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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 containing a copy of 'Noyes Projects: being a declaration or description how the King of England may support and increase his annuall revenues, being collected out of the records of the Tower, the Parliament Rolls and the Close Petitions...1634', written by William Noy, Attorney-General. This copy of Noy's work was written in the mid 17th century. A shorter version was printed in 1715 as A treatise of the rights of the crown; the text is substantially that of MS 581 except that folios 29-31, in the section on 'bullion', are not printed. The volume is inscribed by Nathaniel Atcheson, with an unaddressed presentation letter in his hand inserted at the front. With an engraving by Henry Meyer of a portrait of Noy.

Manuscript volume containing a tract entitled 'A concise account of the present state of the Spanish American colonies', [1805]. The manuscript appears to be a copy of a document written by a Spanish American, and is written with a view to invoking English intervention as a means of escape from the oppressive colonial policy of Spain, which it describes.

Three volumes entitled Notes for H. R. H. the Prince of Wales' Visit 1925. Typescript carbon copy in three files for the Prince of Wales' visit to Argentina. The notes contain a detailed account of Argentine society and British connections with Argentina, illustrated by captioned photographs. Each volume has a table of contents.

Manuscript volume relating to English territorial possessions in the East Indies, entitled 'Mémoire sur l'État actuel de l'Angleterre dans l'Inde', [1785], with corrections and notes said to be in the hand of Abbé Guillaume Thomas François Raynal (1713-1796), who altered the title to read 'Mémoire sur les possessions territoriales de l'Angleterre dans l'Inde'. The work is written on the left hand half only of each page, the other half containing [Reynal's] manuscript notes.

An unpublished typescript of a work that had been accepted for presentation for a University of London PhD (external) in June 1961 entitled 'The diplomatic and economic history of the Somali Coast Protectorate from 1884 to 1897'. The author died in September 1960 and the typescript volume entitled 'The Frontiers of Somalia' has been compiled from his literary remains. The work is incomplete, as it only contains four sections of seven.

Manuscript book containing various tracts and writings concerning the monarchy, constitutional history and royal revenue compiled by Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1637, and copied 'at Sir Roger Mostyn of Mostyns house at my being there from Christmas to May, which was drawen out of the books of . . . Richard Grosevenor Esqr sole son and heire until Sir Richard Grosevenor Knight and Barronett of Eathen [Eaton]-Coate in Cheshsire . . . finished and bound upp the 25th of Aprill 1637". A list of contents shows 23 items: 'An appollogy for the raigne of Queene Eliz'; 'A discourse of Courte and Courtiers'; 'Consideracions of Intercourse dedicated to the Kinge'; 'De sepultura by Sir Hen.Spelman'; 'A tracte sheweinge howe all the kings of England . . . have made meanes for money in their wants, with an Abstracte of the Revenue of most of the Princes of Christendome'; 'The Cause of the Marches of Walles'; 'Off the office of Composicions for Alienacions by Sir Francis Bacon'; 'A Treatise of the Lawe of wrecke of the sea, of the Inundation of the sea, and Cases uppon the Comission of Sewers'; 'The oppinion of the Judges uppon divers questions Concerninge parishes, and . . . toucheing the Comission, by which the Comissioners sitt at Newegate, 1633'; 'Letters of Sir Francis Bacon uppon several occacions'; 'Mr Cuff his letter to Secretary Cecill declareinge the Instruccions [of] the Earle of Essex, to the scottishe Ambassador touchinge the Kings Tytle to the Crowne of England'; 'The Lord Norris his letter to the Kinge after hee had slayne a servant of the Lord Willoughbies; 'The Lord Chancellor Ellesmore his letter to King James desireinge to bee dischardged of his office'; 'A Letter by the Lords of the Counsell to King James toucheinge meanes to advance the Kings Revenues by unusuall wayes soe as the Kinge would take the Acte uppon himself'; 'A Letter from the Bishopp of Lincolne to the Minister of Grantham concerninge the placeinge of the Communion Table' [1636]; 'Twoe Lettres . . . one from the States of Bohemia to the Elector of Saxony, the other from the Pope to the Emperor concerninge the Trobles of Germany'; 'Sir Tho. Smythe his protestacion toucheinge the speeche used to the Earle of Essex'; 'An admonition from a friend nameles to Sir Edward Cooke after his degradation 1616'; 'A Speech of Sir Francis Bacon Lord Keeper at the takeinge of his place in Chancery 1617'; 'Sir Edw.Cooke his speech at the instellation of 11 Serjeants 1614'; 'The lyfe of Sir Tho. Bodley'; 'The death of Queene Eliz'; 'Mr Seldens discourse of the twoe greate offices of state, the Chancellorshipp and Keepeinge of the greate seale of England 1617'.

