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Draft minutes of the weekly meetings of the proprietors of Anderson, New and Co., held at the Compting House, Redcross St., Bristol, from 2 Jul 1798 to 11 Mar 1799. The proprietors were James New junior, Samuel New junior, Francis Bull, S. James, William Walker and Charles Anderson. The drafts record their decisions in some detail, concerning the purchase of land at Netham Mill and Blacksworth, the building of warehouses, and the purchase of raw material and machinery. At the foot of each sheet is written 'Ent[ere]d', followed usually by the initials 'J.N.'

Agreement, dated 23 Oct 1868, between Albert Rumball, Thomas Rumball, Joseph Rivolta, John Septimo Rivolta and Vincent Wanostrocth to share the expenses of a journey to be made to St Petersburg by Albert Rumball, and the profits should licences be obtained to form the 'Azoff [Azov] and Don Gas Company'. Signatures of parties and witnesses.

Letter from Robert Bald of Edinburgh to Joseph Hume MP, 27 Apr 1826. Excusing his silence 'but ... I have been uncommonly pressed with mineral surveying and reporting thereon arising in a great degree from the conflicting elements which arise betwixt master and servant. Coals rise in price to an exorbitant rate, and the great manufacturing interests of Glasgow & chief consumers of coal there agreed to have the districts surveyed as to the means of supplying the City with abundance of coal at a moderate rate, and to lay rail ways into the coals fields which were the best'. He encloses "two copies of the treatise I wrote regarding the coal trade of Scotland and the slavish system of bearing coals by women. I have been attacked and run down for doing so: this I care nothing about ...'. Autograph, with signature.

The collection contains a memoranda book covering the years 1783 to 1785, with additions and annotations. The contents include notes of orders, bills, advertisements, names of customers, tables showing different qualities of worsteds and a 'black list' of employees.

A signed holograph proposal, 1739, for preventing the illicit practice of wool, tea and brandy smuggling, submitted to both Houses of Parliament.

Manuscript volume containing a contemporary copy of the charter of the British Linen Company, dated 5 Jul 1746.

Two items c 1892, by John Burnett of the Board of Trade concerning the reduction of wages and strikes in the mining, shipbuilding, metal and textile trades.

Letter from Michel Chevalier of Lodeve Herault to Sir Edward Watkin MP [railway promoter], 7 Aug 1876. Concerning a project to construct the metropolitan railway in Paris after the International Exhibition [Exposition Universelle] has been held there [i.e. after Nov 1878]. 'Mr. Fenton, the general manager of the Metropolitan of London, has forwarded me a set of documents and notes which are of great interest. I will make use of them for some communications to the press'.

Autograph, with signature.

Manuscript volume, originally used as a stock book for haberdashery, belonging to John Clark [of Bridgewater, Somerset], containing lists of hosiery, thread, pins, ribbons, laces, tapes, bobbins, blankets, flannel and other cloths, furs, tippets, muffs, capes, silk cloaks, cambric handkerchiefs, pasteboard, paper and umbrellas, 1832-1837. Many pages have had pasted on to them newspaper cuttings and illustrations from popular magazines, [1838-1852], including plans for the new parish church of Paddington, 1840. From folio 18, the volume has interspersed on previously blank pages a draft continuation by Clark of Byron's Don Juan (i.e. cantos xvii-xxiv), described by the author as 'rough copy - incorrect' (each leaf being cancelled presumably as the fair copy was made) and signed by himself as 'completed 1842 September 1, at X a.m. clk. struck, & flute playing in the street'.. There are also some notes on Byron's original poem, his life and literary style accompanying the continuation, which date from later in the 1840s. The vellum cover is inscribed 'John Clark's first copy of his poem'.

Letter from Richard Cobden to Dr W C Taylor, 2 Aug 1842. Thanking him for the gift of 'your little vol' [possibly Notes on a Tour in the Manufacturing Districts of Lancashire]. 'The best thing that could happen wd be to see it well abused in the Morning Post and Standard.'

