Philippe was fond of -making quaint drawings, which are sometimes to be found even on the -official documents which passed through his hands. It was from a rough -sketch in a letter of Mr. Cobden, now in possession of Mr. T. Fisher -Unwin, that we find the genesis of the idea of the "big" and "little -loaf," which has achieved something very like political immortality. - -[Illustration: ILLUSTRATED A.L.S. OF FRED BARNARD RELATING TO THE -PLATES OF "DOMBEY AND SON," N.D.] - -[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF CHARLES PEACE, THE MURDERER, ON A.L.S. OF -SIR FRANK LOCKWOOD, WHO DEFENDED HIM, WRITTEN IN 1888.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF GEORGE CRUICKSHANK, SEPTEMBER, 1836, ABOUT -DICKENS'S FIRST CALL ON HIM.] - -[Illustration: POSTCARD OF JAMES WHISTLER FROM LION HOTEL, LYME REGIS, -CIRCA 1888.] - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF THE PAINTER MEISSONIER, JULY 25, -1861.] - -[Illustration: PORTRAITS OF SIR R. REID (NOW LORD LOREBURN) AND THE -LATE SIR FRANK LOCKWOOD ON AN ILLUSTRATED LETTER WRITTEN BY THE LATTER -DURING THE PARNELL COMMISSION.] - -[Illustration: TWO PAGES OF AN ILLUSTRATED LETTER BY HABLOT K. BROWNE.] - -[Illustration: TWO PAGES OF A LETTER FROM RICHARD COBDEN IN "THE -FORTIES." - -(By courtesy of Mr. William Darby, Edgbaston.)] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[58] A fan covered with the drawings, signatures, and handwriting of -modern artists and musicians was sold at Sotheby's on May 4, 1910, for -£101. - -[59] A great deal of interesting information on this head will be found -in Dr. Mee's "History of the Oldest Music Room in Europe," which will -shortly be published by Mr. John Lane. - -[60] See _ante_, Chapter IV., p. 109, and Chapter VII., p. 196. - -[61] For another exceptionally fine letter of Mrs. Siddons to Mrs. -Piozzi see "Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale," Chapter III., p. 148. - -[62] See _ante_, p. 198. - - - - -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 once; one, my ideas; the other, my handwriting. - The ideas go on fastest, and then goodbye to the letters and - the lines! I can only dictate now. It is very convenient to - dictate. It is just as if one were holding a conversation" - (Napoleon).--GOURGAUD, p. 261. - - -The subjects of autograph collecting and autograph dealing in France, -as well as the wealth of French literature dealing with the whole -subject, and the abundance of collections of facsimiles, have already -been incidentally alluded to. The business now carried on by M. Noël -Charavay was founded in 1843 by his father, M. Jacques Charavay, who -died in 1867. He was succeeded by his son, Stephen Charavay, who -lived till 1899. At his funeral an eloquent address was delivered -by M. Anatole France. Five years before the autograph business had -been made over by M. Stephen Charavay to his brother, Noël Charavay, -who now carries it on. In 1865 M. Gabriel Charavay, the brother -of Jacques Charavay, acquired the goodwill and connection of M. -Laverdet, one of the earliest dealers in autographs. His son and -successor, Eugène, died young in 1892, and the head of the house is -now the widow of Gabriel Charavay. Monthly catalogues are issued by -both firms under the respective titles of _Bulletin d'Autographes_ -and _Revue des Autographes_. The first publication is now (1910) in -its 63rd, the other in its 45th year. Autograph collectors would do -well to study both, as English letters are frequently offered for sale -in them, and the price of Napoleonic MSS. and similar _rariora_ is, -as a rule, much less in England than in France. I strongly recommend -beginners in autograph collecting to carefully read the introduction -to the fine Bovet catalogue, afterwards published as a pamphlet by M. -Stephen Charavay. The four volumes, entitled "L'Isographie des Hommes -Célèbres," are of inestimable use in acquiring familiarity with the -handwriting of celebrated French men and women. M. Jacques Charavay -and his sons are responsible as "experts" (and in France autograph -"experts" have an official character) for the compilation of nearly the -whole of the elaborate catalogues of autograph sales which have taken -place in Paris since 1843. The solitary exception to this assertion is -the sale of the MSS. of Madame Récamier. It was Jacques Charavay and -his two successors who presided over the dispersals of the autograph -collections formed in succession by Brunet, Yémeniz, Fillon, Bovet, -Piot, Champfleury, Pichon, and Dablin.[63] A list of these catalogues -down to 1902 was prepared by M. Edmund Brébion and published. It is -already out of print. - -Of Napoleon I. as a scribe my friend Dr. J. Holland Rose writes me as -follows:-- - - Napoleon was the greatest letter-writer of all time. The number - of letters written or dictated by him up to the end of the - Waterloo Campaign is 22,061; many more belong to the subsequent - period, and some 2,000 or 3,000 letters have been found since - the publication of the "Correspondance de Napoléon," published - by order of Napoleon III. - - On very many occasions he wrote or dictated thirty or forty - letters and dispatches in one day. A well-known example of - his epistolary activity is that recorded by a Saxon Colonel, - von Odleben, who describes him while staying at Düben shortly - before the Battle of Leipsic, October, 1813. In those anxious - days Napoleon kept his secretaries on the watch day and - night, and is known to have sent off six important letters - in the small hours of October 12th, shortly before he set - out for Leipsic. In later days he wrote comparatively few of - his letters himself, simply because his writing was almost - illegible. - - His early letters to Josephine were of course in his own - handwriting; they are remarkable, among the love-letters of - great men, for their passionate ardour: which, however, soon - cooled under the frivolities and neglect of his Consort. - - Some of his letters never have been deciphered. 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 January, 1797. It has - been much erased and altered. The skill of experts at Paris and - London has failed to decipher the contents of three-fourths - of this scrawl, yet the original was sold recently for a very - large sum of money. - -I have already mentioned[64] the seven Napoleon letters sold in London -in 1904 for £350. In the following year I was much interested in three -letters which M. Noël Charavay offered for sale at the modest price -of £100, throwing light on certain negotiations between Bonaparte and -the Bourbons, which supplement a curt letter of the former in the -Morrison Collection declining to entertain certain proposals. The three -letters sold in 1905 are in the easily recognisable handwriting of -Louis XVIII. (known in 1801, when they were written, as the Comte de -Lille), and in them he puts before the Abbé de Montesquieu, who was -acting as a go-between in the matter, the reasons which should induce -the First Consul to facilitate the return of the descendant of St. -Louis to the throne of his forefathers. In the first of the series -(dated Warsaw, March 22, 1801) Louis congratulates himself on the -idea which has prompted him to take the initiative in the matter. He -writes as follows: "Buonaparte is to-day the greatest of our country's -soldiers. He will be her saviour. As the Father of the French it is for -me to make the first advance.... I charge you to communicate to him the -following arguments: the restoration of the Monarchy is necessary; the -existence of the Republic has only proved its impossibility; the only -Republicans in France are abstract reasoners, faddists, &c." In a last -and final memorandum he says: "When I appeal to Buonaparte, do I do so -merely to march over the bodies of the dead? If glory has chosen him to -restore the Monarchy, let glory be the witness of my engagements." At -the same time he energetically denies the allegation that he has ever -encouraged or approved any project for the assassination of the First -Consul. - -In February of the present year I saw in London a superb Napoleonic -letter of great historic importance, and authenticated by a declaration -made by the Duke of Wellington. This letter once belonged to an -English Prime Minister. It was written on May 1, 1803, when the -delusive Treaty (or Truce) of Amiens was about to be torn up. A part -of the letter has appeared, but I now give it _in extenso_ with a -translation[65]:-- - - ST. CLOUD 4½. - - Je recois votre lettre, qui m'a été remise à la Malmaison, je - désire que la conference ne se tourne pas en parlage--mettez - vous y froid, altier et même un peu fier. - - Si la notte (_sic_) contient le mot ultimatum fait lui sentir - que ce mot renferme celui de guerre, que cette manière de - negocier est d'un superieur à un inferieur, si la notte ne - contient pas ce mot, fait qu'il le mette, en lui observant - qu'il faut enfin savoir à qui nous en tenir, que nous sommes - las de etat d'anxieté--que jamais en n'obtiendra de nous, - ce que l'on a obtenu des dernières années des Bourbons, que - nous ne sommes plus ce peuple que recevoit un commissaire à - Dunkerque, que l'ultimatum remis, tout deviendra rompu. - - Effrayez le sur les suites de cette remise S'il est - inébranlable, accompagnez le dans votre salon sur le point de - vous quitter, dit lui "mais le Cap, et l'ile de Gorée, sont ils - evacués" radoucissez un peu la fin de la Conférence, et invitez - le à revenir avant d'écrire à sa Cour, enfin que vous puisiez - lui dire l'impression qu'elle a fait sur moi, qu'elle pouvoit - être diminuée, par l'assurance de l'evacuation de Cap et de - l'ile de Gorée. - - NAP. - - -[TRANSLATION.] - - ST. CLOUD 4½ - - I am in receipt of your letter which was given me at Malmaison. - I desire that the conference should not end in idle words. Be - cold in your demeanour--haughty and if need be proud. If the - note contains the word ultimatum, let him feel that this word - means war, and that this manner of negotiating is that of a - superior to an inferior; if the note does not contain this word - see that he uses it saying that we must really know where - we are, that we are weary of this state of tension and that - they will never obtain from us, what they obtained in the last - years of the Bourbons, that we are no longer the people to - receive a Commissioner at Dunkirk and that the ultimatum once - delivered everything will be broken off. Frighten him as to the - consequence of this act on his part, 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 Gorée, are they - evacuated?" Then towards the end of the interview tone down - matters a little, and suggest his coming back before writing to - his Court, so that you may be able to tell him the impression - which the conference has made upon me, and that it could be - softened by the assurance of the evacuation of these places. - - NAP. - -This letter was purchased by the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, whose -attention I called to its great interest. Lord Crawford probably -possesses one of the finest sets of Revolutionary and Napoleonic MSS. -in the hands of any private collector. He is at the present moment -engaged in cataloguing them. - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: EARLY SIGNATURE OF NAPOLEON I. AS "BUONAPARTE" ON -MILITARY DOCUMENT, DATED FEBRUARY 1, 1796.] - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF ADMIRAL VILLENEUVE ANNOUNCING -TO THE FRENCH MINISTER OF MARINE THE DISASTER OF THE NILE, SEPTEMBER, -1798.] - -Of the various autographs of Napoleon in my own collection, the -earliest (now reproduced) is dated February 1, 1796. Napoleon then -signed himself "Buonaparte." He was then Commander-in-Chief of the Army -of the Interior. The last I possess consist of a note in pencil written -at St. Helena and the various hieroglyphics with which he controlled -the entries in Pierron's journal of household disbursements. All the -autographs of the Bonaparte family fetch high prices, especially -letters of Madame Mère (Napoleon's mother), Josephine and Marie Louise -(his wives), and the sisters Eliza, Pauline, and Caroline. Letters of -his father are now extremely difficult to obtain, although ten years -ago they fetched only from £1 to £2. Letters of Talleyrand are -not rare, but the one I now place before my readers possesses both -exceptional interest and value. - - -_Talleyrand to Napoleon I._ - - SIRE,--La naissance d'un prince dans la famille de votre - majesté est un évenement heureux pour tous ses sujets. Je - dois en sentir davantage l'importance moi que le sentiment, - le respect, et la reconnaissance attachent d'une maniere plus - particulaire à votre majesté. Je la supplie d'agréer avec - bonté l'expression de ma joie et les veux ardents que je forme - à chaque moment de ma vie pour la prosperité de son auguste - famille, elle ne peut être trop nombreuse pour la tranquillité - et le bonheur du monde. - - Je supplie votre majesté de recevoir avec bonté l'assurance du - profond respect avec lequel je suis - - de votre majesté impériale et royale - les très humble, très obeissant et très - fidèle serviteur et sujet - CHARLES MAURICE TALLEYRAND - _Prince de Bénévento_ - - -[TRANSLATION.] - - SIRE,--The birth of a prince in your Majesty's family is a - happy event for all your subjects. I feel the importance of it - more particularly on account of the sentiment, the respect and - the gratitude which bind me to your Majesty. I entreat you to - accept with favour my congratulations, as well as my ardent - wishes, formed every moment of my life for the prosperity of - your august family, which cannot be sufficiently numerous for - the peace and prosperity of the world. - - I entreat your Majesty to graciously accept the assurance of - profound esteem with which I subscribe myself, - - Your Imperial and Royal Majesty's - faithful servant and subject - CHARLES MAURICE DE TALLEYRAND, - _Prince de Benevento_. - -[Illustration: SIGNATURE OF EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE AS REGENT, JULY, 1813.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF JOSEPH BONAPARTE, AFTERWARDS KING OF SPAIN, -JANUARY, 1806.] - -In this letter, dated April 20, 1808, Talleyrand conveys to the -Emperor, then at Bayonne, his congratulations on the birth of the -future Emperor, Napoleon III., at which he was present, and it must -have been written the very day when that event took place. In his "Life -of Napoleon III.," at page 10, the late Mr. Archibald Forbes writes -thus: "It was on the afternoon of April 20, 1808, in her _hôtel_ in -the Rue Cérutti, now the banking-house of the Rothschilds in the Rue -Lafitte, that Queen Hortense gave birth to her third son, the future -Napoleon III. The Empress was then at Bordeaux and the Emperor at -Bayonne. Talleyrand, with other high officers, had been commanded by -Napoleon to be present at the impending accouchement of Queen Hortense. -She thus notes regarding him: 'The visit of M. de Talleyrand aggravated -my nervous state. He constantly wore powder, the scent of which was so -strong that when he approached me I was nearly suffocated.' Talleyrand -looked down solemnly on the new-born infant; some thirty years later, -in Lady Tankerville's drawing-room in London, he did not choose to -recognise the son of Hortense. The heir of the Empire was then an -exile, and Talleyrand was serving a new master." - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF TALLEYRAND IN PARIS TO NAPOLEON I. AT BAYONNE -CONGRATULATING HIM ON THE BIRTH OF NAPOLEON III., AT WHICH HE HAD BEEN -PRESENT, APRIL, 1808.] - -[Illustration: LETTER SIGNED BY THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE, 3 VENTOSE AN X -(FEBRUARY 22, 1802).] - -I possess letters and documents signed by Napoleon in Egypt -(1798-99), at Rambouillet (1807), at Bayonne (1808), and on a pardon -(1812). Possibly the finest is on a letter written in 1805 from the -camp at Boulogne. I paid £5 for this; it is worth at least five times -as much now. Letters of most of Napoleon's Marshals vary in value from -10s. to 20s. The rarest are those of Desaix (killed at Marengo) and -Poniatowski (drowned in the Elster in 1813). They are worth from £3 -to £5. An autograph letter of the Duc d'Enghien would probably bring -its owner £20. I gave £5 for a good L.S. Letters of Murat are worth -from 15s. to 20s. I bought the letter written to Napoleon by him for -12s. 6d. in England. Letters of Eliza Bonaparte and Marshal Masséna -are now somewhat hard to procure, as those of the former are purchased -by an historian, while the present holder of the title of the Prince -d'Essling is credited with being a liberal buyer of the MSS. of his -gallant ancestor. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF MARSHAL NEY, PARIS, DECEMBER 23, 1813.] - -[Illustration: EXERCISE OF THE KING OF ROME, DUKE DE REICHSTADT, CIRCA -1827.] - -As regards the Roi de Rome (Napoleon II.), I have already referred to -his exercise-books. If he had lived he would have had a rival in the -Comte de Chambord, of whose early compositions I now give an example. -His handwriting was excellent. Few boys at eight write anything like as -well:-- - - -_Exercise of Count de Chambord, 1820-83._ - - François Premier après avoir vaillamment combattu sous les - murs de Pavie, fut fait prisonnier par les Espagnols. Ce roy - chevalier annonça son malheur à sa mère par ces mots écrits sur - le champ de bataille 'Tout est perdu fors l'honneur.' Il fut - conduit en Espagne et mené à Madrid où il fut gardé dans un - château. Charlequint l'y laissa long temps sans l'aller voir. - - St. Cloud _le 18 Juillet 1828_. - -Nearly half a century later the writer preferred to lose his chances -of a throne rather than renounce the white flag of his ancestors. If -I mistake not he used the very words of Francis I. recorded on the -copy-book page now in my possession! - -[Illustration: PORTION OF ESSAY ON GUNNERY WRITTEN BY THE LATE PRINCE -IMPERIAL OF FRANCE WHILE A CADET AT THE WOOLWICH MILITARY ACADEMY.] - -Ordinary letters of Napoleon III. and the Empress Eugénie are priced -at figures varying from £l to £5. Like Napoleon I., the heir to the -Napoleonic traditions was an industrious letter-writer. I possess many -examples of his letters, ranging from 1830 to 1870. Here is one written -during his detention in Germany:-- - - _WILHELMSHOE le 29 Oct. 1870_ - - MON CHER LORD ALFRED,--Je suis bien touché de votre bon - souvenir; 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 fils. - - C'est une vrai consolation pour moi dans mon malheur que de - recevoir des preuves de sympathie comme les votres, et je - vous prie de dire à Lady Paget combien je suis sensible à son - souvenir. Je vous prie aussi de vouloir bien vous charger de la - lettre ci-jointe pour Sir John Burgoyne. Il m'a écrit une - lettre très aimable, mais on m'a pas donné une adresse, et je - perir à le remercier. - - Recevez, mon cher Lord Alfred l'assurance de mes sentiments - d'amitié. - - NAPOLÉON. - -[Illustration: PAGE OF A.L.S. OF NAPOLEON III. TO DR. O'MEARA, MARCH 9, -1836.] - -[Illustration: SKETCH BY THE LATE PRINCE IMPERIAL, CIRCA 1866.] - -Autograph letters of the Prince Imperial fetch very high prices -indeed--anything from £5 upwards. The fine essay written by him at the -Royal Military College, Woolwich, is worth quite twice that sum. - -Letters of the Empress Eugénie are now generally priced higher than -those of her husband, and I have known as much as £10 asked for one. -Her Majesty is, or was, a zealous collector of autographs. Twenty years -ago she was credited with possessing several letters of Catherine of -Aragon, and a letter from Henry VII. to King and Queen Ferdinand and -Isabella, of the highest historical importance. - -Fine letters of Louis XVIII., Charles X., and Louis Philippe can be -obtained for a pound or less, and the correspondence of the statesmen -who served under them is even cheaper. I gave 20 francs for a very -confidential letter written to the last-named monarch by Count Molé -(1781-1853) in July, 1835. It begins thus:-- - - SIRE,--His Majesty will probably recollect that by means of - a little monthly arrangement I have very nearly silenced the - grape-shot of the _Morning Chronicle_, obtaining occasionally - even favourable mention. I have undertaken now and then to - obtain news paragraphs from London. Here is the first. It is - curious, very curious indeed. I believe in the truth of its - contents. I have opened up relations with _The Times_. - -At this point he suddenly drops the subject, and enlarges on certain -gossip from the German Courts and the lack of intelligence shown by -the War Minister, General Bernard. - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF ADMIRAL BRUEYS, THE FRENCH ADMIRAL -COMMANDING-IN-CHIEF, WHO WAS KILLED AT TRAFALGAR, DATED MAY 25, 1797.] - -The official letters of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods are -often distinguished by engraved vignettes of great artistic beauty. -The designs of the earlier ones are often classical. The letters of -naval officers are often headed by a medallion on which a Roman galley -figures conspicuously. It was by carefully studying the sale catalogues -that I obtained the letter of Talleyrand to Napoleon at an outlay of -27 francs. For 52 francs I purchased in the open market one of the -earliest official letters of Villeneuve to the Minister of Marine at -Paris, after the battle of the Nile. - -Some of the autographs of the Revolution fetch very high prices. -Letters of Mirabeau are comparatively cheap, but those of the -Robespierres and Anacharsis Cloots command almost as much as those -of Montesquieu. Letters of Madame Roland and Marat are also much in -request. Autographs of Charlotte Corday are probably more valuable than -those of Marie Antoinette. - -[Illustration: TWO SIGNATURES OF MARIE ANTOINETTE ON A WARRANT, -OCTOBER, 1783.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF NAPOLEON III. TO LORD ALFRED PAGET FROM -WILHELMSHOHE, OCTOBER 29, 1870.] - -In the early part of the nineteenth century MSS. of every description -were sold at prices which now seem incredible. Miss Berry tells us that -the "Deffand collection of letters and documents consisting of 1 folio -of _Å“uvres de_ Boufflers; 1 do. of letters from different persons; 2 -do. of letters from Voltaire to Madame de Deffand; 1 do. Journal of -do.; 1 do. _divers ouvrages_ of do.; 5 large bundles of manuscript -papers; 1 packet containing several hundred letters from Voltaire, -Rousseau, Delille, Montesquieu, de Staël, Walpole, Henault, and 7 -_large packets_ containing 800 letters from Madame de Deffand to Horace -Walpole were sold in one lot to Dyce Sombre for £157." Lucky Nabob! -I may say without indiscretion that the single letter from Napoleon -to Talleyrand mentioned at the opening of this chapter obtained a -better price. Letters of Voltaire are worth from £1 to £5 each. I gave -10 francs for the apothecary's account for the embalming of his -body prior to its inhumation in the Pantheon. The following letter in -English from Voltaire to Lord Chesterfield--certainly a rarity--cost me -£3 3s.:-- - - -_Voltaire to the Earl of Chesterfield._ - - À FERNEY PAR GENEVE, - _5 August 1761._ - - MY LORD,--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 nation. j have in my old age a sort of conformity - with you. tis not in point of wit, but in point of ears, mine - are much hard too. the consolation of deaf people is to read, - and sometimes to scribble. j have as a scribbler, made a prety - curious commentary on many tragedies of corneille. t'is my duty - since the gran daughter of corneille is in my house. - - if there was a gran daughter of Shakespear j would subscribe - for her. j hope those who take ponticheré will take - subscriptions too. 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 subscribers. y^{r} name will be - the most honourable and the dearest to me. - - I wish y^{r} lordship long life, good eyes and good stomak. - - my lord _souvenez vous de votre ancien serviteur Voltaire qui - vous est attaché comme s'il était a londres_. - - * * * * * - -The original spelling of the letter has been preserved. - -[Illustration: FIRST PAGE OF LETTER IN ENGLISH FROM VOLTAIRE TO EARL OF -CHESTERFIELD, FERNEY, AUGUST 5, 1761.] - -It is needless to discuss the value of such priceless treasures as the -autographs of Rabelais and Molière, the subjects of so much discussion -and (if truth be told) so much deception. Like the signatures of -Shakespeare, they may be described as the Koh-i-noors of calligraphy. -They do not come within the domain of practical autograph collecting. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[63] It was at this sale I acquired the "House-expenses book" of -Napoleon at St. Helena and the correspondence of Poniatowski. - -[64] See _ante_, Chapter I., p. 32. - -[65] See "Life of Napoleon," by J. Holland Rose, Litt.D., vol. i. p. -424. - - - - -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 York, Boston, and Philadelphia= - - "How very inconsiderate some of our great people have been in - the matter of epistolary correspondence! If Thomas Lynch, jun., - and Button Gwinnett, and John Morton had only understood the - feelings of a collector, they would surely have favoured their - friends more frequently with an A.L.S. or even an A.N.S. When - they were signing the Declaration on that warm July afternoon, - and committing themselves to the famous fallacy that 'all men - are created equal,' they might have foreseen the day when every - American collector would begin his colligendering career by - gathering 'signers.'"--ADRIAN H. JOLINE. - - -If the conscript fathers of autograph collecting can be fairly claimed -by the country of their birth, the majority of their most ardent and -enthusiastic successors are to be found to-day on the other side of -the Atlantic. It is in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San -Francisco, St. Louis, Savannah, and elsewhere that one must now look -for many of the choicest and most priceless literary MSS. in existence, -and it is obvious that the New World has in a measure become the -guardian of many of the traditions and treasures of the Old. Before -me lie the calendar of the Emmet collection of papers relating to -American history, presented some ten years ago to the New York Public -Library, which fills no less than 563 closely printed pages; next to -it is the catalogue, in three parts, of the Louis J. Haber collection, -sold in December, 1909, by the Anderson Auction Company of New York, -the successors of the historic firm of Bangs; the monograph, "Privately -Illustrated Books," by Daniel M. Tredwell, of New York--the largest and -most carefully written book on the subject yet produced in America (475 -pages, handsomely printed in De Vinne's best style), the exhaustive -catalogue of that treasure-house of Southern history, beneath the -laurel and jasmines of historic "Wormsloe," Georgia, recently sent me -by Wimberley J. De Renne; the already often-referred-to "Meditations" -of Mr. Adrian H. Joline; the standard American book, "Autographic -Collections of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence and the -Constitution," by the late Lyman C. Draper, LL.D., the interesting -MSS. so carefully arranged by Chas. De F. Burns, of New York, whose -knowledge of early American collecting is very great; and, last but -not least, a pile of valuable notes and statistics from the pen of my -excellent friend Mr. Telamon Cuyler, without whose aid the present -chapter could never have been written. My initial difficulty is a -plethora of interesting information. I must not even attempt to -summarise the autographic trophies to be found in such famous libraries -as those of Mr. Pierpont Morgan, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet (at the present -moment the Nestor of the world's great collectors of MSS.), Mr. W. J. -De Renne of Wormsloe, or Mr. W. H. Bexby of St. Louis. - -Dr. Emmet, now the most vigorous octogenarian in New York, and divided -only by a single generation from the Irish patriot of 1804 (his uncle), -forms a living link between the days of Israel K. Tefft of Savannah, -the pioneer of American autograph collecting, whose library was sold -half a century ago in Philadelphia, and men like Mr. Louis J. Haber, -Mr. Bexby, and Mr. Telamon Cuyler himself; for is not my enthusiastic -_confrère_ himself the proud possessor of a holograph document -containing seven times the name of Button Gwinnett? To nine-tenths of -my lay readers the mention of B. Gwinnett, who was killed in a duel -in May, 1777, and T. Lynch, drowned at sea in the same fateful year, -will probably have no particular signification. Let me tell them that -if they could discover a fine autograph letter, duly signed, of either -of these signers of the Declaration of American Independence, they may -consider themselves provided for for life, and far richer than the -owners of red and blue "Post Office Mauritius," "Hawaian blues," or -other priceless _rariora_ dear to the votaries of philately! - -The great majority of American autograph collectors apparently utilise -their letters and documents for the purposes of extra-illustration, or -the creation of "association-books."[66] Although the arrangement of -autographs on these lines does not receive the whole-hearted sanction -of Mr. Joline, Dr. Emmet has successfully demonstrated the supreme -importance of this source of illustration to the "grangeriser," and -it is constantly practised by both Mr. Cuyler and myself. In this -connection I do not, of course, allude to the MSS. of famous authors, -which should obviously be kept apart, and bound by experts like Mr. -Cedric Chivers, in such a way as not to interfere with their original -condition or appearance, but to isolated letters or documents. I fail -to imagine anything more interesting or attractive than a copy of -Clarendon's "History," illustrated not only by portraits and views, but -by MSS. like those in the possession of Mr. Sabin, or those I shall -describe when giving some account of the sales of the last decade.[67] -Then, and then only, do you seem to actually live again in the -veritable atmosphere of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. - -The American collector generally begins his career, both as an -autograph collector and extra-illustrator, 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" (1776-1783). -The Emmet Collection in the New York Public Library,[68] which numbers -10,800 documents, is classified under such heads as the Albany Congress -of 1754, the Stamp-Act Congress of 1765, the Continental Congress of -1774, the members of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, Presidents -of Congress, Presidents of the United States, the Signers of the -Declaration of Independence, and so forth. - -The cult of the Signers is one of the most distinctive features of -American autograph collecting.[69] The late Dr. Raffles, of Liverpool, -is credited with having got together a complete series, and I have -heard the subject attracted the sympathetic interest of Queen Victoria. -While the Rev. Dr. Wm. B. Sprague (born at Andover, Conn., U.S.A.) was -the first man to form the first unbroken set of the immortal fifty-six -"Signers," Dr. Raffles' set was the second to be completed. This fact -is shown in a letter of June, 1835, by Benjamin B. Thatcher (born at -Warren, Me., 1809; died Boston, Mass., 1840), the earliest writer on -American autograph collections. Some of the signatures of the "Signers" -are common enough, but those of Button Gwinnett and Lynch, both of -which I am able, thanks to the kindness of Mr. Cuyler, to illustrate, -are of quite phenomenal rarity. Gwinnett and Lynch both died tragically -"before their time," and this may possibly account for the scarceness -of their handwriting. Some collectors spend their lives in the -perpetual quest of these unfindable autographs. - -Mr. Cuyler has sent me several anecdotes on the subject of these -Gwinnett and Lynch signatures. He informs me that the earliest American -collector, Israel K. Tefft, was called from Savannah to the estate of -a gentleman resident near that city. Having to wait, he wandered on -the lawn, under the cypress and the jasmine, and, perceiving a scrap -of paper blowing about, he carelessly picked it up. To his joyous -astonishment he found that it was a draft on the Treasury of Georgia, -dated 1777, ordering certain payments, and signed by Button Gwinnett! -Though Mr. Tefft was the first autograph collector in America, and had -begun operations as early as 1815-20, in Savannah, he had, until that -tour, never even seen the signature of Button Gwinnett--other than -that appearing upon facsimiles of the Declaration of Independence. -After transacting his business, he exhibited his find to his client, -and said that he would gladly take the paper in place of money for his -services. The gentleman generously presented him with the paper and -also paid him. (This signature of B. G. is now preserved in the "Set of -Signers" in the State Library at Albany, New York, U.S.A.) - -Mr. Cuyler has ascertained that there are only twenty-two known -signatures of Button Gwinnett extant. These include his holograph will, -drawn up a few hours before his fatal duel with Gen. McIntosh (May, -1777), which is now in the collection of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan, of New -York. No A.L.S. of Gwinnett is known. The State of Georgia, in which he -was Master of Pilotage, Justice of the Peace, Member of the Provincial -Assembly, Member of Council of Safety, and Governor, possesses not a -line of his writing. One L.S. is in the _private_ collection of Thos. -Addis Emmet, M.D., of New York. - -I have previously alluded to the holograph document, with his name -repeated seven times, in possession of Mr. Cuyler. The A.L.S. of -Thomas Lynch, jun., "Signer for South Carolina" (now published), -came from the Washington correspondence.[70] It was ultimately sold -for £1,400 (_i.e._, £370 more than the record Nelson letter), and is -the only one in existence. It now figures in Dr. Emmet's best set of -"Signers" in the New York Public Library. In this set fifty-five out -of the fifty-six signers of the American Magna Charta are represented -by signed holograph letters. Dr. Emmet regards the acquisition of a -letter signed by Gwinnett as the crowning triumph of his sixty years' -work in the fields of autograph collecting. If a holograph letter of -Gwinnett could be discovered, _and such a letter may very likely exist -in England_, it would probably fetch £5,000. - -Gwinnett was an Englishman, a descendant of Admiral Sir Thomas Button -(who entered our navy in 1589, explored Hudson's Bay, and died in -1634), migrated early in life to Charleston, South Carolina, finally -settling in Georgia, where he accumulated wealth. After his tragic -death, his widow and only child, a daughter, returned to England. The -daughter married but died childless. - -In the list of American collectors Dr. Sprague comes next to Mr. Tefft. -George Washington at his death left his correspondence neatly arranged -and filed. His widow, however, burned the whole of the letters she had -ever received from the first President of the United States! This is -almost the greatest known destruction of valuable autograph matter. -From his first love-letter, penned in Virginia, to the young Widow -Custis, his correspondence during the fatal Braddock campaign, his -homely domestic instructions to the _châtelaine_ of Mount Vernon, to -his war letters, in which he opened his heart and there recorded the -true history of the American War, she had preserved all, which now -went into the fire and £100,000 on to-day's valuation, and priceless -American historical data, went up in smoke! - -[Illustration: THE SIGNATURE AND WRITING OF BUTTON GWINNETT, THE RAREST -AUTOGRAPH OF THE "SIGNERS."] - -By the unwise permission of the Washington family, Dr. Sprague -was permitted to abstract "as many letters as he liked" from the -wonderfully accurate letter-files of George Washington, preserved at -his home, "Mount Vernon," in Virginia. Dr. S. there got some of his -best papers, being only requested to "leave copies of all letters he -took"! Among the papers he thus acquired was the A.L.S. of Thomas -Lynch, jun., "Signer" for South Carolina. - -The following is the text of this wonderful autograph, a portion of -which is reproduced in facsimile:-- - - SIR,--'Though the acquaintance I have with your Excellency be - but slight, I am induced to hope that you will readily excuse - the trouble I am going to give you, when you shall become - acquainted with the merits of the Gentleman, in whose favour - that trouble is given. - - Coll: Pinckney, the Bearer of this Letter, now Commands the - first Regiment raised in this State for the Continental - Service. At the commencement of the present War, he entered - into the Service with the rank of Captain, and has since, to - the satisfaction of every real friend of American liberty in - this State, been advanced by various promotions to that of - Coll. His family being as respectable as any amongst us, and - his fortune abundantly competent, nothing but a passion for - glory and a zeal for the cause of his Country, could have led - him into this measure. I shall say nothing of his Abilities, - convinced as I am that your Excellency's penetration and the - frequent opportunities he cannot fail to have, will soon - discover them, but as to Principles, I will be bold to say, - that no Man living has a higher Spirit, a nicer sense of - Honour, or a more incorruptable Heart, than he has. Such a man - cannot but be highly acceptable to one in your Excellency's - situation, & 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 life, & to make - you as happy and successful as you are good and brave. I have - the honour to be with the most sincere regard and most profound - esteem, your Excellency's - - most obedient hu^{ble} ser^{vt} - THOMAS LYNCH - - Charles Town, - _July 5 1777_ - His Excellency General Washington.[71] - -[Illustration: THE LAST PAGE OF THE LETTER OF THOMAS LYNCH, JUN., ONE -OF THE AMERICAN "SIGNERS," WHICH FETCHED 7,000 DOLLARS.] - -Letters of George Washington often find their way into the English -sale-rooms. During the first decade of the present century they -have varied in price from £6 to £60. Mr. Cuyler enables me to give -my readers not only one of the finest letters of Washington's in -existence, but one hitherto unpublished. I need not point out either -its characteristic style or historic value, but will only observe -that Lund Washington, his cousin and manager of his Virginia estates, -possessed his confidence before any other person, excepting perhaps -Mrs. Washington. - - _CAMP AT CAMBRIDGE Augt 20th 1775_ - - DEAR LUND,--Your Letter by Captn Prince came to my hands last - night--I was glad to learn by it that all are well.--the acct - given of the behaviour of the Scotchmen at Port Tobacco & - Piscataway surpriz'd & vexed me--Why did they Imbark in the - Cause?--What do they say for themselves?--What does other - say of them?--are they admitted into company?--or kicked out - of it?--What does their Countrymen urge in justification of - them?--they are fertile in invention, and will offer excuses - where excuses can be made. I cannot say but I am curious to - learn the reasons why men, who had subscribed, and bound - themselves to each other, and their Country, to stand forth in - defence of it, should lay down their Arms the first moment they - were called upon. - - Although I never hear of the Mill under the direction of - Simpson, without a degree of warmth & vexation at his extreame - stupidity, yet, if you can spare money from other purposes, I - could wish to have it sent to him, that it may, if possible, be - set a going before the works get ruined & spoilt, & my whole - Money perhaps totally lost.--If I am really to loose Barran's - debt to me, it will be a pretty severe stroke upon the back of - Adams, & the expense I am led into by that confounded fellow - Simpson, and necessarily so--in seating my Lands under the - management of Cleveland.-- - - Spinning should go forward with all possible dispatch, as we - shall have nothing else to depend upon if these disputes - continue another year.--I can hardly think that Lord Dunmore - can act so low, and unmanly a part, as think of seizing Mrs. - Washington by way of revenge upon me; howevr as I suppose she - is, before this time gone over to Mr Calverts, & will soon - after retug, go down to New Kent, she will be out of his reach - for 2 or 3 months to come, in which time matters may, and - probably will, take such a turn as to render her removal either - absolutely necessary, or quite useless.--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 Alexandria, or some other place of safety - elsewhere for her and my Papers. - - 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 saw.--I have - already broke one Col. and five Captains for Cowardice, and - for drawing more Pay and Provisions than they had men in their - Companies there is two more Cols now under arrest, and to be - tried for the same offences--in short they are by no means - such Troops, in any respect as you are led to believe of - them from the accts which are published, but I need not make - myself Enemies among them, by this declaration although it is - consistant with truth.--I daresay the men would fight very - well (if properly officered) although they are an exceeding - dirty & hasty people.--had they been properly conducted at - Bunkers Hill (on the 17th of June) or those that were there - properly supported, the Regulars would have met with a shameful - defeat, & a much more considerable loss than they did, which - is now known to be exactly 1057 killed & wounded--it was for - their behaviour on that occasion that the above officers were - broke, for I never spared one that was accused of Cowardice but - brot'em to immediate Tryal. - - Our Lines of Defence are now compleated, as near so at least as - can be--we men wish them to come out as soon as they please, - but they (that is the enemy) discover no Inclination to quit - their own Works of Defence, & as it is almost impossible for - us to get to them, we do nothing but watch each others motions - all day at the distance of about a mile, every now and then - picking off a stragler when we can catch them without their - Intrenchments, 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 get.-- - - What does Doctr Craik say to the behaviour of his Countrymen, & - Townspeople? Remember me kindly to him & tell him that I should - be very glad to see him here if there was any thing worth his - acceptance, but the Massachusets People suffer nothing to go by - them that they can lay hands upon.-- - - I wish the money could be had from Hill & the Bills of - Exchange (except Col Fairfax's, which ought to be sent to him - immediately) turned into Cash, you might then, I should think, - be able to furnish Simpson with about £300, but you are to - recollect that I have got Cleveland & the hired People with him - to pay also.--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 works, and other things of this kind for - Mr. Robets and Thomas Alferd, 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 reasonable, - as all Mill business will probably be at an end for a while, - that I am to pay them £100 a year to be Idle.--I should think - Roberts himself must see, & be sensible of the reasonableness - of this request, as I believe few Millers will find employment - if our Ports are shut up, & the wheat kept in the straw, or - otherwise for greater security. - - I will write to Mr. Milnor to forward you a good Country - Boulting Cloth for Simpson which endeavour to have contrived - to him by the first safe conveyance.--I wish you would quicken - Lasphire & Sears about the Dining Room Chimney Piece (to be - executed as mentioned in one of my last letters) as I could - wish to have that end of the house compleatly finished before - I return.--I wish you had done the end of the New Kitchen next - the garden as also the old Kitchen with Rusticated Board, - however as it is not I would have the corners done so in the - manner of our New Church (those two especially which Fronts - the Quarter.--What have you done with the Well? Is that walled - up?--have you any accts of the Painter? how does he behave at - Fredericksburg?-- - - I much approve of your sowing wheat in clean ground, although - you should be late in doing it, and if for no other purpose - than a tryal.--It is a growing I find, as well as a new - practice, that of Overseers keeping Horses, & for what purpose, - unless it be to make fat Horses at my expense, I know not as it - is no saving of my own Horses. I do not like the custom, & wish - you would break it, but do as you will, as I cannot pretend to - interfere at this distance. - - Remember me kindly to all the neighbours who enquire after - - yr affecte friend and servt - G. WASHINGTON - -Letters of Franklin are less valuable than those of Washington. The -letter reproduced was purchased by me in Paris for £10. It of course -derives additional value from being addressed to Washington. The seal -is intact. - - _PASSY, NEAR PARIS, March 2. 1778._ - - DEAR SIR,--M. de Fontevieux, who hopes to have the honour of - delivering this into your hands, is a young Gentleman of a - considerable Family, and of excellent character, who goes over - with Views of improving himself in the military Art under your - Auspices. He is willing to serve as Volunteer, in any Capacity - for which your Excell^{y} shall find him qualified. He is warmly - recommended to me by Persons of great Distinction here, who - are zealous Friends to the American Cause. And I beg leave to - recommend him earnestly to your Excellency's Protection, being - confident that he will endeavour to merit it. With the greatest - Esteem & Respect I have the Honour to be, - - Your Excellency's - most obedient and most humble Servant - B. FRANKLIN - - To his Excellency George Washington Esq^{re} General & - Commander in chief of the American Armies, Philadelphia. - -[Illustration: THE LAST PAGE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON'S SPLENDID A.L.S., -NOW PUBLISHED THROUGH THE KINDNESS OF MR. T. C. S. CUYLER.] - -[Illustration: A.L.S. OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN TO GEORGE WASHINGTON MARCH -2, 1778.] - -The names of Lyman Draper, G. W. Childs Kennedy, Proctor, Fogg, -Dreer, C. C. Jones, jun., W. J. De Renne, and Elliot Danforth, -are, like those of Emmet, J. Pierpont Morgan, and Joline, familiar to -all American autograph collectors. I find in _The Archivist_ (1894) -many interesting details of the wonderful collection of Mr. George -Washington Childs, publisher and proprietor of the _Philadelphia -Ledger_. Mr. Childs acquired amongst other _rariora_, the MSS. of -Byron's "Bride of Abydos," Thackeray's "Lecture on the Four Georges," -and Scott's "Chronicles of Canongate." He possessed a MS. parody by -Byron on Wordsworth's "Peter Bell," which began with the somewhat -prosaic lines:-- - - There's something in a flying horse - And something in a huge balloon. - -Byron wrote:-- - - There's something in a stupid ass, - And something in a heavy dunce; - But never since I went to school - I heard or saw so d----d a fool - As William Wordsworth is for once. - -Amongst the autographs greatly sought after in America is that of the -ill-fated Major André. One of the gems of Mr. Childs's collection is -described as a holograph poem by the unlucky soldier, entitled the "Cow -Chase," and dated July 21, 1780. Its closing stanza runs:-- - - And now I've closed my epic strain - I tremble as I show it, - Lest this same warrior-drover Wayne - Should ever catch the poet. - -André was soon after captured and executed. 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 hung, - And to his cost he finds too late - The "dung born tribe" decides his fate.[72] - -Mr. Cuyler sends me some interesting information on the subject of -André from the collector's point of view. It appears that André was -twice captured during the American War. Upon the first occasion he -was hastily searched, and though he lost his watch, arms, sword, and -purse, he managed to save the framed miniature of his beloved Honora -Sneyd by concealing it in his mouth! The occasion of his second capture -was on that fatal ride along the east bank of the Hudson River, -after his interview with Benedict Arnold. At this time the whole of -André's papers, both official and personal, were in New York. Upon the -evacuation of New York, 1783, some one took his papers to Halifax, Nova -Scotia. Seventy-five years later a friend of Dr. Emmet called on a -gentleman resident there. Receiving no response to his ring, he walked -through the house, and as he entered the kitchen he found his friend -kicking the last of a heap of musty, faded papers into the fire, on an -open hearth. Leaping over several great oaken chests, the visitor saved -seven or eight documents, several already scorched, from the flames. -The gentleman of Halifax explained that he needed the chests, which his -grandfather had deposited in their garret, and so burned the papers. -Those saved were autograph documents of André--and the New Yorker gave -them to Dr. Emmet, in whose collection they now are. André's writings -in America are exceedingly scarce. - -André was an artist, and executed several drawings of his friends, -among whom were portraits of Abraham Cuyler and his wife, which are now -preserved in that family. This man was the last Royal Mayor of Albany, -New York, and the father of General Sir Cornelius Cuyler, whose sons -fought in the Guards defending Hougomont at Waterloo. - -As in France and England, there has been much wanton destruction -of MSS. in the United States, on which subjects Mr. Joline speaks -feelingly. Mr. T. Cuyler tells me that after the crushing defeat of -the Federals by the Confederate Army at Bull Run (First Manassas), -Virginia, in 1861, the former fled in wildest disorder to Washington -City, where they rallied. The consequent confusion, the urgent demands -for food and lodgings for a large force of men, caused improvised -bakeries to be established in the lower story of the National Capitol. -A lady, in passing through a corridor, observed an officer urging -his men to roll away into an adjacent marsh great barrels, dusty and -stained with age, out of which protruded ancient papers. She paused, -and thinking of Dr. Emmet's collection, she begged leave to fill her -pockets with documents. Those which she so saved were found to be -priceless--being correspondence of 1776-1783, and among her finds was a -long letter from Benjamin Franklin, dated at Passy, France, during the -American Revolutionary War. Later inquiries disclosed the fact that, -after the British victory at Bladensburg, Maryland, 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 City, in the "War of 1812." Upon their return, these -precious papers had been left in the Capitol until ruthlessly tossed -out in 1861. - -One of the most striking features in American autograph collecting, -important and extensive as it is to-day, is the smallness of its -beginnings. Tefft, the originator of the autograph cult, who commenced -operations by securing a few signatures in the year of Waterloo, was -only a bank-cashier; Dr. Sprague was a clerical tutor in the Washington -family, and pure accident put unique opportunities in his way; -Ferdinand J. Dreer was a merchant who took up the hobby when his health -gave way, and lived to complete a collection second only in importance -to that formed by Dr. Emmet. It was Dreer who, at the expense of £200, -recovered Washington's last letter, after it had remained for nearly -a century in Sweden. Charles C. Jones, jun., of Augusta, Georgia, was -the first to set the fashion of looking for letters connected with the -Civil War of 1861-65. The era of autograph sales began in 1810, at -Charleston, South Carolina, by the dispersal of the collection of MSS. -formed by a French Consul, but the first autograph sale catalogue is -nearly a quarter of a century later, and includes the papers of Aaron -Burr, at one time Vice-President of the United States. It was not, -however, till the "eighteen-fifties" that dealing in autographs came to -rank as a business. - -As regards the prospects of this popular pursuit in the United States, -Mr. Telamon Cuyler writes as follows:-- - - "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 'Signers,' generals, governors, &c. The - beginnings of newspaper life, of iron manufacturing, of cotton - milling, of cotton culture, of the steamboat business, of - maritime life along the Atlantic seaboard, and such efforts - with special attention to great inventions, such as the - telephone, telegraph, typewriter, electric light, automobile, - flying machines, and many hundreds of smaller discoveries. - The gathering of documents connected with the foundations of - great industries, such as the steel business, 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 beginning. 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 character. I myself have taken up certain lines of - collecting in this field and which I find of the greatest - interest." - -Mr. C. E. Goodspeed, of 5A, Park Street, Boston, who, like Mr. Benjamin -of New York, issues frequently very useful sale catalogues of autograph -letters, also writes me:-- - - "I think the most interesting autograph which I have ever had - was a one-page quarto letter from Martha Washington to Mrs. - John Adams, the wife of the second President of the U.S., in - answer to Mrs. Adams' letter of condolence on the death of her - husband (President Washington). That letter sold for $300.00, - but would bring perhaps twice that to-day. The most interesting - historical document, perhaps, 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 troops. This was written the day after the famous Boston - Massacre of March 5, 1770. I have had a great many Washington - letters, but never any of great historical importance. An - interesting note might be made of those aggravating incidents - where autographs are brought in by parties who wish to find - their value, but who would not sell them. Amongst items of this - class I may mention, having been brought in quite recently, - Benjamin Franklin's famous epitaph for his own tombstone, - written in his own autograph; it is found in all the "Lives - of Franklin"; an autograph album containing about a dozen - letters from Byron to Lady Blessington; a letter from Byron to - his wife, written after their separation, but never sent, as - Lady Blessington advised against it and retained the letter; - also in the same album three or four letters from Dickens to - Lady Blessington; two charming Thackeray letters followed with - pretty pen-and-ink sketches; an autograph poem of Thackeray's; - two autograph poems, each of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert - Browning; and poems of Landor, and others! Was not that a nice - little collection, and was it not an aggravation not to be able - to even make an offer on it?" - -The President of the Anderson Auction Company (12, East 46th Street, -New York) has most obligingly sent me a priced catalogue of the Haber -Sale, already more than once mentioned in these pages. - -Mr. L. J. Haber has also given me the price at which the letters sold -were originally acquired. 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 York, but the rise in -them which has taken place in the past ten or twenty years. No list of -this kind has ever before appeared:-- - - -FROM PARTS I. AND II. - - Cost. Sale Price. - Lot No. $ $ - 9 Aldrich 7.50 32.00 - 90 Presidents 415.00 930.00 - 312 Browning (E. B.) 27.50 100.00 - 315 " " 20.00 37.00 - 326 Bryant (W. C.) 9.00 13.00 - 355 Burroughs (John) 7.50 46.00 - 409 Mark Twain 15.00 150.00 - 410 " " 5.00 100.00 - 422 Coleridge 12.00 29.00 - 431 Cooper 13.00 85.00 - 478 De Quincey 10.00 34.00 - 486 Dickens 12.50 53.00 - 553 Emerson 18.00 115.00 - 768 Hardy (T.) 5.00 36.00 - 774 Harris (Joel C.) 10.00 53.00 - 775 Harte (Bret) 24.00 161.00 - 784 Hawthorne[73] 16.00 75.00 - 825 Holmes 28.00 195.00 - 881 Irving 120.00 445.00 - 929 Keats 125.00 2,500.00 - -The above-mentioned autographs were either included in books or bound -up separately. The following apparently were detached letters:-- - - -PART III. - - Cost. Sale Price. - Lot No. $ $ - 1 Addison 20.00 42.00 - 30 Jane Austen 20.00 60.00 - 42 Beecher (H. W.) 2.00 21.00 - 45 Blackmore 2.50 8.50 - 47 Blake (Wm.) 15.00 55.00 - 44 " " 1.00 8.50 - 51 John Bright 1.00 7.25 - 52 Brontë (C.) 15.00 25.00 - 46 John Brown 20.00 46.00 - 60 Browning (E. B.) 20.00 35.00 - 76 Burns 70.00 165.00 - 81 Byron 40.00 85.00 - 84 Carlyle 10.00 21.00 - 91 Chesterfield 12.00 17.00 - 114 Darwin 4.00 12.00 - 118 Dickens 18.00 35.00 - 127 Doyle (Richard) 10.00 21.00 - 144 Franklin 30.00 86.00 - 151 Gladstone 1.50 5.00 - 165 Hardy (Thomas) 1.50 9.75 - 170 Hawthorne 20.00 45.00 - 208 Johnson (Samuel) 35.00 85.00 - 216 Kipling (R.) 4.00 17.00 - 229 Lewes 2.50 14.00 - 242 Macpherson (James) 2.50 9.50 - 246 Marryat (Capt.) 3.00 9.00 - 251 Meredith (Geo.) 5.00 15.50 - 262 Morris (Wm.) 9.00 21.00 - 274 Paine (Thos.) 10.00 25.00 - 288 Piozzi (Mme.) 12.00 43.00 - 290 Poe (E. A.) 28.00 96.00 - 292 Pope (A.) 40.00 145.00 - 293 Porter (Jane) 2.00 10.00 - 304 Reade (Chas.) 1.00 6.00 - 309 Richardson (Samuel) 15.00 29.00 - 315 Rossetti (D. G.) 4.00 16.50 - 325 Shelley 60.00 105.00 - 326 " 7.50 80.00 - 347 Stevenson (R. L.) 12.00 51.00 - 353 Swinburne (A.) 3.00 15.00 - 358 Tennyson (A.) 9.00 31.00 - 358 Thackeray (W. M.) 8.00 60.00 - 371 Walpole (H.) 10.00 24.00 - 377 Wesley (J.) 8.00 20.00 - -The majority of the Haber MSS. are of British origin. It gives me -little opportunity of saying anything about the varying prices of the -A.L.S. of American Presidents, or of the rise in value of the letters -of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant. I note, however, that a letter -of E. A. Poe has more than trebled in value since Mr. Haber acquired -it. Letters of Longfellow are still in demand, but those of O. W. -Holmes are somewhat at a discount and were not largely represented in -the Haber Sale, at which a fine specimen of Benjamin Jowett went for -4s. A 4-pp. letter of Mr. Thomas Hardy was sold for £1 19s., but a 1-p. -8vo of Rudyard Kipling brought £3 8s.! A verse by Mr. Andrew Lang, to -which his signature was appended, went for £1 4s. It was entitled "The -Optimism of an Undertaker," and ran:-- - - Ah, why drag on unhappy days - (This rede the undertaker says), - Misguided race of men! - Who handsomely interred might be - By Mr. Silas Mould (that's me) - For only three pound ten. - -Twelve lines by Alexander Pope excited keen competition, and were sold -eventually for £29. It is evident that, in spite of the set back of -two years ago which brought a good many autographs back to England, -the American market is still higher than any other, and there is -every chance of its continuing so. On April 25, 1910, Mr. Frank Sabin -paid £8,650 at Sotheby's for the voluminous correspondence, chiefly -addressed to W. Blathwayt, Secretary of State and Commissioner for -Trade and Plantations, relative to the American Colonies, during the -last quarter of the seventeenth century. William Blathwayt (1649-1717) -served his political apprenticeship under Sir W. Temple, subsequently -filling the posts of Secretary at War (1683), Secretary of State to -William III. during the campaign in Flanders, Commissioner for Trade -and Plantations and Clerk of the Privy Council. Some years ago a parcel -of Blathwayt's own letters, which I used in extra-illustrating the -"Account of William III.'s Achievements at the Siege of Namur," cost -me 20s. Another interesting lot at the sale of April 25th consisted -of thirteen MS. and thirty-five early printed maps. This went to Mr. -Quaritch for £690--a price solely attributable to its unique American -interest. - -[Illustration: EARLY WRITING OF THE LATE KING EDWARD VII., CIRCA 1850. - -(By permission of Messrs. Harper Bros.)] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[66] See my article in _The Country Home_, March, 1910. - -[67] See _post_, Chapter XII. - -[68] Since 1896 Dr. T. A. Emmet has formed a second collection of -little less importance than the one now alluded to. - -[69] Mr. T. 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 head. The value and interest -of such a work will be of manifold importance. He has already made a -beginning. - -[70] See _post_, p. 328. - -[71] The original is now in the Emmet Collection, New York Public -Library. - -[72] André's journals are now in the magnificent collection of Mr. -Bexby, of St. Louis. - -[73] Cost is for letter only; sale price includes book. - - - - -XII - -THE -PRICES OF -AUTOGRAPHS -AND THEIR -VARIATIONS - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE PRICES OF AUTOGRAPHS AND THEIR -VARIATIONS - - =William Upcott and his contemporaries--Sale prices 1810-1910= - - Letters are the soul of trade.--JAMES HOWELL (1595-1666). - - -William Upcott, the conscript father of modern autograph-collecting, -was born in 1770, and lived until 1845. He was the natural son of the -painter Ozias Humphry, the maiden-name of whose mother he assumed. His -own mother was Dolly Wickens, the daughter of an Oxford tradesman. From -his father he inherited a taste for antiques of every description, as -well as a valuable collection of miniatures, pictures, and engravings. -The life-story of Upcott is told with unusual detail in the "Dictionary -of National Biography."[74] While acting as an assistant to the -well-known booksellers, Evans of Pall Mall and Wright of Piccadilly, -he attracted the attention of Dean Ireland and other _literati_. He -was appointed Assistant-Secretary to Porson at the London Institution -in 1806, and on his death continued to occupy the same post under -Maltby. Mr. H. R. Tedder tells us that "every inch of the walls in -his rooms, whether at the London Institution or in his subsequent -residence, was covered with paintings, drawings, and prints, most -of them by Gainsborough or Humphry, while all the drawers, shelves, -boxes, and cupboards were crammed with his [autograph] collections." -Upcott spent the evening of his useful life at 102, Upper Street, -Islington, naming his house "Autograph Cottage." In 1836 he published -privately a catalogue of his MSS. One of his greatest finds (and they -may be counted by scores) was the discovery of the MS. of Chatterton's -"Amphitryon" (now in the British Museum) in a cheesemonger's shop. -He never married. There is a capital portrait of Upcott engraved in -March, 1818, by T. Bragg, after a drawing by W. Behnes. My copy of it -is inscribed in minute but peculiarly clear handwriting, "Presented to -his much esteemed Friend and fellow-traveller Mrs. Robert Nasmyth of -Edinburgh. William Upcott," London Institution, August 26, 1833. By his -side is a cabinet of medals; in his hands a volume of "Topography," and -on the table a deed on which one at once recognises the sign-manual of -Queen Elizabeth. - -It is impossible to over-estimate the value of the work done by Upcott -in providing sources of reliable information for future generations of -historians. In my own collection is the following interesting letter of -this collector, written nine years before his death:-- - - AUTOGRAPH COTTAGE, UPPER ST, ISLINGTON - _Sep 19 1836_ - - DEAR SIR,--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 inspection. I expressed a - wish, which I still entertain, that this collection--a labour - of more than 25 years--should be placed in the hands of those - who could appreciate its value either in a Public Library, or - with a private individual of acknowledged taste. - - At present, it remains in the same state as when you saw it, - nor am I desirous to accede to its removal from my shelves - until you shall again repeat your visit, agreeably to your - promise. - - When may I expect that gratification? Should you deem the mass, - as particularized in my printed catalogue, too voluminous to - purchase, what say you with possession of the 13 volumes in - folio _not_ noticed in my catalogue containing 2078 Autographs - including Letters and illustrated with 1000 portraits with - Short Biographical notices, subjoined, written by myself and - bound by Herring in morocco with leather joints. Their contents - comprise Sovereigns, Statesmen, Divines, Lawyers, Noble and - Military Officers, Medical men, Authors, Men of Science, - Artists, Actors, Musicians, Foreigners and celebrated Women - with property; printed Title pages and Indexes. - - All the Autographs are mounted on tinted drawing paper and - those who have examined the drawings pronounce them to be - altogether unique. The collecting and writing of the Memoirs - cost me 3 years' labour. When my friend Dawson Turner inspected - them in 1830 he furnished me with his opinion of its merits of - which the following is a copy:-- - - MY DEAR UPCOTT,--You asked me as to the value of the 13 - volumes of Autographs and I should be glad that, if you are - disposed to sell them, I might be allowed to place a price - upon them for I have often examined them as you know very - carefully, and now think that nobody is much better able - than myself to esteem property of this description. Pass on - a few short years and these volumes will be one of the best - Biographical Records in existence. - - Considered in the four-fold character which they derive - from the interest of the individuals they contain, 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 together:--I - certainly know no series of the kind equally desirable, and - I regard the whole as unquestionably unique. Such is my - idea of their merit, and their price I should say should be - _at least seven hundred pounds_. - - I am a single man, without a relation possessing a - corresponding feeling with myself. My earnest desire therefore - is to see all my articles of vertu as well as Pictures, - Drawings, Autographs, and curiously Illustrated Books, pass - from me to other hands who can appreciate their works, - _without_ the notoriety of a public sale. My friend Turner's - valuation of the 13 volumes just alluded to has, I find, been - backed by the opinion of other collectors, yet if you should - entertain the idea of possessing them _I will part with them - for 500 Guineas_. - - An early answer, stating when I shall be likely to see you will - be esteemed a favour, as my intention is to go to Paris for a - short time about the end of the month. - - Believe me to remain, dear Sir, - Your ever faithful servant, - WILLIAM UPCOTT. - - P.S.--Did you mention to your friend my small collection of - Original Pictures? You kindly told me you would favour me with - his company. My best compliments were on Mr. Lomax and Mr. - Bentley, your travelling companions. - -It was to his brother autograph collector, Mr. Dawson Turner, of -Yarmouth, that Upcott dedicated in 1818 his standard work on the -literature of English topography. Mr. Greaves, of Isham Hall, -Manchester, apparently missed the chance of a lifetime. He might have -acquired for £500 what would be now worth £15,000 or even £20,000. - -In 1846 Upcott's _rariora_ were sold by Sotheby at Evans's -auction-rooms, 106, New Bond Street, and realised £4,125 17s. 6d., and -that at a time when the science of autographs was in its infancy. 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 Turner. Numerous purchases were made for the -national collection, which now form the series known as additional -MSS. 15841 to 15957. Amongst these 116 volumes are the papers of John -Nicholas, the papers of Brown and Evelyn, Burton's diary, Curtius's -letters, the Dayrolles correspondence, the letters addressed to Sir -Christopher Hatton, Shenstone's poem, the "Snuff-Box," and many other -items of extraordinary interest, including Prior's papers while in -Paris, and the papers of the French Army in Italy. - -The following are fair examples of the prices realised at this -memorable sale of January 22-24, 1846:-- - - LOT 43. _Dayrolles Correspondence._--1,368 Letters and - Documents and Diplomas (A.L.S. fr. Harley, Boyle, Bothmer, - St. John, Addison, Craggs, Stone, Holdernesse, George II., - Newcastle, Chesterfield, Pelham, &c.) - - £110 0 0 - - LOT 67. _Autographs of Kings of France_ on Vellum.--Original - Documents from Philip V., 1319, to Napoleon, 2 vols. - - £7 10 0 - - LOT 140. _Navy._--535 Letters and Documents from Papers of - Adm. _Norris_ w. Portraits (_e.g._, Blake, Monk, Pr. - Rupert, Pepys, Byng, Rooke, Oxford, Lestock, Wager, Anson, - Sandwich, Warren, _Nelson_, Keith, Cornwallis, Popham, S. - Smith, St. Vincent, &c.) - - £10 0 0 - - LOT 166. _Sidney Correspondence._--66 Letters addressed to Sir - Ph. Sidney and his family (_e.g._, Leycester, Danby, - Thanet, Ormond, Sir J. Temple, Robert Sidney, father of - Algernon, &c.) - - £5 7 6 - - LOT 199. _Voltaire_--MS. copy of _La Pucelle d'Orleans_ w. - marginal notes by V., 1755 - - £2 3 0 - - LOT 211. _Napoleon_, as First Consul; _Do._ as Emperor from - Wilna and from Moscow, 1812; Portion of Las Cases' Life of - Napoleon corrected by N. at St. Helena; Marie Louise as - Regent, and various papers - - £16 0 0 - - LOT 228. Letter of _Washington_, 1790. Letters and signatures - of Adams, Madison, Monroe, Jefferson, Von Buren, &c. - - £3 10 0 - - LOT 421. 383 Letters of _literary_ men of XVI., XVII. and - XVIIIth centuries, most addressed to John Evelyn, w. 62 - Portraits (Addison, Attenbury, T. Browne, Boyle, Congreve, - Marvel, _Pope_, Prynne, Newton, Flamstead, Pepys, Orrery, - Waller, Vanbrugh, Sloane, &c.) - - £80 0 0 - - LOT 422. 752 Letters of _literary_ men of XVIII. and XIXth - Centuries, w. 181 Portraits (Boswell, Blair, Beattie, - Gifford, Herschel, Horne, Hoole, Percy, Wilkes, Young, &c.) - - £33 0 0 - - LOT 423. 1,279 Letters of _literary_ men XVIII. and XIXth - centuries, w. 109 Portraits (Astle, _Byron_, Cary, Ducarel, - _Gibbon_, T. Paine, Pownall, _Scott_, White, &c.) - - £42 0 0 - - LOT 424. 1,768 Letters of _literary_ men XVIII. and XIXth - centuries, w. 29 Portraits (Chalmers, Dibdin, _Foscolo_, - Hazlitt, Lort, _Malthus_, Pinkerton, Steevens, _Whalley_, - Dr. Parr, &c.) - - £16 0 0 - -The examination of this truly marvellous catalogue not only shows the -extent of Mr. Graves's loss, but that the increase of prices between -1827 and 1846 had been infinitesimal. The earliest indications of a -noteworthy upward movement are discernible at the Donnadieu Sale of -1851, and still more markedly so at the dispersal of the collections -of Mr. Young and Mr. Dillon in 1869. It was reserved for the present -year of grace to see a Keats letter sell for £500, and one of Charlotte -Brontë for £50. My friend Dr. Scott is quite in despair over the prices -of February 28, 1910, and regards the figure at which the Brontë -autograph sold as "positively wicked"! - -One of the most industrious (but not always discriminating) collectors -who followed was Sir Thomas Phillipps, of Cheltenham (1792-1872), who -not unfrequently acquired the whole contents of a dealer's catalogue -_en bloc_. Sales from the _Bibliotheca Phillippica_ have taken place -at intervals since 1892, and the store is not yet exhausted.[75] I -am personally grateful to this voracious accumulator of autographic -treasure, as I picked up at one of the sales seven volumes of -eighteenth-century water-colour sketches of Dorset buildings and -scenery for--_five shillings!_ - -In 1832 he wrote the following letter (now in my possession) to the -late Sir Henry Ellis:-- - - _February 16 1832_ - - DEAR SIR,--You expressed a wish that I would consent to part - with my Library of MSS to the British Museum. It cannot be - expected that I should make a gift of them after the enormous - sum I have paid for them, but I am willing to cede them, if - the nation will pay my debts, which I now owe. The number of - MSS I consider to be above 8000 Vols, containing probably - 20,000 articles. - - Believe me to be yrs truly - THOS PHILLIPPS - - PS.--I must observe that the money thus paid, will not be lost - to the nation, while the manuscripts will be gained. - -The priceless Morrison Collection has already been mentioned. Its -dispersal would certainly occasion a dislocation in autograph prices -throughout the world. - -Since 1900 I have carefully noted the prices realised at all the -principal sales in London, and more recently in New York, and although -there has been a steady rise in prices for high-class autographs, not a -single sale has ever occurred at which some bargain or other might not -have been picked up. - -The existing firm of Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, of 13, Wellington -Street, Strand (the premises, by a strange coincidence, once occupied -by the elder Ireland), was really founded as far back as 1696, when -Messrs. Cooper & Milling first began to dispose of MSS.--generally -in the evening. The business passed successively through the hands -of Messrs. Ballard, Paterson, & Baker. In 1744 Samuel Baker moved to -auction-rooms over "Exeter 'Change" in the Strand. At the death of Mr. -Baker he was succeeded by Mr. John Sotheby, when the firm became Leigh -& Sotheby. From 145, Strand, they removed to the premises in Wellington -Street, long familiar to buyers of MSS. - -At the "Sotheby" sale of November 1, 1901, I note the following -prices:-- - - £ s. d. -Queen Henrietta Maria, D.S. 5 12 6 -Queen Victoria, A.L.S., to Lady Dover 5 10 0 - (Now in my collection.) -Sir Walter Scott, A.L.S., 2 pp. 3 10 0 -Edmund Burke, A.L.S., 2 pp. 2 10 0 -Several A.L.S. of Thos. Campbell, averaged 0 10 0 -Several A.L.S. of Wm. Cowper, averaged 3 0 0 -Several A.L.S. of Edwin Landseer, averaged 0 8 0 -Several A.L.S. of Thomas Moore, averaged 0 11 0 -A fine A.L.S. of William Pitt the elder 4 15 0 -A whole series of A.L.S. of the Duke } From - of Wellington to Lord Beresford } 7 0 0 - (over 50), nearly all written during} to - the Peninsular War } 0 7 0 - -At the sale of Colonel John Moore's autographs at "Sotheby's" (November -29-30, 1901), I note a magnificent series of Civil War MSS. Amongst the -letters sold were the following:-- - - £ s. d. -A.L.S. John Bradshaw (1644) 24 10 0 - " Sir Wm. Brereton (1643) 8 0 0 - " Lord Byron (1652) 7 5 0 -D.S.O. Cromwell (1649) 8 0 0 - " " (1649) 12 0 0 - " " (1651) 10 12 6 -A.L.S. William, Earl of Derby - (with other papers) (1672) 10 10 0 -D.S. Thomas, Lord Fairfax (1643) 9 10 0 -L.S. " " (1649) 13 0 0 -A.L.S. Colonel John Hewson (1648) 8 15 0 -D.S. William Lenthall (1645) 5 0 0 -A.L.S. Sir Edward Massey (1660) 2 10 0 -D.S. Colonel John Moore (1645) 7 0 0 -A.L.S. " " " (1647) 11 0 0 - " " " " (1646) 11 15 0 - " " " " (1650) 8 5 0 -A.L.S. Algernon Percy, Duke of - Northumberland (1645) 19 15 0 -A.L.S. Sir Christopher Wren (1693) 49 0 0 - -The two days' sale of 318 lots realised £956 13s. - -In the five-days' sale at "Sotheby's," which commenced on December 2, -1901, books and autographs were mixed. The total reached £6,216 11s. -6d. Amongst the autographs figured:-- - -MS. of Isaac Watts's Address to the - Church of Christ assembled £ s. d. - in Mark Lane (1702) 7 0 0 -A.L.S. Isaac Watts (1735) 4 0 0 -A.L.S. Thomas Gray (1758) 15 10 0 -A.L.S. Thomas King, actor, to - Garrick (n.d.) 6 15 0 -Holograph Prayer by Samuel - Johnson, Jan. 1 (1784) 13 0 0 -A.L.S. Charles Lamb (n.d.) 6 0 0 -A.L.S. Lord Tennyson, 2 pp., 8vo 7 5 0 -"Gathered Leaves," collected by - Edmund Yates, including - about 100 A.L.S., including - two from Dickens and one - from Thackeray 49 0 0 - -(At the sale of Mr. Yates's Library in 1895 "Gathered Leaves" had -fetched £65.) - -There was a two-days' sale on December 9 and 10, 1901, devoted solely -to autographs, in which 478 lots brought £473 12s. - - £ s. d. -A.L.S. Allan Ramsay, 1 p. (1732) 7 5 0 -A.L.S. Sir Walter Scott, 3 pp. (1811) 9 15 0 -A.L.S. Lord Tennyson, 1 p. (1854) 3 17 6 -A.L.S. Earl of Chesterfield, 2 pp. (1762) 7 10 0 -A.L.S. Thomas Doggett, 2 pp. (1714) 5 2 6 -A.L.S. Edward Gibbon, 4 pp. (1789) 13 5 0 -D.S. Robespierre (M.) (1793) 4 15 0 - -Fifteen A.L.S. of Charles Dickens ranged in price from £6 to 10s. - -Of the autograph sales at "Sotheby's" in 1902 the most interesting took -place on December 11, 12, and 13. The 865 lots sold realised a total of -£1,373 4s. 6d. - -Amongst the MSS. sold may be noted:-- - - £ s. d. -A.L.S. Thomas Chippendale (1813) 5 5 0 -A.L.S. Garrick to Hannah More (1777) 5 5 0 -A.L.S. Mendelssohn, 3 pp. (1841) 6 5 0 -A.L.S. W. M. Thackeray, 2 pp. (1849) 12 0 0 -A.L.S. Samuel Foote, 4 pp. n.d. 8 0 0 -A.L.S. David Garrick (1759) 5 5 0 -A.L.S. Samuel Johnson, 2 pp. (1771) 11 15 0 -A.L.S. Bishop Percy to S. Johnson (1783) 10 0 0 - (The value of this letter was evidently - determined by the person to whom it - was addressed.) -A.L.S. Verdi (1863) 5 2 6 -A.L.S. Sir T. Fairfax to Duke of - Buckingham (1663) 21 10 0 -A.L.S. Hugh Peters, Regicide (1652) 11 0 0 -A.L.S. George Eliot, 5 pp. (1859) 22 0 0 - " " (1859) 9 0 0 - " " (1863) 7 10 0 -A.L.S. Samuel Richardson (1746) 4 18 0 -D.S. William Penn (1682) 5 17 6 -A.L.S. Sarah Siddons (n.d.) 10 0 0 -A.L.S. Sir W. Scott (1814) 12 15 0 -23 A.L.S. Thomas Campbell 14 0 0 - -There were several autograph sales at "Sotheby's" in 1903. The late Mr. -Frederick Barker was good enough to price for me the catalogue of the -sale of June 23rd-24th. On the first day five long letters of Samuel -Richardson to the Rev. Mr. Lobb (1743-56) averaged about £12 12s. A -conveyance signed by Guido Fawkes (reputed to have been picked up for -10s.) fetched £101, and a 6½-pp. letter of Nelson to Sir Alexander -Ball was sold for £30 10s. Throughout this sale prices ruled very -high--quite a short note of Thackeray's realising £7 5s. A fine series -of letters by Earl St. Vincent averaged about £2, but one of these -(dated January 17, 1801), in which he wrote: "Nelson was very low when -he came here, the day before yesterday, appeared and acted as if he -had done me an injury, and felt apprehensive that I was acquainted -with it. Poor man! he is devoured with vanity, weakness and folly, -was strung with ribbons, medals, &c., and yet pretended he wished to -avoid the honours and ceremonies he everywhere met with on the road," -brought no less than £9 5s. A number of letters by Edward Fitzgerald, -the translator of Omar Khayyám, addressed to Joseph Fletcher ("Posh"), -averaged about 30s., and several letters of Charles Dickens £2 2s. each. - -The two-days' sale of June 8th and 9th in this year brought no less -than £1,963 9s. 6d. for only 618 lots. - -Amongst the autographs disposed of at this sale were:-- - - £ s. d. -A.L.S. Robert Browning, 2 pp. (1880) 3 18 0 -A.L. Lindley Murray (1821) 7 0 0 -A.L.S. John Boydell (1804) 5 5 0 -12 D.S. Colley Cibber (bearing - also the signatures of Wilks - and Booth) 18 0 0 -MS. Richard Cumberland, relating - to altercation between Dr. - Johnson and the Dean of Derry 9 0 0 -A.L.S. William Herbert, Earl of - Pembroke (1619) 24 0 0 -A.L.S. Thomas King to David - Garrick 12 10 0 -A.L.S. Richard Porson (1807) 5 10 0 -A.L.S. William Smith, actor (n.d.) 5 5 0 -A.L.S. Lord Byron (1811) 12 15 0 -A.L.S. Sir W. Scott to Southey 12 10 0 -MS. Charles Lamb. Lines "The - First Leaf in Spring" 11 5 0 -A.L.S. Shenstone (1750) 7 0 0 -A.L.S. John Keats--28 in number 1,070 0 0 - (purchased by Mr. Quaritch). -Several letters by De Quincey and - Carlyle averaged 3 0 0 - -Another autograph sale was held at "Sotheby's" on July 23, 1903, and -the following days, when some fine letters by Oliver Cromwell, Burns, -Dickens, and "George Eliot," were sold at good prices. The last sale of -this season took place in Wellington Street on the 19th of November and -two following days. The 738 lots in this sale brought a total of £971 -12s. 6d. - -Amongst the autographs sold were:-- - - £ s. d. -A.L.S. Lord Byron (1819) 10 0 0 -D.S. Sir Francis Drake (1593) 18 10 0 -D.S. Sir R. Hawkins (1615) 5 5 0 -A.L.S. Elizabeth Browning (1844) 3 10 0 -A.L.S. William Penn (1684) 34 0 0 -Twenty letters of Charles Dickens - averaging only 1 0 0 -A.L.S. Colley Cibber (1742) 5 0 0 -A.L.S. Samuel Johnson 6 15 0 -A.L.S. Walter Scott to Thomas - Moore (enclosing Notes on - Byron) (1829) 37 10 0 -A.L.S. Marat 13 0 0 -A.L.S. Andrew Marvel 11 0 0 - -The first autograph sale of 1904 in Wellington Street lasted two days -only (13th and 14th of May), but it included No. 218, the A.L.S. of -Nelson to Lady Hamilton (September 25, 1805), 4 pp. 4to, which realised -£1,030, possibly still the record price for a single letter. Other -letters of Nelson at this sale fetched £16, £13 (two), £6 15s., and £4 -15s. A letter of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, beginning with the emphatic -words, "Ay, ay, as you say my dear, men are vile inconstant toads," -was sold for 15s. only. A great many letters of great interest were -included in this catalogue. Amongst them may be noted A.L.S. Beethoven, -£30; A.L.S. Sir Stamford Raffles, nearly 25 pp. 4to, described as -"giving a most lively and interesting description of the interior -description of St. Helena with _Napoleon Buonaparte_, and Napoleon's -answers to certain charges commonly brought against him, etc., _marked -'private,' probably unpublished. Off St. Helena, May 20, 1816._" This -is now in my collection. - -It was at this sale that a letter of the Duke of Wellington fetched the -record price (as far as his autographs are concerned) of £101. It was -thus described:-- - - 127. EXTREMELY INTERESTING LETTER WRITTEN THE DAY AFTER THE - BATTLE OF WATERLOO. LETTERS WRITTEN AT THIS PERIOD BY THE GREAT - DUKE ARE EXTREMELY SCARCE. - - Poor Canning had my small dispatch box in our battle yesterday - and when he was killed it was lost. 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 cover, - &c., as soon as possible. Let it have in it a small silver or - thick glass inkstand with one of Braham's patent penholders - and one of his pens. What do you think of the total defeat of - Buonaparte BY THE BRITISH ARMY? Never was there in the annals - of the world so desperate or so hard fought an action or such - a defeat. It was really the battle of the Giants. My heart is - broken by the terrible loss I have sustained of my old friends - and companions and my poor soldiers. I shall not be satisfied - with the battle however glorious if it does not of itself put - an end to Buonaparte. - - This letter was written at 4 o'clock in the morning after the - battle. - -The letter before it (126) realised only 8s., and two letters sold -together (128) after it, only 9s., although both were excellent -specimens of Wellington's style. - -There was another autograph sale at "Sotheby's" on July 18th and 19th. -In this sale the following prices were obtained:-- - - £ s. d. -Queen Elizabeth. Letter with - sign-manual 10 0 0 -Henry VIII. Letter with sign-manual 8 10 0 -A.L.S. John Keats, 3 pp. (1818) 35 10 0 -A.L.S. Matthew Prior (1704) 10 5 0 -Francis Bacon, note of 10 lines, - signed 30 0 0 -One hundred A.L.S. of Dorothy - Wordsworth 26 0 0 - -By way of contrast the following letter of the late Sir H. M. Stanley, -addressed to the Secretary of the Temple Club, realised only _one -shilling_:-- - - I can assure you it is none the less welcome, 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 received. Where Froude and - Dickens, Dixon, Taylor, and Hood tread I am only too conscious - that very much greater men than myself ought to be proud to - follow. - -The following A.L.S. of Lady Hamilton's was sold for £12 15s.:-- - - CLARGES ST., _May 8_, to: - - MY DEAREST TYSON,--The long absence of our dearest Nelson makes - me apply to you. First I must tell you that what money I had in - my banker's hands, I have laid out at Merton, and Lord Nelson - thanked me in his last letter and said he would settle with me - with thanks when he came home. Could you then my dearest Tyson - either on my account or Lord Nelson's lend me a hundred and - fifty pounds. - -I lately saw, in possession of Mr. Sabin, Nelson's private banker's -pass-book during the last eighteen months of his life. With two -exceptions every cheque he had drawn was in favour of his "dearest -Emma." - -A one day's sale of 213 lots at "Sotheby's" on December 1, 1904, -brought £582 17s. An account verified by Henry VII. with his royal -initials realised £10, and a document with sign-manual of Henry VIII., -£7 5s. A Privy Council letter from Whitehall (April 27, 1640) was sold -for £8 15s. A series of official papers signed by Bonaparte averaged -£3, but a certificate of service signed by Captain James Napoleon sold -for more than twice as much. One of the features of this sale was quite -a number of letters by Governors, Deputy-Governors, and Judges in -Australia. Many of these fetched £10 each. A letter of Colonel William -Paterson to Sir Joseph Banks (1805) went as high as £13 10s., and one -of David Collins, founder and first Governor of the Van Diemen's Land -Settlement, yielded the same price. - -This was followed by the sale of December 5th and 6th, in which 4,116 -lots brought £1,009 16s. Nelson's letter-book (1796-97) was sold for -£150. - -A series of six holograph letters from Dr. Samuel Johnson to his friend -Sir Robert Chambers, afterwards a judge in Bengal, all said to be -unpublished, and extending from October 22, 1762, to April 19, 1783, -realised £125; the original galley and second proof sheets of "The -Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture," with numerous corrections and -alterations in the handwriting of Mr. Gladstone, £10 10s.; an autograph -letter of John Keats, June, 1819, to Miss Jeffrey, in which he says, -"You will judge of my 1819 temper when I tell you that the thing I have -most enjoyed this year has been writing an 'Ode to Indolence,'" 4 pp. -4to, £35 (Quaritch); and the autograph manuscript of W. Morris's "A -King's Lesson, an Old Story Retold," on six leaves of paper, £27 10s. - -The second day's sale included a remarkable series of autograph letters -addressed to Mrs. Thrale and inherited by a descendant. Sixteen of the -letters were written by Dr. Samuel Johnson, chiefly to Mrs. Thrale; -two were from Boswell to the same, and there were others from Mrs. -Siddons, Garrick, Goldsmith, Burke, and various other celebrities of -the day. The Johnson letters for the most part possessed but little -literary interest, but in the longest one in the series, written -by Boswell and dated from Banff, August 25, 1773, he refers to his -journey in Scotland, and says concerning their arrival at St Andrews: -"The professors who happened to be resident in the vacation made -a public dinner and treated us very kindly and respectfully. They -showed us their colleges, in one of which there is a library that for -luminousness and elegance may vie with the new edifice at Streatham. -But learning seems not to prosper among them; one of their colleges has -been lately alienated, and one of their churches lately deserted." The -Johnson letters date from July 19, 1755, to April 15, 1784, and the -entire series was sold _en bloc_ for £300.[76] The sale also included -an interesting series of five autograph letters from S. T. Coleridge to -Thomas Poole, 1797-98, giving a history of his life, and covering 17 -pages folio and quarto, which fetched £14 10s., and an autograph letter -from Charles Lamb to J. H. Green, August 26, 1834, which sold for £6 -2s. 6d. - -Allusion has been made elsewhere to the excitement caused at the -beginning of 1905 by the sale of January 25th, at which the 33 4to -pages, described as belonging to the original MS. of "Paradise Lost," -were bought in, the reserve price of £5,000 not having been reached.