[AUTOGRAPH]. GROOT (GROTIUS), Hugo de.

[Autograph letter, signed, to the President and councillors of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands].[Netherlands], 1609. Letter on 2 half-sheets (31 x 20.5 cm). In Dutch.

Letter by Hugo de Groot supporting the impoldering of the Wijckermeer, a lake situated between Beverwijk and Assendelft, north of the IJ: now a polder of ca. 700 hectares. Grotius writes in his capacity as public prosecutor of Holland, on behalf of Gerrit (VIII) van Assendelft. Gerrit's father Cornelis van Assendeft begun constructing the "Assendelftse dijk" ca. 1590 to secure the alluvial lands that had recently silted up. The city of Haarlem and others had protested and the Court had pronounced judgment on 6 April 1591. A later annotation suggests the Supreme Court on 15 December 1609 dismissed the appeal and put off judgement until the future.The original double-leaf separated into two leaves, a bit browned and marginal waterstains. Reasonable condition.

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Book number: A7TEZG01U79O

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[AUTOGRAPH]. BOREEL, G.

[Autograph letter, signed, to ''Monsieur''].

1 p. text.Letter by one of the members of the Dutch noble family Boreel, possibly Jacob Willem Gustaaf Boreel (1852-1937). In this letter to a hitherto unknown 'Monsieur' the writer asks the addressee whether he could recommend to 'Madame' the writer's oldest son for the post of 'Maestro d'Hostel'.In fine condition.

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Book number: DC1CFQIF1Z51

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[AUTOGRAPH]. BOUGAINVILLE, Hyacinthe-Yves-Philippe Potentien, Baron de.

[Autograph letter, signed, to Baroness Hyde de Neuville (Anne Marguerite Henriette de Marigny Hyde de Neuville)].[Brest?, ca. 1820/22]. Folded leaf (20.6 x 16.5 cm). In French. 2 1/2 pp. text.

2 1/2 pp. text.Interesting letter from the famous French explorer Hyacinthe de Bougainville to Baroness Hyde de Neuville (died 1849), the wife of Baron Jean-Guillaume Hyde de Neuville (1776 - 1857), French aristocrat, diplomat, and politician.In this letter Bougainville refers to an earlier visit with the Baroness on his vessel La Seine (which he commanded from 1819-21) and a meeting he had with her and her husband in Washington. He also asks whether she can arrange a new meeting between him and her husband. Small hole in margin not affecting text. Fine letter by the famous circumnavigator Hyacinthe de Bougainvile.l On Bougainville: Howgego,1800-1850, B50; on the De Neuvilles: New Jersey Women's History.

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Book number: E1299K01U79O

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[AUTOGRAPH]. BAUDIN, Charles.

[Collection of 14 signed, mostly autograph letters].Toulon, 1842-1849. 8vo and 4to. Letters in black and brown ink on paper (11 with the "prefecture maritime" letterhead), 1 with its original envelope and 3 originally folded, addressed and sealed for posting without an envelope.

Collection of 14 signed letters, all but 3 autographs, written by Charles Baudin (1792-1854) and dated 1842-1849, when he served as Maritime Prefect at Toulon. He was one of the leading naval figures of the 19th century, whose naval service, mostly as Vice Admiral, began under Napoleon Bonaparte and ended in the early days of the Second Empire. Charles Baudin lost his right arm in battle in 1808 and had to write with his left hand, leading to the distinctive back-sloped handwriting evident in his signature and the 10 autograph letters. All letters are in good or very good condition. Letters 4, 7 and 14 are very slightly browned and 14 also shows some small stains. Letter 2 has a corner torn off and a small hole (neither affecting the text). A valuable primary source for French naval affairs in the last decade of Louis Philippe I's reign.l For Charles Baudin: Howgego, 1800-1850, B16 (see also B17).

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Book number: CAIENF01U79O

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[AUTOGRAPH LETTERS]. JULIEN, Stanislas Aignan.

