BELOE PAPERS

A collection of miscellaneous letters and documents:

Order by Charles I (King of England) to John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgwater, President of the Council of Wales, and the rest of the Council, to administer justice notwithstanding the grant of prohibitions, from Oatlands, 24 July 1631 (copy) (f.1).

Affidavit of Jonathan Randall, of Norwich, 'boddyemaker', and Margaret his wife made before Francis Bacon, Serjeant-at-law [Judge; kt. (1642)], that on July 16th last they were at the Mitre tavern next to the Bull in Bishopsgate, London, in company with Myles Clarke and Robert Toms, servant to Mr. Hopkins of the Middle Temple, and that Clarke accused Pym, his landlord and housekeeper of the Bull, of saying that the king was a traitor, that he had caused the bloodshed in Ireland where innocent blood would be laid to his charge, 1 August 1642. In Bacon's hand. Signed by him and by Jonathan and Margaret Randall (f.3).

Order to John Barkstead, Lieutenant of the Tower of London, to allow Sir Thomas Peyton, 2nd Bart., a prisoner in the Tower, leave for thirty-six days to take the waters at Tunbridge Wells, from Whitehall, 7 August 1655. Signed, 'Oliver P.' [Oliver Cromwell, Protector] (f.5).

Letter from John Churchill, 1st Earl and (1702) 1st Duke of Marlborough, to -, from The Hague, 18 March 1702, stating that the Dutch are eager to continue the war. Hopes to have an audience with the States General and to speak to the foreign ministers. Old number 'xx' (f.6).

Letter from John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, to -, [1708-10], discussing military operation in Piedmont (faint) (f.8).

Letter from Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge (1714), to -, from Jermyn Street, 23 May 1710, stating that his son has been captured by the French, and that he will be more easily exchanged if the Duke of Marlborough will give him a commission. Old number 'xvi' (f.10).

Autograph fragment by Joseph Addison (essayist) on the sense of sight. Old number 'xiii'. [18th century] (f.12).

Letter from Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1712), to -, from Whitehall, 20 July 1711, on the political crisis; has sent the warrant for his correspondent's title; mentions a new club of which ten or twelve places are filled and twenty-one are vacant; fortunes of various persons designated by code. Endorsed, 'No.42'. Also the old number 'viii' (f.13).

Letter from John Robinson, Bishop of Bristol, and (1714) London, to -, from Utrecht, 13 December 1712, expressing pleasure at his correspondent's return to Brussels. Endorsed, 'No.3'. Also the old number 'xii' (f.15).

Letter from Charles Talbot, Duke of Shrewsbury, to Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery, from Versailles, 9 July 1713, acknowledging favours and expressing his desire to complete his embassy and return to England. Endorsed, 'No.15'. Also the old number 'xix' (f.17).

Letter from Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford, to -, 1 December 1713, stating that he has borne the blame for non-payment of monies rather than reveal the Treasury's excessive debts and the burden of annual payments. Has tried for ten months to withdraw and let others govern their provinces and as much of his as they wish. Endorsed, 'No.6'. Also the old number 'xi' (f.19).

Order by the Receiver-General and the Comptroller and Solicitor of the Admiralty, appointing Robert Denwidie agent for admiralty rights in Bermuda, 24 August 1727. Seal. Signatures cut off (f.21).

Letter from Alexander Pope, poet, to William Rollinson, from Southampton, 20 August no year [18th century], alluding to their ancient friendship and his house in Stratton Street, Piccadilly, 'where I have past so many agreable hours with you and often slept away my Infirmities in an arm chair attended by ye cares of yr whole family'. Drank his health 'in very good wine of yr own' at Lord Bruce's and then went to Lord Peterborough's 'to ye most Romantic place I have seen'. Remains of seal. Printed M. Mack, Collected in himself, 1982, 486-7 (f.22).

Letter from Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, to -, from Bath, 28 July 1743, on the benefits to be obtained by his correspondent from retirement to Marston (f.24).

Letter from John Hawkesworth (author) to -, from Bromley, 19 September 1760, mentioning William Stukeley (antiquary), stating that 'Dr. Stukely's paper is very fancifull but will be inserted and as you observe its very oddity will make it acceptable'. Mentions his friend Smart Lethieullier (antiquary) (f.25).

Letter from Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry, to -, from London, 10 March 1761, about a pass and pacquet from Harwich; mentions a school at Wandsworth. Old number 'x' (f.26).

Letter from Nathaniel Lardner, biblical scholar, to-, from Hoxton Square, 8 October 1761, concerning Thomas Chubb [deist]; publication of [George] Benson's Life of Christ; his own lectures cannot be published since for the last ten years of his ministry he delivered them from memory; describes other plans for publication (f.28).

