Letter from Sir Benjamin Thompson of Munich to Lord Sheffield [John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield], 3 Oct 1796. Describing how he took control of Munich on the approach of the contending Austrian and French armies: 'No foreign Troops have entered the Town and we have received no insult of any kind from either of the Armies by which we have been surrounded. And though we have seen several very sharp actions within musquet shot of our Walls yet not a shot has been levelled at us, nor have we lost a man.'

Autograph, with signature.

Letter from Sir Benjamin Thompson of Munich to Lord Sheffield [John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield], 18 Nov 1791. Describing the condition and people of Bavaria. Speaking of the Elector's troops: '... I know of no Troops that are so well and so comfortably clothed as ours, both for Summer and Winter ...'. Giving details of the crops, minerals and commerce of Bavaria. 'It would be difficult,'he writes, 'to convey to your Lordship an adequate idea of the Ignorance, Superstition and corruption which pervade and darken every part of this neglected Country.' Says that the clergy and nobility hold a monopoly of the beer in Bavaria: '... which is the great source of their riches, and on that account Drunkenness must be encouraged.'

Autograph, with signature.

Letter from Sir Joseph Banks of Soho Square, London to an unknown recipient, 12 Aug 1815. Relating to 'the undertaking now in hand for exploring the rapid Currents of the Zaira'. Reference is made to the mutiny of the Bounty, 'which began by turning the Commander adrift and ended in the Peopling of Pitcairn's Island. A less economical Outfit succeeded and the business was happily effected. Hence I deduce that in all matters of Naval Equipment it is better to adopt a Plan of sufficient extent at first than to do it after a failure, which if attributable to parsimony will in a Country like this meet with censure.' He advocates the use of a steamboat, 'a Fort impregnable to Native Armies and capable of sending out a subordinate Expedition'. This letter appears to be either a copy or a draft letter made by an amanuensis.

Administrative records, patient records, nursing records.

This Post class comprises material on how the Post Office operated during wartime and civil emergencies. The greater part of the collection relates to the vital task of maintaining communications, including handling prisoners-of-war mail, censorship and civil defence arrangements during the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945). Among the early papers are documents relating to the South African War of 1899-1902 and some nineteenth century notices and field manuals of the Post Office Rifles Association.

Some records have been transferred from POST 14.

Stock's papers, 1899-1902, consist of his notes and sketches about army medical services, case notes with sketches, and negatives of photographs, taken in South Africa during the Boer War, 1899-1902; photographs, negatives, and lantern slides made from the photographs, some labelled and indexed, taken by Stock during the Boer War, 1899-1902.

This collection contains a single manuscript volume, the 'Naval Surgeons Casebook'. The volume begins with details of cases, symptoms and cures of Nathaniel Bedford's patients at St George's hospital during 1781. The rest of the volume contains descriptions of cases, sickness, and treatments during his travels whilst a ship's surgeon in the West Indies during 1781-1783.

Papers of Sir Anthony Alfred Bowlby, comprising a diary, 1914-1919, recording his experiences as Consulting Surgeon to the British Army.

Note book of A. Kirkpatrick Maxwell, 1914-1918, containing illustrations of men wounded during World War One, and including sketches of camp hospitals.

Papers relating to naval medical history, 1932, comprising a volume titled Grievances of Naval Surgeons containing precis of letters published in The Lancet from 1827-1902, compiled by 'Surgeon Captain, Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar, September 1932'; 2 letters from Christopher Lloyd of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, to Miss Jessie Dobson, concerning a historical enquiry (24 Oct 1960), and a visit to look at 'your Lancet volume'; and a volume containing issues which appeared in The Lancet in the 19th century, for instance, the exclusion of naval medical officers from the King's Levees, a new mode of punishment in the Navy, hospital ships, and the Gilbert Blane Medal.