[Collection of 28 autograph letters by Stanislas Julien to several correspondents].Paris, 17 January 1839 - 13 April 1869. Varying sizes, most on similar paper 21 x 13.5 cm. Autograph letters written in French, in a neat cursive in brown ink, signed and dated, many of the letters have been written on paper with a "Collége[!] Imperial de France" letterhead. One with Paris postal stamps on the back (addressed to Monsieur Desnoyers, 17 January 1839). 5 letters are mounted on additional leaves (4 letters in 2 pairs, each pair on a separate leaf and 1 dated 13 April 1869 on a separate leaf). The whole collection is kept together in a clear plastic cover.

28 letters on 28 (folded) leaves.Collection of 28 letters by the great French sinologist Stanislas Aignan Julien (1799-1873) to several correspondents, such as the French archaeologist Charles Lenormant (1802-1859) and the librarian of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris: the French geologist and archaeologist Jules P.F.S. Desnoyers (1800-1887). Julien succeeded Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat as Professor of Chinese at the Collège de France in Paris in 1832. He studied Taoist and Buddhist writings, as well as Chinese grammar, syntax and culture, translating several Chinese works into French (among them the important Histoire et fabrication de la porcelaine chinoise, 1856).The present letters present a captivating into Julien's working life as a renowned sinologist and his network of colleagues, government officials, and other correspondents. He mentions, for example, Baron Gros, meaning Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gros (1793-1870) a French diplomat who was minister-in-command of French troops during the Anglo-French expedition to China (1856-1860). As well as a gentleman named Skatschkoff, who was mentioned in a German botanical book as the former consul general of Russia in China and two famous German 19th-century Orientalists: Julius von Mohl (1800-1876) and Christian Lassen (1800-1876). Julien mentions his works (for example one on grammar which was to be printed in Vienna), other translations and books multiple times and when citing works in Chinese he often provides the Chinese characters alongside the transliteration. While all his letters in the present collection are written in French, Julien often signs off using the English phrase "yours truly".With some additional pencil annotations and underlining and with faint creases from having previously been folded for sending. Occasionally slightly browned or foxed, but the contents of the letters remain clearly legible. Overall, they are in very good condition.l For Julien: NBG XXVII, cols. 219-221.

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Book number: ABC_47454

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[AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT - FRANCE, ENGLAND & INDIA].

[French manuscript on the negotiation strategy of the French with the British on India.]ca. 1778. Folio. Sewn with two small chords in the left upper and bottom corner.

[7], [1 blank] pp.First draft of an autograph manuscript in French, with erasures and corrections, probably written by a diplomat or strategist, concerning the causes of Britain’s defeat of France in India during the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) and analysing different ways to restore France to power on Indian soil by an alliance with the sultan Haider Ali Khan (1722-1782), who ruled Mysore and a large part of southern India and was one of the greatest enemies of the British East India Company. According to the unidentified diplomat who wrote this text, Haider Ali Khan was the only one who was able to defeat the British or challenge their supremacy in India. In this manuscript he describes the best strategy not only to join Haider Ali Khan, but also to negotiate with the British people on profitable Indian trade for both parties.Slightly worn and frayed around the edges, first page slightly dust-soiled, but still an interesting autograph manuscript in good condition.

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Book number: ABC_45532

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[AUTOGRAPH]. KRAYENHOFF, Cornelis Dionysius.

[Letter to Thomas de Saint Laurent]. Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), 30 December 1783. 4to (21×17 cm). Autograph letter in French, signed, written in dark brown ink on paper in a Latin hand. In a later paper folder.

[2] pp.Letter in French, signed and with a long autograph postscript, written from Colombo in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) by the Dutch governor of Ceylon, Cornelis Dionysius Krayenhoff to Thomas de Saint Laurent, apparently Jean de Thomas (1762-1835), 3rd Count of Saint-Laurent, a French naval officer. Krayenhoff was a director of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and from 1767 to 1791 governor of Ceylon. He thanks Saint Laurent on his own behalf and his wife's for his letter of 14 December and the enclosure[?] signed by Mr. de Peinier or de Seinier[?]. He also gives his regards to Mr. Le Fer. In the postscript he notes that Mr. de La Motte has left for Negombo with a large company and gives his regards to le Chevalier de Tan, Mr. de Coste de Selle and Beaumont. Count of La Motte-Picquet. In very good condition.