Letter from Thomas Pennant, naturalist, to -, from Chester, 28 April 1764, thanking his correspondent, who is in London, for information about deer; remarks on Welsh ewes, bats, the migration of swallows (f.30).

Letter from David Garrick, actor, to an unnamed peer, [1773], arranging for him to attend the music of Alfred. Expresses disappointment in his epilogue (f.32).

Appointment by Richard Howe, Earl Howe (1788), of Lieutenant John Belcher (naval officer) as captain of H.M.S. Camilla, given aboard the Eagle in the river Delaware, 26 April 1778 (f.33).

Naval appointment by George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney (1782), of [John] Knight [Admiral (1813); kt. (1815)] as acting second-in-command of H.M.S. Barfleur, given aboard the Sandwich, Carlisle Bay, Barbados, 2 June 1781 (f.35).

Letter from Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, to (Sir) Henry Strachey, 1st Bart. (1801), from Whitehall, 2 April 1782, to withhold payment to a Mr. Gray of Bartholomew Lane, for bread and wood for the troops during the summer, as Mr. Gray does not exist (f.36).

Letter from Lady Charlotte Finch, widow of Heneage, 3rd Earl of Aylesford, to Miss Sill, from St. James's, 9 April 1782, referring to her travels in Portugal and France; she has attended the Duke of Devonshire's fête (f.38).

Letter from William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, to (Sir) Henry Strachey, 1st Bart. (1801), 9 August 1782, authorising payment of £1,417.10s.0d. for private pensions and secret services while the latter was one of the secretaries of the Treasury (f.41).

Account of William Mayor, messenger to the Foreign Department, of expenses allowed by Charles James Fox, Foreign Secretary, 3 July 1783 (f.42).

Order by John Ker, 3rd Duke of Roxburghe, authorising delivery of his copy of Domesday Book, 17 July 1783. Seal (f.43).

Account of John Padmore, messenger to Lord North, for travelling to and from Windsor, August 1783. Countersigned by Lord North (f.44).

Letter from John Bonnycastle, mathematician, to -, from Woolwich Common, 1 February 1788, concerning a dispute with [Peter] Nicholson (mathematician) (f.45).

Letter from William Hayley, poet, to Thomas Carwardine, Vicar of Earls Colne, 2 March 1788, agreeing to write a sermon on Sunday Schools, arranging for a visit by Carwardine and help with an anonymous devotional work (f.46).

Letter from William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, to the Revd. [Richard] Baker, 18 June 1790, assuring him that Fox will recommend his cause to the Dissenters before going to the hustings (f.48).

Note by George III (king of England) approving a pension for John Haverfield and [William Townsend] Aiton's contract for Richmond and Kew gardens (Surrey), 31 July 1795 (f.49).

Letter from William Pitt, Prime Minister, from Grafton Street, 12 July no year, about loading rum for the garrison at Gibraltar (f.50).

Letter from Revd. Hugh Blair, divine, to the Revd. Joseph Vicary, from Edinburgh, 26 July 1796, describing Scottish marriage procedure and the apparent forgery of evidence of a marriage (f.51).

Confirmation by the Lord-Lieutenant and Council of Ireland of the election of Robert Livingston as portreeve of Charlemont (Co. Armagh), 11 July 1797 (f.53).

Letter from George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer, to - Baker, 5 September 1799, rejecting proposals for divine service on prison ships at Portsmouth (f.54).

Letter from Henry Thornton, philanthropist, to William Baker, from Bognor, 11 September 1800, about an introduction for the latter's son at Hamburg; the harvests are variable (f.55).

Letter from Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (1805), to -, from Wimbledon, 4 October 1801, on Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth's knighthood (f.56).

Letter from John Jervis, 1st Earl St. Vincent, to -, from the Admiralty, 5 October 1801, stating that the promotion of peace has been 'the most fortunate event of my life' (f.57).

Letter from Henry Addington 1st Viscount Sidmouth (1805) to -, from Downing Street, 9 October 1801, requesting attendance at a debate in Parliament on the preliminaries to peace (f.58).

Letter from Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn, to -, 20 June 1802, recommending Mr. Adam to succeed George Rous on 'the Court of the Company' (f.59).

Letter from George Husband Baird, Principal of Edinburgh University (Scotland), to -, 24 January 1804, arranging for a society to meet in Edinburgh (f.60).

Letter from Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson and Duke of Bronte, to Captain [Courtenay] Boyle, aboard the Victory, 8 September 1804, on fleet movements in the Mediterranean. Not in Dispatches (f.61).