Autograph, with signature.

Letter from Sir Charles Cockerill of Sezincote, Gloucestershire to [Messrs Thwaites and Reed, clockmakers], 28 Jan [1800-1850]. In reply to their letter of 27 Jan, Cockerell 'will send to the clock maker at Stow[-on-the-Wold] to examine the clock with his own clerk of the works and to oil them, as suggested. The result of which shall be communicated to T. and R.'

Autograph, with signature.

Letter from Jean-Baptiste Colbert of Versailles, [France] to M Daguesseau, 1 Jan 1683. Promoting the manufacturers of Saptes and Clermont in France, and their exports to the Levant.

With autograph signature.

Minutes of evidence of the Committee to consider the state of the linen trade in Great Britain and Ireland, given at twelve sessions held between 1 March and 12 May 1774.

Letter from J Cross of London to [Mr Oriel], 14 Apr 1794. 'I laid your proposal respecting the mill at Quemerford [near Calne, Wiltshire] before my Lord Lansdown [i.e. the Marquess of Lansdowne], in answer to which he had directed me to give you, in his own words, his opinion of the use of machinery in the cloathing manufacture - vizt "Nothing can be more mistaken than the prejudice conceived against machinery, nor could be more unfortunate for the country if suffer'd to prevail - for the consequence must be, the transfer of the manufacture either to the North of England, where the prejudice has been got the better of, and where they experience the advantage, or else to foreign countrys - or part to one and part to the other. Calne is calculated to be the seat of it, much better than either Chippenham or Devizes, or any town which I can immediately recollect, and independent of the great increase of trade, it would create a number of mechanists, and promote in consequence every sort of ingenuity, which would make up abundantly the loss sustain'd by the spinners; besides the navigations which are proposed [i.e. the Wilts and Berks Canal] will furnish a great deal of work; but rather than attempt any thing so arbitrary & absurd as to stop the progress of the machinery, I am very clear it would be better to come to a general rise of wage, especially if every person was compell'd at the same time to belong to some amicable society ...".'

Autograph, with signature.

Personal papers, correspondence, news-cuttings and pamphlets concerned mainly with various literary societies. This collection also comprises correspondence of the Daniel family, including that of George Daniel's son, Jesse Cato Daniel (1825-1876), Jesse's wife Elizabeth (1825-1900), and his grandson, George B. Daniel (1863-1897) who emigrated to Argentina. The Daniel papers include a letter from the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge to "my very dear Cottie" in 1797.

Letter from Thoomas Algernon Dorien-Smith of Tresco Abbey, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall to James Hooper, 28 Dec [1883-1884]. Intending to send flowers by the next mail. Discussing the demerits of the parcel post for the flower trade's deliveries. The islands are suitable for growing flowers, espcially narcissi, but strong winds prevent fruit-growing.

Autograph, with signature.

Letter from Peter Stephen DuPonceau of Phildelphia, [Pennsylvania] to J Vaughan, Esq, 19 Nov 1831. Asking him 'to send the enclosed [a copy of An Historical Review of the ... Silk Culture, Manufacture and Trade, etc (1831)] to your excellent nephew'.

Autograph, with signature.

Letter from Edward Backhouse Eastwick of 38 Thurloe Square, London to J Kempson Esq, May 1871. 'Mr. Lopez tells me that you know all about the once proposed railway from Exeter through Launceston to Truro and Falmouth. As I wish much to revive that project perhaps you would kindly give me an interview'. Written on House of Commons writing paper.

Autograph, with signature.

Account books, 1807-1827, of John Ferguson's textile manufacturing company, Robert Ferguson & Son.

Manuscript volume containing information relating to the finances of France, [1757]-1766, namely a report on the actual state of affairs concerning the finances of the kingdom of France, 1766, including the revenues and expenditure of the king, the extraordinary transactions in France from 1755 to 1763 due to the war against the English, and annual transactions made in the kingdom in favour of the Court of Rome, bishops, dukes, counts and peers; a report giving particulars of the general and specific financial schemes of France, with political observations, 1766; a report on the actual state of the secret and general finances of France and of the organisation of those finances, [1757]; a printed pamphlet by John Holker, being an instructive memoir on the fabric and other woollen goods of England, published in Paris, 1764.

