Records of the Port of London, Thames Conservancy and Thames Navigation, 1505-1994.

Port of London records include administrative papers, committee reports, accounts, annual reports, bye-laws, papers of the Committee of the House of Commons appointed to consider the best mode of increasing the accommodation of the Port of London, 1796-1799, city tonnage dues cash books and canal boat registration.

Thames Conservancy records include papers relating to the City's claim to the Thames soil, shores and bed; correspondence; reports; maps; acts and bills for the Conservancy of the River Thames; papers regarding the boundary stones marking the limits of the jurisdiction of the City of London; minutes of the Navigation Committee and Parliamentary papers.

Thames Navigation records include accounts, bye-laws, petitions and reports.

Also papers relating to fishing including conservation of fish stock and issue of licences; Parliamentary papers relating to the Thames and the Embankment; papers relating to maintenance of embankments and wharves; publications regarding various aspects of the history of the Thames.

Volume containing two copies of a printed register relating to Netherlands herring fisheries, 1749, entitled Naamlyst der boekhouders, schepen, en stuurluiden van de haring-shepen, in't Yaar 1749, van Enchisen en de Ryp, ter haring-shepen uitgevaren (Jan von Guissen, Enkhuisen, 1749), giving details of the ships, owners and captains of the fleets of Enkhuisen and De Rijp. Added in manuscript are details of the total catch for 1749, and the catch for individual ships on various voyages.

Papers of Walter Edward Guiness, Lord Moyne, relating to his chairmanship of the West India Royal Commission (WIRC), 1938-1939; comprising speech notes by Moyne for the first public session of WIRC; annotated notes for preparation of the WIRC report; copies of published Colonial Office reports including Report of the West India Sugar Commission, 1930, Report by Lord Moyne on Financial Mission to Kenya, 1932, Report of Enquiry on the Trinidad and Tobago disturbances, 1937, Report by G St J Orde Browne on Labour Conditions in the West Indies, 1939, WIRC Report on agriculture, fisheries and veterinary matters by F L Engledow, 1945; memoranda submitted to WIRC by interested parties in Trinidad and Tobago, on means of improving the social and economic conditions of the people, including the Port of Spain Ministerial Association, the Civil Service Association of Trinidad and Tobago, the Port of Spain Nurses and Midwives Association, the Railway Workers Trade Union, Captain C R Williams, Church Army, the Presbyterian Church in Trinidad, the Trinidad Labour Party, Port of Spain City Council, the British West Indies and British Guiana Teachers' Association, the Trinidad and Tobago Teachers' Union, Trinidad Federation Workers Trade Union, the Guianese and West Indies Labour Congress, the Chinese Commercial Association, Trinidad Chamber of Commerce, South Trinidad Cane Farmers Association, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago on agriculture, forestry and fisheries and social welfare, the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad Asphalt Operating Company, the Coconut Growers Association, the Petroleum Association of Trinidad, memorandum by Arthur Calder-Marshall on Trinidad, impressions of the social situation in Trinidad by A E Jeffery, the Trinidad and Tobago Union of Shop Assistants and Clerks and the Trinidad Landowners' Association.

Letters from Sir Robert Moray to his friend Alexander Bruce, Earl of Kincardine, also known as 'The Kincardine Papers'. Bruce was sick of the ague in Bremen for part of this time, and the letters were written to alleviate the tedium of of Bruce's illness, hence ranging over topics which might not otherwise have been the subjects of correspondence. They include accounts of chemical experiments in his laboratory, his interest in magnetism, medicine in all its aspects, horticulture, fuel, whale fishing, its risks and profits, coal mining, water wheels and tide mills, stone quarrying and the various qualities of different stones, the pumping works needed for undersea coal mines at Bruce's home at Culross in Fifeshire, even to the trees whose wood was best for pipelines, and the diameter of the bore best suited to the purpose. Familiarity is shown with mathematical and surveying instruments, with music, and all sorts of mechanical devices and especially clocks and watches, more particularly the taking out of a patent in respect of a clock for use at sea for finding longitude. Bruce is advised on the choice of books over a wide range of subjects. Moray includes anecdotes to amuse his ailing correspondent; he describes his quiet life and is enthusiastic about many of his chemical experiments. Notable at the end of the letters Moray added what he described as his Masonic signature - a pentagram which also occurs in his crest.

Letters from Sir Robert Moray to his friend Alexander Bruce, Earl of Kincardine, 1657-1673. Also known as 'The Kincardine Papers'. Bruce was sick of the ague in Bremen for part of this time, and the letters were written to alleviate the tedium of his illness, hence ranging over topics which might not otherwise have been the subjects of correspondence. They include accounts of chemical experiments in his laboratory, his interest in magnetism, medicine in all its aspects, horticulture, fuel, whale fishing, its risks and profits, coal mining, water wheels and tide mills, stone quarrying and the various qualities of different stones, the pumping works needed for undersea coal mines at Bruce's home at Culross in Fifeshire, even to the trees whose wood was best for pipelines, and the diameter of the bore best suited to the purpose. Familiarity is shown with mathematical and surveying instruments, with music, and all sorts of mechanical devices and especially clocks and watches, more particularly the taking out of a patent in respect of a clock for use at sea for finding longitude. Bruce is advised on the choice of books over a wide range of subjects. Moray includes anecdotes to amuse his ailing correspondent; he describes his quiet life and is enthusiastic about many of his chemical experiments. Notable at the end of the letters Moray added what he described as his Masonic signature - a pentagram which also occurs in his crest.

