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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.

Printed bill of lading completed in manuscript for the ship Sprightly Packett, 19 Oct 1782, at Bristol and bound for Cork with eight hogsheads of dye goods.

Printed bill of lading, 1799, completed in manuscript for the schooner Pearl bound for Demerara (British Guiana) from Stonington, Connecticut, USA. Cargo includes mess beef and pork, prime beef and pork, mutton, bass, codfish, mackerel, horses, mules and cattle.

Nine printed bills of lading, completed in manuscript, for ships bound for Marseilles, including those for Le Décidé bound from Salonika, 1728; St Jean l'Évangéliste, from Istanbul, 1733; Le Benjamin, from Smyrna, 1763; Sainte Marie, from Port Maurice, 1765; La Fortune, from St Pierre, Martinique, 1765; La Napolitaine, from Naples, 1778; L'Aimable Marguerite, from Smyrna, 1779; S. Giovanni Battista, from Genoa, 1787 and 1788. Also includes a similar bill of lading for La Vièrge de Grace, bound from Marseilles to St Malo, 1729. Merchandise carried included raw cotton, yellow wax, fish, oil, vinegar, soap, coffee and silk.

Two bills of sale of vessels registered at Liverpool, details as follows:

1. Sale of 4/64 share of the barque Charlotte for a consideration of £675, by Philip Nelson, shipowner, to Henry Gardner, produce broker, both of Liverpool, 1 Jun 1866.
2. Sale of 8/64 share of the barque Cecilia, for a consideration of £900, between the parties as above, 25 Feb 1869.

Letters from A Copland, 6 Dec [1827]-13 Mar 1828, (i-ii) Address: Queen Street, [Abderdeen]. Parts of 2 letters to Copland's brother, Charles Copland. (i) Describes the towing of The Mary (of which A Copland was part-owner) off the rocks at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire (6 December [1827]). (ii) Last leaf of a letter, bearing only 3 lines of writing (13 March 1828 [endorsement]). Both letters appear to be autograph but are unsigned.

(iii) Newspaper cutting advertising The Mary, a 40-ton ship 'intended to be a regular trader between Aberdeen and Peterhead'.

Manuscript volume containing a report giving a list of all the costs of the upkeep of a galley in a squadron, [1700-1750], requested by 'S R Gerosna', entitled 'Relazione distinta di tutta la somma che si spende e consuma per il manteninento di una galera dalla squadra di questa S R Gerosna'. Includes frequent references to the port at Malta, and to Sicily, Sardinia and other islands in the Mediterranean, and notes of advice for captains of galleys trading in the area.

Letter from Hugh Hamilton to an unknown recipient, [c1661-1678]. 'Richt Honorabill, your lords[hip] was pleased to remembir his mgisty of his promeissing me on prays [prize] schip and to deseyr me to seick out the naim of on ...'. Hamilton had found the officers unwilling to give him information, sent an express to Plymouth, and so discovered that the 'Toun of [?]Dantzicke', a 260-ton ship carrying French salt, was to be sold on 8 May. Asking his correspondent to speak to the King [Charles II], so that he 'may gett his warren [warrant] for the forsaid schip with all furniter and tackling', and the correpsondent is to say that 'hir ladning of frensch salt is of no considerebill walleu [value]'. He should consider it a great favour and obligation from his correspondent if the king would 'bestou ye schip and ladning upon me ...'.

Autograph, with signature: 'Heugh Glenauly'.

Manuscript volumes containing 'An abstract of the total number of ships with their tonnage which have been registered in the British Dominions in pursuance of the Acts [of Parliament]...Distinguishing such as are British built, such as are foreign built, and such as are Prizes made free, and distinguishing the Ports at which they have been respectively registered', with a volume devoted to each year between 1788 and 1793. Includes a commentary on the statistics given, and dedicatory epistle in Volume I to King George III.

Letter from Edward Kirkpatrick of Southampton to Thomas Attree [or Altree] Esq of Brighthelmstone [Brighton], Sussex, 21 Sep 1822. Enquiring about the tax payable on flies [i.e. light carriages], as he wishes to have an example before advising resistance to the Tax Office. The duty demanded at Southampton was £6 10s. The flies there '... are built with metallic springs and leather in every respect as a large Landau, the wheels under 30 inches and driven by one ass'. Attree had evidently not answered [and perhaps not received] Kirkpatrick's earlier letter on the same subject.

Autograph, with signature. The following comment has been inserted in another hand: 'They are only liable to 30/- [or 30%] duty'.

Letter from Richard Thomas Le Gallienne of The Hut Hotel, Wisley, [Surrey] to an unknown lady [?Florence Farr], 28 May 1896. Regretting that he missed meeting her whilst bicycling between Guildford and Wisley: '... and in my knapsack I had brought you the lovliest [sic] edition of Sir John Suckling [poetry] that ever was'.

Autograph, with signature.

Technical pencil drawing of front of locomotive and certain machinery from within the engine by unknown author.

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.

Copy of the memorial of Arthur Lemuel Shuldham [of Dunmanway, Co. Cork] to the commissioners of the Excise, asking them to remit the costs of a suit begun by the Commissioners against Shuldham's pleasure yacht, built at Bristol in May 1789 at a cost of £2000. The yacht was condemned by the jury, and orders were given to dispose of it 'and your memorialist thereby lost many things therein not belonging to the said vessel'. The peculiar hardship of the case, and the largeness of Shuldham's family make him hope that the commissioners will remit the costs. The document is neither signed nor dated.

Manuscript volume containing a notarial instrument, 16 Sep 1655, by Frederick Ixem of London, public notary, with attestations by Bright and Daniell, also public notaries, recording the appointment by the Treasurers and Collectors of Prize Goods (John Sparrow, Richard Blackwall and Humphrey Blake) of Captain Dean of Cork as attorney to receive sums owed by William Hovell of Kinsale, County Cork, and Humberson Hurst. Also includes a printed copy of an Act of Parliament of 17 Apr 1649, An Act for appointing Commissioners for sale of prize-goods.

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.

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.

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...'.