Letter from Heneage Finch, 4th Earl of Aylesford, to Sir Henry [Strachey, 1st Bart.], from Packington, 8 July 1805, mentioning George III's failing eyesight, and various matters concerning the royal household (f.62).

Letter from Beilby Porteus, Bishop of London, to -, from Windsor, 16 August 1805, sending a printed copy of a letter defending his gift of preferment to a foreign clergyman named Usko (f.64).

Letter from Spencer Perceval, statesman, to -, from Lincoln's Inn Fields, 31 March 1807, requesting attendance at Parliament on April 9th (f.65).

Letter from Catherine Maria Fanshawe, poetess, to -, no date [19th century], apparently concerning the release of an acquaintance imprisoned in Paris (f.66).

Letter from Mary Somerville, scientific writer, to Mrs. Hamilton, from Paris, 16 November no year [19th century], describing her reception in Paris, and a visit to General de La Fayette [Marie Joseph du Motier, Marquis de la Fayette] (f.67).

Letter from (Sir) Edward Pellew (Bart.), 1st Viscount Exmouth (1816), to Messrs. Toulmin and Copland, before Marseilles, 6 November 1811, asking for a pair of epaulets to be sent, and complaining that he has not received letters (f.69).

Letter from Brownlow North, Bishop of Winchester, to -, from Farnham, 3 January 1812, refusing preferment to a friend's son because of the claims of his seven children and eighteen grandchildren, and because he has made a rule not to promise preferment (f.71).

Letter from William Gifford, author, to Selene [Hoppner], 22 April 1812, urging her to reside in London where she will be useful to Lascelles; mentions his health and domestic difficulties (f.72).

Letter from Joseph Lancaster, educationalist, to Charles Callis Western, Baron Western (1833), from the Royal Free School, Borough Road, 5 November 1813, referring to his wife's recovery from mental derangement; asks for support for a subscription (f.74).

Fragment of letter by Joseph Blanco White, theologian, concerning the legal method of dropping the name Blanco, no date [19th century] (f.76).

Letter from Johann Caspar Spurzheim, German phrenologist, to Andrew Halliday (physician; Kt., 1821), from London, [1815], concerning criticism of his phrenological studies; inquires about Halliday's study of insanity; intends to settle in London (f.77).

Letter from William Beckford, author, to an unnamed lady, from Fonthill Abbey, 16 January 1815, commiserating with her for 'fresh proofs of a timid wavering mind and the usual routine of royal duplicity'. Has just returned from Paris; his pleasure that he is not involved in politics; the progress of Fonthill (f.79).

Letter from Henry Peter Brougham, Baron Brougham and Vaux (1830), to J. Atkinson, from Lincoln's Inn, 14 April 1815, directing that his 'print' be sent to Knight and Lacey, booksellers, for a frontispiece to the Mechanics' Magazine (f.81).

Letter from William Wilberforce (philanthropist) to -, from London, 27 May 1815, describing a meeting of the African Institution (incomplete) (f.83).

Letter from the Revd. Thomas Robert Malthus, political economist, to -, from the East India College, 6 March 1818, criticising proposals for a provident society. Seal (f.85).

Letter from Granville Penn, author, to the Revd. Robert George Baker, from Ramsgate, 6 November 1822, expressing pleasure that Baker will remain Rector of Springfield; remarks on steam-ships; a granite obelisk to be erected at Ramsgate (f.87).

Letter from Hannah More, religious writer, to [George Vickers], from Barley Wood, 22 February 1823, giving spiritual advice (f.89).

Letter from Charles Grant, Baron Glenelg (1831), to George Vickers, from London, 24 May 1823, advising him not to send his son to Mauritius (f.91).

Letter from Elizabeth Fry, Quaker, to -, from Plashet House, 2 August 1823, inquiring about people in the heart of India much like the Society of Friends; prison work prospers at home and abroad (f.94).

Letter from Sir Thomas Lawrence, artist, to -, from Russell Square, 16 July 1824, requesting an account of the sale of Count [Moritz von] Fries' collection (f.95).

Letter from Samuel Lee, orientalist, to the Revd. W. Robinson, from Regent Street, 7 December 1824, inviting him to discuss a projected society for the furtherance of biblical literature (f.96).

Letter from Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, to Revd. Christopher Wordsworth, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, from Stanhope, 25 November 1826, approving arrangements for university prizes which will encourage literature by enlarging the sphere of competition (f.97).

Letter from Mary Russell Mitford, novelist, to W.W. Ogbourn, from Three Mile Cross, 8 September 1826, about the publication of her articles in various magazines, and mentioning various literary undertakings (f.98).