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Book number: F98L6T2N0MKR

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[AUTOGRAPH]. TROYER, Antony.

Letter to the French orientalist Joseph Toussaint Reinaud.Paris (Rue de la Pépinière), 18 October 1848. Small 4to. Autograph letter, signed, written in ink on paper. Folded.

[1], [2 blank], [1] pp.Signed autograph letter from Antony Troyer (1775-1865), an English translator of oriental literature and Indianist, to Joseph Toussaint Reinaud (1795-1867). It gives some account of the research that Troyer and probably also Reinaud were carrying out on the Rajatarangini, the historical Sanskrit chronicle of the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, particularly the kings of Kashmir. From 1840 to 1852 Troyer would publish the first Western translation of this great Kashmir historical chronicle in 3 volumes, titled Râdjataranginiî, histoire des roies du Kachmir.Reinaud was a French orientalist and in 1847 he became president of the Société Asiatique, a French learned society dedicated to the study of Asia. He wrote several works on Arabia and Arabic culture, for example Extraits des historiens Arabes, relatifs aux guerres des croisades, ouvrage formant, d'après les écrivains Musulmans, un récit suivi des guerres saintes (1829) on Islamic texts about the Christian crusades, the account of two Arabic voyages to China and India titled Relation des voyages faits par les Arabes et les Persans dans l'Inde et à la Chine dans le IXe siècle de l'ère chrétienne and also Description des monumens Musulmans du cabinet de M. le Duc de Blacas (1828), a catalogue of a famous collection of Islamic art amassed by the French statesman Blacas.With the address of Joseph Toussaint Reinaud on the last page. In very good condition.

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Book number: ABC_45533

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[AUTOGRAPH]. MACPHERSON, John.

Letter to a friend on his governmental system.Brompton Grove, 21 September 1814. 4to. Folded.

[4] pp.Autograph letter by John Macpherson (1745-1821), written in English to an unidentified friend, discussing views on governance that he had presented earlier and the governmental system that his correspondent had outlined. John Macpherson, the former governor-general of India (1785-1786), promises to support the recipient in promoting the system he had invented and outlined . He hopes it can be introduced for the welfare of England. He also wrote in French (metaphorically?) that until the system can pay off, “let's cultivate our gardens”: “Continuons donc à cultivar nos jardins et espérons que le vrai système produira ses fruits en abundance!”. He entrusted his letter to another friend, General MacAulay, who had served as his in military assistant India.In very good condition.

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Book number: ABC_45535

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[AUTOGRAPH]. BONAPARTE, Joseph.

[Letter to Count Pierre François Réal].Pointe Breeze, New Jersey, 27 September, 1830. 4to (25 x 20 cm). Manuscript letter in French, in brown ink on wove paper (3 sides of folded leaf), signed and dated.

[3] pp.Autograph letter by Joseph Napoléon Bonaparte (1768-1844), the elder brother of Napoleon I of France, who made him King of Naples and Sicily (1806-1808), and later King of Spain and the Indies as Joseph I of Spain (1808-1813). After the fall of Napoleon I, Joseph styled himself "Comte de Survilliers" and fled to America in 1816. In the present letter Bonaparte thanks the politician Pierre François Réal (1757-1834) for his messages on the recent July Revolution (27-29 July 1830, called "Les Trois Glorieuses"), the overthrow of the French Bourbon monarch Charles X at Paris. Bonaparte shows himself disappointed in the role of the Marquis de La Fayette (1757-1834), the famous French general and political leader who had played such a great role in the American Revolution.Some soiling and waterstains, a large tear in the folding of the leaf, some folds and some tears in the margins. Still in good condition.l Cf. NBG XXXVII, cols. 447-448, & 41, cols. 790-793.

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Book number: D4RF0SQXA54Z

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[AUTOGRAPH]. DRUMMOND, William.

[Letter on the fighting between the Ottomans and Mamluks in Egypt]. Bucharest, 13 December 1803. 4to (23.5 x 18.5 cm). Autograph letter in English, signed, written in brown ink on laid paper.

