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.

This series comprises accounts of British packet services and overseas posts, including records of agents and postmasters, packet stations, and packet boats. The accounts cover income, expenditure, salaries, allowances and disbursements.

Papers of Andrew Wright Maitland, comprising notebook containing reports of cases admitted to Guy's Hospital from Jun-Sep 1830, list of passengers on board the Hector on a voyage from London to Ceylon [Sri Lanka] via Mauritius, Oct 1830-Nov 1831 and medical cases treated during voyage, copies of letters written on board, accounts of purchases in Colombo, list of casualties, description of voyage, also notes on tetanus, Nov 1832;
Maitland's admission cards for the Pupil's Physical Society, 1832-1833; for lectures in theory and practice of medicine by Richard Bright, Oct 1827; for surgical operations and practice at Guy's and St Thomas, Apr 1929;
piece of a book cover inscribed 'Andrew Wright Maitland entered Guy's Hospital Mar 5th and was articled to Mr Stocker the following day Mar 6, 1824';
correspondence of the School Secretary's concerning personal papers belonging to Andrew Maitland donated to Guy's Medical School library, and biographical information about Maitland, Jun 1989-Sep 1990.

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.

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'.

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'.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...'.

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.

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.

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.

This collection contains a single manuscript volume, the 'Naval Surgeons Casebook'. The volume begins with details of cases, symptoms and cures of Nathaniel Bedford's patients at St George's hospital during 1781. The rest of the volume contains descriptions of cases, sickness, and treatments during his travels whilst a ship's surgeon in the West Indies during 1781-1783.

Medical log of the slave-ship LORD STANLEY, kept by Christopher Bowes the ship's surgeon between 23 March-26 July 1792. The ship traded between the African coast and the Isle of Grenada, West Indies. Of the 389 slaves on board, 16 died. The log gives the daily sick rate and there are brief notes of the cases and treatment.

At the end of the manuscript, Christopher Bowes states it is a "just and true journal" which he then presents to Custom House, at St George, Grenada in 1792. This is witnessed and signed by George Ferguson [Possibly George Ferguson, Governor of Tobago c1781]. The next page of the volume contains a statement signed by George Ferguson, saying that this is a "true copy of the original journal", and is dated September 5th 1792. Therefore it is likely that this manuscript is a copy of the original journal, which was perhaps retained in Grenada.

At the front of the volume is a letter to Arthur Bowes Elliot (grandson of Christopher Bowes) dated 5th October 1911, from Sir Ronald Ross (FRCS) 1857-1932, regarding the contents of the volume, and the diseases the slaves were suffering from.

Papers of Edward Victor Hugo, 1915-1918, comprising a diary relating to the Gallipoli campaign, when Hugo was senior medical officer of the hospital ship GASCON, 1915; a diary including maps of Baghdad and Lower Mesopotamia, relating to Hugo's period in India and Mesopotamia, 1916; a diary relating to the period when Hugo was in Mesopotamia, and was appointed CMG, 1917; a diary relating to the period when Hugo was in Mesopotamia, including inserted letters, 1918. The diaries contain references to the weather, movements of the ship, living conditions, and details of patients attended, and include inserted letters and photographs.

Manuscript of the work 'Philosophical Experiments, containing Usefull and necessary Instructions for such as undertake long Voyages at Sea', by Stephen Hales, printed by and at the expense of the Royal Society in 1739.

Correspondence, papers, notebooks and specimens (copper and photographic) compiled by Sir Henry James.

The majority of this correspondence is based around the following themes: James's work for the Ordnance Survey (particularly the book of maps and photographs produced by the OS of Jerusalem), James's investigation of the corrosion by sea water of the copper bottoms of ships, letters discusing George Biddell Airy's proposed system of projection and personal letters of invitation to James.

The majority of the photographs relate to 'The Wreck of the RHONE', and in particular, of a survivor of the shipwreck, a cabin boy called John Bailey. (The RHONE was a steam packet ship, built in London in 1865. It sank off the coast of the Virgin Islands in October 1867, after being struck by strong winds. Of the 197 people on board only 24 survived. The wreck of the RHONE is now regarded as one of the world's most famous wreck dives).

The sketchbook consists mostly of sketches of trilobites drawn whilst James was in Ireland and the notebook contains notes on military topics.