Manuscript copy of the Charter of incorporation granted to the Gas, Light and Coke Company by King George III, dated 30 April, [1812].

Manuscript account book kept by John Goodman of Eversholt for the sales of household goods and groceries, 1786-1800. The accounts are arranged under the names of customers and cancelled as they were settled.

Letter from Charles Headach of Basingstoke, Hampshire to Messrs Hodding, Hodding and Co, Salisbury, 19 Oct 1840. Giving their agent permission to receive the interest due on the late Bishop of Salisbury's bonds of the Basingstoke Canal Company; giving details of the bonds and the method of authorizing payment; also mentioning a bond of Mr Hodding's. [Thomas Burgess, Bishop of Salisbury, died in 1837.]

Autograph, with signature. Postmarked at Basingstoke and Salisbury.

Letter from William Henry Hay of the Iron Founders' Society, New Kent Road, London to Professor H S Foxwell, 27 May 1887. Referring to Hey's statistical work in the Iron Founders' Annual Report.

Autograph, with signature.

Letter from Quintin Hogg of 5 Richmond Terrace, Whitehall, London [replacing 23 Rood Lane, London which has been struck through] to Mr Parker, 26 Feb 1876. Detailing the final stages of the transfer of an estate called 'Industry' by Parker to Hogg; mentioning the shipping of sugar and rum.

Autograph, with signature.

Letter, May 1 1802 addressed to the Rt Hon William Wickham, Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whitehall. 'Lord Sheffield has caused the tracts sent herewith relative to Ireland to be bound together with the wish they may be usefull (sic) in respect to reference to Mr. Wickham. The first gives details of the state, manufactures & commerce of Ireland to the year 1785. The speech on union continues those details to the present times and the observations on the export of wool to Ireland shews the state of the woollen manufacture in both countries'. Autograph, unsigned.

Manuscript volume containing papers relating to William Wood and the minting of halfpence and farthings for Ireland comprising transcripts of a report of the Committee of the Privy Council of 24 Jul 1724 and the ensuing Order in Council of 6 Aug 1724, both relating to Wood's Irish coinage, with a copy of 'Mr Wood's Proposals'.

Correspondence to John Bradley & Co., mostly being very detailed orders for iron, except for a few letters addressed to James Foster himself.

Manuscript account book of Jones and Co, London cloth merchants, giving details of cloth sold from 18 Feb 1760-6 Mar 1775, and details of buyers. Most entries contain a sample of the cloth involved.

Letter from S C Lakeman of 25 Place Vendôme, Paris to Monsieur Legrand, Sous Secretaire d'État aux Travaux Publics à Paris, 12 Jan 1847. Wishing to submit observations on the floating breakwater to La Ciotat, [Bouches-du-Rhône] and requests an audience for this purpose.

Autograph, with signature. An additional note gives the time and date of the audience as 11 am, Saturday 16 Jan [1847].

Papers collated by Charles Lawrence relating to his interests in the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Grand Junction Railway, 1826-1845, comprising the following:
Papers relating to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, 1826-1842, including four letters from Thomas Brand, 20th Baron Dacre, to Charles Lawrence, Chairman of the Railway, 1826-30, concerning the Company's Bill in the House of Lords; a summons to Lawrence to give evidence before Parliamentary Committee of 1826 on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Bill; material relating to William Huskisson, such as a printed notice regarding his election (1830), a printed copy of the inscription on Huskisson's memorial tablet and a letter to Lawrence regarding the monument erected to Huskisson's memory (1836), as well as letters from C.Heming, Emma Stanley, Countess of Derby (1830), George Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland (1835) and Robert Benson Dockray (1835) regarding his death; names and numbers of all locomotive engines on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to 1 Mar 1836; statistics of tonnage carried, arranged by subjects, 1830-1836, probably prepared for the Board of Trade; names and numbers of locomotive engines on the Railway to 18 Jan 1837; an abstract of locomotive expenses, 1841; a letter from Edward Woods to Lawrence giving the state of the company's stock of locomotive engines to 31 Dec 1842.
Papers relating to the Grand Junction Railway, 1840-1845, including a report by John Moss, Chairman of the Board of the Grand Junction Railway Company, on the creation of shares, adopted 20 May 1840; a draft agreement in the hand of George Carr Glynn for the amalgamation of the London and Birmingham and Grand Junction Railway Companies, 1845.