Collection of royal warrants directed to Richard Temple (afterwards Grenville-Temple), Earl Temple, as Lord Privy Seal, directing him to issue letters to the Commissioners of the Treasury under the Privy Seal for the payment of monies to the following persons. The warrants all have duty stamps and an impression of the Signet seals of George II and George III under paper. Some of the warrants have dockets signed by three Commissioners of the Treasury.

1. 1758, 25 Feb. To William Davis, for salaries of former servants of Princess Louisa and Princess Mary of Hesse (names given), £500.
2. 1758, 25 Feb. To Richard [Edgcumbe, 2nd Baron] Edgcumbe, an annuity of £1200.
3. 1758, 22 Mar. To George Augustus Selwyn, as Paymaster of the Works, £40,000. With docket.
4. 1758, 22 Mar. To George Grenville, as Treasurer of the Navy, £1,000,000.
5. 1758, 20 Apr. To William Hall, Viscount Gage, as Paymaster of Pensions, £50,000.
6. 1759, 21 Feb. To John [Hobart, 2nd] Earl of Buckinghamshire, as Comptroller of the Household, a gift of 1,000 ounces of 'white plate' worth £333/6/8.
7. 1759, 12 May. To Francis Gashry, as Treasurer and Paymaster of the Office of Ordnance, £300,000. With docket.
8. 1759, 15 May. To George Grenville, as Treasurer of the Navy, £1,000,000.
9. 1759, 25 May. To William Hall, Viscount Gage, as Paymaster of Pensions, £50,000.
10. 1760, 30 Apr. To George Grenville, as Treasurer of the Navy, £1,000,000.
11. 1760, 13 Dec. To William Hall, Viscount Gage, as paymaster of Pensions, £50,000. With docket.
12. 1761, 15 Jan. Docket of a Privy Seal warrant for the payment to George Grenville, as Treasurer of the Navy of £1,000,000.
13. 1761, 20 Jan. To Henry [Fiennes Clinton, 9th] Earl Lincoln [later 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne], as Gentleman of the Bedchamber, a pension of £1,000 p.a.
14. 1761, 22 Jan. To George Augustus Selwyn, as Paymaster of the Works, £40,000.
15. 1761, 28 Feb. To John Shelley, as Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London, salary of £500 p.a. With docket.
16. 1761, 7 Mar. To Henry [Herbert, 10th] Earl of Pembroke, as Gentleman of the Bedchamber, a pension of £1,000 p.a. With docket.
17. 1761, 13 Mar. To Thomas [Osborne, 4th] Duke of Leeds, as Cofferer of the Household, £100,000.
18. 1761, 28 Apr. To William Davis, for salaries of former servants of Princess Louisa and Princess Mary of Hesse (names given), £415 p.a. With docket.
19. 1761, 30 Jun. To 'The Justices of Wales' (not named), salary for each of £400 p.a. With docket.
20. 1761, 30 Jun. To Edward Cornwallis, Groom of the Bedchamber, pension of £500 p.a. With docket.