The Loudoun Medical Papers, relating to John Campbell, 1762-1763, comprising 3 large volumes of correspondence and other manuscripts relating to the medical hospital during the British expedition to Portugal in 1762-1763 where Lieutenant-General John Campbell was second in command of the English Army; letters from John Hunter; and a written catalogue of the letters compiled by George Ernest Gask (FRCS) in 1935-1936.

Papers of John Bell, late 18th century- early 19th century, comprising a watercolour painting by Bell, of the Dutch Vice Admiral Rutzius, who was mortally wounded in the Battle of Camperdown in Oct 1797; a reproduction of the watercolour which was made for Gordon Gordon-Taylor in 1951, for an article in the British Journal of Surgery; and annnotated pencil drawings of the bones of the skull.

Papers of Sir Everard Home, 1810-1822, comprising copies of letters written by Home to his son, James Everard Home, during the early part of the latter's career in the Royal Navy.

Manuscript volume containing notes on Robert Whytt's clinical lectures, delivered at Edinburgh University, [1760], taken by an unidentified student. Also includes some 'Directions given by the Physician General at the Havannah to the surgeons of the Army relating to the management of the sick'.

Papers of JH Smith on the Ceylon Defence Force, 1940-1947; comprising official reports on the Ceylon Defence Force (CDF), Jan-Nov 1943; examination papers for Commissons in the CDF, with comments by the examiners, 1942; and three letters of application to the CDF, 1940-1947.

Papers of Col George Adam Beazeley with photographs and maps interspersed throughout including papers relating to Kashmir; papers entitled "My experiences", 1900-1901 and "My Somaliland Diary".

Papers of Maj Harold William Tilman, 1919-1979, including logs, notebooks, journals, photographs, slides and correspondence relating to his travels by boat, and material relating to his wartime service.

Journal of the scientific research voyage of HMS Challenger from 1872-1875. Illustrated with watercolours and line drawings. The typescript contains the text of the journal.

Notebook of Sir Cromer Ashburnam containing details of a journey from Mombasa to Uganda, 1894, with notes on surveying and lists of kit and typescript copy of letter from Ashburnham to Lady Baker offering to send her Sir Samuel Baker's gun, plus photocopy of original.

Six personal letters of Belcher, 1864-1865 with some reference to Arctic matters. Record deposited at Arthur Strait in 1853 and recovered by Sverdrup expedition 1899-1902. Table of latitudes from west coast of America and Pacific determined on board HMS Sulfur, 1837-1842. Geographical subject headings: 1) ARCTIC 2) CANADA 3) UNITED STATES 4) PACIFIC OCEAN.

Papers of Sir George Back, 1814-1878, including c. 250 letters addressed to Sir George Back by various correspondents (listed by name), 1848-1878; personal letters from Back to his family, 1813-1878; photocopies of extracts from Back's sketchbook and slides of his sketches from 1819-1822 expedition to Arctic; passports and framed letter with sketches of polar bear, 1874.

Papers of Sir John Franklin, 1801-1847, chiefly relating to the ill-fated Franklin Expedition in search of the North-West Passage on HM Ships Erebus and Terror, 1845-1847, and the subsequent expeditions sent to search for survivors or relics of the expedition. Also, some earlier letters from Franklin mainly to relatives and letters from relatives to or about him. Some items relating to the bicentenary of Franklin's birth celebrated in 1986.

Transcription by David Gould of letters written by W C Fox to his family 1916-1919 while serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps in India.

Papers, [1967-1970], relating to the research for and writing of an [unpublished] book 'The great game: Britain and Russia in Asia and Arabia, 1865-1970' by Verrier, mainly comprising manuscript and typescript drafts of the book. The collection also includes the papers, [1890-1952], of Capt Latham Valentine Stewart Blacker, an officer in the Corps of Guides in India and Turkistan during World War One, 1914-1918, which were used by Verrier in his writing of the book, and mainly comprise army notebooks and other military material, manuscript drafts of 'Turkistan bedevilled' by Blacker, offprints of 'From India to Russia in 1914' and 'Travels in Turkistan 1918-1920' from the Geographical Journal of 1917 and 1921, and maps of Asia and Persia.