Letter from William Henry Leatham of 45 St James Place, St James's, London to the Rt Hon Sir Stafford H Northcote, Bart, MP, HM Secretary of State for India, 9 Jul 1868. Stating that he will forward the offer of a collection of plates (for a price of £100) illustrating the textile manufactures of India, to the Industral and Fine Art Institution (and museum), at Wakefield; giving the names of three officials in Wakefield who might be concerned with the offer.

Autograph, with signature.

Letter from John Lee of the Traffic Manager's Office, Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company, Old Hall Street, Liverpool to E Hailstone of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Office, Leeds, 17 Jan 1877. Thanking him for the loan of the Bridgewater Canal Acts 'which I have perused in conjunction with our Leigh Branch Act'. Discusses the matter of tolls leviable by the Bridgewater Canal Company: 'In the case of one of our boats they have charge a much higher rate of toll than I feel disposed to pay, and before settling with them I am desirous to know what their powers really are'.

Written in another hand and signed by Lee.

Manuscript volume containing a copy of a letter dated 9 Jun 1744 from Elizabeth Forbes of the School of Sprinning, Jedburgh, [Roxburgh], to David Flint, Trustees Office, Parliament Close, Edinburgh, complaining of her summons by the baillies of Jedburgh for contravening the 'Acts in the Trades Seal of Cause' by ordering equipment from Kelso.

Manuscript letter appointing Louis Casimir Brown Inspector of Manufactures in Caen producing cloth or materials used in its treatment, 15 Sep 1780. With the signature of Jacques Necker, Director General of Finances, the signature of the Intendant of Caen, and a note dated 27 Feb 1783 of registration by the greffiers of the bailliage of Caen.

Drawing of Tring cutting in Hertfordshire, 1836, which was built as part of the London and Birmingham Railway.

(1) Letter from William Manning of 14 New Street, Spring Gardens, [Westminster] to Thomas Tyrell, Esq, 29 Nov 1800. Concerning proposals for the regulation of a new coal market. Asking whether Tyrell sees any difficulty in it being managed by the Lord Mayor of London and whether the Corporation interferes with any market in the City. The building in Mark Lane is open to all on market days, but the Coal Exchange is open to subscribers only; the first buyers do not exceed about one hundred.

(2) Letter from William Manning of Totteridge, Hertfordshire to Thomas Tyrell, Esq, 4 Apr 1801. Discussing the fees to be incurred in passing the Coal Bill through the two Houses of Parliament [ordered Mar 1801; order for second reading discharged 12 May 1801], and the means of paying them. Asks Tyrell to show the letter to Mr Stracey, 19 Fludyer Street, and to confer with him about it.

Both letters are autograph, with signatures, and headed 'private'.

Memorial signed by Thomas Wroe of Hollinwood near Manchester, cotton manufacturer, addressed to the Rt Hon Spencer Perceval and the Lords of the Treasury, seeking compensation for the loss of his steam-powered cotton mill at West Houghton, which was destroyed by a 'riotous mob', dated 24th April, 1812. Endorsed to the effect that there does not appear to be any means of indemnifying Mr Wroe.

Contract between the North Midland Railway Company and Joel Buxton for the building of Masborough station in Yorkshire, 16 Dec 1839. Includes specification and prices for materials.

