General Records: This group contains a large vellum-bound volume of Spanish diplomatic papers, mainly dating between 1603 and 1672, but with a section dealing with the Armada, 1587 to 1588; two English documents relating to the expedition to Cadiz, 1596; an enquiry into the loss of ships in the convoy guarded by Sir George Rooke (1650-1709) and the Streights Squadron, 1693; a gathering of Italian papers relating to the capitulation of Malta, 1799 to 1807. There are also a number of items relating to Lord Nelson and his family, 1805 to 1845. (PHB/: PHB/P: 2 vols: 3 items) Merchant Shipping Records: relating to merchant shipping, including the journal of the Blackham on a voyage to Constantinople, 1696 to 1698; the log of H.E.I.C.S. Ceres, 1743 to 1745; of H.E.I.C.S. Wager, 1745 to 1746; and an account in verse of H.E.I.C.S. Ceres, 1812 to 1814, on a voyage to China. There is also a memorial of 1774 by a Harwich pilot to the Treasury, seeking to establish an excise cutter there. Among the documents are Bills of Sale, 1651, 1695, 1775; Letters of Marque, 1780, 1799. (PHB/: PLA/P: 4 vols: 12 items) Royal Navy: Administration: This group consists of nineteen volumes and four documents relating to the administration of the Navy. It includes the naval accounts from 1422 to 1427 of William Soper (fl.1410-1459), Clerk of the King¹s ships; a list of ships' stores 'wasted' in the Prymrose after the Rochelle expedition, 1573; a volume of the records collected by Sir Robert Cotton (1571-1631), the antiquarian and collector, containing summaries of papers on naval matters and defence from the time of Henry III to Elizabeth I; a copy, dated 1638, of the first 'Discourse of the Navy of England' by John Hollond (fl 1624-1659); regulations for the Ordnance Office, 1683; an account, written by a clerk, of the dispute between Samuel Pepys and Colonel Middleton (d 1672) about the importation of cottons and kerseys, 1667 to 1668; two lists of official documents transferred by Pepys to his successor on leaving the Admiralty, 1689; two volumes of Navy Board orders to Deptford and Woolwich dockyards, 1644 to 1722; and eleven volumes of papers, bound by Phillipps in no particular order, relating to general administrative matters, including sea-men's pay, 1711 to 1790; however, among these papers are three letters from Vice-Admiral Benbow (1653-1702) written from Jamaica, 1699. Finally, there are a number of lists; of Admiralty Commissioners, 1673 to 1782; of ships, 1625 to 1636, 1705, 1706 to 1745, and of foreign navies, 1755 to 1778 (PLA/: PLA/P: 2 1/2ft: 76cm) Royal Navy: Law and Prize Money: This group consists of a volume, 1658 to 1673, containing a collection of sentences and decrees made at the Court of Admiralty; a volume of 1685 chiefly concerning the powers and rights of the Lord High Admiral, with an abstract of the judgements of Oleron, translated from the French; a further seventeenth-century volume concerning maritime customs and law from the time of Henry III; a French treatise of maritime law, 1690; a volume containing bound letters from senior naval officers expressing their opinion on the prize money dispute between Lord Nelson (q.v.) and Lord St Vincent (q.v.), 1801 to 1802; vindication of the conduct of Surgeon D.T. McCarthy, court-martialled 2 lines 1 field in 1804.

Papers of Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt, consisting of various reports, 1850 to 1884, which include surveys (particularly of the Black Sea area); remarks on Crete and the Cretans; on the coal trade of the Black Sea; on a new harbour at Malta; on an electric cable between Malta and Alexandria; reports submitted to the Teignmouth Harbour Commission and Fishery Commission reports for England and Ireland. Spratt's correspondence consists of a few letters received and some draft replies, 1853 to 1860. The memorandum of his service, 1837 to 1862, contains an account of his part in the Crimean War. His publications are also listed.

Papers of Van Ommeren (London) Limited, comprising Charter Party guard books, 1940 to 1944, 1949 to 1952, 1955 to 1965; a commission book, 1965 to 1969, and a brokerage book, 1968.

Papers of Capt Archibald Hamilton, consisting of journals, owners' instructions, accounts of stores, navigational work books, cash books, as well as accounts of the engagement off Pulo Aor and the subsequent court of enquiry. There are also private and general trade accounts and several items of economic interest, including a fabric pattern sample book the papers relate to Montgomerie Hamilton, younger brother of Archibald. There are a number of logs of other East India Company ships, 1765 to 1785, and some papers of William Reid, relating to trade with North America, 1734 to 1735.