[77] - -From the 2nd to the 4th of March following there was a three-days' -autograph sale in Wellington Street, in which 905 lots brought £1,834 -9s. 6d. A series of letters by General Gordon averaged £1 each; the -Dickens letters disposed of sold better than in 1903 or 1904, realising -from £2 to £6, and 52 letters of Gilbert White brought £150. Some -splendid musical and dramatic letters collected by the late Mr. Julian -Marshall realised high prices, showing a marked advance in this kind of -autographs. - - £ s. d. -Dr. Arne A.L.S. (n.d.) 7 0 0 -Brahms A.L.S. 4 16 0 -Donizetti MS. 5 5 0 -Handel Autograph on MS. 10 0 0 -Haydn A.L.S. 10 10 0 -Paganini A.L.S. 6 0 0 -Schumann A.L.S. 7 5 0 -Scarlati MS. signed 14 5 0 -Schubert MS. signed 12 15 0 - -The one-day sale of April 13, 1905, was almost entirely devoted to -Civil War and Royal autographs, 205 lots (in striking contrast to the -Upcott Sale) making a total of £2,009--or nearly £10 each lot! Some of -the rarest items fetched the following prices:-- - - £ s. d. -Henry Jermyn A.L.S. (Feb. 22, 1649) 41 0 0 -Charles II. L.S. (May 10, 1649) 15 10 0 -James Graham, Duke of - Montrose, A.L.S. (Sept. 4, 1649) 48 0 0 -William, Prince of - Orange, A.L.S. (Nov. 4, 1649) 27 0 0 -Abraham Cowley A.L.S. (Jan. 8, 1650) 31 0 0 -Queen Henrietta Maria - A.L.S. (Jan. 8, 1650) 31 0 0 -Queen Henrietta Maria - A.L.S. (addressed to - Charles II.) (Jan. 25, 1650) 151 0 0 -Queen Henrietta Maria - (addressed to Charles - II.) (May 20, 1650) 51 0 0 - -The late Mr. Frederick Barker showed me the whole of this collection -bound up in a shabby looking volume, with small rope and thick glue! -The separating them without injury was a matter of the greatest -difficulty, and the necessary operation was performed at Oxford. - -This was the centenary year of Trafalgar, and its influence was soon -felt in the autograph market. The one-day sale at "Sotheby's" on May -17th offered abundant attractions to Nelson buyers; but the 226 lots -only fetched £397 10s. The Nelson items were somewhat over-catalogued, -and the results were probably disappointing. The highest price paid for -a Nelson letter was £25. Some went as low as £3 3s. Nelson's captains -fared badly. Letters of Berry, Bickerton, Brereton, and so forth went -for two or three shillings each, and Ganteaume, Decrès, and Gravina -were equally unfortunate. An order signed by Hardy, informing Admiral -Berkeley that three men had been lashed with the "cat-o'-nine-tails," -was disposed of for 7s. - -Far more important, however, was the sale of the previous week (May -11th, 12th, and 13th), which included the Bunbury MSS. In this sale 842 -lots fetched £2,108. The Bunbury correspondence was quite as important -to the story of the days of George III. as the documents sold during -the previous month were to that of the Civil War. The dispersal of both -collections must ever be a matter of regret. I do not think the Bunbury -letters would have been sold at all in 1910. - -Before the Bunbury portion of the sale was reached a series of -twenty-four letters addressed by Mrs. Siddons to Mrs. Pennington, -chiefly relating to the troubles occasioned by Thomas Lawrence's -courtship of her daughters,[78] was disposed of. They belonged to -Mr. Oswald G. Knapp and realised £100. As no letter of Sarah M. -Siddons was included in the lot, I do not regret having acquired the -letter catalogued in error as that of her mother. The letters of Mrs. -Piozzi to Dr. Whalley (twenty-five in all) published in the Rev. Hill -Wickham's book on his ancestor[79] were sold for £16. Mrs. Wickham -parted with them for £6, and got little more fifty years ago for Dr. -Whalley's correspondence with Mrs. Siddons. Two letters of Burns -brought £25 and £14 10s. respectively, and the buyer of the letters -written by Sir Thomas Noël Hill, K.C.B., during the campaign in the -Peninsula and in Flanders, possibly got a bargain. One Nelson letter -only was sold on May 11th. It was addressed to Lady Hamilton from the -_Victory_, on May 4, 1805, and realised £71. In my opinion it was far -finer than that for which £1,030 was paid. It ran thus:-- - - Your poor dear Nelson is my dearest beloved Emma very very - unwell, after a two years hard fag it has been mortifying - the not being able to get at the Enemy, as yet I can get no - information about them, at Lisbon this day week they knew - nothing about them but it is now generally believed that they - are gone to the West Indies. My movements must be guided by the - best Judgment I am able to form. John Bull may be angry, but - he never had any officer, who has served him more faithfully, - but Providence I rely will yet crown my never failing exertions - with success, and that it has only been a hard trial of my - fortitude in bearing up against untoward events. You my own - Emma are my first and last thoughts and to the last moment of - my breath, they will be occupied in leaving you independent of - the world, and all I long in the world that you will be a kind - and affectionate _Father_ to my _dear_ [a word obliterated] - DAUGHTER HORATIA, 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 - Providence, and I hope for many years of comfort with you, - only think of all you wish me to say and you may be assured it - exceeds if possible your wishes. May God protect you and MY - DEAR HORATIA, prays ever your most faithful and affectionate - - NELSON. - -The Bunbury MSS. were included in the lots from 607 to 842. Considering -their great historical importance the total price paid for them--£896 -19s.--can hardly be considered adequate. The Crabbe A.L.S. to Burke (6 -pp. 4to), for which I subsequently gave £20, went for £14. Some very -important letters of General Dumouriez were sold for £6 10s. and £6 -5s., and C. J. Fox's confidential letters to his brother, General Fox, -averaged less than £3. - -Some important A.L.S. and L.S. of Frederick the Great brought from £6 -to £20, and a letter from Oliver Goldsmith to Mrs. Bunbury, partly -in verse and extremely witty, was cheap at £82, although it made a -record as far as Goldsmith's letter is concerned. Another Goldsmith -letter to H. W. Bunbury about his "last literary effort" ("She Stoops -to Conquer"), fetched only £50. The letters of the third Lord Holland -(1773-1840) went for a song, although every page of them would -materially help the historian. The finest letter of Sir Hudson Lowe was -sold for £15, and three letters from Pope to Lord Strafford realised -£29 10s., £12, and £8 15s. respectively. Ten letters of Matthew Prior -in one lot were disposed of at £140. The letters of Charles, Duke -of Richmond (1735-1806), to Lady Louisa Conolly almost failed to -find buyers, although in reality they were little less historically -important than those of Lord Holland. It must not be forgotten that the -MSS. of Sir Thomas Hanmer were sold with those of the Hanbury family. -An A.L.S. of Sir Richard Steele to Sir T. Hanmer fetched £25 10s., -and one of Swift £18 10s. I am quite unable to understand why a letter -of Benjamin West should have brought £24 10s., while a long political -letter of the Duke of Wellington to Colonel Bunbury sold for only £6. -In these two last lots there were the makings of two books, but Mr. -Quaritch obtained the whole of the MSS. relating to the affairs of the -Mediterranean, 1806-14, for £35, and those connected with the War in -Germany and in Belgium, 1813-15, for £5 more. - -The next sale devoted solely to autographs took place at "Sotheby's" -on July 8, 1905. It was essentially a Trafalgar commemoration, and 215 -lots made a total of £1,034 14s. - -In this sale a very curious letter of General Dumouriez to "My good and -glorious Nelson," written in English, was purchased for the British -Museum by Mr. Quaritch at the low price of £3 7s. 6d.[80] I must -content myself with giving the price of the principal Nelson letters -now sold. - - £ s. d. -A.L.S. of Lord Nelson (April 1, 1798) 11 0 0 - " " " (October, 1798) 17 0 0 - " " " (July 14, 1799) 8 0 0 - " " " (July 19, 1799) 7 7 0 - " " " (August 29, 1799) 13 10 0 - " " " (September 13, 1799) 9 0 0 - " " " (September 17, 1799) 8 10 0 - " " " (October 11, 1799) 9 0 0 - " " " (October 26, 1799) 12 0 0 - " " " (November 12, 1799) 9 0 0 -(All these letters are addressed to Sir James St. -Clair Erskine.) - - £ s. d. -A.L.S. of Lord Nelson (February 14, 1801) 9 0 0 - " " " (September 23, 1801) 15 10 0 - " " " (May 18, 1803) 26 0 0 - " " " (n.d.) 27 0 0 -(These letters are addressed to Lady Hamilton.) - -A.L.S. of Lord Nelson to Sir A. J. Ball (November - 7, 1803) 50 0 0 - -The official dispatch announcing the Battle of Trafalgar and the death -of Nelson, from Lord Collingwood to the "Rt. Honble. Lord Robert -Fitzgerald, Minister Plenipotentiary, Ambassador at Lisbon," dated -October 24, 1805, was purchased by Mr. Sabin for £95. Five letters from -Lady Hamilton to Mr. George Rose, Mr. C. F. Greville, and Lord Stowell, -were sold for £12, £13 10s., and £27 respectively. Just at the end of -this sale two letters of Shelley realised £38 and £20 respectively. - -There was another three-days' autograph sale at "Sotheby's" on the -24th, 25th, and 26th of July of this year. The 1,087 lots included in -it brought a sum total of £1,578 8s. - -In the autumn of 1906 Mr. Frederick Barker, who was held in high esteem -as an autograph expert, died, and three sales were devoted to the -dispersal of his MSS., but these sales call for no note. In fact, they -were felt to be disappointing. Most of Mr. Barker's best "finds" had -been parted with during his lifetime. The first of the Barker sales -commenced on December 18, 1905. Almost simultaneously the Irving relics -were dispersed at "Christie's." Amongst them were a few autographs. -The death of the famous actor caused a sudden rise in the price of -his letters, but it has since subsided. On the night before his tragic -death Irving had signed a few portrait postcards for my friend Mr. -Peter Keary, who has very kindly given me one of them. - -The three days of the Barker Sale, with 910 lots, only brought £916 -12s. 6d. It should be noted that the price of Nelson autographs since -the centenary year of his death has been well maintained, and the -writer is well aware that some of the very best of his letters have -still to come into the market. Possibly they never will. - -The sales of the following year opened with the dispersal of Mr. -Barker's Royal autographs on January 22nd. On February 19th, 279 lots -belonging to him and relating to Napoleon fetched only £147 5s. 6d. -There was another autograph sale at "Sotheby's" on February 26, 1906, -when 327 lots yielded £779 18s. Nelsonians were still very much to the -fore. - -An important bundle of Temple-Greville-Lyttelton-Pitt MSS. was sold for -£10 15s. I also notice the following interesting items:-- - - £ s. d. -2 A.L.S. of Benjamin Disraeli about his - duel with O'Connell 10 12 6 -26 other A.L.S. of Disraeli averaging 1 10 0 -Naval document signed by Lord Nelson, - dated _Victory_, April 29, 1805, showing - disposition of ships and the historic - signal. (The date given in the catalogue - is manifestly absurd) 70 0 0 -Lord Nelson A.L.S. to Lady Hamilton - (September 24, 1801) 7 10 0 -MSS. relating to Keats 70 0 0 -Lord Nelson A.L.S. to Horatia, dr. of Lady - Hamilton. "My dear Horatia, I send - you a watch which I give you permission - to wear on Sundays and on very - particular days, when you are dressed - and have behaved exceedingly well - and obedient. I have kissed it and - send it with the affectionate blessing - of your Nelson and Bronté" [_Victory_, - January 20, 1804] 51 0 0 -Lord Nelson A.L.S. to Lady Hamilton - [_Victory_, June 16, 1805] 24 0 0 - -On the last day of a mixed book and autograph sale, March 27-31, 1906, -Ben Jonson's Bible with the words _Benedica Dominum in omni tempore -Semper laus eius in ore meo_ (Psa. xxxii.), fetched £320. A 2 pp. folio -A.L.S. of General Washington (July 20, 1788) was sold for £26 10s., and -a number of documents signed by Napoleon averaged about £3. One page of -holograph notes in pencil, made at St. Helena by Napoleon, and relating -to "Montholon's Mémoires," fetched £16 5s. and another £10. A series of -documents and letters signed by Napoleon III. averaged from 1s. to 2s.! -The autograph section of this sale, including only 123 lots, realised -£981 13s. - -The autograph sale of May 19th, at "Sotheby's," was distinguished by -a wealth of English Royal autographs and a small series of letters by -Lady Hamilton:-- - - £ s. d. -Charles II. short A.L.S. in French - (April 11, 1670) 25 10 0 -Richard Plantagenet, Regent of France. - Signature "R. York" to State paper 85 0 0 -Edward VI., sign-manual to superb document - dated April 1, 1547 450 0 0 -Disraeli, B., A.L.S. to the Duke of Wellington, - "Will you accept a mouthful of - Caviare? It comes direct from Astrachan. - I tasted it, but it seemed selfish - to eat it alone--it shall be shared with - a friend. But who has a friend? I - think I have and so send it to you" 2 2 0 - -In this sale 332 lots brought a total of £1,235. - -The sale of July 9-10, 1906, attracted a crowd of Wesley autograph -buyers. The 296 lots sold realised a total of £1,069 17s. 6d. The seven -unpublished letters of Wesley fetched from £2 to £9 5s.--averaging -over £4. Oliver Goldsmith's desk-chair figured between some copies -of letters by Frederick the Great and the probate of a Wesley will. -It went for £39. Another sale on December 1st, comprising 242 lots, -brought a total of £725 14s. In this sale some letters of the actress -"Kitty Clive" were sold at £17 and £3 3s. respectively. The latter had -been mutilated. - -The autograph season of 1907 began with a two-days' sale at -"Sotheby's"--January 21st-22nd. The 743 lots disposed of realised a -total of £1,210 14s. 6d. Another series of eleven Disraeli letters was -sold at good prices, ranging from £9 12s. 6d. ("Heard Macaulay's best -speech ... but between ourselves I could floor them all. This _entress -nous_ (_sic_). I was never more confident of anything than that I -could carry everything before me in that house. The Time will come," -January 7, 1833) to £2 12s. In this sale Messrs. Maggs acquired a -series of twenty-five letters of Johnson to Mrs. Piozzi for £240. Mrs. -Mainwaring, of Brynbella, gave £94 for five volumes of "Piozziana," -presented by the writer, H. L. Piozzi, in 1810, to her adopted nephew -and heir, John Piozzi Salusbury. At the sale of June 3-4, 1907, Messrs. -Sotheby disposed of 459 lots for £1,101 19s. A series of letters about -Keats, addressed to John Taylor the publisher, was sold for £44; a -notable advance was made in the price of Thackeray letters; Disraeli -letters showed a distinct fall, one selling for only 16s., and a very -fine letter of Samuel Pepys, covering four folio pages, went to Mr. -Sabin for £22. The 315 lots sold on November 8th realised £1,095. -For thirty-six letters addressed to Lady Blessington, by Thackeray, -Dickens, and others, Mr. Sabin gave £315. A single letter of Shelley's -brought £46, and six letters of Byron to Trelawny £70. A letter of -Charles I. to the Elector Palatine went to the late Mr. W. Brown for -£56. - -On March 10-11, 1908, a two-days' autograph sale of 557 lots realised a -total of £1,191. A number of Nelson documents, the property of the late -Viscount Bridport, Duke of Bronté, were sold for £125. - -Six days in June were taken up by the sale of autographs. On June -1, 254 lots realised £260. At this sale I secured for 5s. two most -interesting letters of Captain Wright, whose death in the Temple -(October, 1805) brought so much obloquy on Napoleon. - -Messrs. Sotheby devoted no less than four days (June 15th-18th) to the -dispersal of another section of the Phillipps Library. The 855 lots -brought £3,796 19s. The sale was devoid of any sensational Incidents. - -On July 3rd, 252 lots were sold in Wellington Street for £415 18s. -Sixteen important letters of Mr. Gladstone sold for £4 10s., and I -secured several very interesting Disraeli letters at prices varying -from 15s. to 21s. At this sale Disraeli letters went as low as 2s., -3s., 5s., and 7s. A fine series of Thomas Carlyle letters varied in -price from £2 2s. to £8 15s. The Sir Arthur Vicars' sale of heraldic -and genealogical MSS. (July 27th-28th) excited some interest. The 671 -lots brought a total of £1,571 10s. The sale of November 16-17, 1908, -was of more than ordinary interest, and the 334 lots of which it was -made up realised £1,007 9s. Amongst the interesting MSS. disposed of -were-- - - £ s. d. -Robert Burns, 34 lines of verse 25 10 0 -Queen Henrietta Maria, A.L.S. (n.d.) 20 0 0 -Keats, original assignment of poems 50 0 0 -Cotton Mather A.L.S., October 10, 1720 38 0 0 -Schiller A.L.S., January 27, 1791 10 10 0 -Swift A.L.S. (short), June 1, 1737 14 15 0 - -The season of 1909 opened with the Stoddart Sale of historical MSS. -(February 22nd-23rd). In this sale 404 lots brought £510 6s. The fine -A.L.S. of Mrs. Siddons, now in my collection, fetched £12 5s., or £2 -less than it did thirty years ago. The price of Nelson letters was -well maintained, a small collection of them, with portraits and sundry -relics, fetching £145. A letter to Lady Hamilton, dated March 23, -1801, although covering only half a page, went for £31. On March 1st -(a one-day's sale) 201 lots brought £798 2s. 6d. A short letter of -Keats sold for £25 10s., two A.L.S. of James Wolfe for £35 10s., and -a fine holograph letter of Raphael Sanzio d'Urbino for £41. A series -of MSS. relating to the American War of Independence (including four -letters and documents signed by Washington) was purchased by Messrs. -Maggs for £40. I have already alluded to the sale of June 9th-10th, -from which the Windham correspondence was withdrawn. The remaining 524 -lots realised no less than £2,145 10s. 6d. A series of twenty-four -Nelson letters and other MSS. relating to him was purchased by Mr. -Sabin for £121, a very low price considering that fourteen letters of -Lady Hamilton went with the others, as well as Nelson's original will -and seven codicils, _from which eight signatures had been removed!_ -Mr. Quaritch, at this sale, gave £275 for the correspondence of John -Robinson, Secretary of the Treasury, 1770 to 1782, which included 194 -letters from George III. These MSS. have an important bearing on both -American and British history, and ought to have been acquired by the -nation along with the Windham papers. A one-day's sale on July 22nd, -consisting of only 269 lots, realised £1,113 14s. 6d., and another on -December 17th, composed of 269 lots, brought a total of £1,318 6s. A -rise in price at both these sales was very marked. In the first a song -of Burns (2 pp.) fetched £57, and two unpublished letters of Lord Byron -£17 10s. and £28 respectively. £20 was paid for some notes of Goethe in -pencil, and £40 for a 2 pp. 8vo letter of Shelley. It was in the latter -that the twenty-four letters of Beethoven were sold for £660. On the -same day Mr. Cromwell gave £31 for an exceedingly interesting letter -addressed to the Genevan Senate, signed by Oliver Cromwell. - -On the 28th of January of the present year (1910) 264 lots realised -£742 13s. 6d. It was on this occasion that £50 was given for an 8½ -pp. 8vo letter of Charlotte Brontë. It is doubtless a high price, but -only just before Mr. Sabin paid £17 10s. for a letter of Mr. R. Waldo -Emerson to Thomas Carlyle (October 7, 1835), and Mr. Quaritch gave -£56 for a 2 pp. 4to letter of George Washington to S. Powell (May -25, 1786). Within a few days no less than £81 was expended on a blue -Hawaian postage-stamp, in Leicester Square. About a quarter of that sum -gave Mr. Sabin, on February 28th, a long holograph poem of Frederick -the Great addressed to Algarotti, beginning with the lines:-- - - My trembling timid pen - Presents its first attempt - To the rigid public censor, - To assure it against attacks - May Minerva guide it. - -The cost of the Hawaian "specimen" would have sufficed to buy both the -poem of the Prussian King and Charlotte Brontë's touching confession -that the "only glimpses of society she ever had were obtained in her -vocation of governess," and her earnest appeal to the necessity of a -creed. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[74] Vol. LVIII. pp. 36-7. - -[75] A further Phillipps sale took place at "Sotheby's," June 6-9, 1910. - -[76] A number of these letters, including that of Oliver Goldsmith, are -now in my collection, and were utilised in writing "Dr. Johnson and -Mrs. Thrale," 1909. - -[77] See _ante_, Chapter I., p. 32. - -[78] See _ante_, Chapter III., pp. 85-6. - -[79] See "Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale," p. 59. - -[80] See "Dumouriez and the Defence of England against Napoleon," by J. -Holland Rose and A. M. Broadley, p. 208. - - - - -INDEX - - - - -Addison, Joseph, 56, 341 - -Adelaide, Queen, 163-4 - -Agar, Welbore Ellis, 182 - -Albert, Prince, facsimile of letter of, 165 - -Aldrich, 340 - -d'Alençon, Duc, 34 - -Alexander of Battenberg, anecdote of, 144 - -Algarotti, letter to, 377 - -Alleyn, Edward, letter to, 109 - -_Amateur d'Autographes_, 58 - -Amelia, Princess, 134 - -American catalogues and books on autographs, 320, 322 - -American MSS., destruction of, 337; - prices, 341-2; - Civil War documents, 375 - -André, Major, 335-7 - -Arabi Pacha, 9, 11 - -Arago, E., 98-9 - -_Archivist, The_, 58 - -Arne, Dr., 365 - -Arnold, Christopher, 34-5 - -Austen, Jane, 341 - -Autographs, antiquity of collecting, 33-4; - tricks of collectors, 42-9; - hints to collectors, 53-9; - dealers, 60-1; - care and restoration of, 65-6; - royal, 118; - statesmen's, 172; - literary, 196-8; - naval and military, 238-41, 254; - music, drama, and art, 259-81; - collecting in America, 237-40 - - -Bacon, Lord, quoted, 171, 361 - -Bailie, Mr., 37-9 - -Ball, Nelson's letters to Sir A. J., 370 - -Ball, Sir Alex., letter from Nelson to, 358 - -Banks, Sir Joseph, 362 - -Barker, Frederick, 110, 120, 197, 202, 357, 365, 370-1 - -Barnard, Fred, illustration by, 281 - -Bathurst, Earl, 111 - -Beaconsfield, Lord, 39, 187, 189-92, 371, 373-5 - -Beattie, James, 39 - -Beecher, H. W., 341 - -Beethoven, L. van, 257, 360 - -Belvoir, discovery of letters at, 100-1 - -Benjamin, William Evarts, 124 - -Berry, Miss, 65, 311 - -Bindley, James, 36 - -Bismarck, Prince, 40 - -Blackburn, Douglas, work by, 81 - -Blackmore, 341 - -Blake, William, 341 - -Blathwayt, R. W., 60 - -Blathwayt, William, 343 - -Blessington, Lady, 374 - -Blott, Mr., 38 - -Blücher, Marshal, 254 - -Bodleian Library, the, 36 - -Books on Autographs, 56-9, 69 - -Boswell's correspondence, discovery of, 96; - letter to Mrs. Thrale, 363 - -Bousy, Charles de, 35 - -Bovet, Alfred, collection of, 58-9, 69, 292 - -Boydell, John, 358 - -"Boyhood of a Great King, the," 154-5 - -Bradshaw, John, 355 - -Brahms, 365 - -Brandling, W., letter of, 98 - -Brébion, Edmund, 293 - -Brereton, Sir William, 355 - -Brewster, Sir David, 88 - -Bright, John, 341 - -Brontë, Charlotte, 353, 376, 341 - -Brougham, Lord, 98-9, 185 - -Broughton, Lord, 111 - -Brown, John, 341 - -Browne, Hablot K., illustration of, 286 - -Browning, E. B., 340-1 - -Browning, Robert, 56, 358-9 - -Brueys, Admiral, facsimile of letter of, 310 - -Bryant, W. C., 340 - -Buckingham, Duke of, letter of, 54; - letter to, 357 - -_Bulletin d'Autographs_, 57, 60, 292 - -Bunbury sale of MSS., 110-11, 366, 368-9 - -Burckhardt's Journal, 100 - -Burke, Edmund, sale of poem by, 12; - letter to from Crabbe, 65; - letter to Mrs. Montagu, 211-12; - value of autograph of, 355, 363, 368 - -Burns, Charles de F., 13 - -Burns, Robert, 341, 359, 367, 375-6 - -Burr, Aaron, 338 - -Burroughs, John, 341 - -Byng, Admiral John, 241-2 - -Byron, Lord, 69, 76, 78, 99, 341, 355, 359, 376 - - -Caddell, Captain W., work by, 81 - -Cain, George, 58 - -Camolin Cavalry Detail Book, the, 112 - -Campbell, Thomas, 355, 357 - -"Canadie, La," 54-5 - -Carlyle, James, 229-30 - -Carlyle, Thomas, 56, 229, 341, 359, 375-6 - -Caroline, Queen, 139-43 - -Catharine of Aragon, 56 - -Catharine II. of Russia, 129-33 - -Cawdor, Lord, 105 - -Chamberlain, Joseph, 47 - -Chambers, Sir Robert, 363 - -Chambord, Comte de, 164, 306 - -Chapman, Frederic, work by, 142 - -Charavay, Étienne, works by, 58-9, 69, 87, 90 - -Charavay, Mme. Veuve G., 57, 60-1 - -Charavay, Noël, 13-14, 57-8, 60-1, 118, 129, 257 - -Charavay, the house of, 291-2 - -Charles Edward Stuart, 61 - -Charles I., 61 - -Charles II., 56, 365, 372 - -Charlotte, Queen, 162-3 - -Chasles, Michel, 88-9 - -Chatham, Lady, 38 - -Chesterfield, Lord, 12, 181-5, 341, 356 - -"Chesterfield's Letters," 67 - -Child, Mr., 335 - -Chippendale, Thomas, 357 - -Churchill, John, 56 - -Cibber, Colley, 358-9 - -Cleopatra, copy of forged letter from, 89 - -Clive, Kitty, 373 - -Cobden, Richard, illustrated letter of, 281; - facsimile of letter of, 287-8 - -Coburg, Duke of, 35, 40, 148-9, 166 - -Coleridge, S. T., 56, 341, 364 - -_Collectanea Napoleonica_, 110 - -Collingwood, Lord, 370 - -Collins, David, 362 - -Connaught, Duke of, 148 - -Conolly, Lady Louisa, letters from Duke of Richmond to, 368 - -Cooper, 341 - -Corot, 15 - -Cowley, Abraham, 365 - -Cowper, William, 355 - -Crabbe, George, 65, 100, 110, 210-11, 368 - -Cranmer, Archbishop, 56 - -Crawford, Earl of, 296 - -Cromwell, Oliver, 56, 120, 125, 355, 359, 376 - -Cruikshank, George, 277-8 - -Cumberland, Richard, 358 - -Cuyler, T. C. S., 13, 320-4, 329, 336-7, 339 - - -Damer, Arne, 65 - -Darwin, Charles, 342 - -Davey, Samuel, 57-8 - -Davy, Sir Humphry, 97 - -Dayrolles Correspondence, 351 - -Deffand, Mme. du, 61 - -De Quincey, 341, 359 - -Derby, Earl of, 355 - -Desaix, Marshal, 303 - -Dibdin, Charles, discovery of songs by, 105-7 - -Dickens, Charles, 15, 42, 44, 56; - forgeries, 82, 84; - letters of, 220-6, 356; - value of autograph of, 356, 359, 364, 374, 341-2 - -Digby, Colonel, 107-8 - -Dillon, John, 120, 353 - -"Diplomatique, Manuel de," 117 - -Disraeli, _see_ Beaconsfield - -Doggett, Thomas, 356 - -Donizetti, 365 - -Donnadieu Sale, the, 353 - -Doyle, Richard, 342 - -Drake, Sir Francis, 359 - -Dreer, Ferdinand J., 338 - -Dryden, John, 56 - -_Dumouriez and the Defence of England against Napoleon_, 105, 369 - -Dumouriez, General, MS. by, 101, 102, 105, 368-9 - - -Edward VI., 56, 372 - -Edward VII., facsimile of bulletin of birth of, 116; - facsimile of the early writing of, 344 - -Elgar, Sir Edward, facsimile of bars of a song by, 49 - -Elizabeth, Queen, 56, 361 - -"Elliot, George," 40, 357, 359 - -Ellis, Sir Henry, 353 - -Emerson, R. Waldo, 341, 376 - -Emmet, Dr. T. A., 13, 321-2, 324, 327, 336-7 - -Erskine, Nelson's letters to Sir J. St. C., 369 - -Evelyn, John, 201, 352 - -Extra-illustrating, 66-8 - - -Facsimiles, how to obtain, 55-6 - -Fairfax, Lord, 355 - -Fairfax, Sir Thomas, 357 - -Fawkes, Guido, 357 - -Fénelon, Archbishop, 14 - -Fishguard Invasion, correspondence regarding the, 105 - -FitzGerald, Edward, 358 - -FitzGerald, Lord Robert, 370 - -FitzGerald, Pamela, 54 - -FitzRoy, Lord William, 38 - -Fletcher, Joseph, letter to, 358 - -Flint, Sir Charles, 129 - -Foote, Samuel, 357 - -Forbes, Archibald, 303 - -Forgeries, 75-91; - how to detect, 80-2, 90-1 - -Forster, John, 210 - -Fox, C. J., 111, 368 - -France, Anatole, 58 - -France, autographs of Kings of, 351 - -"Frank," the, 36-9 - -Franklin, Benjamin, letter of, 332; - facsimile of letter of, 334; - value of autograph of, 342 - -Frederick, Duke of York, 156 - -Frederick, Empress (of Germany), 168 - -Frederick the Great, 368, 373, 377 - -French autographs, 292-3 - -Frowde, J. A., 41 - - -Garrick, David, 262-3, 357-8, 363 - -Garrick, Mrs., 263 - -Gascoyne, Bamber, 243 - -"Gatty," _see_ Agar - -Geoffrin, Mme. de, 61 - -George III., 56, 119, 137-42, 155, 278, 376 - -George IV., 161 - -George V., facsimile of letter of, 167 - -Gerothwohl, Prof., 13, 131 - -Gibbon, Edward, 356 - -Giry, A., work of, 117 - -Gladstone, W. E., 187-8, 342, 363, 374 - -Goethe, W. von, 213-4, 216, 376 - -Goldsmith, Oliver, 363, 368, 373 - -Goodspeed, C. E., 339 - -Gordon, General, 56, 364 - -Grangerising, _see_ Extra-illustrating - -Gray, Thomas, 356 - -Greaves, Mr., 350 - -Green, J. H., 364 - -Grenville Library, 55 - -Greville, C. F., 370 - -Greville, J., 243 - -Greville, Hon. Charles, 249 - -Grimston, Sir Harbottle, 37 - -Guizot, F. P. G., 40 - -Gulston, Miss E., 57 - -Gurwood, Colonel, 237 - -Gwinnett, Button, 321, 323-5; - facsimile of writing and signature of, 326 - - -Haber, Louis J., sale of library of, 12-3, 211, 216, 320; - catalogue of, 340-2 - -Hamilton, Lady, 56, 360, 362, 367, 370, 375-6 - -Handel, 365 - -_Handwriting of Kings and Queens of England, The_, 117 - -Hanmer, MSS. of Sir Thos., 368-9 - -Hardy, Captain T. M., 249-50 - -Hardy, T., 341-2 - -Hardy, W. J., work by, 117 - -Harley, _see_ Oxford, Earl of - -Harris, J. C., 341 - -Harte, Bret, 341 - -Hawaian postage stamp, 377 - -Hawkins, Sir R., 359 - -Hawthorne, N., 341-2 - -Haydn, Joseph, 257, 260, 365 - -Hayes, William, 257 - -Hearne, Thomas, 36 - -Heber's hymn, discovery of Bishop, 96 - -Henrietta Maria, Queen, 355, 365, 375 - -Henry VII., 362 - -Henry VIII., 56, 118, 361-2 - -Heralds' College, 36 - -Hewson, Colonel John, 355 - -Hill, Sir Thomas Noël, 367 - -_History of the Festivals of the Three Choirs_, 257 - -Hobhouse, _see_ Broughton - -Hogarth, William, 270, 273 - -Holdernesse, Earl of, 155-61, 173 - -Holland, Lord, 368 - -Holmes, 341 - -Holmes, Thomas Knox, 263 - -Holst, Duke of, 34 - -Hood, Lord, letter of George III. to, 137-8 - -Hooper, correspondence of Bishop, 96 - -Hortense, Queen, 303 - - -Ibrahim, Hilmy, Prince, 11 - -"Iconographies," the, 59 - -Illustrated letters, 278 - -Ireland, finds relating to rebellion in, 112 - -Ireland, W. H., forgeries of, 75-6, 196; - facsimile of, 77 - -Irving, Sir Henry, 341, 370-1 - -Ismail Pacha, 9, 11 - -_L'Isographie des Hommes Célèbres_, 58, 292 - - -James II., 125 - -James Stewart, 56 - -Jay MSS., the, 100 - -Jeffrey, Miss, letter from Keats to, 363 - -Jekyll, Joseph, 39 - -Jermyn, Henry, 365 - -John II. of France, 118 - -_Johnson, Dr., and Mrs. Thrale_, 364, 367 - -Johnson, Samuel, 76, 206-10, 342, 356-7, 359, 363-4, 373 - -Joline, Adrian, quoted, 10, 33, 41, 66, 117, 144, 196, 337 - -Jones, Charles C., Jr., 338 - -Jonson, Ben, 372 - -Joseph Bonaparte (King of Spain), facsimile letter of, 299 - - -Kean, Edmund, 80, 264 - -Keary, Mr. Peter, 371 - -Keats, John, sale of letter of, 12, 62; - facsimile of, 56; - forgery, 87; - discovery of letters of, 100; - letter of, 215; - value of autograph of, 341, 353, 359, 361, 363, 371, 374, 375 - -Kemble, J. P., 269 - -Kent, Duke of, 156 - -King, Thomas, 356, 358 - -Kipling, Rudyard, 342 - -Knapp, O. G., collection of, 366 - - -Lacordaire, 42 - -Lamb, Charles, 216, 356, 359, 364 - -Landseer, Edwin, 355 - -Lang, Andrew, signed poem by, 343 - -Lansdowne, Marquis of, 80 - -Larochejaquelein, Louis, 110 - -Latimer, Bishop, 56 - -Lavoisier, 133-4 - -Lawrence, Thomas, 366 - -Lechmere, Captain William, 248-9 - -Le Neve, Peter, 36 - -Lenthall, William, 355 - -Lescure, M. de, 59 - -Lewes, 342 - -Lisbourne, Lord, 243 - -Liszt, facsimile of letter of the Abbé, 258 - -Literary Letters, value of, 352 - -Lloyd, Thomas, 78, 80 - -Lobb, Rev. Mr., 357 - -Lockwood, Sir F., 278; - illustrations by, 282, 285 - -Longfellow, H. W., 40 - -Longwood Household, expenses book, 111, 292 - -Louis XVI., 133-4 - -Louis XVIII., 294 - -Louis Philippe, 278 - -Lowe, Sir Hudson, 111, 254, 368 - -Lynch, T., 321, 323-5, 327; - facsimile of letter of, 328 - -Lyte, Sir H. Maxwell, 100-1 - - -Mackey, George, discoveries amongst the MSS. of, 105 - -Macpherson, James, forgeries of, 75-6, 87, 342 - -Madan, F., 152 - -Mainwaring, Mrs., collection of, 373 - -Majendie, Dr., letter to from Prince William (William IV.), 143 - -Manby, Charles, 277 - -Marat, J. P., 359 - -Marie Antoinette, facsimile of letter of, 312 - -Marlborough, Duke of, correspondence of, 96 - -Marryat, Captain, 342 - -Marshall, collection of Mr. Julian, 364 - -Martin, Sir Theodore, 65, 210 - -Marvel, Andrew, 359 - -Mary, Queen, facsimile of letter of, 168 - -Mary, Queen of Scots, 56 - -Massey, Sir Edward, 355 - -Masson, Frédéric, 10 - -Mather, Cotton, 375 - -Mathews, Charles, facsimile of letter of, 266 - -Mauritius Post Office, stamps of, 31-2 - -Mee, Dr., work of, 259 - -Mendelssohn, F., 357 - -Meredith, George, 217, 342 - -Milton, John, 32, 35, 201-3, 364 - -Molé, Count, 309 - -Monmouth, Duke of, 56 - -Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley, 360 - -Montchenu, Marquis, 111 - -Montesquieu, Abbé de, 294 - -Montrose, Duke of, 365 - -Montrose, Lord, 253 - -Moore, Colonel John, 355 - -Moore, Thomas, 355, 359 - -More, Hannah, letter of Walpole to, 206; - value of letter of Garrick to, 357 - -Morland, George, 274 - -Morris, W., autograph MS. of, 342, 363 - -Morrison, Alfred, collection of, 36, 68, 294, 354 - -Mount Norris, Earl of, 112 - -Mulgrave, Lord, letter to, from George III., 140 - -Murray, Lindley, 358 - - -Napoleon I., 32, 62, 105; - facsimile of letter of, 123; - illustrated letter of, 278; - as letter-writer, 293-6; - value of letter of, 352, 362, 372 - -"Napoleon and the Invasion of England," 105 - -"Napoleon, Last Reign of," 111 - -Napoleon II., facsimile of letter of, 305-9 - -Napoleon, Captain James, 362 - -Napoleonic Correspondence, 110-11 - -Napoleon III., forged letter of, 90; - birth of, 303 - -Nelson, Lady, 244-7 - -"Nelson, Life of," Clarke and McArthur's, 67; - Churchill's, 78 - -Nelson, Lord, 32, 56, 78-80, 237, 243-9, 358, 360, 363, 366-72, 374-6 - -"Nelson's Hardy," 249 - -Nethercliff, Joseph, work by, 57 - -Newman, Cardinal, facsimile of autograph of, 43 - -Ney, Marshal, facsimile of letter of, 304 - -Nichols, John Gough, work by, 56 - -Norris, Admiral, 351 - -Northumberland, Duke of, 355 - -Norton, Hon. Mrs., 226 - - -O'Connell, Daniel, 185-6 - -Oldys, William, 100 - -Oxford, Robert Harley, Earl of, 36 - - -Paganini, 365 - -Paine, Thomas, 342 - -Palloy, M., 180-1 - -"Paradise Lost," 32, 364 - -Paris, Comte de, 164 - -Parnell Letters, forged, 90 - -Paston Letters, the, 99 - -Paterson, Colonel William, 362 - -Paul, Emperor of Russia, 62 - -Pembroke, Earl of, 358 - -Penn, William, 357, 359 - -Pennington, Mrs., letter from Mrs. Siddons to, 366 - -Pepys, Samuel, 374 - -Percy, Bishop, 357 - -Peters, Hugh, 357 - -Philbrick, Judge, K.C., 31 - -Phillipps, Sir Thomas, 89, 353-4 - -Picard, Ludovic, 42 - -Pigott, Richard, 90 - -Piozzi, Mrs., 13, 342, 363, 367 - -"Piozziana," 373 - -Pitt, William (the elder), 56, 80, 173-5, 355 - -Pitt, William (the younger), 175, 179-80 - -Poe, E. A., 41-2, 342 - -Pollapiolo, Antonio del, 15 - -Poniatowski, Marshal, 292, 303 - -Poole, Thomas, letter to, 364 - -Pope, Alexander, 202-5, 342, 368 - -Porson, Richard, 359 - -Porter, Jane, 342 - -Portland, Duke of, 105 - -Powell, S., letter to, 377 - -Pretyman, Bishop Tomline, 99 - -Prior, Thomas, 181, 361, 368 - -Privy Council Letter, value of, 362 - - -Raffles, Dr., 96, 323 - -Raffles, Sir Stamford, visit of to St. Helena, 110; - value of autograph of, 360 - -Rambaud, M., 129 - -Ramsay, Allan, 356 - -Reade, Charles, 342 - -Reed, Lady, 138-9 - -_Revue des Autographs_, 57, 60-1, 292 - -Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 64 - -Richard Plantagenet, 372 - -Richardson, Samuel, 342, 357 - -Richmond, Duke of, 368 - -Robertson, Ross, 55 - -Robespierre, 356 - -Robinson, John, 376 - -Robinson, Memoirs of Mrs., 108 - -Romney, George, facsimile of letter of, 274 - -Rose, George, 370 - -Rose, Dr. Holland, 10, 105, 175, 180, 293, 295 - -Rosebery, Lord, 41, 46 - -Rossetti, D. G., 342 - -Royal autographs, value of, 118-25; - sale of, 164 - -Ruskin, John, 48 - -Russell, G. W. E., work by, 144 - - -St. Vincent, Earl, 358 - -Sala, George Augustus, 231-3 - -Sandby, Paul, 262 - -Sandeau, Jules, 42-3 - -Sandwich Islands stamp, 32 - -Scarlati, 365 - -Schiller, F. von, 375 - -Schubert, 365 - -Schumann, 365 - -Scott, Dr. H. T., 13, 57-8, 60, 65-6, 109, 201, 353 - -Scott, Sir Walter, 335-7, 359 - -_Sévigné, Letters of Mme. de_, 57, 76 - -Shakespearean forgeries, 75-9; - Wilson's letter, 109-10; - documents, 195-6 - -Shelbourne, Lord, 61 - -Shelley, P. B., 342, 370, 376 - -Shenstone, William, 359 - -Sheridan, R. B., facsimile of letter of, 265 - -Siddons, Sarah Martha, 84-6, 264-9, 357, 363, 366, 375 - -Sidney, Sir P., 351 - -_Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Lives of the_, 322 - -Simonides, Dr. Constantine, 89 - -Sims, _see_ FitzGerald - -Sloane MSS., 34 - -Smith, Charles John, work by, 56 - -Smith, William, 359 - -Sophia of Hanover, 126 - -Sotheby's, the firm of, 354-5; - notable sales at, 355-65, 369-70, 372-4 - -Southey, William, letter to, 359 - -Sprague, Rev. Dr. W. B., 323, 325, 338 - -Staël, Mme. de, 65 - -Stanhope, Lord, 180-1 - -Stanley, Sir H. M., 361 - -State Papers, 376 - -Steele, Sir Richard, 368-9 - -Stevenson, George, 98 - -Stevenson, R. L., 41, 342 - -Stoddart Sale of MSS., 375 - -Stowell, Lord, 370 - -Strafford, Lord, 368 - -Strode, William, 125 - -Sussex, Duke of, 161 - -Swift, 375 - -Swinburne, Algernon, 342 - -Sydney, Lord, 139 - - -Talleyrand, C. M. de, 300-3, 311 - -Tayleure, William, 38 - -Taylor, letter to John, 374 - -Tedder, H. R., quoted, 348 - -Tefft, Israel K., 321, 323, 338 - -Temple, Rev. W. J., 96 - -Tenniel, Sir John, 44-5 - -Tennyson, Alfred, 216-17, 342, 356 - -Thackeray, W. M., 42, 56; - forgeries, 81-3; - letter of, 198, 217-20; - value of autograph of, 342, 356-8, 374 - -Thatcher, Benjamin B., 323 - -Thibaudeau, M. A. W., 68 - -Thiers, 40 - -Thoresby, Ralph, 36 - -Thrale, Mrs., _see_ Piozzi - -_Three Dorset Captains, The_, 249 - -Tonson, Jacob, 32 - -Turner, Dawson, 350 - -Twain, Mark, 229, 341 - -Tyndall, correspondence of, 96 - - -Upcott, William, 120, 347-50; - sale of collection of, 351-3 - -d'Urbino, R. S., 375 - - -Value of autographs: - Royal, 118-25; - diplomatic, 172; - literary, 196-8; - naval and military, 23-8, 41, 254; - musicians', 259; - dramatic personages, 263-4, 269; - artists', 270; - French, 303-11; - American, 342-3; - variations in, 356-77 - -Verdi, G., 357 - -Vicars, Sir Arthur, 375 - -Victoria, Empress of Germany, 168 - -Victoria, Queen, 56, 144-7, 355 - -Villeneuve, Admiral, 311 - -Voltaire, 311, 315, 355 - -Vrain-Lucas, 87-9, 90-1 - - -Wallace, Dr., 110, 195 - -Waller, John, 120, 124-5, 238 - -Walpole, Horace, quoted, 8, 133-4, 205-6, 342 - -Washington, George, 56, 325, 329-32; - value of autographs of, 352; - facsimile of letter of, 333; - portfolio of, 372; - documents signed by, 375; - letter of, 377 - -Watson, G. L. de St. M., 214 - -Watts, Isaac, 356 - -Wellington, Duke of, 56, 64, 237, 253-5, 360-1, 369, 373 - -Wesley, John, facsimile of letter of, 232; - value of autograph of, 373, 342 - -West, Sir Benjamin, 369 - -West, James, 36 - -_Wexford, the War in_, 112 - -Whalley, Dr., 367 - -Wheeler, H. F. B., works by, 105, 112 - -Whistler, J. Arch., 229 - -White, Sir George, collection of, 68, 76, 125 - -White, Gilbert, 364 - -Whitelock's MS., discovery of, 99 - -Wilkinson, Miss Patty, 85 - -William III., 56, 126 - -William IV., 143, 156 - -William of Orange, 365 - -Wilson, William, 109 - -Wolfe, James, 375 - -Woollan, B. M., 248 - -Wordsworth, Dorothy, 56, 361 - -Wren, Sir Christopher, 355 - -Wright, Captain, 374 - - -Yates, Edmund, 233, 356 - -York, Cardinal, MSS. of, 96 - -Young, Mr., 120, 353 - - * * * * * - -UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON. - - * * * * * - -Transcriber's note--The following corrections have been made to this text: - -Page 81: "nowledge" to "knowledge"--an expert knowledge of - -Page 111: "Gourgarid" to "Gourgaud"--opinion of Gourgaud - -Page 129: "Bielka" to "Bielke"--Madame de Bielke - -Page 220: "colletion" to "collection"--from the splendid collection - -Page 374: "Thackerary" to "Thackeray"--Thackeray, Dickens, and others - -Page 378: "von" to "van"--Beethoven, L. van, - -Page 379: "Etienne" to "Étienne"--Charavay, Étienne, works by - -Page 381: "Iconographics" to "Iconographies"--"Iconographies," the, - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Chats on Autographs, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS *** - -***** This file should be named 52112-0.txt or 52112-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/1/1/52112/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Chats on Autographs - -Author: Alexander Meyrick Broadley - -Release Date: May 20, 2016 [EBook #52112] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">{1}</a></span></p> - - - -<h1 class='left'>CHATS ON<br /> -AUTOGRAPHS</h1> - - -<hr class="chap" /><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">{2}</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="BOOKS_FOR_COLLECTORS" id="BOOKS_FOR_COLLECTORS">BOOKS FOR COLLECTORS</a></h2> - - -<p class='center'> -<i>With Coloured Frontispieces and many Illustrations.</i><br /> -<i>Large Crown 8vo, cloth.</i></p> -<p> -CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA.<br /> -<span class='ml2'>By <span class="smcap">Arthur Hayden</span>.</span> -</p> -<p>CHATS ON OLD FURNITURE.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">Arthur Hayden</span>.</span></p> -<p> -CHATS ON OLD PRINTS.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">Arthur Hayden</span>.</span></p> -<p> -CHATS ON OLD SILVER.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">E. L. Lowes</span>.</span></p> -<p> -CHATS ON COSTUME.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">G. Woolliscroft Rhead</span>.</span></p> -<p> -CHATS ON OLD LACE AND NEEDLEWORK.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">E. L. Lowes</span>.</span></p> -<p> -CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">J. F. Blacker</span>.</span></p> -<p> -CHATS ON MINIATURES.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">J. J. Foster</span>.</span></p> -<p> -CHATS ON ENGLISH EARTHENWARE.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">Arthur Hayden</span>.</span><br /> -(Companion Volume to "Chats on English China.")</p> -<p> -CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS.<br /> -<span class="ml2">By <span class="smcap">A. M. Broadley</span>.</span><br /> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3"></a><br /><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">{4}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><a id="frontispiece"></a> -<img src="images/frontis.jpg" width="350" height="579" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF WILLIAM WILSON, AN ACTOR OF THE "FORTUNE" -THEATRE, TO EDWARD ALLEYN, OF DULWICH, 1620.</p> - -<p class='right'> -Frontispiece. -</p> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">{5}</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="center xlargetext"><span class="smcap">Chats on Autographs</span></p> - -<p class="center p4">BY<br /> -<br /> -<span class="center largetext">A. M. BROADLEY</span></p> - -<p class="center p2">AUTHOR OF "DR. JOHNSON AND MRS. THRALE," JOINT AUTHOR OF -"NAPOLEON AND THE INVASION OF ENGLAND," "NELSON'S -HARDY," "DUMOURIEZ AND THE DEFENCE OF -ENGLAND AGAINST NAPOLEON," -ETC., ETC.</p> - -<p class="center p4">WITH ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS -</p> - - -<div class="blockquot p4"> - -<p>"An Autograph Collection may be made an admirable -adjunct to the study of History and Biography."</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">L. J. Cist</span><br /> -[Preface to Tefft Catalogue, 1866] -</p> -</div> - - -<p class='center p4'> -LONDON<br /> -<span class="largetext">T. FISHER UNWIN</span><br /> -ADELPHI TERRACE<br /> -MCMX -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">{6}</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class='center'> -To<br /> -<span class="largetext">SIR ISAMBARD OWEN,<br /></span> -D.C.L., M.D., F.R.C.P.<br /> -<br /> -HON. FELLOW OF DOWNING COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE,<br /> -FIRST DEPUTY CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WALES,<br /> -AND VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL,<br /> -A ROYAL AND FREE CITY, RENOWNED FOR THE<br /> -RICHNESS OF ITS ARCHIVES, AND ITS CLOSE<br /> -ASSOCIATION WITH MEN OF LETTERS,<br /> -THIS VOLUME IS, WITH HIS PERMISSION, INSCRIBED<br /> -BY THE AUTHOR.</p> -<p> -<i><span class="smcap">The Knapp, Bradpole</span>, May 6, 1910.</i></p> - -<p class='center p4'>[<i>All rights reserved.</i>] -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">{7}</a></span></p> - - -<div> - -<h2><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE">PREFACE</a></h2> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Life is a leaf of paper white<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Whereon each one of us may write<br /></span> -<span class="i0">His word or two—then comes the night."<br /></span> -<p class='citation'> -<span class="smcap">Lowell.</span><br /> -</p> -</div> -</div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Mr. T. Fisher Unwin</span> has asked me to "chat" on -autographs and autograph collecting. Fifteen years -ago the late Dr. George Birkbeck Hill "talked" on -the same subject in compliance with a similar request. -Still more recently Mr. Adrian H. Joline, of New -York, has given the world his "meditations" on a -pursuit which another American unkindly describes -as "that dreadful fever," but which Mr. Joline, as -well as the present writer, regards in the light of -"the most gentle of emotions." Mr. Joline expressed, -on the first page of his interesting book, 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 -deals. One of the principal objects of the <i>causeries</i> -I have undertaken to write is to reach, if possible, -a public to which the peculiar fascination and indescribable -excitement of the autograph cult are -still unknown, and to demonstrate (to a certain -extent from my own personal experience), the -practical utility, as well as the possibilities of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">{8}</a></span> -material profit, inherent in this particular form of -literary treasure-trove. For the benefit of the uninitiated -(and in this case the uninitiated are in a -vast majority) it is necessary at the onset to -differentiate between the "Autograph Fiend" (the -phrase is, I believe, American in its origin), who -pesters, often with unpardonable persistence, well-known -personages for their signatures in albums -or on photographs, and the discriminating collector -who accumulates for the benefit of posterity either -important documents or the letters of famous men. -"Nothing," writes Horace Walpole, "gives us so just -an idea of an age as genuine letters, nay history waits -for its last seal from them."</p> - -<p>Adopting the words of one of the most gifted -letter-writers who ever lived as a text, let me clearly -define an autograph for the purposes of these pages -to be:—</p> - -<p><i>A letter or document written or signed by any given -person.</i></p> - -<p>An autograph collector, as I understand the term, -is one who acquires and arranges documents of the -sort now described. A collector of autograph signatures -has nothing in common with the scientific -autograph collector. Those who deliberately cut -signatures from important letters are in reality the -worst enemies both of the autograph collector and -the historian. Vandalism of this kind (often committed -in happy unconsciousness of the consequences) -brings with it its own punishment, for detached -signatures are almost worthless. Many years ago a -dealer was offered sixteen genuine signatures of -Samuel Pepys, their owner naïvely remarking that -"he had cut them from the letters <i>to save trouble</i>." -As a matter of fact he had in the course of a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">{9}</a></span> -seconds depreciated the value of his property to the -extent of at least £150. The letters (if intact) would -have fetched from £15 to £20 each! "Album -Specimens"—the results of the misplaced energy of -the "autograph hunter," are of very little value as -compared with holograph letters, and collections of -this kind, although often elaborately bound up and -provided with a lock and key, generally prove a -woeful disappointment to the representatives of those -who bestowed so much time and trouble on their -formation. Collections of "franks," or the signatures -in virtue of which Peers and Members of the House -of Commons prior to 1840 could transmit letters -through the post free of charge, must not be classed -with those of "clipped" or isolated signatures. -"Frank Collections" were often very interesting, -and in the early years of the nineteenth century -many well-known people devoted much time and -trouble to their completion. The subject will be -further alluded to in my text.</p> - -<p>Although a personal element must of necessity -pervade to some extent, at least, my chats on -autographs, it is obvious that the subject is one -which necessitates the greatest discretion. I shall -carefully refrain from using any letter which has -ever been addressed to me personally, although I -have ventured to reproduce the signature of H.R.H. -Ismail Pacha, one of the most remarkable men of his -time, and that of Arabi Pacha, for whom I acted as -counsel before the court-martial held at Cairo on -December 2, 1882. Between 1884 and 1889 I was in -constant correspondence with the late ex-Khedive -Ismail, and from 1883 down to the present day I -have frequently exchanged letters with my once -celebrated Egyptian client, who returned from exile<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">{10}</a></span> -some five years ago to spend the rest of his life in -Cairo. Nor shall I, with one or two exceptions, give -<i>in extenso</i> the letters of any living person, or letters -which can possibly give pain or concern to others. -Those who carefully study, as I do, the catalogues -issued from time to time by dealers in autographs, -both in this country and abroad, must often be -astonished at the rapidity with which the letters -of Royal and other illustrious personages "come into -the market." At the death of a well-known authoress -a few years ago the whole of the letters addressed to -her were sold <i>en bloc</i>. I was not surprised to learn -that the appearance of these "specimens" was the -cause of much consternation and many heart-burnings.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_011.jpg" width="375" height="566" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>SIGNATURES OF THE EGYPTIAN CLIENTS OF THE AUTHOR, 1882-1888, -H.R.H. THE KHEDIVE ISMAIL; H.R.H. PRINCE IBRAHIM HILMY, -HIS SON, AND ARABI PACHA.</p> - -<p class='center'>(The latter in both Arabic and English.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The present age is essentially one of "collecting," -and I hope to convince those who are interested in -collecting generally, but have not yet included autographs -in their sphere of operations, that a great -opportunity awaits them, and that no form of -collecting, either from a literary or antiquarian -point of view, possesses greater charm or greater -possibilities. In his recent works on the private life -of Napoleon, M. Frédéric Masson has shown the -inestimable value of autograph letters to the historian, -and it is from unpublished and hitherto unknown -MSS. in public and private collections that Dr. J. -Holland Rose has obtained much of the new information -which will give exceptional value to his -forthcoming "Life of Pitt." If there is, as Mr. -Adrian Joline points out, an abundance of "gentle -emotion" to be found in the cult of the autograph, -there is also no lack of pleasurable excitement. If -autograph frauds, forgeries, and fakes are abundant, -autograph "finds" are equally so. There is an indescribable -pleasure in the detection of the former,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">{12}</a></span> -and an amount of enjoyable excitement connected -with the latter, which none but the keen -collector can entirely realise. Having convinced the -antiquarian of the quite exceptional value of the -autograph as a collecting subject, I shall hope to -show my readers how they may most rapidly and -most economically obtain that special knowledge -necessary to become an expert. The autograph -market, as at present constituted, is a very small -one, but it is growing rapidly, and there is at -this moment no better investment than the highest -class of historical and literary autographs, provided -one exercises proper discretion in purchasing -and is content to wait for opportunities which -often occur. The truth of my assertion as to the -possibilities of profit in autograph collecting was -never more clearly demonstrated than at the -sale, in December, 1909, of the library of Mr. -Louis J. Haber, of New York City, which was conducted -by the Anderson Auction Company. Two -days were exclusively devoted to autographs, and -Mr. Haber has subsequently communicated to me -a complete list of the prices at which he bought and -sold the literary <i>rariora</i> now dispersed. The sensation -of the sale was the selling of a letter of John -Keats for £500. For this letter (an exceptionally -fine and interesting one) Mr. Haber originally paid -£25. Nevertheless, as I shall have occasion to point -out, the English collector might have picked up some -bargains at the Haber sale. An autograph poem by -Edmund Burke, written in 1749, was sold for £4 8s., -and I envy the purchaser of the characteristic letter -of Lord Chesterfield, knocked down to some fortunate -bidder for £3 8s. I do not hesitate to say that the -Burke poem and the Chesterfield letter would have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">{13}</a></span> -fetched double the prices realised at Sotheby's. A -letter of Mrs. Piozzi's (not improved by inlaying) -fetched £8 12s. Mr. Haber gave £2 8s. for it, and I -have bought a dozen equally good Piozzi letters at -considerably less than that.</p> - -<p>The <i>bonne camaraderie</i> which exists amongst autograph -collectors is exemplified by the ready assistance -rendered me in the preparation of my "chats." Dr. -H. T. Scott, who has devoted the greater part of his -life to the practical study of the subject, has given me -many valuable hints; Mr. Telamon Cuyler, the future -historian of Georgia, has rendered me important -help in the matter of American autographs and -autograph collecting; Mr. Charles De F. Burns, of -New York, has given me (through Mr. Cuyler) most -interesting data concerning the development of a -fondness for autographs in the United States; while -Dr. Thos. Addis Emmet has sent me the catalogue -of his unrivalled collection of American MSS. now in -the Lenox Library, New York. I tender my best -thanks for the aid in various directions which I have -received from Mr. Bernard Quaritch; Mr. Turner, -President of the Anderson Auction Company, New -York; Mr. Goodspeed, of Boston; Monsieur Noël -Charavay, of Paris; Messrs. Maggs, Mr. J. H. Stonehouse, -of Messrs. Sotheran, and Mr. W. V. Daniell; -while Professor M. Gerothwohl, Litt.D., of the -University of Bristol, has kindly translated the important -letter of the Empress Catharine of Russia, -and one or two other difficult examples of eighteenth-century -French. My acknowledgments are also due -to Mr. John Lane and Messrs. Harper Brothers, who -have kindly allowed me to use certain illustrations, -originally given in my books published by them; as -well as to the proprietors of <i>The Country Home</i> for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">{14}</a></span> -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 journal.</p> - -<p>If I succeed in awakening an extended and more -intelligent interest in autographs and autograph -collecting, I shall have done something in my -generation to help future historians, whose task -must, of necessity, become increasingly difficult as -time goes on. When I "commenced" collecting on -my own account, to borrow an old-world, eighteenth-century -phrase, I was literally groping in the dark, -and necessity compelled me to buy my experience. -I do not think I purchased it dearly. M. Noël -Charavay thinks all good judges of autographs are -near-sighted, and possibly this helped me in the early -stages of my collecting career to distinguish the -genuine article from a forged imitation. 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 counterfeit. As the values -of autographs increase (as they are sure to do) the -temptation to forgery becomes greater, and consequently -the application of the maxim <i>caveat emptor</i> -more urgent. Respectable autograph dealers -guarantee the letters they sell, but even experts are -occasionally mistaken. Quite recently I lighted on a -letter of Archbishop Fénelon in America, and thought -I had secured a bargain. The source from which it -came was unimpeachable, but M. Noël Charavay -immediately confirmed my opinion that it was a -lithographic forgery. There is, at any rate, one -privilege that the autograph collector alone enjoys. -It is difficult to say that any particular piece of china, -medal, coin, print, or postage stamp is unique. There -is always the danger of a duplicate turning up. With<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">{15}</a></span> -autograph letters, on the other hand, each specimen -may fairly be described as "absolutely unique." I -have only once met with an exception to this rule. -Some twenty days before his death Charles Dickens -wrote a letter in duplicate to Buckstone the actor. -To avoid the possibility of its miscarrying one was -addressed to the theatre, and the other to Sydenham. -I have the former and should much like to know -what has become of the other, but even in this case -the letters are not precisely identical.</p> - -<p>So vast is the range of autographs (taking the -subject as a whole and the term in its broadest -sense) that the collector of the rising generation will -do well to limit his sphere of operations to one -particular subject or locality. It is only by doing -this he can hope to arrive at anything like finality, or -to make his acquisitions really useful from an historical -point of view. Let him make the worthies of his -own county, or birthplace, or calling the objective of -his researches, and he will soon feel encouraged to go -further afield. As long ago as 1855 a writer in the -<i>Athenæum</i> remarked that "the story of what history -owes to the autograph collector would make a pretty -book." 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 Messrs. Pearson, -of Pall Mall Place, while these pages were going -through the press. Here we have a collection of -autographs by English sovereigns valued at £1,600, -one of musical composers priced at £2,500, and -another of 105 letters by great artists, beginning with -Antonio del Pollajuolo (born in 1426) and ending -with Corot, who died in 1875, for which £3,500, or -an average price of £35 each is asked. Modern<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">{16}</a></span> -historians will possibly be more interested in the -portfolios of <i>unpublished</i> letters by Marlborough, -Burke, and Pitt, of which the House of Pearson is at -present the custodian. Without reference to them it -will be impossible to say that the last word has been -said about these three great men, who played in turn -so important a part in our national annals. Their -ultimate owner may have the opportunity of assisting -the historian in the manner I have ventured to -indicate.</p> - -<p class='right'> -A. M. BROADLEY. -</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">{17}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS</a></h2> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#PREFACE">PREFACE</a></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_7">7</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#I">CHAPTER I</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">PAGE</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">ON AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING GENERALLY</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>Autograph collecting in relation to kindred hobbies—The -genesis of the autograph—Examples of the <i>alba amicorum</i> -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."</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#II">CHAPTER II</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">THE MODERN AUTOGRAPH COLLECTOR AND HIS EQUIPMENT</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_51">51</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>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.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#III">CHAPTER III</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">THE <i>CAVEAT EMPTOR</i> OF AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>Forgeries and fakes—Cases of mistaken identity—Some -famous autograph frauds—Practical methods of detection.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">{18}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">SOME FAMOUS AUTOGRAPH "FINDS"</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_93">93</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>Personal reminiscences and experiences.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">ROYAL AUTOGRAPHS PAST AND PRESENT—THE COPY-BOOKS OF KINGS AND PRINCES</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>Some unpublished specimens of the handwriting of Royal -Personages present and past.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#VI">CHAPTER VI</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">THE AUTOGRAPHS OF STATECRAFT, SOCIETY, AND DIPLOMACY</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_169">169</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>Unpublished letters of the two Pitts, Lord Chesterfield, -and Lord Stanhope.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#VII">CHAPTER VII</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">THE LITERARY AUTOGRAPHS OF THREE CENTURIES</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_193">193</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>From the days of Shakespeare and Spenser to those of -Thackeray, Dickens, Tennyson, and Meredith—The value -of literary autographs and MSS.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">NAVAL AND MILITARY AUTOGRAPHS</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_235">235</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>Unpublished letters of celebrated sailors and soldiers.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">AUTOGRAPHS OF MUSIC, THE DRAMA, AND ART</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_255">255</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>Illustrated letters.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">{19}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#X">CHAPTER X</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING IN FRANCE</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_289">289</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>Autograph letters of Napoleon—His associates and contemporaries—Other -French autographs.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#XI">CHAPTER XI</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A CENTURY OF AMERICAN AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_317">317</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>The great collectors and collections of the United States—The -autograph sale-rooms of New York, Boston, and -Philadelphia.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan='2'><a href="#XII">CHAPTER XII</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">THE PRICES OF AUTOGRAPHS AND THEIR VARIATIONS</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_345">345</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" class='lpd2'>William Upcott and his contemporaries—Sale prices 1810-1910.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#INDEX">INDEX</a></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_378">378</a></td></tr> -</table></div> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20"></a><br /><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">{21}</a></span> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><a name="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS" id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</a></h2> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of William Wilson, an Actor of the "Fortune" Theatre, -to Edward Alleyn, of Dulwich, 1620</td><td align="left"><i><a href="#frontispiece">Frontispiece</a></i></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"></td><td align="right">PAGE</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Signatures of the Egyptian Clients of the Author, 1882-1888, -H.R.H. the Khedive Ismail; H.R.H. Prince Ibrahim Hilmy, -his Son, and Arabi Pacha</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Last page of A.L.S. of Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston, -at St. Petersburg, to Miss Chudleigh, at Bath</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Warrant signed by Warren Hastings, Philip Francis, Edward -Wheeler, and Eyre Coote, May 31, 1780</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. obtained from Cardinal Newman by an Autograph-hunter, -September 4, 1870</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_43">43</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Two pages of A.L.S. of Sir John Tenniel, of <i>Punch</i>, obtained by -an Autograph-hunter, October 13, 1903</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">From the Prelude of "Gerontius," MS. Bars signed by Sir -Edward Elgar, September, 1900</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_49">49</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Facsimile of the Historic Letter from George Crabbe to Edmund -Burke</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Autograph of Ludwig van Beethoven</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of A.L.S. of Dr. Johnson to Sir Joshua Reynolds on the -subject of Crabbe's Poems, 1783</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lines of Thomas Chatterton on Horace Walpole, which cost -Sir George White, of Bristol, £34</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A Specimen of Ireland's Shakespearean Forgeries attested by -himself</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_77">77</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">William Ireland's Attestation of his Forgeries of Shakespeare's -Signature</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_79">79</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Forged Letter of W. M. Thackeray, in which his later Handwriting -is imitated</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Two pages of a Letter by Lord Brougham to E. Arago, offering to -become a Naturalised Frenchman and a Candidate for the -French Chambers</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Specimen page of the Dumouriez MS. discovered by the Writer</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_102">102</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">{22}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Original Dispatch of Lord Cawdor to Duke of Portland describing -the Landing and Surrender of the French at Fishguard, -February, 1797</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_103">103</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Verses on Trafalgar in the Handwriting of Charles Dibdin, -1805</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_107">107</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bulletin issued a week after the birth of King Edward VII. and -signed by the Medical Men in attendance, November 16, 1841</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_114">114</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Order to the Duke of Beaufort to destroy Keynsham Bridge, near -Bristol, on the approach of Monmouth, signed by King -James II., June 21, 1685</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_115">115</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of the Electress Sophia of Hanover to the Duke of Leeds, -October 19, 1710</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_116">116</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of King George III. on the Subject of the Defence of -England in the early stages of the Great Terror of 1796-1805</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_119">119</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Commission signed by Oliver Cromwell, October 20, 1651</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_121">121</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Signature of Lord Protector Richard Cromwell to a Commission, -January, 1658</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_122">122</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Fourteen lines in the Writing of Napoleon on Military Order, -with his Signature, July 3, 1803</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_123">123</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Autograph of Henry VII., King of England (1456-1509)</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_127">127</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of King William III. from Camp before Namur, July 13, -1795</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Last page of A.L.S. of Empress Catherine of Russia to -Mrs. de Bielke, of Hamburg, July 28, 1767</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One of the earliest Signatures of Louis XIV. (aged six)</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_135">135</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Interesting A.L.S. of Louis XVI. to the Chemist Lavoisier on -the subject of the Discovery of Inflammable Gas, Versailles, -March 15, 1789</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_136">136</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of King George III. to Sir Samuel Hood (afterwards Lord -Hood), June 13, 1779</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_137">137</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of King George III. written four days before the Battle -of Trafalgar</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_141">141</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Queen Alexandra to Mrs. Gladstone, December 7, -1888</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Queen Victoria's Order on a Letter of Sir Henry Ponsonby, -April 26, 1894</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_146">146</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One of the last Letters written by Queen Victoria, addressed to -General Sir George White, of Ladysmith</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Autograph Telegram from the late Prince Albert Victor of Wales -to his Grandmother, Queen Victoria</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_149">149</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Holograph Telegram of the Duke of Connaught to Queen -Victoria, St. Petersburg, May 26, 1896</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_150">150</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One page of A.L.S. of Queen Victoria to her elder Daughter, -aged six, October 21, 1846</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_153">153</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of A.L.S. of the Duchess of Kent to her Grandson, -King Edward VII., aged eight, August 26, 1849</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_154">154</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">{23}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of A.L.S. of Queen Adelaide to her Great-niece, the -late Empress Frederick of Germany, circa 1848</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Page of Register containing the Signatures of Contracting Parties -and Witnesses at the Marriage of King Edward VII. and -Queen Alexandra, 1863</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_158">158</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Page from the MS. Remark-book of Prince William Henry -(afterwards King William IV.), in which he begins to describe -New York, January, 1781</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Page of Exercise Book of King George IV. at the age of twelve</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Drawing by Charlotte, Empress of Mexico, dated Lacken, 1850</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_160">160</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A sheet from the Copy-book of the Emperor Alexander II. of -Russia when a boy</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_160">160</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Queen Charlotte to Mr. Penn, of Portland, November -19, 1813</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_163">163</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of A.L.S. by Albert, Prince Consort, to General -Peel, 1858</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_165">165</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Exercise of the late King Edward VII. when ten years old, -December 17, 1851</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_166">166</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Exercise of the late Duke of Coburg (Prince Alfred) at the age of -eight</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_166">166</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One page of A.L.S. of King George V., when Duke of York to -the late Duchess Dowager of Manchester, February 22, 1886</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_167">167</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One page of A.L.S. of Queen Mary, while Duchess of York, -to a friend, May 24, 1900</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of A.L.S. of the Empress Frederick of Germany to -Mr. Prothero, February 22, 1889</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Last page of unpublished Holograph Poem in Handwriting of -William Pitt, May, 1771</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Last Whip issued by William Pitt and signed by him, December 31, -1805</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_178">178</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Signature of Sir Isaac Heard, Garter, on Card of Admission to the -Funeral of William Pitt, 1806</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_178">178</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Earl of Chesterfield, October 8, 1771, describing the -Inaugural Ball at the new Bath Assembly Rooms</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_183">183</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One page of A.L.S. from Mr. W. E. Gladstone at Balmoral to -Cardinal Manning, n.d.</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_188">188</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One Page of A.L.S. of Mr. Disraeli (afterwards Lord Beaconsfield) -on Church matters, n.d.</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Signature of Shakespeare on the last page of his Will</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_196">196</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Deed containing the Signature of Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, -and nearly all the Members of his Family, temp. James I.</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of John Evelyn to Samuel Pepys, Deptford, September 25, -1790</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Early Signature of John Milton on Documents now in possession -of Mr. Quaritch</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_203">203</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Page of Dr. Johnson's Diary recording his impressions of Stonehenge, -&c., 1783</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_207">207</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">{24}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The two last pages of the MS. Journal of Mrs. Thrale's Tour -in Wales, July-September, 1774, describing the Dinner at -Burke's</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_208">208</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Holograph lines by Goethe on Blücher, circa 1812-13</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_213">213</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of John Keats (three pages) to J. H. Reynolds, February -28, 1820</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_214">214</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Letter of Lord Tennyson to Mr. Moxon</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_217">217</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Lord Byron to Mr. Perry, March 1, 1812</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_217">217</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Illustrated Letter of W. M. Thackeray from Glasgow</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lines from the "Iliad." Specimen of the MS. of the late Mr. -George Meredith</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_219">219</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of W. M. Thackeray to Count d'Orsay on fly-leaf of circular -announcing the Publication of a Picture, n.d.</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_221">221</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Early A.L.S. of W. M. Thackeray to Mr. Macrone, Publisher, -discovered by Mr. George Gregory, of Bath</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_222">222</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of one of Charles Dickens's last Letters, May 15, 1870</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_225">225</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Honourable Mrs. Norton containing an invitation to -meet Charles Dickens, the author of "Pickwick," at dinner</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Early Letter of Charles Dickens to Mr. Macrone (1836) from -Furnival's Inn</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_227">227</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of "Perdita" (Mary Robinson) to George, Prince of Wales, -January 19, 1785</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_228">228</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Holograph Order of Admission of Thomas Carlyle to his Rectorial -Address at Edinburgh University, dated March 23, 1866</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_230">230</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of John Wesley, June 14, 1788</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_232">232</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Duke of Montrose to the King</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_239">239</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Part of A.L.S. of Earl Howe to Earl Spencer after his great -Victory of June 1, 1794</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_239">239</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Official MS. Account of Expenses incurred at Funeral of Queen -Anne</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One page of A.L.S. of General Byng, October 27, 1727</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_242">242</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Signature of Admiral Byng on his Will a few days before his -death, March, 1757</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_242">242</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Lord Nelson to Earl Spencer, written with his right -hand, <i>Theseus</i>, May 28, 1798</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_245">245</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Nelson to Lady Hamilton about his wife, written with -his left hand, January 24, 1801</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_245">245</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of A.L.S. of Lady Nelson to her Husband, December 10, -1799</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_246">246</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Naval Commission signed by Lord Nelson, April 25, 1781</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_246">246</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Sir Thomas Hardy about Lord Nelson's Beer, Torbay, -February 20, 1801</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Letter of Duke of Wellington to Mr. Algernon Greville, October 24, -1841, speaking of the necessity of his being present at the -Birth of King Edward VII.</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Envelope directed by Duke of Wellington to Lady Sidmouth -enclosing lock of Napoleon's hair, 1821</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_252">252</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">{25}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of the Abbé Liszt to Secretary of Princess of Wales (Queen -Alexandra), April 16, 1886</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_258">258</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Joseph Haydn, the Composer, June 5, 1803</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_260">260</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Signature of the nonagenarian Mrs. Garrick a few days before -her death</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_263">263</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A genuine short Note signed by Edmund Kean, afterwards imitated</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of R. B. Sheridan asking for time to pay a draft</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_265">265</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Charles Mathews, the Actor, proposing his son for -election to Garrick Club, n.d.</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_266">266</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Last page of A.L.S. of Mrs. Siddons to Mrs. Piozzi after the Fire -at Covent Garden Theatre</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_268">268</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Letter of the Chevalier d'Éon to Colonel Monson, Bath, January 7, -1796</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_271">271</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Account for Supper given by the Chevalier d'Éon to Prince Henry -of Prussia, August 15, 1784</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_271">271</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One of the last Letters ever written by Grimaldi, the great Clown, -December 20, 1829</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_272">272</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of William Hogarth to his Wife, January 6, 1749</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_273">273</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Last page of an A.L.S. by the painter George Romney</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_274">274</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Sir Joshua Reynolds to George Crabbe, March 4, -1783</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_275">275</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of George Morland</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_275">275</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Two pages of Illustrated Letter from the Honble. Mrs. Norton to -a Sister, July, 1854</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_276">276</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Portion of Illustrated Letter by John Leech</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_279">279</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Page of Illustrated A.L.S. from Mr. Wheeler to Sir F. Burnand</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_280">280</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Illustrated A.L.S. of Fred Barnard relating to the plates of -"Dombey and Son," n.d.</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_281">281</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Portrait of Charles Peace, the murderer, on A.L.S. of Sir Frank -Lockwood, who defended him, written in 1888</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_282">282</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of George Cruickshank, September, 1836, about Dickens's -first call on him</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_283">283</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Postcard of James Whistler from Lion Hotel, Lyme Regis, circa -1888</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_284">284</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of A.L.S. of the Painter Meissonier, July 25, 1861</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_284">284</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Portraits of Sir R. Reid (now Lord Loreburn) and the late Sir -Frank Lockwood on an Illustrated Letter written by the -latter during the Parnell Commission</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_285">285</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Two pages of Illustrated Letter by Hablot K. Browne</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_286">286</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Two pages of a Letter from Richard Cobden in "The Forties"</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_287">287</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Early Signature of Napoleon I. as "Buonaparte" on Military -Document, dated February 1, 1796</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_297">297</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of A.L.S. of Admiral Villeneuve announcing to the -French Minister of Marine the Disaster of the Nile, -September, 1798</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_297">297</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Signature of Empress Marie Louise as Regent, July, 1813</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_298">298</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">{26}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Joseph Bonaparte, afterwards King of Spain, January, -1806</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_299">299</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Talleyrand in Paris to Napoleon I. at Bayonne congratulating -him on the Birth of Napoleon III., at which he -had been present, April, 1808</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_301">301</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Letter signed by the Empress Josephine, 3 ventose an x [February -22, 1802]</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_302">302</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Marshal Ney, Paris, December 23, 1813</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_304">304</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Exercise of the King of Rome, Duke de Reichstadt, circa 1827</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_305">305</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Portion of Essay on Gunnery written by the late Prince Imperial -of France while a Cadet at the Woolwich Military Academy</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_307">307</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Page of A.L.S. of Napoleon III. to Dr. O'Meara, March 9, 1836</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_308">308</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Sketch by the late Prince Imperial, circa 1866</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_308">308</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Admiral Brueys, the French Admiral Commanding-in-Chief, -who was killed at Trafalgar, dated May 25, 1797</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_310">310</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Two Signatures of Marie Antoinette on a Warrant, October, 1783</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_312">312</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Napoleon III. to Lord Alfred Paget from Wilhelmshohe, -October 29, 1870</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_313">313</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">First page of Letter in English from Voltaire to Earl of Chesterfield, -Ferney, August 5, 1761</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_314">314</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Signature and Writing of Button Gwinnett, the rarest -Autograph of the "Signers"</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_326">326</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The last page of the Letter of Thomas Lynch, jun., one of the -American "Signers," which fetched 7,000 dollars</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_328">328</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The last page of George Washington's splendid A.L.S., now published -through the kindness of Mr. T. C. S. Cuyler</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_333">333</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. of Benjamin Franklin to George Washington, March 2, -1778</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_334">334</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Early writing of the late King Edward VII., circa 1850</td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_344">344</a></td></tr> -</table></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">{27}</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<h2 class="left"><a name="I" id="I">I</a><br /> -<br /> -ON AUTOGRAPH<br /> -COLLECTING<br /> -GENERALLY<br /> -</h2> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28"></a><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">{29}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"> -<img src="images/page_029.jpg" width="575" height="405" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LAST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF ELIZABETH CHUDLEIGH, DUCHESS OF KINGSTON, AT ST. PETERSBURG, -TO MISS CHUDLEIGH, AT BATH.