Petition, dated Aug 1619, of John Addis, Officer of the Wardrobe, for reimbursement of expenses incurred in taking one man, two horses and four labourers for six days from Warwick to Compton and transporting 'all such stuffe then needfull for the Prince [Charles], his service'. With the signature of Sir Robert Cary.

Receipt, dated 3 Nov 1647, for £6.11.0 paid by the Receiver General to Caroline Holland on behalf of Sarah Frank for 'semptrys [seamstress] workes...for the King's Children' by virtue of an order dated 21 Jul 1647. Signed by Sarah Frank.

Manuscript volume containing a report relating to public administration in Peru, [1796], entitled 'Relacion de Govierno del Exmo. Sçnor Virrey del Peru, Frey Don Francisco Gil de Taboada y Lemos, presentada á su Sucesor el Exmo. Sçnor [Ambrosio O'Higgins] Baron de Vallenari y Marques de Osborno'. Includes a table of contents.

Collection of transcripts, [1560]-1624, mainly relating to Privy Council matters, notably a petition presented to King James I by Sir Robert Heath, Solicitor General, 1624; a survey of the Forests and Chaces [Chases] of Bringwood, Mocktree and Darvell, with the Manor of Buriton, 1604; a letter from King James I to the Peers of England and the Privy Council concerning the composition of the Privy Council and the replacement of the ailing Lord Chamberlain by Thomas Howard, Lord Howard of Walden, 1603; copies of documents relating to the French conquest of Guiana, South America, including commissions granted by King Henry IV of France to Renée Marie, Lord Mountbarrot, and Daniel de la Touche, Lord of Raverdiere, for the conquest of Guiana, 1605 and 1609, the appointment of Robert Le Brette, Lord Dubosc, as Raverdiere's lieutenant in Guiana and other parts of America, including Brazil, 1609; the commission of Sir John Digby, Vice-Chamberlain, to negotiate a marriage between Prince Charles of England and the Infanta Maria, daughter of King Philip III of Spain, 1615; a letter written by Captain Charles Parker, one of Sir Walter Raleigh's company at Guiana, to Captain Alley, 1607; a declaration of proceedings in the Star Chamber against John Wrenham, who charged the Lord Chancellor of injustice against the King, 1618; a discourse of marriage written by Charles Blount, Earl of Devonshire, in defence of his wedding to Penelope, Lady Rich, [1605]; a discourse written by Dr Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Ely, against second marriage following a divorce, 1601; a discourse made by merchant adventurers on the occasion of a bill preferred to the High Court of Parliament, requiring free trade to all kingdoms and countries, [1610]; a consideration of the office and duty of a herald in England by John Dodridge, the Solicitor General, 1605; proceedings in the Star Chamber against Mary Countess of Shrewsbury for her refusal to give evidence against Arabella Seymour, Duchess of Somerset, 1618; an Act of Council upon the proceedings against James Whitlocke and Sir Robert Mansell for speaking against the King's Commission for reform of the Navy and also against the King's power and prerogative, 1609; speeches, and a memorandum on the union of England and Scotland, by Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, 1617; a copy of 'The present state of things as theye nowe stand, betweene the three greate kingdomes, France, England and Spayne, [1623], and 'A breviarie of the historie of England from William I, intitled the Conqueror, both written by Sir Walter Raileighe, Knight'; a speech by John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln and Keeper of the Great Seal of England, on the occasion of the collecting of the subsidy, Aug 1621; two versions of instructions by William Cecil, Lord Burleigh, Lord Treasurer to his son, Robert Cecil, 1561 and [1598]; letters from Sir Henry Sidney to his brother and to his son, Phillip, [1560]; a treatise entitled 'Toucheinge the Antiquities of Baronies delivered in the College of Antiquaries', [1600].

Privy Council letters, 4 Dec 1668, signed by George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley (later 1st Duke of Shaftesbury), and Thomas Clifford (later 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh), directed to Sir Robert Long, Bt, Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer, ordering the payment to Sidney Godolphin (later 1st Earl of Godolphin) of £60, the bi-annual instalment of his salary as Page of Honour to Charles II.