Files of the Port Health and Environmental Services Committee, 1948-1958, on subjects including air pollution, Basildon New Town, the disposal of condemned food, Denton Hospital, houseboats and the inspection of ships.

Papers of Wallace Brothers and Company Limited, East India Merchants, bankers and London agents, later known as Wallace Brothers and Company (Holdings) Limited. Most of the records emanate from the core business of the Wallace Brothers partnership and its successors; but some emanate from the business of associated or subsidiary companies which were based in London. The latter include the records of Wyer and Hawke, London agents of Bombay Company Limited, who operated from the London office of Wallace Brothers between 1912 and 1968.

The archive does not hold the papers of Wallace Brothers' associated or subsidiary companies based overseas. No lists of the papers of these companies are held, and their whereabouts and accessibility are unknown. However the archives transferred to Guildhall from Wallace Brothers' London office include a considerable amount of information about the activities of many of these companies, including numerous copy and original documents sent to London by the companies concerned.

Besides papers created or received in the course of business, the Wallace Brothers archives include some memoirs of partners, directors or members of staff, and notes of research into the history of Wallace Brothers and its associates and subsidiaries.

The business papers date from 1862 to 1989, and relate to all aspects of Wallace Brothers' operations, although few banking records are held, and only formal business records survive from the period ca. 1966-1989.

Access is subject to a 45-year closure period (70 years in the case of personnel records). Annual reports and other published documents are not subject to closure.

The associated and subsidiary companies whose activities are known to be reflected in the Wallace Brothers archives are (provisionally) listed below, in the order in which the records will be arranged in the catalogue:

• Arrancan Company Limited, Burma rice merchants;
  • Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited;
  • subsidiaries and associaties of Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited: Amalgamated Saw Mills Limited, Anamallais Ropeway Company Limited, Bombay Burmah Plantations Limited, East India Rubber Corporation Limited;
  • subsidiaries and associates of East India Rubber Corporation Limited (Bombay-Java Trading Company, Indo-Java Rubber Planting and Trading Company Limited), Joint Timber Company Limited, Thailand, North Borneo Timbers Limited;
  • subsidiaries and associates of North Borneo Timbers Limited (Wallace Bay Limited), Rangoon Mining Company, Sumatra Petroleum Company, Thai Tapioca Limited;
  • Bombay Company Limited;
  • subsidiaries and associates of Bombay Company Limited: BCL Limited, BMD Agency Limited, Dymes and Company, cotton mill owners and oilseed processors, Madras, Karachi Company Limited (formerly the Karachi branch of Bombay Company Limited; established as a separate company in 1952), Lakhshmi Cotton Manufacturing Company, Sholapur, India, Wyer and Hawke, London agents of Bombay Company Limited;
  • Chrestian and Company, mica producers, India;
  • DP Investments Limited;
  • subsidiaries and associates of DP Investments Limited: Development Participations Limited;
  • Glazebrook, Steel and Company Limited, textile manufacturers, Manchester;
  • Hermes Securities Limited;
  • subsidiaries and associates of Hermes Securities Limited: Hermes Credit Corporation Limited;
  • Kerosene Oil Company Limited;
  • Leslie and Anderson Limited;
  • Malaysian Company Limited;
  • Tannadine Company Limited, Sumatra;
  • Wallace and Adam Limited, agricultural equipment importers, Kenya;
  • subsidiaries and associates of Wallace and Adam Limited: Kiu Estate Limited, Ol Pejeta Ranching Company Limited, Pyrita Limited;
  • Wallace and Company, Bombay;
  • Wallace Brothers Developments Limited;
  • Wallace Brothers Finance Limited;
  • Wallace Brothers Nominees Limited;
  • Wallace Evans and Company Limited (known as Wallace Brothers Commodities Limited from 1967).

Records of merchants Stratton and Gibson (later known as Stratton, Gibson and Fuller) comprising two series of account books, 1798-1817.

Records of T Wiggin and Company, merchants, comprising ledgers 1858-74; waste books 1864-72; out-letter book 1865; correspondence and accounts 1865-72.

Letters to William Hurt from Thomas Rogers, writing from Surrat (Surat), Mesulapatam (Masulipatam) and Gulcondah (Golconda, now Hyderabad).

Out-letter book of John Oldbury and Henry Stanley, merchants, containing copies of letters to ships' masters, agents, contacts and consignees, relating to business and private affairs.

Please note these are photostat copies; the whereabouts of the original is unknown.

Outgoing letter book of Peter Bond Burgoyne and Company, wine importers.

Agreements for the hire of vessels at Bathurst, Australia, to the River Gambia Trading Company Limited.

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.