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">{30}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"> -<img src="images/page_030.jpg" width="575" height="372" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>WARRANT SIGNED BY WARREN HASTINGS, PHILIP FRANCIS, EDWARD WHEELER, AND -EYRE COOTE, MAY 31, 1780.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">{31}</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class="ph1"><a name="CHATS_ON_AUTOGRAPHS" id="CHATS_ON_AUTOGRAPHS">CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS</a></p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p class="ph2"><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a><br /> -<br /> -ON AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING GENERALLY</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>Autograph collecting in relation to kindred hobbies—The -genesis of the autograph—Examples of the -<i>alba amicorum</i> 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"</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>There can be no doubt that the handwriting of a man -is related to his thought and character, and that we may -therefore gain a certain impression of his ordinary mode -of life and conduct.—<span class="smcap">Goethe to Cardinal Preusker.</span></p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">My</span> friend Judge Philbrick, for some time President -of the Royal Philatelic Society of London, tells me -that the stamps known to collectors as the Post -Office Mauritius "fetch anything." In his opinion -a pair of fine examples of the 1d. red and 2d. blue -would easily make £2,500. He believes the King,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">{32}</a></span> -when Prince of Wales, gave £1,500 for a single specimen. -A set of the rarest issues of Sandwich Island -stamps would be worth from £1,500 to £2,000, and -there are at least twenty or thirty varieties which -sell at something between £50 and £100. As a -matter of fact, I believe the single "Mauritius Post -Office" referred to exchanged hands in January -1904, at no less a figure than £1,950, 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 MS. of "Paradise Lost," -once the property of Jacob Tonson the publisher. -The ultimate fate of this precious MS. will be referred -to in connection with the subject of Milton's autographs, -but it may be noted that in the same month -a series of seven superb folio holograph letters of -Napoleon, written during his first campaign in Italy, -when his handwriting was still legible and his signature -not the perplexing variation of scratches and -blots of later days, was knocked down at the comparatively -modest figure of £350, or less than one-fifth -of the sum paid for the "Mauritius Post Office"! -Before me lie several of the priced catalogues of -the Sotheby autograph auctions of six years ago. -Very few of the totals realised at these sales approached -the price paid for this single stamp. At one -of them Nelson's original letter-book of 1796-97, -including the original drafts of 67 letters (many of -them of first-rate importance) failed to fetch more -than £190, while a two days' sale (that of December -5 and 6, 1904) brought only an aggregate sum of -£1,009 16s., notwithstanding the fact that the 416 -lots disposed of comprised a splendid series of Johnson -and Thrale letters, a series of S. T. Coleridge MSS., -and fine examples of letters by Pope, Richardson,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">{33}</a></span> -Marvell, Burke, Boswell, Goldsmith, Garrick, Nelson, -and Lady Hamilton, together with historical documents -signed by Queen Elizabeth, the two Charleses, -Oliver Cromwell, and Queen Anne. The items thus -disposed of would in themselves have made a fine -collection if acquired by any one owner, for they -represent the most interesting phases of our national -annals, and they might have been acquired <i>en bloc</i> for -£940, less than half the cost of that one most expensive -stamp. Far be it from me to disparage a sister -"hobby." All I seek to prove is that autograph collection -has moderation in price to recommend it, as -well as that inherent interest which Mr. Joline alludes -to as "the gentlest of emotions."</p> - -<p>In theory, at any rate, the lover of autographs can -claim for his favourite pursuit an antiquity of origin -which no print collector or philatelist, however enthusiastic, -can possibly pretend to. In some shape -or another MSS. were highly prized by the ancient -Egyptians as well as the Greeks and Romans. The -word "autograph" first occurs in the writings of -Suetonius. We learn on good authority that Ptolemy -stole the archives of the Athenians and replaced the -originals with cunningly devised copies; Pliny and -Cicero were both collectors after the manner of -the time in which they lived; Nero recorded his impressions -in pocket-books, and manuscripts of untold -importance are supposed to lie buried in the lava-covered -dwellings of Herculaneum. The Chinese, -too, 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 -rulers. The Emperors Justinian and Theodoric are -both reputed to have affixed their signatures by the -aid of a perforated tin plate; and the mystery which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">{34}</a></span> -attaches itself to the Epistles of Phalaris still awaits -some definite solution. These, and a dozen other -similar topics, may concern the history of writing in -the abstract, 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 view.</p> - -<p>By the irony of fate the origin of autograph collecting, -as we now understand it, is clearly traced to -the <i>alba amicorum</i> of the latter part of the sixteenth -and the first decades of the seventeenth century. -Men and women of light and leading were accustomed -to carry about oblong volumes of vellum, -on which their friends and acquaintances were -requested to write some motto or phrase under his -or her signature. Several interesting examples of -these <i>alba</i> are to be seen amongst the Sloane MSS. -in the British Museum. The earliest of them (No. -851) bears the date 1579. It commences with the -motto and signature of the Duc d'Alençon, the -suitor of our Virgin Queen. He has attempted a -sketch, something like a fire, under which are the -words "Fovet et disqutit Francoys," and below, "Me -servir quy mestre Farnagues."</p> - -<p>No. 3,416 is bound in green velvet with the arms -of the writers beautifully emblazoned on each page. -On one of these the Duke of Holst, brother-in-law of -James I., has written:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Par mer et par terre<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Wiwe la Guerre.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>It was in the <i>album amicorum</i> of Christopher -Arnold, Professor of History at Nuremberg, that the -author of "Paradise Lost" wrote</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">{35}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>In weakness I am made perfect.</p> - -<p>To that most learned man, and my courteous friend, -Christopher Arnold, have I given this, in token of his virtue, -as well as of my good will towards him.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">John Milton.</span> -</p> - -<p><i>London, <span class="smcap lowercase">A.D.</span> 1651, Nov. 19.</i></p></div> - -<p>To the album of Charles de Bousy (No. 3,415) -Edward Sackville, afterwards Earl of Dorset, has -contributed a motto neatly written in six languages. -Late in the nineteenth century these ancient <i>alba</i> -had their counterpart in the books of questions which, -for a brief period, found favour in the eyes of the -British hostess with a literary turn of mind. A page -thus filled up by the late Duke of Coburg (Prince -Alfred of England) is in my collection. In it the writer -with perfect frankness discloses his ideas of happiness -and misery, his favourite poets, painters, and -composers, his pet aversions and the characters in -history he most dislikes. The sheet of this modern -<i>album amicorum</i> fetched one sovereign in the open -market, 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 Arnold.</p> - -<p>In these early <i>alba</i> the interest of the handwriting -formed the predominant attraction, but with the -succeeding generations of collectors who gathered -together stores of priceless MSS. the point of -interest was almost entirely historical. 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 document. The value of the -services rendered to the cause of history by men like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">{36}</a></span> -Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (1571-1631), John Evelyn -(1620-1706), Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford -(1661-1724), Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford -(1689-1741), and Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) -cannot possibly be over-estimated.</p> - -<p>Robert Harley purchased the papers accumulated -by Fox, Stow, and D'Ewes, and the Harleian and -Sloane MSS. form to-day a most important portion -of the national collection in the British -Museum. Thomas Hearne (1678-1735) laboured -industriously at Oxford on the same lines as -Robert Harley and Hans Sloane. He is said to -have made each important discovery of autographic -treasure-trove the subject of a devout -thanksgiving.</p> - -<p>Good work was done about the same time by -Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725) and Peter Le Neve -(1661-1729). Manuscripts entered largely into the -"Museum of Rarities" formed by the first named, and -the MSS. of the latter are now in the Bodleian Library -and the Heralds' College. A little later came James -West (1704-1772). Between 1741 and 1762 he held -the office of Joint-secretary to the Treasury, and -from 1746 till his death he was Recorder of Poole. -Among other curiosities he got together a large -number of valuable MSS. Born four years before -West, James Bindley lived till 1818, thus becoming -a contemporary of Upcott, Dawson Turner, and -other early nineteenth-century collectors who prepared -the way for the great work since accomplished -by Mr. Alfred Morrison and others.</p> - -<p>It now becomes necessary to say something of the -"frank," 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<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">{37}</a></span> -to understand. The interest in the "frank" -was philatelic as well as autographic, but no -"frank" ever attained the high position now held by -a Post Office Mauritius or early Sandwich stamp. -The story of the "frank" is briefly thus: The right -to send letters free of charge was claimed by -Members of Parliament as far back as the reign of -James I. It was fully discussed in the Commons -immediately after the Restoration, and the claim was -affirmed, although the Speaker, Sir Harbottle Grimston, -refused to put a motion which he stigmatised as -"a poor mendicant proviso unworthy of the honour -of the House." The Lords rejected the Bill, because -apparently the privilege was not to be extended to -them, but it was eventually conceded to members of -both Houses. The grossest abuses were soon committed. -Under the cover of the "frank" fifteen -couple of hounds were sent to the King of the Romans; -"two maid-servants going out as laundresses" were -forwarded to "My Lord Ambassador Methuen," two -bales of stockings found their way, "post free," to -our representative at the Court of Portugal. The -"frank" was continually used for the transit of live -deer, turkeys, and haunches of venison. In Queen -Anne's time its operation was limited to packets -weighing two ounces or less, and in the fourth year -of George III. it was enacted that the "franking" -Peer or M.P. should write the whole address and -date on each letter. In 1795 the maximum weight -of a "franked" letter was reduced to one ounce, and -in 1840, on the institution of Sir Rowland Hill's -penny postage system, the privilege (except in one -or two special cases) was entirely abolished. Mr. -Bailie, of Ringdufferin, Killyleagh, Co. Down, was -one of the last of the frank-collecting enthusiasts.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">{38}</a></span> -About twenty years ago he thus wrote to the -<i>Archivist</i>:—</p> - -<p>"Although no further limitation or alteration was -made between 1795 and 1840, great abuses still -existed. Members supplied larger packets of franks -to friends and adherents; some sold their privilege -for large sums to banking and business firms; they -also accepted <i>douceurs</i> for allowing letters to be -directed to them, although intended for other -persons, and servants' wages were frequently paid by -franks, which were subsequently sold by them to -tradesmen and others. It was computed that a -banking house, having one of the firm an M.P., -effected thereby a saving of £700 a year. In one -week of November, 1836, about 94,700 franks passed -through the London post alone, and in 1837 there -were 7,400,000 franked letters posted. From 1818 -to 1837 it was estimated that £1,400,000 had been -lost to the Post Office through the franking system." -The privilege was abolished on July 10, 1840, the -only exception made being in favour of the late -Queen's own letters and a few Government Departments.</p> - -<p>The Inspectors of Franks in London, Dublin, and -Edinburgh were highly paid and important officials. -Mr. William Tayleure, of Adelaide Street, West -Strand, headed a long list of dealers in "franks." -"Frank" auctions, prior to 1840, were as common as -stamp auctions are to-day, and amongst the best -known "frank" collectors were Lady Chatham -(the daughter-in-law of the "Great Commoner"), Lord -William FitzRoy and Mr. Blott, Inspector of Franks -at the G.P.O. Mr. Bailie eventually became possessor -of the Chatham and FitzRoy collections. He could -boast of possessing the "frank" of every Peer since<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">{39}</a></span> -the Union, with the single exception of F. A. Hervey, -Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry.</p> - -<p>For three generations at least one of the principal -objects in life seems to have been the gratuitous -acquisition of "franks." When James Beattie visited -the Thrales of Streatham, his supreme delight lay in -having secured six "franks" and the promise of a -further supply; millionaires excused their epistolary -silence on the plea of the difficulty to "get" a -"frank," and even late in the "eighteen-thirties" -Benjamin Disraeli wrote to his sister that he was -sure that the sight of an unprivileged (<i>i.e.</i>, unfranked) -letter on the Bradenham breakfast-table would cause -the death of his venerable father.</p> - -<p>The witty letters of Joseph Jekyll abound in -amusing allusions to "franks." One day he writes, -"Don't go into histericks at a Radical frank of -Burdett's"; on another occasion, "I have bribed the -Attorney-General for this frank," and again, "I postponed -payment till the immaculate electors of Stockbridge -had agreed to save <i>ninepence</i> out of your pin-money." -Writing to Lady Blessington the Nestor -of <i>beaux esprits</i> says: "I trust this will reach you if -the Post Office can decipher my friend Wetherell's -hieroglyphical frank, but Tories always make a bad -hand of it."</p> - -<p>Collections of "franks" like those of Mr. Bailie -must still have some value. It is now difficult to -obtain isolated examples, and to my mind they are -infinitely more interesting, from every point of view, -than detached signatures of individuals, however -celebrated, and the great majority of "album -specimens."</p> - -<p>An "album specimen" is a letter or signature -obtained in answer to a request for an autograph. If<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">{40}</a></span> -the demand is made point-blank, the reply is rarely -of any real value.</p> - -<p>There are, of course, many exceptions to the rule. -I have already alluded to the page of the "Confessions" -Book filled up by the late Duke of Coburg. -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 -Thiers. The former had written, "I have learned in -my long life two rules of prudence. The first is to forgive -much; the second, never to forget." Thiers had -placed below this the sentence, "A little forgetting -would not detract from the sincerity of the forgiveness." -Bismarck continued, "As for me, I have learnt -to forget much, and to be asked to be forgiven much." -I should not be surprised if the page of that album -with the conjunction of these three great names -yielded a record price.</p> - -<p>It is the persistent seeker for "album specimens" -who is known in America as the "Autograph Fiend," -and on this side as the "Autograph Hunter." Possibly -in the United States this type of collector is -more aggressive than his English <i>confrère</i>. Longfellow -was an early victim of the "A. F." In his -diary he plaintively mentions the necessity of complying -with thirty or forty requests of this kind. -On January 9, 1857, matters reached a climax. On -that day he made the following entry in his journal: -"To-day I wrote, sealed, and dictated seventy autographs." -Other celebrities were less complacent than -the persecuted poet. "George Eliot" generally instructed -Mr. Lewes to write a point-blank refusal, -and an Archbishop of York intended to follow her -example, but unintentionally delighted his tormentor -with the signed reply, "Sir, I never give my autograph,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">{41}</a></span> -and never will." Frowde was in the habit of -replying after this fashion:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—Mr. Weller's friend (or perhaps Mr. Weller -himself) would say that "autographs is vanity!"—but since -you wish for mine, I subscribe myself,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Faithfully yours,</span><br /> -<span class="mr2 smcap">J. A. Frowde.</span> -</p></div> - -<p>Mr. Joline shows little mercy to such applicants. -Lord Rosebery replies to a similar application:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Lord Rosebery presents his compliments to Miss C., and -would rather not make her collection and himself ridiculous -by sending <i>it</i> the autograph of so insignificant a person.</p></div> - -<p>An exceptionally considerate type of autograph-hunter -succeeded in extracting the following charming -note from the late R. L. Stevenson:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">Vailima, Upolu, Samoa.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>You have sent me a slip to write on; you have sent me an -addressed envelope; you have sent it me stamped; many -have done as much before. You have spelled my name right, -and some have done that. In one point you stand alone: you -have sent me the stamps for my post office, not the stamps -for yours. What is asked with so much consideration I take -a pleasure to grant. Here, since you value it, and have been -at the pains to earn it by such unusual attentions—here is the -signature,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">Robert Louis Stevenson.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>For the one civil autograph collector, Charles R.</p></div> - -<p>Poe, like Longfellow, was merciful to his autograph-seeking -correspondents, and their name was -legion. In his opinion, "The feeling which prompts -to the collection of autographs is a natural and rational<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">{42}</a></span> -one." Thackeray and Dickens were equally considerate -in the matter of these autograph petitions. -More years ago than I care to recollect a young -cousin of mine wrote to the former, and received, -almost by return of post, a signed and dated card -with a clever little sketch of a young lady inspecting -an album. At the present moment this particular -"specimen" is worth at least £10.</p> - -<p>The most successful type of "Autograph Fiend" -is the man who is able, on some clever pretence, to -extract a letter of real interest and importance from -his unconscious victim. Since I began to collect I -have carefully watched the operation of these pious -frauds, and am often astonished at the ease with -which political, literary, and artistic celebrities fall -into an all too transparent trap. Portrait painters -are ready to send estimates to persons they never -heard of; grave theologians are led by impostors -into discussions on abstruse questions of faith and -belief; astute statesmen like Mr. Chamberlain are -induced to enlarge on burning problems of the -hour; and venerable artists like Sir John Tenniel -are apparently ready to furnish two pages of -reminiscences for the mere asking. In the -"eighteen-fifties" a swindler named Ludovic Picard -acquired a really valuable series of autographs by -writing to men like Béranger, Heine, Montalembert, -and Lacordaire letters in which he posed as one of -"the odious race of the unappreciated who meditated -suicide, and sought in his hour of sore distress for -valuable counsel and advice." Lacordaire sent him -ten closely-written pages of earnest appeal, and -Charles Dickens, who happened to be at Boulogne, -fell an easy victim to the wiles of "Miserrimus," -who was finally unmasked by Jules Sandeau while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">{44}</a></span> -carousing with a party of boon companions at a -tavern. Dickens wrote as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Voici encore de bons remèdes contre votre affliction! -Surtout, on doit se souvenir constamment de la bonté du -grand Dieu, des beautés de la nature, et de si touchantes -félicités et misères de ces pauvres voisins dans cette vie de -vicissitudes. Voici encore une manière de s'élever le cœur -et l'âme, depuis les ténèbres de la terre jusqu'à la clarté du -ciel. Courage, courage! C'est le voyageur faible qui succombe -et qui meurt. C'est le brave homme qui persévère, et qui -poursuit son voyage jusqu'à la fin. Votre cas a été le cas -d'une immense foule d'hommes, dont les cœurs courageux -ont été victorieux, triomphants, heureux.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_043.jpg" width="575" height="463" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OBTAINED FROM CARDINAL NEWMAN BY AN AUTOGRAPH-HUNTER, SEPTEMBER 4, 1870.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>A query sent to Sir John Tenniel on the subject -of the private theatricals at Charles Dickens's elicited -this interesting letter:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>October 13, 1903.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—With many apologies for the delay, absolutely -unavoidable, 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 -8th inst. received on Saturday.</p> - -<p>The first performance of "Not so Bad as we Seem," at -Devonshire House, in the presence of the Queen, the Prince -Consort, and the Court, most certainly took place on the -<i>16th</i> of May, 1851, just five months after I had joined the -<i>Punch</i> staff.</p> - -<p>But there was also a <i>second</i> grand performance of the play -on the <i>27th</i>, to which the friends of the actors and distinguished -people were invited by special invitation of the Duke.</p> - -<p>Happily, after an almost hopeless search, I have found the -bill of the play (which please to return when done with) of -that performance, which is identical with the first except -that the farce of "Mr. Nightingale's Diary," by Dickens and -Mark Lemon, was <i>not</i> produced for the delectation of -"Royalty"! Bill will also give you the names of the <i>dramatis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">{46}</a></span> -personæ</i>, and you will see that the names of Maclise and Leech -are not included in the list.</p> - -<p>The last-named characters, some with only a line, some -with none, were alluded to, and cheerfully, except by certain -literary celebrities, and for myself "Hodge" was quite a good -little part.</p> - -<p>In the following year, however, owing to Forster's illness, -the part of "Hardman" (a most important one) was at once -assigned to me, and it is to that which Dickens alludes in his -letter to Forster from Sunderland, August 29, 1852. I can -hardly suppose that this letter can be of the least use to -you, but</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr10">I am,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Faithfully yours,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">John Tenniel.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_045.jpg" width="575" height="401" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>TWO PAGES OF A.L.S. OF SIR JOHN TENNIEL, OF <i>PUNCH</i>, OBTAINED BY AN AUTOGRAPH-HUNTER, -OCTOBER 13, 1903.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Within a month this letter figured in an autograph -catalogue at the modest price of 12s.</p> - -<p>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-course. He obtains a reply, -seemingly after some demur:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>October 13, 1895.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear</span> ——, I did not the least in the world mean to -imply the slightest shadow of blame to you for asking the -question, which I do not doubt many other people are also -asking. But for all that I am not able to answer it, and -therefore you are unfettered in your treatment of it. It is -strange, as regards my own position towards the Sporting -League, Liberal candidates are abused on the ground that -Liberals are opposed to sport, and then, on the other hand, -the Nonconformist Conscience fires a broadside into him for -what is thought to be too much allied to sport.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Yours very truly,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Rosebery</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>Lord Rosebery's views on the elasticity of the -Nonconformist conscience were sold for a crown, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">{47}</a></span> -the same price was asked and obtained for a letter -most ingeniously obtained from Mr. Chamberlain in -the very early days of Tariff Reform Agitation:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="right"> -<i>September 18, 1903.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—My correspondence is so enormous that I am -compelled to dictate my letters even to my most intimate -friends and relations, and the uncharitable suggestion that I -am too proud to reply to workmen in my own handwriting is -quite uncalled for.</p> - -<p>I greatly appreciated your friendly letter and the compliment -which you and your wife propose to pay me and which -I readily accept. Tell me when the baby is to be baptized -and exactly what you mean to call him, and I will see if I can -find some little memento which may remind him in after -years of his namesake.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile I am glad to know that the tariff question is -being discussed in your workshop. The time will come before -long when all the working men will see how seriously their -employment is threatened, and how necessary it is for them -that the Colonial Markets should be kept open. The future of -our trade depends on our relations with our kinsfolk across the -seas, and if we do not seize the opportunity offered to us by -them of increasing our trade with them we may not have -another chance, but when we desire it may find that they have -ceased to be willing. The Big Loaf cry is a sheer imposture. -Nothing that I have proposed would increase the cost of -living to any working man, and on the other hand it would -give him the certainty of better trade and more employment. -Wages, which depend upon employment, would tend to rise, -and labour would gain all round.</p> - -<p>We have had wonderfully good trade during the last two -years, but there are signs approaching at present, and if they -are fulfilled and every trade in London suffers from the free -import of the surplus of foreign countries, the most bigoted -Free Trader will regret that he was not wise in time and -content to make preparation against the evil day.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">Truly yours,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Joseph Chamberlain.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<p>The "Autograph Fiend" in this case certainly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">{48}</a></span> -deserves his name. He not only succeeds in obtaining -an interesting letter, signed and carefully corrected -by an ex-Cabinet Minister, which he is able to convert -into five shillings, but he receives with it a promise -that the writer will become the godfather of his real -or supposed child!</p> - -<p>Mr. Ruskin's total lack of sympathy with the -autograph-hunter was notorious. He was also known -to entertain a strong antipathy to a certain conventicle. -The following response to a demand for -subscription elicited a very characteristic reply, which -was promptly converted into ten pounds. In the -presence of such recent examples of successful autograph -"draws" as these, 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 Douro.</p> - -<p>Mr. John Ruskin to a correspondent:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>I am scornfully amused at your appeal to me, of all people in -the world, the precisely less likely to give you a farthing. My -first word to all men and boys who care to hear me is, Don't -get into debt. Starve and go to heaven—but don't borrow. -Try first begging—I don't mind, if it's really needful, stealing. -But don't buy things you can't pay for. And of all manner of -debtors, pious people building churches they can't pay for, -are the most detestable nonsense to me. Can't you preach -and pray behind the hedges—or in a sand-pit—or a coal-hole -first? And of all manner of churches thus idiotically built, -iron churches are the damnablest to me. And of all sects of -believers in ruling spirit—Hindoos, Turks, Feather Idolaters, -and any Mumbo-jumbo, Log and Fire Worshippers, your -modern English Evangelical sect is the most absurd, and -entirely objectionable and unendurable to me. All which they -might very easily have found out from my books—any other -sort of sect would—before bothering me to write to them. -Ever, nevertheless, and in all this saying, your faithful servant,</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">John Ruskin</span>. -</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">{49}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_049.jpg" width="350" height="342" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FROM THE PRELUDE OF "GERONTIUS," MS. BARS SIGNED BY -SIR EDWARD ELGAR, SEPTEMBER, 1900.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Autograph-hunting on the basis now exposed is -only pursued in the hope of gain from the sale of -the letter thus obtained. To attempt to form a -collection in such a manner might lead to very unpleasant -consequences. The only innocent form of -autograph-hunting is that so frequently witnessed at -concerts and musical festivals, and the albums thus -filled are ultimately sold for a price which would -sadly disappoint the original owner. In the next -chapter I shall endeavour to give the beginner in -autograph collecting such information as will enable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">{50}</a></span> -him not only to purchase genuine letters at the -lowest possible price, but to arrange and classify -them when so arranged to the greatest possible -advantage. My firm conviction that at the present -moment the judicious buying of autographs is one -of the best possible investments, 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—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Thus shall memory often in dreams sublime<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Catch a glimpse of the days that are over;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Thus sighing look through the waves of time<br /></span> -<span class="i2">For the long faded glories they cover.<br /></span> -</div></div> -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">{51}</a></span></p> - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="II" id="II">II</a><br /> -<br /> -THE MODERN<br /> -AUTOGRAPH<br /> -COLLECTOR<br /> -AND HIS<br /> -EQUIPMENT<br /> -</h2> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52"></a><br /><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">{53}</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a><br /> -<br /> -THE MODERN AUTOGRAPH COLLECTOR AND HIS -EQUIPMENT</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>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</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Letters are appendices to History—the best instructors -in History and the best histories in themselves.—<span class="smcap">Lord -Bacon.</span></p> - -<p>Scripta ferunt annos.—<span class="smcap">Ovid.</span></p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> 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 ago. Foremost amongst these -advantages is facility of access to such autographic -treasure-houses as the British Museum, the Record -Office, and the National Library at Paris. 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 Company." Amongst other valuable MSS.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">{54}</a></span> -the archives of the Indian Navy went <i>en bloc</i> to the -paper-mills. A single letter, blown accidentally from -one of the carts used by the contractors who carried -out this work of desolation, turned out to have been -written in the reign of James I. by the Duke of -Buckingham, and brought £5 to its finder. To-day -it is probably worth at least five times as -much again. The Record Office, in which such -State documents and official correspondence as have -survived the ignorance, carelessness, or iconoclasm -of the past, now find a home, is, comparatively -speaking, a modern institution. Notwithstanding -the havoc wrought by the <i>sans-culottes</i> of the -Terror and the Communists of forty years ago, -the National Library in Paris is to-day the home -of one of the most interesting collections of autographs -in the whole world, including, it is said, something -like ten thousand letters and documents written -or signed by Napoleon. It is probably the result of -the social upheavals of the past, and the wholesale -dispersal of the contents of public and private muniment -rooms towards the close of the eighteenth -century, that autograph "finds" are more frequently -made in Paris than anywhere else. It was there -that I acquired the marriage settlement of Pamela -FitzGerald,<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> executed at Tournay on December 26, -1792, and a sixteenth-century deed in which mention -is made of a Royal Commission for the further<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">{55}</a></span> -exploration of Canada—<i>La Canadie</i>. Both of these -documents cost less than 10s., and one of them, -presented by me through Mr. Ross Robertson to -the Public Library at Toronto, has now been framed, -and is shown to visitors as a curiosity of the greatest -interest and rarity. These great public institutions -carry on in the twentieth century the good work -commenced long ago by men like Evelyn, the -Harleys, and Sloane.</p> - -<p>The first thing I should advise an intending -collector to do is to procure the "Guide to the -MSS., Autographs, &c., exhibited in the Department -of MSS. and in the Grenville Library of the British -Museum."<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> This useful little volume contains no -less than thirty plates of various descriptions, ranging -from the articles of the Magna Charta and a -page from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to Nelson's -last letter to Lady Hamilton, and examples of the -handwriting of Marlborough, Wellington, Washington, -Chatham, and Keats. At the end is a list of -the different series of autograph facsimiles issued at -intervals since 1895, and sold at a very moderate -price. Next to the careful study of original MSS., -nothing is so important to the collector as the -careful and constant examination of well-executed -facsimiles like those obtainable at the British -Museum, where, at the cost of 7s. 6d., you can -get thirty plates. The first in order contains facsimiles<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">{56}</a></span> -of autograph letters by Queen Catharine of -Aragon, 1513; Archbishop Cranmer, 1537; Bishop -Hugh Latimer (marginal notes by Henry VIII.), -about 1538; Edward VI., 1551; Mary, Queen of -Scots, 1571; English Commanders against the -Spanish Armada, 1588; Queen Elizabeth, 1603; -Charles I., 1642; Oliver Cromwell, 1649; Charles II., -1660; James, Duke of Monmouth, 1685; William III., -1689; James Stuart, the Pretender, 1703; John -Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, 1706; William -Pitt, Earl of Chatham, 1759; George III., 1760; -George Washington, 1793; Horatio, Viscount -Nelson, and Emma, Lady Hamilton, 1805; Arthur -Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, 1815; General -Charles George Gordon, 1884; Queen Victoria, -1885; John Dryden, 1682; Joseph Addison, 1714; -S. T. Coleridge, 1815; William Wordsworth, 1834; -John Keats, 1820; Charles Dickens, 1870; W. M. -Thackeray, 1851; Thomas Carlyle, 1832; and Robert -Browning, 1868.</p> - -<p>Numerous collections of facsimiles have been -published in England, France, and Germany, and -the prudent collector must secure one or more of -these invaluable aids to the identification of MSS. -Most of the best catalogues issued, both in London -and Paris, contain several facsimiles, but that does -not lessen the utility of books like "Autographs of -Royal, Noble, Learned, and Remarkable Personages -conspicuous in English History from the Reign of -Richard II. to that of Charles II., with some illustrious -Foreigners; containing many passages from -important letters" (engraved under the direction -of Charles John Smith and John Gough Nichols: -London, 1829, 1 vol. 4to); or "A Collection of One -Hundred Characteristic and Interesting Autograph<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">{57}</a></span> -Letters written by Royal and Distinguished Persons -of Great Britain from the XV. to the XVIII. Century, -copied in perfect facsimile from the originals by -Joseph Nethercliff" (London, 1849). Several useful -facsimiles are to be found in "A Guide to the -Collector of Historical Documents, Literary MSS., -and Autograph Letters," by the Rev. Dr. Scott -and Mr. Samuel Davey, published in 1891. Dr. -H. T. Scott is also responsible for a handy little -volume, entitled "Autograph Collecting, a Practical -Manual for Amateurs and Historical Students," -brought out three years later than the larger volume -by Mr. Upcott Gill.</p> - -<p>It must be confessed, however, that our French -neighbours are far ahead of us in the matter of -facsimiles, as well as in other details connected -with autograph collecting. With us the subject is -only now beginning to receive the treatment it -merits. In the opinion of our neighbours the cult -of the autograph has for some generations held -rank as a science. I cannot too strongly impress -upon beginners the expediency of carefully watching -the Paris autograph market, and giving special -attention to the catalogues issued monthly by M. -Noël Charavay, of 3, Rue Furstenberg, and Madame -Veuve Gabriel Charavay, of 153, Faubourg St. -Honoré. At the Fraser Sale (April, 1901) I purchased -three huge volumes forming an extra-illustrated -copy of a portion of the famous "Letters -of Madame de Sévigné," compiled quite a century -ago at the cost of several hundred pounds, and finally -acquired by Miss Eliza Gulston. In it, in addition -to an enormous number of prints and portraits, were -several genuine autograph letters, supplemented by -a large number of facsimiles. Under the genuine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">{58}</a></span> -letters the maker of the book wrote their source and -history; he divided the facsimiles into "tracings," -"imitations by hand," and so forth. A copy of the -"Isographie des Hommes Célèbres," in two 4to -volumes, is now worth between £3 and £4, and the -late Mr. Étienne Charavay prepared two supplements -to it which are also extremely valuable. Between -March, 1888, and December, 1894, the late Mr. -Davey published a quarterly journal—the <i>Archivist</i>—which -bid fair to become as indispensable to the -English collector as the <i>Amateur d'Autographes</i>, -founded in the early "eighteen-forties" and now admirably -edited by M. Noël Charavay, is to his French -colleague. Every true lover of autographs must -deplore its untimely end, and the young collector -is indeed fortunate if he can obtain a set of it. In -it Dr. Scott, who was from the first its principal -contributor, places quite a mine of information at -the disposal of his readers. I regard the two bound -volumes of the <i>Archivist</i> in my possession as one -of the most useful books of reference obtainable in -the matter of autographs. In the forty odd volumes -of the <i>Amateur d'Autographes</i><a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> the student will -discover a liberal education, as far as his special -subject is concerned, ready at hand. The Charavay -Sale-catalogues are of great value in the matter of -arrangement and description, as well as for the facsimiles -they give in abundance. One of the finest -is that of the Alfred Bovet Collection, dispersed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">{59}</a></span> -during the spring and early summer of 1884. It -was prepared by M. Étienne Charavay, and fills -over 800 4to pages plentifully illustrated with -sketches and numerous facsimiles. A very useful -book for beginners who read French is "Les Autographes -en France et le goût des Autographes en -France et à l'étranger" (Paris, 1865), by M. de Lescure. -It contains a useful list of the numerous books on -autographs published up to that date, together with -the various collections of facsimiles, many of which -can now be picked up on the bookstalls by the -side of the Seine or the adjoining streets for a few -francs. As far back as 1820 the Maison Delpech -commenced the publication of their various "Iconographies," -of which the "Isographie des Hommes -Célèbres" was the natural successor. There are -one or two German books of facsimiles, like the -"Album von Autographen" (Leipzig, 1849) and -the "Sammlung histor: berühmter Autographen" -(Stuttgart, 1846-47). There is also a collection of five -hundred facsimiles, published in 1846 by F. Bogaerts. -I do not, of course, pretend to provide my readers -with a complete autographic bibliography, but -amongst the works I have mentioned he will find -all that is necessary to set about collecting in -earnest, and without fear of making many initial -blunders.</p> - -<p>Having handled and carefully examined a number -of genuine autographs and having, by the study of -facsimiles, familiarised himself with the handwriting -of many famous men and women, the collector in -embryo may begin to buy, but it must be a case of -<i>festina lente</i>. How cautiously he should proceed he will -realise when, in the next chapter, I come to consider -the critical question of autograph frauds and forgeries.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">{60}</a></span> -All respectable autograph dealers are ready to guarantee -any specimen they offer for sale, and to take it -back if found to be "doubtful." It is from the careful -reading of the catalogues<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> issued from time to time -by dealers like Mr. Bernard Quaritch, of Grafton -Street, Dr. Scott, of 69, Mill Lane, West Hampstead, -Mr. W. V. Daniell, of 53, Mortimer Street, Messrs. -Sotheran, of 37, Piccadilly, Messrs. Maggs, of 109, -Strand, Messrs. Ellis, of 29, New Bond Street, and -Messrs. Pearson, of Pall Mall Court, that one -obtains an insight into the current value of autographs -of every description. Mr. Frank Sabin, of -172, New Bond Street, does not, as a rule, issue -catalogues, but he possesses one of the most valuable -stocks of autographs in existence. His Thackeray, -Civil War, and Nelson collections are alone worth -many thousands of pounds. While this volume -was going through the press Mr. Sabin paid the -record sum of £8,650 for a collection of seventeenth-century -MSS. relating to America belonging -to Mr. R. W. Blathwayt. In the provinces -autograph catalogues are published now and then -by Mr. W. Brown, of Edinburgh, and Messrs. -Simmons & Waters, of Leamington Spa. All these -gentlemen will readily send their catalogues on -application. I have already mentioned the two -excellent catalogues issued monthly in Paris. That -of M. Noël Charavay, entitled <i>Bulletin d'Autographs</i>, -has appeared ever since 1847. The <i>Revue des Autographs</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">{61}</a></span> -of Madame Veuve Gabriel Charavay dates -from 1866. It is only right to say that autograph -collecting is pursued so keenly just now in France, -that unless they can arrange to obtain advance -copies of these catalogues, the best items in them -will probably be sold before their order arrives. -Catalogues are sometimes published by Herr Émile -Hirsch, of 6, Carl Strasse, Munich. The American -dealers will be spoken of in the chapter devoted -to the subject of autograph collecting in the United -States.</p> - -<p>English autographs of exceptional interest are -often obtained abroad at far lower prices than in -London, and that fact makes it very necessary to -look carefully through the foreign catalogues. The -same remark doubtless applies to French and German -autographs in England. I obtained in Germany a -fine autograph letter of Charles I. for £10. It would -have fetched three times that amount in a London -auction-room. The same remark applies to a fine -letter of the Young Pretender, which came from -Paris and was priced only at 55 francs. On the -other hand I obtained in London for 15s. each -letters of Madame de Geoffrin and Madame du -Deffand, which would have cost twice or thrice as -much in Paris. In one of the latest French catalogues -which reached me, an English letter was -priced at 20 francs. In an English catalogue, a less -lengthy letter by the same writer was offered for -sale at £5. For 12 francs I once succeeded in -purchasing in Paris a letter of Lord Shelbourne, -covering ten pages and throwing quite new light on -the relations between the French and English Courts -at a certain epoch. The prices for fine autographs -in London are far higher than in Paris and Germany.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">{62}</a></span> -A Paris dealer could hardly realise the possibility of -a Keats letter fetching £500 (12,500 francs), as at the -Louis J. Haber sale. It was thought quite wonderful -when a phenomenally early letter of Napoleon—I -believe the earliest known—was sold for 5,000 -francs. This figure is, I believe, the highest ever -given in Paris for a single letter. 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 -since.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w369px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_063.jpg" width="369" height="575" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FACSIMILE OF THE HISTORIC LETTER FROM GEORGE CRABBE -TO EDMUND BURKE.</p> - -<p class='center'>(See also <a href="#Page_210">p. 210</a>.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>In the case of MSS. of every description it is -necessary to read them carefully. It is only by so -doing that you can hope to ascertain anything like -the real value. This remark applies particularly to -holograph letters. The cataloguer often omits the -name of the person to whom it is addressed, or some -sentence or allusion which adds materially to its -value. Thus a letter of Franklin addressed to -Washington, or letters by any of the French -marshals written to Napoleon, would be far more -valuable than ordinary letters of any of these personages. -A letter signed by the Russian Emperor -Paul would not be intrinsically valuable. But one -addressed to Nelson was lately priced at £14. The -time at which a letter is written is often an important -factor in determining its price. An ordinary letter -of Wellington, who wrote at least a hundred thousand -letters during his public career, can be bought for -3s. 6d. A note written on the evening of June 18, -1815, not long since realised £105. Then again, -letters acquire additional value when forming part of -a series. I purchased a letter of Sir Joshua Reynolds -to the poet Crabbe, mentioning a communication he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">{65}</a></span> -was sending him for Dr. Johnson. Years after I -secured the precious enclosure. The two together -are obviously worth more than when taken singly. -I possess the splendid letter of George Crabbe, -appealing for help to Burke, which once belonged to -Sir Theodore Martin. I failed to secure Burke's -reply, which went, I believe, to the British Museum. -I gave a few francs in Paris for a letter of Anne -Darner's asking Madame de Staël to meet her at -Miss Berry's (the friend and literary executrix of -Walpole). Quite accidentally, in turning over a -pile of autographs in London, I came across the -reply, and a very characteristic one it was. 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 -Berry."</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_064.jpg" width="350" height="409" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>THE AUTOGRAPH OF LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN.</p> - -<p class='center'>(See <a href="#Page_257">p. 257</a>.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Dr. Scott hopes I will impress upon my readers -the necessity of mending autographs as little as -possible. To clip or trim them is rank heresy, and -gives them at once the appearance of counterfeits. -Autographs must be treated with the greatest tenderness. -You can best strengthen decaying paper -by the careful application of diluted solution of gelatine. -There are several methods of rendering faded -writing again legible. According to one authority -the most effective agent is very finely powdered -chlorate of potash added to a decoction of galls, -<i>dabbed</i>, not rubbed, over the MS. When dry, -the surface should be sponged with lime-water. -Another expert advises that the paper should be -moistened, and a brush passed over the faded -portion wetted with a solution of sulphide of -ammonia, an infusion of galls, or a solution of -ferrocyanide of potassium slightly acidulated with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">{66}</a></span> -hydrochloric acid.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> Personally I have found the -"A.P." brand of transparent adhesive tape invaluable -both in mending and hinging autographs, but worthless -imitations must be avoided. It can be bought -of all stationers, and with it I always use Higgins's -Photographic Paste. This may possibly be a little -extravagant, and an expert gives me the following -recipe for a useful paste in connection with -autographs:—</p> - -<p>"Take a tablespoonful of Glenfield's Patent Starch -and mix with a little cold water in an ordinary jam-pot, -then fill with boiling water. When cool it will -be ready for use."</p> - -<p>The classification of autographs has given rise to -endless discussion. On this subject I am at issue -with Mr. Joline. Personally, I regard extra-illustration -as the most effective and interesting plan of -arranging and preserving autographs. Mr. Joline, on -the other hand, "meditates" upon extra-illustration -as only an incident or contingent possibility in autograph<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">{67}</a></span> -collection. I hope to deal with (to me) the -most fascinating subject of Extra-Illustration or -Grangerising in a separate volume. In an article -in <i>The Country Home</i> I have given examples of -the effective use of autographs in extra-illustration,<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> -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 illustrate. -In my "Chesterfield's Letters" I have a letter in -English from the Sage of Ferney to the Hermit of -Blackheath, together with a portrait of the same -date, opposite Chesterfield's account of his meeting -with and friendship for Voltaire. In an "extended" -Clarke and McArthur's "Life of Nelson," in immediate -contiguity to the account of one of his most -daring adventures, and the honours it brought him, -may be seen Nelson's original letter of thanks to -George III. (as touching an epistle as he ever -penned), together with a contemporary portrait in -water-colours. There is no better way of preserving -autographs than to house them between the leaves -of well-bound and carefully tended volumes. There -is no worse method than to frame them as a picture, -and expose them to the fading influence of a strong -light. I have seen autographs actually gummed to a -glass before being framed! If an accident occurs -the autograph generally shares the fate of the glass. -For the orderly keeping of the autographs and MSS. -which I have not utilised in the forty or fifty books -I have extra-illustrated since 1900, I employ a deep -folio-sized receptacle known as a Stone's "filing"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">{68}</a></span> -cabinet, with alphabetical divisions.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> It enables me -to find any given paper at a moment's notice.</p> - -<p>I have made the necessities of extra-illustration -the mainspring, as it were, of my autograph collecting. -If the young autograph collector has no -specific object of this kind in view (and in the -course of ten years' hard work in the vineyard of -grangerising there are few kinds of autographs I -have not required) I should strongly recommend -him to begin with some specific line, be it soldiers -or sailors, painters or poets, actors and actresses, -men of letters, worthies of a particular city, county, -or college, and so forth. If this course is adopted -an interesting collection can be formed without -incurring enormous cost, and the value of good autographs -is sure to rise. It is given to few men in -a generation, or even in a century, to form collections -of a cosmopolitan and all-embracing character -like that made by the late Mr. Alfred Morrison -between the years 1865 and 1882, the catalogue of -which, prepared with the utmost care by M. A. W. -Thibaudeau, fills six folio and seven imperial octavo -volumes, and costs £60. French collectors pay great -attention to classification, and each letter is generally -placed in a <i>chemise</i> or cover bearing some heraldic or -other appropriate device. In the case of a small -collection like that which Sir George White, Bart., -has acquired, of letters and documents relating -solely to Bristol, an alphabetical arrangement is -preferable. If, however, one gathers autographs of -all conceivable kinds, and "of all nations and languages," -subdivisions become absolutely essential<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">{69}</a></span> -if you want to find any particular specimen without -difficulty. I have already referred to the -Alfred Bovet Catalogue, prepared on scientific lines -by M. Étienne Charavay. In this collection the -many thousand items of which it consisted were -divided into—(1) Heads of Government; (2) Statesmen -and Political Personages; (3) The French -Revolution; (4) Warriors; (5) Men of Science and -Explorers; (6) Actors and Actresses; (7) Writers; -(8) Painters, Sculptors, Engravers, and Architects; -(9) Huguenots; and (10) Women. There was -a further subdivision according to nationalities, -and these were finally arranged chronologically. -The preface to the Bovet Catalogue, admirably -written by M. Étienne Charavay, has been published -separately under the attractive title of "The -Science of Autographs." It deserves to be translated -and published in English, for no more -thoughtful essay on the value of historical letters -and the cult of the autograph has ever appeared. -It is now time to consider the application of the -legal maxim of <i>caveat emptor</i> to the acquisition -of MSS. of every description. The presence of a -forgery will often discredit an otherwise interesting -and valuable collection. Not long ago I was -shown an album of autographs which represented -the gleanings of two or three generations of a highly -respectable county family. The moment I opened -it I recognised my old friend the Byron-Galignani -facsimile, which is offered to dealers as a rare specimen -at least once a week. The owner, who had paid -several pounds for it, declared he could vouch for -its genuineness beyond the shadow of a doubt! He -never quite forgave my taking down the Paris edition -of Byron's poems to convince him of his error.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70"></a><br /><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">{71}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="III" id="III">III</a><br /> -<br /> -THE<br /> -<i>CAVEAT EMPTOR</i><br /> -OF AUTOGRAPH<br /> -COLLECTING<br /> -</h2> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72"></a><br /><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73"></a><br /><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">{74}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w275px"> -<img src="images/page_074a.jpg" width="275" height="346" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF DR. JOHNSON TO SIR JOSHUA -REYNOLDS ON THE SUBJECT OF CRABBE'S POEMS, 1783.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_074b.jpg" width="350" height="333" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LINES OF THOMAS CHATTERTON ON HORACE WALPOLE, WHICH COST -SIR GEORGE WHITE, OF BRISTOL, £34.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">{75}</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a><br /> -<br /> -THE <i>CAVEAT EMPTOR</i> OF AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>Forgeries and fakes—Cases of mistaken identity—Some -famous autograph frauds—Practical methods of -detection</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The success of an imposture depends chiefly upon the -receptive disposition of those who are selected as its -victims.—<i>Introduction to</i> "Ireland's Confessions."</p> - -<p>Oui, il y a de faux autographes, comme il y a de faux -antiques. Mais est-ce-qu'on devra supprimer le musée des -antiques parce qu'on a découvert de faux bronzes.—<span class="smcap">Étienne -Charavay</span>, "L'Affaire Vrain-Lucas."</p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">I must</span> resist a strong temptation to enlarge on such -interesting topics as W. H. Ireland's wholesale manufacture -of Shakespearean MSS.; Thomas Chatterton's -ingenious fabrication of Rowley's poems, and -James Macpherson's alleged translations from Ossian. -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 concerned. By the -irony of fate, however, there are at the present -moment very few rarer or more costly autographs -than that of Thomas Chatterton, who might very -well have lived for a twelvemonth on the price paid<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">{76}</a></span> -by Sir George White for four or five lines of his -handwriting scrawled on the back of a letter. -Chatterton died by his own hand, with starvation -staring him in the face, but Ireland lived to make -money by the "Confessions"<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> of his misdoings, and -more than thirty years ago £50 was paid for the -scathing letter addressed to Macpherson by Samuel -Johnson. The forger of autograph letters for the -purpose of entrapping the over-trustful or ignorant -collector is the product of the nineteenth century, -although some of the French imitations may possibly -be a little older. The modern forger obtains important -aid from photography, but by way of -compensation the enlargement of any given specimen -by the same means is invaluable for the purposes -of detection. The earliest imitations of autograph -letters I have ever seen are of French origin, and -are contained in the extra-illustrated copy of -Madame de Sévigné's Letters already alluded to. -They are frankly labelled as "tracings," "engravings," -"lithographs," and so forth, and many -of them seem to have been executed on old paper -in order to simulate more completely the originals.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w400px"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77"></a> -<img src="images/page_077.jpg" width="400" height="557" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A SPECIMEN OF IRELAND'S SHAKESPEAREAN FORGERIES ATTESTED BY -HIMSELF.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of the owners, Messrs. Sotheran.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The inexperienced collector must, in the first -instance, beware of facsimiles of letters which have -been published <i>bonâ fide</i> as illustrations of works of -biography, and, having been extracted from them, -are offered for sale (sometimes innocently) as genuine -specimens. The most familiar instance of this is a -letter of Byron's addressed to "Mr. Galignani, at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">{78}</a></span> -18, Rue Vivienne, Paris." A facsimile of this, with -address, &c., was prefixed to an edition of Byron's -poems published in Paris. Not long ago I saw -this lithographed facsimile figuring as genuine in a -valuable collection of holograph letters, the rest of -which were above suspicion.</p> - -<p>This letter commences with the words:—</p> - -<p>"Sir,—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 -author. I am not the author, and never heard of -the work in question until now," and ends with the -sentence, "You will oblige me by complying with -my request of contradiction. I assure you that I -know nothing of the work or works in question, -and have the honour to be (as the correspondents -to magazines say), 'your constant reader' and very -obedient servant, Byron." To this is added the -date, "Venice, April 27th, 1819." There is a -well-known facsimile of a letter of Lord Nelson -which occasionally does duty as an original. Some -years ago I saw it in a catalogue priced at several -pounds! It is inserted after the preface in T. O. -Churchill's "Life of Nelson," published in 1808, -and the paper is therefore not unlike that of the -period at which the letter is supposed to have been -written, and bears on the back the address, "To -Thomas Lloyd, Esq., No. 15, Mary's Buildings, St. -Martin's Lane, London." The original would be -worth quite ten guineas. Buyers of Nelson letters -should remember that this dangerous facsimile begins -as follows: "Bath, January 29th, 1798. My dear -Lloyd,—There is nothing you can desire me to do -that I shall not have the greatest pleasure in complying -with, for I am sure you can never possess a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">{80}</a></span> -thought that is not strictly honourable. I was much -flattered by the Marquis's<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> kind notice of me, and I -beg you will make my respects acceptable to him. -Tell him that I possess his place in Mr. Palmer's -Box, but his Lordship did not tell me all its charms, -that generally some of the handsomest Ladys at -Bath are partakers in the Box, and was I a bachelor -I would not answer for being tempted, 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 forth.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79"></a> -<img src="images/page_079.jpg" width="575" height="245" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>WILLIAM IRELAND'S ATTESTATION OF HIS FORGERIES OF SHAKESPEARE'S SIGNATURE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>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 unaffected. -In a genuine letter the writing if so touched would -grow faint or disappear. The same test may be -applied to photographs or imitations in sepia. I -once purchased a quaint note written by Edmund -Kean, of which a reproduction is now given. Nearly -a year later I saw an autograph, identical in every -particular, offered for sale. I sent for it, and on -applying the dilution of muriatic acid test found it to -be a copy in sepia of the note already in my possession. -The owner of the genuine note had sent it to -two or three applicants for inspection. It had been -traced over and then worked up in sepia. I once -discovered a letter of William Pitt the Elder to be a -forgery by the mere accident of the sun falling on it, -and showing a narrow rim round each letter. In -this case the basis was a photograph, touched up -with black paint.</p> - -<p>The autograph collector soon becomes accustomed -to the appearance of genuine letters, for the creases -and stains of time cannot be perfectly imitated any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">{81}</a></span> -more than the old-world appearance of seventeenth- -and eighteenth-century ink. Watermarks are a -good, but not an infallible, test of genuineness. The -thick, gilt-edged letter paper of quarto size used by -our ancestors cannot be satisfactorily counterfeited, -and the inexperienced buyer should eschew documents -of all sorts written on morsels of paper of -irregular size, which may have been torn from books, -and lack the usual tests of authenticity. Collectors -of autographs should bear in mind the facts that -"franks" ceased to be used after the introduction -of the penny postage in 1840; that envelopes were -first used about ten years earlier, 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 stamp. A forged letter of -Thackeray was detected by the appearance of the -letter W. after London in the counterfeit postmark -quite ten years before it could have legitimately done -so. If hot water is applied to a genuine watermark, -it becomes clearer and stronger; if to a fabricated one -it disappears. The autograph collector should carefully -study a book which has quite recently been -published on the subject of forgery and fabricated -documents.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> One chapter is devoted to the subject of -forged literary autographs, but those who desire to -acquire an expert knowledge of this important question -should master the whole of its contents, and this -is no difficult task, for the volume only contains -seventy-seven pages. In proportion to the constant -rise in the value of autographs the temptation to -forgery increases, and the gradual absorption of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">{82}</a></span> -genuine specimens is sure to bring into existence -a number of shams. As the authors very rightly -point out, "It is not surprising the profitable and -growing autograph market should have attracted -the fraudulent, for the prizes when won are generally -of a substantial character, and amply repay the misapplied -effort and ingenuity demanded. 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 -caution."</p> - -<p>The letters of Washington, Franklin, Burns, -Nelson, Byron, Keats, Shelley, and Scott were the -first to attract the attention of the autograph forger -in England. Thackeray and Dickens have been -recently the object of his unwelcome attentions. -Most of the Thackeray forgeries, like the example -reproduced, are the work of one man, who uses an -ordinary pen and has a fondness for half-sheets of -paper. His feeble attempts to imitate Thackeray's -wit and style are alone sufficient to excite suspicion. -If the counterfeit is carefully compared with a -genuine specimen like the one given, deception will -be impossible. I possess a small collection of forged -autograph letters to use for detective purposes, and -as a warning to others. There are five of these -"duffer" Thackerays amongst them. The forger -apparently finds the upright hand Thackeray -adopted later in life more to his taste than the -less angular calligraphy of his youth. A few years -ago the London autograph market was inundated -with forged letters of Thackeray and Dickens. At -present they are kept out of the light of day, and -sold to the unwary in all sorts of out-of-the-way -places, often in shops at the sea-side. The Dickens<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">{84}</a></span> -forgeries are generally betrayed by the printed -address at the top of the letter being lithographed -and not embossed. 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 friends. -These are now used occasionally like the Galignani-Byron -or the Churchill-Nelson. It is here a clear -case of <i>caveat emptor</i>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w400px"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83"></a> -<img src="images/page_083.jpg" width="400" height="516" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FORGED LETTER OF W. M. THACKERAY, IN WHICH HIS LATER -HANDWRITING IS IMITATED.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Very often a letter is offered for sale which is in -no sense of the word a forgery, but which was never -written by the person the buyer supposes. In nine -cases out of ten the seller is as ignorant of the true -state of the case as the buyer. I allude to letters -written by persons bearing the same name, but whose -autographs possess a very different value. In addition -to the kings and queens whose names are identical, -we have two Oliver Cromwells, two Horace Walpoles, -two Sarah Siddonses, two Charles Dickenses, and -many other "doubles." I have within the last few -months seen a letter of the less-known Horace -Walpole catalogued as one of the owner of Strawberry -Hill, and a letter of Sarah Siddons the younger, -whose usual signature is "S. M. Siddons," described -as a "long and pleasing" specimen in the handwriting -of her mother. In these cases there is no sort of -resemblance in the calligraphy of the two persons. -The error arises solely from the similarity of the -name, and a lack of care or knowledge on the part of -the cataloguer. As a matter of fact, the letter of -Sarah Martha Siddons is an exceedingly interesting -one, and was written about two years before her -death under the tragic circumstances graphically -described by Mr. Knapp in his "Artist's Love Story." -I never saw any other letter of Sarah M. Siddons,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">{85}</a></span> -and I give it <i>in extenso</i> to show how careful one -should be in studying an autograph before purchasing -it. It should be remembered that "Sally" -Siddons promised her younger sister Maria, who died -in 1798 at Bristol Hot Wells "all for the love" of -the handsome painter, that under no circumstances -would she ever marry him. The letter gives a -striking picture of the Kemble-Siddons "circle" at -Bath in the first year of the nineteenth century.</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Miss Sarah M. Siddons at Bath to Miss Patty Wilkinson,<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> -Blake Street, York.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="right"> -<i><span class="smcap">Bath</span>, July 19, 1801.</i> -</p> - -<p>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 is, -for your staying with her if she does not soon get the better -of this alarming attack, but you know my dear I am by nature -(<i>and heartily do I thank nature for it</i>) dispos'd to see the fairest -side of things, and I am flattering myself with the hopes that -your next letter will bring me good tidings, and that I shall -see my dear Patty arrive with my Mother<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> at Bath in less -now than a fortnight. Heaven be prais'd, <i>if I should but be -well</i> to receive you both, it will be one of the happiest days -of my life. Did I tell you how sociable we all were while my -uncle and Mrs. Kemble<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> were in Bath? dining every day -together, either at our own or the Twiss's house. I never saw -my Uncle so cheerful and like other people, and she was -quite agreeable and did not overwhelm us with Lords, Ladies,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">{86}</a></span> -Balls and Suppers. Mrs. Twiss<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> too is become quite kind, -nay <i>affectionate</i> to me <i>since I got well</i>, but <i>one smile, one tender -word, or attention</i> has more effect on me when I am ill and -miserable than all the kindness and attention I can meet -with, when I am well, and able (at least in some degree) to -return pleasure for pleasure. I have heard Betty Sharp sing -several times, and think she is very much improved in manner -and I hope her voice will improve in power, at present it is -often too weak to have much effect in a large room, crowded -with people. She is good humour'd and unaffected as far as -I have seen her, and her person as I told you before improv'd -most astonishingly. While my uncle and Mrs. Kemble were -here, we spent an evening at Mrs. Palmer's<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> which was -rather dull, and one at Miss Lee's<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> which was a little better. -I am sure they both would have been very tiresome to me -if it had not been for <i>my own people</i>. Pray remember me -very kindly to poor Mrs. Wilkinson, who is I hope recovering -every day—and to your friend Miss Brook. I should like to -see Cora in all her glory. I present by you a salute to her -Ladyship's divine parts. George<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> will still be with us when -you come. Cecy<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> will be gone to school and it is almost -time she should, for she is got so riotous nobody can manage -her when I am not in the way, for Patty is too good natured -... and tho' she continually threatens to tell me, she never -does and Cecilia knows she never will. Adieu my dear girl. -I shall hear from you surely in a day or two, till when, I -am impatiently</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Your ever sincere and affectionate</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">S. M. Siddons.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">{87}</a></span></p> - -<p>Of the forged letters in my private "pillory" that -of Keats is by far the most cleverly executed. The -facsimiles of Byron and Nelson were never intended -to be used for the purposes of deception. The Keats -and Thackeray counterfeits, on the other hand, are -the work of a professional fabricator of spurious -autographs. In the Keats letters (dated Wentworth -Place, Hampstead, December 8, 1818) the postmarks, -the creases, the faded colour of the paper, and the -seal with the clasped hands and motto are all carefully -imitated, but it would not for a moment deceive -an experienced hand. Collectors should carefully -examine all Keats letters offered for sale—particularly -those addressed to "My dear Woodhouse." -The same remark applies to correspondence by -Burns, Scott, Shelley, and Byron, for those much-prized -and eagerly-sought-after letters have been -each in turn the subject of ingenious and carefully -prepared forgeries. The Byron forger (who claimed -relationship with the poet) escaped the punishment -he richly merited, but the wholesale manufacturer -of Burns and Scott MSS. was sent to jail for a -twelvemonth.</p> - -<p>The most extraordinary case in the annals of -autograph forgery occurred in France—the country -<i>par excellence</i> of cunningly devised facsimiles—on -the eve of the Franco-Prussian War. It is -known as the <i>Affaire Vrain-Lucas</i>, and an excellent -account of it was published at the time -by M. Étienne Charavay.<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> Vrain-Lucas was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">{88}</a></span> -needy adventurer; Michel Chasles was a scientist -of European reputation. Incredible as it may -appear, Vrain-Lucas, in the course of a few years, -induced one Chasles to purchase from him at the -aggregate price of about £6,000 no less than 27,000 -autographs, nearly the whole of which were forgeries -of the most audacious description. Vrain-Lucas -bestowed on his counterfeits little of the care and -attention to detail which characterises some of the -Keats, Byron, Shelley, and Scott forgeries. Beginning -with a supposed correspondence between the -youthful Newton and Pascal, which Sir David -Brewster proved conclusively to be impossible, he -proceeded to fabricate letters of Rabelais, Montesquieu, -and La Bruyère. Before he had finished -M. Chasles became the possessor of letters <i>in -French</i> and written on <i>paper made in France</i> of -Julius Cæsar, Cleopatra, Mary Magdalene, and -even of Lazarus, after his resurrection. On February -16, 1870, Vrain-Lucas was brought before -a Paris Criminal Court (<i>Tribunal Correctionnel</i>). -Amongst the forged MSS. produced on behalf of -the prosecution were 5 letters of Abélard, 5 from -Alcibiades to Pericles, 181 of Alcuin, 1 of Attila -to a Gallic general, 6 of Alexander the Great -to Aristotle, to say nothing of examples of the -private correspondence of Herod, Pompey, Charles -Martel, Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, Sapho, -Pontius Pilate, and Joan of Arc. Another long -alphabetical list of these fictitious <i>rariora</i> began -with Agnès Sorel, Anacreon, and the Emperor -Adrian, and ended with St. Theresa, Tiberius, -Turenne, and Voltaire.</p> - -<p>Here is a delicious example of this farrago of -transparent fraud.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">{89}</a></span></p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Letter of Queen Cleopatra to Julius Cæsar.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='center'> -Cléopatre royne à son très amé Jules César, Empereur. -</p> - -<p>Mon très amé, nostre fils Césarion va bien. J'espère que -bientôt il sera en estat de supporter le voyage d'icy à Marseilles, -où j'ai besoin de le faire instruire tant à cause de bon -air qu'on y respire et des belles choses qu'on y enseigne. Je -vous prins donc me dire combien de temps encore resterez -dans ces contrées, car j'y veux conduire moy même nostre -fils et vous prier par icelle occasion. C'est vous dire mon très -amé le contentement que je ressens lorsque je me trouve près -de vous, et ce attendant, je prins les dieux avoir vous en consideration. -Le xi Mars l'an de Rome VCCIX.(!)</p></div> - -<p>And next came a safe-conduct pass written by -Vercingetorix in favour of "the young Trogus Pompeus -on a secret mission to Julius Cæsar"! Vrain-Lucas -was promptly sentenced to two years' imprisonment -for fraud, together with a fine of 500 francs -and the costs of the trial. The only excuse for -M. Michel Chasles, mathematician of renown and -Member of the Academy of Sciences, is to be found -in his numerous preoccupations and advanced age. -He was seventy-six in 1870.</p> - -<p>In England the <i>Affaire Vrain-Lucas</i> has to some -extent its counterpart in the literary forgery carried -out with consummate skill by Dr. Constantine -Simonides, who managed to deceive that too ardent -collector, Sir Thomas Phillipps, with such tempting -rarities from a monastery on Mount Athos as part -of the original Gospel of St. Matthew, the Proverbs -of Pythagoras, or a copy of Homer written -on serpent's skin. But enough has been said of -these literary frauds.</p> - -<p>There is, however, one more class of forged autographs. -I refer to letters fabricated in order to -injure another, or in furtherance of some political<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">{90}</a></span> -object. The Parnell letters, forged twenty years -ago by Richard Pigott, belonged to this class, but -they raised many of the questions which belong to -forgeries of autographs. I was lately shown a -forged letter of Napoleon III., supposed to have -been written in 1848, which had evidently been -fabricated many years later, possibly in 1865, in -order to discredit him when the Second Empire -began to lose its popularity. According to the -document he had ordered the assassination of some -associate suspected of treason. Not only was the -imitation of the calligraphy of Napoleon III. faulty -in many respects, but the signature, "Napoleon Bonaparte," -at once betrayed the falsity of the document. -It was, curiously enough, enclosed in an official envelope -of Prince Jérôme Bonaparte's addressed to -Jules Favre!</p> - -<p>The best-known dealers in autographs always -guarantee what they sell, and will readily take back -any doubtful specimen. In the early stage of -autograph collecting it is a manifest advantage to -confine one's transactions to men of this class. -Whenever the origin of an autograph is suspicious -or mysterious, it is always safest to obtain expert -opinion. As M. Charavay points out in dealing -with the <i>Affaire Vrain-Lucas</i>, the question of the -source from which an article comes is often of -capital importance. Never omit to read carefully -any given letter, and consider it from an historical -point of view, as well as a mere specimen of handwriting. -If M. Michel Chasles had done this he -would have saved his 140,000 francs. If the first -Newton letter he purchased had been submitted -to the historical test, he would have discovered -that at the time the philosopher was supposed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">{91}</a></span> -discuss problems of the greatest abstruseness he -was only three years old. It was on this deal -that Vrain-Lucas built up his mountain of successful -fraud. Bear in mind all that has been -said of watermarks, postmarks, the shape and -quality of paper, &c. Avoid notes written on scraps -of paper and ragged half-sheets. If you suspect -a letter to be a facsimile of some sort, touch the -writing gently with diluted muriatic acid. Forgeries -effected by the use of water-colour paint -yield at once to the application of hot water. As -yet the application of the useful maxim of <i>caveat -emptor</i> is only necessary in the case of comparatively -rare autographs. Letters of no great intrinsic -value have as yet not proved remunerative to the -forger, but it by no means follows that this will -always remain so.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></a><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">{93}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="IV" id="IV">IV</a><br /> -<br /> -SOME<br /> -FAMOUS<br /> -AUTOGRAPH<br /> -"FINDS"<br /> -</h2> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94"></a><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">{95}</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a><br /> -<br /> -SOME FAMOUS AUTOGRAPH "FINDS"</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>Personal reminiscences and experiences</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>No pursuit is more exciting than that of Autographs.—<i>The -Archivist</i>, 1888.</p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">If</span> autograph collecting is, as Mr. Joline defines it, -"one of the gentlest of emotions," it certainly gives -its votaries occasional moments of harmless excitement. -Many of my readers will doubtless remember -the faded handwriting on the battledores of our -childhood, which, it may be presumed, represented -the periodical clearings-out of lawyers' offices; 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-head, although the -anecdote finds its place in all autograph handbooks. -Ample evidence, however, exists of the strong natural -affinity which once existed between ancient documents -and the callings of the grocer and the -fishmonger, but the use for old paper in this -connection has almost entirely gone out of fashion, -and the greater part of the discarded MSS. go -straight to the pulp-mills for the purposes of -reconversion. I will not attempt to disguise my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">{96}</a></span> -envy of the pleasurable sensations Dr. Raffles must -have experienced when he picked up the original -account of the expenses incurred at the execution -of Mary Queen of Scots, duly attested by Burleigh, -for eighteenpence at a book-stall on Holborn Hill. -Almost equally lucky was the discoverer, on a printing-house -file at Wrexham, of the MS. of Bishop Heber's -famous missionary hymn, which not very long ago -fetched forty guineas at Sotheby's; and still more -so the traveller who reclaimed the whole of the -forty years' correspondence between James Boswell -and the Rev. W. J. Temple from the proprietor of a -Boulogne fish-shop.</p> - -<p>As the value of autographs becomes more and -more widely known, and the search for them -becomes keener, chances of important "finds" -become rarer, but the possibilities of this kind of -treasure-trove are by no means exhausted. English -MSS. of great interest and value continually come -to light abroad. Letters of the early Reformers -often turn up in Holland. Hooper, Bishop of -Gloucester, sent the whole of his MSS. to his friend -Bullinger, and as yet only a single letter of Tyndall -has ever come to light. Others, in all human probability, -are hidden away in the <i>bahuts</i> and presses of -the Low Countries, where letters of the Duke of -Marlborough are not unfrequently offered for sale. -Fine Stuart autographs constantly turn up both in -Germany and Rome. It was in the Eternal City -that the priceless MSS. of Cardinal York were -offered for sale at the modest price of £20. The -English collector <i>cannot too carefully examine the -catalogues regularly issued by foreign dealers</i>. I have -already alluded to my discovery of the marriage -settlement of Pamela FitzGerald and the sixteenth-century<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">{97}</a></span> -deed relating to a French commission for the -colonisation of Canada. 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 Stephenson:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Sir Humphry Davy to John Buddle, Esq., Wallsend, Newcastle.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">London</span>, February 8, 1817.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—Newman appears dilatory and has not yet -made the apparatus to my mind; but I hope soon to send -it you and to give you your <i>new right</i>. I hope no one will try -expts with platinum in explosive atmospheres till my paper -is published for if <i>fine wire</i> is used and suffered to <i>hang out</i> -of the lamp so as to ignite to whiteness in the <i>external</i> air -explosion will follow; but by the most simple precaution -security is absolute. Stevenson's Pamphlet has proved to the -satisfaction of every person who has looked at it in London, -that he <i>endeavoured</i> to steal from what he had heard of my -researches, safety tubes and apertures: no one could have -established his piracy so effectively as himself.