Bulletin on George Canning's health, signed by Sir Matthew John Tierney, 1st Bart., John Richard Farre, and Henry Holland, 1st Bart. (1853), 7 August 1827, with (f.101) a note inscribed 'immediate circulation. For the Cabinet. Chiswick Aug. 7 8 a.m.' (f.100).

Letter from William Cobbett [politician] to Sir John Lillie, from Kensington, 15 September 1827, making an appointment (f.102).

Letter from Anne Grant, authoress, to 'Miss Margarete', 9 October 1827, arranging a meeting (f.103).

Letter from Joseph Hume, politician, to Thomas Spring-Rice, 1st Baron Monteagle (1839), from Bryanston Square, 23 November 1827, introducing Captain Blaquiere (f.104).

Letter from Daniel O'Connell, Irish politician, to the editor of the Sun newspaper, from Bury Street, 10 March 1829, denying a remark attributed to him (f.108).

Letter from Amelia Opie, novelist, to -, from Basinghall Street, 6 April 1829, about payment of money due and the sale of a picture by John Opie, painter (f.110).

Verses by Lady Charlotte Susan Maria Bury, novelist, no date [19th century] (f.111).

Letter from Anne Woodrooffe, authoress, to -, no date [19th century], describing educational reforms in the villages of Poole, Somerford [Keynes], (Wilts.) and Stourcote (incomplete) (f.112).

Letter from Henry Hart Milman, Dean of St. Paul's (1849), to -, no date [19th century] providing a specimen of his handwriting (f.114).

Fragment of a lecture by Thomas Campbell (poet) on ancient Egypt, 3 March 1830 (f.115).

Medical bulletin on George IV (king of England) by Sir Henry Halford, 1st Bart., and Sir Matthew John Tierney, 1st Bart., 31 May 1830 (f.116).

Letter from Thomas Chalmers, theologian, to - Gow, from Conduit Street, 25 October 1830, undertaking to perform a baptism (f.117).

Letter from John Frederic Daniell, physicist, to Michael Faraday, natural philosopher, from King's College, London, 6 April 1834, asking Faraday to read his observations on the constant battery (f.119).

Letter from Sydney Smith, Canon of St. Paul's, to the chief warden of St. Faith's, from Charles Street, 17 November 1837, complaining of the conduct of the sexton (f.120).

Letter from Theobald Mathew, Roman Catholic priest (1841), to -, from Cork, 29 December [1839], on temperance work in Killarney (Co. Kerry, Ireland) (f.121).

Letter from Richard Chenevix Trench, Archbishop of Dublin (1863), to [Samuel] Wilberforce, [Archdeacon; Bishop of Winchester (1869)], from Leamington, 22 August 1840, stating that he is doing duty at Dr. Marsh's chapel in Leamington for a month; congratulations on Wilberforce's Agathos; a book by Sewell (f.122).

Letter from Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey, sculptor, to Sir Francis Mackenzie, 5th Bart., from Belgrave Place, 30 November 1840, stating that he has returned from Holkham and giving an account of the Earl of Leicester [Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester]; Sir Robert Peel [2nd Bart.] introduced him to Buckland to be instructed about glaciers; an account of his own physical appearance; advice about the selection of vases (f.124).

Letter from Dr. William Buckland, Dean of Westminster (1845), to Sir Francis [Mackenzie, 5th Bart.], from Oxford, 26 June 1841, mentioning Chantrey's poor health; hopes Sir Francis' neighbours become honest as well as sober 'which I suppose they will when you take to nailing their ears to the trees on your grandfather's system'; on the propagation of fish (f.126).

Letter from Matthew Arnold, poet, to [Robert Kestell] Cornish, [Bishop of Madagascar (1874)], from Harrow, 8 October 1868, saying that he has gone to Harrow to bring up his son and live with economy, and cannot contribute to the rebuilding of parish churches in the west on the grounds that he is a Wykehamist (f.128).

Letter from George John Romanes, scientist, from London, 6 June 1884, on grinning and laughing in pigs and dogs and other signs of animal intelligence (f.130).

Coloured prints of London: the Temple church as restored, 1828 (f.132); the Penitentiary, Millbank, Westminster, 1829 (f.133); Trafalgar Square showing the intended site of the Nelson monument [19th century] (f.134).

Five Christmas cards sent by Messrs. Faber and Faber, each signed by Thomas Stearns Eliot, poet and director of the firm, 1946-51. Four (1946-50, ff.135-41) are drawn and lithographed by Barnett Freedman, and one (1951, ff.142-3) is designed and illustrated by John Piper (ff.135-43).