Records of Agassiz, Son and Company, merchants, including partnership agreements; personal papers of Lewis Agassiz; yearly accounts and account books; bills and receipts; business letters from diverse suppliers including from Switzerland, France, Argentina, Uruguay, India, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy; and inventory of the offices.

Archives of Alto Parana Development, comprising constitutional documents, minutes and financial material.

The records of Davis and Soper Limited, export merchants, comprise minutes, details of overseas staff appointments, and a volume of contracts of sales.

Records of Gabriel, Wade and English Limited, timber importers and merchants, including annual reports, financial accounts, sales ledgers and daybook, records of timber imported, property deeds, and photographs of tree-felling, logging and timber constructions.

Records of Goschens and Cunliffe, merchants and bankers, comprising out-letter books, telegram books and register of policies. Also records of predecessor Fruhling, Goschens and Company, comprising letters to their agent in Germany.

Records of Harrisons and Crosfield (Holland) N.V., including articles of association; correspondence and memoranda; financial accounts; and papers concerning the liquidation of the company.

Access to records less than 70 years old which relate to staff should be sought from Elementis plc (contact details may be obtained from a member of staff).

Records of Dodwell and Company Limited, importers, exporters and shipping agents, including board minutes; register of directors; annual reports; financial accounts; private notebooks of George Benjamin Dodwell (relating to the business); correspondence; company handbook; publicity material; newspaper cuttings; photographs; and personal papers of George Benjamin Dodwell.

Records of Duncan Macneill and Company, including partnership deeds; correspondence; financial accounts; annual reports; agreements; and valuations of tea companies managed by the company.

Records of J. B. Barry and Son, including partnership deeds, correspondence and financial accounts.

Records of both companies including articles of association; annual reports; financial accounts; maps of tea gardens; goods ledger; produce ledger; tea companies' ledger; correspondence and legal papers.

Also records of John Mackinnon's trusts and Duncan Macneill's trusts.

Records of Gilman (Holdings) Limited, comprising memoranda and agendas for meetings.

Papers of John Michie, director of the East India Company, and Jonathan Michie, wine merchant, comprising personal and East India Company papers, including correspondence, accounts, receipts and memoranda.

Business papers of Christopher Müller and son, dealers in furs and pelts, 1871-1923, including testimonials, correspondence and letter books, financial accounts, stock books, tax returns and property lease.

Records of Courage (Export) Limited, brewers, comprising board meeting minutes.

Journal of William Alley describing fourteen voyages to India, Malaya and the East Indies in several ships. The typescripts cover most of the journal's text and include material from the records of the East India Company reporting Alley's activities.

Personal correspondence, 1921-1929, with Rev Canon Claude Jenkins, Professor of Ecclesiastical History at King's College, University of London, notably on Johnstone's application for the post of Head of History at Royal Holloway College and Jenkins' work with the Church of England. Visitors' book, 1913-1961, and autograph books, [1944], belonging to Johnstone. Presentation address from Royal Holloway College, given upon her retirement in 1942. Copy of 'Who's Who in relation to war trade', 1918, used by Johnstone in her work at the Board of Trade. Family papers, 1860-1916, including teaching certificates, 1860-1881, for Herbert and Sarah Anne Johnstone (Johnstone's mother and father); ledger, 1889-1910, containing a diary entry by Sarah Anne Johnstone describing Johnstone's exposure to scarlet fever; and a copy of 'Exile song', 10 Jan 1916, written by F H Johnstone (brother of Johnstone) and William Stephens. Photographs, [1890-1942], of Johnstone, her family, and students at Royal Holloway College.

Draft and notes, [1914-1938], for a history of English public finance from the later medieval period to the Stuarts, mostly abstracted from sources at the Public Record Office, London. Notes, [1914-1938], on various topics, notably economic aspects of New Zealand, 1836-1845, Senegal and Gambia, 1737-1804, trade on the Gold Coast, Africa, 1750-1800, and the functions of the Board of Trade, 1744-1807.

Agreement between Don Francisco de Paula Alvarez and Henry Clay and Bock and Company Ltd, 1890.

Papers of Clive Macmillan Schmitthoff, c 1880-1990, including official and personal correspondence on topics including royalties, publisher contacts, conferences, obituaries of friends, wartime correspondence, references, academic societies, course notes, arbitration rules in the London Chamber of Commerce summer schools, c 1980-1995 and professional commercial treaties - correspondents include the Board of Trade, the International Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Import and Export; press cuttings; appointment diaries; notebooks; lecture notes; articles; videos and cinefilm, c 1960-1985; photographs, including family photographs c 1890-1994; minutes of meetings and other papers relating to arbitration, Frankfurt, 1968-1969, Turkey, 1968 and Uganda, 1990; City of London College photographs and correspondence with London Chamber of Commerce Law Committee, c 1945-1990; personal papers including nationalisation documents, revocation right to practice in Germany and papers relating to his change of name and correspondence and papers relating to his wife's family (Ilse Auerbach).