</p> - -<p>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 1815. Whereas I left it two days after I -saw you at Wallsend which I think was the 23rd or 24th 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 Mr. -Stevenson's absurd idea of <i>admitting Hydrogen</i> in undetached -portions by a slider was fermenting in his mind. I certainly -never thought of employing <i>capilliary</i> [<i>sic</i>] tubes. My tubes -were merely <i>safe</i> tubes for I knew perfectly well and have -proved by expts that no lamp could be fed on air through real -capilliary tubes. To make a lamp that will burn on three -capilliary tubes is as impossible as to make it burn in a closed -decanter. Stevenson's capilliary tubes are evidently stolen -from what Mr. Hodgson communicated early in November -of my small safe tubes and made capilliary to suit Mr. Brandlings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">{98}</a></span> -marvellous discovery that wire gauze is the extremity of -capilliary tubes.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">I am my dear Sir,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Very sincerely yours,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">H. Davy</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>A specimen of an advertisement suited to Mr. W. Brandling.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i>Aladdin</i> should sign his name <i>Assassin</i> for he endeavours -to stab in the dark. An assassin is a proper associate for -a private purloiner. One may attempt to murder while the -other carries off the plunder. Mr. W. J. Brandling must be -ashamed of such friends as Aladdin and Fair play, at least he -cannot wish to be seen in public with them even though he -should love them as dearly as <i>himself</i>.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">Truth.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<p>One suited to Stevenson.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Mr. George Stevenson has changed his note from capilliary -tubes to small tubes. No one can doubt that he pilfered -these from Mr. Hodgson's communication of Sir H. Davy's -discoveries. His original principle to admit Hydrogen in -small detached portions (detached by a slider) is now kept -out of sight. A man who in the face of the whole world and -in open day light steals the <i>safety trimmer</i> and a safe <i>top</i> in -Killingworth Colliery and in the dark may endeavour to steal -safety apertures and tubes. But does he now know what is a -safe aperture? Let those people who use his lamp, his capilliary -tube lamp, look to themselves.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">Vindex.</span> -</p></div> - -<p>It is fit that great ingratitude and little malevolence should -be united in the same cause, fortunately in this case they are -associated with great ignorance.</p></div> - -<p>From the same source came the correspondence -between Lord Brougham and his friend Arago, in -the course of which the ex-Chancellor of Great -Britain proposed to abandon his own nationality, -and, if elected, take his seat in the French Assembly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">{99}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_099.jpg" width="350" height="305" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>TWO PAGES OF A LETTER BY LORD BROUGHAM TO E. ARAGO, -OFFERING TO BECOME A NATURALISED FRENCHMAN AND A -CANDIDATE FOR THE FRENCH CHAMBERS.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>There is scarcely a country house or muniment-room -in England which may not afford a happy -hunting-ground to the collector. It is only quite -lately missing originals of the Paston Letters (lost -ever since 1789) were recovered in the library of the -descendants of Pitt's friend and literary executor, -Bishop Pretyman-Tomline. Although Moore, Murray, -and Hobhouse burned one copy of Byron's MS. -autobiography in 1824, a duplicate is supposed to be -in existence, but its present whereabouts is unknown. -In a quiet corner of the Harcourt Library at Nuneham, -Whitelock's MS. was found quite unexpectedly, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">{100}</a></span> -Burckhardt's journal of the Euphrates Expedition of -1811, and the MSS. of William Oldys are still -missing. A bundle of genuine Keats letters was -disinterred at Melbourne, and the letters of the Rev. -George Crabbe to Miss Elizabeth Charter, now in -my possession, sojourned for many years in the -Antipodes.</p> - -<p>Within the last half-century letters of Addison, -Prior, and Mordaunt Earl of Peterborough, and -other MSS. of great value, were saved from -imminent destruction in a manor house, near -Llangollen.</p> - -<p>It was only seventy years ago that a dealer in -Hungerford Market, named Jay, purchased at £7 a -ton a large accumulation of "waste-paper" from -the Somerset House authorities. By the merest -accident it transpired that amongst the MSS. thus -unceremoniously treated were Exchequer Office -Accounts of the reign of Henry VII., Secret -Service Accounts signed by Eleanor Gwynne, and -Wardrobe Accounts of Queen Elizabeth. Several -bundles of parchments were sold by Jay to a Fleet -Street confectioner, and turned into jelly, before any -suspicion arose as to their possible value or importance. -It was seventeen years later than this, in 1857, -that three hundred tons of papers, including the records -of the Indian Navy, went from the old India -House to the paper-mill. Comparatively few of -the Jay MSS. were recovered, for three tons of -paper which remained untouched were accidentally -burned.</p> - -<p>There is no more picturesque incident in the -annals of literary discovery than Sir H. Maxwell -Lyle's account of his "find" in a loft at Belvoir, the -clue to which was afforded by a faded label on a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">{101}</a></span> -rusty key. "The disturbance of the surface," we -are told, "caused a horrible stench, and it soon -became evident that the loft had been tenanted by -rats, who had done lasting damage to valuable MSS. -by gnawing and staining them. Some documents -had been reduced to powder, others had lost their -dates or their signatures. The entire centre of a -long letter in the hand of Robert Dudley, Earl of -Leicester, had entirely disappeared. Those that -remained were of a very varied character. A deed -of the time of Henry II. was found among some -granary accounts of the eighteenth century, and -gossiping letters of the Court of Elizabeth among -modern vouchers. Letters to Henry Vernon of -Haddon from the Duke of Clarence, the Earl of -Warwick, and Kings Edward IV., Richard III., and -Henry VII., written on paper and folded very small, -lay hidden between large leases engrossed on thick -parchment."</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_102.jpg" width="350" height="564" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>SPECIMEN PAGE OF THE DUMOURIEZ MS. DISCOVERED BY THE WRITER.</p> - -<p class='center'>By permission of Mr. John Lane.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The loft at Belvoir is certainly not the only place -in the United Kingdom where autographic treasure-trove -lies hid, and no opportunity should be missed -of turning over collections of MSS., when the -occasion presents itself. Some five years ago an -entry in one of the catalogues of Mr. B. Dobell, of -77, Charing Cross Road, led me to become the -possessor of the holograph project for the Defence of -England drawn up in 1803-5 by General Dumouriez, -on behalf of the last Pitt Administration. The MS. -covers nearly four hundred pages, and is carefully -bound in white vellum. Every page of it is in -Dumouriez's handwriting. From first to last the -work done by Dumouriez cost the Government quite -£20,000. Only fragments of the scheme exist in the -archives of the War Office. This book contains the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104"></a><br /><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">{105}</a></span> -project in its entirety. It cost me twenty-seven -shillings, and formed the basis of a book written in -collaboration with Dr. Holland Rose.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> I have certainly -been fortunate in acquiring a great many -unknown documents relating to Napoleon and the -Napoleonic wars. While rummaging amongst the -miscellaneous papers in the possession of Mr. George -Mackey, the well-known Birmingham antiquary, I -lighted on the whole correspondence between Lord -Cawdor and the Duke of Portland relating to the -landing in February, 1797, of the French "Black -Legion" under Tate at Fishguard, then an almost -entirely unknown Welsh fishing village, and now -transformed by the Great Western Railway into an -important port-of-call. By the kind permission of -Mr. J. C. Inglis, General Manager of the G.W.R., a -reproduction is now given of the important Cawdor -letter first published in the Company's travel-books, -"The Country of Castles." The unexpected recovery -of these MSS. enabled me to give an -exhaustive account of the romantic occurrence with -which they deal in "Napoleon and the Invasion of -England."<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_103.jpg" width="350" height="567" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ORIGINAL DISPATCH OF LORD CAWDOR TO DUKE OF PORTLAND DESCRIBING -THE LANDING AND SURRENDER OF THE FRENCH AT FISHGUARD, -FEBRUARY, 1797.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of the G.W.R.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>But these were not the only discoveries I made in -Mr. Mackey's autographic store. I came upon a -number of the original drafts of unpublished patriotic -songs by Charles Dibdin, including three in -honour of Trafalgar, of which the following is a -specimen:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">{106}</a></span></p><div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">When Nelson fell the voice of Fame<br /></span> -<span class="i2">With mingled joy and pain<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Lamented that no other name<br /></span> -<span class="i2">So glorious could remain.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">And worthily is Nelson loved;<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Yet, ere a short month's dawn,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Fresh glory Britain's sons have proved,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Led on by gallant Strachan.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Pellew and Smith and Collingwood, fellows<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Fine sailors yet exist;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But to name sailors good<br /></span> -<span class="i2">I would take the Navy List.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Great Nelson's brothers called,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And who though for ever gone,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">His spirit . . . . . . .<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And such a tar is Strachan.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Then, Britons, be not out of heart,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Likewise of hopes bereft,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In twain did the sheet-anchor part,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Yet is the best "bower"<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> left.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Still Nelson's name inspires renown,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And though for ever gone,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">His spirit shall in smiles look down<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And point to gallant Strachan.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Great Nelson with his parting breath<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Their character has drawn,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He called them brothers, and his death<br /></span> -<span class="i2">They'll emulate like Strachan.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>For some unaccountable reason the commonplace -book of the unofficial laureate of the Navy -had drifted to Birmingham. It was found by me -in the same bin of literary odds and ends as the -Cawdor dispatches, which obviously ought to have -been in the Home Office or the Record Office. At -the same time and place I lighted on the letters of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">{108}</a></span> -Colonel Digby, the "Mr. Fairly," of Fanny Burney's -Journal, to the beautiful sisters Margaret and Isabella -Gunning, the first of whom he afterwards married, -thereby (if the Court gossip of the day may be -trusted) sorely disappointing the literary Assistant-Keeper -of the Royal Robes.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_107.jpg" width="375" height="508" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>MS. VERSES ON TRAFALGAR IN THE HANDWRITING OF -CHARLES DIBDIN, 1805.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>It was from Mr. Dobell that I obtained another -of the MSS. in my collection which I specially prize—I -allude to the holograph copy of Mrs. Robinson's -"Memoirs," 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 Clarence, Duchesses of -Ancaster and Dorset, the Earl of Jersey, the -Marquis of Lothian, the Duke of Grafton, and so -forth. It is also curious to trace the frequent flittings -of the unfortunate "Perdita," the early love of -the Prince described in bitter irony as "the first -gentleman in Europe." From Berkeley Square she -moves to Clarges Street, and thence in rapid succession -to Piccadilly, Curzon Street, St. James's -Place, Hill Street, Stanhope Street, and South -Audley Street. Now she is at the Ship Inn at -Brighton; now at the Hôtel de Russie and the -Hôtel de Chartres at Paris; now at No. 10, North -Parade, Bath. One or two letters seem to have -been addressed to Englefield Cottage, where she -died. On an ivy-grown tomb in Old Windsor -churchyard one can still decipher Samuel Pratt's -lines beginning:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Of Beauty's Isle her daughters must declare<br /></span> -<span class="i0">She who sleeps here was fairest of the fair.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>From this MS. the "Story of Perdita and Florizel" -may some day be re-written or re-edited.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">{109}</a></span></p> - -<p>By the kindness of Dr. Scott I added to my -collection a genuine letter of great Shakespearean -interest, for it is addressed to Edward Alleyn, the -Founder of Dulwich College, by William Wilson, -one of the actors in Shakespeare's troop at the -Fortune Theatre. It runs as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='center'> -To my most dear and especial good friend Mr. Edward<br /> -Alleyn at Dulwich.<br /> -</p> - -<p>Right worshipful, my humble duty remembered hoping -in the Almighty that your health and prosperity, which on -my knees I beseech Him long to continue, for the many -favours which I have from time to time received. 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 prosperity. 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 further, 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 Mr. Dowton and Mr. Edward Juby to be a means -that the company of players of the Fortune [may] either offer -at my wedding at St. 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 continue. I hope of your worship's favour -herein. I humbly take my leave. Resting your Worship's -during life to be commanded</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr2 smcap">William Wilson.</span> -</p></div> - -<p>From the registers of St. Saviour's, Southwark, -it is clear that Wilson's marriage took place there on -<i>Sunday</i>, November 2, 1617, about eighteen months -after Shakespeare's death. Dowton, like Farren, is -an hereditary theatrical name, and the Wilson letter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">{110}</a></span> -reveals another actor Dowton, probably an ancestor -of the Dowtons of a later time. Dr. Wallace, the -erudite discoverer of the new Shakespeare document -at the Record Office, writes me that he considers the -letter of William Wilson an excellent specimen of -the epistolary style of Shakespeare's time, and of -singular interest to Shakespearean students.</p> - -<p>Some of my most interesting "finds" are now -placed in my Napoleonic collection, which I have -almost doubled in extent since the publication of -"Collectanea Napoleonica."<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> For £5 I obtained, some -five years ago at Sotheby's, the letter of 24 4to -pages in which Sir Stamford Raffles describes his -visit to St. Helena and his interview with Napoleon. -As I received a very substantial sum for permission -to reproduce a portion of it in a daily paper, this -interesting and valuable MS. cost me nothing. At -the Bunbury sale a great many letters of historical -importance fetched a comparatively low price. It -was at this sale that Mr. Frank Sabin bought the -second and more lengthy letter from George Crabbe -to Edmund Burke now in my possession. It was at -the Bunbury "dispersal" that the late Mr. Frederick -Barker bought for me the extraordinary official letter -and holograph proclamation to the Vendéans penned -by Louis Larochejaquelein on June 2, 1815, an hour -or two before his death. These documents would -certainly have fetched five times the price I paid -for them in Paris, where I had to pay £10 for a -letter of his more famous brother Henry, killed in -1794. I also purchased at the Bunbury sale two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">{111}</a></span> -long letters of C. J. Fox to his uncle, General Fox, -and a confidential letter of Earl Bathurst giving -Bunbury his opinion of Gourgaud, and enclosing -four sheets of a private letter from Sir Hudson -Lowe. The companionship of autographs is curious. -In a letter of the Marquis Montchenu, the garrulous -French Commissioner at St. Helena, I found an -autograph of Sir Hudson Lowe, written in 1780 at -the London Inn, Exeter, when he was a boy-ensign -in the Devon Militia! 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 son, who in 1857 was -one of the garrison in the Lucknow Residence. -In June, 1906, M. Noël Charavay bought for me at -the Dablin sale a number of Napoleonic <i>rariora</i>, -amongst them the Longwood Household Expenses -Book kept by Pierron, the <i>maître d'hôtel</i>, between -March, 1818, and April 30, 1821. The entries are -always countersigned by Montholon, and in many -cases are controlled by Napoleon, who frequently -made calculations as to the relative value of pounds -and shillings in francs. All these papers will, doubtless, -be useful to some one who desires to say the -last word on the Last Phase, and I am very grateful -to Mr. Frank Sabin, who procured for me the original -copy of the elaborately-bound "Last Reign of -Napoleon," which Mr. J. C. Hobhouse, afterwards -Lord Broughton, sent out to Sir Hudson Lowe for -presentation to Napoleon, but which was never given -to him. On the flyleaf the author copied out a -suggestive quotation from Tacitus. The romance -of these volumes belongs rather to the subject of -extra-illustration, which I hope to deal with in a -future work. I have already pointed out the utility<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">{112}</a></span> -of this interesting pursuit for the proper preservation -of valuable autographs. In America, where so many -collectors believe that "the political is ephemeral -and the literary eternal," thousands of autographs -are inserted in as many books, to which the special -charm and value of "association" is thus given. -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 Napoleon." -Some two years since I obtained through Messrs. -Maggs, of 109, Strand, two very interesting MSS. -connected with the Irish Rebellion of 1798. One -of these is the Camolin Cavalry Detail Book, -May 25-October 8, 1798, and the other is made -up of a collection of the letters written between -1796 and 1815 by Arthur, Earl of Mount Norris, a -Royalist leader. With the new light obtained from -them and the MS. journal of a lady who was an eye-witness -of the occurrences she describes, Mr. H. F. B. -Wheeler and the writer have endeavoured to again -deal with the story of the "War in Wexford." I have -by no means completed my list of "finds." I trust, -however, 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 value, but can help to throw -new light either on the life of the writer, or the far-off -times in which it was written.</p> -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">{113}</a></span></p> - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="V" id="V">V</a><br /> -<br /> -ROYAL<br /> -AUTOGRAPHS<br /> -PAST AND<br /> -PRESENT -</h2> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">{114}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_114.jpg" width="350" height="446" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>BULLETIN ISSUED A WEEK AFTER THE BIRTH OF KING -EDWARD VII. AND SIGNED BY THE MEDICAL MEN IN -ATTENDANCE, NOVEMBER 16, 1841.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">{115}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w475px"> -<img src="images/page_115.jpg" width="475" height="452" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ORDER TO THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT TO DESTROY KEYNSHAM BRIDGE, NEAR BRISTOL, -ON THE APPROACH OF MONMOUTH, SIGNED BY KING JAMES II., JUNE 21, 1685.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">{116}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_116.jpg" width="375" height="479" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF THE ELECTRESS SOPHIA OF HANOVER TO THE DUKE OF LEEDS, -OCTOBER 19, 1710.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">{117}</a></span></p> - - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a><br /> -<br /> -ROYAL AUTOGRAPHS PAST AND PRESENT—THE -COPY-BOOKS OF KINGS AND PRINCES</p> - - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>Some unpublished specimens of the handwriting of -Royal Personages present and past</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The very dust of whose writings is gold.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">Richard Bentley.</span> -</p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> autographs of Royalty have, for more than a -century, formed a favourite subject for collection, -not only in the United Kingdom, but on the Continent -and in the United States, where I am told -the finest examples of this fascinating branch of -the autograph cult (Mr. Adrian Joline calls it frankly -a hobby) are to be found. Royal letters and signatures -figure conspicuously and plentifully in all books -of facsimiles, but the young collector would do well -to study carefully two volumes devoted exclusively to -this particular branch of calligraphy.<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> Examples of -Royal handwriting abound in both the Record Office -and the British Museum, although a good many were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">{118}</a></span> -either turned into jelly, burned, or otherwise wasted -in consequence of such regrettable transactions as the -"waste-paper" deals between the officials of Somerset -House and Mr. Jay, and those of the new India Office -and the pulping-mills.<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> It is clear that Royal autographs -may be looked for in all sorts of out-of-the-way -and unexpected places. Henry VIII.'s love-letters -to Anne Boleyn are said to be hidden away in -the Vatican, and Sir H. Maxwell Lyte found the -sign manuals of monarchs amongst the débris of the -Belvoir hay-loft.</p> - -<p>In no class of autographs is the rise of prices and -increase of value so remarkable as in those now under -discussion. I cannot precisely ascertain the present -worth of the signature of Richard II., with whom -the English series is supposed to commence, but -M. Noël Charavay tells me that a document signed -by John II., the first of the French Royal signers, -would fetch £10. Before me lie some interesting -details as to the value of Royal autographs in 1827, -and a group of catalogues, containing a good many -desirable items of this kind, issued in London between -1875 and 1885.</p> - -<p>It will be instructive to note the prices which -choice specimens fetched at these comparatively -recent periods. In <i>The Archivist</i> of December, 1889, -we are informed that according to the price-currents -of 1827 the autographs of "Elizabeth the adored of her -people" are worth £2 2s., while Charles I., "worshipped -as a martyr," commands the same price. Charles -II., with his Queen, Catharine of Braganza, thrown -in, fetches no more than £1 5s. James II. is worth -£3 8s., owing to a limited supply. William III. -yields less than half that figure, but a whole letter -of Queen Mary was knocked down for £3 10s.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">{119}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_119.jpg" width="375" height="456" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF KING GEORGE III. ON THE SUBJECT OF THE DEFENCE -OF ENGLAND IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE GREAT TERROR OF -1796-1805.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of Mr. John Lane.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The expert of this excellent journal continues: -"George I., 'a heavy, dull German gentleman,' is -reckoned worth only £1 1s., and George II., I am -ashamed to say it, only 14s. Our beloved monarch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">{120}</a></span> -George III., being well remembered, rises to £3 10s. -George IV., the most complete gentleman of his -age,<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> rises above all his Royal predecessors and -reaches £4 14s. 6d.; 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 copybook. -Here I fain would conclude this estimate of British -rulers, but truth compels me to add that Oliver -Cromwell is deemed worth £5 15s. 6d. French -kings are sadly degraded. Five <i>Grands Monarques</i>, -among whom are Francis I. and Louis XIV., are -estimated at the average price of 4s. 1½d. each; -Henry IV. advanced to 14s., but Napoleon, in the very -teeth of French legitimacy, reaches 20s. higher. A -French Queen, Anne of Austria, is worth 7s., while -Josephine, the shadow of a French empress, is worth -more than five times this sum. A great and wise -Emperor of Russia, and the brave King of Prussia, -require the aid of a French prince, an English -princess, and seven English peers to push them up to -16s." These were indeed halcyon days for the -collectors, but at that period they were few and far -between. Mr. William Upcott, the <i>doyen</i> of modern -autograph collectors, reigned almost supreme at -"Autograph Cottage," Islington, his only possible -competitors being Mr. Young and Mr. John Dillon.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">{121}</a></span> -<img src="images/page_121.jpg" width="575" height="425" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>COMMISSION SIGNED BY OLIVER CROMWELL, OCTOBER 20, 1651.</p> - -<p class='center'>(In the collection of Sir George White, Bart., of Bristol.)</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">{122}</a></span> -<img src="images/page_122.jpg" width="350" height="331" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>SIGNATURE OF LORD PROTECTOR RICHARD CROMWELL TO A COMMISSION, -JANUARY, 1658.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>In the mid "eighteen-seventies" Mr. John Waller, -the conscript father of London autograph-dealers, -was about to move from 58, Fleet Street to Harley -House, Artesian Road, Westbourne Grove. A little -later the late Mr. Frederick Barker began to issue -catalogues of autograph letters and historical documents -from Rowan Road, Brook Green. He became<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">{124}</a></span> -the agent of Mr. William Evarts Benjamin, now the -<i>doyen</i> of the autograph merchants in New York, then -residing at 744, Broadway. In Mr. Waller's first catalogues -I find the following "Royalties": Charles II. -Royal Sign Manual, 7s. 6d.; letter from Charles II. -of Spain to William III., 4s. 6d.; George Sign -Manual when blind, 7s. 6d.; George I. Sign Manual, -1 p. folio, 12s. 6d.; Henry II. of France, fine D.S. -with State seal, 12s. 6d.; King of Siam, 7s. 6d.; -Papal Bull of Urban VIII., 30s.; Warrant of Privy -Council of Edward VI. with numerous rare signatures, -25s.; Duke of Sussex, interesting letter on the -trial of Queen Caroline, 4s. 6d.; Queen Victoria, two -Royal Sign Manuals at 10s. each; Henry VIII. -Royal Sign Manual on "vellum, document of great -beauty," 48s.; Henry VII. Royal Sign Manual on -"document of greatest interest," 70s.; Frederick -Prince of Wales, L.S., 10s.; Charles I. when Prince -of Wales, D.S., 34s.; Louis XVI. and Marie -Antoinette—signatures on two "important documents," -24s. the pair; Napoleon I. L.S. 2 pp. 4to -to Prince of Neuchatel, Valladolid, January 11, 1809, -25s.; Papal Bull Alexander III., 1181, 47s. 6d.; -Mary II. Royal Sign Manual, 30s.; Original Orders -for Arrest of Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III.), -June 13, 1848, 52s. 6d.; Napoleon II. (King of -Rome), 4 pp. of an original historical essay, 48s.; -Royal Sign Manual of Philip and Mary, ten guineas; -A.L.S. of Charles II., 1½ pp., Whitehall, September -26, 1660, <i>à sa chère sœur</i>, 73s. 6d. I will not -pursue this list further. The reader can judge of -the relative value of Royal autographs in 1827 -and 1875-80.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w450px"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123"></a> -<img src="images/page_123.jpg" width="450" height="580" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FOURTEEN LINES IN THE WRITING OF NAPOLEON ON MILITARY ORDER, -WITH HIS SIGNATURE, JULY 3, 1803.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>In the price of the autographs of sovereigns of -minor importance there has been no striking rise<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">{125}</a></span> -since 1880. Indeed, I note that on December 17th, -1909, letters and documents signed by Ferdinand, -Grand Duke of Tuscany, Louis XVIII. of France, -Mathias de Medicis, also of Tuscany, and Rudolph II., -Emperor of Germany, were knocked down in one -lot at Sotheby's for five shillings. But letters of -the Tudor and Stuart sovereigns are fetching as -many pounds in 1910 as they did shillings eighty -years ago. A pardon granted by James II. to -Edward Strode, of Downside, "on account of his -entertaining the Duke of Monmouth for one night -immediately after his defeat at Sedgemoor," sold -on December 17, 1909, for £57. Mr. Waller in -1876 would assuredly have catalogued it at 57s. -or less. Four years ago I purchased for Sir George -White, Bart., of Bristol, an order, signed by the -same sovereign, enjoining the Duke of Beaufort to -burn Keynsham Bridge on the approach of Monmouth -and his followers, at the modest price of -42s. Amongst other letters or documents belonging -to this category figuring in the last sale of 1909 may -be mentioned a letter signed by Cromwell addressed -to the Genevan Senate on the recent Protestant -massacres in the Alps (July 28, 1655), for which -Mr. Sabin gave £31, and two A.L.S.—one of George -IV. and one of William IV., which went to Mr. W. V. -Daniell for 12s. To what indignation would this -startling fall in value have moved the righteous soul -of the chronicler of the sale-prices of 1827! MSS. of -"The First Gentleman in Europe" rank no longer -amongst the high-priced autographs, but I shall have -more to say of them presently. Experience has -taught me to look in Munich and Paris for bargains -in the matter of seventeenth-century Stuart letters. -At Munich I quite lately came across a fine A.L.S.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">{126}</a></span> -of Charles I. for £10, and a delightful L.S. -of his eldest son while in exile to the Elector -Palatine, with seals and silken cords intact, for 50s. -Good William III. letters now average £10, but I -obtained the following characteristic letter written -from the Camp before Namur for less than half -that sum:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr2"><i><span class="smcap">Au Camp devand Namur</span>, 13 de juillet, 1695.</i></span><br /> -<i>A neuf heures du soir.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>J'ay receu ce matin vostre lettre de hier du matin a neuf -eures, j'ay donne les ordres pour faire marcher demain a la -pointe du jour le Brigadier St. Paul avec cinq batt; selon la -route que Dopp vous envoyerez pour les Dragons je vous en -ay ecrit hier et attendres vostre reponse. Si vous trouves que -vous n'avez pas besoin de ces batt: vous les pouvez faire -halte en chemain et me les renvoyer. 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 advertires, 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 ... s'il -en ecchapera, je suis toujours a vous.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">William R.</span> -</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127"></a> -<img src="images/page_127.jpg" width="575" height="328" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>AUTOGRAPH OF HENRY VII., KING OF ENGLAND (1456-1509).</p> - -<p class='center'>(In the collection of Messrs. Maggs.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Letters of the Electress Sophia of Hanover very -rarely turn up, and I consider the following quaint -epistle addressed to that astute "trimmer," the Duke -of Leeds, when she was over eighty, a great bargain -at 30s.:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Hanover</span> le 19 Decbre 1710.</i> -</p> -<p class="ml2"> -<i>A Monsieur le Duc de Leeds.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monsieur</span>,—Longtems que j'ay le bien de vous connoitre -come il y a par la reputation que vous vous estes acquise -dans le monde, vous devez estre assuré my Lord que les -marques de votre amitié m'ont este fort agreable et que -i'ay este bien aise que vous serés 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 voie, et dont<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">{129}</a></span> -vous devez estre fort content. Je les chargeres fort à leur -retour de vous assurer du cas que je faits de votre amitié et de -la reconnaissance avec la qu'elle je suis Monsieur</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">Votre tres affectione</span><br /> -<span class="mr6">a vous servir</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Sophie Electrice.</span> -</p> - -<p>Je me souviens fort bien du tems que vous faites le -mariage du Roy Guillaume et des bons bons sentiment que -vous tenies en cœur.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_128a.jpg" width="325" height="400" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF KING WILLIAM III. FROM CAMP BEFORE -NAMUR, JULY 13, 1795.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_128b.jpg" width="325" height="384" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LAST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF EMPRESS CATHERINE OF RUSSIA -TO MRS. DE BIELKE, OF HAMBURG, JULY 28, 1767.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Letters of Frederick the Great, be they holograph -or merely signed, are cheaper in England than on the -Continent. Even the L.S. are often witty, and I -have met with many good specimens at from 10s. -to 15s. One of the greatest treasures in my collection -is a superb letter of the Empress Catharine II. of -Russia, dated July 28, 1767, and addressed to -Madame de Bielke, of Hamburg, who gave it to a -Foreign Office official, Sir Charles Flint, from whose -descendant it passed into my possession. It was -submitted by M. Noël Charavay<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> to M. Rambaud, -ex-Minister of Public Instruction, Professor at the -Sorbonne, who discovered it to be one of an important -series, of which sixteen are published in the -"Collection de la Société impériale d'histoire de -Russie." Sir Charles Flint was an early collector of -autographs, and his duties as a King's Messenger -gave him excellent opportunities of picking up -treasures like this. I think it best to give the letter -in the original French, instead of following the -modernised version adopted in Paris:—</p> - -<p class='center'><span class="smcap">A ma Terre de Kolominska a Sept Werste de Moscou</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'><i>le 28 Juillet 1767</i>. -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Madame</span>,—Je suis de retour de mon grand voyage depuis -six semaine, et pendant ce tems a peine aije trouvé le moment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">{130}</a></span> -pour vous repondre, quoique tout les jours je me disois -demain j'ecrirés et lorsque demain venoit j'avois autant de -tracas, que la veille, et au sortir de la j'etois si fatigué que je -pouvoit dire com̄e le Philosophe marié, A force de penser -je n'ai plus d'idée; en attendant j'ai a repondre a cinq de vos -lettre dans lequelles je trouve repandu un sentimens universel -de votre part de m'obliger; je vous en ai bien de l'obligation -madame, et j'y reconnois parfaitement ce caractere aimable -qui vous a toujours distingué. En revange des nouvelles de -l'Europe dont vous me faite part quelque fois je vous en -conterés d'Asie, j'ai fait 1300 Werstes sur le Volga j'ai -descendu dans les endroits les plus remarquables, j'ai trouvé -les deux bords du Volga d'une beauté au dessus presque de -l'expression, peuplés et cultivés tres honetement, mais -l'endroit qui a le plus attiré mon attention est sans contredit -la ville de Casan; au premier coup d'œil l'on voit que s'est la -capitale d'un grand Royaume; j'y ai trouvé des habitans de -huit nations aussi differentes par leur habillement que par -leurs mœurs, Religions, languages, et idées, cette Ville est -tres opulente et s'est la premiere des nôtres qui a recon̄u que -les batimens de bois sont moins bons que ceux de pierres, qui -peut, en fait a present de cette derniere espeçe, et ceux qui -n'ont pas euë cette facultés ont euë le malheur de perdre les -leurs il y a deux ans par un incendie, j'ai trouvé la moitié de -la ville brulée mais en verité l'on ne s'en aperçevoit pas, tant -cette ville est grande, je fais rebatir la moitié brulés en pierre -et probablement ce sera un quartier très hon̄ete, la Ville m'a -don̄é une mascarade un souper un feu d'artifiçe et une fete -publique pour le peuple ou chaque nation dansoit a sa façon -devant la maison, au j'étois; il y avoit une affluance de -Noblesse d'allentour qui fit qu'il y eut jusqu'a quatre cent -masque de cet état des deux sexe. J'ai trouvé outre cela de -tres belle fabrique et des marchandise de touttes espece. On -avait élevé un arc de triomphe pour mon entrée com̄e je n'en -ai vuë encore, de pareil a aucune solemnellité. Enfin après -sept jours j'ai quité a regret cette ville qui n'a d'autre defaut -que d'être situé a 800 Werste de celleçi et en Asie, en revange -le sol est excellent, les asperges sauvage les serises les abricots -sauvages et les roses y vien̄ent com̄e les broussailles dans les -autres pays, on chauffe les fourneaux avec du chene et des -tilleuls faute d'autre bois. Nous y avons trouvé une chaleur -excessive a la fin de may et l'hiver y dure moins qu'ici, j'ai<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">{131}</a></span> -été de la jusqu'au confins du Royaume de Casan et ou celui -d'Astracan com̄ençe, j'y ai trouvé 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 mosquée et six -Voûtes de maison la terre est noire com̄e 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 oublié le nom. Ensuite -je suis revenue ici et j'ai fait 800 werste en six jours, en tres -bon̄e santé, je souhaite Madame que la votre soi de meme et -que vous soyés bien assuré de mon estime et amitié.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Caterine.</span> -</p> - -<p>La plupart de neuf deputés choisis pour travailler a notre -nouveaue Code étant arrivé, l'on com̄ençera après demain -avec beaucoup d'appareil ce grand et memorable ouvrage.</p></div> - -<p>For the following translation I am indebted to -Professor Maurice A. Gerothwohl, Litt.D., of the -University of Bristol:—</p> - - - -<p class='center'><span class="smcap">At my Estate of Kolominska, Seven Versts from -Moscow.</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>July 28, 1767.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Madam</span>,—It is now six weeks since I returned from my -long journey, and during this time I have been scarcely able -to find a moment in which to reply to you, although I said to -myself daily, "I will write to-morrow"; but, when the -morrow came, I experienced the same trouble as on the -previous day, and in the end I was so tired that I might well -have exclaimed with "The Married Philosopher,"<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> "I have -thought so much that I have no thoughts left." Meanwhile I -have to answer five letters of your own, all of which breathe -a general desire on your part to be of some service to me. I -am, indeed, obliged to you for this, Madam, wherein I readily -discern that lovable disposition which has ever been one of -your distinguishing traits.</p> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">{132}</a></span> -<p>In return for the European news which you communicate -to me from time to time, here is news from Asia. I did 1,300 -versts on the Volga, landing at the most notable spots. I -found both banks of the Volga beautiful almost beyond -expression, and withal fairly populated and cultivated. But -the spot which attracted most attention on my part is unquestionably -the City of Kazan.<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> You recognise at first sight -that you are here in the capital of a great kingdom. I found -there members of eight nationalities, all equally distinct in -dress, customs, religion, language, and modes of thought. -The city is very prosperous, and the first of our towns to -recognise that wooden are inferior to stone buildings. All -who can afford it, now build houses of the latter type, and -those who were precluded from doing so had the misfortune -of seeing their homes wrecked in a conflagration which -occurred some two years since. But as a matter of fact, we -never noticed this, as the city is so vast. I am having the -ruined half of the city rebuilt in stone, and it will probably -present a very respectable appearance. The city authorities -entertained me to a masque, a supper, fireworks, while for the -people there was held a public festival, at which each nation -danced in its own peculiar style in front of the house in which -I was staying. There was a great influx of the nobility of -the neighbourhood, so that the masks of both sexes belonging -to this order numbered no fewer than four hundred. -Apart from all this, I came across fine factories, and goods of -all descriptions. For my entry, they had erected a triumphal -arch such as I had never yet beheld at any solemnity. -Finally, when seven days had elapsed, I left with some -diffidence this town whose only fault is that it is situated -in Asia, and distant from here by some 800 versts. On -the other hand, its soil is most fruitful, wild asparagus, -cherries, apricots, and roses growing there like brushwood in -other lands. They heat their ovens with oak and lime-tree, -there being no other wood available. We found it excessively -hot there at the end of May, and their winter is shorter than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">{133}</a></span> -our own. Thence I proceeded to the limits of the Kingdom of -Kazan, and the starting point of the boundaries of the -Astrakhan Kingdom. And here I came across the ruins of a -town built by Tamerlane for his grandson, of which all that -survives in its entirety are a couple of minarets built of freestone, -a mosque, and six vaulted chambers. The soil there is -as black as coal, and when you sow there is no need to till; -you need only pass lightly over the seeds with an instrument -used everywhere for that purpose, the name of which I have -forgotten. Following upon that, I returned here, covering -800 versts in six days, and feeling none the worse for it. I -only hope that your health is equally satisfactory, and that -you entertain no doubts as to my regard and friendship for -you.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Catharine.</span> -</p> - -<p>The majority of the nine deputies who have been appointed -to work at our new Code having now arrived, we shall -embark to-morrow upon that great and epoch-making task -with due solemnity.</p></div> - -<p>What a contrast does the vigorous letter of -Catharine "Slay-Czar," as Horace Walpole was -pleased to call her, present to the following letter -of Louis XVI., written to Lavoisier, the Physicist, -while the premonitory grumblings of the coming -storm were still audible!</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Versailles</span> le 15 Mars 1789.</i> -</p> - -<p>Votre derniere experience, Monsieur, fixe encore toutte -mon admiration. Cette découverte prouve que vous avez -aggrandi la sphère des connoissances utiles. Vos expériences -sur le gaz inflammable prouvent combien vous vous occupiez -de cette science admirable qui, tous les jours, fait de -nouveaux progrès. La Reine et quelques personnes que je -desire rendre témoins de votre découverte, se réuniront -dans mon cabinet, demain a sept heures du soir. Vous me -ferez plaisir de m'i apporter le <i>traitté des gaz inflammables</i>. -Vous connoissez, Monsieur, toutte mon amitié pour vous.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Louis.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">{134}</a></span></p> - -<p class='center'>[<span class="smcap">Translation</span>].</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Versailles</span> 15 March 1789.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—My admiration is still wholly riveted upon your -latest experiment. This discovery proves that you have -enlarged the sphere of useful knowledge. Your experiments -on inflammable gas prove to what extent you have cultivated -that admirable science which is daily making further strides. -The Queen and a few persons to whom I am anxious to show -your discovery will meet in my study to-morrow evening, at -seven. I shall be pleased if you will bring with you the -<i>Treatise on inflammable Gas</i>. You are not unaware, sir, of -the very great friendship which I bear you.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Louis.</span> -</p></div> - -<p>The old Princess Amelia, Aunt to George III., -the legends of whose snuff-taking and card-playing -still linger at Gunnersbury and in Cavendish Square, -was a wit in her way. Horace Walpole yawned -incontinently at one of her whist parties, and made -amends in verse. This is what she wrote him in -return:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Princess Amelia to Horace Walpole.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>17 of June.</i> -</p> - -<p>I wish I had a name that could answer your proud verses. -Your yawning yesterday opend your vein for pleasing me and -I return you my thanks my good Mr. Walpole and remain,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Sincerely your friend,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Amelia.</span> -</p></div> - -<p>At the back, in the handwriting of Walpole, -"From Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia -June 17 1786."</p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_135.jpg" width="575" height="335" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE OF THE EARLIEST SIGNATURES OF LOUIS XIV. (AGED SIX).</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">{136}</a></span> -<img src="images/page_136.jpg" width="575" height="379" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>INTERESTING A.L.S. OF LOUIS XVI. TO THE CHEMIST LAVOISIER ON THE SUBJECT OF THE DISCOVERY OF -INFLAMMABLE GAS, VERSAILLES, MARCH 15, 1789.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Few Royal letters interest me more than those of -George III., upon whose worth of character, in my -opinion, they throw a strong light. Five years ago -they were comparatively rare, although Farmer George -was his own Secretary, and appears to have been at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">{137}</a></span> -his desk at all hours of the day and night from 1760 -until his Jubilee in 1809, when blindness fell upon him, -and his signature became an undecipherable scrawl. -His writing was peculiarly neat and legible. 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 month. Here is an early letter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">{138}</a></span> -written to the future Lord Hood, when the future -King William IV. went to sea as a boy of twelve.<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a></p> - - -<p class='center'><i>George III. to Sir Samuel Hood,</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>June 13th, 1779.</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sir Samuel Hood</span>,—This will be delivered to you by -Major General de Budé, 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 situation, -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 -him. If the fleet sails in the course of the Week I hope you -will find some means of letting him attend it to St. Hellens; as -it will be a very additional pleasure if he can bring me the -news that this noble Fleet is under way.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">George R.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_137.jpg" width="350" height="390" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF KING GEORGE III. TO SIR SAMUEL HOOD (AFTERWARDS -LORD HOOD), JUNE 13, 1779.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Nine years later he goes to Cheltenham with the -threatenings of his first attack of mental affliction -upon him. He writes thus banteringly to his -daughter the Princess Sophia, who lived down to -our own time, and whom my mother remembered -seeing in a sedan chair in Bond Street:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Cheltenham</span> Aug 4 1788</i> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dearest Sophia</span>,—The account this day of Mary is so -charming that it has quite put me into spirits, 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 Handel.</p> - -<p>Yesterday evening Lady Reed with all her curtsies left -this place, but not without inviting <i>your Gentleman</i> to come -as a <i>connoisseur</i> to assist her Mackaws, Parrots and Paroqueets. -Tell Gooly that she is not forgot for Sestini's songs -are play'd in honour of her on the walks and <i>dear Mr. Hunt</i> -enquir'd very kindly of the Colonel after her, I ever remain</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr10">My dearest Sophia</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Your most affectionate Father,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">George R.</span></p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">{139}</a></span></p> -<p>PS.—It is not right to tell stories out of school or I could -mention that the <i>Gentleman</i> 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 time, -indeed, I believe the knowledge of his coming has brought -them from all parts of the Island.</p></div> - -<p>Lady Reed was one of those persons who followed -the Court everywhere—a peculiarity not wholly -extinct. There is a curious caricature of her making -her bow to Royalty on the Weymouth Esplanade, -surrounded by a bevy of spaniels, the companions of -the "Mackaws, Parrots and Paroqueets" mentioned -by the King, who evidently understood her. In the -late autumn the King's affliction declared itself, but -in the following April he became convalescent, and -the following is one of the first letters he wrote on his -recovery:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>George III to Lord Sydney.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Though heartily tired of receiving addresses, as I am on -Saturday to receive through the hands of the Lord Mayor of -London and the Sheriffs one from the livery of London, I do -not object to the Laity of the Protestant Dissenters sending -a Deputation with an Address on the same day. Lord Sydney -may therefore authorize Mr. Nepean to give a favourable -answer to the Application of Mr. Boyle French.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr10">G. R.</span><br /> -<span class="mr6">Windsor,</span><br /> -<span class="mr2"><i>April 11, 1789.</i></span></p></div> - -<p>Here is a letter of seven years later, when the -strained relations of the "First Gentleman in -Europe" and his wife, the Princess Caroline, became -a public scandal:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>George III. to Caroline, Princess of Wales.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Windsor</span>, 28 Juin 1796</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Madame ma Fille</span>,—J'ai reçu hier votre lettre au sujet du -bruit repandu dans le public de Votre repugnance a vous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">{140}</a></span> -preter à une parfaite reconcilliation avec Mon Fils le Prince -de Galles je ne disconvient pas (<i>sic</i>) que cette opinion commence -à prendre racine, et qu'il n'y a qu'une manière de la -détruire c'est que Mon Fils ayant consenti que la Comtesse -de Jersey doit suivant votre desire quitter Votre Service et ne -pas être admise à Votre Societé privée. Vous devez témoigner -votre desir qu'il revient chez lui, et pour rendre la reconcilliation -complette on doit des deux cote's abstenir de reproches, -et ne faire des confidences à d'autres sur ce sujet. Une conduite -si propre certainement remettra cette Union entre mon -Fils et Vous qui est un des evenemens que j'ai le plus à louer.</p> - -<p>Mon fils le Duc de York Vous remettra cette lettre et Vous -assurera de plus de l'amitié sincere avec la quelle je suis</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr10">Madame Ma Belle Fille</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Votre très affectueux Beau Pere</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">George R.</span></p></div> - -<p>The finest letters of George III. from a moral and -patriotic point of view are unquestionably those -written during the "Great Terror," when for nearly -ten years the practical realisation of Napoleon's -threatened invasion of our shores was expected at -any moment. Some years ago, at the cost of £5, -I obtained the following letter addressed by the -King to Lord Mulgrave just four days before -Trafalgar:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Kew</span>, October 17 1805</i></p> - -<p>The information received by the mail just arrived is so -important that Lord Mulgrave has judged very properly in -instantly communicating it, though at an irregular hour. The -violence of Bonaparte is highly advantageous to the good -cause, 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 it.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">George R.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">{141}</a></span> -<img src="images/page_141.jpg" width="350" height="373" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF KING GEORGE III. WRITTEN FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE -BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Shortly after the death of the late Duke of Cambridge -a vast number of George III.'s letters suddenly -flooded the market. The average price fell -from £5 and more to £2 and less. Every autograph -dealer in London had a stock, so there could be no -"corner" in "Georges." I contrived to get thirty or -forty—mostly written from Weymouth. It seems -that during the great crisis King George wrote -almost daily to "Dear Frederic" (his son the Duke -of York, Commander-in-Chief), and many of these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">{142}</a></span> -letters are of the greatest interest. For 10s. I picked -up the King's holograph draft of a plan for mobilising -an army of defence between Dorchester and Weymouth.<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> -Between 1789 and 1805 George III. paid -fourteen visits to Weymouth. Many momentous -acts of State were carried out at the Royal Lodge, -now transformed, with hardly any structural change, -into the Gloucester Hotel. If it had not been for -the death of the Duke of Gloucester, the King would -have received the news of Trafalgar in the same -place where he had talked a few weeks previously -with "Nelson's Hardy." Some day these letters will -help materially the telling of the story of the "Court -by the Sea." I thank Thackeray for the lines which -made George III., when old, blind, and forsaken, -say:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"My brain perhaps might be a feeble part,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But yet I think I had an English heart<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When all the Kings were prostrate; I alone<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Stood face to face against Napoleon,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Nor even could the ruthless Frenchman forge<br /></span> -<span class="i0">A fetter for old England and old George."<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>The letters of the Princess of Wales (1796-1819), -the Queen Caroline of 1820-21, are not very valuable, -but they are curious.<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> They are now quite as valuable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">{143}</a></span> -as those of her worthless husband and his -successor, of whom I possess several interesting -examples, beginning in the days when he was sailing -with Digby and earning the sobriquet of "Jolly -Young Tarry-breeks." At the sale of the library of -the Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar (June 21, -1904) I purchased three volumes, bound in green -calf, full of Prince William's early notes and exercises. -One of these is docketed by the youthful -sailor "Remarks on Countries, Harbours, Towns, etc. -on board the <i>Prince George</i>, Feb 8 1780 William -Henry." Some day my friends in the United States -will read a description of New York from the pen of -a future King of England, written a century and a -quarter ago, and the romantic story connected with -it. Here is a letter he wrote home to his tutor, -Dr. Majendie, from Sandy Hook. It speaks volumes, -at any rate, for his good intentions:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—I send you enclosed a key of a table of mine -that stands in the long room next to my bed-chamber in -London. 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 draw.</p> - -<p>I understand that the convoy does not sail till late, therefore -you will go in the Packet, I suppose: In this case I must -heartily wish you a quick passage, a sight of your family in -London, to whom I beg you will make my best wishes, thank -your Brother in my name for having collected the Poets for me.</p> - -<p>The little I have seen of Captain Napier I like very well; I -hope he does the same of me; 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 nobody, but particularly -from you I have so long lived with.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr10">I am, Dear Sir,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Your most affectionate and sincere friend,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">William Henry.</span></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">{144}</a></span></p> - -<p>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 Atlantic. Mr. Joline gives a very -startling instance of this, and I believe all her late -Majesty's correspondence with Mr. Gladstone went -to America, and that for a very inadequate consideration. -The examples I give of the writing of living -members of the Royal Family are only fragments -reproduced as specimens of calligraphy. I can never -quite understand how the Royal letters came to -figure in dealers' catalogues, notwithstanding in many -cases the confidential nature of their contents. In -his "Collections and Recollections" (1898) Mr. -George W. E. Russell gives the following autograph -anecdote:—</p> - -<p>"Like many other little boys, Prince Alexander of -Battenberg ran short of pocket-money and wrote an -ingenious letter to his august Grandmother, Queen -Victoria, asking for some slight pecuniary assistance. -He received in return a just rebuke, telling him that -little boys should keep within their limits and that -he must wait till his allowance next became due. -Shortly afterwards the undefeated little Prince -resumed the correspondence in something like the -following form: 'My dear Grandmama, I am sure -you will be glad to know that I need not trouble you -for any money just now, for I sold your last letter to -another boy here for thirty shillings.'"</p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">{145}</a></span> -<img src="images/page_145.jpg" width="575" height="292" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF QUEEN ALEXANDRA TO MRS. GLADSTONE, DECEMBER 7, 1888.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">{146}</a></span> -<img src="images/page_146.jpg" width="350" height="427" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>QUEEN VICTORIA'S ORDER ON A LETTER OF SIR HENRY PONSONBY, -APRIL 26, 1894.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>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 kind, including -whole bundles of telegrams in the handwriting of their -employers. From a similar source came one of the -last letters Queen Victoria ever penned, and a very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">{148}</a></span> -touching relic it is, showing the care for others and -deep womanly sympathy which characterised the -whole of her life. I have since learned that it is -customary to retranscribe the originals of telegrams -penned by illustrious personages. If this is so the -practice is most reprehensible. The telegrams from -H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught to the late Queen -Victoria have nothing in them of a confidential character. -The first telegram is reproduced by permission -of the Editor of <i>The Country Home</i>; the second -runs as follows:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>The Duke of Connaught at Moscow to Queen Victoria, Balmoral.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Moscow</span>, May 31 1896</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Queen</span>, Balmoral, England,—Very deplorable accident -occurred at beginning of yesterday's fête hours before arrival -of Emperor many peasants crushed to death Accident due -over eagerness and entirely fault of people themselves -700,000 people on ground. Very sad.</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Arthur.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w550px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_147.jpg" width="550" height="397" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE OF THE LAST LETTERS WRITTEN BY QUEEN VICTORIA, ADDRESSED TO GENERAL SIR GEORGE -WHITE, OF LADYSMITH.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The autograph of the late Prince Albert Victor -will some day become exceedingly rare and costly. -The only example I have of his writing is the -telegram he sent to his grandmother, Queen Victoria, -at Darmstadt, from that <i>caravanserai</i> of kings, the -Hôtel Bristol, in the Place Vendôme, Paris. It is -not often that Royalty honours one of those irritating -social tortures entitled "An Album of Confessions -to Record Thoughts and Feelings." The late Duke -of Coburg (Prince Alfred of England) fell a victim -to the possessor of one thirty-seven years ago, and -the results figured at the modest price of £1 in a -London catalogue:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">{149}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"> -<img src="images/page_149.jpg" width="575" height="368" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>AUTOGRAPH TELEGRAM FROM THE LATE PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR OF WALES TO HIS GRANDMOTHER, -QUEEN VICTORIA.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">{150}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_150.jpg" width="350" height="582" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>HOLOGRAPH TELEGRAM OF THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT TO -QUEEN VICTORIA, ST. PETERSBURG, MAY 26, 1896.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">{151}</a></span></p> - -<p class='center'><span class="smcap">Confessions.</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>1. Your favourite virtue—Self-denial.</p> - -<p>2. Your favourite qualities in man—Decision and hardihood.</p> - -<p>3. Your favourite qualities in woman—Dress and paint.</p> - -<p>4. Your favourite occupation—Hunting and riding.</p> - -<p>5. Your chief characteristic—Good nature.</p> - -<p>6. Your idea of happiness—A good wife.</p> - -<p>7. Your idea of misery—A mother-in-law.</p> - -<p>8. Your favourite colour and flower—White, and lilies of the -valley.</p> - -<p>9. If not yourself who would you be?—Some one else.</p> - -<p>10. Where would you like to live?—In Rome or Vienna.</p> - -<p>11. Your favourite prose authors—White-Melville and Lever.</p> - -<p>12. Your favourite poets—Moore and Walter Scott.</p> - -<p>13. Your favourite painters and composers—Raphael and -Mendelssohn.</p> - -<p>14. Your favourite heroes in real life—Bayard and Leonidas.</p> - -<p>15. Your favourite heroines in real life—Joan of Arc and -Boadicea.</p> - -<p>16. Your favourite heroes in fiction—"The Claimant" and -Lord Rivers.</p> - -<p>17. Your favourite heroines in fiction—Mother Gamp and -Mrs. Brown.</p> - -<p>18. Your favourite food and drink—A mutton chop and a -glass of porter.</p> - -<p>19. Your favourite names—Cerise, Blanche, Georgiana.</p> - -<p>20. Your pet aversion—Flattery.</p> - -<p>21. What characters in history do you most dislike?—Gessler -and Gambetta.</p> - -<p>22. What is your present state of mind?—Doubtful.</p> - -<p>23. For what fault have you most toleration?—Vanity.</p> - -<p>24. Your favourite motto—"Honi soit qui mal y pense."</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Alfred.</span></p> -<p class='ml2'> -<i><span class="smcap">Rome</span>, February 16, 1873.</i></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_153.jpg" width="350" height="562" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF QUEEN VICTORIA TO HER ELDER DAUGHTER, -AGED SIX, OCTOBER 21, 1846.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of Harper Brothers.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Some years ago, when I first took up autograph -collecting as a serious occupation, I bought from Mr. -James Tregaskis, of the "Caxton Head," a copy-book -of George, Prince of Wales, filled up when he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">{152}</a></span> -was in his thirteenth year. Few boys of that age -could, in this twentieth century, emulate the copper-plate -of the then industrious Heir Apparent. With -the copybooks went his first cap and frock, both -edged with the daintiest Valenciennes lace. The -genuineness of these relics of Royalty was attested -by the Dowager Countess of Effingham, Lady-in-Waiting -to Queen Charlotte, and their subsequent -possessor, Mr. F. Madan, of the Bodleian Library. A -little later I purchased the Prince's "exercise-book" -of three years later, which begins with an "Extract -of the First Oration of Cicero against Catiline, -spoken before their Majesties in the Picture Gallery -at Windsor, August 12, 1778." At the same time -I acquired the Duke of York's "Translations from -Terence." On the first page, the student of fifteen -writes: "Frederick. This volume begun January 9th, -1778. <i>Dimidium facti, qui bene cœpit, habet.</i>" It -is sad to think they were within measurable distance -of the "Perdita" entanglement of 1780-81. I was -already in a position to satisfy the curiosity of the -expert of 1827 as to a page of the copy-book, "of -the best king that ever lived," 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 Consort, and the up-bringing -of their elder children. There was nothing of a -confidential nature in these MSS. 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-forties," -and the care bestowed on the up-bringing -of his late Majesty King Edward VII. These -documents formed the nucleus of a book, and by -the permission of Messrs. Harper & Brothers several<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">{155}</a></span> -of them are now reproduced. The <i>édition de luxe</i> -of this book<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> has been extra-illustrated by two -ladies in New York. I have also treated a copy -very elaborately in this way, and I venture to think -it will make history some day. Many of the "unconsidered -trifles" it contains are not likely to be -soon met with again, and the <i>ensemble</i> reconstitutes -the Court atmosphere of 1840-45. In the opening -chapters of the "Boyhood of a Great King," I have -given a brief account of the upbringing of five generations -of the British Royal Family. Since then I -have come across an interesting bundle of papers -once in possession of the Earl of Holdernesse, for -some years governor of the children of George III. -In 1776 the King writes thus to Lord Holdernesse:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lord Holdernesse</span>,—The opinion I have of your being -the most fit Person in all respects to have the direction of the -education of my Sons, which I should imagine the many -interesting Conversations I have had with you this winter -must have thoroughly convinced you, must have prepared -you to expect that the contents of your letter would occasion -equal sorrow and surprise. If you are determined in the -plan you now propose, 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 me.</p> - -<p class='mr2 right'> -<span class="smcap">George R.</span></p> -<p class='ml2'><i><span class="smcap">Queen's House</span> May 22 1776</i></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_154.jpg" width="325" height="513" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF THE DUCHESS OF KENT TO HER GRANDSON, -KING EDWARD VII., AGED EIGHT, AUGUST 26, 1849.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of Harper Brothers.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Three years previously the Earl, during a period -of temporary absence, had received a good many -letters from his pupils, in which good feeling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">{156}</a></span> -seemingly vies with excellence of calligraphy. -Here are some examples:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>The Duke of York, aged ten, to his tutor, the -Earl of Holdernesse.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Kew</span> October 25 1773</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Lord</span>,—I am glad to here (<i>sic</i>) that you are (<i>sic</i>) arived -safe at last, and I hope that you will finish your business so as -to return to us by the sixth. The King and Queen were so -good as to send for us on Monday evening quite unexpectedly. -I hope your Lordship will be as good as to continue your good -wishes to me, and I will try to deserve them. We have not -had another letter from Mr. Smelt since you have been gone. -The Bishop<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> and Mr. Jackson<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> send their compliments to -your Lordship.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">My dear Lord, I am always your's</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Frederick.</span></p></div> - -<p><i>Prince William (afterwards Duke of Clarence and King -William IV.), aged eight, to the Earl of Holdernesse [1773].</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Lord</span>,—J'ai eté bien aise d'apprendre que vous avez eu -un bon passage et j'espere que tout le reste de votre voyage -sera aussi heureux. Nous avons eu un beau feu d'artifice au -lieu de bal a la naissance de La Reyne. Je presente mes -amitiés à My Lady et a vous My Lord bien des voeux pour -votre santé. Je suis impatient de vous revoir et bien sincerement -votre tres affectionné ami</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Guillaume</span> -</p></div> - -<p><i>Prince Edward (afterwards Duke of Kent), aged six, to the -Earl of Holdernesse.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Lord</span>,—Comme j'ai surement autant d'amitié pour vous -que mon frère 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 affectionné ami</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Edouard</span>.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">{157}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_157.jpg" width="350" height="432" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF QUEEN ADELAIDE TO HER GREAT-NIECE, THE -LATE EMPRESS FREDERICK OF GERMANY, CIRCA 1848.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of Harper Brothers.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">{158}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_158.jpg" width="350" height="505" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PAGE OF REGISTER CONTAINING THE SIGNATURES OF CONTRACTING -PARTIES AND WITNESSES AT THE MARRIAGE OF KING EDWARD VII. -AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA, 1863.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">{159}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_159.jpg" width="350" height="419" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PAGE FROM THE MS. REMARK-BOOK OF PRINCE WILLIAM HENRY -(AFTERWARDS KING WILLIAM IV.), IN WHICH HE BEGINS TO -DESCRIBE NEW YORK, JANUARY, 1781.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w300px"> -<img src="images/page_159b.jpg" width="300" height="355" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PAGE OF EXERCISE BOOK OF KING GEORGE IV. AT -THE AGE OF TWELVE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">{160}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_160a.jpg" width="325" height="250" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>DRAWING BY CHARLOTTE, EMPRESS OF MEXICO, -DATED LACKEN, 1850.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_160b.jpg" width="325" height="404" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A SHEET FROM THE COPY-BOOK OF THE EMPEROR -ALEXANDER II. OF RUSSIA WHEN A BOY.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">{161}</a></span></p> - -<p>In the following year the Prince of Wales, aged -twelve, thus addresses his absent tutor:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right mr2'> -<i><span class="smcap">Kew</span>, July 22 1774.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Lord</span>,—I am glad to hear you are so much -better, 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 otherwise. There -is a man come from Otaheite with Cap<sup>n</sup> Furneaux. He is -about five foot 10 high almost quite black, his nose is flat like -that of the Negroes, his lips are purple. 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 some. In my next -letter to you I will give you a fuller description of him. 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</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr10">My dear Lord,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">I am your Faithful Friend</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">George P.</span></p></div> - -<p>The following letter of the Duke of Sussex, aged -fourteen, and already at the University of Göttingen, -came from the same source:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Dunbar</span>,—I make a thousand excuses for not having -wrote to you, but my time is so taken up that it is out of my -power. I long very much to see you again. We pass our -time very agreeably here as there are many pretty and agreeable -Girls ... and you know the Company of Ladies is -very agreeable. I hope you spend your time with pleasure. -Pray write to me where you are and your Employment at -present. I can't stay longer to write. Adieu!</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">Your's ever</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Augustus Frederick</span></p> - -<p>Göttingen, <i>Jan. 15 1787</i></p></div> - -<p>The Princess Charlotte, for some years heiress to -the British Crown, was apparently as diligent as her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">{162}</a></span> -uncles and aunts of the previous generation. The -following letter was sold at Sotheby's for a few -shillings. It is difficult to imagine the Queen -Caroline of the pro-Georgian caricaturist playing -blindman's buff with her little daughter! Possibly -it afforded her one of the few happy hours of her -<i>vie orageuse</i>:—</p> - -<p class='center'><i>The Princess Charlotte, aged 8 years and 6 months, to her Aunt -the Electress Charlotte of Würtemberg.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Aunt</span>,—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 Elgin, who wishes me to resemble you in everything. -I am very anxious to write better that I may let you -know how I go on in my learning. I am very busy and I try -to be very good. I hope to go to Windsor soon and see my -Dear Grandpapa and Grandmama. I love very much to go -there and play with my aunts. Mama comes very often to see -me and then we play at merry games—Colin Maillard.</p> - -<p>I am much obliged to you for sending me so many pretty -things and wish you and the Elector<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> were here and would -bring my cousin Princess Theresa with you.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">Adieu my dear Aunt and Believe me</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Your ever Affectionate and Dutiful Niece</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Charlotte</span></p> - -<p>PS.—My duty to the Elector<br /> -Shrewsbury Lodge <i>August 17 1804</i></p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">{163}</a></span></div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_163.jpg" width="350" height="404" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF QUEEN CHARLOTTE TO MR. PENN, OF PORTLAND, -NOVEMBER 19, 1813.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The daughters of George III. and Queen Charlotte -were all excellent letter writers, but their ordinary -letters fetch absurdly low prices, although many of -them are historically important. Queen Adelaide, -the consort of William IV., was fond of writing texts -on cards edged with filigree to be sold for philanthropic -purposes. Her autographs are, in consequence, -exceedingly common. The copy-book, page, -and drawing of the still-living Empress Charlotte of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">{164}</a></span> -Mexico have a melancholy interest. Her autograph -and that of her ill-fated husband sell well abroad. -The late Comte de Chambord and the late Comte de -Paris wrote better hands as boys than the King of -Rome or the Prince Imperial, of whose autographs I -shall speak in connection with Napoleonic MSS. -The rough sketch of soldiers drawn by the Prince -Imperial and the artillery essay written by him at -the Royal Military College, Woolwich, certainly form -interesting items in that portion of my autograph -collection which I label the Copy-books of Kings.</p> - -<p>While the present volume was going through the -press a most important sale of Royal autographs -took place at Sotheby's. At the sale of May 4, -1910, no less a sum than £5,446 6s. was realised for -195 lots. Amongst the letters of Royal personages -then dispersed, an A.L.S. of Mary Queen of Scots, -dated Chatsworth, June 13, 1570, and addressed to -her brother-in-law, Charles IX. of France, fetched -£715; a D.S. of Edward VI., £370; an A.L.S. of -Queen Mary I., £205; an A.L.S. of Queen Elizabeth, -£160; 7 A.L.S. of Catherine de Medicis, £145; a -L.S. of Henry VII., £24; a L.S. of Henry VIII., -£25; three A.L.S. of Charles I., £55, £49, and £39 -respectively, and three A.L.S. of Charles II., £25, -£23 10s., and £22 respectively. The account of the -expenses incurred at the "Meeting of the Field of -the Cloth of Gold," signed by Francis I., was sold -for £130.</p> - -<p>The following examples of the handwriting of -the late Prince Consort, the late King Edward VII., -the late Duke of Coburg, King George V., Queen -Mary, and the late Empress Frederick of Germany -may prove interesting to my readers, as well as -useful to collectors:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">{165}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_165.jpg" width="350" height="459" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. BY ALBERT, PRINCE CONSORT, TO GENERAL -PEEL, 1858.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">{166}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_166.jpg" width="350" height="151" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>EXERCISE OF THE LATE KING EDWARD VII. WHEN TEN YEARS OLD, -DECEMBER 17, 1851.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of Harper Brothers.)</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_166b.jpg" width="350" height="321" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>EXERCISE OF THE LATE DUKE OF COBURG (PRINCE ALFRED) AT THE -AGE OF EIGHT.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of Harper Brothers.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">{167}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_167.jpg" width="350" height="493" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF KING GEORGE V. WHEN DUKE OF YORK -TO THE LATE DUCHESS DOWAGER OF MANCHESTER, FEBRUARY 22 -1886.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">{168}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_168a.jpg" width="375" height="271" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF QUEEN MARY WHILE DUCHESS OF YORK TO A -FRIEND, MAY 24, 1900.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_168b.jpg" width="350" height="246" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF THE EMPRESS FREDERICK OF GERMANY -TO MR. PROTHERO, FEBRUARY 22, 1889.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">{169}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="VI" id="VI">VI</a><br /> -<br /> -THE AUTOGRAPHS<br /> -OF STATECRAFT,<br /> -SOCIETY,<br /> -AND DIPLOMACY</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170"></a><br /><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">{171}</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a><br /> -<br /> -THE AUTOGRAPHS OF STATECRAFT, SOCIETY, AND -DIPLOMACY</p> - -<p><b>Unpublished letters of the two Pitts, Lord Chesterfield, -and Lord Stanhope</b></p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"As keys do open chests<br /></span> -<span class="i0">So letters open breasts."<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class='citation'> -<span class="smcap">James Howell</span> (1595-1666).</p> - - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Letters</span> of affairs from such as manage them, -or are privy to them," writes Lord Bacon, "are, of -all others, the best instructors for history, and to -a diligent reader, the best histories in themselves." -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 life. 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 centuries. Almost -all the American autographs of great value<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> may be -classed in this category. It is obvious that some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">{172}</a></span> -writers, like Lord Chesterfield, united in their persons -the attributes of statesmen, diplomatists, and men -of fashion.</p> - -<p>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-making. The chronicler of 1827 already -alluded to makes no secret of the fact. "Hands -which the reins of empire might have swayed," he -frankly confesses, "are hands of very inferior value on -paper. Sir Francis Walsingham, the able and upright -secretary of Queen Elizabeth, must have five other -celebrated persons added to mount up to 9s. -The price of the great Sir Robert Walpole, who -discovered the price of more than half the House -of Commons, and made the whole of the Government -run smoothly, is 18s. Mr. Pitt, the Pilot -that weathered the storm, and Mr. Perceval, who -fell by the ball of an assassin, join hands to reach -13s.; and Lord Castlereagh, who once towered high -above the heads of the people, now needs the help -of Lord Grenville, and a Lord Chief Justice, to -lift him up to a like sum. The average value of a -common Lord Chancellor is about 2s. 6d. Lenthall, -the Speaker of the House of Commons in the -Long Parliament, and Thurloe, the Secretary of -Oliver Cromwell, are valued together at 52s. 6d."</p> - -<p>I am hardly disposed to altogether credit this -statement, as large sums, comparatively speaking, -were paid even then for documents signed by -Thomas More, the Earl of Pembroke (Shakespeare's -friend), and Francis Bacon, who, according to the -writer, would be pitilessly relegated to the half-crown -class. In Frederic Barker's catalogue for -1887 I find a Privy Council letter, signed by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">{173}</a></span> -Bacon and several others, priced at £7 7s., and -Mr. Waller, ten years before, offers a 2 p. A.L.S. -of the younger Pitt for 18s. It was nevertheless a -letter of considerable historical value. In this kind -of autographs important finds may often be made -by buying letters written by little known personages -to eminent politicians. In a recent sale at Sotheby's -a dozen letters addressed to William Windham went -for 1s. the lot. It is quite possible they may enshrine -some unknown State secret. I lately saw at the -shop of Messrs. Ellis, in New Bond Street, a deed -signed not only by Bacon but his wife, and nearly the -whole of his relatives and connections. It is in an -excellent state of preservation, and was priced at £30.</p> - -<p>At the present moment, when the sixth generation -of our Royal Family is represented in the -Senior Service, two letters of the elder Pitt, the Great -Commoner, arranging for the entry into the Navy of -the first Prince of the House of Brunswick to join -it, cannot but be interesting. These letters were -addressed in 1759 to Lord Holdernesse, and -concern the Duke of York, a younger brother of -King George III.<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a></p> - -<p class='center'><i>William Pitt (afterwards Earl of Chatham) to Lord Holdernesse.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr2"><i>past 5 o'clock</i></span><br /> -(1758-9?).</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Lord</span>,—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 Navy. His Majesty, -at the same time signifyd his Intentions to the Duke of Newcastle -not to allot any appointments to the Prince on this -account. Proper representations, however will be made for -an allowance for Table at least, which it is hoped will not be -without effect.