[2] pp.A signed autograph letter by William Drummond (1770-1828), Scottish classical scholar, poet and British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, written in Bucharest en route from Constantinople (Istanbul) to Berlin. The British had taken Alexandria from Napoleon's troops on 2 September 1801, but abandoned it in March 1803, disappointing the Mamluks and their leader Muhammad Bey al-Alfi, who had supported the British against the French and Ottoman forces and remained in Alexandria. The Ottomans, facing financial troubles, disbanded their non-Turkish forces without pay, and their Albanian captain Muhammad Ali (1769-1849) and his troops in Cairo mutinied and wrested control of the city from the Ottoman governor. Although this put the Albanians on the British and Mamluk side against the French and Ottomans, the Mamluks were not prepared to leave Cairo in Albanian hands. Drummond therefore notes in the present letter that the latest news when he left Constantinople was that the "Beys" (Mamluk forces under Muhammed Bey al-Alfi) had raised the siege of Alexandria and returned to Cairo due to "a mutinous spirit" among their "new allies", the Albanian troops, and he regrets that the "French interest" among the Mamluks "has taken a decided ascendancy." In the event, Muhammad Ali was to prevail in 1805 when Sultan Selim III in Istanbul recognised him as his viceroy in Egypt.In fine condition. A letter on the power struggle that was to bring Muhammad Ali to power in Egypt in the aftermath of the French Revolutionary War.

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Book number: GBNHOPGIF6ZU

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[AUTOGRAPH]. [PETEA(?)], Michiel.

[Letter, signed, to Nicolò Caragiani in Venice concerning the trading conditions in Cairo for different woolen and silk fabrics].Cairo, 22 October 1732. Manuscript letter in Italian, opening with a duplicate of an earlier letter, in a different hand, dated 26 September 1732, written in ink on one page of a bifolium originally folded 4 more times for sending (to 8.5 x 14 cm) with the address on one side and traces of a red wax on the other.

Letter in Italian concerning the cloth trade in the capital of Egypt during the last months of 1732. The letter is addressed to the Italian merchant Nicolò Caragiani in Venice, who actively traded with the Levant and correspondence with several other merchants survives. The present letter informs Caragiani on the demand in certain types of cloth, which prizes are expected to rise during the approach of Ramadan. It mentions various fabrics including silks, damask and wools and also includes the prices of coffee and pepper.The letter opens with a copy of an earlier letter, followed by the actual letter in a different hand, signed by one Michiel whose last name is unclear, but could read something like Petea or Retea. With some faint foxing, and a tiny hole and a tear along a fold on the address side, otherwise in very good condition.

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Book number: I77GP3J9O26F

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[AUTOGRAPH]. REDOUTÉ, Pierre-Joseph.

[Letter acknowledging payment from the Paris bookseller Debure for Les Roses, part 30]. Paris, 18 February 1824. 4to (24.5 x 18.5 cm). Autograph letter, signed, written in brown ink on paper, with a note in a different hand recording a related payment.

[1], [1 blank] pp.A signed autograph letter by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, acknowledging his reciept of 30 francs from "Monsieur Debure libraire" for the 30th and final part of Les Roses, Redouté's most famous work, which was published in installments between 1817 and 1824. This must be the Paris bookseller Jean-Jacques Debure (1765-1853) or his younger brother Marie-Jacques Debure (1767-1847), who were "libraires du Roi et de la Bibliotheque du Roi" from 1821 to 1830. The book was printed and published by Firmin Didot. Oddly, an addition by a different hand below left notes "payé le 26 fevrier" (paid 26 February). Perhaps Redouté is writing to Firmin Didot and he was to reimburse Debure for this expense. It in any case suggests that Debure is not merely buying copies of the book to sell but was involved in the publication of Redouté's Les Roses in some manner. In fine condition, with only a small piece of paper stuck to the top right corner, not approaching the text.