Papers of Lord Lee of Fareham, [1878-1954], notably papers relating to Lee's book Letters that Remain, including proofs for letters intended for the book, including from Lloyd-George, 1917, 1920; photographs of individuals for the book;

invitations to events and programmes, [1920s-1930s]; papers relating to speeches, [1915-1930s], comprising notes and texts, including speeches as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, [1919-1921]; for exhibition opening at Christie's, 1932; press cuttings and Parliamentary reports relating to speeches, printed copies of speeches, [1909-1936], including 'The Need for National Service', 1915, 'The War and After', 1918, 'Lessons of the War', 1936;

original and copy letters, [1894-1946] includingfrom Neville and Mrs Chamberlain, Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald, [1920s-1930s]; Winston and Clementine Churchill, 1945; Micheal Balcon, Kenneth Clark, Osbert Sitwell, [1939-1946], Nancy Astor, A J Balfour, Joseph Duveen, relating to the National Gallery and Courtauld Institute, David and Frances Lloyd-George, Field-Marshall Lord Haig, Rudyard Kipling, Ramsay MacDonald; Graham Sutherland, relating to a painting, 1940;
papers relating to Lee's military career, including reference from Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Kitson, 1897; letter concerning Lee, 1898; letter of introduction to Commanding Officers, 1899; letters of authority as Colonel, 1914; army pass, 1914; requisition for petrol and tyres, 1914; permit, 1915; agenda for artillery conference, 1916;
letters relating to Lee's appointment as Chairman of the Radium Commission, 1929, and copy Charter of Incorporation for the Commission; Declaration of Trust between Lord and Lady Lee and the Massey Foundation, 1940;
personal papers, [1878-1945], including passport, 1889; birth certificate, [1868], anecdotes, jokes, press cuttings, printed books and articles, journal, 1889; correspondence and leases of White Lodge, Richmond Park, 1928-1932; letter from Lloyd-George informing Lee of his viscountcy, 1922; letters of condolence to various people and obituaries, [1940s]; correspondence regarding Lee's will, 1945; obituary of Lord Lee, [1947];
papers relating to Chequers, 1917-1953, including abstract of Chequers Estate Act, 1917; articles, guide, 1921, press cuttings, 1920s; correspondence relating to Chequers, including the library, Chequers Trust, silver dessert service presented by Lee, 1938; cartoons by Sir Mark Sykes [of Chequers], [1917];
correspondence concerning pictures and silver, including sale, purchase, restoration work, and some photographs, [1922-1940], including with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1927-1928, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, private dealers;
correspondence with Theodore Roosevelt, 1897-1918, and Edith Roosevelt, 1912-1945, including an album of selected letters, 1898-1906, including one labelled by Lee 'possibly Roosevelt's first letter as President', 1901; correspondence with Ethel Derby, [daughter of Roosevelt], [1917-1951];
photographs, [1890-1946], including of the Roosevelt family, the Lees, film stars taken during the Lees' visit to Hollywood, [1930s];

correspondence regarding the establishment of the Conway Hall, London, 1930-1931; correspondence with Thomas Sherrer Ross Boase; papers of Professor W G Constable; papers relating to the Lee Bequest; Harding Collection; Home House Trust; Wilkinson Bequest; MacColl, Panofsky, Ostrer and Samuel Courtauld correspondence; Pilgrim Trust grant for Corpus of English Medieval Paintings; Scientific Department; Summer course; Lee gift to Hart House; draft scheme for the establishment of art history teaching in UK; insurance papers; press cuttings, 1930-1934; speeches relating to the opening of the Courtauld gallery.