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">{174}</a></span></p> - -<p>I am doubly happy, my Dear Lord, at the favourable and -speedy determination of this very important arrangement, and -cannot do sufficient Justice to the Instant and efficacious -attentions paid to the Intentions of Leicester House, which -I had the great honour to be commanded to make known.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr10">I am ever</span><br /> -<span class="mr8">My dear Lord's</span><br /> -<span class="mr6">most affectionate Friend</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">and humble servant</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">W. Pitt</span></p> - -<p>The King reviews the Cavalry Monday next.</p></div> - - -<p class='center'><i>William Pitt (afterwards Earl of Chatham).</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>Monday</i> ½ past 4</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Dear Lord</span>,—I am able to put your mind entirely at -ease as to some doubts which seemed to have arisen, by -acquainting your Lordship that in consequence of the signification -of the King's pleasure by me, the Lords of the Admiralty -have ordered Captain Howe <i>to enter Prince Edward in the -Ship's books, as a volunteer for wages and victuals, and his -Retinue as part of the allowed complement of the Ship</i>. This -is the Form and puts everything out of doubt. The King is -pressing for the Departure of the Expedition, and has named -General Bligh to command the Forces. Lord Ligonier is -gone to the General to acquaint him of the King's pleasure. -I conceive Howe will sail by Thursday at latest if the weather -permits. Preparations having been ordered to be made for -the Reception of Prince Edward on Board of Captain Howe's -own ship, Mr. Cleveland informs me that <i>everything</i> will be -provided for His Royal Highness's accomodation if Bligh -accepts (for such is the style of our army) and the King should -approve the Draught of Instructions to be laid before His -Majesty tomorrow, nothing but a wind will be wanting.</p> - -<p>Prince Ferdinand recommends the continuation of attack -on their coasts as <i>la guerre la plus sensible à la France de -l'attaquer dans ses Foyers</i>. And yet this great Prince is certainly -a Stranger to the Common Council, Beckford and <i>the -Buchaneers</i>. Olmutz may draw into some length; 10,000 men -in the Place and old General Marshall defending it with great -vigour. I could not possibly see General Elliot this morning,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">{175}</a></span> -being obliged to go to Kensington, and I am this evening to -be at a meeting by seven. I am,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">Ever my dear Lord's</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Most Affectionate Friend</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">W. Pitt.</span></p></div> - -<p>Seven years later, on the afternoon of February 22, -1766, the Premier, after a tempestuous debate, concluded -a letter to his wife in the country thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Love to the sweet babes, <i>patriotic</i> or not, tho' I hope -impetuous William is not behind in feelings of that kind. -Send the saddle horses if you please, so as to be in town -early tomorrow morning. I propose and hope to execute -my journey to Hayes by 11. Your ever loving husband</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">W. Pitt</span>.</p></div> - -<p>The patriotism of William Pitt the younger, born -in the very year Prince Edward joined Captain -Howe's ship as a "volunteer for wages and victuals," -was soon to blossom forth not only in an infantile -drama,<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a> but in a poem hitherto unpublished, which -I had the good fortune to obtain through Mr. F. -Sabin. It was the joint work of "impetuous -William" and his sister in the spring of 1777, and -is in the handwriting of the former:—</p> - - -<p class='center p2'>ON POETRY</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Ye sacred Imps of thund'ring Jove descend.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Immortal Nine, to me propitious, bend<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Inclining downward from Parnassus' brow;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To me, young Bard, some heav'nly fire allow.<br /></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">{176}</a></span> -<span class="i0">From Agannippe's murmur strait repair,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Assist my Labours and attend my Pray'r.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Inspire my Verse. Of Poetry it sings.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Thro' <i>Her</i>, the Deeds of Heroes and of Kings,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Renownd in Arms, with Fame immortal stand;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">By <i>Her</i>, no less, are spread thro' ev'ry Land<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Those Patriot names, who in their Country's cause<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Triumphant fall, for Liberty and Laws.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Exalted high, the Spartan Hero stands,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Encircled with his far-renowned Bands,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Who e'er devoted for their Country die;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Thro' <i>Her</i> their Fame ascends the starry Sky.<br /></span> -<span class="i0"><i>She</i> too perpetuates each horrid Deed,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When Laws are trampled, when their Guardians bleed.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Then shall the Muse, to Infamy prolong<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Example dread, and theme of trajick Song,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Nor less immortal than the Chiefs resound<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The Poets' names, who spread their deeds around.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Homer shall flourish first in rolls of Fame;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And still shall live the Roman Virgil's name.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">With living bays is Lofty Pindar crowned,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In distant ages Horace stands renowned.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">These Bards, and more, fair Greece and Rome may boast<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And some may flourish on this British coast.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Witness the man, on whom the Muse did smile,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Who sung our parents' Fall, and Satan's Guile.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">A second Homer, favour'd by the Nine,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Sweet Spenser, Johnson, Shakespear the Divine,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And He, fair Virtue's Bard, who rapt doth sing<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The praise of Freedom, and Laconia's King.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But high o'er Chiefs and Bards supremely great<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Shall Publius shine, the Guardian of our State.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Him shall th' immortal Nine themselves record<br /></span> -<span class="i0">With deathless Fame, his gen'rous toil reward.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Shall tune the Harp to loftier sounding lays<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And thro' the world shall spread his ceaseless praise.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Their hands alone can match the heav'nly String<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And with due fire his wond'rous glories sing.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class='ml6'> -<span class="smcap">Harriett Pitt</span>, May 1771, 13 years old.<br /> -<span class="smcap">William Pitt</span>, 12 years old.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">{177}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_177.jpg" width="350" height="538" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LAST PAGE OF UNPUBLISHED HOLOGRAPH POEM IN HANDWRITING OF -WILLIAM PITT, MAY, 1771.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">{178}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_178a.jpg" width="350" height="404" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LAST WHIP ISSUED BY WILLIAM PITT AND SIGNED BY -HIM, DECEMBER 31, 1805.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_178b.jpg" width="350" height="257" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>SIGNATURE OF SIR ISAAC HEARD, GARTER, ON CARD OF ADMISSION -TO THE FUNERAL OF WILLIAM PITT 1806.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">{179}</a></span></p> - -<p>Here is a letter written by him thirty-three years -later, after his return to office on the resignation of -Addington. It shows conclusively that his share in -helping the Fatherland to weather the storm was -physical as well as moral:—</p> - -<p class='center'><i>William Pitt in Downing Street to Lieut.-Colonel Dillon -of Walmer.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Downing Street</span>, September 1, 1804.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Sir</span>,—As the Harvest is now nearly over, I -imagine this would be a very fitting time for proposing to -assemble your Battalion on permanent duty; and there seems -chance enough of the occasion arriving for actual Service, to -make it desirable that there should be as little delay as possible. -Lord Carrington has gone to Deal Castle to-day, and -if you can contrive to see him tomorrow, or next day, I shall -be glad if you will settle with him the necessary arrangements. -I think the time should not be less than Three weeks, and in -that case, an extra allowance will be made of a guinea pr -Man, which added to the usual pay will amount to 2s pr day -for the whole period. This will enable us to give the men full -compensation for at least six or seven hours a day, on an -average; and will therefore allow of three or four long Field -Days in each week, and only short drills in the remaining -days; and such arrangement would, I think, answer every -purpose. I should hope you might fix the commencement of -permanent duty for Monday fortnight, very soon after which -day I hope to come to Walmer to make some stay. I shall -be at Dover on Tuesday next for a day, but have some business -which will carry me from thence along the Coast, and -probably back to town before I reach Walmer.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Believe me, my dear Sir, yours very sincerely,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">W. Pitt.</span></p></div> - -<p>In June, 1909, an extraordinary series of letters by -Pitt, Burke, and others was offered for sale. They -were manifestly of supreme importance to the history -of England during one of her most terrible political<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">{180}</a></span> -crises. I am glad to say certain steps were taken -which led to the issue of the following notice:—</p> - -<p class='center p2'> -SALE OF AUTOGRAPH LETTERS,<br /> -<i>June 9th and 10th.</i></p> -<hr class="tiny" /> -<p class='center'>WINDHAM CORRESPONDENCE.<br /> -<i>Lots 519 to 550.</i></p> -<hr class="tiny" /> -<p class='center'>Messrs. <span class="smcap">Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge</span><br /> -having Sold these Lots privately, by direction<br /> -of the Executors, they will not be included in<br /> -the Sale on June 10th.<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a></p> - -<p class='p2'>The patriotism of Pitt certainly finds no echo in -the following extraordinary letter of his opponent, -Lord Stanhope, which I purchased in Paris for -15 francs:—</p> - -<p class='center'><i>The Earl of Stanhope to M. Palloy, Entrepreneur de la demolition -de la Bastille, Grenadier Volontier de la 1<sup>ere</sup> Division de -l'Armée Parisienne, Rue du Fossé St. Bernard, Paris</i>:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr4">Cheevening House</span><br /> -<span class="mr2">near <span class="smcap">Sevenoaks Kent</span></span><br /> -<i>Aout 25 1790</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monsieur</span>,—Je vous rend bien des Graces pour votre lettre -obligéante du 7<sup>e</sup> courant. On vous a mal informé quand -on vous a dit que nous avions à notre fête à Londres un -Chapiteau d'une des Colonnes de la Bastille; ce n'était point -partie d'une colonne; mais seulement une vraie pierre de la -Bastille, comme nous nous sommes assurés. Je ne profiterez<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">{181}</a></span> -[<i>sic</i>] donc, par de votre trés obligéante offre, mais je ne vous -en suis par moins obligé. Je me rejouis, chaque jour de la -demolition de la Bastille et de la Liberté des Français</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">Je suis, Monsieur,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Votre très humble et obeissant serviteur</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Stanhope</span></p> - -<p>à M Palloy</p></div> - -<p>A year or so ago I was lucky enough to secure the -official dispatch-box bearing the Royal cipher and -his initials, which Pitt left behind him at Bath, when -returning to Putney a few days before his death. In -it is his last Whip, signed on December 31, 1805. -On January 21st he was dying, and on the 23rd he -died. This melancholy document now lies within -the forgotten dispatch-box!</p> - -<p>Chesterfield—the "great" Earl of Chesterfield—died -when the younger Pitt was fourteen years old. -It is more correct to describe him as a contemporary -of his father, the Great Commoner. He was, as an -amusing and able letter-writer, superior to both, but -he loved society and they did not. In the recent -Haber Sale at New York (December 10, 1909) a -very fine Chesterfield letter only fetched £3 8s. It -is thus described:—</p> - - -<p class='p2'>CHESTERFIELD (PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, -FOURTH EARL OF). A.L.S., 2 pp. 4to, London, June 14, -1746. (Endorsed on the back "<i>To Thos. Prior</i>.") With -portrait.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Thomas Prior was the Irish philanthropist, with whom -Earl Chesterfield became acquainted while Viceroy of -Ireland.</p> - -<p>A remarkable letter proposing schemes for manufactures -in Ireland. He first suggests glass manufacture, -and next writing and printing paper, and states that the -specimens shown him of Irish manufacture impressed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">{182}</a></span> -him greatly, and only "<i>industry is wanting</i>"; another -suggestion is the manufacture of starch, and he writes -that he has been shown a method of making it from -potatoes easily and cheaply, and while the law in -England prevents it being made from anything else -than flour in that country, that law might not apply in -Ireland, and proceeds: "<i>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 Nature.</i>" -Many other reflections show sound common sense.</p></div> - -<p>Two years ago I gave £4 each for five unknown -and unpublished letters, written between 1762 and -1771 by Chesterfield to his relative, Mr. Welbore -Ellis Agar ("Gatty"). The specimen I now give of -them is interesting, as it concerns Bath, a city which -I regard as the great source and centre of the lighter -and more gossipy letters of the eighteenth century:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Bath</span>, October ye 8th 1771.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Gatty</span>,—When we parted we agreed to correspond -by way of letter, but we did not as I remember stipulate which -should make the first advance, but as I always sacrificed my -Dignity to my pleasure, I here make the first step though -Cozen and Counsillor to the <i>King</i> and your Unkle, which is a -kind of Deputy Parent. Admire my condescension. To begin, -then, with an account of my Caducity. I made my journey to -this place in two days, which I did not think I could have -done, much tired with it but alive. Since I came I have seen -no mortal till last night, 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 Vere. The <i>new -rooms</i> are really Magnificent finely finished and furnished, -the Dancing-room, which the Lady Thanet used to call the -Posture-room, particularly spacious and adorned. A large -and fine play room, and a convenient Tea room well contrived, -either to drink or part with that liquor. So much for -this and more I cannot tell you, for as for the people who are -not yet many, they are absolute strangers to me, and I to -them. In my review of the fair sex last night I did not see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184"></a><br /><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">{185}</a></span> -one tolerably handsome, so that I am in no danger of falling -in love this season, and indeed my heart and mind are so -engrossed by Mr. Agar's fair cousin <i>Mrs. Mathews</i>, that I have -no room left for a second choice. I hope that at her return -to England, he will do me what good offices he can with her; -my way is to end my letters abruptly, and without a well-turned -period.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">So God bless you</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Chesterfield.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w425px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_183.jpg" width="425" height="541" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF EARL OF CHESTERFIELD, OCTOBER 8, 1771, DESCRIBING THE -INAUGURAL BALL AT THE NEW BATH ASSEMBLY ROOMS.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The Mrs. Mathews alluded to in the letter was -probably the wife of Captain Mathews, who afterwards -fought a duel with Richard Brinsley Sheridan.</p> - -<p>Here is another Chesterfield letter from a different -source:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Earl of Chesterfield to Mrs. Montague, May 14, 1771.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Lord Chesterfield presents his respects to Mrs. Montague -and desires her to accept of the enclosed trifle for her poor -women; his charity purse is at present as light as hers can -possibly be, not from being as formerly his Play-purse too -but from the various applications of wretched objects which -humanity cannot withstand.</p></div> - -<p>Of the early nineteenth-century statesmen letter-writers -Brougham was one of the most prolific, but -I have already spoken of a curious "find" of somewhat -sensational Brougham correspondence in Paris.<a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> -His ordinary letters only fetch from 3s. to 5s. Far -more costly are the letters of Curran, Grattan, -and O'Connell. Here is a typical letter of the -"Liberator," written from Bath:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Daniel O'Connell to Mr. W. H. Curran.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Bath</span>, October 14, 1817.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Curran</span>,—I have wept over your letter. Oh -God your Father never offended me,—we once differed on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">{186}</a></span> -the subject of the details of our Petition, but if my information -on facts respecting that detail was not superior to his, I -feel my inferiority in every other respect too sensibly to dare -to differ with him. As Brutus was called the last of the -Romans so Ireland will weep over him as the last survivor -of those great spirits who <i>almost</i> burst the iron Bondage of -Britain and would have made her free but that the ancient -curse has still bound her and she lingers <i>yet</i> in slavery. How -naturally does the thought fly from his bed of sickness to the -sorrows of Ireland. The Boldest, best, most eloquent, most -enthusiastic, and perhaps more than the most persevering of -her Patriots, he was. Alas he leaves none like or second to -him. You will my friend think I declaim while I only run -rapidly through the thoughts that his illness crowds upon me. -You do well, quite well. It will, in every respect, console -you to recollect that you have done your <i>duty</i>. 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 well. If your letter afforded me hope that I could see -your Father, so as to be able to converse with him, I would -answer your letter in person, as it is I wait only your reply to go -to you. It would suit most convenient not to leave this before -Saturday, but your reply will command me. The Funeral -must be Public. I will of course attend it. We will arouse -everything Irish in London and pay a tribute to <i>his</i> memory -unequalled by any which London has witnessed. Tell -Phillips I only wait a <i>reply</i> to join you both. Do you think -of conveying his remains to Ireland? this if practicable would -be best. Write, or get Phillips to write, as soon as you -receive this. You perceive that I write in the extreme of -haste, but I am for ten thousand reasons convinced that you -should listen to no suggestion of a private funeral. You would -repent it only once, that is all your life. Would to God -I could offer you consolation.</p> - -<p>Believe me, my dear friend, to be most faithfully yours,</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Daniel O'Connell</span>.</p></div> - -<p>Mr. Gladstone was, like Wellington and Brougham, -a writer of innumerable letters. There was a demand -for them once, but at the present moment, by the -irony of fate, an average Gladstone letter fetches less<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">{187}</a></span> -than one of his wife. Special circumstances, however, -may give them special value. This is exemplified in -the case of the Gladstone-Manning correspondence -written from Balmoral, which I found at Brighton. -The introduction of the economical and space-saving -postcard spoiled Gladstone as a letter-writer -in his old age. Here is a typical letter of his, relating -to the present of a bust of O'Connell and interesting -at the present political juncture:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Mr. Gladstone to Mrs. O'Connell.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">10 Downing Street</span> January 28. 1882.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Madam</span>,—I accept with many thanks the Bust you -have been so kind to send me. It is a most interesting memorial -of early days, and of a man of powerful mind and will, -and profound attachment to his Country; whose name can -never be forgotten there.</p> - -<p>In my early years of Parliamentary life, casual circumstances -brought me into slight personal relations with Mr. -O'Connel, and I have ever retained the lively recollection -of his courtesy and kindness.</p> - -<p>I remain, my dear Madam, your very faithful and obedient,</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">W. E. Gladstone</span>.</p> - -<p>I must not omit to thank you for the kind terms in which -you speak of my efforts on behalf of Ireland, and I cling in -that confidence to the hope that a happy future is yet in store -for her.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">{188}</a></span> -<img src="images/page_188.jpg" width="350" height="484" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. FROM MR. W. E. GLADSTONE AT BALMORAL -TO CARDINAL MANNING, N.D.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Four years ago I saw ten letters of the late Lord -Beaconsfield catalogued at £70. Personally I regard -him as almost the last of the now extinct race of letter-writers, -for the epistolary art has succumbed beyond -hope of recovery to the combined influences of the -telegraph, the telephone, the type-writer and the -halfpenny newspaper. A "newspaper" letter, as -Mrs. Montagu, Lord Lyttelton, and Lord Bath -used to call them, would be as ridiculous as a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">{189}</a></span> -conversation on <i>les belles lettres</i>. How Lord Beaconsfield's -life is ever to be written with any hope -of completeness, I cannot imagine. <i>Hundreds</i> of -his letters have been sold since his death, and a -specimen of average interest can now be obtained -for 20s. or less. I have gradually acquired thirty -or forty and am certain that sooner or later a -rise in price is inevitable. People will soon discover -that in the fragmentary and wholly unsatisfactory -published collections of Beaconsfield's letters <i>the -originals have been ruthlessly mangled or transformed</i>. -I shall only include two examples in this book, -beginning with a very early one from the inevitable -Bath:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Benjamin Disraeli to his Sister.</i></p> - -<p class='center'>(Franked by E. Lytton Bulwer.)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Bath</span>, Thursday [Jany 24 1833]</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Dearest</span>,—You ought to have rec<sup>d</sup> my letter on Sunday -and I should have answered your's immediately, but it is -almost impossible to get a frank out of Bulwer and I thought -my father w<sup>d</sup> go quite mad if he received an unprivileged -letter under present circumstances. We quit this place -tomorrow and sh<sup>d</sup> have done so to-day, but dine with a -Mr. Murray here. I like Bath very much. At a public ball -I met the Horfords, Hawksleys etc. Bulwer and myself -went in very late and got quite mobbed.</p> - -<p>I have nearly finished Iskander, a very pretty thing indeed, -and have printed the 1st Vol of Alroy.</p> - -<p>I have answered the agric. affair which was forwarded to -me from London.</p> - -<p>Directly I am in town I will write about the bills.</p> - -<p>The Horfords (father and brother here) asked us to dine, -but were engaged.</p> - -<p>Met the Bayntums, but not Clementina. Rather think -I may to day.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">yrs ever</span><br /> -<span class="mr2">B. D.</span></p> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">{190}</a></span> - -<p>Let me have a letter in Duke S<sup>t</sup>. Bulwer is getting on -immensely and I sh<sup>d</sup> not be surprised if we shortly see -him in a <i>most eminent</i> position, but this not to be spoken of. -Met Ensor.</p></div> - -<p>Omitting many letters of piquant interest I come -to one written in the autumn of 1851, in which the -rising statesman deals somewhat severely with his -old friend, <i>The Times</i>. It runs as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Hughenden</span>, Sept 19 1851</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Sa</span>,—Your mischance was very vexatious, but -I was glad to hear that you had arrived all safe in such kind -quarters.</p> - -<p>I see Jem on Tuesday, who passed a longish morning here.</p> - -<p>At Monday I was at Aylesbury where I was obliged to dine -with the old society—Lowndes, Stone, Howard Wyse, -Bernard, Hale, Isham, and Young of Quainton and 3 clergymen -supported me, and Lowndes of Chesham in the chair. -I made a good speech on a difficult subject, and the meeting -seemed in heart. I saw to-day in <i>The Times</i> two columns of -incoherent and contradictory nonsense w<sup>h</sup> made me blush, -tho' I ought to be hardened by this time on such subjects. -I have seen no other papers. They can't be worse, and -perhaps may in some degree neutralise the nonsense of <i>The -Times</i>. I am only afraid the world will think it all Delphi and -diplomatic, and that the wordy obscurity was intentional, -whereas I flattered myself I was as terse and simple as suited -a farmer's table.</p> - -<p>I am rather improving and getting on a little.</p> - -<p>I hope you will enjoy yourself very much.</p> - -<p>We went over to Cliefden the other day—there is one bed -of flowers, called the scarlet ribbon—4,000 geraniums—the -Duchess's<a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> own design, very new and wonderful, winding -over a lawn like a sea-serpent, but the plantation in sad order. -The gardener has £10 per week to pay everything in his -department, as the Duchess will not spend more on a place -which yields nothing. My kind remembrances to Mrs. Peacock.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Affec<sup>ly</sup> yrs.</span><br /> -<span class="mr2">D.</span></p></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">{191}</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_191.jpg" width="375" height="515" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF MR. DISRAELI (AFTERWARDS LORD BEACONSFIELD) -ON CHURCH MATTERS, N.D.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">{192}</a></span></p> - -<p>I venture to think that in the near future the -letters of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, -will be found as essential to the annals of the -Victorian era, as those of Pitt, Windham, and Burke -are to those of the reign of George III.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">{193}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="VII" id="VII">VII</a><br /> -<br /> -THE<br /> -LITERARY<br /> -AUTOGRAPHS<br /> -OF THREE<br /> -CENTURIES</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194"></a><br /><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">{195}</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class='ph2'>CHAPTER VII</p> - -<p class='ph3'>THE LITERARY AUTOGRAPHS OF THREE CENTURIES</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>From the days of Shakespeare and Spenser to those of -Thackeray, Dickens, Tennyson, and Meredith—The -value of literary autographs and MSS.</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>In a man's letters, you know, Madame, his soul lies naked—his -letters are only the mirror of his heart.—<span class="smcap">Dr. Johnson</span> -to <span class="smcap">Mrs. Thrale</span>.</p> - -<p>Political interest is ephemeral, but literary interest is -eternal.—<span class="smcap">Adrian H. Joline</span>, "Meditations of an Autograph -Collector."</p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">By</span> 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 -chapter. The first is the discovery in the Record -Office by Dr. Wallace of the signed deposition of -Shakespeare in an early seventeenth-century lawsuit, -under the circumstances picturesquely set forth in -the issue of <i>Harper's Monthly Magazine</i> for March, -1910. Without conceding to Dr. Wallace's "find" -the supreme importance claimed for it by this able -and patient examiner of ancient MSS., there can be -no doubt that it deals a fatal and final blow to the -Baconian theory. On the very day I read Dr. -Wallace's article, Mr. J. H. Stonehouse<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a> showed me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">{196}</a></span> -several fictitious Shakespeare signatures fabricated -by W. H. Ireland nearly forty years after the appearance -of "Vortigern," for the avowed purpose of -demonstrating his ability to imitate them. I cannot -help thinking that Dr. Wallace's article lends -increased interest to the letter of the Shakespearean -actor, Dowton, which has already been alluded to -in these pages.<a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> In the elaborate essay in which the -fifth Shakespeare signature has been enshrined will -be found reproductions of the other four.<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a></p> - -<div class="figcenter w225px"> -<img src="images/page_196.jpg" width="225" height="43" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>THE SIGNATURE OF SHAKESPEARE ON THE LAST PAGE OF HIS WILL.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Mr. 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 -MSS., when the signatures of kings and statesmen -were almost at a discount. "I shall now," writes the -chronicler of autograph prices in 1827, "set poetry, -philosophy, history, and works of imagination against -sceptres, swords, robes, and big-wigs.... Addison -is worth £2 15s., Pope £3 5s., and Swift £3. -Thomson has sold for £5 10s. and Burns for £3 10s. -Churchill, the abuser of his compatriots, is valued at -£1 18s. In philosophy Dr. Franklin reaches £1 17s.; -in history, Hume is valued at £1 18s. and Gibbon at -only 8s. The sturdy moralist Johnson ranks at -£1 16s., the graceful trifler Sterne at £2 2s., Smollett -at £2 10s., and Richardson at £1. Scott only yields<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">{197}</a></span> -8s." In the half-century which intervened between -1827 and 1877 the prices of literary autographs had -risen by leaps and bounds. In his catalogue of 1876 -Mr. Waller asked £8 10s. for a short Latin essay of -Thomas Gray, while Longfellow is priced at £1 18s., -George Borrow at £3 3s., and Wordsworth at £1 1s. -A fine letter of Schiller's is priced at £2 5s. In the -next catalogue (1878) I find the following: Gibbon -(a fine A.L.S.) £4 4s.; Voltaire (a 2 pp. A.L.S.) -£3 15s.; Rousseau, a series of letters, including one -of the philosopher, £3 10s.; five verses by Scott, -£4 4s.; William Cowper, A.L.S., £3 7s. 6d.; Gray, a -bundle of printed matter including one hundred lines -of MS., £6 6s. In the late Mr. Frederick Barker's -catalogues of the same period we have Edmund -Burke (A.L.S.), £3 3s.; Thomas Hood (A.L.S.), £2 2s.; -Voltaire (A.L.S.), £4 4s.; Horace Walpole (A.L.S.), -£3 5s.; and a love-letter from John Keats to Fanny -Brawne, £28.</p> - -<p>In cataloguing the last-named item Mr. Barker -says "that one of these celebrated letters realised -by auction a short time since no less than £47." -He also prices two A.L.S. of Robert Burns at £35 -and £32 respectively. It will be remembered that -in 1827 the price for a Burns letter was £3 10s. only. -For a letter of Schiller (4 pp., 8vo, 1801) Mr. Barker -asks £7 7s. In several catalogues of this period -I find Keats letters averaging £20 to £30. The -interesting catalogue issued by Mr. Barker in 1891 -is remarkable for its wealth of literary <i>rariora</i>. -Autograph letters are priced in it as follows: -Schiller, £10 10s.; Burns, £25; Wordsworth, £3 3s.; -Thackeray, £25. The last-named letter is worth -describing. It was addressed to Miss Holmes, with -a postscript on the inside of the envelope, and on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">{198}</a></span> -third sheet a clever sketch of Thackeray and Bulwer -Lytton standing behind a lady seated at a piano. -The letter itself runs thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>There is a comfortable Hotel in this street, kept by a -respectable family man, the charges are Beds gratis, -Breakfasts, thank you, dinner and tea, ditto, servants included -in these charges. Get a cab from the station, and come -straightway to No. 13. I dine out with the Dean of St. Paul's -(you have heard of a large meeting house we have between -Ludgate Hill and Cheapside, with a round roof?). Some -night we will have a select T party, but <i>not</i> whilst you are -staying here. When you are in your lodgings. Why I will -ask Sir Edward George Earle Lytton, Bulwer Lytton himself. -Bulwer's boots are very fine in the accompanying masterly -design (refer to the sketch), remark the traces of emotion on -the cheeks of the other author (the notorious W. M. T.), I -have caricatured Dr. Newman (with an immense nose) and -the Cardinal too, you ought to know that.</p></div> - -<p>This letter would be now worth quite £50, and -some of the fine illustrated Thackeray letters now -in possession of Mr. Frank Sabin would probably -be cheap at £100 each. Mr. Sabin's collection of the -Thackerayana is probably unrivalled both as regards -the United Kingdom and America.<a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a></p> - -<p>In Mr. Barker's 1891 catalogue there are four -letters of Shelley, priced at £18 18s., £19 19s., -£10 10s., and £9 9s. respectively. There is also -a Schiller at £25, and an Alexander Pope covering -one page 8vo only at £8. Darwin is already at -£1 10s., Disraeli at 18s., and the Dickens letters -average about £2. A letter of Dr. Priestley, worth -perhaps 5s. in 1827, is now offered at £2 2s.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w450px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">{199}</a></span> -<img src="images/page_199.jpg" width="450" height="634" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>DEED CONTAINING THE SIGNATURE OF FRANCIS BACON, LORD VERULAM, AND NEARLY -ALL THE MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY, TEMP. JAMES I.</p> - -<p class='center'>(In the collection of Messrs. Ellis.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>I am permitted by Mr. F. Sabin to reproduce<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">{201}</a></span> -a very early literary letter addressed in 1690 by -John Evelyn to Samuel Pepys. It must not be -forgotten that Evelyn was one of the earliest -collectors of MSS.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">Depfd</span>, 25—7:—90.</p> - -<p>'Tis now (methinks) so very long since I saw or heard from -my Ex<sup>t</sup> Friend: that I cannot but enquire after his Health: If -he aske what I am doing all this while? <i>Sarcinam compono</i>, -I am making up my fardle, that I may march the freer: for -the meane time—</p> - -<p>Do you expect a more proper Conjuncture than this -approaching Session, to do yourself Right—by publishing -that which all good men (who love and honour you) cannot -but rejoice to see? you owe it to God, to your Country & to -yr Selfe, and therefore I hope you seriously think of & resolve -upon it.</p> - -<p>I am just now making a step to Wotton to Visite my good -Brother there, Importunately desiring to see me: himselfe -succumbing apace to Age and its Accidents: I think not of -staying above a week or ten daies, & within a little after my -returne be almost ready to remove our small family neerer -you for the winter, In which I promise myselfe the Hapynesse -of a Conversation the most Gratefull to</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">S<sup>r</sup></span><br /> -<span class="mr6">Your Most Humble</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Faithfull Servant</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">J Evelyn</span></p> - -<p>I rent this page from the other before I was aware, and now -tis to full to begin againe for good man̄ers.</p> - -<p>Give my most Humble Service to Dr. Gule.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w425px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_200.jpg" width="425" height="538" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF JOHN EVELYN TO SAMUEL PEPYS, DEPTFORD, SEPTEMBER 25, 1700.</p> - -<p class='center'>(In the collection of Mr. Frank Sabin.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Milton, to a certain extent, was a contemporary -of both Pepys and Evelyn, but he had been -dead sixteen years at the date of the letter now -quoted. The value of Milton's autographs is fully -discussed by Dr. Scott in the pages of <i>The -Archivist</i>.<a name="FNanchor_47_47" id="FNanchor_47_47"></a><a href="#Footnote_47_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a> When the subject first attracted my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">{202}</a></span> -attention early in 1904 much excitement was caused -by the appearance in Sotheby's Salerooms of what -was alleged to be 32 pp. of the MS. of "Paradise -Lost." The value of the document was warmly -discussed at the time and sensational bidding was -anticipated. It was bought in, but I believe it was -ultimately sold to an American collector for £5,000 -or thereabouts. Mr. Quaritch now possesses a very -fine Milton deed, which is priced at £420, and is -dated November 27, 1623. It is signed by John -Milton, as one of the witnesses to the Marriage -Covenant between Edward Phillips of London and -Anne, daughter of John Milton, Citizen and Scrivener -of London.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_203.jpg" width="575" height="399" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>EARLY SIGNATURE OF JOHN MILTON ON DOCUMENTS NOW IN POSSESSION OF MR. QUARITCH.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Letters of Dryden and Cowley have fetched very -high prices,<a name="FNanchor_48_48" id="FNanchor_48_48"></a><a href="#Footnote_48_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a> and the autograph of Edmund Waller -is also rare, but Alexander Pope's letters are -abundant, although they are much less valuable than -those of Swift. A good letter of Pope can be -obtained for from £7 to £10. The late Mr. -Frederick Barker told me he was once asked as -an autographic expert to advise a well-known -nobleman, Lord H., who said he had a bundle of -letters written by <i>one of the Popes</i> in his possession -and desired to ascertain their value, but as -they were merely signed "A Pope" he did not -know which of the Holy Fathers was responsible -for them! Mr. Barker of course identified the -"bard of Twickenham" as their author. They -were bound up under his supervision, and fetched -over £200, but still the owner was not quite -satisfied! Of the four Pope letters in my collection, -only one has ever been published, and that -but partially. It is of such manifest historical<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">{204}</a></span> -interest that I do not apologise for reproducing it -in its entirety:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Alexander Pope at Twickenham to Ralph Allen, Esq., -Widcombe, Bath.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -(<i>November 2. 1738.</i>)</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—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 can, wh the Virtues I know him possest of, deserve; -and therefore I wd Present him with so Honest a Man as you, -and you with so Honest a man as he: The Matter concerning -Urns I wd gladly leave in yr Care, and I desire four small -ones with their Pedestals, may be made, and two of a size -larger. I'l send those sizes to you and I send a Draft of ye -two sorts, 4 of one and 2 of ye other. I am going to insert in -the body of my Works, my two last Poems in Quarto. I -always Profit myself of ye opinion of ye publick to correct -myself on such occasions. And sometimes the Merits of -particular Men, whose names I have made free with for -examples either of Good or of Bad, determine me to -alteration. I have found the Virtue in you more than I -certainly knew before till I had made experiment of it, -I mean Humility! I must therefore in justice to my own -conscience of it bear testimony to it and change the epithet -I first gave you of <i>Low-born</i>, to <i>Humble</i>. I shall take care to -do you the justice to tell everybody this change was not -made at yours, or at any friends request for you: but my own -knowledge (of) you merited it. I receive daily fresh proofs -of your kind remembrance of me. The Bristol waters, the -Guinea Hens, the Oyl and Wine (two Scripture benedictions) -all came safe except ye wine, wch was turned on one side, and -spilt at ye Corks. However tis no loss to <i>me</i> for that sort -I dare not drink on acct of ye Bile, but my friends may and -that is the same thing as if I did. Adieu! Is Mr Hook with -you? I wish I were, for a month at least; for less I wd not -come. Pray advise him not to be so modest. I hope he sees -Mr. Lyttelton. I must expect your good offices with Mrs. -Allen, so let her know I honour a good woman much but a -good Wife more.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">I am ever, yours faithfully,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">A. Pope</span></p> - -<p>Twitnam. <i>Nov 2 (1738).</i></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">{205}</a></span></p> - -<p>My other three Pope letters are unknown. They -are addressed to Mr. Bethel on Tower Hill, London, -Mr. Charles Ford in Park Place, and Mr. Jonathan -Richardson, of Queen Square, London. The last-named -was catalogued last year as written to <i>Samuel</i> -Richardson. I gave £5 for it. Mr. Barker valued -it at £8 in 1891. It provides an antidote to the -unkind things Pope wrote about "Sulphureous" Bath -on other occasions:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Bath.</span> November 14. 1742.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">De Sir</span>,—The whole purpose of this is only to tell you that -the length of my stay at this distance from you, has not made -me unmindful of you; and that I think you have regard -enough for me to be pleased to hear, I have been, and am, -better than usual. In about a fortnight or three weeks I hope -to find you as little altered as possible at yr age, as when I -left you, as I am at mine. God send you all Ease, philosophical -and physical.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">I am your sincerely-affectionate friend and servant,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">A. Pope</span></p> - -<p>My services to yr Son.</p></div> - -<p>The letters of Horace Walpole, who generally -wrote for posterity, are valuable,<a name="FNanchor_49_49" id="FNanchor_49_49"></a><a href="#Footnote_49_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> but by no means -as costly as those of Thomas Gray. Mr. Quaritch -lately showed a group of holograph letters, illustrating -the "quadruple alliance" of Gray, Walpole, West, -and Ashton, which began at Eton. It included two -fairly long letters of Gray and Walpole. I consider -the collection very cheap at £55. Here is a characteristic -unpublished note written by Horace Walpole -to Hannah More, while the latter was staying with -the Garricks in the Adelphi:—</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">{206}</a></span></p> - -<p class='center'><i>Horace Walpole to Hannah More.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>March 11.</i></p> - -<p>I heard at Mrs. Ord's last night that you are not well. 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 streets, but as I do not take for granted whatever will -excuse me from caring, as people that are indifferent readily -do, I beg to hear from yourself how you are. I do not mean -from your own hand, but lips—send me an exact message, -and if it is a good one it will give real pleasure to yours most -sincerely,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">H. Walpole.</span></p> - -<p>PS.—Mrs. Prospero, who is my Miranda, was there last -night with a true blue embroidered favour, that cast a ten -times more important colour on her accents and made her as -potent in her own eyes as Sycorax.</p> - -<p class='center'> -To Miss More at the Adelphi.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w450px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_207.jpg" width="450" height="597" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PAGE OF DR. JOHNSON'S DIARY RECORDING HIS IMPRESSIONS OF STONEHENGE, -ETC., 1783.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The value of Johnson's letters has varied very little -during the past quarter of a century, an A.L.S. of -exceptional interest often bringing £40 or £50. -Possibly his historic letters to Macpherson and -Chesterfield or his ultimatum to Mrs. Thrale would -now fetch considerably more. In the Haber Sale at -New York a 2 pp. 4to A.L.S. dated April 13, 1779, -to Cadell brought £17. I possess several Johnson -letters, many of them unpublished and written during -the last year of his life. The following A.L.S. to -Mr. Ryland was seemingly unknown to Dr. Birkbeck -Hill:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>To Mr. Ryland, Merchant in London.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—I have slackened in my diligence of correspondence, -certainly not by ingratitude or less delight to hear -from my friends, and as little would I have it imputed to idleness, -or amusement of any other kind. The truth is that I -care not much to think on my own state. I have for some -time past grown worse, the water makes slow advances, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">{209}</a></span> -my breath though not so much obstructed as in some former -periods of my disorder is very short. I am not however -heartless. The water has, since its first great effusion, -invaded me thrice, and thrice has retreated. Accept my -sincere thanks for your care in laying down the stone<a name="FNanchor_50_50" id="FNanchor_50_50"></a><a href="#Footnote_50_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a> w<sup>h</sup> you -and young Mr. Ryland have done. I doubt not of finding [it] -well done, if ever I can make my mind firm enough to visit it. -I am now contriving to return, and hope to be yet no disgrace -to our monthly meeting<a name="FNanchor_51_51" id="FNanchor_51_51"></a><a href="#Footnote_51_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a> when I shall be with you, as my -resolution is not very steady and as chance must have some -part in the opportunity, I cannot tell. Do not omit to write, -for your letters are a great part of my comfort.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">I am,</span><br /> -<span class="mr6">Dear Sir</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Your most humble servant</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Sam Johnson</span></p> - -<p>Pray write.</p> - -<p class='right'>Lichfield, <i>Oct. 30, 1784</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_208.jpg" width="575" height="375" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>THE TWO LAST PAGES OF THE MS. JOURNAL OF MRS. THRALE'S TOUR IN WALES, JULY-SEPTEMBER, 1774, -DESCRIBING THE DINNER AT BURKE'S.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Six months before his death he writes thus to Mr. -Nicoll on the subject of Cook's voyages:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">To Mr. Nicoll,</span><br /> -<span class="mr6">Bookseller,</span><br /> -In the Strand, London.</p> - -<p>You were pleased to promise me that when the great -Voyage should be published, you would send it to me. I -am now at Pembroke College, Oxford, and if you can conveniently -enclose it in a parcel, or send it any other way, -I shall think the perusal of it a great favour.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr8">I am,</span><br /> -<span class="mr6">Sir</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Your most humble servant</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Sam Johnson</span><br /> -<i>June 8 1784</i></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">{210}</a></span></p> - -<p>Curiously enough, one of the last subjects upon -which Johnson concentrated his waning energies in -1783-84 was that of the possibilities of the balloon, -which he persistently called "ballon."<a name="FNanchor_52_52" id="FNanchor_52_52"></a><a href="#Footnote_52_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For some years I have been an assiduous collector -of the letters and MSS. of George Crabbe. I now -possess his two historic letters to Edmund Burke. -It was in the earliest of these (once the property of -Sir Theodore Martin) that he made his despairing -appeal for pecuniary aid to save him from suicide or -starvation. Fifty-one years later, George Crabbe, -Rector of Trowbridge, lay a-dying. He receives in -his sick-chamber the following letter from John -Forster:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>John Forster to George Crabbe.</i></p> - -<p class='center'>[Letter franked by Edward Lytton Bulwer.]</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr8">4 Burton St.</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Burton Crescent, London</span><br /> -<i>Jany 20 '32</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Revd. Sir</span>,—I beg, very respectfully to submit to your -inspection the enclosed paper.<a name="FNanchor_53_53" id="FNanchor_53_53"></a><a href="#Footnote_53_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a> May I venture to hope that -your sympathy with the cause of the world of letters—independently -of considerations unfortunately still more urgent, -will induce you to lend the favour of your distinguished name -to a project now become necessary to rescue Mr. Leigh Hunt -from a hard crisis in his fortune</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">With the greatest respect,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">I am, Sir,</span><br /> -<span class="mr2">Your very ob<sup>dt</sup>. servant</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">John Forster.</span></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">{211}</a></span></p> - -<p>After Crabbe's death the following almost illegible -draft of a reply was found amongst his papers:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>It w<sup>d</sup> ill become me who have been so greatly [much] -indebted to the kindness of my Friends, 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 Mr. -Leigh Hunt. My influence I fear is small [living] residing -as, I do, where little except Cloth is made, little except Newspapers -read. This is, however, not without exceptions. -[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</p> - -<p class='right mr4'> -I am Sir ——</p></div> - -<p>History had repeated itself, only the rôles were -reversed. In 1832 the benefactor was Crabbe, and -the distressed man of letters Hunt!</p> - -<p>I have elected to speak of Burke amongst the -writers, although he can claim a high place amongst -the statesmen. His letters are always valuable, -although the price fetched for two exceptionally fine -specimens at the Haber Sale (New York, December -10, 1909) was disappointing. A long letter, written -in his twentieth year, brought only £4 8s.; a splendid -letter from Bath a short time before his death was -sold for £6 8s. The following letter from Edmund -Burke to Mrs. Montagu (one of many I have the -good fortune to possess) has a distinct vein of -American interest:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr6">Westminster,</span><br /> -<span class="mr2"><i><span class="smcap">May 4 1776</span>, Friday.</i></span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Madam</span>,—I was in hopes, that I might have sent you, -together with my acknowledgement for your kindness, the only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">{212}</a></span> -reward you desire for acts of friendship, an account of the full -effect of them. Mrs. James's letter was undoubtedly what it -ought to be on application from you. We have nothing to -complain of Mrs. J. in point of civility but there is no further -result of your indisposition. As yet indeed we do not despair. -But to give the application its full effect on him, if in answer -to Mrs. J. you keep the matter in some degree alive, I do not -question but that it will succeed at last. Almost all the others -are secure.</p> - -<p>I cannot at all express how much obliged I am for the -extremely friendly manner in which you take up my friends -Mr. Burke's case. He is himself as sensible, as he is worthy -of your goodness. It is something to be distinguished by the -regards of those who regard but few. But to have a distinguished -part in the mind where all have their places is -much more flattering.</p> - -<p>We have now almost finished our tedious Sessions; and I -hope to make you my acknowledgement when you return, -somewhat more at leisure. The news from America is not -very pleasing. Indeed I know of no News but that of Peace -which can be so, to any well-disposed mind. General Howe -has been driven from Boston, partly by scarcity, partly by a -sharp Cannonade and Bombardment. He therefore made his -disposition so well that they had not induced his return soon -enough to give him any disturbance. He has collected everything -with him and he has retired to the only place we have -now on that extensive coast, Halifax, where, I doubt, 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 enemy. Mrs. Burke joins me with all the rest of the -family in faithful pledge to you, in the best compliments to -yourself and to your most agreeable Miss Gregory.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr2">I am, with the most sincere regard and highest esteem</span><br /> -<span class="mr8">Dear Madam,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Your sincere friend</span><br /> -and very obliged and humble servant,<br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Edm. Burke.</span></p></div> - -<p>Passing to the nineteenth century, which was to -witness the eclipse of the art of letter-writing as -well as the disappearance of the frank, we come to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">{213}</a></span> -the age of Keats, Shelley, Byron and Lamb. It was -at the beginning of this eventful epoch that Goethe -wrote the lines to Blücher, which form one of the -shortest autographs I possess, but not the least -curious or valuable:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">In Harren<br /></span> -<span class="i0">und Krieg<br /></span> -<span class="i0">in Sturz<br /></span> -<span class="i0">und Sieg<br /></span> -<span class="i0">bewust und gros<br /></span> -<span class="i0">So riss er uns<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Von Feinden los<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<div class="figcenter w315px"> -<img src="images/page_213.jpg" width="315" height="406" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>HOLOGRAPH LINES BY GOETHE ON BLÜCHER, CIRCA 1812-13.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">{214}</a></span></p> - -<p>My friend, Mr. G. L. de St. M. Watson, gives me a -forcible metrical translation:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">In warring or tarrying,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In victory or woe,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He towers; and through him<br /></span> -<span class="i0">We're freed from the foe.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_214.jpg" width="350" height="460" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">{215}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w525px"> -<img src="images/page_215.jpg" width="525" height="429" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF JOHN KEATS (THREE PAGES) TO J. H. REYNOLDS, -FEBRUARY 28, 1820.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">{216}</a></span></p> - -<p>Goethe was an enthusiastic collector of MSS. as -well as a poet. Of the autograph cult he wrote:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>As I personally possess a considerable collection of autographs -and often take occasion to examine and reflect upon -them, it seems to me that every one who directs his thoughts -to this subject may succeed in taking several steps in the -right direction, which may lead to his own improvement and -satisfaction, if not to the instruction of others.</p></div> - -<p>The value of Keats, Shelley, Byron and Scott -letters I have already spoken of. In the Haber Sale -a Keats letter brought £500! Letters of Charles -Lamb range from £4 to £10 or more in price. I -purchased the following note to Hone for £2 2s. and -believe I secured a bargain:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>To Mr. Hone.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">45 Ludgate Hill</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—I was not very well or in spirits when your -pleasing note reached me or should have noticed sooner. Our -Hebrew Brethren seem to appreciate the good news of this -life in more liberal latitude than we to judge from frequent -graces. One I think you must have omitted "After concluding -a bargain." Their distinction of "fruits growing upon -trees" and "upon the ground" I can understand. A sow -makes quite a different grunt <i>her grace</i> from eating chestnuts -and pignuts. The last is a little above Ela with this and -wishing grace be with you,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">Yours</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr4">C. Lamb</span><br /> -<span class="mr2"><i>9 Nov. 1821.</i></span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w260px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_217a.jpg" width="260" height="384" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LETTER OF LORD TENNYSON TO MR. MOXON.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_217b.jpg" width="325" height="379" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF LORD BYRON TO MR. PERRY, MARCH 1, 1812.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Of the literary autograph letters and MSS. of the -Victorian era the highest prices are obtained for those -of Alfred Tennyson and George Meredith. In a -catalogue lately issued by Messrs. Sotheran<a name="FNanchor_54_54" id="FNanchor_54_54"></a><a href="#Footnote_54_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a> the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">{219}</a></span> -author's copy of Tennyson's "Ode on the Death of -the Duke of Wellington," with thirty lines of MS. -additions and a large number of alterations and corrections, -is priced at £120. The MS. draft of his -famous dedication to Queen Victoria published in -1853, and consisting of eight four-line verses, is -considered a little more valuable. An ordinary 8vo -letter of one page frequently fetches as much as £2 -or £3. George Meredith's MSS. have been lately -sold for several hundred pounds, and an ordinary -letter would be cheap at anything between £2 and -£3. Through the kindness of my friend Mr. Clement -Shorter I am able to give a specimen of Meredith's -handwriting.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_218.jpg" width="375" height="558" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ILLUSTRATED LETTER OF W. M. THACKERAY FROM GLASGOW.</p> - -<p class='center'>(In the collection of Mr. Frank Sabin.)</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_219.jpg" width="325" height="224" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LINES FROM THE "ILIAD." SPECIMEN OF THE MS. OF THE -LATE MR. GEORGE MEREDITH.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By kind permission of Mr. Clement K. Shorter.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>W. M. Thackeray and Charles Dickens were both -voluminous letter-writers. The letters of the former -now command higher prices than those of any Victorian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">{220}</a></span> -writer. He also frequently illustrated his witty -notes with amusing sketches in pen and ink and -other oddities. One of these (from the splendid collection -of Mr. Sabin) forms one of the illustrations of this -volume. Into another he introduces a typical Scotch -"sandwich-man" carrying on his back the advertisement -of the Thackeray Lectures at Merchants' Hall, -Glasgow. From my own collection I give a very -interesting example of Thackeray's wit, in the shape -of a letter addressed to Count d'Orsay, on the subject -of the proposed publication of a sacred picture -by the famous dandy. On the back of the circular -announcing its appearance he wrote:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Count</span>,—This note has just come to hand, and -you see I take the freedom with you of speaking the truth. -I dont like this announcement at all. Our Saviour and the -Count d'Orsay ought not to appear in those big letters. It -somehow looks as if you and our Lord were on a par, and put -forth as equal attractions by the publisher. Dont mind my -saying this, for I'm sure this sort of announcement (merely -on account of the unfortunate typography) is likely to shock -many honest folks.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Yours always faithfully</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">W M Thackeray.</span></p></div> - -<p>In the earlier part of his career, Thackeray -wrote a running hand very different to the upright -calligraphy of his later life.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221"></a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"> -<img src="images/page_221.jpg" width="575" height="412" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF W. M. THACKERAY TO COUNT D'ORSAY ON FLY-LEAF OF CIRCULAR ANNOUNCING THE PUBLICATION -OF A PICTURE, N.D.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Early Dickens letters of any length are eagerly -sought for, and sell for nearly three times as much -as those written between 1850 and his death. I am -able to give illustrations of some exceptionally early -Thackeray and Dickens letters, which came into the -possession of Mr. George Gregory, of Bath, through -whose hands the Autograph Album of the first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">{223}</a></span> -Mrs. Sheridan recently passed. The earliest Dickens -letter, of the fifteen autographs in my collection, -was written when he was in his twenty-ninth year. -It is interesting as containing a frank exposition of -his political creed:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Charles Dickens at Broadstairs to Frederick Dickens, -Commissariat, Treasury, Whitehall.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>Sunday September Twelfth 1841.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Fred</span>,—The wording of the Minute is certainly -discouraging. If I saw any way of helping you by coming up -to town, I would do so, immediately. But I cannot possibly -apply to the Tories for <i>anything</i>. I daresay they would be -glad enough if I would, but I cannot with any regard to -honor, consistency, or truth, ask any favour of people -whom politically, I despise and abhor. It would tie my -hands, seal my lips, rob my pen of its honesty, and bind me -neck and heels in discreditable fetters.</p> - -<p><i>Is</i> Archer in Town? If so, have you spoken to him? If -not, when is he coming? You should speak to him certainly. -I have told you before, that I am much afraid you have not -treated him with that show of respect, which he has a right to -claim. Why in the name of God should he have a personal -dislike to you, but for some such reason as this?</p> - -<p>If you think, and I see no objection to your asking Mr. -Archer the question, that without doing anything improper, you -might memorialise the Treasury, I will draw a memorial for -you. If you have reason to think this would be unofficial -and ill-advised, I know of nothing better than waiting -and hoping.</p> - -<p>I should be as sorry as you, if you were to lose this step. -Let me hear from you by return</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Affectionately always</span><br /> -<span class="mr2">C. D.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w425px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_222.jpg" width="425" height="581" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>EARLY A.L.S. OF W. M. THACKERAY TO MR. MACRONE, PUBLISHER, DISCOVERED -BY MR. GEORGE GREGORY, OF BATH.</p> - -<p class='center'>(First style of handwriting in 1836.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The touching letter recording his feelings at the -death of his little daughter is, I think, a human -document of more than ordinary interest:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">{224}</a></span></p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Charles Dickens to Thomas Mitton.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">Devonshire Terrace</span><br /> -<i>Nineteenth April 1851</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Dear Mitton</span>,—I have been in trouble, or I should -have written to you sooner. My wife has been, and is, far from -well. Frederick caused me much vexation and expense. -My poor father's death caused me much distress—and more -expense—but of that, in such a case I say nothing. I came to -London last Monday to preside at a public dinner—played -with little Dora my youngest child before I went—and was -told, when I left the chair, that she had died in a moment. -I am quite myself again, but I have undergone a great -deal.</p> - -<p>I send you all the papers I have relating to Thompson's affair. -I am in town again now and shall be at home on Monday, -Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings. I am not going -back to Malvern, but have let this house until September, and -taken the Fort at Broadstairs.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Y<sup>rs</sup> faithfully</span><br /> -<span class="mr2">C. D.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_225.jpg" width="375" height="528" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF ONE OF CHARLES DICKENS'S LAST LETTERS, -MAY 15, 1870.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Here is one of the last letters he ever wrote, to -which I have already alluded as a rare specimen of a -valuable autograph written in duplicate:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Charles Dickens to J. B. Buckstone.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr10">Gad's Hill Place,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr4">Higham by Rochester, Kent</span><br /> -<span class="mr2"><i><span class="smcap">Sunday</span> Fifteenth May 1870.</i></span><br /> -<span class="smcap">5 Hyde Park Place W.</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Dear Buckstone</span>,—I send a duplicate of this note to -your private address at Sydenham in case it should miss you -at the Haymarket.</p> - -<p>For a few years past, I have been liable, at wholly -uncertain and incalculable times, to a severe attack of -Neuralgia in the foot, about once in the course of the year. -It began in an injury to the finer muscles or nerves, -occasioned by over-walking in deep snow. When it comes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">{226}</a></span> -on, I cannot stand and can bear no covering whatever on the -sensitive place. One of these seizures is upon me now. -Until it leaves me I could no more walk into St. James's Hall -than I could fly in.</p> - -<p>I hope you will present my duty to the Prince, and assure -His Royal Highness that nothing short of my being (most -unfortunately) disabled for the moment, would have prevented -my attending as a Trustee of the Fund, at the dinner, 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 public.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Faithfully your's always</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Charles Dickens</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">J. B. Buckstone Eqr</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_226.jpg" width="325" height="331" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF HONOURABLE MRS. NORTON CONTAINING AN -INVITATION TO MEET CHARLES DICKENS, THE AUTHOR -OF "PICKWICK," AT DINNER.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">{227}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w425px"> -<img src="images/page_227.jpg" width="425" height="595" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>EARLY LETTER OF CHARLES DICKENS TO MR. MACRONE (1836) FROM -FURNIVAL'S INN.</p> - -<p class='center'>(Now in the collection of Mr. Peter Keary.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">{228}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w425px"> -<img src="images/page_228.jpg" width="425" height="532" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF "PERDITA" (MARY ROBINSON) TO GEORGE, PRINCE OF WALES, -JANUARY 19, 1785.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">{229}</a></span></p> - -<p>Carlyle's letters vary in price from £2 2s. to -£5 5s. or more. The following note explains how -the specimen of his calligraphy I reproduce was -obtained for an autograph hunter by his nephew -in 1877:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">Newlands Cottage</span><br /> -<i>7th December 1877</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Sir</span>,—I was much pleased to have your's of the -4th inst. I enclose card of admission to the Install<sup>n</sup> at -Edinburgh which I cribbed from the Gov<sup>r's</sup> Sunday coat long -after its date, and which to tell the truth I did not intend to -part with; but I think it so thoroughly what your friend -would like that I have resolved to send it.</p> - -<p>All Uncle Tom's late letters <i>to his relatives</i> are written on -scraps of paper that might be at hand when he finished work -for the day and signed 'T. C.' only—all full signatures in -letters in my possession have long ago been clipped off....</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Always faithfully your's</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">James Carlyle.</span></p></div> - -<p>The letters of Whistler have quadrupled in value -since his death. I possess several of them, but -only give as an illustration of his handwriting a -post-card from Lyme Regis bearing by way of -signature the once familiar butterfly. "Mark -Twain" was also a very amusing letter-writer. -The following postscript is characteristic of his -humour:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Since penning the foregoing the "Atlantic" has come to -hand with that most thoroughly and entirely satisfactory -notice of "Roughing it," 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 mulatto. I have been -afraid and shaky all along, but now unless the N. of "Tribune" -gives the book a black eye, I am all right.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">With many thanks</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Twain</span></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">{230}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"> -<img src="images/page_230.jpg" width="575" height="201" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>HOLOGRAPH ORDER OF ADMISSION OF THOMAS CARLYLE TO HIS RECTORIAL ADDRESS AT EDINBURGH -UNIVERSITY, DATED MARCH 23, 1866.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">{231}</a></span></p> - -<p>George Augustus Sala and Edmund Yates were -friends and contemporaries of Charles Dickens, and -survived him. They are both entitled to a place -amongst the last of the Victorian letter-writers. -The minute handwriting of Sala was even more -distinct than that of Thackeray. Here is a typical -Sala letter:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">Hotel de Flandre, Montagne de la Cour, Brussels,</span><br /> -<i>Thursday November Twenty Seventh 1884.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Lady Wolseley</span>,—My wife who during my absence -is my Postmistress General, Chancellor of the Exchequer, -Secretary of State for Home and Foreign Affairs and Chief -Commissioner of Works all rolled into one, has forwarded me -your note, and has scribbled on the margin "with two lovely -photographs." I hasten to thank you for the graceful and -thoughtful kindness which has prompted your welcome gift. -I am proud to believe that you <i>know</i> how much I admire and -esteem your illustrious husband; how eagerly I have followed -the course of his splendid and well-deserved fortunes, and -how highly I value the friendship with which during so many -years he has honoured me. 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 "<i>Major</i> -Wolseley, for Mr. Sala, St. Lawrence Hall, Montreal 1863"; -the walking stick which <i>Sir Garnet</i> Wolseley brought me home -from South Africa; the letter which <i>Lord</i> Wolseley wrote me -from the Kremlin, Moscow on Coronation Day 1883, to which -I am now able to add "two lovely photographs" and your -kind note. Were I going alone on my long and arduous -journey, my abiding hope would be, of course, to come home -safe and sound to my wife. Happily we are not to be -separated (although the friendly but cynical solicitor, who -made my will just before I left town was good enough to -remark <i>you must add a codicil in case you are both drowned</i>); -so we shall both, during our wanderings be able to nourish -the pleasant hope that we shall be permitted on our return to -pay our homage to the <i>Earl</i> and <i>Countess</i> Wolseley. I have, -dear Madam, in my time, prophesied a great deal more in -print about your Lord than you are aware of, and I am<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">{233}</a></span> -confident that my latest prediction will come true—<i>and more -than true</i>. Meanwhile, I am,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Your Ladyship's faithful and obliged servant</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">George Augustus Sala</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w400px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_232.jpg" width="400" height="568" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF JOHN WESLEY, JUNE 14, 1788.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Some hundreds of Edmund Yates's letters are in -my possession, and I have utilised them to extra-illustrate -his "Recollections" which I have extended -to seventeen volumes. In the last edition of his -entertaining book he alludes to the pleasure a letter -from Mr. Charles Kent, the friend of Dickens, gave -him in "troublous times." More than twenty years -after I gladly gave 5s. for the original in the auction -room:—</p> - - -<p class='center'>To Charles Kent Esq</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -1 Campden Grove, Kensington, W</p> - -<p>Ah! my dear old friend, how good and thoughtful of you -and what a perfectly acceptable gift!</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i18">'though fallen on evil days<br /></span> -<span class="i0">on evil days though fallen and evil tongues'<br /></span> -</div> -<p class='right'>(vide to-day's <i>Times</i>)</p> -</div> - - - -<p>I am receiving such evidences of love and sympathy from -my friends, and such kindness from officials here, that I am -fairly broken down by them.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">God bless you</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Edmund Yates</span></p> - -<p><i><span class="smcap">Holloway</span>, Jany 17 '85</i></p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234"></a><br /><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">{235}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="VIII" id="VIII">VIII</a><br /> -<br /> -NAVAL<br /> -AND<br /> -MILITARY<br /> -AUTOGRAPHS</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236"></a><br /><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">{237}</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>Naval and military autographs</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Good ink, like good wine, is none the worse for age.</p> - -<p class='citation'> -<span class="smcap">Samuel Johnson.</span></p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> are some autograph collectors who limit their -sphere of operations to the writings of great sailors and -soldiers. The subject has already been touched on -incidentally under the head of Royal Autographs, for -James II. and William IV. were for a time Lord High -Admirals of England, while other sovereigns met -the enemy on the field of battle.<a name="FNanchor_55_55" id="FNanchor_55_55"></a><a href="#Footnote_55_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a> If Wellington -can claim distinction as our greatest soldier, he -ranks also amongst our most prolific letter-writers. -The same may be said of Nelson with almost equal -truth. Of Wellington's innumerable letters, a great -many are supposed to have been written by his -Secretary, Colonel Gurwood, and Nelson's amanuensis -is also said to have successfully imitated the -handwriting of his chief. There are numerous -facsimiles of the letters of both Nelson and -Wellington, and the axiom <i>caveat emptor</i> cannot -be too frequently remembered when a suspicious -specimen is offered for sale. In 1827 we are -informed that "English Generals and Admirals<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">{238}</a></span> -vary greatly in value," and they do still. We are -told, moreover, that at this epoch "the Royalist -Prince Rupert is worth £1 9s., while the Parliamentary -General, Fairfax, with four Peers for his -supporters, is worth only 10s. The naval hero, -Lord Nelson, commands £2 15s., while four other -gallant admirals sink to 7s. 3d. each. Washington -ranks with Cromwell at £5 15s. 6d., and leaves all -other competitors behind." To-day a letter of -Thomas Fairfax would bring anything from £7 to -£20 or more, and a good D.S. at least £4 or £5. His -autographs are always much in request. Washington -letters have realised as much as £100 and more, -and so have Cromwell's.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_239a.jpg" width="325" height="381" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF DUKE OF MONTROSE TO THE KING.</p> - -<p class='center'>(In the collection of Mr. F. Sabin.)</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_239b.jpg" width="325" height="286" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PART OF A.L.S. OF EARL HOWE TO EARL SPENCER AFTER -HIS GREAT VICTORY OF JUNE 1, 1794.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>In 1876-77-78 Mr. Waller was selling letters of -Hood and Rodney at prices varying from 4s. 6d. -to 7s. and "Wellingtons" at an average of 5s., -but asked 12s. 6d. for a good letter of Villeneuve, -who was defeated and taken prisoner at Trafalgar. -In the same catalogue I find an A.L.S. of Wellington -for 3s. 6d., and "fine specimens" of Turenne -Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough (Commander-in-Chief -of the Forces in Spain <i>temp.</i> Queen Anne), -priced respectively at £2 10s. Five years ago, however, -a short letter written by the Iron Duke on the -evening after Waterloo realised £105 at Sotheby's, -and, as I have already stated, Wellington paid £60 for -two similar letters during his lifetime—and committed -them to the flames. At this time I see three interesting -letters of Marlborough and three of his wife, with -one document signed by the latter, were sold in a lot -for £10 10s. Very good letters of Marlborough may -even now be bought in Germany and Belgium for -£3 or £4. In the "eighteen-seventies" very little -Nelson MS. seems to have been in the market, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">{241}</a></span> -Mr. Frederick Barker offered a long A.L.S. of Lady -Nelson (May 2, 1805) for 6s., and "directions for -approaching Cadiz, 1 p. folio, wholly in Nelson's handwriting," -for £3 5s. He priced two good A.L.S. of -1794 and 1795 at £5 5s. and £4 4s. In 1887 I met -with a letter of General Gordon, quoted as "very -rare," for £2 2s. In the same catalogue is a fine letter -of Prince Rupert for £3 3s. I frankly envy the purchaser -for 9s. 6d. of a letter written by Marshal Ney, -from Montreuil, Boulogne, in 1804, when the terror -of French invasion was at its height.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_240.jpg" width="350" height="582" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>OFFICIAL MS. ACCOUNT OF EXPENSES INCURRED AT FUNERAL -OF QUEEN ANNE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>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 centuries, like Shovel, Wager, and Rooke, -and I have seen a letter of Vernon, whose coat of -grogram gave rise to the familiar word which still -denotes the dilution of spirits with water, sold for 5s.! -There is, however, one naval autograph of this period -which now commands high prices. I allude to letters -and other MSS. of the ill-fated John Byng, judicially -murdered on March 14, 1757, "<i>pour encourager les -autres</i>," as Voltaire says in "Candide," or in other -words, to save the face of an inefficient and discredited -Ministry. I gave £3 in 1907 for an -A.L.S. of his which thirty years ago was sold by -Mr. Waller for 12s. 6d., but I regard as a veritable -autographic treasure the original of his will, which -bears his signature in three places, and was executed -only forty-eight hours before his tragic death. The -<i>sang-froid</i> displayed in its elaboration shows the -courage and deliberation of the unlucky admiral -when face to face with the "Grim Sergeant."</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_242a.jpg" width="350" height="321" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE PAGE OF A.L.S. OF GENERAL BYNG, OCTOBER 27, 1727.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_242b.jpg" width="350" height="138" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>SIGNATURE OF ADMIRAL BYNG ON HIS WILL A FEW DAYS BEFORE -HIS DEATH, MARCH, 1757.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Only twelve months divide the death of Byng -from the birth of Nelson, whose autographs are even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">{243}</a></span> -more costly than those of the Elizabethan heroes of -1588. They now hold, as I shall presently show, the -record as regards both price and interest. I have -already alluded to the perils and pitfalls of Nelson -forgeries. The collector must, of course, bear in mind -the striking differences in the calligraphy of the great -Admiral before and after the loss of his right arm -in July, 1797. The earliest example I possess of -Nelson's handwriting is a commission, signed on -April 5, 1781, by him as well as by Lord Lisbourne, -Bamber Gascoyne, and J. Greville. Nelson was then -twenty-three. He was thirty-nine when he penned -with his <i>right hand</i> the following historic letter to -Earl Spencer:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Lord Nelson to Earl Spencer.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Theseus</span>, May 28 1797.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Lord</span>,—On my arrival from the Mediterranean two -days past I received from Sir John Jervis your Lordship's -Letter of April 3 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 wearing.</p> - -<p>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 -posterity.</p> - -<p>Your Lordship having from the moment of your coming to -the Admiralty represented my services in the most favourable -point of view to the King, 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 Commands.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">I have the Honor to be my Lord,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Your most obedient servant,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Horatio Nelson.</span></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">{244}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_245a.jpg" width="325" height="408" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF LORD NELSON TO EARL SPENCER, WRITTEN -WITH HIS RIGHT HAND, <i>THESEUS</i>, MAY 28, 1798.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_245b.jpg" width="325" height="385" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF NELSON TO LADY HAMILTON ABOUT HIS WIFE, -WRITTEN WITH HIS LEFT HAND, JANUARY 24, 1801.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Two months later occurred the accident which -deprived Nelson of his right hand. The Bath facsimile<a name="FNanchor_56_56" id="FNanchor_56_56"></a><a href="#Footnote_56_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a> -is a good specimen of his writing with his left -hand in the last years of the eighteenth century. 