Papers realting to Sir Erasmus Ommanney's career in the Royal Navy, to his part in the administration of poor relief in Ireland from 1847-1849, and the Franklin search expedition of 1850-1851, including documents concerning his appointment as a midshipman; an order book and letters and reports from and to Ommanney on board HMS VERSUVIUS in the Mediterranean 1842-1844; official letters from the HMS MIRANDA and HMS BRISK in the Baltic fleet; a rough report and letter book of 1858; a personal letter book of 1851-1887 and other correspondence (with the Admiralty, Hyde Parker, William Walpole, Captain Hamilton and Sir James Graham); a folder of sketches, mainly of Arctic subjects, by George Morant, W H Church, and Ommanney; papers concerned with the Franklin search expedition of 1850-1851 when Ommanney was Captain of HMS ASSISTANCE, including a log book; order book; official reports; Admiralty communications; reports and correspondence exchanged among ships; personal letters (Dr. J Richardson, Captain John Ross, John Barrow, H Austin, Lady Franklin and others); and a scrap book of papers about the ASSISTANCE, RESOLUTE, PIONEER and sledge parties, copies of the Franklin reward poster, posters and programmes printed on board ship, sketches and notes.

Papers of Sir Francis Leopold McClintock, 1848-1860, including journal while serving as a lieutenant in HMS ENTERPRISE in the first Franklin search expedition, 1848-1849, as abbreviated and rewritten on his return; a photocopy of sledging journal from the same expedition; a photocopy of a record deposited in 1853 on Banks Island; a progress report, etc., deposited in Beechey Island depot in 1858; microfilms of journals and reports written by McClintock and others, 1848-1859 (from originals among the Arctic Reports in the TNA); and a letter to Sir Charles Bright from HMS BULLDOG, 28 Nov, 1860.

Papers of Sir Joseph Banks, 1788-1811, comprise microfilm, and enlarged prints from the microfilm, of papers held in the Sutro Collection, State Library of California concerning subjects including the Africa Association.

Letter of Cunard Steam Ship Company Ltd to William Blair-Bell confirming his passage to New York, 1925.

Papers of Donald Whatley Roy, 1897-1948, and including correspondence, 1898-1948; medical certificates, including one a as a Foundation Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1897-1930; articles and speech, 1930-1938; card announcing results of the III MB Pt 1, 1903; testimonials, 1908-1929; passenger lists of ships on which he was surgeon, 1910; applications, 1916-1934.

Records, 1926-1951, of the Chinese Government Purchasing Commission (CGPC), including information on the state of Chinese communications; the workings of the Chinese Ministries of Communications, Railways and Industries; Chinese banking; construction and engineering technology and the work of British manufacturers; and some information on Chinese educational and cultural institutions in receipt of subsidies from the Board of Trustees for the Administration of the Indemnity Funds Remitted by the British Government.

Records, 1926-1951, relating to the foundation and constitution of the CGPC comprise printed report of the Anglo-Chinese Advisory Committee (China Indemnity Advisory Committee), 1926; correspondence, largely letters from the Board of Trustees to the CPGC, 1931-1950, concerning the constitution of the Commission, procedural issues, personnel and financial matters; file on procedure on appointment of a new member of the Commission, 1947-1948; correspondence concerning events preceding the winding-up of the Commission, 1951.

Financial records, 1931-1951, comprise papers on the Board Account, 1937-1950; papers on the Chin Fund (apparently a grant paid to Constance Chin, a patient of the Bethlem Royal Hospital), 1945-1951; summaries of expenses relating to purchase orders made by Chinese ministries, 1931-1951; Indemnity Fund cash books, 1937-1950; invoices and receipts relating to CGPC business, 1937-1951; financial statements and correspondence relating to banking matters with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, 1931-1951, the subjects including investments and tax.

