Showing 25 results

World War One Pamphlets collection, 1913-1921, comprises suppressed leaflets and pamphlets including those written by Clifford Allen and Fenner Brockway, 1913-1917; The Tribunal, 1918-1919; Union of Democratic Control leaflets, 1919; pacifist leaflets, 1915-1916; No-Conscription Fellowship leaflets, 1916.

Volume mainly containing treatises on French financial administration, [1581-1610], namely a report by Maximilien de Béthune, Duc de Sully, Director of the Council of Finance, on the finances of France, [1607]; a paper on the Estates General of France, [1583]; a history of royal taxation in France up to the reign of King Henry III, ending with a statement of the revenue in 1581, [1581-1589]; and a paper giving instructions on the powers and authority of the officers of the French Chambre des Comptes (Chamber of Accounts), [1589-1610]. The manuscript also contains papers relating to diplomatic negotiations during the Thirty Years War, comprising a speech on a peace assembly at Cologne, Italy, [1636], and a letter from the Swedish Chancellor Count Axel Greve Oxenstierna to the English Ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, on the alliance between England and Sweden, 1638.

Thirty Years War: Copie de la Declaration de Guerre Contre la Couronne de France faicte en Espagne, au nom de Roy; Declaration de son Alteze Touchant la Guerre Contre la Couranne de France.

Letter from Magnús Stephensen of Copenhagen to His Excellency the Rt Hon Sir Joseph Banks, 17 Oct 1807. Referring to Banks's visit to Iceland and complaining of the severe effects of war [i.e the Napoleonic Wars] on the trade of that country. 'For it is altogether unavoidable for this Island to escape hunger if it is only to hold out one single winter without being supplied with provisions.'

Written in another hand and signed by Stephensen.

Copy of a précis of a statement by Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, made before the Russian ambassador to Paris, Prince Alexander Borisovitch Kurakin, on 15 Aug 1811, ostensibly proposing a basis for negotiations with Alexander I, Emperor of Russia. The document refers to the battle of Rudchek between the Turks and Russians, troops in Danzig, Warsaw and Poland, the size of French armies and Russia's violation of the Tilsit agreements. The source of the copy was a dispatch of the Austrian ambassador to Paris, Karl-Philip von Schwarzenberg.

Manuscript copy of the "The Polish-German War seen from Brazil (1939-1940)".

Contains the following items: ff 1-7, 118-119: 'Divine Paradoxes or seeminge Contradictions in Christianitye'; 1644 ff 10-114: 'Sermons concerning the necessity and manner of divine invocation: wherein is taught how our Prayers may be made acceptable unto God, comfortable to our selves', 1626.

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 transcripts of documents relating to the Royal African Company, 1742, namely a copy of a petition to the King in Council for a charter to enable the Company to fit out a naval force to attack Spanish settlements and shipping in America, dated 26 Mar 1742; copy of a report made on the petition by a committee of the Privy Council, dated 22 Jul 1742; copy reports to the committee by the Attorney and Solicitor General; a copy memorial of the Company in reply to certain questions in the various reports, dated 6 Dec 1742.

An appeal, entitled Déclaration d'indépendance de l'esprit, to intellectuals to forget the divisions made by World War One. Duplicated typescript sheet signed by Romain Rolland.

Notes, press cuttings, pamphlets and journals compiled and collected by Caroline Elizabeth Playne for her research and publications, including material regarding the war effort in the First World War in Britain, France, Germany and other countries, pacifism, censorship and propaganda and the internment of aliens in Britain, along with publications of pacifist groups, such as the National Peace Council, the No-Conscription Fellowship and the Union of Democratic Control, socialist pamphlets and official publications, 1907-1924.

The collection contains telegrams sent by Perris to the Daily Chronicle and typescripts of articles, written by George Perris, concerning World War One, 1914-1918.

Miscellaneous collection of manuscripts, comprising:

