08. British History

This collection contains a letter by Sir Joseph Banks to an unnamed correspondent, sending thanks for four plates and a drawing, and then discussing eleven botanical specimens. There is also a reference to the Royal Society, of which Banks was President for forty-two years.

The volume contains the productions of the Sisterhood of the Gossip Society of Gloucester, England. The author is unknown, but goes by the nom de plume “Penelope Placid.” The entire work is purportedly a product of these women’s meetings; more likely, it is the work of one woman satirizing the situation of elderly spinsters whom society considered to be gossips in nineteenth century England.

Correspondence from Sydney Smith to, primarily, Archdeacon Francis Wrangham. Other noted correspondent includes George Lamb. Two portraits of Sydney Smith (engraving and lithograph) are included in the collection.

The papers of Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith contain letters concerning Smith's brother, John Spencer Smith, who was British ambassador to the Porte at Constantinople in the early 1790s. Correspondents include Robert Liston, British Minister to the United States. Also included is a genealogy of the Smith family, a battle order issued by Smith aboard HMS Tigre during the siege at Acre in 1799, and an invitation to the funeral of the Duke of Wellington.

This collection contains a letter from Annie Gregory to Lady Margaret Spicer, daughter of the 12th Earl of Westmoreland. In the note, Annie requests that Lady Spicer let her know if her husband Captain John Edward Philip Spicer would “let” her (Annie) a cottage called Chittoe Heath. Annie Gregory belonged to a Methodist (Wesleyan) family in Wiltshire.

This collection contains thirteen letters written by the Duke of Wellington to Miss A.M. (Anna Maria) Jenkins, a 19th century evangelist. Two other letters are from Ms. Sophy Mistes to Miss A.M. Jenkins. Accompanying some of the letters are envelopes with wax seals; also included in the collection are a miniature photo of the Duke and a paper Mariner's Compass.

This collection contains letters and literary drafts of Samuel Richardson; letters of his daughter, Anne Richardson, to her sister Martha Richardson Bridgen, and parents, and Sally Crowther Moodie. The collection also includes letters by Elizabeth (Leake) Richardson, Sally Crowther Moodie, and Jane Berthon regarding the Lisbon earthquake (1755); and correspondence from O.B. Kaiser to Samuel Richardson.

This collection contains a Benham family tree, general historical survey, and original and facsimile correspondence between Benham family members. Included in the correspondence are some original envelopes with British stamps and wax seals. Items have been tipped-in to a bound volume.

Consists of two letters signed by Scott. One is dated 12 October 1826 and addressed to Andrew Lang, Esq. and appears to be a cover letter for a cheque. The other is addressed to an unknown recipient and concerns a claim to the Earldom of Stirling by one Humphrey Alexander (or a Humphrey and an Alexander).

This collection contains the correspondence, manuscript verse, and proofs of poems of the poet Sir William Watson. Correspondents include R. Ellis Roberts, Clarence Winchester (of the Amalgamated Press), and T.N. Green-Armytage.