Papers of and relating to the Horsley family, comprising papers of Sir Victor Horsley; papers of Eldred, Lady Horsley; papers of Siward Horsley and of Oswald Horsley; papers of Pamela, Lady Robinson, including items relating to the Babies Club in Chelsea; papers of Stephen Paget, author of Victor Horsley's biography; photographs and postcards. Victor Horsley's papers include large sections on his medical career, his service in the army during the Great War, and his political and social interests, including his involvement in the temperance movement and the Medical Defence Union, support for the suffragettes and for Home Rule for Ireland, and his role in the reform of the bodies representing the medical profession: the General Medical Council, the British Medical Association, and the Royal College of Surgeons. His personal papers reflect his interest in archaeology and genealogy.

Manuscript, c1760, entitled 'Directions for sailing from the harbour of Halifax to Quebec, by James Cook, Master of His Majesty's Ship Northumberland'. The text is written in Cook's hand throughout. Pasted into the manuscript are a table showing latitude and longitude of capes etc (f 17r) and a list of names, mostly of native chiefs encountered in the Pacific on Cook's first and second voyages (f 18r).

Charter giving James De Douglas command of a company, formerly under the command of Lt Col Maccay, for the defence of the Netherlands, comprising one folio bearing text in a 17th-century hand, and a second folio, dated 1674, bearing text in another hand.

Report to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, upon the Ordnance Estimate for Land Service in 1715, with reasons for the increase, including details of arrears for the Land and Sea Service for 1712-1713, dated 25 Feb 1715.

Exemption from lodging courtiers and soldiers, Domingo del Campo, 31 Dec 1656.

Letter from P K Seaman of HMS Wolverine, docked at St Helena, to his father, 1 Jun 1851. '... I have already told you that we have caught 3 slavers ...'.

Autograph, with signature. 4 sketches of vessels captured by the Wolverine are pasted to the second leaf of the letter.

Letter from Sir Edward Codrington of Eaton Square, London to the Rt Hon J W Croker, 2 Jun 1830. Urging the claims to 'head money' of the officers, seamen and marines who fought in the Battle of Navarino (20 Oct1827) [the claims had been refused on the grounds that there had been no prior declaration of war]. An offer of £800 a year pension for life had been made to Admiral Codrington through the Duke of Wellington; 'Your Grace must excuse me ... I cannot receive such a thing while my poor fellows who fought under me at Navarino have had no head money'.

Autograph, with signature. The first sheet is endorsed: 'This copy is throughout in the handwriting of my father Admiral Sir Edward Codrington. W J Codrington, 110 Eaton Square.'

Poem by John Edward Masefield, 1965. Verses entitled Lines for the 1965 HMS Victory Calendar, produced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ship's launch.

Autograph.

Manuscripts and documents relating to Westmorland, including: Book containing transcript by John Gibson of the Customs, Services and Royalties belonging to the Mannors, Lordships and Townshipps in the Richmond lands within the Barony of Kendal, 1574 (230pp) (1689); Transcriptions of documents relating to Westmorland between 1639 and 1720, possibly the Reverend James Wilson, with enclosed note (January 1904); Illustration and text concerning the Heppe or, Shap Monastery, Westmorland (c1773); Two deeds relating to the land of Lady Fford in Westmorland between Thomas Shepherd of Kirkland, Robert Shepherd of Maitland and Thomas Rowlandson of Kirby, Kendall (first deed), and Charles Benson of Kirkby, Kendall and Thomas Shepherd (second deed) (18 May 1693 and 3 July 1711); Printed test of a 17th century farmhold deed for Maggs How, Kentmere between John Ayrey, Hughe Ayrey and Robert Gilpin (26 November 1623); Deed relating to land in Westmorland between John Price of Dublin, Sir John Lowther and Robert Durkett of Kirekby, Kendall (26 June 1685); Two court summons for John Burn, Battalion Clerk and Clerk of meetings of the militia for neglecting to return a militia for his township (October 1791); Plan of the proposed navigable canal from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal near Eccleston in the County of Lancaster to Kendal in Westmorland, surveyed by Robert Whitworth (1772); Two Endowed Charities returns for the County of Westmorland (15 July 1868 and 5 September 1895).