Papers of Hugh Robert Mill including manuscript and printed papers relating to Antarctic whaling expeditions; collection of approximately 200 letters to Mill from officers of the Royal Geographical Society chiefly concerning the affairs of the RGS, 1847-1944; collection of approximately 800 letters to Mill from geographers, travellers cartographers and others, 1833-1944; 'Daily Doings', two volumes, 1861-1919 and 1920-1945, which briefly record the events of each day, contain lists of Mill's published works and the appointments he held, and are indexed by personal and place names.

This catagory contains examples of various types of ships' papers and documents relating to the operation of merchant ships. There are examples of Charter Parties, including one of 1322 between Walter Giffard, master of the cog OUR LADY of Lyme and Sir Hugh de Berham for a freight of wine; the remainder are twentieth-century examples. The earliest example of a Bill of Lading is for the TRIPLE CROWN of Bristol, 1689; there are others from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Among the examples of Bills of Sale of ships and shares of ships is one for the Dutch East India Company ship DEHELDWOITEMADE, sold to James Mather, a London merchant, 1782; and also one for the SPECULATOR, a French prize, formerly LE CARME, sold in 1810. Examples of documents relating to insurance include a Statement of General Average for the POLLY AND EMILY made after she had been damaged in a gale in 1895. There are also Muster Rolls and Articles of Agreement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (see also entry no.13); Bills of Health, nineteenth and twentieth centuries; Safe Conducts, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; and various nineteenth-century passenger documents and papers relating to wreck and salvage, including an order issued by Sir Cyril Wyche (1632-1707) and Sir Henry Capel (d 1696), Lord Justices of Ireland, for the arrest of the pilot of the wrecked TALBOT pink, 1695.

Papers of Vice Admiral Sir Ian McGeoch, 1946-1996, including papers from McGeoch's naval career including his time as commander of Royal Navy Base Portsmouth, 1955; as Naval Liaison Officer, RAF Coastal Command, 1955-1956 and as Flag Officer, Submarines and Northern Ireland and Scotland, 1965-1970.

Research notes, essays and transcripts of talks by McGeoch on naval topics including research notes for The Princely Sailor: Mountbatten of Burma; editorials and articles by McGeoch for Naval Forces; correspondence including with Vice Admiral Sir Louis Le Bailly, 1993-1994; Sir John Hackett and Michael Howard, 1971; papers relating to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies including correspondence regarding submissions and talks by McGeoch, newsletters, annual reports, articles by McGeoch, council minutes, charter, bye-laws and standing orders, 1950-1991 and printed books and journals on military history.

Papers and correspondence on topics including party politics in McGeoch's local area, particularly the Conservative Party, 1971-1974; the British Atlantic Council, 1974-1994; national security, disarmament and arms control, 1974-1986; the security of North Sea oil rigs, 1975-1981; fisheries and pollution in the North Sea, 1976; the Baltic and Mediterranean protection of the marine environment; UK defence policy, 1981; the British Atlantic Committee, 1983-1984; the Atlantic Treaty Association Assembly, Toronto, 8-13 Oct 1984; House of Commons Defence Committee, 1986-1988; the future of the Royal Navy Engineering College, Manadon, and McGeoch's campaign to keep it open, 1993; McGeoch's letter to The Times and on whether Polaris submarines should have a Christian launching service and the education of Royal Navy officers, 1993-1994.

Papers of Basil Lubbock, reflecting Lubbock's detailed and intensive approach to his research. There are over thirty copies and transcripts of logs, many made by Lubbock himself from privately owned volumes. These include abstract logs of the CUTTY SARK, 1870 to 1872, and 1886 to 1895, and a detailed log of the same vessel, 1882 to 1883; the captains' abstract logs of the ARIEL, 1866 to 1868, HALLOWEEN, 1872 to 1876, PATRIARCH, 1877 and 1883, and THERMOPYLAE, 1881 to 1884; and logs of the whalers WILLIAM, 1796 to 1803, GEORGIANA, 1802 to 1803 and NEPTUNE, 1820. There are many press cuttings and photographs, some original, of sailing ships including some of the CUTTY SARK under the Portuguese flag as the FERREIRA. The collection also contains the reminiscences and personal testaments of many seamen. Original documents include ships' papers of the CUTTY SARK for her voyages of 1882-3 and 1883-4 under the command of Captain F Moore (fl 1865-1885); the diary of a passenger on the SUPERB, 1882; a contemporary copy of the log of HMS GALATEA, 1830 to 1831; and a log of the NARCISSUS, 1866 to 1867, kept by Admiral Sir John Fullerton (1840-1918) as lieutenant, together with his station and order book, a volume of watch, station, quarter and fire bills, and an order book containing rigging tips and Flying Squadron sail drill, 1871 to 1872. Among Lubbock's personal papers in the collection are his diary for 1899, including his voyage on the ROYALSHIRE which is illustrated with sketches. There is a wealth of notes and correspondence relating to his many publications on merchant sailing ships; notes on the suppression of the slave trade in the nineteenth century and a draft of a book on the subject; twelve notebooks relating to the 'Last of the Wooden Walls', the ships of the Royal Navy in the nineteenth century; and extensive notes for an unpublished biography of Prince Rupert (1619-1682). There are also annotated copies of most of Lubbock's publications.