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 separation. At the end -of 1799, while he was still in the Mediterranean, she -wrote him the following letter, now in my collection:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">St James's St</span><br /> -<i>Dec 10 1797</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Husband</span>,—I have seen a letter from Lady Berry -to Mr. Davison. She tells him of Sir Edward's letter, dated -Foudroyant, Minorca, Oct<sup>r</sup> 18<sup>th</sup>, and mentions you were quite -well which I hope is true. I dined a few days back at Mr -Nepean's. He told me you were at Gibralter (<i>sic</i>). I thanked -him for his intelligence. Would have given something to -have asked a question, but that could not be done—therefore -I still flatter myself as you are half way we may stand some -chance of seeing you. Capt<sup>n</sup> Foley has this instant left me. -From what Capt<sup>n</sup> Hood said I was in great hopes Capt<sup>n</sup> F -had very lately seen you. He is full of the Earl's commanding -the Channel Fleet. Lord Bridport has sailed again. Our -good father received yesterday [a letter] from your B<sup>r</sup>. William -teazing him about no dignitaries (<i>sic</i>) for the Nelson family. -I must write to the Rector and beg him not to be so tiresome, -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 W. N. [William Nesbit] requested me -to give Mr Windham a <i>gentle hint</i>. Sir Peter and Lady -Parker called yesterday. We have agreed to go and see the -famous French milliner. Lady P declares they will put me -in a sack and send me to Bonaparte. Her spirits are good -indeed. She sends Sir Peter to the Admiralty to hear when -you are expected home. I don't know what she is <i>not</i> to do—Dance -and grow young. We dined yesterday (Susanna I -mean) with the Hamiltons. I wish I could say Mrs Hamilton -is the least modernized of all the antique figures. She<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">{247}</a></span> -certainly (is) the most. Mr Morton pais (<i>sic</i>) great attention. -Bob Jones tells me Forbes has got Mr M to sign some papers -for him. I long to hear what you have done for Captain -Hardy. <i>His</i> character is excellent indeed.</p> - -<p>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 children. -Our good father's love to you and Blessing. God Bless -and Protect my Dearest Husband</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Believe me your affec. Wife</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Frances H Nelson</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w300px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_246a.jpg" width="300" height="368" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF LADY NELSON TO HER -HUSBAND, DECEMBER 10, 1799.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_246b.jpg" width="375" height="341" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>NAVAL COMMISSION SIGNED BY LORD NELSON, -APRIL 25, 1781.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The tone of Lady Nelson's letter to her husband -presents a striking contrast to that in which, little -more than a year later, he speaks of her in a letter -to Lady Hamilton, for which I paid a very large -sum early in 1905. As might be expected, the -demand for Nelson autographs became more urgent -as the centenary of Trafalgar approached, but, on -the whole, the rise of price was not quite as marked -as might be expected, although one particular letter -to Lady Hamilton, apparently little more striking -than the one now given, was sold for £1,050. The -great Nelson sensation (as far as the autograph market -is concerned) came off some five months later, viz., on -March 14, 1906, when the unique Nelson document -described as follows was disposed of at Christie's:—</p> - - -<p class='p2 center'>NELSON'S FAMOUS MEMORANDUM TO THE FLEET -ON THE EVE OF TRAFALGAR.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="blockquot_2"> - -<p>133. NELSON (ADMIRAL LORD) "GENERAL MEMORANDUM," -<span class="smcap">in the Autograph of the Famous -Admiral, in which he Foreshadowed the Plan of -Attack at Trafalgar, and which he actually -Carried Out. "Victory," off Cadiz, 9 Oct. 1805</span>, -8 pp. 4to.</p></div> - -<p>Thinking it almost impossible to bring a fleet of 40 sail of -the line into a line of Battle, in variable winds, thick weather,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">{248}</a></span> -and other circumstances which must occur, without such a -loss of time, that the opportunity would probably be lost.... -I have therefore made up my mind to keep the fleet in that -position of sailing (with the exception of the first and second -in command) that the order of sailing is to be the order of -battle; placing the fleet in two lines of 16 ships each, with an -advanced squadron of eight of the fastest sailing two-decked -ships [which] will always make if wanted a line of 24 sail, on -whichever line the Commander-in-Chief may direct, etc.</p></div> - -<p>It was bought by Mr. Frank Sabin for £3,600. -A newspaper controversy at once arose on the -subject of the transaction. Public attention was -forcibly directed to the supreme importance of the -document, and an effort was made to secure it for -the nation, Mr. Sabin most generously offering to -sell it to the authorities at cost price. The movement -to acquire it fell through, owing to the -impossibility of obtaining a grant-in-aid. Quite -unexpectedly the late Mr. B. M. Woollan offered to -buy it for the nation, but stipulated that during his -life-time the MS. "should remain in his possession and -be accessible to the public in the Town Hall at -Tunbridge Wells." This was agreed to, Mr. Sabin -maintaining his proposal to sell at cost price. The -Trafalgar order was framed in oak taken from the -<i>Victory</i> under the direction of a British Museum -expert, and after remaining for some time at Tunbridge -Wells, has found (since Mr. Woollan's death) -a final resting-place in the National Collection. On -March 14, 1906, Messrs. Maggs paid £170 for one -of the official copies of the "General Memorandum," -viz., that addressed to William Lechmere, Captain -of the <i>Thunderer</i>. It filled 5 pp. It was marked -"secret," and contained a note to the effect that "the -Captain should return the Secret Memorandum to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">{249}</a></span> -the <i>Victory</i> when the <i>Thunderer</i> quits the fleet for -England." The original has been, or will shortly be, -facsimiled by the British Museum MS. Department. -Collectors will then be able to procure copies of it at -an almost nominal price. During the weeks which -followed March 14, 1906, the "Memorandum" -became the subject of a dozen romantic legends. -Several years ago I purchased the signature of -Nelson appended to the last few lines of another of -these "official copies" for one sovereign. It was -formally attested by the widow of the Captain to -whom it was originally sent. I possess a 3 pp. -A.L.S. written by Lord Nelson to Lord Collingwood -on board H.M.S. <i>Victory</i>, on October 10, 1805—eleven -days before Trafalgar. It cost £20. Some -time since, the album of the Honourable Charles -Greville, the first lover of Emma Hart (Lady Hamilton) -was broken up. Amongst the documents I -purchased from it was a MS. account of Nelson's -household expenses while residing in Bond Street, -with Mr. Greville, from April 7 to 18, 1803.</p> - -<p>The letters of "Nelson's Hardy"<a name="FNanchor_57_57" id="FNanchor_57_57"></a><a href="#Footnote_57_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a> fetch from £1 -to £2 each. They lack style, but are characterised -by the breezy heartiness which was typical of the -man whom Nelson loved and trusted. The discovery -of many hundreds of Hardy's letters to his Dorset -relatives in 1905 enabled me, writing in collaboration -with my friend the Rev. R. G. Bartelot, to supply -to some extent a long-felt want in naval history. -Here are two Hardy letters which came to light -subsequent to our examination of the great mass of -his correspondence:—</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">{250}</a></span></p> - -<p class='center'><i>Captain T. M. Hardy, at Plymouth, to his brother-in-law, Mr. -Manfield, at Dorchester.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">San Josef—Torbay.</span><br /> -<i>Feby 8 1801</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Manfield</span>,—We are in Hourly expectation of the -St George, where the Admiral is to hoist his flag. The -moment she arrives myself and all the officers go with him. -We shall sail as soon as possible for Portsmouth, and from -thence to the North Sea. After we have done <i>the business</i> -there, which we expect to do in about two months, the Flag -is again to be hoisted in San Josef. 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 ago. Lawrence arrived yesterday -with Roberts. He is a fine lad and will do, but he is very -young. Admiral [Lord Nelson] tells me he saw you. You -landed and of course you made your <i>grand salam</i> to him. I -suppose a number of <i>wonderful</i> stories has been told of San -Josef in and about Dorchester. Our Beer is reduced to six -bottles and on a moderate calculation that cannot last more -than three days. 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 Nelson, St George, Spithead, by any vessel that sails -from Weymouth. With duty to all friends, I remain, dear -Manfield</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Your's sincerely</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">T. M. Hardy</span></p></div> - - -<p class='center'><i>Captain T. M. Hardy, Torbay, to Mr. Manfield, Dorchester.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Manfield</span>,—I have only time to say that we are now -getting under weigh for Spithead, and shall probably pass -Abbotsbury Ferry during the night. Do write to me at Spithead -and tell me if the Beer is sent as the Ad<sup>ml</sup> <i>longs</i> for it -every day at Dinner</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Your's in great haste</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">T. M. Hardy</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w300px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_251a.jpg" width="300" height="349" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF SIR THOMAS HARDY ABOUT LORD NELSON'S BEER, -TORBAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1801.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w275px"> -<img src="images/page_251b.jpg" width="275" height="398" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LETTER OF DUKE OF WELLINGTON TO MR. ALGERNON -GREVILLE, OCTOBER 24, 1841, SPEAKING OF THE -NECESSITY OF HIS BEING PRESENT AT THE BIRTH -OF KING EDWARD VII.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Letters of Rodney and Howe now fetch from £1<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">{253}</a></span> -to £2 each; those of St. Vincent, Collingwood, and -the Hoods somewhat less.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_252.jpg" width="375" height="347" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ENVELOPE DIRECTED BY DUKE OF WELLINGTON TO LADY SIDMOUTH ENCLOSING -LOCK OF NAPOLEON'S HAIR, 1821.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Letters of most of the Nelson captains can still be -bought at very moderate prices, but if addressed to -Nelson the value would be at once doubled.</p> - -<p>The finest collection of letters by Fairfax and other -soldiers of the Civil War, both Royalist and Parliamentarian, -I know of, is in the possession of Mr. -F. Sabin, by whose permission I reproduce the -letter of Montrose to the King, which is priced at -£60:—</p> - - -<p class='p2'>Superscription, "for the King's Maiesty," and -endorsement, "<span class="smcap">Lord of Montrose</span>, 3d February."</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='ml2'> -<span class="smcap">please yr Maiesty</span></p> - -<p>Haveing never receaved any of yr Mas Commands, since I -had the honor to attend you, bot on letter from france only, -and knoweing what strange newses yr Ma may daly heare, I -heave directed thes that your Ma may know (notwithstanding -all opposition and encouragements) I am hopefull, to be once -againe in the termes to doe your service[**space - no period, P2] I will not trouble -yr Ma with particulars bot leave them unto Mr Elliott, who -will informe yr Ma att greatter lenth[**space - no period, P2] I am</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Yr Mas Subject and Servant</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Montrose</span></p></div> - -<p>I have already alluded to the varying prices of -Wellington's letters, which depend entirely on the -time at which they were written. If dated June 17, -18, 19 or 20, 1815, they might be worth anything -from £50 upwards; letters from the Peninsula on -military topics bring from £2 to £5, but I only -gave 30s. for the note and envelope franked and -addressed to Lady Sidmouth, covering a lock of -Napoleon's hair—the latter being included in the -price! In my opinion there could not possibly be a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">{254}</a></span> -more interesting souvenir of the victor of Waterloo. -The letters of Sir Hudson Lowe are sold from £1 -to £3, those of Marshal Blücher fetching about the -same price.</p> - -<p>Few of the letters of living warriors fetch high -prices. The amusing and satirical letters of -Frederick Burnaby are worth from 4s. to 10s., -but I refrain from publishing those in my collection. -Letters of Earl Roberts and Viscount -Wolseley average from 3s. to 5s., but Lord -Kitchener writes little and declines persistently to -be "drawn." I once saw a letter of his priced -at £2 12s. 6d., but that was when the Boer War -was at its height.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">{255}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="IX" id="IX">IX</a><br /> -<br /> -AUTOGRAPHS<br /> -OF MUSIC,<br /> -THE DRAMA,<br /> -AND ART</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256"></a><br /><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">{257}</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></p> - -<p class='ph3'>AUTOGRAPHS OF MUSIC, THE DRAMA, AND ART</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>Illustrated letters</b></p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i30">We pry<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In the dark archives and tenacious scrolls<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Of written thought.—<span class="smcap">Hartley Coleridge.</span><br /></span> -</div></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">On</span> December 17, 1907, four-and-twenty letters of -Ludwig van Beethoven were sold at Sotheby's -for £660, notwithstanding the fact that the autographs -of musicians, artists, and actors, are not -even mentioned by the chronicler of prices in -1827! For the solitary letter of Beethoven in -my collection I paid M. Noël Charavay £10, -and it was at the same outlay I acquired in -England an interesting letter of Joseph Haydn's. -In extra-illustrating the "History of the Festivals -of the Three Choirs," of which my ancestor, William -Hayes, Mus. Doc. (1707-1777), was one of the -founders and subsequently a conductor, I acquired -considerable experience in the market prices of -all sorts of musical MSS.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_258.jpg" width="375" height="555" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF THE ABBÉ LISZT TO SECRETARY OF PRINCESS OF WALES -(QUEEN ALEXANDRA), APRIL 16, 1886.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>In this particular class of autographs "album -specimens" have often considerable value, for -musicians have always been the target of the autograph-hunter, -especially so of those of the fair<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">{259}</a></span> -sex.<a name="FNanchor_58_58" id="FNanchor_58_58"></a><a href="#Footnote_58_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a> It is no uncommon sight after a "star" -concert to see the tired-out central attraction in -a state of autograph siege, either for inscriptions -in albums or signatures to photographs. 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 surrendered. A few bars of music -written and signed by Handel would now be -worth quite £20 or £25; and some day the -musical autographs of Edward Elgar will fetch -very high prices. William and Philip Hayes rank -in the first class of English composers of Church -music, although the father was overshadowed by -his loyal friendship for Handel, and the latter by -his admiration for Haydn. I have acquired (with -one or two trifling exceptions) the MSS. of their -compositions, several of which have never been -published. Like most musicians, the Hayeses were -humourists. They wrote anthems and chants, but -they won fame in their generation by catches, -canons, glees, madrigals, and fugitive pieces of all -sorts. The tuneful airs of Philip Hayes [1738-1797] -re-echoed amidst the glades of Blenheim, and were -often heard at Ranelagh, Vauxhall, and "Marybone."<a name="FNanchor_59_59" id="FNanchor_59_59"></a><a href="#Footnote_59_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a> -Musical autographs have risen considerably in price -during the past thirty years, as shown at the comparatively -recent Taphouse Sale. A very fine letter -of Chopin's was offered for sale at 250 francs last<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">{261}</a></span> -year by Madame Veuve Gabriel Charavay. Letters -of Mendelssohn and Wagner are in great request. -The former vary in price from £3 to £10. Although -Richard Wagner was a prolific letter-writer, any letter -of his is worth £5 or thereabouts, and many have -sold at from £20 to £50. I have never seen an -A.L.S. of Handel's in the sale-rooms. A good one -will probably fetch £50. A fragment of one of his -compositions, once in the possession of William -Hayes, lately realised £100. Much of his music -seems to have been written out by Smart.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_260.jpg" width="575" height="354" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF JOSEPH HAYDN, THE COMPOSER, JUNE 5, 1803.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>In 1876 Mr. Waller offered a letter of Beethoven's -for sale at £3 10s.; one by Dr. Blow for £1 and -2 pp. of one of William Boyce's compositions for -7s. 6d.! The latter would certainly fetch 40s. to-day, -but thirty years ago autographs of Catalani, Bishop, -Cooke, Holmes, Hummel, Michael Kelly, Lablache, -Loder, Meyerbeer, Offenbach, Louisa Pyne, Rossini, -Rudersdorff, Tamburini, and Samuel Wesley averaged -about 3s.! I lately gave £3 3s. for the signed MS. of -Wesley's "Ode on the Death of Boyce," the -bicentenary of whose birth occurs this year (1910), -in which also the centenary of the birth of -Wesley's musical son, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, -might appropriately be celebrated at Gloucester. -Amongst Mr. Frank Sabin's autographic <i>rariora</i> is -the MS. of the original score of Thomas Moore's -"Last Rose of Summer." There is a great demand -in America just now for Moore MSS. of this sort, -although ordinary letters rarely fetch high prices. -Charles Burney's letters (of which I have many) are -to my mind always interesting, although they only -bring from 15s. to 30s. in the sale-rooms.</p> - -<p>For some collectors the Drama offers a peculiar -fascination. I have already described the letter of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">{262}</a></span> -William Wilson of the "Fortune" Theatre, with -whom Shakespeare possibly played.<a name="FNanchor_60_60" id="FNanchor_60_60"></a><a href="#Footnote_60_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a> The great -dramatist himself, from the autograph point of view, -has been alluded to. In turning over the catalogues of -1876-86 one is struck with the high prices of letters -of David Garrick and Sarah Siddons. Garrick rarely -wrote a dull letter. When Paul Sandby asked for a -box he replied—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">I will maintain Good Master Sandby<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And with my blood, the Fact will stand by,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The trifle ask'd is no great favour,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And you and your's are wellcome ever<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="right mr2"> -<span class="smcap">D Garrick</span></p> - -<p>Here are some examples of Garrick's letters to -Mrs. Montagu not generally known:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Mr. Garrick to Mrs. Montagu.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">Drury Lane Theatre.</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Madam</span>,—I take up ye first piece of paper to answer -your note. I feel for you and for poor amiable Miss Gregory -from my heart of hearts! 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 Mrs. 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 mourning. I shall take care that you have your -refusal of a box next Friday if I am able to perform. If you -should be engaged pray let it revert to me. I must desire you -not to say a word to anybody of my intentions....</p> - -<p>Mrs. Garrick and I shall do ourselves the honour of attending -you on Sunday.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Most faithful ever and ever Yours,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">D. Garrick.</span></p></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">{263}</a></span></p> - -<p class='center'><i>David Garrick to Mrs. Montagu.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Madam</span>,—We are unfortunately engaged on -Sunday next but if we are able to quit our Company, may we -be permitted to pay our respects to you? If you should be -engaged we will wait upon you ye first opportunity. I have -made bold to answer for you a subscription to Mr. Capel's -School of Shakespeare. I will tell you more of this when I -have the honour and pleasure of seeing you.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">I am most devotedly yours,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">D. Garrick.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_263.jpg" width="325" height="237" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>SIGNATURE OF THE NONAGENARIAN MRS. GARRICK A FEW DAYS -BEFORE HER DEATH.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>I have in my collection a Drury Lane box-ticket -dated and signed by Mrs. Garrick a few days before -her death. In the last decade of the nineteenth -century the late Mr. Thomas Knox Holmes told me -he had danced with Mrs. Garrick in her drawing-room -at the Adelphi when she was past ninety. She -was actually engaged in inspecting her dress for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">{264}</a></span> -theatre when Death once more "eclipsed the gaiety" -of the brilliant little côterie in which Garrick's widow -moved.</p> - -<p>The letters of Sarah Siddons fetched quite as much -or even more in the "eighteen-seventies" than they -do now. As a matter of fact, the charming letter to -Mrs. Piozzi, now reproduced, exchanged hands in -1876 at £2 2s. more than I gave for it in 1910.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_264.jpg" width="325" height="167" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A GENUINE SHORT NOTE SIGNED BY EDMUND KEAN, AFTERWARDS -IMITATED.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_265.jpg" width="325" height="452" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF R. B. SHERIDAN ASKING FOR TIME TO PAY A DRAFT.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_266.jpg" width="575" height="414" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF CHARLES MATHEWS, THE ACTOR, PROPOSING HIS SON FOR ELECTION TO GARRICK CLUB, N.D.</p></div> -</div> - - -<p class='center'><i>Mrs. Siddons to Mrs. Piozzi, Westbourne Farm, Paddington, -January 29, 1809.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Friend</span>,—I am merely anxious to know how you -and Mr. Piozzi are, and the distance between me and your -fair daughters, are now so great that I get no accounts of you. -You know of old, my distaste of writing, and I know full well -my inability of amusing you, so that my letter has nothing to -recommend it, except the true love of the writer, which knows -no change. Often, very often, do I think of you, and most -sincerely do I lament your suffering, but there is nowhere but -heaven I believe that is exempt from affliction; but dear Soul -let me hear from you. You have heard of the fire in which I -lost every stage ornament so many years collecting, and at so -great expense of time and money. All my Jewels, all my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">{267}</a></span> -lace, and in short nothing left. The Duke of Northumberland -has given my Brother Ten thousand pounds! and the -manner of bestowing this noble gift was so great as anything -I have ever heard or read of,</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"The lucky have whole years and those they choose<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Th' unlucky have but hours and those they lose"<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>but poor fellow he is I fear in a wretched state of health, yet -he looked the other night in Macbeth as beautiful as ever; he -is never now without his cough, which they say is gouty (certainly -the disorder is flying about him) and if it would come -to a good fit that he woud be well. It seems a strange thing -to say that a man recovers his health by the loss of his limbs. -So thinks poor Mr. Piozzi I suppose, poor dear Soul, how he -has suffered from it! and <i>you</i>! You will perhaps scarcely -believe how often and how tenderly I think of you, and how -deeply I regret the distance between us, but it is nevertheless -true. 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 them. I have got Cecilia home from school, she -is very well at present, but to keep her well she must have sea -bathing in the summer. Is there any place of that sort near -Brynn Bella? if so, I shoud hope I might be able to see you -sometimes. I have got a genteel well principled young -woman as a Governess for her, and my family which would -consist of seven or eight persons would perhaps be too large -to be accommodated very near you. Oh that you were again -at Streatham! Remember me very kindly to dear Mr Piozzi. -God bless and support you my very dear friend. I am -unalterably</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">Your affte</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">S. Siddons<a name="FNanchor_61_61" id="FNanchor_61_61"></a><a href="#Footnote_61_61" class="fnanchor">[61]</a></span></p> - -<p>I lost in the fire a Toilette of the poor Queen of France, -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 things. It could not have cost at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">{269}</a></span> -first less than a thousand pounds. I us'd to wear it <i>only</i> in -the trial scene of Hermione in the Winters Tale, it covered -me all over from head to foot. I suppose my losses could not -be repaired for Twelve hundred pounds, but God be praised -that the fire did not break out while the people were in the -house!!!</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_268.jpg" width="350" height="416" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LAST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF MRS. SIDDONS TO MRS. PIOZZI AFTER THE -FIRE AT COVENT GARDEN THEATRE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Fine letters from Mrs. Siddons fetch from £10 to -£20. A specimen may be obtained for £5 or even -less, for I note an invitation "to dine at pretty Westbourne" -has just been sold (February 28, 1910) for -£2 14s. The letters of the brother of the great -actress, J. P. Kemble, sell at from £1 to £3 each. He -evidently (according to one of the specimens in my -collection) moved in very high circles. This letter is -addressed to Sir Thomas Lawrence, whose fatal relations -with the Siddons family circle have already -been alluded to:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Lawrence</span>,—I am this moment come from Carlton -House. I did not myself see the Prince of Wales; but -His Royal Highness desired Mr. McMahon to tell me how -highly pleased he is with the Drawing; 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 consideration. The Prince, my dear Lawrence, -is charmed with the Portrait. Mr. Smirke writes to-night to -the Engraver at Birmingham</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">Yours,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">J. P. Kemble</span></p> - -<p>Friday, <i>October 28, 1808</i>.</p></div> - -<p>The most curious letters of that mysterious personage -the Chevalier d'Éon in my collection relate -to two public exhibitions of his skill as a fencer, -given in Bath during the year 1796. While staying<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">{270}</a></span> -in his native Tonnerre the <i>ex-chargé d'affaires</i> gave -a supper in honour of Prince Henry of Prussia. -In a bundle of his MSS. I bought in France I -found the bill for the historic feast. It was not -expensive, and must surely have been enjoyed -<i>tête-à-tête</i>.</p> - -<p>The letters of artists do not as a rule command -large prices, but there are many exceptions. I have -never seen a letter from Sir A. Vandyke or Sir P. -Lely, but Mr. W. V. Daniell prices the following -letter of William Hogarth to his wife in Dorset -at £35:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">London</span>, June 6 1749</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Jenny</span>,—I write to you now, not because I think you -may expect it only, but because I find a pleasure in it, which is -more than I can say of writing to any body else, and I insist on -it you don't take it for a mere complement; your last letter -pleased more than I'll say, but this I will own if the postman -should knock at the door in a week's time after the receipt of -this, I shall think there is more musick in't than the beat of a -kettle drum, and if the words to the tune are made by you (to -carry on metafor) and brings news of your all coming soon -to Town, I shall think the words much better than the musick, -but don't hasten out of a scene of pleasure to make me one. -You'll find by the enclosed that I shall be glad to be a small contributer -to it. I don't know whether or no you know that -Garrick was going to be married to the Violetta when you -went away. I supt with him last night and had a deal of talk -about her. I can't write any more than what this side will -contain; you know I won't turn over a new leaf I am so -obstinate, but then I am no less obstinate in loving you</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Your affectionate Husband,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Wm. Hogarth.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w300px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_271a.jpg" width="300" height="372" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LETTER OF THE CHEVALIER D'ÉON TO COLONEL -MONSON, BATH, JANUARY 7, 1796.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w300px"> -<img src="images/page_271b.jpg" width="300" height="383" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ACCOUNT FOR SUPPER GIVEN BY THE CHEVALIER D'ÉON -TO PRINCE HENRY OF PRUSSIA, AUGUST 15, 1784.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Letters of Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, -and George Morland always fetch from £3 to £10 or -more. I gave £7 7s. for the letter of Reynolds to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">{273}</a></span> -Crabbe, covering Dr. Johnson's criticism of the poem -submitted to him. The examples of Romney and -Morland I possess are placed behind the frontispieces -of standard works on their Art. The letter of poor -Morland is melancholy reading, and suggestive of the -squalor in which he moved and died:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">{274}</a></span></p> - -<p class='center'><i>George Morland to Mr. Graham.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Graham</span>,—I am worse than ever. Had an opium -pill to take last night, and as I thought two must do me more -good than one, I took them both. I expected it was <i>up</i>.</p> - -<p>However I am not quite so bad, but I will use my best -endeavour to get on for you this week the whole of which I -must keep quiet.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">Good bie,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">G. Morland.</span></p> - -<p> -<span class="ml2">Wednesday</span><br /> -<i>On other side</i>—<br /> -<span class="ml2">John Graham Esqre</span><br /> -<span class="ml4">30 Red Lion Square London</span><br /> -<i>Postmark—May 6 1801</i></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w410px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_272.jpg" width="410" height="593" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ONE OF THE LAST LETTERS EVER WRITTEN BY GRIMALDI, THE GREAT -CLOWN, DECEMBER 20, 1829.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_273.jpg" width="375" height="421" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF WILLIAM HOGARTH TO HIS WIFE, JANUARY 6, 1749.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_274.jpg" width="375" height="368" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LAST PAGE OF AN A.L.S. BY THE PAINTER GEORGE ROMNEY.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">{275}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w300px"> -<img src="images/page_275a.jpg" width="300" height="376" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS TO GEORGE CRABBE, -MARCH 4, 1783.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_275b.jpg" width="375" height="390" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF GEORGE MORLAND.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">{276}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w550px"> -<img src="images/page_276.jpg" width="550" height="435" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>TWO PAGES OF ILLUSTRATED LETTER FROM THE HONBLE. MRS. NORTON TO A SISTER, JULY, 1854.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">{277}</a></span></p> - -<p>In May, 1810, George Cruikshank, born in 1792, -was in the thick of the fight which the caricaturists -waged against Napoleon. It was seventy years later -than the date of Morland's grotesque scrawl that -there appeared in <i>The Times</i> (December 30, 1871) -a letter from "Glorious George" claiming to be the -originator of the idea of "Oliver Twist." On the -following day Charles Manby, a mutual friend of -the writer and the artist, thus writes to the latter:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">60 Westbourne Terrace Hyde Park</span><br /> -<i>December 30 1871</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear old friend</span>,—I see with pleasure that, as I -expected you have in the "Times" of this day vindicated your -claim to originating the story of "Oliver Twist," which I have -a notion you told me of a long time ago. I am persuaded that -Dickens himself, would, with his inherent love of truth, have -confirmed your statement, and it is a pity that his historian -should have written vehemently on the subject. Be prepared -with your Sketches, etc. to maintain the position which will be -hotly contested, although in reality there is so much positive -merit in all that Dickens originated and did, that there is -not any necessity for laying claim to the works of others,—his -collaborateurs. I should much like someday to see the -sketches in question—that is if there is not any indiscretion -in the request. I will ask you to allow me to call upon you -and look over them.</p> - -<p>With every good wish for the New Year believe me</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Your's very sincerely</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Charles Manby</span></p> - -<p>Lt Col: Cruikshank.</p></div> - -<p>On January 2, 1872, Cruikshank replies as -follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">263 Hampstead Road N W</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear old Friend</span>,—It is so long since I illustrated -"Oliver Twist," that I do not at present know where the -original sketches are, but will look over the bundles of papers -for them and when found will let you know, and shall be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">{278}</a></span> -highly pleased if you will visit my studio and take a peep at -them, although some are so rough that they are hardly worth -looking at, having been done in such haste. The sketches -that Dr. Sheldon Mackenzie alludes to of "The Life of a -London Thief" were made about 50 years back, when Charles -Dickens was a little boy, and it is a chance if I ever see these -sketches again, but I have a list of the subjects which I will -show you.</p> - -<p>Wishing you and your's a happy New Year and many of -them,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">I am, Dear Friend, Your's truly</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">George Cruikshank.</span></p> - -<p>Charles Manby Esqre CE etc.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w450px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_279.jpg" width="450" height="390" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PORTION OF ILLUSTRATED LETTER BY JOHN LEECH.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w550px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_280.jpg" width="550" height="361" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PAGE OF ILLUSTRATED A.L.S. FROM MR. WHEELER TO SIR F. BURNAND.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>I often wonder that some zealous collector does -not confine his attention solely to letters illustrated -by the writers. I have already mentioned the -achievements in this connection of Thackeray<a name="FNanchor_62_62" id="FNanchor_62_62"></a><a href="#Footnote_62_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a> and -Sir Frank Lockwood. I have come across illustrated -letters in the correspondence of Sir Joshua Reynolds -and Mrs. Piozzi; Mrs. Norton embellished her letters -with admirable sketches of a humorous character, and -so did John Leech, Hablot K. Browne, Frederick -Barnard, and, of course, George Cruikshank. In my -three grangerised volumes relating to the history of -<i>Punch</i> are letters illustrated by Sir Francis Burnand -(who delighted his friends with this kind of <i>jeu -d'esprit</i> before he left Cambridge), Mr. G. A. Sala, -Mr. Linley Sambourne, Mr. H. Furniss, Mr. Phil May, -and Mr. E. T. Reed. One of the most curious illustrated -letters in my possession is a rough sketch of a -projected bath at Windsor, made by King George -III. for the benefit of Wyatt, the architect. Napoleon -often added sketch-plans of battles and movements of -troops to his letters, and Louis Philippe was fond of -making quaint drawings, which are sometimes to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">{281}</a></span> -found even on the official documents which passed -through his hands. It was from a rough sketch in -a letter of Mr. Cobden, now in possession of Mr. T. -Fisher Unwin, that we find the genesis of the idea -of the "big" and "little loaf," which has achieved -something very like political immortality.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"> -<img src="images/page_281.jpg" width="375" height="364" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>ILLUSTRATED A.L.S. OF FRED BARNARD RELATING TO THE PLATES -OF "DOMBEY AND SON," N.D.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">{282}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w300px"> -<img src="images/page_282.jpg" width="300" height="411" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PORTRAIT OF CHARLES PEACE, THE MURDERER, ON A.L.S. OF -SIR FRANK LOCKWOOD, WHO DEFENDED HIM, WRITTEN IN -1888.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">{283}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_283.jpg" width="350" height="551" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF GEORGE CRUICKSHANK, SEPTEMBER, 1836, ABOUT DICKENS'S -FIRST CALL ON HIM.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">{284}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w400px"> -<img src="images/page_284a.jpg" width="400" height="272" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>POSTCARD OF JAMES WHISTLER FROM LION HOTEL, LYME REGIS, CIRCA 1888.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_284b.jpg" width="350" height="420" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF THE PAINTER MEISSONIER, JULY 25, 1861.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">{285}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_285.jpg" width="325" height="507" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PORTRAITS OF SIR R. REID (NOW LORD LOREBURN) AND THE -LATE SIR FRANK LOCKWOOD ON AN ILLUSTRATED LETTER -WRITTEN BY THE LATTER DURING THE PARNELL COMMISSION.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">{286}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w575px"> -<img src="images/page_286.jpg" width="575" height="353" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>TWO PAGES OF AN ILLUSTRATED LETTER BY HABLOT K. BROWNE.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">{287}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_287.jpg" width="325" height="473" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>TWO PAGES OF A LETTER FROM RICHARD COBDEN IN -"THE FORTIES."</p> - -<p class='center'>(By courtesy of Mr. William Darby, Edgbaston.)</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">{288}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_288.jpg" width="325" height="521" alt="" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">{289}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="X" id="X">X</a><br /> -<br /> -AUTOGRAPH<br /> -COLLECTING<br /> -IN FRANCE</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290"></a><br /><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">{291}</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a></p> - -<p class='ph3'>AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING IN FRANCE</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>Autograph letters of Napoleon—His associates and -contemporaries—Other French autographs</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"I cannot write well because my mind is engaged on two -subjects at once; one, my ideas; the other, my handwriting. -The ideas go on fastest, and then goodbye to the letters and -the lines! I can only dictate now. It is very convenient to -dictate. It is just as if one were holding a conversation" -(Napoleon).—<span class="smcap">Gourgaud</span>, p. 261.</p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> subjects of autograph collecting and autograph -dealing in France, as well as the wealth of French -literature dealing with the whole subject, and the -abundance of collections of facsimiles, have already -been incidentally alluded to. The business now -carried on by M. Noël Charavay was founded in -1843 by his father, M. Jacques Charavay, who died in -1867. He was succeeded by his son, Stephen -Charavay, who lived till 1899. At his funeral an -eloquent address was delivered by M. Anatole -France. Five years before the autograph business -had been made over by M. Stephen Charavay to his -brother, Noël Charavay, who now carries it on. In -1865 M. Gabriel Charavay, the brother of Jacques<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">{292}</a></span> -Charavay, acquired the goodwill and connection of -M. Laverdet, one of the earliest dealers in autographs. -His son and successor, Eugène, died young in 1892, -and the head of the house is now the widow of -Gabriel Charavay. Monthly catalogues are issued by -both firms under the respective titles of <i>Bulletin -d'Autographes</i> and <i>Revue des Autographes</i>. The first -publication is now (1910) in its 63rd, the other in -its 45th year. Autograph collectors would do -well to study both, as English letters are frequently -offered for sale in them, and the price of Napoleonic -MSS. and similar <i>rariora</i> is, as a rule, much less in -England than in France. I strongly recommend -beginners in autograph collecting to carefully read -the introduction to the fine Bovet catalogue, afterwards -published as a pamphlet by M. Stephen -Charavay. The four volumes, entitled "L'Isographie -des Hommes Célèbres," are of inestimable use in -acquiring familiarity with the handwriting of celebrated -French men and women. M. Jacques -Charavay and his sons are responsible as "experts" -(and in France autograph "experts" have an official -character) for the compilation of nearly the whole -of the elaborate catalogues of autograph sales -which have taken place in Paris since 1843. -The solitary exception to this assertion is the -sale of the MSS. of Madame Récamier. It was -Jacques Charavay and his two successors who -presided over the dispersals of the autograph collections -formed in succession by Brunet, Yémeniz, -Fillon, Bovet, Piot, Champfleury, Pichon, and Dablin.<a name="FNanchor_63_63" id="FNanchor_63_63"></a><a href="#Footnote_63_63" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> -A list of these catalogues down to 1902 was prepared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">{293}</a></span> -by M. Edmund Brébion and published. It is already -out of print.</p> - -<p>Of Napoleon I. as a scribe my friend Dr. J. -Holland Rose writes me as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Napoleon was the greatest letter-writer of all time. The -number of letters written or dictated by him up to the end -of the Waterloo Campaign is 22,061; many more belong to the -subsequent period, and some 2,000 or 3,000 letters have been -found since the publication of the "Correspondance de -Napoléon," published by order of Napoleon III.</p> - -<p>On very many occasions he wrote or dictated thirty or forty -letters and dispatches in one day. A well-known example of -his epistolary activity is that recorded by a Saxon Colonel, von -Odleben, who describes him while staying at Düben shortly -before the Battle of Leipsic, October, 1813. In those anxious -days Napoleon kept his secretaries on the watch day and night, -and is known to have sent off six important letters in the small -hours of October 12th, shortly before he set out for Leipsic. -In later days he wrote comparatively few of his letters -himself, simply because his writing was almost illegible.</p> - -<p>His early letters to Josephine were of course in his own -handwriting; they are remarkable, among the love-letters of -great men, for their passionate ardour: which, however, soon -cooled under the frivolities and neglect of his Consort.</p> - -<p>Some of his letters never have been deciphered. 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 -January, 1797. It has been much erased and altered. The -skill of experts at Paris and London has failed to decipher -the contents of three-fourths of this scrawl, yet the original -was sold recently for a very large sum of money.</p></div> - -<p>I have already mentioned<a name="FNanchor_64_64" id="FNanchor_64_64"></a><a href="#Footnote_64_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a> the seven Napoleon -letters sold in London in 1904 for £350. In the -following year I was much interested in three letters -which M. Noël Charavay offered for sale at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">{294}</a></span> -modest price of £100, throwing light on certain -negotiations between Bonaparte and the Bourbons, -which supplement a curt letter of the former in the -Morrison Collection declining to entertain certain -proposals. The three letters sold in 1905 are in the -easily recognisable handwriting of Louis XVIII. -(known in 1801, when they were written, as the Comte -de Lille), and in them he puts before the Abbé de -Montesquieu, who was acting as a go-between in -the matter, the reasons which should induce the First -Consul to facilitate the return of the descendant of -St. Louis to the throne of his forefathers. In the -first of the series (dated Warsaw, March 22, 1801) -Louis congratulates himself on the idea which has -prompted him to take the initiative in the matter. -He writes as follows: "Buonaparte is to-day the -greatest of our country's soldiers. He will be her -saviour. As the Father of the French it is for me -to make the first advance.... I charge you to -communicate to him the following arguments: the -restoration of the Monarchy is necessary; the existence -of the Republic has only proved its impossibility; -the only Republicans in France are abstract -reasoners, faddists, &c." In a last and final memorandum -he says: "When I appeal to Buonaparte, -do I do so merely to march over the bodies of the -dead? If glory has chosen him to restore the -Monarchy, let glory be the witness of my engagements." -At the same time he energetically denies -the allegation that he has ever encouraged or -approved any project for the assassination of the -First Consul.</p> - -<p>In February of the present year I saw in London -a superb Napoleonic letter of great historic importance, -and authenticated by a declaration made by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">{295}</a></span> -the Duke of Wellington. This letter once belonged -to an English Prime Minister. It was written on -May 1, 1803, when the delusive Treaty (or Truce) of -Amiens was about to be torn up. A part of the -letter has appeared, but I now give it <i>in extenso</i> -with a translation<a name="FNanchor_65_65" id="FNanchor_65_65"></a><a href="#Footnote_65_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a>:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">St. Cloud 4½.</span></p> - -<p>Je recois votre lettre, qui m'a été remise à la Malmaison, -je désire que la conference ne se tourne pas en parlage—mettez -vous y froid, altier et même un peu fier.</p> - -<p>Si la notte (<i>sic</i>) contient le mot ultimatum fait lui sentir que -ce mot renferme celui de guerre, que cette manière de -negocier est d'un superieur à un inferieur, si la notte ne -contient pas ce mot, fait qu'il le mette, en lui observant qu'il -faut enfin savoir à qui nous en tenir, que nous sommes las de -etat d'anxieté—que jamais en n'obtiendra de nous, ce que -l'on a obtenu des dernières années des Bourbons, que nous -ne sommes plus ce peuple que recevoit un commissaire à -Dunkerque, que l'ultimatum remis, tout deviendra rompu.</p> - -<p>Effrayez le sur les suites de cette remise S'il est inébranlable, -accompagnez le dans votre salon sur le point de vous quitter, -dit lui "mais le Cap, et l'ile de Gorée, sont ils evacués" -radoucissez un peu la fin de la Conférence, et invitez le à -revenir avant d'écrire à sa Cour, enfin que vous puisiez lui -dire l'impression qu'elle a fait sur moi, qu'elle pouvoit être -diminuée, par l'assurance de l'evacuation de Cap et de l'ile de -Gorée.</p> - -<p class="right mr2"> -<span class="smcap">Nap.</span></p></div> - - -<p class='center'>[<span class="smcap">Translation.</span>]</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">St. Cloud 4½</span></p> - -<p>I am in receipt of your letter which was given me at -Malmaison. I desire that the conference should not end in -idle words. Be cold in your demeanour—haughty and if need -be proud. If the note contains the word ultimatum, let him -feel that this word means war, and that this manner of -negotiating is that of a superior to an inferior; if the note -does not contain this word see that he uses it saying that we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">{296}</a></span> -must really know where we are, that we are weary of this state -of tension and that they will never obtain from us, what they -obtained in the last years of the Bourbons, that we are no -longer the people to receive a Commissioner at Dunkirk -and that the ultimatum once delivered everything will -be broken off. Frighten him as to the consequence of this -act on his part, 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 Gorée, are they evacuated?" Then -towards the end of the interview tone down matters a little, -and suggest his coming back before writing to his Court, so -that you may be able to tell him the impression which the -conference has made upon me, and that it could be softened -by the assurance of the evacuation of these places.</p> - -<p class="right mr2"> -<span class="smcap">Nap.</span></p></div> - -<p>This letter was purchased by the Earl of Crawford -and Balcarres, whose attention I called to its great -interest. Lord Crawford probably possesses one of -the finest sets of Revolutionary and Napoleonic MSS. -in the hands of any private collector. He is at the -present moment engaged in cataloguing them.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_297a.jpg" width="325" height="346" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>EARLY SIGNATURE OF NAPOLEON I. AS "BUONAPARTE" ON -MILITARY DOCUMENT, DATED FEBRUARY 1, 1796.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_297b.jpg" width="325" height="372" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF A.L.S. OF ADMIRAL VILLENEUVE ANNOUNCING -TO THE FRENCH MINISTER OF MARINE THE DISASTER OF THE -NILE, SEPTEMBER, 1798.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Of the various autographs of Napoleon in my own -collection, the earliest (now reproduced) is dated -February 1, 1796. Napoleon then signed himself -"Buonaparte." He was then Commander-in-Chief of -the Army of the Interior. The last I possess consist -of a note in pencil written at St. Helena and the -various hieroglyphics with which he controlled the -entries in Pierron's journal of household disbursements. -All the autographs of the Bonaparte family -fetch high prices, especially letters of Madame Mère -(Napoleon's mother), Josephine and Marie Louise -(his wives), and the sisters Eliza, Pauline, and -Caroline. Letters of his father are now extremely -difficult to obtain, although ten years ago they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">{300}</a></span> -fetched only from £1 to £2. Letters of Talleyrand -are not rare, but the one I now place before my -readers possesses both exceptional interest and value.</p> - -<p class='center'><i>Talleyrand to Napoleon I.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sire</span>,—La naissance d'un prince dans la famille de votre -majesté est un évenement heureux pour tous ses sujets. Je -dois en sentir davantage l'importance moi que le sentiment, le -respect, et la reconnaissance attachent d'une maniere plus -particulaire à votre majesté. Je la supplie d'agréer avec -bonté l'expression de ma joie et les veux ardents que je forme -à chaque moment de ma vie pour la prosperité de son auguste -famille, elle ne peut être trop nombreuse pour la tranquillité -et le bonheur du monde.</p> - -<p>Je supplie votre majesté de recevoir avec bonté l'assurance -du profond respect avec lequel je suis</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="mr10">de votre majesté impériale et royale</span><br /> -<span class="mr8">les très humble, très obeissant et très</span><br /> -<span class="mr6">fidèle serviteur et sujet</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Charles Maurice Talleyrand</span><br /> -<i>Prince de Bénévento</i></p></div> - -<p class='center'>[<span class="smcap">Translation.</span>]</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sire</span>,—The birth of a prince in your Majesty's family is a -happy event for all your subjects. I feel the importance of it -more particularly on account of the sentiment, the respect -and the gratitude which bind me to your Majesty. I entreat -you to accept with favour my congratulations, as well as my -ardent wishes, formed every moment of my life for the -prosperity of your august family, which cannot be sufficiently -numerous for the peace and prosperity of the world.</p> - -<p>I entreat your Majesty to graciously accept the assurance -of profound esteem with which I subscribe myself,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Your Imperial and Royal Majesty's</span><br /> -<span class="mr6">faithful servant and subject</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Charles Maurice de Talleyrand,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4"><i>Prince de Benevento</i>.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_298.jpg" width="325" height="540" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>SIGNATURE OF EMPRESS MARIE LOUISE AS REGENT, JULY, 1813.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_299.jpg" width="350" height="424" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF JOSEPH BONAPARTE, AFTERWARDS KING OF SPAIN, -JANUARY, 1806.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>In this letter, dated April 20, 1808, Talleyrand -conveys to the Emperor, then at Bayonne, his congratulations<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">{303}</a></span> -on the birth of the future Emperor, -Napoleon III., at which he was present, and it must -have been written the very day when that event took -place. In his "Life of Napoleon III.," at page 10, -the late Mr. Archibald Forbes writes thus: "It was -on the afternoon of April 20, 1808, in her <i>hôtel</i> in the -Rue Cérutti, now the banking-house of the Rothschilds -in the Rue Lafitte, that Queen Hortense gave -birth to her third son, the future Napoleon III. The -Empress was then at Bordeaux and the Emperor at -Bayonne. Talleyrand, with other high officers, had -been commanded by Napoleon to be present at the -impending accouchement of Queen Hortense. She -thus notes regarding him: 'The visit of M. de -Talleyrand aggravated my nervous state. He -constantly wore powder, the scent of which was so -strong that when he approached me I was nearly -suffocated.' Talleyrand looked down solemnly on -the new-born infant; some thirty years later, in Lady -Tankerville's drawing-room in London, he did not -choose to recognise the son of Hortense. The heir -of the Empire was then an exile, and Talleyrand -was serving a new master."</p> - -<div class="figcenter w400px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_301.jpg" width="400" height="517" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF TALLEYRAND IN PARIS TO NAPOLEON I. AT BAYONNE CONGRATULATING -HIM ON THE BIRTH OF NAPOLEON III., AT WHICH HE HAD BEEN PRESENT, -APRIL, 1808.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w375px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_302.jpg" width="375" height="462" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>LETTER SIGNED BY THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE, 3 VENTOSE AN X -(FEBRUARY 22, 1802).</p></div> -</div> - -<p>I possess letters and documents signed by -Napoleon in Egypt (1798-99), at Rambouillet -(1807), at Bayonne (1808), and on a pardon (1812). -Possibly the finest is on a letter written in 1805 from -the camp at Boulogne. I paid £5 for this; it is -worth at least five times as much now. Letters of -most of Napoleon's Marshals vary in value from 10s. -to 20s. The rarest are those of Desaix (killed at -Marengo) and Poniatowski (drowned in the Elster -in 1813). They are worth from £3 to £5. An -autograph letter of the Duc d'Enghien would -probably bring its owner £20. I gave £5 for a good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">{304}</a></span> -L.S. Letters of Murat are worth from 15s. to 20s. -I bought the letter written to Napoleon by him for -12s. 6d. in England. Letters of Eliza Bonaparte -and Marshal Masséna are now somewhat hard to -procure, as those of the former are purchased by an -historian, while the present holder of the title of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">{305}</a></span> -Prince d'Essling is credited with being a liberal -buyer of the MSS. of his gallant ancestor.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_304.jpg" width="350" height="422" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF MARSHAL NEY, PARIS, DECEMBER 23, 1813.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_305.jpg" width="325" height="397" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>EXERCISE OF THE KING OF ROME, DUKE DE REICHSTADT, -CIRCA 1827.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>As regards the Roi de Rome (Napoleon II.), I -have already referred to his exercise-books. If he -had lived he would have had a rival in the Comte de -Chambord, of whose early compositions I now give<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">{306}</a></span> -an example. His handwriting was excellent. Few -boys at eight write anything like as well:—</p> - -<p class='center'><i>Exercise of Count de Chambord, 1820-83.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>François Premier après avoir vaillamment combattu sous -les murs de Pavie, fut fait prisonnier par les Espagnols. Ce -roy chevalier annonça son malheur à sa mère par ces mots -écrits sur le champ de bataille 'Tout est perdu fors l'honneur.' -Il fut conduit en Espagne et mené à Madrid où il fut gardé -dans un château. Charlequint l'y laissa long temps sans -l'aller voir.</p> - -<p class="mr2 right"> -St. Cloud <i>le 18 Juillet 1828</i>.</p></div> - -<p>Nearly half a century later the writer preferred to -lose his chances of a throne rather than renounce -the white flag of his ancestors. If I mistake not -he used the very words of Francis I. recorded on -the copy-book page now in my possession!</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_307.jpg" width="350" height="446" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PORTION OF ESSAY ON GUNNERY WRITTEN BY THE LATE PRINCE -IMPERIAL OF FRANCE WHILE A CADET AT THE WOOLWICH MILITARY -ACADEMY.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Ordinary letters of Napoleon III. and the Empress -Eugénie are priced at figures varying from £l to -£5. Like Napoleon I., the heir to the Napoleonic -traditions was an industrious letter-writer. I possess -many examples of his letters, ranging from 1830 to -1870. Here is one written during his detention in -Germany:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="right"> -<i><span class="smcap">Wilhelmshoe</span> le 29 Oct. 1870</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mon cher Lord Alfred</span>,—Je suis bien touché de votre -bon souvenir; 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 fils.</p> - -<p>C'est une vrai consolation pour moi dans mon malheur que -de recevoir des preuves de sympathie comme les votres, et -je vous prie de dire à Lady Paget combien je suis sensible à -son souvenir. Je vous prie aussi de vouloir bien vous charger -de la lettre ci-jointe pour Sir John Burgoyne. Il m'a écrit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">{309}</a></span> -une lettre très aimable, mais on m'a pas donné une adresse, et -je perir à le remercier.</p> - -<p>Recevez, mon cher Lord Alfred l'assurance de mes sentiments -d'amitié.</p> - -<p class="mr2 right"> -<span class="smcap">Napoléon.</span></p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w275px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_308a.jpg" width="275" height="393" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>PAGE OF A.L.S. OF NAPOLEON III. TO DR. O'MEARA, -MARCH 9, 1836.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_308b.jpg" width="350" height="226" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>SKETCH BY THE LATE PRINCE IMPERIAL, CIRCA 1866.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>Autograph letters of the Prince Imperial fetch -very high prices indeed—anything from £5 upwards. -The fine essay written by him at the Royal Military -College, Woolwich, is worth quite twice that sum.</p> - -<p>Letters of the Empress Eugénie are now generally -priced higher than those of her husband, and I have -known as much as £10 asked for one. Her Majesty -is, or was, a zealous collector of autographs. Twenty -years ago she was credited with possessing several -letters of Catherine of Aragon, and a letter from -Henry VII. to King and Queen Ferdinand and -Isabella, of the highest historical importance.</p> - -<p>Fine letters of Louis XVIII., Charles X., and Louis -Philippe can be obtained for a pound or less, and -the correspondence of the statesmen who served -under them is even cheaper. I gave 20 francs for -a very confidential letter written to the last-named -monarch by Count Molé (1781-1853) in July, 1835. -It begins thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sire</span>,—His Majesty will probably recollect that by means -of a little monthly arrangement I have very nearly silenced -the grape-shot of the <i>Morning Chronicle</i>, obtaining occasionally -even favourable mention. I have undertaken now and then -to obtain news paragraphs from London. Here is the first. -It is curious, very curious indeed. I believe in the truth of its -contents. I have opened up relations with <i>The Times</i>.</p></div> - -<p>At this point he suddenly drops the subject, and -enlarges on certain gossip from the German Courts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">{310}</a></span> -and the lack of intelligence shown by the War -Minister, General Bernard.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"> -<img src="images/page_310.jpg" width="350" height="412" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF ADMIRAL BRUEYS, THE FRENCH ADMIRAL COMMANDING-IN-CHIEF, -WHO WAS KILLED AT TRAFALGAR, DATED MAY 25, 1797.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The official letters of the Revolutionary and -Napoleonic periods are often distinguished by -engraved vignettes of great artistic beauty. The -designs of the earlier ones are often classical. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">{311}</a></span> -letters of naval officers are often headed by a -medallion on which a Roman galley figures conspicuously. -It was by carefully studying the sale -catalogues that I obtained the letter of Talleyrand -to Napoleon at an outlay of 27 francs. For 52 francs -I purchased in the open market one of the earliest -official letters of Villeneuve to the Minister of -Marine at Paris, after the battle of the Nile.</p> - -<p>Some of the autographs of the Revolution fetch -very high prices. Letters of Mirabeau are comparatively -cheap, but those of the Robespierres and -Anacharsis Cloots command almost as much as -those of Montesquieu. Letters of Madame Roland -and Marat are also much in request. Autographs of -Charlotte Corday are probably more valuable than -those of Marie Antoinette.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_312.jpg" width="350" height="518" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>TWO SIGNATURES OF MARIE ANTOINETTE ON A WARRANT, -OCTOBER, 1783.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_313.jpg" width="325" height="531" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF NAPOLEON III. TO LORD ALFRED PAGET FROM -WILHELMSHOHE, OCTOBER 29, 1870.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>In the early part of the nineteenth century MSS. -of every description were sold at prices which now -seem incredible. Miss Berry tells us that the -"Deffand collection of letters and documents consisting -of 1 folio of <i>œuvres de</i> Boufflers; 1 do. of -letters from different persons; 2 do. of letters from -Voltaire to Madame de Deffand; 1 do. Journal of -do.; 1 do. <i>divers ouvrages</i> of do.; 5 large bundles -of manuscript papers; 1 packet containing several -hundred letters from Voltaire, Rousseau, Delille, -Montesquieu, de Staël, Walpole, Henault, and 7 -<i>large packets</i> containing 800 letters from Madame de -Deffand to Horace Walpole were sold in one lot -to Dyce Sombre for £157." Lucky Nabob! I may -say without indiscretion that the single letter from -Napoleon to Talleyrand mentioned at the opening of -this chapter obtained a better price. Letters of -Voltaire are worth from £1 to £5 each. I gave -10 francs for the apothecary's account for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">{315}</a></span> -embalming of his body prior to its inhumation -in the Pantheon. The following letter in English -from Voltaire to Lord Chesterfield—certainly a -rarity—cost me £3 3s.:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><i>Voltaire to the Earl of Chesterfield.</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr2">À FERNEY PAR GENEVE,</span><br /> -<i>5 August 1761.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">my Lord</span>,—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 nation. j have in my old age a sort of -conformity with you. tis not in point of wit, but in point of -ears, mine are much hard too. the consolation of deaf -people is to read, and sometimes to scribble. j have as a -scribbler, made a prety curious commentary on many -tragedies of corneille. t'is my duty since the gran daughter -of corneille is in my house.</p> - -<p>if there was a gran daughter of Shakespear j would subscribe -for her. j hope those who take ponticheré will take -subscriptions too. the work is prodigeously cheap and no -money is to be given but at the reception of the book</p> - -<p><i>nurse</i> receives the names of the subscribers. y<sup>r</sup> name will -be the most honourable and the dearest to me.</p> - -<p>I wish y<sup>r</sup> lordship long life, good eyes and good stomak.</p> - -<p>my lord <i>souvenez vous de votre ancien serviteur Voltaire qui -vous est attaché comme s'il était a londres</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The original spelling of the letter has been preserved.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w350px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_314.jpg" width="350" height="434" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>FIRST PAGE OF LETTER IN ENGLISH FROM VOLTAIRE TO EARL OF -CHESTERFIELD, FERNEY, AUGUST 5, 1761.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>It is needless to discuss the value of such priceless -treasures as the autographs of Rabelais and Molière, -the subjects of so much discussion and (if truth be -told) so much deception. Like the signatures of -Shakespeare, they may be described as the Koh-i-noors -of calligraphy. They do not come within the -domain of practical autograph collecting.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316"></a><br /><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">{317}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="XI" id="XI">XI</a><br /> -<br /> -A CENTURY<br /> -OF AMERICAN<br /> -AUTOGRAPH<br /> -COLLECTING</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318"></a><br /><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">{319}</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a></p> - -<p class='ph3'>A CENTURY OF AMERICAN AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>The great collectors and collections of the United States—The -autograph sale-rooms of New York, Boston, -and Philadelphia</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"How very inconsiderate some of our great people have -been in the matter of epistolary correspondence! If Thomas -Lynch, jun., and Button Gwinnett, and John Morton had only -understood the feelings of a collector, they would surely have -favoured their friends more frequently with an A.L.S. or -even an A.N.S. When they were signing the Declaration on -that warm July afternoon, and committing themselves to the -famous fallacy that 'all men are created equal,' they might -have foreseen the day when every American collector would -begin his colligendering career by gathering 'signers.'"—<span class="smcap">Adrian -H. Joline.</span></p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">If</span> the conscript fathers of autograph collecting can -be fairly claimed by the country of their birth, the -majority of their most ardent and enthusiastic successors -are to be found to-day on the other side of -the Atlantic. It is in New York, Boston, Baltimore, -Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, Savannah, -and elsewhere that one must now look for many -of the choicest and most priceless literary MSS. in -existence, and it is obvious that the New World has -in a measure become the guardian of many of the -traditions and treasures of the Old. Before me lie<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">{320}</a></span> -the calendar of the Emmet collection of papers -relating to American history, presented some ten -years ago to the New York Public Library, which -fills no less than 563 closely printed pages; next to -it is the catalogue, in three parts, of the Louis -J. Haber collection, sold in December, 1909, by -the Anderson Auction Company of New York, the -successors of the historic firm of Bangs; the monograph, -"Privately Illustrated Books," by Daniel M. -Tredwell, of New York—the largest and most carefully -written book on the subject yet produced in -America (475 pages, handsomely printed in De -Vinne's best style), the exhaustive catalogue of that -treasure-house of Southern history, beneath the -laurel and jasmines of historic "Wormsloe," Georgia, -recently sent me by Wimberley J. De Renne; -the already often-referred-to "Meditations" of Mr. -Adrian H. Joline; the standard American book, -"Autographic Collections of the Signers of the -Declaration of Independence and the Constitution," -by the late Lyman C. Draper, LL.D., the interesting -MSS. so carefully arranged by Chas. De F. Burns, -of New York, whose knowledge of early American -collecting is very great; and, last but not least, a -pile of valuable notes and statistics from the pen -of my excellent friend Mr. Telamon Cuyler, without -whose aid the present chapter could never have -been written. My initial difficulty is a plethora of -interesting information. I must not even attempt to -summarise the autographic trophies to be found in -such famous libraries as those of Mr. Pierpont Morgan, -Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet (at the present moment the -Nestor of the world's great collectors of MSS.), Mr. -W. J. De Renne of Wormsloe, or Mr. W. H. Bexby -of St. Louis.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">{321}</a></span></p> - -<p>Dr. Emmet, now the most vigorous octogenarian -in New York, and divided only by a single generation -from the Irish patriot of 1804 (his uncle), -forms a living link between the days of Israel K. -Tefft of Savannah, the pioneer of American autograph -collecting, whose library was sold half a -century ago in Philadelphia, and men like Mr. -Louis J. Haber, Mr. Bexby, and Mr. Telamon Cuyler -himself; for is not my enthusiastic <i>confrère</i> himself -the proud possessor of a holograph document containing -seven times the name of Button Gwinnett? -To nine-tenths of my lay readers the mention of -B. Gwinnett, who was killed in a duel in May, 1777, -and T. Lynch, drowned at sea in the same fateful -year, will probably have no particular signification. -Let me tell them that if they could discover a fine -autograph letter, duly signed, of either of these -signers of the Declaration of American Independence, -they may consider themselves provided for for life, -and far richer than the owners of red and blue -"Post Office Mauritius," "Hawaian blues," or other -priceless <i>rariora</i> dear to the votaries of philately!</p> - -<p>The great majority of American autograph -collectors apparently utilise their letters and documents -for the purposes of extra-illustration, or the -creation of "association-books."<a name="FNanchor_66_66" id="FNanchor_66_66"></a><a href="#Footnote_66_66" class="fnanchor">[66]</a> Although the -arrangement of autographs on these lines does not -receive the whole-hearted sanction of Mr. Joline, -Dr. Emmet has successfully demonstrated the -supreme importance of this source of illustration to -the "grangeriser," and it is constantly practised by -both Mr. Cuyler and myself. In this connection I do -not, of course, allude to the MSS. of famous authors, -which should obviously be kept apart, and bound by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">{322}</a></span> -experts like Mr. Cedric Chivers, in such a way as not -to interfere with their original condition or appearance, -but to isolated letters or documents. I fail to -imagine anything more interesting or attractive than -a copy of Clarendon's "History," illustrated not only -by portraits and views, but by MSS. like those in the -possession of Mr. Sabin, or those I shall describe -when giving some account of the sales of the last -decade.<a name="FNanchor_67_67" id="FNanchor_67_67"></a><a href="#Footnote_67_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a> Then, and then only, do you seem to -actually live again in the veritable atmosphere of the -seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.</p> - -<p>The American collector generally begins his career, -both as an autograph collector and extra-illustrator, -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" -(1776-1783). The Emmet Collection in the New -York Public Library,<a name="FNanchor_68_68" id="FNanchor_68_68"></a><a href="#Footnote_68_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a> which numbers 10,800 documents, -is classified under such heads as the Albany -Congress of 1754, the Stamp-Act Congress of 1765, -the Continental Congress of 1774, the members of -the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, Presidents of -Congress, Presidents of the United States, the -Signers of the Declaration of Independence, and so -forth.</p> - -<p>The cult of the Signers is one of the most distinctive -features of American autograph collecting.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">{323}</a></span><a name="FNanchor_69_69" id="FNanchor_69_69"></a><a href="#Footnote_69_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a> -The late Dr. Raffles, of Liverpool, is credited with -having got together a complete series, and I have -heard the subject attracted the sympathetic interest of -Queen Victoria. While the Rev. Dr. Wm. B. Sprague -(born at Andover, Conn., U.S.A.) was the first man -to form the first unbroken set of the immortal fifty-six -"Signers," Dr. Raffles' set was the second to be -completed. This fact is shown in a letter of June, -1835, by Benjamin B. Thatcher (born at Warren, Me., -1809; died Boston, Mass., 1840), the earliest writer -on American autograph collections. Some of the -signatures of the "Signers" are common enough, -but those of Button Gwinnett and Lynch, both of -which I am able, thanks to the kindness of Mr. -Cuyler, to illustrate, are of quite phenomenal rarity. -Gwinnett and Lynch both died tragically "before -their time," and this may possibly account for the -scarceness of their handwriting. Some collectors -spend their lives in the perpetual quest of these -unfindable autographs.</p> - -<p>Mr. Cuyler has sent me several anecdotes on the -subject of these Gwinnett and Lynch signatures. He -informs me that the earliest American collector, -Israel K. Tefft, was called from Savannah to the -estate of a gentleman resident near that city. Having -to wait, he wandered on the lawn, under the cypress -and the jasmine, and, perceiving a scrap of paper -blowing about, he carelessly picked it up. To his -joyous astonishment he found that it was a draft -on the Treasury of Georgia, dated 1777, ordering -certain payments, and signed by Button Gwinnett! -Though Mr. Tefft was the first autograph collector in -America, and had begun operations as early as 1815-20, -in Savannah, he had, until that tour, never even -seen the signature of Button Gwinnett—other than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">{324}</a></span> -that appearing upon facsimiles of the Declaration of -Independence. After transacting his business, he -exhibited his find to his client, and said that he -would gladly take the paper in place of money for -his services. The gentleman generously presented -him with the paper and also paid him. (This signature -of B. G. is now preserved in the "Set of Signers" -in the State Library at Albany, New York, U.S.A.)</p> - -<p>Mr. Cuyler has ascertained that there are only -twenty-two known signatures of Button Gwinnett -extant. These include his holograph will, drawn up -a few hours before his fatal duel with Gen. McIntosh -(May, 1777), which is now in the collection of Mr. -J. Pierpont Morgan, of New York. No A.L.S. of -Gwinnett is known. The State of Georgia, in which -he was Master of Pilotage, Justice of the Peace, -Member of the Provincial Assembly, Member of -Council of Safety, and Governor, possesses not a -line of his writing. One L.S. is in the <i>private</i> collection -of Thos. Addis Emmet, M.D., of New York.</p> - -<p>I have previously alluded to the holograph -document, with his name repeated seven times, in -possession of Mr. Cuyler. The A.L.S. of Thomas -Lynch, jun., "Signer for South Carolina" (now published), -came from the Washington correspondence.<a name="FNanchor_70_70" id="FNanchor_70_70"></a><a href="#Footnote_70_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a> -It was ultimately sold for £1,400 (<i>i.e.</i>, £370 more -than the record Nelson letter), and is the only one in -existence. It now figures in Dr. Emmet's best set -of "Signers" in the New York Public Library. In -this set fifty-five out of the fifty-six signers of the -American Magna Charta are represented by signed -holograph letters. Dr. Emmet regards the acquisition -of a letter signed by Gwinnett as the crowning -triumph of his sixty years' work in the fields of autograph<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">{325}</a></span> -collecting. If a holograph letter of Gwinnett -could be discovered, <i>and such a letter may very likely -exist in England</i>, it would probably fetch £5,000.</p> - -<p>Gwinnett was an Englishman, a descendant of -Admiral Sir Thomas Button (who entered our navy -in 1589, explored Hudson's Bay, and died in 1634), -migrated early in life to Charleston, South Carolina, -finally settling in Georgia, where he accumulated -wealth. After his tragic death, his widow and only -child, a daughter, returned to England. The daughter -married but died childless.</p> - -<p>In the list of American collectors Dr. Sprague -comes next to Mr. Tefft. George Washington at -his death left his correspondence neatly arranged and -filed. His widow, however, burned the whole of the -letters she had ever received from the first President -of the United States! This is almost the greatest -known destruction of valuable autograph matter. -From his first love-letter, penned in Virginia, to the -young Widow Custis, his correspondence during -the fatal Braddock campaign, his homely domestic -instructions to the <i>châtelaine</i> of Mount Vernon, -to his war letters, in which he opened his heart -and there recorded the true history of the American -War, she had preserved all, which now went into the -fire and £100,000 on to-day's valuation, and priceless -American historical data, went up in smoke!</p> - -<div class="figcenter w550px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_326.jpg" width="550" height="335" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>THE SIGNATURE AND WRITING OF BUTTON GWINNETT, THE RAREST AUTOGRAPH OF THE "SIGNERS."</p></div> -</div> - -<p>By the unwise permission of the Washington -family, Dr. Sprague was permitted to abstract "as -many letters as he liked" from the wonderfully -accurate letter-files of George Washington, preserved -at his home, "Mount Vernon," in Virginia. Dr. S. -there got some of his best papers, being only requested -to "leave copies of all letters he took"! -Among the papers he thus acquired was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">{327}</a></span> -A.L.S. of Thomas Lynch, jun., "Signer" for South -Carolina.</p> - -<p>The following is the text of this wonderful autograph, -a portion of which is reproduced in facsimile:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—'Though the acquaintance I have with your Excellency -be but slight, I am induced to hope that you will -readily excuse the trouble I am going to give you, when you -shall become acquainted with the merits of the Gentleman, in -whose favour that trouble is given.</p> - -<p>Coll: Pinckney, the Bearer of this Letter, now Commands -the first Regiment raised in this State for the Continental -Service. At the commencement of the present War, he -entered into the Service with the rank of Captain, and has -since, to the satisfaction of every real friend of American -liberty in this State, been advanced by various promotions -to that of Coll. His family being as respectable as any -amongst us, and his fortune abundantly competent, nothing -but a passion for glory and a zeal for the cause of his -Country, could have led him into this measure. I shall -say nothing of his Abilities, convinced as I am that your -Excellency's penetration and the frequent opportunities he -cannot fail to have, will soon discover them, but as to -Principles, I will be bold to say, that no Man living has -a higher Spirit, a nicer sense of Honour, or a more incorruptable -Heart, than he has. Such a man cannot but be -highly acceptable to one in your Excellency's situation, -& 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 life, -& to make you as happy and successful as you are good -and brave. I have the honour to be with the most sincere -regard and most profound esteem, your Excellency's</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">most obedient hu<sup>ble</sup> ser<sup>vt</sup></span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Thomas Lynch</span></p> - -<p> -Charles Town,<br /> -<span class="ml2"><i>July 5 1777</i></span><br /> -His Excellency General Washington.<a name="FNanchor_71_71" id="FNanchor_71_71"></a><a href="#Footnote_71_71" class="fnanchor">[71]</a></p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">{328}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w550px"> -<img src="images/page_328.jpg" width="550" height="305" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>THE LAST PAGE OF THE LETTER OF THOMAS LYNCH, JUN., ONE OF THE AMERICAN "SIGNERS," -WHICH FETCHED 7,000 DOLLARS.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">{329}</a></span></p> - -<p>Letters of George Washington often find their -way into the English sale-rooms. During the first -decade of the present century they have varied in -price from £6 to £60. Mr. Cuyler enables me to -give my readers not only one of the finest letters of -Washington's in existence, but one hitherto unpublished. -I need not point out either its characteristic -style or historic value, but will only observe that -Lund Washington, his cousin and manager of his -Virginia estates, possessed his confidence before any -other person, excepting perhaps Mrs. Washington.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Camp at Cambridge</span> Augt 20th 1775</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Lund</span>,—Your Letter by Captn Prince came to my -hands last night—I was glad to learn by it that all are well.—the -acct given of the behaviour of the Scotchmen at Port -Tobacco & Piscataway surpriz'd & vexed me—Why did -they Imbark in the Cause?—What do they say for themselves?—What -does other say of them?—are they admitted -into company?—or kicked out of it?—What does their -Countrymen urge in justification of them?—they are fertile in -invention, and will offer excuses where excuses can be made. -I cannot say but I am curious to learn the reasons why men, -who had subscribed, and bound themselves to each other, -and their Country, to stand forth in defence of it, should -lay down their Arms the first moment they were called upon.</p> - -<p>Although I never hear of the Mill under the direction -of Simpson, without a degree of warmth & vexation at -his extreame stupidity, yet, if you can spare money from -other purposes, I could wish to have it sent to him, that -it may, if possible, be set a going before the works get -ruined & spoilt, & my whole Money perhaps totally -lost.