Letter from Jean Pellerin of Amsterdam to an unknown recipient, [1699]. Urging the English to combine with the Scots in founding a colony at Darién [Panama]. 'Je voy bien qu'il n'y a point de nation a présent dan L'europe que Les anglois.'

Autograph, with signature.

Manuscript volume containing transcripts of parliamentary papers relating to grants in England and Ireland, 1690-1702, including an account of royal grants made in Ireland from Jan 1698 to Dec 1699, presented by William Lowndes, Secretary to the Treasury, 1699; a report by the Commissioners of Enquiry into the Forfeited Estates in Ireland, [Dec 1699]; an account of rents in the honour of Windsor presented by David Cobb, 13 Feb 1700; an abstract of the sale of fee-farm rents, presented by William Haward and Sir John Talbot, [13 Dec 1700]; an account of royal grants made in the Duchy of Lancaster Mar 1699 to Jan 1702, presented by John Bennett, Auditor of the Duchy, 1699-1702; extracts from parliamentary proceedings relating to policy towards forfeited estates in Ireland, 4 Apr 1690-26 Feb 1700; an alphabetical list of those holding land of the crown [in Ireland], their debts to the Crown, and notes of proceedings against them; an account of all royal grants made in England from Feb 1685 to Jan 1702, presented by William Lowndes, 1700-1702; an account of grants and gratuities paid by the Commissioners for Prizes since Jun 1692, Mar 1701.

Manuscript volume entitled 'Messis Accademica, a Liborio Nicomede Comite Cini collecta', containing a collection of orations in Latin and Italian, including those made at the funeral of Joseph I in 1711 and the coronation of Charles VI in 1712 delivered by Clorindo Erimantico ('peregrino arcadie pastore'), orations made on the birthday of Charles VI and, headed 'Mysterium Magnum', for Leopold, Archduke of Austria, on 13 Apr 1716, and funeral orations for members of the imperial family. A number of the orations begin with an 'Expositio' followed by a 'Iudicium', and take as their text propositions of [Gottfried Wilhelm von] Leibnitz, [Rudolf] Count of Rabatta, and Count [Johann] Cobenzl. All the orations except those for Joseph I, the coronation of Charles VI and Archduke Leopold, include 'Epigrammata Extemporanea'.

Manuscript 'Notes relatives à la station de la cote d'Afrique. Gorée. July 1820', partly written by Alphonse Louis Théodore Moges, Comte de Moges, and comprising an account of the French colony of Senegal, with special reference to Gorée Island and Albréda, their products, inhabitants and trade. Particular attention is given to the slave trade, and means of suppressing it are suggested. The author makes his observations after a two-year sojourn in the area begun, therefore, soon after Gorée had been restored to France in 1816. He passes antagonistic comments on the English and their trade. The first two paragraphs and the corrections throughout are in the hand of the signatory, Alphonse de Moges; the remainder of the manuscript is in another hand.

Letters written by Robert George Bruce, engineer in charge of fortifying Dominica, to General Robert Melville, responsible as Governor of the Ceded Islands for the defence of the island. The letters are endorsed in Melville's hand. The letters refer to battlements, the purchasing of estates, and potential granting of official appointments.

Letter from Maximilian II of Linz to Bartelme Khevenhüller von Aichelberg, 11 May 1562. Maximilian (as King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria) requests Khevenhüller's presence in Prague on 15 Jun 1562, for his coronation.

Written in another hand and signed by Maximilian.

Letter from Charles Mason stating that: 'in Captn Reddie's time (1860/62) there was a destruction of records in India in all the Departts and some were sent home as waste paper', [late 19th century].