Manuscript volume containing reports on French population [for the purposes of military recruitment], 1743-1755, notably a report on the general population of the kingdom, made by order of the King in 1753, with a preface stating that the report had been ordered by Philibert Orry, Comte de Vignory, Contrôleur Général des Finances; a report on the number of males aged 16 to 40 subject to the Militia and capable of carrying arms, ordered by the King in 1743, with a preface dated 15 Mar 1755 referring to the royal ordinance of 1743; reports concerning the new resources made in each generalité of the kingdom to augment the revenues of the King in time of war, prepared by Indendants by royal command in 1745 and addressed to Philibert Orry.

Manuscript volume containing a table giving particulars of the pay and stoppages for all ranks in the different ratings of the Royal Navy, [1800]. Includes a list of leap years from 1752 to 1762.

Authenticated copy by Gobinet de la Court, tabellion (scrivener) royal of Laon, France, 31 Dec 1457, of letters of King Charles VII of France under the great seal dated at Tours on 31 Jul 1436, letters of the Generaux des Finances dated at Tours on 2 Aug 1436, and letters of the Gens de la Chambre des Comptes dated at Limoges on 16 Aug 1436, by which the Abbey of St Vincent was to pay to Poton, Lord of Xaintrailles and captain of royal troops in Laon, the sum of 3,000 livres for the prosecution of the war in return for an annual pension of 300 livres assigned on royal revenues in the Vernandois until the sum was repaid. An endorsement sets forth that the Dean and Canons of the Church of Our Lady at Laon have acquitted the King and all others concerned of the rent mentioned in the copied letters, and have delivered the originals to the King's Receiver.

Manuscript volume concerning the expenditure of the royal household of King Edward III, [1550], namely an abstract from the accounts of Walter Wentwage of 'the rates of wages of peace and warre, expenses necessarie of officers and other charges concerning the household', dating from 21 Apr 1344-23 Nov 1374 and mainly relating to armed forces. Includes a statement of the costs of diplomatic, military and naval activity taken from the accounts of William Norwell, Keeper of the King's Wardrobe, for the period 15 Jul 1348-25 May 1350.

Manuscript volume containing transcripts of debates in the House of Commons dated 9-20 Nov 1685 concerning the establishment of the Militia, entitled 'The severall debates of the House of Commons pro et contra relating to the establishment of the Militia, disbanding the new rais'd forces and raiseing a present supply for his Majesty...'.

Manuscript volume, c1527, containing translations into English of a collection of treatises and diplomatic documents, mostly of the fourteenth century, comprising a list of coronation claims of Richard II, [1377]; a treatise on the form and manner of holding the English Parliament; a treatise on the office of Earl Marshal, described in the table of contents as 'The Erle Marshal's Boke', with details of Henry VIII's reform of the office and its duties in time of war; a collection of documents relating to ordinances for war, [1350-1514], notably the Scottish campaigns of 1350 and 1385, the statutes of the Order of the Garter as renewed by Henry VIII in 1522, and the creation of dukes and earls, including the creation of Charles Brandon, Viscount Lisle, as Duke of Suffolk (1514); an incomplete history of the kings of England, ending with the coronation of Richard II in 1378; a collection of treaties concerning diplomatic events during the reign of Edward III, notably documents relating to the Treaty of Brétigny (October 1360), documents relating to treatises between Edward and John II, King of France (1360-1366), letters of Alfonso X, King of Castile (1254), letters of Edward concerning a treaty with Peter the Cruel, King of Castile (1369), and an indenture recording the terms of the treaty of Berwick between Edward and David II, King of Scotland (1357). A table of contents shows that the manuscript is unfinished, and that it lacks several folios.