Manuscript orders made by the Hamburg Company, 26 Jan 1668, to prevent 'employing unfreemen to buy and shipp off woolen' .

Letter from Robert Owen of Braxfield, [Lanarkshire] to 'the London Partners in the firm of Robert Owen and Co', 24 Oct 1814. Sending monthly accounts [missing]. Attributing poor trading in cotton to political instability in Europe; explains that unprofitable sales in Russia must continue until the market improves so that the mills [at New Lanark] can be kept working.

Manuscript volume containing a copy of a petition to the House of Lords by the wool producers of Suffolk, 1788, protesting against the bill 'for preventing the exportation of Live Sheep Wool'. The manuscript is endorsed 'Mr Kirby's brief'. The petition was drawn up at a public meeting held at Ipswich on May 29th, 1788.

Papers of John Urpeth Rastrick, 1800-1855, comprising a miscellany of correspondence (including drafts of copies of outgoing letters), with notes, engineering drawings, etc. Many of the notes and calculations are written in Rastrick's private cipher. Major correspondents include the London shipping iron merchants Henckell and Du Buisson; the 2nd Earl of Powis; John (later Sir John) Gladstone [father of W E Gladstone]; the lawyer, estate manager and politician James Loch and [?his son] George Loch; and Rastrick's sons and employees. Topics covered include the canal and railway interests of Rastrick and the other correspondents, as well as the iron industry. Most of the letters were dispatched to or from London or the industrial areas of South Wales and the West Midlands.

Papers of John Urpeth Rastrick including memoranda, calculations and diagrams, including estimates for iron arch for Stratford-upon-Avon Railway Bridge; for a roof for William Foster; gasworks at Kidderminster; recipe for brass lacquer; lists of materials of six-horse Boulton and Watts engine, and of the contents of packing boxes, with diagrams of each item entered; notes, specifications and sketches for the Stratford and Moreton Railway; and detailed descriptions, statistics and sketches of bridges, railways and engines. Enclosing the following items: (i-ii) 2 sheets of rough calculations. (iii) Card bearing printed statistics of the Burnton and Shields Railway; annotated in MS and signed by Benjamin Thompson (23 January 1829). (iv) Printed wrapper sent from the Office of Ordnance to Messrs J Bradley and Co, [?at] Foster, Rastrick and Co Ironworks, Stourbridge; used for rough calculations and draft accounts in MS.

Letter from Mr Rowcroft of Broad Street Buildings, [London] to Mr Tyrrell, Esq, Remembrancer, Guildhall, 4 Dec 1805. Stating that he will try to meet the Port Committee at the opening of the Blackwall Canal on the next Monday.

Autograph, unsigned.

Two way bills of the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company, 1862, one dated 10 Feb from Adelaide Colliery, Bishop Auckland; the other dated 13 Feb from North Bitchburn Colliery, Witton-le-Wear, Durham.

A collection of letters, printed circulars, etc, mainly addressed to William Blackwood, of Messrs Stuart and Blackwood, Peebles, Scotland, 1859-1901. The topics covered reflect the firm's business activities: requests for legal advice or legal action; requests to act as agents or trustees; and legal advice or legal action on insurance, assurance and debts. A signficant proportion of the letters concern the Symington extension of the Caledonian Railway Company (1861).

2 letters to Owen Williams, 22-30 Nov 1806, relating to copper and timber production. Including 3 sheets of tables and calculations.

Letters and accounts, mostly concerned with the cloth and clothing trade, between 1755 and 1763. The material was created by both Benjamin Wilson and Jonathan Dickinson, who appear to have been business partners.

Letter from Sir Charles Wood, Chancellor of the Exchequer, of Hickleton, [near Doncaster] to an unspecified recipient, 19 Oct 1849. 'Dear Sir, It is unlucky that the D.G. [i.e. Dei Gratia (by the grace of God)] was left out [from the inscription on the new florin (2 shilling) coin] - people attach more importance to such matters now a days. Yours truly C. Wood'.

Autograph, with signature.