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, 1606, containing a list of all the Offices of England, with the fees belonging to them in the gift of King James I. It contains particulars of the offices connected with the Law Courts, the Court, the Royal Household, garrisons, towns, fortresses, castles, parks, forests, and bishoprics. Of the King's artificers, the Sergeant Paynter was at the head with £100, while the Keeper of the Libraries was at the bottom with £3 6s. 8d.

Manuscript volume, 1590, entitled 'A generall collection of all offices of England with their fees in the Queenes gifte', giving details of the offices in the courts at Westminster, the Royal Household, military posts, and posts connected with royal houses, parks and forests. The manuscript also includes a valuation of clergy livings and the tithes payable to Queen Elizabeth I. An eighteenth century index is included.

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.

Copy of a letter from Sir Frederick Madden, 10 Dec 1840, to Sir Frederick Fowke concerning 'our grievances as Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber', with a memorandum in Madden's hand dated 23 Jan 1841 and headed 'Copy of a paper sent to H.R.H. [Augustus Frederick] the Duke of Sussex drawn up by me at his own request', with notes on the history of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber since the time of Henry VIII.
The letter, marked 'private', recounts how the subject of the loss of the privileges and precedence of the Gentlemen had arisen in a conversation between a Mr. Savory and the Duke of Sussex, who had desired 'to be made acquainted with the whole of our case'. Madden asks Fowke to accompany him and Savory to wait on the Duke 'and present a paper embodying our claims...I should like much also to have your assistance in drawing up a paper to be placed in the Duke's hands'.

Part of a copy of a letter, possibly a circular letter, dated at Whitehall, 9 Jul 1763, from the Secretary of State for the Southern Department to the Governor of an unidentified American colony, containing orders to execute the measures of the 'Act for the further improvement of his Majesty's Revenue of Customs and for the encouragement of officers making seizures and for the prevention of clandestine running of goods into any part of his Majesty's dominions' (3 Geo.III c.22). The writer enclosed copies - all wanting - of the act, of an order in council, and of a list of the ships stationed in America.

Manuscript volume containing transcripts of legal papers, 1686, mainly relating to the attempts of King James II to increase his powers as the Supreme Head of the Anglican Church, including papers appointing the Lords Commissioners for Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, 17 Jul 1686, and their proceedings against Henry Compton, Bishop of London, 9 Aug-6 Sep 1686; proceedings in the Court of King's Bench against Sir Edward Hales, Baronet, 1686, (where the judges found in favour of the king's power to excuse individuals from the Test Oath); observations on the case of customs cited in the Reports of Sir Edward Coke...of divers resolutions and judgments (W Lee, London, 1658), 1686; and notes on proceedings in the Court of King's Bench against Samuel Johnson, [1686].

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.

The first bundle, 1916-1926, is concerned with the legal case of Kofi Numah vs. Kojo Pamping, before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, on appeal from the Supreme Court of the Gold Coast Colony (Ghana). The second and third bundles, 1937-1938, relate to the case of Sifton vs. Sifton, on appeal from the court of Appeal for the Province of Ontario.

Transcript of the laws relating to French colonial banks, entitled 'Loi sur les banques coloniales des 25 Avril, 26 Juin et 11 Juillet 1851'.

Manuscript volume containing a Jacobite tract, [1715] attacking the partisans of Holland and the Dutch alliance, urging the peers of England to follow the example of the Scots and rise up in support of James Edward Francis Stuart (the Pretender) to the throne of England, and protesting against his expulsion from the country.

Collection of papers concerned chiefly with Hewitt's work in the West Indies 1767-1771 and 1776-1781, financial papers and accounts, 1759-1781; a diary of his voyage to the West Indies, 1766; correspondence, 1772-1781, especially to the Treasury Board concerning his salary; documents concerning personal property, mainly bonds concerning payment for Crown lands in Dominica, 1767-1777, and papers relating to slaves owned by Hewitt, 1768-1781; legal papers, 1768-1781; official papers concerning land in Tobago, St Vincent and Dominica, 1764-1781, including commissioners' instructions, surveys, maps and correspondence; papers created following the death of William Hewitt, mainly relating to the settlement of his estate, 1781-1790.