(1) Letter from William Hesketh Lever, Lord Leverhulme, of The Hill, Hampstead Heath, North End, London to A B Cooper, 34b Earlsfield Road, Wandsworth Common, London, 23 Apr 1918. In reply to a letter of 19 Apr. 'In my opinion the greatest discovery of the twentieth century has been that making war on peaceful neighbours does not pay ... We are greatly indebted to Mr. Norman Angell for being the first to call attention to this great fact ...'.

(2) Letter from William Hesketh Lever, Lord Leverhulme, of Port Sunlight, Cheshire to C D Melville, Meole Hall, Shrewsbury, 10 Jul 1919. Declining a request to study fish curing and canning in Stornaway [Isle of Lewis], as the developments are proceeding slowly, and the proposed works far from completion.

Both letters signed by Lord Leverhulme.

A petition, 1601, written by Keymer intended for Queen Elizabeth concerning the advancement of the fishing business. The second manuscript is concerned with international sea trade, 1620, principally between England and Holland and Denmark.

Records of H Barber and Son Limited, salmon and eel merchants, and their subsidiaries including D and J Barber (Eels) Limited; Braddan Fishing Company Limited; Cahill and Young Limited; John T Clark Limited; U C Farmer Limited; A Langley and Company Limited and E F Marchant Limited.

Papers of John Alan Gulland, 1972-1990, comprising correspondence and papers from Gulland's period as Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College, London, 1984-1990; drafts for publications and editorial correspondence; papers relating to his consultancies, including those for the European Community and the Canadian Government; documentation of overseas visits, including a 1985 visit to Antarctica; correspondence files.

Letter from William Henry Grenfell of 30 Bruton Street, London [the printed letter-head 'Carlton Club' has been struck through] to [Edward] Marston, 26 Jun 1912. Relating to Marston's query about the origin of the Port of London Authority regulations for fishing.

Autograph, with signature.

Papers of a William Godden. They consist of William Godden's apprenticeship indenture of 1812, the oath of Fisherman and Dredgerman, 1821, the transfer of registry of the smack Betsy, 1848, oyster fishing accounts, 1853, and some notes on ships and fishing.

Papers of Robert Duff including logs, 1744 to 1747, 1749 to 1762 and for part of 1779; letter and order books, 1745 to 1762, 1775 to 1780; a register of Newfoundland fishing vessels, 1775; a list of ships, 1770; various signals and sailing directions and a family account book, 1769 to 1778.

Records of D and J Barber (Eels) Limited, including articles of association; minutes of meetings; register of members and shares; and financial records.

Papers of Admiral Curzon-Howe comprising logs, 1868 to 1873, fishery reports, Newfoundland, 1892 to 1895, memoranda, 1888 to 1893, 1909 to 1910, and notes on manoeuvres, 1895, 1899.

Records of Cahill and Young Limited, fishery, including articles of association and financial records.

Records of Braddan Fishing Company Limited including articles of association, profit and loss accounts and cash book.

Papers of Thomas Bowrey, sea captain and merchant, including ledger; correspondence; diaries; drawings; charts; and maps; relating to travel and trade in India, Africa, Holland, France, Batavia (Jakarta) and Persia (Iran); the "Coffree" language of Delagoa and the Telenga language; shipping insurance and Lloyd's coffee house; whaling; and piracy.

Papers of Henry Compton Anderson Baynes inclusing official service documents, 1866 to 1901; an article on 'Armament of Battleships', undated; a letter, 1888, concerning Whitehead torpedoes; a few letters about Baynes's fishery protection work in the North Sea in the 1890s and three night order books, 1893, 1895 and 1901.

Papers of the Baynes and Nias Families:

Papers of Henry Compton Anderson Baynes inclusing official service documents, 1866 to 1901; an article on 'Armament of Battleships', undated; a letter, 1888, concerning Whitehead torpedoes; a few letters about Baynes's fishery protection work in the North Sea in the 1890s and three night order books, 1893, 1895 and 1901.

Papers of Sir Robert Lambert comprising official service documents, details of ships on the Pacific Station 1854 to 1860, an autobiographical outline of his career, 1810 to 1857, invitations to social events, and other personal papers.

Papers of Sir Joseph Nias, comprising letters and orders received, 1815 to 1867, and service papers, and eighteen letters from Sir William Parker to Nias while he was Senior Officer at Hong Kong, 1841 to 1842.