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Book number: D4RE0URZH1LS

Keywords: [04F65CFF5112] ART, ARCHITECTURE & PHOTOGRAPHY|[04F65CFF5112] ART, ARCHITECTURE & PHOTOGRAPHY -> [34ED9446A42A] Art & Art History|[04F65CFF5112] ART, ARCHITECTURE & PHOTOGRAPHY -> [G91CNMP078RQ] Drawings, Prints & Watercolours|[403A2955597B] AUTOGRAPHS, D

[AUTOGRAPH]. BALDWIN, John Timins.

[Manuscript diary and drawing of his voyage to India].[Onboard the ship from Portsmouth to Madras, India, 1835]. 4to. With a half-page pen drawing on p. 168 and a loosely inserted full-page drawing (16.5 x 22 cm) by Baldwin of a mausoleum in India. 20th-century grey paper over boards.

[4] ll.; 189 pp.An amusing, unpretentious and therefore all the more lively and interesting diary meant for his wife Barbara Baldwin (née Moore Campbell; † 1891) and his friends, by the Scottish Captain John Timins Baldwin (1805-Sholopore 1846), an officer in the Royal Artillery at Madras: last page: “To Mrs J.T. Baldwin written in 1835 (-1886?)”.Baldwin wrote the text during a long and tiresome sea voyage from Portsmouth to Madras, India, from 27 August to the end of December 1835 on the windjammer “The Lady Flora”, captained by Robert Ford. One of the other passengers, Charles Edward Faber (1807-1868), later built a road up Singapore's second highest hill, renamed Mount Faber in his honour in 1845. Faber contributes a poem to Baldwin’s diary, The Knights of St John (Oxford prize poem) by his brother, Frederick William Faber (1814-1863), an Anglican vicar who converted to become a Roman Catholic priest. This is a good example of the way the passengers shortened the time. Apart from describing the little events occurring during the voyage - including crossing the equator, topsail breaks, an account of meeting a ship from New South Wales and lamentations such as “Monday 14th. Another week has passed finding us still in nearly the same place and the little wind we had yesterday has disappeared. About 11 October we descried a sail... bearing down towards us... she proved to be the Mary from New South Wales to Calcutta...”. Pastimes included playing music with the other passengers (Baldwin played the flute), and creating a newspaper The Lady Flora gazette: he records several contributions to it on pp. 176-189. The passengers also wrote poems themselves, including a poem about a prisoner at Newgate “after seven years of transportation”, illustrated with a half-page pen-and-ink sketch of the prisoner. Newgate Prison, the most notorious prison in London, remained in use from 1188 to 1902 and was renowned for its appalling conditions. The 1830s formed the peak in the transportation of convicted felons to Australia, and they were held in Newgate awaiting their seven-year term in the penal colony. Other poems were written “on revisiting home after a few years of absence” (pp. 164-175).With some small tears and other minor damage in Baldwin’s drawing of a mausoleum, some soiling of the first leaves, otherwise in good condition.

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Book number: ABC_46083

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[AUTOGRAPH]. LA PÉROUSE, Jean-François de Galaup de.

[Short autograph note signed by La Pérouse].[At sea, ca. 1781-1785]. Short manuscript note in ink on a small sheet of laid paper (12 x 13.5 cm).

An exceptionally rare autograph note signed by the great French explorer La Pérouse. The extraordinary story and achievements of La Pérouse are well known, and recounted in the handsome official account of his expedition. However, because he was lost without trace mid-voyage, manuscript material relating to his life is very rare indeed. In the present note La Pérouse asks that his boat be given an impressive 286 "aunes" of canvas which is needed on board. An "aune" is an old-fashioned French measure usually translated as ell or cubit: its length could vary but the normal French/Parisian aune was about 118 cm, meaning that La Pérouse is in fact asking for about 340 metres of canvas. The sheer quantity of the request speaks to La Pérouse having written the note while in charge of a large vessel.The document is counter-signed and noted as "delivered" by one "Deletombe": it seems very likely that this is Philippe-André-Joseph de Létombe, who arrived in the United States in 1781, and was the French Consul in Boston and a correspondent of Thomas Jefferson. If this identification is correct, the note would possibly date from La Pérouse's cruising in the West Indies and along the coast to Hudson Bay in 1781 and 1782.With old folds, clearly and legibly written and docketed; in very good condition.

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Book number: H1RDFKW35E6F

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