A volume from the second half of 18th century entitled Memoirs of the Life and Character of Mithridates K [ing] of Pontus. Extracted from various authors by Richard Gough Esq.

Letter from Charles George Gordon of Khartoum, [Sudan] to the Mudir [Governor] of Dongola, 22 Jun 1884. Indicating the state of affairs at Khartoum and asking for news of the relieving force. The letter appears to be more a record of a few spoken sentences than a connected message. A transcription of the Arabic into Latin script and two different translations into English are filed with the original.

Manuscript volume containing answers from James Glen, Governor of South Carolina, to queries from the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, giving details of the country's geography, weather, neighbours, constitution, shipping and trade, and an account of exports for 1747-1748. This letter was possibly the one from Glen read by the Lords Commissioners on 9 Nov 1749 - see the Journal of the Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, 1742-1749.

Manuscript volume containing three memoranda by Joshua Gee on colonial trade, 1721-1728, namely a memorial relating to the trade and the plantations, 1721, particularly with respect to iron, copper, hemp, flax, boards, timber, and to the enumerated commodities which are now restrained to be first imported into Great Britain, endorsed 'Received 27 Oct 1721, Read 8 Nov 1721'; a memorial to the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations, 1728, respecting the trade, raw produce and the manufactures of the colonies, and the production of naval stores there; a paper giving Gee's answers to several queries sent to him regarding African trade, 1726, which is endorsed 'Received March 30, Read March 31, 1726'. An endorsement by George Chalmers, written on a fly-leaf at the beginning of the volume, gives a brief biography of Gee and states that the three pieces in the manuscript were written on subjects referred to Gee by the Board of Trade, and were never printed.

French revolutionary pamphlets collection comprises pamphlets by the Interior Ministry, the Police Ministry and other official bodies in the French republic. Pamphlet by the Chief of Police Sotin warns citizens that the enemies of the revolution are regrouping (c1794). A pamphlet of 1795 also urges vigilance.

Manuscript volume, [1720], containing an account of the negotiations for the return of King Louis XIV of France to the city of Paris in 1652, following the civil disturbances known as The Frondes, with details of the return of Bordeaux to the control of the King in 1653.

Manuscript extracts from 'le plus ancien registre qui se trouve au grand Conseil du Roy [lequel] commence [au] dernier jour du mois d'octobre 1483 & finissant le 7e jour de fevrier 1527', possibly written in 1528.

Manuscript volume containing a metrical chronicle composed by the Chandos Herald in French verse, commemorating the life and feats of arms of Edward the Black Prince, [1385]. The poem is a valuable authority for certain events of the Hundred Years War, and gives a brief description of Edward III's French campaign of 1346, culminating in the Battle of Crecy, and followed by the Battle of Calais, with some details of the plot for the recovery of the latter at the end of 1349. Next comes a very detailed description of the Battle of Poitiers (1356), and an eyewitness account of the Spanish Campaign of the Black Prince on behalf of Don Pedro (Peter) of Castile, culminating in the Battle of Nejera (1367). A brief overview is given of the end of the Black Prince's government in Gascony, and of the war which led to the loss of almost all the possessions gained at Brétigny, followed by a comprehensive account of the last years of the Prince's life. After the poem, the author also gives a list of the chief officers of the Black Prince in Aquitaine, and copy of the epitaph on his tomb in Canterbury Cathedral.