—If I am really to loose Barran's debt to me, it will -be a pretty severe stroke upon the back of Adams, & -the expense I am led into by that confounded fellow -Simpson, and necessarily so—in seating my Lands under the -management of Cleveland.—</p> - -<p>Spinning should go forward with all possible dispatch, -as we shall have nothing else to depend upon if these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">{330}</a></span> -disputes continue another year.—I can hardly think that -Lord Dunmore can act so low, and unmanly a part, as -think of seizing Mrs. Washington by way of revenge upon -me; howevr as I suppose she is, before this time gone -over to Mr Calverts, & will soon after retug, go down to -New Kent, she will be out of his reach for 2 or 3 months -to come, in which time matters may, and probably will, -take such a turn as to render her removal either absolutely -necessary, or quite useless.—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 Alexandria, or some other place of safety -elsewhere for her and my Papers.</p> - -<p>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 -saw.—I have already broke one Col. and five Captains -for Cowardice, and for drawing more Pay and Provisions -than they had men in their Companies there is two more -Cols now under arrest, and to be tried for the same offences—in -short they are by no means such Troops, in any respect -as you are led to believe of them from the accts which -are published, but I need not make myself Enemies among -them, by this declaration although it is consistant with -truth.—I daresay the men would fight very well (if properly -officered) although they are an exceeding dirty & hasty -people.—had they been properly conducted at Bunkers -Hill (on the 17th of June) or those that were there properly -supported, the Regulars would have met with a shameful -defeat, & a much more considerable loss than they did, -which is now known to be exactly 1057 killed & wounded—it -was for their behaviour on that occasion that the above -officers were broke, for I never spared one that was accused -of Cowardice but brot'em to immediate Tryal.</p> - -<p>Our Lines of Defence are now compleated, as near so -at least as can be—we men wish them to come out as -soon as they please, but they (that is the enemy) discover -no Inclination to quit their own Works of Defence, & -as it is almost impossible for us to get to them, we do -nothing but watch each others motions all day at the -distance of about a mile, every now and then picking off<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">{331}</a></span> -a stragler when we can catch them without their Intrenchments, -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 get.—</p> - -<p>What does Doctr Craik say to the behaviour of his -Countrymen, & Townspeople? Remember me kindly to -him & tell him that I should be very glad to see him -here if there was any thing worth his acceptance, but the -Massachusets People suffer nothing to go by them that they -can lay hands upon.—</p> - -<p>I wish the money could be had from Hill & the Bills of -Exchange (except Col Fairfax's, which ought to be sent to -him immediately) turned into Cash, you might then, I should -think, be able to furnish Simpson with about £300, but you are -to recollect that I have got Cleveland & the hired People with -him to pay also.—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 works, and other things of -this kind for Mr. Robets and Thomas Alferd, 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 reasonable, as all Mill business will probably be at an end -for a while, that I am to pay them £100 a year to be Idle.—I -should think Roberts himself must see, & be sensible of the -reasonableness of this request, as I believe few Millers will -find employment if our Ports are shut up, & the wheat kept -in the straw, or otherwise for greater security.</p> - -<p>I will write to Mr. Milnor to forward you a good Country -Boulting Cloth for Simpson which endeavour to have contrived -to him by the first safe conveyance.—I wish you would -quicken Lasphire & Sears about the Dining Room Chimney -Piece (to be executed as mentioned in one of my last letters) -as I could wish to have that end of the house compleatly -finished before I return.—I wish you had done the end of the -New Kitchen next the garden as also the old Kitchen with -Rusticated Board, however as it is not I would have the -corners done so in the manner of our New Church (those two -especially which Fronts the Quarter.—What have you done -with the Well? Is that walled up?—have you any accts of the -Painter? how does he behave at Fredericksburg?—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">{332}</a></span></p> - -<p>I much approve of your sowing wheat in clean ground, -although you should be late in doing it, and if for no other -purpose than a tryal.—It is a growing I find, as well as a new -practice, that of Overseers keeping Horses, & for what purpose, -unless it be to make fat Horses at my expense, I know -not as it is no saving of my own Horses. I do not like the -custom, & wish you would break it, but do as you will, as I -cannot pretend to interfere at this distance.</p> - -<p>Remember me kindly to all the neighbours who enquire -after</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">yr affecte friend and servt</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">G. Washington</span></p></div> - -<p>Letters of Franklin are less valuable than those of -Washington. The letter reproduced was purchased -by me in Paris for £10. It of course derives additional -value from being addressed to Washington. -The seal is intact.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i><span class="smcap">Passy, near Paris</span>, March 2. 1778.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—M. de Fontevieux, who hopes to have the -honour of delivering this into your hands, is a young Gentleman -of a considerable Family, and of excellent character, -who goes over with Views of improving himself in the -military Art under your Auspices. He is willing to serve as -Volunteer, in any Capacity for which your Excell<sup>y</sup> shall find -him qualified. He is warmly recommended to me by Persons -of great Distinction here, who are zealous Friends to the -American Cause. And I beg leave to recommend him -earnestly to your Excellency's Protection, being confident -that he will endeavour to merit it. With the greatest Esteem -& Respect I have the Honour to be,</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr6">Your Excellency's</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">most obedient and most humble Servant</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">B. Franklin</span></p> - -<p>To his Excellency George Washington Esq<sup>re</sup> General & -Commander in chief of the American Armies, Philadelphia.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter w550px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_333.jpg" width="550" height="226" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>THE LAST PAGE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON'S SPLENDID A.L.S., NOW PUBLISHED THROUGH THE KINDNESS -OF MR. T. C. S. CUYLER.</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334"></a></span> -<img src="images/page_334.jpg" width="325" height="434" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>A.L.S. OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN TO GEORGE WASHINGTON -MARCH 2, 1778.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>The names of Lyman Draper, G. W. Childs -Kennedy, Proctor, Fogg, Dreer, C. C. Jones, jun.,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">{335}</a></span> -W. J. De Renne, and Elliot Danforth, are, like those -of Emmet, J. Pierpont Morgan, and Joline, familiar -to all American autograph collectors. I find in <i>The -Archivist</i> (1894) many interesting details of the -wonderful collection of Mr. George Washington -Childs, publisher and proprietor of the <i>Philadelphia -Ledger</i>. Mr. Childs acquired amongst other <i>rariora</i>, -the MSS. of Byron's "Bride of Abydos," -Thackeray's "Lecture on the Four Georges," and -Scott's "Chronicles of Canongate." He possessed a -MS. parody by Byron on Wordsworth's "Peter Bell," -which began with the somewhat prosaic lines:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">There's something in a flying horse<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And something in a huge balloon.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>Byron wrote:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">There's something in a stupid ass,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And something in a heavy dunce;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But never since I went to school<br /></span> -<span class="i0">I heard or saw so d——d a fool<br /></span> -<span class="i0">As William Wordsworth is for once.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>Amongst the autographs greatly sought after in -America is that of the ill-fated Major André. One -of the gems of Mr. Childs's collection is described as -a holograph poem by the unlucky soldier, entitled -the "Cow Chase," and dated July 21, 1780. Its -closing stanza runs:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">And now I've closed my epic strain<br /></span> -<span class="i2">I tremble as I show it,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Lest this same warrior-drover Wayne<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Should ever catch the poet.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>André was soon after captured and executed. To<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">{336}</a></span> -the concluding verse some unkind and unknown -hand has added the lines—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">And when the epic strain was sung<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The poet by the neck was hung,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And to his cost he finds too late<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The "dung born tribe" decides his fate.<a name="FNanchor_72_72" id="FNanchor_72_72"></a><a href="#Footnote_72_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>Mr. Cuyler sends me some interesting information -on the subject of André from the collector's point of -view. It appears that André was twice captured -during the American War. Upon the first occasion -he was hastily searched, and though he lost -his watch, arms, sword, and purse, he managed to -save the framed miniature of his beloved Honora -Sneyd by concealing it in his mouth! The occasion -of his second capture was on that fatal ride -along the east bank of the Hudson River, after his -interview with Benedict Arnold. At this time the -whole of André's papers, both official and personal, -were in New York. Upon the evacuation of -New York, 1783, some one took his papers to -Halifax, Nova Scotia. Seventy-five years later a -friend of Dr. Emmet called on a gentleman resident -there. Receiving no response to his ring, he walked -through the house, and as he entered the kitchen he -found his friend kicking the last of a heap of musty, -faded papers into the fire, on an open hearth. Leaping -over several great oaken chests, the visitor saved -seven or eight documents, several already scorched, -from the flames. The gentleman of Halifax explained -that he needed the chests, which his grandfather had -deposited in their garret, and so burned the papers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">{337}</a></span> -Those saved were autograph documents of André—and -the New Yorker gave them to Dr. Emmet, in -whose collection they now are. André's writings in -America are exceedingly scarce.</p> - -<p>André was an artist, and executed several drawings -of his friends, among whom were portraits of -Abraham Cuyler and his wife, which are now preserved -in that family. This man was the last Royal -Mayor of Albany, New York, and the father of -General Sir Cornelius Cuyler, whose sons fought in -the Guards defending Hougomont at Waterloo.</p> - -<p>As in France and England, there has been much -wanton destruction of MSS. in the United States, -on which subjects Mr. Joline speaks feelingly. -Mr. T. Cuyler tells me that after the crushing -defeat of the Federals by the Confederate Army -at Bull Run (First Manassas), Virginia, in 1861, -the former fled in wildest disorder to Washington -City, where they rallied. The consequent confusion, -the urgent demands for food and lodgings -for a large force of men, caused improvised -bakeries to be established in the lower story of the -National Capitol. A lady, in passing through a -corridor, observed an officer urging his men to roll -away into an adjacent marsh great barrels, dusty -and stained with age, out of which protruded ancient -papers. She paused, and thinking of Dr. Emmet's -collection, she begged leave to fill her pockets with -documents. Those which she so saved were found to -be priceless—being correspondence of 1776-1783, and -among her finds was a long letter from Benjamin -Franklin, dated at Passy, France, during the -American Revolutionary War. Later inquiries -disclosed the fact that, after the British victory -at Bladensburg, Maryland, the secretaries of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">{338}</a></span> -Federal Government had hastily packed these -archives in barrels and carried them to safety before -the British forces had taken Washington City, in -the "War of 1812." Upon their return, these precious -papers had been left in the Capitol until ruthlessly -tossed out in 1861.</p> - -<p>One of the most striking features in American -autograph collecting, important and extensive as -it is to-day, is the smallness of its beginnings. Tefft, -the originator of the autograph cult, who commenced -operations by securing a few signatures in the year -of Waterloo, was only a bank-cashier; Dr. Sprague -was a clerical tutor in the Washington family, and -pure accident put unique opportunities in his way; -Ferdinand J. Dreer was a merchant who took up -the hobby when his health gave way, and lived to -complete a collection second only in importance -to that formed by Dr. Emmet. It was Dreer who, -at the expense of £200, recovered Washington's last -letter, after it had remained for nearly a century -in Sweden. Charles C. Jones, jun., of Augusta, -Georgia, was the first to set the fashion of looking -for letters connected with the Civil War of 1861-65. -The era of autograph sales began in 1810, at -Charleston, South Carolina, by the dispersal of the -collection of MSS. formed by a French Consul, but -the first autograph sale catalogue is nearly a quarter -of a century later, and includes the papers of Aaron -Burr, at one time Vice-President of the United -States. It was not, however, till the "eighteen-fifties" -that dealing in autographs came to rank -as a business.</p> - -<p>As regards the prospects of this popular pursuit -in the United States, Mr. Telamon Cuyler writes -as follows:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">{339}</a></span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"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 -'Signers,' generals, governors, &c. The beginnings of newspaper -life, of iron manufacturing, of cotton milling, of cotton -culture, of the steamboat business, of maritime life along the -Atlantic seaboard, and such efforts with special attention to -great inventions, such as the telephone, telegraph, typewriter, -electric light, automobile, flying machines, and many hundreds -of smaller discoveries. The gathering of documents connected -with the foundations of great industries, such as the steel -business, 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 beginning. -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 character. -I myself have taken up certain lines of collecting in this -field and which I find of the greatest interest."</p></div> - -<p>Mr. C. E. Goodspeed, of 5<span class="smcap lowercase">A</span>, Park Street, Boston, -who, like Mr. Benjamin of New York, issues frequently -very useful sale catalogues of autograph -letters, also writes me:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"I think the most interesting autograph which I have ever -had was a one-page quarto letter from Martha Washington -to Mrs. John Adams, the wife of the second President of the -U.S., in answer to Mrs. Adams' letter of condolence on the -death of her husband (President Washington). That letter -sold for $300.00, but would bring perhaps twice that to-day. -The most interesting historical document, perhaps, 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 troops. This was -written the day after the famous Boston Massacre of March -5, 1770. I have had a great many Washington letters, but -never any of great historical importance. An interesting -note might be made of those aggravating incidents where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">{340}</a></span> -autographs are brought in by parties who wish to find their -value, but who would not sell them. Amongst items of this -class I may mention, having been brought in quite recently, -Benjamin Franklin's famous epitaph for his own tombstone, -written in his own autograph; it is found in all the "Lives of -Franklin"; an autograph album containing about a dozen -letters from Byron to Lady Blessington; a letter from Byron -to his wife, written after their separation, but never sent, as -Lady Blessington advised against it and retained the letter; -also in the same album three or four letters from Dickens to -Lady Blessington; two charming Thackeray letters followed -with pretty pen-and-ink sketches; an autograph poem of -Thackeray's; two autograph poems, each of Elizabeth Barrett -and Robert Browning; and poems of Landor, and others! -Was not that a nice little collection, and was it not an -aggravation not to be able to even make an offer on it?"</p></div> - -<p>The President of the Anderson Auction Company -(12, East 46th Street, New York) has most obligingly -sent me a priced catalogue of the Haber Sale, already -more than once mentioned in these pages.</p> - -<p>Mr. L. J. Haber has also given me the price at -which the letters sold were originally acquired. 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 York, but the rise in them which has taken -place in the past ten or twenty years. No list of this -kind has ever before appeared:—</p> - - -<p class='p2 center'><span class="smcap">From Parts I. and II.</span></p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="3"></td><td align="center">Cost.</td><td align="right">Sale Price.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="3">Lot No.</td><td align="center">$</td><td align="center">$</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">9</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Aldrich</td><td align="right">7.50</td><td align="right">32.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">90</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Presidents</td><td align="right">415.00</td><td align="right">930.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">312</td><td align="left">Browning</td><td align="left">(E. B.)</td><td align="right">27.50</td><td align="right">100.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">315</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="right">20.00</td><td align="right">37.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">326</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Bryant (W. C.)</td><td align="right">9.00</td><td align="right">13.00<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">{341}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">355</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Burroughs (John)</td><td align="right">7.50</td><td align="right">46.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">409</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Mark Twain</td><td align="right">15.00</td><td align="right">150.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">410</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="right">5.00</td><td align="right">100.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">422</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Coleridge</td><td align="right">12.00</td><td align="right">29.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">431</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Cooper</td><td align="right">13.00</td><td align="right">85.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">478</td><td align="left" colspan="2">De Quincey</td><td align="right">10.00</td><td align="right">34.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">486</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Dickens</td><td align="right">12.50</td><td align="right">53.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">553</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Emerson</td><td align="right">18.00</td><td align="right">115.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">768</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Hardy (T.)</td><td align="right">5.00</td><td align="right">36.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">774</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Harris (Joel C.)</td><td align="right">10.00</td><td align="right">53.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">775</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Harte (Bret)</td><td align="right">24.00</td><td align="right">161.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">784</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Hawthorne<a name="FNanchor_73_73" id="FNanchor_73_73"></a><a href="#Footnote_73_73" class="fnanchor">[73]</a></td><td align="right">16.00</td><td align="right">75.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">825</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Holmes</td><td align="right">28.00</td><td align="right">195.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">881</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Irving</td><td align="right">120.00</td><td align="right">445.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">929</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Keats</td><td align="right">125.00</td><td align="right">2,500.00</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>The above-mentioned autographs were either included -in books or bound up separately. The following -apparently were detached letters:—</p> - - -<p class='center'><span class="smcap">Part</span> III.</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="3"></td><td align="center">Cost.</td><td align="center">Sale Price.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="3">Lot No.</td><td align="center">$</td><td align="center">$</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">1</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Addison</td><td align="right">20.00</td><td align="right">42.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">30</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Jane Austen</td><td align="right">20.00</td><td align="right">60.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">42</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Beecher (H. W.)</td><td align="right">2.00</td><td align="right">21.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">45</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Blackmore</td><td align="right">2.50</td><td align="right">8.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">47</td><td align="left">Blake</td><td align="left">(Wm.)</td><td align="right">15.00</td><td align="right">55.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">44</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">1.00</td><td align="right">8.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">51</td><td align="left" colspan="2">John Bright</td><td align="right">1.00</td><td align="right">7.25</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">52</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Brontë (C.)</td><td align="right">15.00</td><td align="right">25.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">46</td><td align="left" colspan="2">John Brown</td><td align="right">20.00</td><td align="right">46.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">60</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Browning (E. B.)</td><td align="right">20.00</td><td align="right">35.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">76</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Burns</td><td align="right">70.00</td><td align="right">165.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">81</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Byron</td><td align="right">40.00</td><td align="right">85.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">84</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Carlyle</td><td align="right">10.00</td><td align="right">21.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">{342}</a></span>91</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Chesterfield</td><td align="right">12.00</td><td align="right">17.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">114</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Darwin</td><td align="right">4.00</td><td align="right">12.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">118</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Dickens</td><td align="right">18.00</td><td align="right">35.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">127</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Doyle (Richard)</td><td align="right">10.00</td><td align="right">21.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">144</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Franklin</td><td align="right">30.00</td><td align="right">86.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">151</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Gladstone</td><td align="right">1.50</td><td align="right">5.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">165</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Hardy (Thomas)</td><td align="right">1.50</td><td align="right">9.75</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">170</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Hawthorne</td><td align="right">20.00</td><td align="right">45.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">208</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Johnson (Samuel)</td><td align="right">35.00</td><td align="right">85.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">216</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Kipling (R.)</td><td align="right">4.00</td><td align="right">17.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">229</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Lewes</td><td align="right">2.50</td><td align="right">14.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">242</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Macpherson (James)</td><td align="right">2.50</td><td align="right">9.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">246</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Marryat (Capt.)</td><td align="right">3.00</td><td align="right">9.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">251</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Meredith (Geo.)</td><td align="right">5.00</td><td align="right">15.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">262</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Morris (Wm.)</td><td align="right">9.00</td><td align="right">21.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">274</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Paine (Thos.)</td><td align="right">10.00</td><td align="right">25.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">288</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Piozzi (Mme.)</td><td align="right">12.00</td><td align="right">43.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">290</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Poe (E. A.)</td><td align="right">28.00</td><td align="right">96.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">292</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Pope (A.)</td><td align="right">40.00</td><td align="right">145.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">293</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Porter (Jane)</td><td align="right">2.00</td><td align="right">10.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">304</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Reade (Chas.)</td><td align="right">1.00</td><td align="right">6.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">309</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Richardson (Samuel)</td><td align="right">15.00</td><td align="right">29.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">315</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Rossetti (D. G.)</td><td align="right">4.00</td><td align="right">16.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">325</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Shelley</td><td align="right">60.00</td><td align="right">105.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">326</td><td align="center" colspan="2">"</td><td align="right">7.50</td><td align="right">80.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">347</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Stevenson (R. L.)</td><td align="right">12.00</td><td align="right">51.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">353</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Swinburne (A.)</td><td align="right">3.00</td><td align="right">15.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">358</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Tennyson (A.)</td><td align="right">9.00</td><td align="right">31.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">358</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Thackeray (W. M.)</td><td align="right">8.00</td><td align="right">60.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">371</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Walpole (H.)</td><td align="right">10.00</td><td align="right">24.00</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">377</td><td align="left" colspan="2">Wesley (J.)</td><td align="right">8.00</td><td align="right">20.00</td></tr> -</table></div> - - -<p>The majority of the Haber MSS. are of British -origin. It gives me little opportunity of saying anything -about the varying prices of the A.L.S. of -American Presidents, or of the rise in value of the -letters of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant. I -note, however, that a letter of E. A. Poe has more -than trebled in value since Mr. Haber acquired it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">{343}</a></span> -Letters of Longfellow are still in demand, but those -of O. W. Holmes are somewhat at a discount and -were not largely represented in the Haber Sale, at -which a fine specimen of Benjamin Jowett went for -4s. A 4-pp. letter of Mr. Thomas Hardy was sold -for £1 19s., but a 1-p. 8vo of Rudyard Kipling -brought £3 8s.! A verse by Mr. Andrew Lang, to -which his signature was appended, went for £1 4s. -It was entitled "The Optimism of an Undertaker," -and ran:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Ah, why drag on unhappy days<br /></span> -<span class="i0">(This rede the undertaker says),<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Misguided race of men!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Who handsomely interred might be<br /></span> -<span class="i0">By Mr. Silas Mould (that's me)<br /></span> -<span class="i2">For only three pound ten.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>Twelve lines by Alexander Pope excited keen -competition, and were sold eventually for £29. It is -evident that, in spite of the set back of two years -ago which brought a good many autographs back -to England, the American market is still higher -than any other, and there is every chance of its -continuing so. On April 25, 1910, Mr. Frank Sabin -paid £8,650 at Sotheby's for the voluminous correspondence, -chiefly addressed to W. Blathwayt, -Secretary of State and Commissioner for Trade and -Plantations, relative to the American Colonies, during -the last quarter of the seventeenth century. William -Blathwayt (1649-1717) served his political apprenticeship -under Sir W. Temple, subsequently filling the -posts of Secretary at War (1683), Secretary of State -to William III. during the campaign in Flanders, -Commissioner for Trade and Plantations and Clerk -of the Privy Council. Some years ago a parcel of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">{344}</a></span> -Blathwayt's own letters, which I used in extra-illustrating -the "Account of William III.'s Achievements -at the Siege of Namur," cost me 20s. Another -interesting lot at the sale of April 25th consisted -of thirteen MS. and thirty-five early printed maps. -This went to Mr. Quaritch for £690—a price solely -attributable to its unique American interest.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w325px"> -<img src="images/page_344.jpg" width="325" height="135" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class='center'>EARLY WRITING OF THE LATE KING EDWARD VII., CIRCA 1850.</p> - -<p class='center'>(By permission of Messrs. Harper Bros.)</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">{345}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2 class='left'><a name="XII" id="XII">XII</a><br /> -<br /> -THE<br /> -PRICES OF<br /> -AUTOGRAPHS<br /> -AND THEIR<br /> -VARIATIONS</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346"></a><br /><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">{347}</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<p class='ph2'><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a></p> - -<p class='ph3'>THE PRICES OF AUTOGRAPHS AND THEIR -VARIATIONS</p> - -<p class="chap_summary"><b>William Upcott and his contemporaries—Sale prices -1810-1910</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Letters are the soul of trade.—<span class="smcap">James Howell</span> (1595-1666).</p></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">William Upcott</span>, the conscript father of modern -autograph-collecting, was born in 1770, and lived -until 1845. He was the natural son of the painter -Ozias Humphry, the maiden-name of whose -mother he assumed. His own mother was Dolly -Wickens, the daughter of an Oxford tradesman. -From his father he inherited a taste for antiques -of every description, as well as a valuable collection -of miniatures, pictures, and engravings. The -life-story of Upcott is told with unusual detail in -the "Dictionary of National Biography."<a name="FNanchor_74_74" id="FNanchor_74_74"></a><a href="#Footnote_74_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a> While -acting as an assistant to the well-known booksellers, -Evans of Pall Mall and Wright of Piccadilly, he -attracted the attention of Dean Ireland and other -<i>literati</i>. He was appointed Assistant-Secretary to -Porson at the London Institution in 1806, and on his -death continued to occupy the same post under<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">{348}</a></span> -Maltby. Mr. H. R. Tedder tells us that "every inch -of the walls in his rooms, whether at the London -Institution or in his subsequent residence, was covered -with paintings, drawings, and prints, most of them -by Gainsborough or Humphry, while all the drawers, -shelves, boxes, and cupboards were crammed with his -[autograph] collections." Upcott spent the evening -of his useful life at 102, Upper Street, Islington, -naming his house "Autograph Cottage." In 1836 -he published privately a catalogue of his MSS. One -of his greatest finds (and they may be counted by -scores) was the discovery of the MS. of Chatterton's -"Amphitryon" (now in the British Museum) in a -cheesemonger's shop. He never married. There -is a capital portrait of Upcott engraved in March, -1818, by T. Bragg, after a drawing by W. Behnes. -My copy of it is inscribed in minute but peculiarly -clear handwriting, "Presented to his much esteemed -Friend and fellow-traveller Mrs. Robert Nasmyth of -Edinburgh. William Upcott," London Institution, -August 26, 1833. By his side is a cabinet of medals; -in his hands a volume of "Topography," and on the -table a deed on which one at once recognises the -sign-manual of Queen Elizabeth.</p> - -<p>It is impossible to over-estimate the value of the -work done by Upcott in providing sources of reliable -information for future generations of historians. In -my own collection is the following interesting letter -of this collector, written nine years before his death:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap mr2">Autograph Cottage, Upper St, Islington</span><br /> -<i>Sep 19 1836</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—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 inspection. I -expressed a wish, which I still entertain, that this collection—a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">{349}</a></span> -labour of more than 25 years—should be placed in the -hands of those who could appreciate its value either in a -Public Library, or with a private individual of acknowledged -taste.</p> - -<p>At present, it remains in the same state as when you saw -it, nor am I desirous to accede to its removal from my -shelves until you shall again repeat your visit, agreeably to -your promise.</p> - -<p>When may I expect that gratification? Should you deem -the mass, as particularized in my printed catalogue, too -voluminous to purchase, what say you with possession of the -13 volumes in folio <i>not</i> noticed in my catalogue containing -2078 Autographs including Letters and illustrated with 1000 -portraits with Short Biographical notices, subjoined, written by -myself and bound by Herring in morocco with leather joints. -Their contents comprise Sovereigns, Statesmen, Divines, -Lawyers, Noble and Military Officers, Medical men, Authors, -Men of Science, Artists, Actors, Musicians, Foreigners and -celebrated Women with property; printed Title pages and -Indexes.</p> - -<p>All the Autographs are mounted on tinted drawing paper -and those who have examined the drawings pronounce them -to be altogether unique. The collecting and writing of -the Memoirs cost me 3 years' labour. When my friend -Dawson Turner inspected them in 1830 he furnished me -with his opinion of its merits of which the following -is a copy:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dear Upcott</span>,—You asked me as to the value of the -13 volumes of Autographs and I should be glad that, if you -are disposed to sell them, I might be allowed to place a price -upon them for I have often examined them as you know very -carefully, and now think that nobody is much better able than -myself to esteem property of this description. Pass on a few -short years and these volumes will be one of the best Biographical -Records in existence.</p> - -<p>Considered in the four-fold character which they derive -from the interest of the individuals they contain, 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 together:—I certainly know no series of -the kind equally desirable, and I regard the whole as unquestionably<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">{350}</a></span> -unique. Such is my idea of their merit, and their -price I should say should be <i>at least seven hundred pounds</i>.</p></div> - -<p>I am a single man, without a relation possessing a corresponding -feeling with myself. My earnest desire therefore is -to see all my articles of vertu as well as Pictures, Drawings, -Autographs, and curiously Illustrated Books, pass from me to -other hands who can appreciate their works, <i>without</i> the -notoriety of a public sale. My friend Turner's valuation of -the 13 volumes just alluded to has, I find, been backed by -the opinion of other collectors, yet if you should entertain -the idea of possessing them <i>I will part with them for 500 -Guineas</i>.</p> - -<p>An early answer, stating when I shall be likely to see you -will be esteemed a favour, as my intention is to go to Paris for -a short time about the end of the month.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="mr6">Believe me to remain, dear Sir,</span><br /> -<span class="mr4">Your ever faithful servant,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">William Upcott.</span></p> - -<p>P.S.—Did you mention to your friend my small collection -of Original Pictures? You kindly told me you would favour -me with his company. My best compliments were on Mr. -Lomax and Mr. Bentley, your travelling companions.</p></div> - -<p>It was to his brother autograph collector, Mr. Dawson -Turner, of Yarmouth, that Upcott dedicated in -1818 his standard work on the literature of English -topography. Mr. Greaves, of Isham Hall, Manchester, -apparently missed the chance of a lifetime. -He might have acquired for £500 what would be -now worth £15,000 or even £20,000.</p> - -<p>In 1846 Upcott's <i>rariora</i> were sold by Sotheby at -Evans's auction-rooms, 106, New Bond Street, and -realised £4,125 17s. 6d., and that at a time when -the science of autographs was in its infancy. 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 Turner. Numerous purchases were made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">{351}</a></span> -for the national collection, which now form the -series known as additional MSS. 15841 to 15957. -Amongst these 116 volumes are the papers of John -Nicholas, the papers of Brown and Evelyn, Burton's -diary, Curtius's letters, the Dayrolles correspondence, -the letters addressed to Sir Christopher Hatton, -Shenstone's poem, the "Snuff-Box," and many other -items of extraordinary interest, including Prior's -papers while in Paris, and the papers of the French -Army in Italy.</p> - -<p>The following are fair examples of the prices -realised at this memorable sale of January 22-24, -1846:—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center"><span class="smcap">Lot</span> 43.</td> -<td align="left"><i>Dayrolles Correspondence.</i>—1,368 -Letters and Documents and -Diplomas (A.L.S. fr. Harley, -Boyle, Bothmer, St. John, Addison, -Craggs, Stone, Holdernesse, -George II., Newcastle, Chesterfield, -Pelham, &c.)</td> -<td align="right">£110</td> <td align="right">0</td> <td align="right">0</td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot</span> 67.</td> -<td align="left"><i>Autographs of Kings of France</i> on -Vellum.—Original Documents -from Philip V., 1319, to Napoleon, -2 vols.</td> -<td align="right">£7</td> <td align="right">10</td> <td align="right">0</td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot</span> 140.</td> -<td align="left"><i>Navy.</i>—535 Letters and Documents -from Papers of Adm. <i>Norris</i> w. -Portraits (<i>e.g.</i>, Blake, Monk, Pr. -Rupert, Pepys, Byng, Rooke, -Oxford, Lestock, Wager, Anson, -Sandwich, Warren, <i>Nelson</i>, Keith, -Cornwallis, Popham, S. Smith, -St. Vincent, &c.)</td> -<td align="right">£10</td> <td align="right">0</td> <td align="right">0</td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot</span> 166.</td> -<td align="left"><i>Sidney Correspondence.</i>—66 Letters -addressed to Sir Ph. Sidney and -his family (<i>e.g.</i>, Leycester, Danby, -Thanet, Ormond, Sir J. Temple, -Robert Sidney, father of Algernon, -&c.)</td> -<td align="right">£5</td> <td align="right">7</td> <td align="right">6<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">{352}</a></span></td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot 199.</span></td> -<td align="left"><i>Voltaire</i>—MS. copy of <i>La Pucelle -d'Orleans</i> w. marginal notes by V., -1755</td> -<td align="right">£2</td> <td align="right">3</td> <td align="right">0</td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot 211.</span></td> -<td align="left"><i>Napoleon</i>, as First Consul; <i>Do.</i> as -Emperor from Wilna and from -Moscow, 1812; Portion of Las -Cases' Life of Napoleon corrected -by N. at St. Helena; Marie -Louise as Regent, and various -papers</td> -<td align="right">£16</td> <td align="right">0</td> <td align="right">0</td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot 228.</span></td> -<td align="left">Letter of <i>Washington</i>, 1790. Letters -and signatures of Adams, Madison, -Monroe, Jefferson, Von -Buren, &c.</td> -<td align="right">£3</td> <td align="right">10</td> <td align="right">0</td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot 421.</span></td> -<td align="left">383 Letters of <i>literary</i> men of XVI., -XVII. and XVIIIth centuries, -most addressed to John Evelyn, -w. 62 Portraits (Addison, Attenbury, -T. Browne, Boyle, Congreve, -Marvel, <i>Pope</i>, Prynne, -Newton, Flamstead, Pepys, Orrery, -Waller, Vanbrugh, Sloane, -&c.)</td> -<td align="right">£80</td> <td align="right">0</td> <td align="right">0</td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot 422.</span></td> -<td align="left">752 Letters of <i>literary</i> men of XVIII. -and XIXth Centuries, w. 181 Portraits -(Boswell, Blair, Beattie, Gifford, -Herschel, Horne, Hoole, -Percy, Wilkes, Young, &c.)</td> -<td align="right">£33</td> <td align="right">0</td> <td align="right">0</td> -</tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot 423.</span></td> -<td align="left">1,279 Letters of <i>literary</i> men XVIII. -and XIXth centuries, w. 109 Portraits -(Astle, <i>Byron</i>, Cary, Ducarel, -<i>Gibbon</i>, T. Paine, Pownall, <i>Scott</i>, -White, &c.)</td> -<td align="right">£42</td> <td align="right">0</td> <td align="right">0</td></tr> - -<tr><td><span class="smcap">Lot 424.</span></td> -<td align="left">1,768 Letters of <i>literary</i> men XVIII. -and XIXth centuries, w. 29 Portraits -(Chalmers, Dibdin, <i>Foscolo</i>, -Hazlitt, Lort, <i>Malthus</i>, Pinkerton, -Steevens, <i>Whalley</i>, Dr. Parr, -&c.)</td> -<td align="right">£16</td><td align="right">0</td> <td align="right">0</td></tr> - -</table></div> - -<p>The examination of this truly marvellous catalogue<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">{353}</a></span> -not only shows the extent of Mr. Graves's -loss, but that the increase of prices between 1827 -and 1846 had been infinitesimal. The earliest indications -of a noteworthy upward movement are -discernible at the Donnadieu Sale of 1851, and still -more markedly so at the dispersal of the collections -of Mr. Young and Mr. Dillon in 1869. It was -reserved for the present year of grace to see a Keats -letter sell for £500, and one of Charlotte Brontë for -£50. My friend Dr. Scott is quite in despair over -the prices of February 28, 1910, and regards the -figure at which the Brontë autograph sold as "positively -wicked"!</p> - -<p>One of the most industrious (but not always discriminating) -collectors who followed was Sir Thomas -Phillipps, of Cheltenham (1792-1872), who not unfrequently -acquired the whole contents of a dealer's -catalogue <i>en bloc</i>. Sales from the <i>Bibliotheca Phillippica</i> -have taken place at intervals since 1892, and -the store is not yet exhausted.<a name="FNanchor_75_75" id="FNanchor_75_75"></a><a href="#Footnote_75_75" class="fnanchor">[75]</a> I am personally -grateful to this voracious accumulator of autographic -treasure, as I picked up at one of the sales seven -volumes of eighteenth-century water-colour sketches -of Dorset buildings and scenery for—<i>five shillings!</i></p> - -<p>In 1832 he wrote the following letter (now in my -possession) to the late Sir Henry Ellis:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class='right'> -<i>February 16 1832</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,—You expressed a wish that I would consent to -part with my Library of MSS to the British Museum. It -cannot be expected that I should make a gift of them after -the enormous sum I have paid for them, but I am willing to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">{354}</a></span> -cede them, if the nation will pay my debts, which I now -owe. The number of MSS I consider to be above 8000 Vols, -containing probably 20,000 articles.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="mr4">Believe me to be yrs truly</span><br /> -<span class="smcap mr2">Thos Phillipps</span></p> - -<p>PS.—I must observe that the money thus paid, will not be -lost to the nation, while the manuscripts will be gained.</p></div> - -<p>The priceless Morrison Collection has already been -mentioned. Its dispersal would certainly occasion -a dislocation in autograph prices throughout the -world.</p> - -<p>Since 1900 I have carefully noted the prices -realised at all the principal sales in London, and -more recently in New York, and although there -has been a steady rise in prices for high-class -autographs, not a single sale has ever occurred at -which some bargain or other might not have been -picked up.</p> - -<p>The existing firm of Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, -of 13, Wellington Street, Strand (the premises, by -a strange coincidence, once occupied by the elder -Ireland), was really founded as far back as 1696, -when Messrs. Cooper & Milling first began to dispose -of MSS.—generally in the evening. The business -passed successively through the hands of Messrs. -Ballard, Paterson, & Baker. In 1744 Samuel Baker -moved to auction-rooms over "Exeter 'Change" in -the Strand. At the death of Mr. Baker he was -succeeded by Mr. John Sotheby, when the firm -became Leigh & Sotheby. From 145, Strand, they -removed to the premises in Wellington Street, long -familiar to buyers of MSS.</p> - -<p>At the "Sotheby" sale of November 1, 1901, I -note the following prices:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">{355}</a></span></p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"></td><td align="center">£</td><td align="center">s.</td><td align="center">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Queen Henrietta Maria, D.S.</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">6</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Queen Victoria, A.L.S., to Lady Dover</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">(Now in my collection.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Sir Walter Scott, A.L.S., 2 pp.</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Edmund Burke, A.L.S., 2 pp.</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Several A.L.S. of Thos. Campbell, averaged</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Several A.L.S. of Wm. Cowper, averaged</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Several A.L.S. of Edwin Landseer, averaged</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">Several A.L.S. of Thomas Moore, averaged</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">A fine A.L.S. of William Pitt the elder</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" rowspan="4" class="td_middle">A whole series of A.L.S. of the Duke -of Wellington to Lord Beresford -(over 50), nearly all written during -the Peninsular War</td><td align="left" rowspan="4"><span class="large_bracket">}</span></td><td align="center" colspan="3">From</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center" colspan="3">to</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>At the sale of Colonel John Moore's autographs -at "Sotheby's" (November 29-30, 1901), I note a -magnificent series of Civil War MSS. Amongst the -letters sold were the following:—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="5"></td><td align="center">£</td><td align="center">s.</td><td align="center">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">John Bradshaw</td><td align="right">(1644)</td><td align="right">24</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Sir Wm. Brereton</td><td align="right">(1643)</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Lord Byron</td><td align="right">(1652)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D.S.O.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Cromwell</td><td align="left">(1649)</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="left" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">(1649)</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="left" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">(1651)</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">6</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">William, Earl of Derby (with other papers)</td><td align="right">(1672)</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Thomas, Lord Fairfax</td><td align="right">(1643)</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">L.S.</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="left" colspan="2">"</td><td align="right">(1649)</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Colonel John Hewson</td><td align="right">(1648)</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">William Lenthall</td><td align="right">(1645)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Sir Edward Massey</td><td align="right">(1660)</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Colonel John Moore</td><td align="right">(1645)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="right">(1647)</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="right">(1646)</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="right">(1650)</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Algernon Percy, Duke of Northumberland</td><td align="right">(1645)</td><td align="right">19</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left" colspan="3">Sir Christopher Wren</td><td align="right">(1693)</td><td align="right">49</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">{356}</a></span></p> - -<p>The two days' sale of 318 lots realised £956 13s.</p> - -<p>In the five-days' sale at "Sotheby's," which commenced -on December 2, 1901, books and autographs -were mixed. The total reached £6,216 11s. 6d. -Amongst the autographs figured:—</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. of Isaac Watts's Address to the Church of Christ assembled in Mark Lane</td><td align="right">(1702)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Isaac Watts</td><td align="right">(1735)</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Thomas Gray</td><td align="right">(1758)</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Thomas King, actor, to Garrick</td><td align="center">(n.d.)</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Holograph Prayer by Samuel Johnson, Jan. 1</td><td align="right">(1784)</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Charles Lamb</td><td align="center">(n.d.)</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">A.L.S. Lord Tennyson, 2 pp., 8vo</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">"Gathered Leaves," collected by -Edmund Yates, including -about 100 A.L.S., including -two from Dickens and one -from Thackeray</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">49</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - - - -<p>(At the sale of Mr. Yates's Library in 1895 -"Gathered Leaves" had fetched £65.)</p> - -<p>There was a two-days' sale on December 9 and 10, -1901, devoted solely to autographs, in which 478 -lots brought £473 12s.</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="3"></td><td align="center">£</td><td align="center">s.</td><td align="center">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Allan Ramsay, 1 p.</td><td align="right">(1732)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Sir Walter Scott, 3 pp.</td><td align="right">(1811)</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Lord Tennyson, 1 p.</td><td align="right">(1854)</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">6</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Earl of Chesterfield, 2 pp.</td><td align="right">(1762)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Thomas Doggett, 2 pp.</td><td align="right">(1714)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">6</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Edward Gibbon, 4 pp.</td><td align="right">(1789)</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D.S.</td><td align="left">Robespierre (M.)</td><td align="right">(1793)</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>Fifteen A.L.S. of Charles Dickens ranged in price -from £6 to 10s.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">{357}</a></span></p> - -<p>Of the autograph sales at "Sotheby's" in 1902 -the most interesting took place on December 11, 12, -and 13. The 865 lots sold realised a total of -£1,373 4s. 6d.</p> - -<p>Amongst the MSS. sold may be noted:—</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="3"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Thomas Chippendale</td><td align="right">(1813)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Garrick to Hannah More</td><td align="right">(1777)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Mendelssohn, 3 pp.</td><td align="right">(1841)</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">W. M. Thackeray, 2 pp.</td><td align="right">(1849)</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Samuel Foote, 4 pp.</td><td align="center">n.d.</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">David Garrick</td><td align="right">(1759)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Samuel Johnson, 2 pp.</td><td align="right">(1771)</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Bishop Percy to S. Johnson</td><td align="right">(1783)</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">(The value of this letter was evidently -determined by the person to whom it was addressed.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Verdi</td><td align="right">(1863)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">6</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Sir T. Fairfax to Duke of Buckingham</td><td align="right">(1663)</td><td align="right">21</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Hugh Peters, Regicide</td><td align="right">(1652)</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">George Eliot, 5 pp.</td><td align="right">(1859)</td><td align="right">22</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="right">(1859)</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="left">"</td><td align="right">(1863)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Samuel Richardson</td><td align="right">(1746)</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">18</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D.S.</td><td align="left">William Penn</td><td align="right">(1682)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">6</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Sarah Siddons</td><td align="center">(n.d.)</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="left">Sir W. Scott</td><td align="right">(1814)</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">23 A.L.S. Thomas Campbell</td><td align="right" colspan="2">14</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>There were several autograph sales at "Sotheby's" -in 1903. The late Mr. Frederick Barker was good -enough to price for me the catalogue of the sale of -June 23rd-24th. On the first day five long letters -of Samuel Richardson to the Rev. Mr. Lobb (1743-56) -averaged about £12 12s. A conveyance -signed by Guido Fawkes (reputed to have been -picked up for 10s.) fetched £101, and a 6½-pp. letter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">{358}</a></span> -of Nelson to Sir Alexander Ball was sold for £30 10s. -Throughout this sale prices ruled very high—quite a -short note of Thackeray's realising £7 5s. A fine -series of letters by Earl St. Vincent averaged about -£2, but one of these (dated January 17, 1801), in -which he wrote: "Nelson was very low when he -came here, the day before yesterday, appeared and -acted as if he had done me an injury, and felt -apprehensive that I was acquainted with it. Poor -man! he is devoured with vanity, weakness and -folly, was strung with ribbons, medals, &c., and yet -pretended he wished to avoid the honours and -ceremonies he everywhere met with on the road," -brought no less than £9 5s. A number of letters by -Edward Fitzgerald, the translator of Omar Khayyám, -addressed to Joseph Fletcher ("Posh"), averaged -about 30s., and several letters of Charles Dickens -£2 2s. each.</p> - -<p>The two-days' sale of June 8th and 9th in this -year brought no less than £1,963 9s. 6d. for only -618 lots.</p> - -<p>Amongst the autographs disposed of at this sale -were:—</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Robert Browning, 2 pp.</td><td align="right">(1880)</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">18</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L. Lindley Murray</td><td align="right">(1821)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. John Boydell</td><td align="right">(1804)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">12 D.S. Colley Cibber (bearing also the signatures of Wilks and Booth)</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">18</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Richard Cumberland, relating to altercation between Dr. Johnson and the Dean of Derry</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke</td><td align="right">(1619)</td><td align="right">24</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Thomas King to David Garrick</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">{359}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Richard Porson</td><td align="right">(1807)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. William Smith, actor</td><td align="right">(n.d.)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Lord Byron</td><td align="right">(1811)</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Sir W. Scott to Southey</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MS. Charles Lamb. Lines "The First Leaf in Spring"</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Shenstone</td><td align="right">(1750)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. John Keats—28 in number (purchased by Mr. Quaritch).</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">1,070</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Several letters by De Quincey and Carlyle averaged</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>Another autograph sale was held at "Sotheby's" -on July 23, 1903, and the following days, when some -fine letters by Oliver Cromwell, Burns, Dickens, and -"George Eliot," were sold at good prices. The last -sale of this season took place in Wellington Street on -the 19th of November and two following days. The -738 lots in this sale brought a total of £971 12s. 6d.</p> - -<p>Amongst the autographs sold were:—</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Lord Byron</td><td align="right">(1819)</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D.S. Sir Francis Drake</td><td align="right">(1593)</td><td align="right">18</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D.S. Sir R. Hawkins</td><td align="right">(1615)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Elizabeth Browning</td><td align="right">(1844)</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. William Penn</td><td align="right">(1684)</td><td align="right">34</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Twenty letters of Charles Dickens averaging only</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Colley Cibber</td><td align="right">(1742)</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Samuel Johnson</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Walter Scott to Thomas Moore (enclosing Notes on Byron)</td><td align="right">(1829)</td><td align="right">37</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Marat</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Andrew Marvel</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>The first autograph sale of 1904 in Wellington -Street lasted two days only (13th and 14th of May),<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">{360}</a></span> -but it included No. 218, the A.L.S. of Nelson to Lady -Hamilton (September 25, 1805), 4 pp. 4to, which -realised £1,030, possibly still the record price for a -single letter. Other letters of Nelson at this sale -fetched £16, £13 (two), £6 15s., and £4 15s. A letter -of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, beginning with the -emphatic words, "Ay, ay, as you say my dear, men -are vile inconstant toads," was sold for 15s. only. -A great many letters of great interest were included -in this catalogue. Amongst them may be noted -A.L.S. Beethoven, £30; A.L.S. Sir Stamford Raffles, -nearly 25 pp. 4to, described as "giving a most lively -and interesting description of the interior description -of St. Helena with <i>Napoleon Buonaparte</i>, and -Napoleon's answers to certain charges commonly -brought against him, etc., <i>marked 'private,' probably -unpublished. Off St. Helena, May 20, 1816.</i>" This is -now in my collection.</p> - -<p>It was at this sale that a letter of the Duke of -Wellington fetched the record price (as far as his -autographs are concerned) of £101. It was thus -described:—</p> - - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">127. Extremely interesting Letter written the day -after the Battle of Waterloo. Letters written at -this period by the Great Duke are extremely scarce.</span></p> - -<p>Poor Canning had my small dispatch box in our battle -yesterday and when he was killed it was lost. 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 cover, -&c., as soon as possible. Let it have in it a small silver or -thick glass inkstand with one of Braham's patent penholders -and one of his pens. What do you think of the total defeat -of Buonaparte <span class="smcap">by the British Army</span>? Never was there in -the annals of the world so desperate or so hard fought an -action or such a defeat. It was really the battle of the Giants.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">{361}</a></span> -My heart is broken by the terrible loss I have sustained of my -old friends and companions and my poor soldiers. I shall -not be satisfied with the battle however glorious if it does not -of itself put an end to Buonaparte.</p> - -<p>This letter was written at 4 o'clock in the morning after the -battle.</p></div> - -<p>The letter before it (126) realised only 8s., and two -letters sold together (128) after it, only 9s., although -both were excellent specimens of Wellington's -style.</p> - -<p>There was another autograph sale at "Sotheby's" -on July 18th and 19th. In this sale the following -prices were obtained:—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Queen Elizabeth. Letter with sign-manual</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Henry VIII. Letter with sign-manual</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. John Keats, 3 pp.</td><td align="right">(1818)</td><td align="right">35</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S. Matthew Prior</td><td align="right">(1704)</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Francis Bacon, note of 10 lines, signed</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">30</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">One hundred A.L.S. of Dorothy Wordsworth</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">26</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>By way of contrast the following letter of the late -Sir H. M. Stanley, addressed to the Secretary of the -Temple Club, realised only <i>one shilling</i>:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>I can assure you it is none the less welcome, 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 received. Where -Froude and Dickens, Dixon, Taylor, and Hood tread I am -only too conscious that very much greater men than myself -ought to be proud to follow.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">{362}</a></span></p> - -<p>The following A.L.S. of Lady Hamilton's was sold -for £12 15s.:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="ml2"> -<span class="smcap">Clarges St.</span>, <i>May 8</i>, to:</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My dearest Tyson</span>,—The long absence of our dearest -Nelson makes me apply to you. First I must tell you that -what money I had in my banker's hands, I have laid out at -Merton, and Lord Nelson thanked me in his last letter and -said he would settle with me with thanks when he came -home. Could you then my dearest Tyson either on my -account or Lord Nelson's lend me a hundred and fifty -pounds.</p></div> - -<p>I lately saw, in possession of Mr. Sabin, Nelson's -private banker's pass-book during the last eighteen -months of his life. With two exceptions every -cheque he had drawn was in favour of his "dearest -Emma."</p> - -<p>A one day's sale of 213 lots at "Sotheby's" on -December 1, 1904, brought £582 17s. An account -verified by Henry VII. with his royal initials -realised £10, and a document with sign-manual of -Henry VIII., £7 5s. A Privy Council letter from -Whitehall (April 27, 1640) was sold for £8 15s. A -series of official papers signed by Bonaparte averaged -£3, but a certificate of service signed by Captain -James Napoleon sold for more than twice as much. -One of the features of this sale was quite a number -of letters by Governors, Deputy-Governors, and -Judges in Australia. Many of these fetched £10 -each. A letter of Colonel William Paterson to Sir -Joseph Banks (1805) went as high as £13 10s., and -one of David Collins, founder and first Governor of -the Van Diemen's Land Settlement, yielded the -same price.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">{363}</a></span></p> - -<p>This was followed by the sale of December 5th -and 6th, in which 4,116 lots brought £1,009 16s. -Nelson's letter-book (1796-97) was sold for £150.</p> - -<p>A series of six holograph letters from Dr. Samuel -Johnson to his friend Sir Robert Chambers, afterwards -a judge in Bengal, all said to be unpublished, -and extending from October 22, 1762, to April 19, -1783, realised £125; the original galley and second -proof sheets of "The Impregnable Rock of Holy -Scripture," with numerous corrections and alterations -in the handwriting of Mr. Gladstone, £10 10s.; an -autograph letter of John Keats, June, 1819, to Miss -Jeffrey, in which he says, "You will judge of my -1819 temper when I tell you that the thing I -have most enjoyed this year has been writing an -'Ode to Indolence,'" 4 pp. 4to, £35 (Quaritch); -and the autograph manuscript of W. Morris's "A -King's Lesson, an Old Story Retold," on six leaves -of paper, £27 10s.</p> - -<p>The second day's sale included a remarkable series -of autograph letters addressed to Mrs. Thrale and -inherited by a descendant. Sixteen of the letters -were written by Dr. Samuel Johnson, chiefly to Mrs. -Thrale; two were from Boswell to the same, and -there were others from Mrs. Siddons, Garrick, Goldsmith, -Burke, and various other celebrities of the -day. The Johnson letters for the most part -possessed but little literary interest, but in the -longest one in the series, written by Boswell and -dated from Banff, August 25, 1773, he refers to his -journey in Scotland, and says concerning their -arrival at St Andrews: "The professors who -happened to be resident in the vacation made a -public dinner and treated us very kindly and -respectfully. They showed us their colleges, in one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">{364}</a></span> -of which there is a library that for luminousness and -elegance may vie with the new edifice at Streatham. -But learning seems not to prosper among them; one -of their colleges has been lately alienated, and one of -their churches lately deserted." The Johnson letters -date from July 19, 1755, to April 15, 1784, and the -entire series was sold <i>en bloc</i> for £300.<a name="FNanchor_76_76" id="FNanchor_76_76"></a><a href="#Footnote_76_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a> The sale -also included an interesting series of five autograph -letters from S. T. Coleridge to Thomas Poole, -1797-98, giving a history of his life, and covering -17 pages folio and quarto, which fetched £14 10s., -and an autograph letter from Charles Lamb to -J. H. Green, August 26, 1834, which sold for -£6 2s. 6d.</p> - -<p>Allusion has been made elsewhere to the excitement -caused at the beginning of 1905 by the sale of -January 25th, at which the 33 4to pages, described as -belonging to the original MS. of "Paradise Lost," -were bought in, the reserve price of £5,000 not -having been reached.<a name="FNanchor_77_77" id="FNanchor_77_77"></a><a href="#Footnote_77_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a></p> - -<p>From the 2nd to the 4th of March following there -was a three-days' autograph sale in Wellington Street, -in which 905 lots brought £1,834 9s. 6d. A series of -letters by General Gordon averaged £1 each; the -Dickens letters disposed of sold better than in 1903 -or 1904, realising from £2 to £6, and 52 letters of -Gilbert White brought £150. Some splendid -musical and dramatic letters collected by the late -Mr. Julian Marshall realised high prices, showing a -marked advance in this kind of autographs.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">{365}</a></span></p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Dr. Arne A.L.S.</td><td align="right">(n.d.)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brahms A.L.S.</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">16</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Donizetti MS.</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Handel Autograph on MS.</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Haydn A.L.S.</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Paganini A.L.S.</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Schumann A.L.S.</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Scarlati MS. signed</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Schubert MS. signed</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>The one-day sale of April 13, 1905, was almost -entirely devoted to Civil War and Royal autographs, -205 lots (in striking contrast to the Upcott Sale) -making a total of £2,009—or nearly £10 each lot! -Some of the rarest items fetched the following -prices:—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Henry Jermyn A.L.S.</td><td align="right">(Feb. 22, 1649)</td><td align="right">41</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Charles II. L.S.</td><td align="right">(May 10, 1649)</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">James Graham, Duke of Montrose, A.L.S.</td><td align="right">(Sept. 4, 1649)</td><td align="right">48</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">William, Prince of Orange, A.L.S.</td><td align="right">(Nov. 4, 1649)</td><td align="right">27</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Abraham Cowley A.L.S.</td><td align="right">(Jan. 8, 1650)</td><td align="right">31</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Queen Henrietta Maria A.L.S.</td><td align="right">(Jan. 8, 1650)</td><td align="right">31</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Queen Henrietta Maria A.L.S. (addressed to Charles II.)</td><td align="right">(Jan. 25, 1650)</td><td align="right">151</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Queen Henrietta Maria (addressed to Charles II.)</td><td align="right">(May 20, 1650)</td><td align="right">51</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>The late Mr. Frederick Barker showed me the -whole of this collection bound up in a shabby -looking volume, with small rope and thick glue! -The separating them without injury was a matter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">{366}</a></span> -of the greatest difficulty, and the necessary operation -was performed at Oxford.</p> - -<p>This was the centenary year of Trafalgar, and its -influence was soon felt in the autograph market. -The one-day sale at "Sotheby's" on May 17th -offered abundant attractions to Nelson buyers; but -the 226 lots only fetched £397 10s. The Nelson -items were somewhat over-catalogued, and the results -were probably disappointing. The highest price paid -for a Nelson letter was £25. Some went as low as -£3 3s. Nelson's captains fared badly. Letters of -Berry, Bickerton, Brereton, and so forth went for two -or three shillings each, and Ganteaume, Decrès, and -Gravina were equally unfortunate. An order signed -by Hardy, informing Admiral Berkeley that three -men had been lashed with the "cat-o'-nine-tails," -was disposed of for 7s.</p> - -<p>Far more important, however, was the sale of the -previous week (May 11th, 12th, and 13th), which -included the Bunbury MSS. In this sale 842 lots -fetched £2,108. The Bunbury correspondence was -quite as important to the story of the days of -George III. as the documents sold during the -previous month were to that of the Civil War. The -dispersal of both collections must ever be a matter of -regret. I do not think the Bunbury letters would -have been sold at all in 1910.</p> - -<p>Before the Bunbury portion of the sale was reached -a series of twenty-four letters addressed by Mrs. -Siddons to Mrs. Pennington, chiefly relating to the -troubles occasioned by Thomas Lawrence's courtship -of her daughters,<a name="FNanchor_78_78" id="FNanchor_78_78"></a><a href="#Footnote_78_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a> was disposed of. They belonged -to Mr. Oswald G. Knapp and realised £100. As -no letter of Sarah M. Siddons was included in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">{367}</a></span> -lot, I do not regret having acquired the letter -catalogued in error as that of her mother. The -letters of Mrs. Piozzi to Dr. Whalley (twenty-five -in all) published in the Rev. Hill Wickham's book -on his ancestor<a name="FNanchor_79_79" id="FNanchor_79_79"></a><a href="#Footnote_79_79" class="fnanchor">[79]</a> were sold for £16. Mrs. Wickham -parted with them for £6, and got little more fifty -years ago for Dr. Whalley's correspondence with -Mrs. Siddons. Two letters of Burns brought £25 -and £14 10s. respectively, and the buyer of the -letters written by Sir Thomas Noël Hill, K.C.B., -during the campaign in the Peninsula and in -Flanders, possibly got a bargain. One Nelson -letter only was sold on May 11th. It was addressed -to Lady Hamilton from the <i>Victory</i>, on May 4, 1805, -and realised £71. In my opinion it was far finer -than that for which £1,030 was paid. It ran thus:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Your poor dear Nelson is my dearest beloved Emma very -very unwell, after a two years hard fag it has been mortifying -the not being able to get at the Enemy, as yet I can get no -information about them, at Lisbon this day week they knew -nothing about them but it is now generally believed that they -are gone to the West Indies. My movements must be guided -by the best Judgment I am able to form. John Bull may be -angry, but he never had any officer, who has served him more -faithfully, but Providence I rely will yet crown my never -failing exertions with success, and that it has only been a hard -trial of my fortitude in bearing up against untoward events. -You my own Emma are my first and last thoughts and to the -last moment of my breath, they will be occupied in leaving -you independent of the world, and all I long in the world that -you will be a kind and affectionate <i>Father</i> to my <i>dear</i> [a word -obliterated] <span class="smcap">daughter Horatia</span>, 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 Providence, and I hope for many years of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">{368}</a></span> -comfort with you, only think of all you wish me to say -and you may be assured it exceeds if possible your wishes. -May God protect you and <span class="smcap">my dear Horatia</span>, prays ever your -most faithful and affectionate</p> - -<p class='right mr2'> -<span class="smcap">Nelson</span>.</p></div> - -<p>The Bunbury MSS. were included in the lots from -607 to 842. Considering their great historical importance -the total price paid for them—£896 19s.—can -hardly be considered adequate. The Crabbe -A.L.S. to Burke (6 pp. 4to), for which I subsequently -gave £20, went for £14. Some very important -letters of General Dumouriez were sold for £6 10s. -and £6 5s., and C. J. Fox's confidential letters to his -brother, General Fox, averaged less than £3.</p> - -<p>Some important A.L.S. and L.S. of Frederick the -Great brought from £6 to £20, and a letter from -Oliver Goldsmith to Mrs. Bunbury, partly in verse -and extremely witty, was cheap at £82, although it -made a record as far as Goldsmith's letter is concerned. -Another Goldsmith letter to H. W. Bunbury -about his "last literary effort" ("She Stoops to -Conquer"), fetched only £50. The letters of the -third Lord Holland (1773-1840) went for a song, -although every page of them would materially help -the historian. The finest letter of Sir Hudson Lowe -was sold for £15, and three letters from Pope to -Lord Strafford realised £29 10s., £12, and £8 15s. -respectively. Ten letters of Matthew Prior in one lot -were disposed of at £140. The letters of Charles, Duke -of Richmond (1735-1806), to Lady Louisa Conolly -almost failed to find buyers, although in reality they -were little less historically important than those of -Lord Holland. It must not be forgotten that the -MSS. of Sir Thomas Hanmer were sold with those -of the Hanbury family. An A.L.S. of Sir Richard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">{369}</a></span> -Steele to Sir T. Hanmer fetched £25 10s., and one -of Swift £18 10s. I am quite unable to understand -why a letter of Benjamin West should have brought -£24 10s., while a long political letter of the Duke of -Wellington to Colonel Bunbury sold for only £6. -In these two last lots there were the makings of two -books, but Mr. Quaritch obtained the whole of the -MSS. relating to the affairs of the Mediterranean, -1806-14, for £35, and those connected with the -War in Germany and in Belgium, 1813-15, for £5 -more.</p> - -<p>The next sale devoted solely to autographs took -place at "Sotheby's" on July 8, 1905. It was -essentially a Trafalgar commemoration, and 215 lots -made a total of £1,034 14s.</p> - -<p>In this sale a very curious letter of General -Dumouriez to "My good and glorious Nelson," -written in English, was purchased for the British -Museum by Mr. Quaritch at the low price of -£3 7s. 6d.<a name="FNanchor_80_80" id="FNanchor_80_80"></a><a href="#Footnote_80_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a> I must content myself with giving the -price of the principal Nelson letters now sold.</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="4"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="center">of</td><td align="center">Lord Nelson</td><td align="right">(April 1, 1798)</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(October, 1798)</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(July 14, 1799)</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(July 19, 1799)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(August 29, 1799)</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(September 13, 1799)</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(September 17, 1799)</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(October 11, 1799)</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(October 26, 1799)</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(November 12, 1799)</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="3">(All these letters are addressed to Sir James St. -Clair Erskine.)<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">{370}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A.L.S.</td><td align="center">of</td><td align="center">Lord Nelson</td><td align="right">(February 14, 1801)</td><td align="right">9</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(September 23, 1801)</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(May 18, 1803)</td><td align="right">26</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="center">"</td><td align="right">(n.d.)</td><td align="right">27</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="3">(These letters are addressed to Lady Hamilton.)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="3">A.L.S. of Lord Nelson to Sir A. J. Ball</td><td align="right">(November 7, 1803)</td><td align="right">50</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>The official dispatch announcing the Battle of -Trafalgar and the death of Nelson, from Lord -Collingwood to the "Rt. Honble. Lord Robert -Fitzgerald, Minister Plenipotentiary, Ambassador at -Lisbon," dated October 24, 1805, was purchased by -Mr. Sabin for £95. Five letters from Lady Hamilton -to Mr. George Rose, Mr. C. F. Greville, and -Lord Stowell, were sold for £12, £13 10s., -and £27 respectively. Just at the end of this -sale two letters of Shelley realised £38 and £20 -respectively.</p> - -<p>There was another three-days' autograph sale at -"Sotheby's" on the 24th, 25th, and 26th of July of -this year. The 1,087 lots included in it brought a -sum total of £1,578 8s.</p> - -<p>In the autumn of 1906 Mr. Frederick Barker, who -was held in high esteem as an autograph expert, -died, and three sales were devoted to the dispersal of -his MSS., but these sales call for no note. In fact, -they were felt to be disappointing. Most of Mr. -Barker's best "finds" had been parted with during -his lifetime. The first of the Barker sales commenced -on December 18, 1905. Almost simultaneously -the Irving relics were dispersed at -"Christie's." Amongst them were a few autographs. -The death of the famous actor caused a sudden rise<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">{371}</a></span> -in the price of his letters, but it has since subsided. -On the night before his tragic death Irving had -signed a few portrait postcards for my friend Mr. -Peter Keary, who has very kindly given me one of -them.</p> - -<p>The three days of the Barker Sale, with 910 lots, -only brought £916 12s. 6d. It should be noted that -the price of Nelson autographs since the centenary -year of his death has been well maintained, and the -writer is well aware that some of the very best of his -letters have still to come into the market. Possibly -they never will.</p> - -<p>The sales of the following year opened with the -dispersal of Mr. Barker's Royal autographs on -January 22nd. On February 19th, 279 lots belonging -to him and relating to Napoleon fetched only -£147 5s. 6d. There was another autograph sale at -"Sotheby's" on February 26, 1906, when 327 lots -yielded £779 18s. Nelsonians were still very much -to the fore.</p> - -<p>An important bundle of Temple-Greville-Lyttelton-Pitt -MSS. was sold for £10 15s. I also notice -the following interesting items:—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">2 A.L.S. of Benjamin Disraeli about his -duel with O'Connell</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">6</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">26 other A.L.S. of Disraeli averaging</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Naval document signed by Lord Nelson, -dated <i>Victory</i>, April 29, 1805, showing disposition of ships and the historic -signal. (The date given in the catalogue -is manifestly absurd)</td><td align="right">70</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lord Nelson A.L.S. to Lady Hamilton -(September 24, 1801)</td><td align="right">7</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">MSS. relating to Keats</td><td align="right">70</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">{372}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lord Nelson A.L.S. to Horatia, dr. of Lady -Hamilton. "My dear Horatia, I send you a watch which I give you permission -to wear on Sundays and on very particular days, when you are dressed -and have behaved exceedingly well and obedient. I have kissed it and -send it with the affectionate blessing of your Nelson and Bronté" [<i>Victory</i>, -January 20, 1804]</td><td align="right">51</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lord Nelson A.L.S. to Lady Hamilton -[<i>Victory</i>, June 16, 1805]</td><td align="right">24</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>On the last day of a mixed book and autograph -sale, March 27-31, 1906, Ben Jonson's Bible with -the words <i>Benedica Dominum in omni tempore Semper -laus eius in ore meo</i> (Psa. xxxii.), fetched £320. A -2 pp. folio A.L.S. of General Washington (July 20, -1788) was sold for £26 10s., and a number of documents -signed by Napoleon averaged about £3. One -page of holograph notes in pencil, made at St. -Helena by Napoleon, and relating to "Montholon's -Mémoires," fetched £16 5s. and another £10. A -series of documents and letters signed by Napoleon -III. averaged from 1s. to 2s.! The autograph -section of this sale, including only 123 lots, realised -£981 13s.