Operational records, c1928-1951, relating to the administration of purchase orders, comprise register of tenders/purchase orders, 1942-1946; contract registers (not comprehensive), 1931-1949, recording the management of contracts for the supply and delivery in China of plant, machinery and other materials manufactured in the UK for the Chinese government, and over 1,000 related contract files for engineering companies and manufacturers for industrial, construction, railway and other projects; tender forms, 1934, issued to contractors by the CGPC; specifications and standards, c1928-1937 and undated, largely for the construction of railways and carriages; correspondence concerning administration of purchase orders, 1932-1951, relating especially to delivery of locomotive spare parts and related materials; registers of export licences issue to British manufacturers under wartime regulations, 1941-1946; applications for export licences, 1939-1945; registers of shipments, insurance, freight and inspection fees, 1931-1951; shipping letters, 1937-1950, issued for CGPC shipments; general correspondence concerning the administration of the CGPC, 1931-1951, including correspondence with solicitors and correspondence concerning the CGPC premises in Tothill Street, London.

Annual reports and accounts, 1931-1950, comprise typescript accounts and reports, 1931-1950, of the CGPC and published annual reports, 1931-1950, including summaries of receipts and payments; and annual reports of the Board of Trustees, 1931-1938.

Miscellaneous records, c1932-1950, comprise one file including papers on subjects including railways, training Chinese students, Japanese imperialism, and CGPC records, a photograph of ships in harbour, and maps of China and the Far East.

Records, 1939-1943, of the China Purchasing Agency Ltd comprise standing regulations of the Board of Directors, undated; correspondence, 1939-1943, concerning various purchase orders; miscellaneous items, c1939-1940, including list of tenders passed for acceptance, 1939, and an undated schedule of materials shipped.

Records, 1869-1967, of John Swire & Sons Ltd, comprising the bulk of known surviving material stored in the London Office, covering the development of the firm from about 1870 to 1947, and including series of correspondence coming in and out of the London Office; legal material including original deeds and leases; accounts; organisation papers; and photographs. The importance of the collection lies in the comprehensiveness of the nineteenth and twentieth century correspondence in illustrating the development of the firm and its subsidiaries from the London side where policies were decided, and from the Eastern side where they were implemented. It also gives a good picture of leading figures and firms involved in the Far Eastern trade at that time such as Jardine, Matheson & Company, the China Merchants Company and Holt's, and reveals aspects of Chinese trade and British business philosophy at the end of the Victorian era.

Records, 1848-1984, of the Melanesian Mission, including minute books; correspondence, journals and diaries of pioneer missionaries including R H Codrington and J C Patteson; correspondence of more recent missionaries; logs relating to the Mission vessels including the first 'Southern Cross' log book, 1855. Material relating to the Church of Melanesia includes the proceedings of the Provincial Synod from its inception in 1975, conference reports, and lists of missionaries from the Mission's beginnings to the 1920s. Printed materials include the Southern Cross Log, 1895-1954, 1963-1973, and Annual Reports, 1864-1939 (1917 and 1923 missing). There are also a large number of photographs and manuscript maps of the Diocese of the Melanesian Mission dating from 1875 onwards.

Records, 1744-1976, documenting the work of the Methodist Missionary Society (from the Methodist Union of 1932), and the work of its predecessor missionary societies prior to 1932 - the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, Primitive Methodist Missionary Society, and the missionary societies of the churches that formed the United Methodist Church - and covering overseas missionary work in Europe, North America, West Indies, Africa, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), China, Burma and Australasia.

The main series for the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society/Methodist Missionary Society include material from the home organisation in London, which directed overseas missionary affairs, including Committee minutes and papers, candidates papers, 1829-1869, finance papers, 1817-1945, and outgoing correspondence. However, the bulk of the material comprises Synod minutes and correspondence send to London from missionaries in the overseas districts, including Europe, North America, West Indies, West Africa, Central Africa, South Africa, Kenya, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Southern India, Northern India, Burma, China & South East Asia, and Australasia/South Seas. Special series include biographical material of missionaries from all denominations; missionary ships' logs and papers; and a miscellaneous assortment of notes, typescripts, unpublished articles and histories. There are approximately 2500 photographs, which cover India, Burma, Ceylon, Australasia, Africa, China and the West Indies.

The collection also includes minutes of Conference for the Wesleyan Methodist Church, 1744-1976.

Letter, 1894, from Roger Turpie to the London Missionary Society concerning his expenses while in Britain, with printed Young People's Missionary Letter, 'Our New Steamer', by Capt Turpie and others [1893], on launching the John Williams (IV).

Photocopies of 13 letters, 1882-1899, from Alexander Russell to his sister, Barbara Russell, recounting trips on missionary and other vessels in the South Pacific, including visits to Sydney (Australia) and Fiji.