The manuscript contains a full-page miniature illuminated in gold and colours, which is divided into two compartments. The upper compartment contains a representation of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity; God the Father is here portrayed in a blue robe on a background of gold. He is seated on a throne and holds in His extended arms a crucifix, above which a dove is introduced to symbolise the Holy Ghost. In the lower compartment the Black Prince is depicted kneeling in adoration on a red cushion. His hands are joined in prayer, and his special devotion to the Holy Trinity is indicated by a scroll proceeding from his mouth bearing the words 'Et hec tres unum sunt' (1 John v.7). The Prince is clad in armour, covered by a tight-fitting leather jupon without sleeves, finished along the bottom edge with a border of escallops, and emblazoned with the arms of England and France. He wears a sword and dagger, golden elbow and knee cops, and golden spurs. On each side of the kneeling Prince, standing in a golden socket, is a large ostrich feather in silver, his personal badge assumed after the Battle of Crecy, with the motto 'Ich dene' on a scroll below. The text of the poem commences on the next page with a large illuminated initial O, containing the Royal Arms emblazoned, and this leaf is surrounded by a border of strap work and flowers in gold and colours. There are also a number of small initial letters in gold on a coloured background.

Copy letter book of William Scott, Commissioner [of the Board of Control], mainly to Richard Rocke, Acting President of members of the East India Company Board of Revenue at Fort William (Calcutta), 1817-1827. Scott details the collection of accounts of the East India Company's revenue, referring to revenue due from agricultural holdings (land tax, tenantry holdings) in Calcutta, Chardpore, Shahpore and Bindhnapore. Scott also writes about the economic condition of the Indian people.

Deed relating to Danish royal finances, 15 Feb 1822, entitled 'Acte hypothécaire sur plusieurs revenus des finances royales', by which revenues were assigned to secure a loan of 3 million pounds at 5% raised on the London market by C.J. Hambro and Sons of Copenhagen through A.T. Haldimand and Sons on terms settled on 16 Oct 1821 and ratified by Frederick VI on 10 Nov 1821. The loan was to be secured on tolls from the Sound, and on mortgages and revenues from plantations on West Indian islands. Includes the signature of Frederick VI.

Broadside ballad, sold at the time of the coronation of King George VI, printed and published by The Raven Press, Middlesex (1937).

Manuscript volume containing a treatise entitled 'Considerationes upon the question whither the parliament of Scotland should begin nixt session with asserting their right to Caledonia and the legality of our settlement there', [1698]. This manuscript was written after 1698 and before 1702, as reference is made on the last page to the 'Anatomy of the equivalent, printed some years ago'. This refers to The anatomy of an equivalent, an anonymous work written by George Savile, Marquis of Halifax, and published about 1688.

Manuscripts relating to The Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies (known as the Darien Company), [1696]-1707, including a volume containing a paper by William Paterson entitled 'Memorandum for the Bank Company', possibly in reply to John Holland's A short discourse on the present temper of the nation with respect to the Indian and African Company and of the Bank of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1696), arguing that the Fund of Credit proposed by the Darien Company would not infringe upon the monopoly granted to the Bank of Scotland, [1696]; petitions by William Paterson to the Directors of the Darien Company requesting remuneration for money spent during a visit to Holland and Hamburg on Company business, [1697] and 1707, a claim which was not settled until a Parliamentary bill, supported by the King, was passed in 1715 (a previous ruling in his favour by the House of Commons, 1713, was thrown out by the Lords); a Memoire, signed by John Erskine, John Haldane and William Paterson on behalf of the Darien Company, and presented to the Senate of Hamburg, requesting that they be allowed to see the memorial written by Sir Paul Rycout, the English Resident, and Mr Cresset, the English Envoy, stating the opposition of the King of England to the presence of the Darien Company representatives in Hamburg, 1697; copy of the 'Act for preventing frauds and regulating abuses in the plantation trade', 1698, which provides that no goods are to be imported of exported from colonies except in ships built in England, Ireland, or the colonies; a list of 'Goods Proper to bee sent to the Collony of Caledonia', giving an enumerated list of 56 items ranging from arms and ammunition to looking-glasses, 1698; 'Report from the Committee of the Court of Directors of the African and Indian Company of Scotland appointed for giving the sailing orders to the council or government of the Company's intended colony or settlement in the Indies', giving their reasons for choosing the Darien site, and answering 15 objections made against the scheme, 1698; tables headed 'A scheme of victualling, shewing each man's allowance of every species of provisions...where the complement of men is 1000', giving the types of food to be eaten on certain days, and dividing the men up into messes of 5, 1698; extract from the records of the Directors of the Darien Company of a resolution to appoint ministers to go to Caledonia, 12 Jun 1699; a report of the proceedings appointing Archibald Stobo, Alexander Dalgleish and James Stewart as ministers to the Scots colony of Caledonia, 12 Jul 1699; a copy of 'Caledonia: the declaration of the Council constituted by the Indian and African Company of Scotland for the governments and directions of their colonies and settlements in the Indies', [28 Dec, 1699], formally establishing the settlement of Caledonia, declaring the colony open to all, and granting freedom of government, trade and religion; a memorandum from the Spanish Ambassador to James Vernon, Secretary of State, concerning Spanish protests at the Scottish settlement in Darien, 3 May 1699; and an anonymous proposal to the Darien Company for the establishment of a trade route to Madagascar, [1699].