</p> - -<p>The autograph sale of May 19th, at "Sotheby's," -was distinguished by a wealth of English Royal -autographs and a small series of letters by Lady -Hamilton:—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Charles II. short A.L.S. in French</td><td align="right">(April 11, 1670)</td><td align="right">25</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Richard Plantagenet, Regent of France. Signature "R. York" to State paper</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">85</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Edward VI., sign-manual to superb document -dated April 1, 1547</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">450</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">{373}</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Disraeli, B., A.L.S. to the Duke of Wellington, -"Will you accept a mouthful of Caviare? It comes direct from Astrachan. -I tasted it, but it seemed selfish to eat it alone—it shall be shared with -a friend. But who has a friend? I think I have and so send it to you"</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>In this sale 332 lots brought a total of £1,235.</p> - -<p>The sale of July 9-10, 1906, attracted a crowd of -Wesley autograph buyers. The 296 lots sold realised -a total of £1,069 17s. 6d. The seven unpublished -letters of Wesley fetched from £2 to £9 5s.—averaging -over £4. Oliver Goldsmith's desk-chair figured -between some copies of letters by Frederick the -Great and the probate of a Wesley will. It went for -£39. Another sale on December 1st, comprising -242 lots, brought a total of £725 14s. In this sale -some letters of the actress "Kitty Clive" were sold -at £17 and £3 3s. respectively. The latter had been -mutilated.</p> - -<p>The autograph season of 1907 began with a two-days' -sale at "Sotheby's"—January 21st-22nd. The -743 lots disposed of realised a total of £1,210 14s. 6d. -Another series of eleven Disraeli letters was sold -at good prices, ranging from £9 12s. 6d. ("Heard -Macaulay's best speech ... but between ourselves -I could floor them all. This <i>entress nous</i> -(<i>sic</i>). I was never more confident of anything than -that I could carry everything before me in that -house. The Time will come," January 7, 1833) to -£2 12s. In this sale Messrs. Maggs acquired a series -of twenty-five letters of Johnson to Mrs. Piozzi for -£240. Mrs. Mainwaring, of Brynbella, gave £94 for -five volumes of "Piozziana," presented by the writer,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">{374}</a></span> -H. L. Piozzi, in 1810, to her adopted nephew and -heir, John Piozzi Salusbury. At the sale of June 3-4, -1907, Messrs. Sotheby disposed of 459 lots for -£1,101 19s. A series of letters about Keats, -addressed to John Taylor the publisher, was sold -for £44; a notable advance was made in the price of -Thackeray letters; Disraeli letters showed a distinct -fall, one selling for only 16s., and a very fine letter -of Samuel Pepys, covering four folio pages, went to -Mr. Sabin for £22. The 315 lots sold on November -8th realised £1,095. For thirty-six letters addressed -to Lady Blessington, by Thackeray, Dickens, and -others, Mr. Sabin gave £315. A single letter of -Shelley's brought £46, and six letters of Byron to -Trelawny £70. A letter of Charles I. to the Elector -Palatine went to the late Mr. W. Brown for £56.</p> - -<p>On March 10-11, 1908, a two-days' autograph sale -of 557 lots realised a total of £1,191. A number of -Nelson documents, the property of the late Viscount -Bridport, Duke of Bronté, were sold for £125.</p> - -<p>Six days in June were taken up by the sale of -autographs. On June 1, 254 lots realised £260. At -this sale I secured for 5s. two most interesting letters -of Captain Wright, whose death in the Temple -(October, 1805) brought so much obloquy on -Napoleon.</p> - -<p>Messrs. Sotheby devoted no less than four days -(June 15th-18th) to the dispersal of another section -of the Phillipps Library. The 855 lots brought -£3,796 19s. The sale was devoid of any sensational -Incidents.</p> - -<p>On July 3rd, 252 lots were sold in Wellington -Street for £415 18s. Sixteen important letters of -Mr. Gladstone sold for £4 10s., and I secured several -very interesting Disraeli letters at prices varying from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">{375}</a></span> -15s. to 21s. At this sale Disraeli letters went as low -as 2s., 3s., 5s., and 7s. A fine series of Thomas -Carlyle letters varied in price from £2 2s. to £8 15s. -The Sir Arthur Vicars' sale of heraldic and -genealogical MSS. (July 27th-28th) excited some -interest. The 671 lots brought a total of £1,571 10s. -The sale of November 16-17, 1908, was of more than -ordinary interest, and the 334 lots of which it was -made up realised £1,007 9s. Amongst the interesting -MSS. disposed of were—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"></td><td align="right">£</td><td align="right">s.</td><td align="right">d.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Robert Burns, 34 lines of verse</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">25</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Queen Henrietta Maria, A.L.S.</td><td align="right">(n.d.)</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Keats, original assignment of poems</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">50</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Cotton Mather A.L.S., October 10, 1720</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">38</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Schiller A.L.S., January 27, 1791</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Swift A.L.S. (short), June 1, 1737</td><td align="right"></td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">0</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p>The season of 1909 opened with the Stoddart Sale -of historical MSS. (February 22nd-23rd). In this sale -404 lots brought £510 6s. The fine A.L.S. of Mrs. -Siddons, now in my collection, fetched £12 5s., or £2 -less than it did thirty years ago. The price of Nelson -letters was well maintained, a small collection of -them, with portraits and sundry relics, fetching £145. -A letter to Lady Hamilton, dated March 23, 1801, -although covering only half a page, went for £31. -On March 1st (a one-day's sale) 201 lots brought -£798 2s. 6d. A short letter of Keats sold for -£25 10s., two A.L.S. of James Wolfe for £35 10s., -and a fine holograph letter of Raphael Sanzio -d'Urbino for £41. A series of MSS. relating to -the American War of Independence (including four -letters and documents signed by Washington) was -purchased by Messrs. Maggs for £40. I have already<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">{376}</a></span> -alluded to the sale of June 9th-10th, from which the -Windham correspondence was withdrawn. The remaining -524 lots realised no less than £2,145 10s. 6d. -A series of twenty-four Nelson letters and other MSS. -relating to him was purchased by Mr. Sabin for -£121, a very low price considering that fourteen -letters of Lady Hamilton went with the others, as -well as Nelson's original will and seven codicils, -<i>from which eight signatures had been removed!</i> Mr. -Quaritch, at this sale, gave £275 for the correspondence -of John Robinson, Secretary of the -Treasury, 1770 to 1782, which included 194 letters -from George III. These MSS. have an important -bearing on both American and British history, and -ought to have been acquired by the nation along with -the Windham papers. A one-day's sale on July 22nd, -consisting of only 269 lots, realised £1,113 14s. 6d., -and another on December 17th, composed of 269 lots, -brought a total of £1,318 6s. A rise in price at both -these sales was very marked. In the first a song of -Burns (2 pp.) fetched £57, and two unpublished -letters of Lord Byron £17 10s. and £28 respectively. -£20 was paid for some notes of Goethe in pencil, -and £40 for a 2 pp. 8vo letter of Shelley. It was in -the latter that the twenty-four letters of Beethoven -were sold for £660. On the same day Mr. Cromwell -gave £31 for an exceedingly interesting letter -addressed to the Genevan Senate, signed by Oliver -Cromwell.</p> - -<p>On the 28th of January of the present year (1910) 264 -lots realised £742 13s. 6d. It was on this occasion -that £50 was given for an 8½ pp. 8vo letter of -Charlotte Brontë. It is doubtless a high price, but -only just before Mr. Sabin paid £17 10s. for a letter -of Mr. R. Waldo Emerson to Thomas Carlyle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">{377}</a></span> -(October 7, 1835), and Mr. Quaritch gave £56 for a -2 pp. 4to letter of George Washington to S. Powell -(May 25, 1786). Within a few days no less than £81 -was expended on a blue Hawaian postage-stamp, in -Leicester Square. About a quarter of that sum -gave Mr. Sabin, on February 28th, a long holograph -poem of Frederick the Great addressed to Algarotti, -beginning with the lines:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">My trembling timid pen<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Presents its first attempt<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To the rigid public censor,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To assure it against attacks<br /></span> -<span class="i0">May Minerva guide it.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>The cost of the Hawaian "specimen" would have -sufficed to buy both the poem of the Prussian King -and Charlotte Brontë's touching confession that the -"only glimpses of society she ever had were obtained -in her vocation of governess," and her earnest appeal -to the necessity of a creed.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">{378}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="INDEX" id="INDEX">INDEX</a></h2> - - - -<ul class="index"><li class="ifrst">Addison, Joseph, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Adelaide, Queen, <a href="#Page_163">163-4</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Agar, Welbore Ellis, <a href="#Page_182">182</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Albert, Prince, facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_165">165</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Aldrich, <a href="#Page_340">340</a></li> - -<li class="indx">d'Alençon, Duc, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Alexander of Battenberg, anecdote of, <a href="#Page_144">144</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Algarotti, letter to, <a href="#Page_377">377</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Alleyn, Edward, letter to, <a href="#Page_109">109</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Amateur d'Autographes</i>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Amelia, Princess, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></li> - -<li class="indx">American catalogues and books on autographs, <a href="#Page_320">320</a>, <a href="#Page_322">322</a></li> - -<li class="indx">American MSS., destruction of, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">prices, <a href="#Page_341">341-2</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Civil War documents, <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">André, Major, <a href="#Page_335">335-7</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Arabi Pacha, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>, <a href="#Page_11">11</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Arago, E., <a href="#Page_98">98-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Archivist, The</i>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Arne, Dr., <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Arnold, Christopher, <a href="#Page_34">34-5</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Austen, Jane, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Autographs, antiquity of collecting, <a href="#Page_33">33-4</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">tricks of collectors, <a href="#Page_42">42-9</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">hints to collectors, <a href="#Page_53">53-9</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">dealers, <a href="#Page_60">60-1</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">care and restoration of, <a href="#Page_65">65-6</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">royal, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">statesmen's, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">literary, <a href="#Page_196">196-8</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">naval and military, <a href="#Page_238">238-41</a>, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">music, drama, and art, <a href="#Page_259">259-81</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">collecting in America, <a href="#Page_237">237-40</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Bacon, Lord, quoted, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>, <a href="#Page_361">361</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bailie, Mr., <a href="#Page_37">37-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ball, Nelson's letters to Sir A. J., <a href="#Page_370">370</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ball, Sir Alex., letter from Nelson to, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Banks, Sir Joseph, <a href="#Page_362">362</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Barker, Frederick, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>, <a href="#Page_365">365</a>, <a href="#Page_370">370-1</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Barnard, Fred, illustration by, <a href="#Page_281">281</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bathurst, Earl, <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Beaconsfield, Lord, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189-92</a>, <a href="#Page_371">371</a>, <a href="#Page_373">373-5</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Beattie, James, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Beecher, H. W., <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Beethoven, L. van, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>, <a href="#Page_360">360</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Belvoir, discovery of letters at, <a href="#Page_100">100-1</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Benjamin, William Evarts, <a href="#Page_124">124</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Berry, Miss, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_311">311</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bindley, James, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bismarck, Prince, <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blackburn, Douglas, work by, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blackmore, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blake, William, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blathwayt, R. W., <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blathwayt, William, <a href="#Page_343">343</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blessington, Lady, <a href="#Page_374">374</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blott, Mr., <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Blücher, Marshal, <a href="#Page_254">254</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bodleian Library, the, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Books on Autographs, <a href="#Page_56">56-9</a>, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Boswell's correspondence, discovery of, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">letter to Mrs. Thrale, <a href="#Page_363">363</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bousy, Charles de, <a href="#Page_35">35</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bovet, Alfred, collection of, <a href="#Page_58">58-9</a>, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>, <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Boydell, John, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Boyhood of a Great King, the," <a href="#Page_154">154-5</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bradshaw, John, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brahms, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brandling, W., letter of, <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brébion, Edmund, <a href="#Page_293">293</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brereton, Sir William, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brewster, Sir David, <a href="#Page_88">88</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bright, John, <a href="#Page_341">341</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">{379}</a></span></li> - -<li class="indx">Brontë, Charlotte, <a href="#Page_353">353</a>, <a href="#Page_376">376</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brougham, Lord, <a href="#Page_98">98-9</a>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Broughton, Lord, <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brown, John, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Browne, Hablot K., illustration of, <a href="#Page_286">286</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Browning, E. B., <a href="#Page_340">340-1</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Browning, Robert, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_358">358-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Brueys, Admiral, facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_310">310</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bryant, W. C., <a href="#Page_340">340</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Buckingham, Duke of, letter of, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">letter to, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Bulletin d'Autographs</i>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Bunbury sale of MSS., <a href="#Page_110">110-11</a>, <a href="#Page_366">366</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Burckhardt's Journal, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Burke, Edmund, sale of poem by, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">letter to from Crabbe, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">letter to Mrs. Montagu, <a href="#Page_211">211-12</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of autograph of, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Burns, Charles de F., <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Burns, Robert, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>, <a href="#Page_367">367</a>, <a href="#Page_375">375-6</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Burr, Aaron, <a href="#Page_338">338</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Burroughs, John, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Byng, Admiral John, <a href="#Page_241">241-2</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Byron, Lord, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Caddell, Captain W., work by, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cain, George, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Camolin Cavalry Detail Book, the, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Campbell, Thomas, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Canadie, La," <a href="#Page_54">54-5</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Carlyle, James, <a href="#Page_229">229-30</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Carlyle, Thomas, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>, <a href="#Page_375">375-6</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Caroline, Queen, <a href="#Page_139">139-43</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Catharine of Aragon, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Catharine II. of Russia, <a href="#Page_129">129-33</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cawdor, Lord, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chamberlain, Joseph, <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chambers, Sir Robert, <a href="#Page_363">363</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chambord, Comte de, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>, <a href="#Page_306">306</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chapman, Frederic, work by, <a href="#Page_142">142</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charavay, Étienne, works by, <a href="#Page_58">58-9</a>, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charavay, Mme. Veuve G., <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_60">60-1</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charavay, Noël, <a href="#Page_13">13-14</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57-8</a>, <a href="#Page_60">60-1</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_257">257</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charavay, the house of, <a href="#Page_291">291-2</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charles Edward Stuart, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charles I., <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charles II., <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_365">365</a>, <a href="#Page_372">372</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Charlotte, Queen, <a href="#Page_162">162-3</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chasles, Michel, <a href="#Page_88">88-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chatham, Lady, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chesterfield, Lord, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_181">181-5</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_356">356</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Chesterfield's Letters," <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Child, Mr., <a href="#Page_335">335</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Chippendale, Thomas, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Churchill, John, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cibber, Colley, <a href="#Page_358">358-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cleopatra, copy of forged letter from, <a href="#Page_89">89</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Clive, Kitty, <a href="#Page_373">373</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cobden, Richard, illustrated letter of, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_287">287-8</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Coburg, Duke of, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_148">148-9</a>, <a href="#Page_166">166</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Coleridge, S. T., <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Collectanea Napoleonica</i>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Collingwood, Lord, <a href="#Page_370">370</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Collins, David, <a href="#Page_362">362</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Connaught, Duke of, <a href="#Page_148">148</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Conolly, Lady Louisa, letters from Duke of Richmond to, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cooper, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Corot, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cowley, Abraham, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cowper, William, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Crabbe, George, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_210">210-11</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cranmer, Archbishop, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Crawford, Earl of, <a href="#Page_296">296</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cromwell, Oliver, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cruikshank, George, <a href="#Page_277">277-8</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cumberland, Richard, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Cuyler, T. C. S., <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_320">320-4</a>, <a href="#Page_329">329</a>, <a href="#Page_336">336-7</a>, <a href="#Page_339">339</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Damer, Arne, <a href="#Page_65">65</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Darwin, Charles, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Davey, Samuel, <a href="#Page_57">57-8</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Davy, Sir Humphry, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dayrolles Correspondence, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Deffand, Mme. du, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li class="indx">De Quincey, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Derby, Earl of, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Desaix, Marshal, <a href="#Page_303">303</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dibdin, Charles, discovery of songs by, <a href="#Page_105">105-7</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dickens, Charles, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">forgeries, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">letters of, <a href="#Page_220">220-6</a>, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of autograph of, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>, <a href="#Page_364">364</a>, <a href="#Page_374">374</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341-2</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Digby, Colonel, <a href="#Page_107">107-8</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dillon, John, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_353">353</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Diplomatique, Manuel de," <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Disraeli, <i>see</i> Beaconsfield</li> - -<li class="indx">Doggett, Thomas, <a href="#Page_356">356</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">{380}</a></span></li> - -<li class="indx">Donizetti, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Donnadieu Sale, the, <a href="#Page_353">353</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Doyle, Richard, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Drake, Sir Francis, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dreer, Ferdinand J., <a href="#Page_338">338</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dryden, John, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Dumouriez and the Defence of England against Napoleon</i>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_369">369</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Dumouriez, General, MS. by, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368-9</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Edward VI., <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_372">372</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Edward VII., facsimile of bulletin of birth of, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of the early writing of, <a href="#Page_344">344</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Elgar, Sir Edward, facsimile of bars of a song by, <a href="#Page_49">49</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Elizabeth, Queen, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_361">361</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Elliot, George," <a href="#Page_40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ellis, Sir Henry, <a href="#Page_353">353</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Emerson, R. Waldo, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Emmet, Dr. T. A., <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_321">321-2</a>, <a href="#Page_324">324</a>, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>, <a href="#Page_336">336-7</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Erskine, Nelson's letters to Sir J. St. C., <a href="#Page_369">369</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Evelyn, John, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>, <a href="#Page_352">352</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Extra-illustrating, <a href="#Page_66">66-8</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Facsimiles, how to obtain, <a href="#Page_55">55-6</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fairfax, Lord, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fairfax, Sir Thomas, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fawkes, Guido, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fénelon, Archbishop, <a href="#Page_14">14</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fishguard Invasion, correspondence regarding the, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li class="indx">FitzGerald, Edward, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - -<li class="indx">FitzGerald, Lord Robert, <a href="#Page_370">370</a></li> - -<li class="indx">FitzGerald, Pamela, <a href="#Page_54">54</a></li> - -<li class="indx">FitzRoy, Lord William, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fletcher, Joseph, letter to, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Flint, Sir Charles, <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Foote, Samuel, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Forbes, Archibald, <a href="#Page_303">303</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Forgeries, <a href="#Page_75">75-91</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">how to detect, <a href="#Page_80">80-2</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90-1</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Forster, John, <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Fox, C. J., <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">France, Anatole, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></li> - -<li class="indx">France, autographs of Kings of, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Frank," the, <a href="#Page_36">36-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Franklin, Benjamin, letter of, <a href="#Page_332">332</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of autograph of, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Frederick, Duke of York, <a href="#Page_156">156</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Frederick, Empress (of Germany), <a href="#Page_168">168</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Frederick the Great, <a href="#Page_368">368</a>, <a href="#Page_373">373</a>, <a href="#Page_377">377</a></li> - -<li class="indx">French autographs, <a href="#Page_292">292-3</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Frowde, J. A., <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Garrick, David, <a href="#Page_262">262-3</a>, <a href="#Page_357">357-8</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Garrick, Mrs., <a href="#Page_263">263</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gascoyne, Bamber, <a href="#Page_243">243</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Gatty," <i>see</i> Agar</li> - -<li class="indx">Geoffrin, Mme. de, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li class="indx">George III., <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137-42</a>, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - -<li class="indx">George IV., <a href="#Page_161">161</a></li> - -<li class="indx">George V., facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_167">167</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gerothwohl, Prof., <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gibbon, Edward, <a href="#Page_356">356</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Giry, A., work of, <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gladstone, W. E., <a href="#Page_187">187-8</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>, <a href="#Page_374">374</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Goethe, W. von, <a href="#Page_213">213-4</a>, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Goldsmith, Oliver, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368</a>, <a href="#Page_373">373</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Goodspeed, C. E., <a href="#Page_339">339</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gordon, General, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Grangerising, <i>see</i> Extra-illustrating</li> - -<li class="indx">Gray, Thomas, <a href="#Page_356">356</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Greaves, Mr., <a href="#Page_350">350</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Green, J. H., <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Grenville Library, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Greville, C. F., <a href="#Page_370">370</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Greville, J., <a href="#Page_243">243</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Greville, Hon. Charles, <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Grimston, Sir Harbottle, <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Guizot, F. P. G., <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gulston, Miss E., <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gurwood, Colonel, <a href="#Page_237">237</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Gwinnett, Button, <a href="#Page_321">321</a>, <a href="#Page_323">323-5</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of writing and signature of, <a href="#Page_326">326</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Haber, Louis J., sale of library of, <a href="#Page_12">12-3</a>, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_320">320</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">catalogue of, <a href="#Page_340">340-2</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hamilton, Lady, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_360">360</a>, <a href="#Page_362">362</a>, <a href="#Page_367">367</a>, <a href="#Page_370">370</a>, <a href="#Page_375">375-6</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Handel, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Handwriting of Kings and Queens of England, The</i>, <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hanmer, MSS. of Sir Thos., <a href="#Page_368">368-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hardy, Captain T. M., <a href="#Page_249">249-50</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hardy, T., <a href="#Page_341">341-2</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hardy, W. J., work by, <a href="#Page_117">117</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Harley, <i>see</i> Oxford, Earl of</li> - -<li class="indx">Harris, J. C., <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Harte, Bret, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hawaian postage stamp, <a href="#Page_377">377</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hawkins, Sir R., <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hawthorne, N., <a href="#Page_341">341-2</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Haydn, Joseph, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hayes, William, <a href="#Page_257">257</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hearne, Thomas, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Heber's hymn, discovery of Bishop, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Henrietta Maria, Queen, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>, <a href="#Page_365">365</a>, <a href="#Page_375">375</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">{381}</a></span></li> - -<li class="indx">Henry VII., <a href="#Page_362">362</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Henry VIII., <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>, <a href="#Page_361">361-2</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Heralds' College, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hewson, Colonel John, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hill, Sir Thomas Noël, <a href="#Page_367">367</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>History of the Festivals of the Three Choirs</i>, <a href="#Page_257">257</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hobhouse, <i>see</i> Broughton</li> - -<li class="indx">Hogarth, William, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>, <a href="#Page_273">273</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Holdernesse, Earl of, <a href="#Page_155">155-61</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Holland, Lord, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Holmes, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Holmes, Thomas Knox, <a href="#Page_263">263</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Holst, Duke of, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hood, Lord, letter of George III. to, <a href="#Page_137">137-8</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hooper, correspondence of Bishop, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Hortense, Queen, <a href="#Page_303">303</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Ibrahim, Hilmy, Prince, <a href="#Page_11">11</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Iconographies," the, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Illustrated letters, <a href="#Page_278">278</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ireland, finds relating to rebellion in, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ireland, W. H., forgeries of, <a href="#Page_75">75-6</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of, <a href="#Page_77">77</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Irving, Sir Henry, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_370">370-1</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ismail Pacha, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>, <a href="#Page_11">11</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>L'Isographie des Hommes Célèbres</i>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">James II., <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li> - -<li class="indx">James Stewart, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Jay MSS., the, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Jeffrey, Miss, letter from Keats to, <a href="#Page_363">363</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Jekyll, Joseph, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Jermyn, Henry, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">John II. of France, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Johnson, Dr., and Mrs. Thrale</i>, <a href="#Page_364">364</a>, <a href="#Page_367">367</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Johnson, Samuel, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>, <a href="#Page_206">206-10</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_356">356-7</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363-4</a>, <a href="#Page_373">373</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Joline, Adrian, quoted, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_337">337</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Jones, Charles C., Jr., <a href="#Page_338">338</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Jonson, Ben, <a href="#Page_372">372</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Joseph Bonaparte (King of Spain), facsimile letter of, <a href="#Page_299">299</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Kean, Edmund, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_264">264</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Keary, Mr. Peter, <a href="#Page_371">371</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Keats, John, sale of letter of, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">forgery, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">discovery of letters of, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">letter of, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of autograph of, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>, <a href="#Page_353">353</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>, <a href="#Page_371">371</a>, <a href="#Page_374">374</a>, <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Kemble, J. P., <a href="#Page_269">269</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Kent, Duke of, <a href="#Page_156">156</a></li> - -<li class="indx">King, Thomas, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Kipling, Rudyard, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Knapp, O. G., collection of, <a href="#Page_366">366</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Lacordaire, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lamb, Charles, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>, <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Landseer, Edwin, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lang, Andrew, signed poem by, <a href="#Page_343">343</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lansdowne, Marquis of, <a href="#Page_80">80</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Larochejaquelein, Louis, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Latimer, Bishop, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lavoisier, <a href="#Page_133">133-4</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lawrence, Thomas, <a href="#Page_366">366</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lechmere, Captain William, <a href="#Page_248">248-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Le Neve, Peter, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lenthall, William, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lescure, M. de, <a href="#Page_59">59</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lewes, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lisbourne, Lord, <a href="#Page_243">243</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Liszt, facsimile of letter of the Abbé, <a href="#Page_258">258</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Literary Letters, value of, <a href="#Page_352">352</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lloyd, Thomas, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lobb, Rev. Mr., <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lockwood, Sir F., <a href="#Page_278">278</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">illustrations by, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>, <a href="#Page_285">285</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Longfellow, H. W., <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Longwood Household, expenses book, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_292">292</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Louis XVI., <a href="#Page_133">133-4</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Louis XVIII., <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Louis Philippe, <a href="#Page_278">278</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lowe, Sir Hudson, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lynch, T., <a href="#Page_321">321</a>, <a href="#Page_323">323-5</a>, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_328">328</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Lyte, Sir H. Maxwell, <a href="#Page_100">100-1</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Mackey, George, discoveries amongst the MSS. of, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Macpherson, James, forgeries of, <a href="#Page_75">75-6</a>, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Madan, F., <a href="#Page_152">152</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mainwaring, Mrs., collection of, <a href="#Page_373">373</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Majendie, Dr., letter to from Prince William (William IV.), <a href="#Page_143">143</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Manby, Charles, <a href="#Page_277">277</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marat, J. P., <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marie Antoinette, facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_312">312</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marlborough, Duke of, correspondence of, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marryat, Captain, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marshall, collection of Mr. Julian, <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Martin, Sir Theodore, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_210">210</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Marvel, Andrew, <a href="#Page_359">359</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">{382}</a></span></li> - -<li class="indx">Mary, Queen, facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_168">168</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mary, Queen of Scots, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Massey, Sir Edward, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Masson, Frédéric, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mather, Cotton, <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mathews, Charles, facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_266">266</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mauritius Post Office, stamps of, <a href="#Page_31">31-2</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mee, Dr., work of, <a href="#Page_259">259</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mendelssohn, F., <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Meredith, George, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Milton, John, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>, <a href="#Page_201">201-3</a>, <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Molé, Count, <a href="#Page_309">309</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Monmouth, Duke of, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley, <a href="#Page_360">360</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Montchenu, Marquis, <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Montesquieu, Abbé de, <a href="#Page_294">294</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Montrose, Duke of, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Montrose, Lord, <a href="#Page_253">253</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Moore, Colonel John, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Moore, Thomas, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">More, Hannah, letter of Walpole to, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of letter of Garrick to, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Morland, George, <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Morris, W., autograph MS. of, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Morrison, Alfred, collection of, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>, <a href="#Page_354">354</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mount Norris, Earl of, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Mulgrave, Lord, letter to, from George III., <a href="#Page_140">140</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Murray, Lindley, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Napoleon I., <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">illustrated letter of, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">as letter-writer, <a href="#Page_293">293-6</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of letter of, <a href="#Page_352">352</a>, <a href="#Page_362">362</a>, <a href="#Page_372">372</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Napoleon and the Invasion of England," <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Napoleon, Last Reign of," <a href="#Page_111">111</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Napoleon II., facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_305">305-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Napoleon, Captain James, <a href="#Page_362">362</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Napoleonic Correspondence, <a href="#Page_110">110-11</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Napoleon III., forged letter of, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">birth of, <a href="#Page_303">303</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Nelson, Lady, <a href="#Page_244">244-7</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Nelson, Life of," Clarke and McArthur's, <a href="#Page_67">67</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Churchill's, <a href="#Page_78">78</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Nelson, Lord, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_78">78-80</a>, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_243">243-9</a>, <a href="#Page_358">358</a>, <a href="#Page_360">360</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>, <a href="#Page_366">366-72</a>, <a href="#Page_374">374-6</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Nelson's Hardy," <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Nethercliff, Joseph, work by, <a href="#Page_57">57</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Newman, Cardinal, facsimile of autograph of, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ney, Marshal, facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_304">304</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Nichols, John Gough, work by, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Norris, Admiral, <a href="#Page_351">351</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Northumberland, Duke of, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Norton, Hon. Mrs., <a href="#Page_226">226</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">O'Connell, Daniel, <a href="#Page_185">185-6</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Oldys, William, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Oxford, Robert Harley, Earl of, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Paganini, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Paine, Thomas, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Palloy, M., <a href="#Page_180">180-1</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Paradise Lost," <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Paris, Comte de, <a href="#Page_164">164</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Parnell Letters, forged, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Paston Letters, the, <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Paterson, Colonel William, <a href="#Page_362">362</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Paul, Emperor of Russia, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pembroke, Earl of, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Penn, William, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pennington, Mrs., letter from Mrs. Siddons to, <a href="#Page_366">366</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pepys, Samuel, <a href="#Page_374">374</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Percy, Bishop, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Peters, Hugh, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Philbrick, Judge, K.C., <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Phillipps, Sir Thomas, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_353">353-4</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Picard, Ludovic, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pigott, Richard, <a href="#Page_90">90</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Piozzi, Mrs., <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>, <a href="#Page_367">367</a></li> - -<li class="indx">"Piozziana," <a href="#Page_373">373</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pitt, William (the elder), <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173-5</a>, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pitt, William (the younger), <a href="#Page_175">175</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179-80</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Poe, E. A., <a href="#Page_41">41-2</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pollapiolo, Antonio del, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Poniatowski, Marshal, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>, <a href="#Page_303">303</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Poole, Thomas, letter to, <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pope, Alexander, <a href="#Page_202">202-5</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Porson, Richard, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Porter, Jane, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Portland, Duke of, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Powell, S., letter to, <a href="#Page_377">377</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Pretyman, Bishop Tomline, <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Prior, Thomas, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Privy Council Letter, value of, <a href="#Page_362">362</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Raffles, Dr., <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_323">323</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Raffles, Sir Stamford, visit of to St. Helena, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of autograph of, <a href="#Page_360">360</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rambaud, M., <a href="#Page_129">129</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ramsay, Allan, <a href="#Page_356">356</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Reade, Charles, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Reed, Lady, <a href="#Page_138">138-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Revue des Autographs</i>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_60">60-1</a>, <a href="#Page_292">292</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">{383}</a></span></li> - -<li class="indx">Reynolds, Sir Joshua, <a href="#Page_64">64</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Richard Plantagenet, <a href="#Page_372">372</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Richardson, Samuel, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Richmond, Duke of, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Robertson, Ross, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Robespierre, <a href="#Page_356">356</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Robinson, John, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Robinson, Memoirs of Mrs., <a href="#Page_108">108</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Romney, George, facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_274">274</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rose, George, <a href="#Page_370">370</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rose, Dr. Holland, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>, <a href="#Page_295">295</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rosebery, Lord, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_46">46</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Rossetti, D. G., <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Royal autographs, value of, <a href="#Page_118">118-25</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">sale of, <a href="#Page_164">164</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Ruskin, John, <a href="#Page_48">48</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Russell, G. W. E., work by, <a href="#Page_144">144</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">St. Vincent, Earl, <a href="#Page_358">358</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sala, George Augustus, <a href="#Page_231">231-3</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sandby, Paul, <a href="#Page_262">262</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sandeau, Jules, <a href="#Page_42">42-3</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sandwich Islands stamp, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Scarlati, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Schiller, F. von, <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Schubert, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Schumann, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Scott, Dr. H. T., <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57-8</a>, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65-6</a>, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>, <a href="#Page_353">353</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Scott, Sir Walter, <a href="#Page_335">335-7</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Sévigné, Letters of Mme. de</i>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_76">76</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Shakespearean forgeries, <a href="#Page_75">75-9</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">Wilson's letter, <a href="#Page_109">109-10</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">documents, <a href="#Page_195">195-6</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Shelbourne, Lord, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Shelley, P. B., <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_370">370</a>, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Shenstone, William, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sheridan, R. B., facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_265">265</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Siddons, Sarah Martha, <a href="#Page_84">84-6</a>, <a href="#Page_264">264-9</a>, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>, <a href="#Page_366">366</a>, <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sidney, Sir P., <a href="#Page_351">351</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Lives of the</i>, <a href="#Page_322">322</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Simonides, Dr. Constantine, <a href="#Page_89">89</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sims, <i>see</i> FitzGerald</li> - -<li class="indx">Sloane MSS., <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Smith, Charles John, work by, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Smith, William, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sophia of Hanover, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sotheby's, the firm of, <a href="#Page_354">354-5</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">notable sales at, <a href="#Page_355">355-65</a>, <a href="#Page_369">369-70</a>, <a href="#Page_372">372-4</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Southey, William, letter to, <a href="#Page_359">359</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sprague, Rev. Dr. W. B., <a href="#Page_323">323</a>, <a href="#Page_325">325</a>, <a href="#Page_338">338</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Staël, Mme. de, <a href="#Page_65">65</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Stanhope, Lord, <a href="#Page_180">180-1</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Stanley, Sir H. M., <a href="#Page_361">361</a></li> - -<li class="indx">State Papers, <a href="#Page_376">376</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Steele, Sir Richard, <a href="#Page_368">368-9</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Stevenson, George, <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Stevenson, R. L., <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Stoddart Sale of MSS., <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Stowell, Lord, <a href="#Page_370">370</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Strafford, Lord, <a href="#Page_368">368</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Strode, William, <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sussex, Duke of, <a href="#Page_161">161</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Swift, <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Swinburne, Algernon, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Sydney, Lord, <a href="#Page_139">139</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Talleyrand, C. M. de, <a href="#Page_300">300-3</a>, <a href="#Page_311">311</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tayleure, William, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Taylor, letter to John, <a href="#Page_374">374</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tedder, H. R., quoted, <a href="#Page_348">348</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tefft, Israel K., <a href="#Page_321">321</a>, <a href="#Page_323">323</a>, <a href="#Page_338">338</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Temple, Rev. W. J., <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tenniel, Sir John, <a href="#Page_44">44-5</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tennyson, Alfred, <a href="#Page_216">216-17</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_356">356</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thackeray, W. M., <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">forgeries, <a href="#Page_81">81-3</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">letter of, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>, <a href="#Page_217">217-20</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of autograph of, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_356">356-8</a>, <a href="#Page_374">374</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thatcher, Benjamin B., <a href="#Page_323">323</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thibaudeau, M. A. W., <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thiers, <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thoresby, Ralph, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Thrale, Mrs., <i>see</i> Piozzi</li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Three Dorset Captains, The</i>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tonson, Jacob, <a href="#Page_32">32</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Turner, Dawson, <a href="#Page_350">350</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Twain, Mark, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>, <a href="#Page_341">341</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Tyndall, correspondence of, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Upcott, William, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_347">347-50</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">sale of collection of, <a href="#Page_351">351-3</a></li> - -<li class="indx">d'Urbino, R. S., <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Value of autographs:</li> -<li class="isub1">Royal, <a href="#Page_118">118-25</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">diplomatic, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">literary, <a href="#Page_196">196-8</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">naval and military, <a href="#Page_23">23-8</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">musicians', <a href="#Page_259">259</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">dramatic personages, <a href="#Page_263">263-4</a>, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">artists', <a href="#Page_270">270</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">French, <a href="#Page_303">303-11</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">American, <a href="#Page_342">342-3</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">variations in, <a href="#Page_356">356-77</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Verdi, G., <a href="#Page_357">357</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Vicars, Sir Arthur, <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Victoria, Empress of Germany, <a href="#Page_168">168</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Victoria, Queen, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_144">144-7</a>, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Villeneuve, Admiral, <a href="#Page_311">311</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Voltaire, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Vrain-Lucas, <a href="#Page_87">87-9</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90-1</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Wallace, Dr., <a href="#Page_110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Waller, John, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124-5</a>, <a href="#Page_238">238</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">{384}</a></span></li> - -<li class="indx">Walpole, Horace, quoted, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133-4</a>, <a href="#Page_205">205-6</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Washington, George, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_325">325</a>, <a href="#Page_329">329-32</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of autographs of, <a href="#Page_352">352</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">portfolio of, <a href="#Page_372">372</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">documents signed by, <a href="#Page_375">375</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">letter of, <a href="#Page_377">377</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Watson, G. L. de St. M., <a href="#Page_214">214</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Watts, Isaac, <a href="#Page_356">356</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wellington, Duke of, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_253">253-5</a>, <a href="#Page_360">360-1</a>, <a href="#Page_369">369</a>, <a href="#Page_373">373</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wesley, John, facsimile of letter of, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>;</li> -<li class="isub1">value of autograph of, <a href="#Page_373">373</a>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></li> - -<li class="indx">West, Sir Benjamin, <a href="#Page_369">369</a></li> - -<li class="indx">West, James, <a href="#Page_36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx"><i>Wexford, the War in</i>, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Whalley, Dr., <a href="#Page_367">367</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wheeler, H. F. B., works by, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_112">112</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Whistler, J. Arch., <a href="#Page_229">229</a></li> - -<li class="indx">White, Sir George, collection of, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>, <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li> - -<li class="indx">White, Gilbert, <a href="#Page_364">364</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Whitelock's MS., discovery of, <a href="#Page_99">99</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wilkinson, Miss Patty, <a href="#Page_85">85</a></li> - -<li class="indx">William III., <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></li> - -<li class="indx">William IV., <a href="#Page_143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a></li> - -<li class="indx">William of Orange, <a href="#Page_365">365</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wilson, William, <a href="#Page_109">109</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wolfe, James, <a href="#Page_375">375</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Woollan, B. M., <a href="#Page_248">248</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wordsworth, Dorothy, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_361">361</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wren, Sir Christopher, <a href="#Page_355">355</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Wright, Captain, <a href="#Page_374">374</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Yates, Edmund, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>, <a href="#Page_356">356</a></li> - -<li class="indx">York, Cardinal, MSS. of, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li> - -<li class="indx">Young, Mr., <a href="#Page_120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_353">353</a></li></ul> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center">UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class='ph3'>FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> It was fortunately catalogued under the name of "Genlis, -Félicité Ducrest, Comtesse de," and so escaped attention. -The principal witnesses are Philippe Égalité, Duc d'Orléans, -and General Valence. The bride is described as "Citizen -Anne Caroline Stéphanie Sims, aged 19, living in Paris, known -in France by the name of Pamela, a native of Fago in Newfoundland -and daughter of William Brixeij (<i>sic</i>) and Mary -Sims." The bridegroom is said to be "Edward FitzGerald, -aged 29, generally living in Dublin, Ireland, a native of -Whitehall, London, and the son of James FitzGerald de -Leinster and Dame Amélie Lennox de Leinster." The Duke -of Orléans figures in the deed only as Citizen Louis Philippe -Égalité.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Published by order of the Trustees in 1906; price 6d.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Issued every month at a yearly subscription of 10 francs. -The office is at 3, Rue de Furstenberg, Paris. Amongst M. -Charavay's collaborators are M. Anatole France, of the French -Academy, and M. George Cain, of the Musée Carnavalet. Each -number contains one or more facsimiles and a list of sale -prices.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> The publisher of Autograph Catalogues invariably adopts -the following convenient abbreviations: A. L. S. (autograph -letter signed), A. L. (autograph letter unsigned), A. N. S. -(autograph note signed), D. S. (document signed). In France -L. A. S. indicates an autograph letter signed and P. S. (<i>pièce -signée</i>) a signed document.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> Dr. Scott says: "Various suggestions have been offered -for the restoration of vanished writing and of ink which has -faded, such as a solution of sulphide of ammonium washed -over the writing, previously moistened with water or a -decoction of nut-galls, but great care must be exercised so -as not to injure valuable documents. Indeed, I cannot too -often repeat the warning that the less autographs are manipulated -or altered from their original state the better. 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 collector, who, of course, likes to see the -sheets of paper of the proper orthodox size, with large spaces -around the writing. Damping the ink should, if possible, -be carefully avoided, for there is something precious and -inimitable in the fine, indescribable tint which age alone -gives to writing."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> See <i>The Country Home</i>, vol. iv., February, 1910, pp. -254-58.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> Many varieties of these cabinets are obtainable at the -establishment of Terry & Co., Ltd., wholesale stationers, -Hatton Garden.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> Editions of Ireland's "Confessions" appeared both in -England and America. My own copy is entitled "The -Confessions of William Henry Ireland. A New Edition -with an introduction by Richard Grant White" (New York, -1874).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> Marquis of Lansdowne.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> "The Detection of Forgery." A Practical Handbook, by -Douglas Blackburn and Captain Waithman Caddell (London, -1909).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> The daughter of Tate Wilkinson, of York, the "Wandering -Patentee." Miss Patty Wilkinson eventually became the -companion of Mrs. Siddons, and lived with her till her -death.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> Mr. Siddons was now a resident at Bath, and his wife -frequently joined him there whenever her professional duties -allowed of her doing so.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> J. P. Kemble was playing at the Orchard Street Theatre in -the early summer of 1801.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> A married sister of Mrs. Siddons, who also resided in -Bath. The mother of Horace Twiss.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> The wife of the Lessee of the Bath Theatre and Director -of Posts.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> The well-known Sisters Lee kept a school in Bath.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> George Siddons subsequently received an Indian cadetship -from the Prince Regent, and survived his mother.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> Cecilia Siddons—Mrs. Siddons' youngest daughter. Mrs. -Piozzi was her godmother. Lawrence's crayon drawing of -Cecilia Siddons is now in possession of Lady Seymour, 31, -Eccleston Street. Cecilia Siddons also survived her mother.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> "Faux Autographes. Affaire Vrain-Lucas. Étude Critique -sur la Collection Vendue à Mons. Michel Chasles et Observations -sur les moyens de reconnaître les Faux Autographes," -par Étienne Charavay. (Paris: Librairie Jacques Charavay -Aîné, 1870.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> "Dumouriez and the Defence of England against Napoleon" -(London, 1909. <i>Vide</i> Preface, pp. xi-xiii).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> See "Napoleon and the Invasion of England," by H. -Wheeler and A. M. Broadley, vol. i. chapter ii. "A Three -Days' War. The Invasion of England by Hoche's Black -Brigade, February 22, 23, and 24, 1797," pp. 31-74.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> <i>I.e.</i>, strongest anchor.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> "Collectanea Napoleonica." A Catalogue of the Collection -of Autographs, &c., &c., relating to Napoleon I. formed by -A. M. Broadley, compiled by W. V. Daniell, with a preface -by A. M. Broadley (London, 1905).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> "The Handwriting of the Kings and Queens of England," -by W. J. Hardy (The Religious Tract Society, London, -1893). "Manuel de Diplomatique," by A. Giry (Paris, 1894). -The latter is a veritable mine of wealth, and its 1,000 pages -abound in all sorts of useful information concerning Royal and -official documents. It may almost be described as a key -to the archives of Europe.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_100">p. 100</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> George IV. was alive in 1827.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> "L'Amateur d'Autographes," August, 1905, pp. 191-93.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> Comedy by Destouches. "The Married Philosopher" was -played at the Comédie Française in 1727.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> A Russian city on the left bank of the Kasanka, 460 -miles east of Moscow. Its university and library were -already famous at the time of the Empress's visit. It is -fortified by a stone wall six miles in circumference.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> See <i>post</i>, <a href="#Page_143">p. 143</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> This is published in "Dumouriez and the Defence of -England against Napoleon." Others appear in "Napoleon -and the Invasion of England" (1907), and the "War in -Wexford" (1910).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> Several letters of Queen Caroline in my possession are -published in Mr. Frederic Chapman's "A Queen of Indiscretions" -(London, 1907). In my copy of this interesting -book I have inserted a furious exchange of letters between -Prince Leopold (Leopold I. of Belgium) and Lady Anne -Hamilton as to a supposed slight offered by the former to -Queen Caroline in June, 1820.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> "The Boyhood of a Great King," by A. M. Broadley. -Harper & Brothers, London and New York, 1906. <i>Édition -de luxe</i>, 4to size with additional plates, limited to 125 copies.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> Dr. Hurd, afterwards Bishop of Worcester.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> Dr. Cyril Jackson, afterwards Dean of Christchurch.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> In May, 1797, the Princess Royal of England married -Frederick, Prince of Würtemberg, born in 1754. Later in the -year he succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his father. -In April, 1803, a decree of Napoleon raised him to the rank -of Elector. Hence the title given to her aunt by the young -Princess. The Elector subsequently became King of Würtemberg -in virtue of the Treaty of Presbourg (January 7, 1806).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> See <i>post</i>, <a href="#XI">Chapter XI</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_156">p. 156</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> Copious extracts from the future Prime Minister's juvenile -dramatic production will be given in Dr. J. Holland Rose's -forthcoming "Life of Pitt."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> A large number of unpublished letters of William Pitt -and his contemporaries will also appear in Dr. Holland -Rose's forthcoming "Life of Pitt."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_98">pp. 98-99</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> The late Duchess of Cleveland, one of Queen Victoria's -bridesmaids.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> Manager of Messrs. Sotheran's, 37, Piccadilly.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span class="label">[44]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_109">Chapter IV., p. 109</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span class="label">[45]</span></a> See my own article in <i>The Outlook</i>, March, 1910.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span class="label">[46]</span></a> See <i>post</i>, <a href="#Page_220">p. 220</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_47_47" id="Footnote_47_47"></a><a href="#FNanchor_47_47"><span class="label">[47]</span></a> March, June, September, and December, 1892.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_48_48" id="Footnote_48_48"></a><a href="#FNanchor_48_48"><span class="label">[48]</span></a> From £30 upwards.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_49_49" id="Footnote_49_49"></a><a href="#FNanchor_49_49"><span class="label">[49]</span></a> From £3 to £10.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_50_50" id="Footnote_50_50"></a><a href="#FNanchor_50_50"><span class="label">[50]</span></a> Anna Williams's Memorial.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_51_51" id="Footnote_51_51"></a><a href="#FNanchor_51_51"><span class="label">[51]</span></a> Mr. Ryland was associated with Johnson in the formation -of the last Club which owed its existence to Johnson's -initiative and support.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_52_52" id="Footnote_52_52"></a><a href="#FNanchor_52_52"><span class="label">[52]</span></a> See <i>Outlook</i>, March 5, 1910. Article on Johnson and -balloons.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_53_53" id="Footnote_53_53"></a><a href="#FNanchor_53_53"><span class="label">[53]</span></a> Appeal for subscription for the relief of Leigh Hunt -(1784-1859). It reached Trowbridge January 23rd. On February -3rd Crabbe died.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_54_54" id="Footnote_54_54"></a><a href="#FNanchor_54_54"><span class="label">[54]</span></a> 37, Piccadilly, W.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_55_55" id="Footnote_55_55"></a><a href="#FNanchor_55_55"><span class="label">[55]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_126">p. 126</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_56_56" id="Footnote_56_56"></a><a href="#FNanchor_56_56"><span class="label">[56]</span></a> <i>Vide</i> <a href="#Page_78">Chapter III., p. 78</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_57_57" id="Footnote_57_57"></a><a href="#FNanchor_57_57"><span class="label">[57]</span></a> See further "The Three Dorset Captains" and "Nelson's -Hardy," by A. M. Broadley and R. G. Bartelot (London: John -Murray, 1906 and 1909).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_58_58" id="Footnote_58_58"></a><a href="#FNanchor_58_58"><span class="label">[58]</span></a> A fan covered with the drawings, signatures, and handwriting -of modern artists and musicians was sold at Sotheby's -on May 4, 1910, for £101.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_59_59" id="Footnote_59_59"></a><a href="#FNanchor_59_59"><span class="label">[59]</span></a> A great deal of interesting information on this head will be -found in Dr. Mee's "History of the Oldest Music Room in -Europe," which will shortly be published by Mr. John Lane.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_60_60" id="Footnote_60_60"></a><a href="#FNanchor_60_60"><span class="label">[60]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_109">Chapter IV., p. 109</a>, and <a href="#Page_196">Chapter VII., p. 196</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_61_61" id="Footnote_61_61"></a><a href="#FNanchor_61_61"><span class="label">[61]</span></a> For another exceptionally fine letter of Mrs. Siddons to -Mrs. Piozzi see "Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale," Chapter III., -p. 148.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_62_62" id="Footnote_62_62"></a><a href="#FNanchor_62_62"><span class="label">[62]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_198">p. 198</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_63_63" id="Footnote_63_63"></a><a href="#FNanchor_63_63"><span class="label">[63]</span></a> It was at this sale I acquired the "House-expenses book" -of Napoleon at St. Helena and the correspondence of -Poniatowski.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_64_64" id="Footnote_64_64"></a><a href="#FNanchor_64_64"><span class="label">[64]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_32">Chapter I., p. 32</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_65_65" id="Footnote_65_65"></a><a href="#FNanchor_65_65"><span class="label">[65]</span></a> See "Life of Napoleon," by J. Holland Rose, Litt.D., vol. i. -p. 424.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_66_66" id="Footnote_66_66"></a><a href="#FNanchor_66_66"><span class="label">[66]</span></a> See my article in <i>The Country Home</i>, March, 1910.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_67_67" id="Footnote_67_67"></a><a href="#FNanchor_67_67"><span class="label">[67]</span></a> See <i>post</i>, <a href="#XII">Chapter XII.</a></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_68_68" id="Footnote_68_68"></a><a href="#FNanchor_68_68"><span class="label">[68]</span></a> Since 1896 Dr. T. A. Emmet has formed a second collection -of little less importance than the one now alluded to.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_69_69" id="Footnote_69_69"></a><a href="#FNanchor_69_69"><span class="label">[69]</span></a> Mr. T. 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 head. -The value and interest of such a work will be of manifold -importance. He has already made a beginning.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_70_70" id="Footnote_70_70"></a><a href="#FNanchor_70_70"><span class="label">[70]</span></a> See <i>post</i>, <a href="#Page_328">p. 328</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_71_71" id="Footnote_71_71"></a><a href="#FNanchor_71_71"><span class="label">[71]</span></a> The original is now in the Emmet Collection, New York -Public Library.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_72_72" id="Footnote_72_72"></a><a href="#FNanchor_72_72"><span class="label">[72]</span></a> André's journals are now in the magnificent collection of -Mr. Bexby, of St. Louis.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_73_73" id="Footnote_73_73"></a><a href="#FNanchor_73_73"><span class="label">[73]</span></a> Cost is for letter only; sale price includes book.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_74_74" id="Footnote_74_74"></a><a href="#FNanchor_74_74"><span class="label">[74]</span></a> Vol. LVIII. pp. 36-7.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_75_75" id="Footnote_75_75"></a><a href="#FNanchor_75_75"><span class="label">[75]</span></a> A further Phillipps sale took place at "Sotheby's," June -6-9, 1910.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_76_76" id="Footnote_76_76"></a><a href="#FNanchor_76_76"><span class="label">[76]</span></a> A number of these letters, including that of Oliver Goldsmith, -are now in my collection, and were utilised in writing -"Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale," 1909.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_77_77" id="Footnote_77_77"></a><a href="#FNanchor_77_77"><span class="label">[77]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_32">Chapter I., p. 32</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_78_78" id="Footnote_78_78"></a><a href="#FNanchor_78_78"><span class="label">[78]</span></a> See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_85">Chapter III., pp. 85-6</a>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_79_79" id="Footnote_79_79"></a><a href="#FNanchor_79_79"><span class="label">[79]</span></a> See "Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale," p. 59.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_80_80" id="Footnote_80_80"></a><a href="#FNanchor_80_80"><span class="label">[80]</span></a> See "Dumouriez and the Defence of England against -Napoleon," by J. Holland Rose and A. M. Broadley, p. 208.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Transcriber's note—The following corrections have been made to this text.</p> - -<p>Page 81: "nowledge" to "knowledge"—an expert knowledge of</p> - -<p>Page 111: "Gourgarid" to "Gourgaud"—opinion of Gourgaud</p> - -<p>Page 129: "Bielka" to "Bielke"—"Madame de Bielka" to "Madame de Bielke"</p> - -<p>Page 220: "colletion" to "collection"—from the splendid collection</p> - -<p>Page 374: "Thackerary" to "Thackeray"—Thackeray, Dickens, and others</p> - -<p>Page 378: "von" to "van"—Beethoven, L. van,</p> - -<p>Page 379: "Etienne" to "Étienne"—Charavay, Étienne, works by</p> - -<p>Page 381: "Iconographics" to "Iconographies"—"Iconographies," the,</p> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Chats on Autographs, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS *** - -***** This file should be named 52112-h.htm or 52112-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/1/1/52112/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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