1. Fragment of a printed receipt, completed in manuscript, issued to Admiral Sir Clowdisley Shovell by the Exchequer for 3 months interest for a loan at 8 %, 15 Apr 1697.
2. Order by Shovell as Admiral to Philip Stanhope, Captain of HMS Milford, to receive a Lieutenant and 30 marines from [HMS] Tilbury, 29 Aug 1706.
3. Printed receipt, completed in manuscript, for payment to Shovell by the Exchequer of a 6 monthly installment of an annuity, 20 Nov 1706.
4. Map of Blakeney channel and Cley channel, Norfolk, mounted and coloured, from Greenvile Collins, Great Britain's Coasting Pilot (1693). With an engraved inscription by Collins dedicating the map to Shovell.
5. Modern reproduction of a reduced plan of Soho Square, London, inscribed 'House of Sir Clowdisley [Shovell]'. The original plan, probably made in the 18th century, was that of 'the late Duke of Portland's estate in the neighbourhood of Soho Square'.
6. Leaf from a letter-book, with copies of 5 letters initialled 'E.K.', dated 29 Aug 1797, Dublin, to Robert Eyre at Tallow (Co. Waterford); Thomas Osbourne at Fort Charles, Kinsale (Co. Cork); Edward Mapoller at 'Killeoan(?) near Roscommon'; William Hailey at 'Fore Park(?) near Athlone'; and 'Dr. Toves(?)'. The writer had just reached Dublin from London, and intended to travel to Roscommon and Galway. The letters to Eyre and Osbourne(?) mention payments to be made to John Kelly at the Treasury in the castle at Dublin; those to Eyre and Toves(?) refer to 'Davies (who is in custody in London)'. The leaf was formerly part of a binding.
7. Fragment of a list of deeds concerning the property of Richard and Mary Chiswell at Finchingfield, Essex, written in the 18th century.
8. Printed bill for an exhibition of the picture of the battle of Lodi of 1796 by Robert Ker Porter, with a sketch of the picture and explanatory notes.
9. Printed matter including Rules and Regulations of the St James's Loyal Volunteers (1797).
10. Recipes for 'Ginger Bread Nuts', various drinks, and for medicines; instructions for cleaning 'black straw hats', dating from the early 19th century.
11. Three engraved certificates completed in manuscript for William Buchanan, (1) for training in midwifery by John Haighton, dated 18 Nov 1814, (2) for attendance of courses on anatomy, signed by John Abernethy, dated May 1815, and (3) for honorary membership of the London Vaccine Institution, dated 26 Aug 1816.
12. Genealogies of families, endorsed 'Hussey, Barons of Galtrim, Feypo and Maurward, Barons of Scune', relating to the medieval period, written in the 19th century.
13. Drafts of two essays by Edwin Hadlow Wise Dunkin, headed 'Our Satellite. Sent for insertion in the City of London School Magazine...January 1865' (ff. 1-12), and 'The Lesser Light [i.e. the moon]...August 1866. Sent to Chambers Journal, 4 Sep 1866' (ff. 15-19).
14. 'A Short Tour on the Cornish Coast', with remarks on weather and monuments, historical anecdotes, and sketches in pencil and pastels, 1879.
15. 'Voyage of the Lioness', from Scalloway, Shetland, to Foula and Fair Isle. The Lioness was commanded by Captain Robertson; the passengers were described as 'the doctor and the professor'. The journal describes the inhabitants of the islands, and birds and animals seen. Written in the early 20th century.
16. Monologue in pidgin English, probably written for entertainment, in which Kassim Ali describes his activities during the bombardment of Alexandria, his going on board the Condor, his delivery of a letter to [Ahmed] Arabi, the flight from Alexandria to Cairo, and his prevention of the explosion of the magazine in the fort of Ras-el-Jin. The account probably refers to the bombardment of Alexandria by the British fleet on 11 Jul 1882; see The Times for 22 Jul 1882, p. 5. Written in the 20th century on note-paper addressed 'Kenley, Surrey'.
17. Modern brass rubbing from the tomb of Thomas Potter (d 6 Jun 1531), taken from Westerham Church, Kent.
18. Collection of miscellaneous printed ephemera dating from the early 19th to the early 20th century. Includes a receipt for a share in the 'Strand [i.e. Waterloo] Bridge', London, 1812; a card for the White Lion Hotel, Bala, Merioneth, early 19th century; a plan of the Great Exhibition of 1851; pictures of Plymouth pier, early 20th century; a birthday card of 1887; a prospectus for an auction of shares of the Ilford Gas Co., 1907; tickets for books from the Officers' Library of the Royal Marines at Woolwich and Forton, and from B.O. May's Circulating Library, Teignmouth; a book-plate (?) of H.C. Sharpin, Ripon, 19th century; and bank notes of the Republic of Argentina, late 19th or early 20th century.

Papers relating to the loan made by Don Gaspar de Aponte for the war against Portugal and the siege of Olivenza, 1657-1675.

(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.

Copies of two letters from Charles John, later Charles XIV, King of Sweden and Norway, dated at Stralsund on 10 Jun 1813, to Alexander I, Tsar of Russia. The first letter was copied from an original in which only the signature was in Charles XIV's hand, and concerns negotiations for a concerted attack on Napoleon, giving details of Prussian and Russian troops ready to serve under Charles XIV. The second latter was copied from a letter written in Charles XIV's hand, and assures Alexander of the need to save Europe by a Russo-Swedish alliance. The copies are possibly in the hand of Alleyne Fitzherbert, Baron St Helens.

Transcripts and documents made by Jones for his book on the American loyalists, The Loyalists of Massachusetts: Their memorials, petitions and claims (St Catherine Press, 1930).

Manuscript volume containing extracts [made in 1801] from the records of the Hudson's Bay Company dated between 1684 and 1719, relating to efforts to maintain the Company's monopoly, renew its charter and guarantee its priveledges against the French during the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) and the Peace of Utrecht (Apr 1713). The presence of the Company's arms on the binding suggests the extracts were made by them.

Notes on the Battle of Waterloo written by Sir William Maynard Gomm for the benefit of Sir George Grote, 1866.

Letter from William Ewart Gladstone of Hagley, [Worcestershire] to J Pennington, Esq, 21 Apr 1854. Asking for advice on the effect of the war payments on the Bank reserve. 'Can you direct me to any clear and trustworthy synoptical view of the laws applicable to the operations of the Bank since the date of its first Charter?'

Autograph, with signature.

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 volume, Aug 1710, containing memoirs of the latest peace negotiations held at Gertruidenberg, Brabant, between Mar and Jul that year [to attempt a peaceful settlement to the War Of the Spanish Succession], and notes regarding the means of damaging the commerce and fishing of the Dutch and English. A note in pencil on the title-page attributes this work to 'M de Torcy', though no reasoning is given for this attribution.

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.

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.

Manuscript transcription, [1650-1700], of a late medieval prose chronicle giving an account of the Battle of Ransbeek (1143), in which the lords of Grimbergen (Limberg?) were defeated by the guardians of Godfrey III, Duke of Lothier (also known as the Duke of Lorraine or Brabant). The manuscript is entitled 'Comment ceux de Brabant et de Grimburghe eurent moult forte at grande baittaille l'un contre l'autre aupres de Grimburghe en plain champ'.