Collection of papers relating to politics, genealogy and slavery in Jamaica, comprising:

1. 'Plott or no Plott; in a dialogue between a clergyman of the city and Mr. A. of Hanover Square', in which the protagonist appears to support the reaction of Sir Robert Walpole's ministry to the Jacobite conspiracy of May 1722. Mentions the reaction to the Quarantine Bill [of 1721], the declaration of the City of London clergy against Quakers [concerning the Affirmation Act of 1722], and the South Sea Bubble, memory of which was 'too fresh to be forgot'. The manuscript possibly dates from 1722.
2. Copy of a legal opinion by Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, Attorney-General, concerning the claims of John Kynaston to the barony of Powys, 25 Mar 1731. Kynaston's claims were contested by Sir Nathanial Curzon, Bt.
3. A political satire in verse, dating from the 18th century, and beginning 'A Hen, a farmer's pride and care / who lives at W-- or elsewere'. A note in pencil plausibly suggests that the subject of the satire was John Wilkes.
4. Papers, 1832-1868, assembled by Lyndon Howard Evelyn, with a copy of a covering letter (dated 15 Jul 1868) to George Sclater-Booth, Secretary to the Treasury, which supported a claim to compensation for dismissal from the post of Collector of Customs in Jamaica in 1834. Includes testimonials, copies of letters, a printed Statement of certain services...laid before the government by Governor Sir Henry Barkly K.C.B., for its consideration describing Evelyn's role in the slave revolt of Jan 1832 in Jamaica, and 'The entire narrative of Mr. Evelyn's oppression'.

Manuscript relating to customs duties on alcoholic spirits imported to Quebec, Canada, 1762, entitled 'Account of all Spirituous Liquors paying Duty to His Majesty Entered inwards in the Port of Quebec in Canada between the 26th May & 31st August 1762, with the particular Quantity & Quality of Spirits & the Duties Levied thereon'. Signed by John Gray, Collector of Customs, and dated 31st Aug 1762. The manuscript is endorsed 'Amount of Duties on Spirituous Liquors. Quebec 31st Aug 1762.' The following ships are mentioned, together with their masters' names and the ports whence they had come: William and Sarah, Union, Sally and Lucy, William and Elizabeth, Juno, Hope, American, Success and La Rette.

A typescript of King George VI and correspondence written by Henry Hector Bolitho.

Manuscript correspondence and other papers relating to the financial administration of Barbados and the Leeward Islands, 1669-1682, mostly concerned with the auditing of the accounts for the farm of the 4½% duty collected during the years 1670-77. The correspondents include: two farmers of the 4½% duty, Sir Charles Wheler and Colonel John Strode; [William Blathwayt], Auditor General of H.M. revenues in America; [Henry Guy], Secretary to the Treasury; and the governors of the Leeward Islands and Barbados.

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.