Manuscript volume, 1669-1670, containing 'miscellanies' relating to Ireland, namely 'The establishment beginning Michaelmas 1669', including lists of salaries for civil officers, pensions and annuities, military payments, salaries for military officers and soldiers, the names of officers of regiments of horse and foot on 25 Dec 1670, provincial, noble and clerical subsidies, and a list of Parliamentary seats; 'A table for reducing plantation acres into English and ascertaining the King's rent in the severall provinces of Ireland according to the explanatory act', [1669]; an abstract of the demise made by King Charles II to John Foorth and Partners of the revenue of Ireland, 12 Jul 1669. There is an index, added by Sir David William Smith, 1st Baronet, in 1828.

Manuscript volume, 1683-1702, containing transcripts of orders, warrants and commissions relating to the offices of Paymaster-General of the Forces in Great Britain, Ireland and Flanders, and of the Secretary of War, the administration of musters, the Chelsea Royal Hospital, and the Ordnance Board with details of offices within it after 1683. There is also a printed copy of His Majesties orders for regulation of the musters, (Charles Bill, Henry Hills and Thomas Newcomb, London, 1687). There is a possibility that this manuscript was compiled by William Bromley.

Norfolk militia accounts, 1591-1594, signed by Richard Buntynge and Richard Pepys, chief constables of the hundred of Brothercross, for 'the armeing and settinge forthe of...souldiours' according to warrants received from the Deputy Lieutenant.

Draft of a short late 18th century tract on the legal implications of the inspection of shipping at sea, with particular reference to an incident between Great Britain and Sweden concerning the ship 'Mary', and beginning 'I come at once to state in as plain & concise terms as I am m[aste]r of & with as much impartiality as possible ye questio]n now in dispute between this country & Sweden relative to ye ship Mary...'.

Copy of a royal warrant signed by Robert Walpole, then Secretary at War, of 26 Dec 1708, to the auditors of the imprests on behalf of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos and Paymaster General of the Forces, allowing him to continue his payments 'for our forces & other services in the Low Countries' at the agreed rate of ten guilders, fifteen stivers to the pound sterling.

Manuscript volume containing papers relating to the issue of Exchequer Bills during the reign of King William III in order to carry on the war with France (the War of the Grand Alliance), 1696-1697, notably a holograph memorandum by Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, advocating steps to encourage subscriptions to Exchequer bills and steps to make the bills assignable, [1696]; a draft of letters patent of King William III concerning the payment of Dutch troops, written in Dutch, [1696]; a list of subscribers to the contract for exchanging bills, 4 May 1697; a copy of the sign manual warrant to the Treasury ordering payment to the trustees of the second contract for Exchequer bills of the interest on the subscription contracted, [1697]; a Statement of Exchequer bills from 27 Apr to 9 Jun, 11 Jun 1697; a tract [by William Paterson] headed 'A proposall for setling a transferrable fund of perpetual interest', which is possibly the first proposal for a funded debt.

A patent under the Great Seal appointing Thomas Daniell to a military posting in Dover. Fragment of the second great Seal of Charles II.

Manuscript volume, 1701-1704, containing the legal opinions of Sir Edward Northey, Attorney General, on cases submitted by the Treasury Board between 2 Oct 1701 and 29 Sep 1704 on matters including Customs and Excise, maritime law including the Navigation Act, prizes taken by Her Majesty's ships of war, the colonies, the Post Office, and the armed forces.

Draft proposals for altering the strengths of the regiments at Gibraltar and Minorca, in order to effect a saving of £99, 670, with marginal notes in a different hand (possibly that of Henry Pelham, Secretary at War 1724, and Paymaster of the Forces 1730) forming a draft address on the subject to the king. From internal evidence, the document appears to have been written between 1715 and 1733.

The collection contains diaries, account books, correspondence, watercolours, photographs, genealogical notes, legal papers, printed material and other miscellaneous items of Thomas Herbert Lewin and his immediate family, accumulated between 1788-1926, notably official papers relating to his military and administrative work in India, diaries, scrapbooks and philological and literary manuscripts, correspondence, articles and reviews on his publications, photographs and sketches by him, genealogical papers collected by him, notebooks and journals and miscellaneous other items. There are also papers of other members of the Lewin family.