Letter from Sir Josiah Child of Streatham to the Hon. Sir Thomas Cooke, Governor of the East India Company, 28 Dec 1692. Recommending 'Bearer' [unidentified], who is willing 'to returne to Bombay a leift. In the meane time he is willing to be knowne to his Masters of which you are nowe ye Cheif'.

Autograph, with signature.

Morrison and Hobson family papers, 1807-1963. The papers are the product of a period of considerable spiritual, cultural and political change in China. They are a significant source for study of the development of Protestant missions in China (in particular the role of the medical mission and the introduction of Western medicine), and also provide evidence of the involvement of the missionaries with issues of British trade and diplomacy.

MSS. 5827-5852: correspondence and papers, especially of the Revd Robert Morrison (1782-1834), missionary in China, 1807-1834; John Robert Morrison (1814-1843), Chinese interpreter, Colonial Secretary of the Hong Kong government; and Dr Benjamin Hobson (1816-1873), medical missionary in China, 1839-1859. The majority comprise personal and domestic correspondence of the Morrison and Hobson families and their friends, with less emphasis on official papers, although the collection includes letters on the Peacock expedition to Siam and Cochin China led by Edmund Roberts (1784-1836), United States merchant and diplomat, 1832 (MS.5830), and letters to Benjamin Hobson from leading missionaries. 1843-1862 (MS.5839). Insight into missionary work in China can be gained in particular from the letters of the Revd. Robert Morrison. MS. 7127: 'Domestic Memoir of Mrs Morrison', by the Revd. Robert Morrison, addressed to his children Mary Rebecca and John Robert Morrison (1814-1843), 5-7 January 1824. Mary Morrison, Robert's first wife, died of cholera at Macao on 10 June 1821. This memoir was compiled by Robert Morrison during the voyage home from China aboard H.E.I.C.S. Waterloo.

A manuscript volume containing a collection of papers made by George Chalmers chiefly relating to Ireland including notes and transcripts relating to royal activity in Ireland from the time of King Henry II, tables of imports and exports for Ireland made in the late seventeenth or eighteenth century, a letter by Sir Peter Pett dated Dec 1678, and letters to Chalmers from General Charles Vallancey, Apr 1791, and Francis Douce, [1808]. On one paper, giving the exports of Ireland for 1641, 1665 and 1669, Chalmers has written 'This paper is worth more than its weight in gold'.

Letter from John King of Whitehall to William Fawkener, Esq, 9 Nov 1799. Covering letter stating that the Duke of Portland [Home Secretary] had referred a petition on Irish oat and bean exports to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland [Charles Cornwallis]. Enclosing a copy [missing] of Cornwallis's letter on the subject, sent 'for the information of the Lords of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council'.

[Written in another hand and] signed by John King. Endorsed: 'Letter from Mr. King transmitting Copy Letter from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, upon the subject of the petition of the proprietors of mail coaches, praying that the exportation of oats and beans from Ireland may be allowed in favour of Great Britain only'; endorsement dated 20 Nov 1799.

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.

Letters and accounts from Gunter, Greenway & Co. to Joseph Previté concerning the import and export of groceries. The account books cover the period March 1840 to March 1843.

Papers, 1889-1969, of the China Association, including minutes and committee papers of the General Committee and Executive Committee; correspondence with the Foreign Office, Board of Trade, Sino-British Trade Council, Tientsin and Hong Kong Chambers of Commerce, Hong Kong Association and the British Consulate in Shanghai; annual reports (1889-1962); and separate items including the minutes and papers of the China Association's School of Practical Chinese Endowment Fund (1908-1955). Also includes committee papers and minutes of the British Chambers of Commerce in Hankow and Tientsin, the Hong Kong Association, the Sino-British Trade Council, and the British Residents' Association in Shanghai. Also includes photographs of banquets (1896-1906), and albums of newspaper cuttings on China (1940-1947) and Japan (1942-1949).

Volume of typescript copies of Sir Robert Hart's letters to Sir Francis Arthur Aglen, 1888-1911.

Manuscript letterbooks, 1898-1906, containing copies of letters from James Duncan Campbell in London to Sir Robert Hart.

Papers, 1780s-1790s, largely of Captain Francis Light, including several hundred Malay letters, primarily letters received by Light and his business partner, Captain James Scott, from rulers and dignitaries of the Malay Sultanates.

The letters cover the history of relations, negotiations and conflicts between Light, the rulers of Kedah and the Governor General in Bengal leading up to and including the settlement of Penang in 1786 and the armed conflict of 1791. There are also letters dealing with business affairs between Light and Malay nobles such as the purchase, shipment and sale of commodities, ammunition, slaves and opium, and the maintenance of good political and economic neighbourly relations; letters from the Sultanate of Selangor; letters from royal merchants at the Malay courts; and letters concerning trade from various rulers and nobles in the Peninsula and Sumatra, especially from Aceh, Asahan and other North-Sumatran states.

In addition, the collection contains several dozen letters and documents from the same period relating to Bencoolen (Benkulen) and the West Sumatran Presidency, which are unrelated to Light.

Philippine Republic Government Presidential Economic Staff Industrial Programmes Office Reports and Projects Department Position Papers and related papers and press cuttings, 1965-1969, collected by Ernest A Findorff, including information on industrial production and manufacturing, agricultural production and processing, and mining; correspondence, comprising 138 letters, 1969-1970, between Findorff and importers and exporters in south east Asia, largely those in the Philippines seeking markets in Europe.

Correspondence and papers, c1684-c1709, of William, sixth Lord Paget, concerning his public appointments in England, Vienna and Turkey. Letters to Paget include those from English ministers of state, consuls and merchants in Turkey, Swiss Cantons and Ambassadors. Papers include royal letters, state papers and treaty drafts.

Papers, 1893-1940, of the Rev Charles Perry Scott and the Rev Percy Melville Scott, together with those of fellow missionaries of the North China and Shantung Mission. Also included is a continuous series of the North China and Shantung Mission Quarterly Papers (January 1893-October 1936), and the correspondence and diaries of Maurice Woodforde Scott dating from his time in China with Butterfield & Swire (1934-1937).

Papers, 1951-1981, of Maurice Alfred Maybury, relating to his professional posts.
Papers relating to Uganda, 1951-1962, comprise government publications and reports, 1951-1959, on the Uganda Protectorate, including trade and commerce; unpublished manuals, 1952-1954, relating to trade; handbooks, 1955-1958 and undated, largely relating to trade; press cuttings, 1956-1957, the subjects including community development, banking, and official visits; miscellaneous papers, 1955-1962 and undated, including an invitation, economic survey on Uganda, and calendars.
Papers relating to Ethiopia, 1963-1974, comprise reports, 1970-1972 and undated, documenting his advisory work on commerce, industry and tourism; written accounts of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, undated; miscellaneous reports and proposals, 1963-1974 and undated, the subjects including prices, grain, and foreign and domestic trade.
Papers relating to Lesotho, 1954-1981, comprise Maybury's offer of employment as Export Promotion Adviser, 1975; general United Nations staff information, 1954, 1973-1977; UNCTAD/GATT International Trade Centre briefing papers, 1973-1974; Maybury's official project reports, 1976-1977 and undated, on export promotion in Lesotho; correspondence relating to the same project, 1977; additional reports and papers by Maybury, 1977, relating to trade promotion; miscellaneous reports and proposals, 1971-1981 and undated, relating to trade promotion.

Papers of and relating to Sir Robert Hart, 1866-1954, comprising two series of private letters from Sir Robert Hart to his personal representative in England, J D Campbell, one dating from 1868-1879 and one from 1879-1906; a run of semi-official letters to Campbell, 1874-1906; a file on the Chinese Fleet, 1876-1894; correspondence and papers, 1866-1954, concerning the letters, including their ownership. A run of Campbell's letters to Hart, 1874-1877, is also included in the collection.

Manuscript and typescript letterbook containing letters from Sir Francis Arthur Aglen in Peking (Beijing) to Guy Francis Hamilton Acheson, 1921-1923, and Cecil Arthur Verner Bowra, 1924-1926, in London, including some enclosures, also including letters to Bowra from A F H Edwards, 1926.

Records of Wallace Brothers concerning Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited, including memorandum and articles of association; board minutes; annual reports and accounts; agreements; papers relating to shareholders; correspondence; financial records; and papers relating to branches in Rangoon, Moulmein, Bangkok and Borneo.

Records of E D Sassoon and Company Limited including records relating to the foundation of the company such as memoranda and articles of association, certificates of incorporation and special resolutions; a board minute book and power of attorney.

Records of E D Sassoon and Company Limited including combined register of shares.

Records of E D Sassoon and Company Limited including accounts, balance sheets and reports.