THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
GIFT OF
Justin Turnsp
/
<iA '^ook^ About Autographs
BY
Simon Gratz
EDITION OF 500 COPIES, OF WHICH
THIS IS No.
1 r\ ^»
i8D
SIMON (JRATZ
A BOOK ABOUT
AUTOGRAPHS
BY
Simon Gratz
ILLUSTRATED
PHILADELPHIA
William J. Campbell
1920
Copyright 1920 By William J. Campbell
I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO THE MEMORY OF
MY LIFE-LONG FRIEND
JAMES TYNDALE MITCHELL
CHIEF JUSTICE OF
THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
AND
AN ENTHUSIASTIC COLLECTOR
■^L/Cx*^^
PREFACE
THE purpose of this book, which is written
in compHance with requests from a number
of my friends who are collectors, is to gather
together, in compact form, a variety of in-
formation about autographs which is widely scattered
and not easily accessible. Much that is valuable is
to be found in the book written by Dr. H. T. Scott,
entitled "Autograph Collecting"; while the more elab-
orate work prepared by him in collaboration with Mr.
Samuel Davey — "A Guide to the Collector of Histor-
ical Documents, etc." — is very complete in its general
treatment of the subject. Part of the material they
contain has been used in the preparation of several
chapters of the present book; and the writer freely
acknowledges his obligations to them, as well as to
Mons. Etienne Charavay's excellent preface to the
Catalogue of the collection of Alfred Bovet.
Other books, such as Mr. Adrien H. Joline's very
entertaining "Meditations of an Autograph Collector"
and "Rambles in Autograph Land," consist mainly of
the text of letters in his collection, which serve as a
basis for the expression of thoughts, observations, and
comments, sometimes profound, sometimes humorous
or sarcastic, but always interesting and frequently in-
structive. The same comment is true, though in a
much smaller degree, of the little book written by Mr.
George R. Sims, entitled "Among My Autographs."
These books have, therefore, a character that is literary,
and distinctly different from the practical treatment
of the subject which is intended to be followed in this
volume.
From all available sources the writer has tried to
gather whatever will help to give collectors something
approaching an adequate knowledge of the taste for
collecting autographs, and its progress from small be-
ginnings to the prominence it has now attained. In
the belief that a portion of the subject which has hither-
to been neglected should receive proper consideration,
much space is given to a detailed account of a number
of the leading collections that have, in years past, made
their appearance at public sales after the death of their
owners.
If this compilation shall prove acceptable, and in
some respects useful, to those who have been led into
the pursuit of the very delightful hobby and recreation
that has so long been dear to the writer, he will feel
that his labor has not been in vain.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Portrait of Simon Gratz Frontispiece
Autograph inscription, in an Album Amicorum, of
Otto Von Guericke, the celebrated German ex-
perimental philosopher, and the inventor of the
air-pump 19
Autograph inscriptions, in an Album Amicorum, of
Caspar Ziegler, an able German jurist and
Protestant canonist, and Samuel Stryk, a Ger-
man jurist and author 19
Authograph letter of Pierre Jean Clays, the eminent
Belgian marine painter, written to Benjamin
W. Austin 39
Portrait of William Upcott 91
Portrait of Dawson Turner 122
Portrait of Robert Gilmor 172
Portrait of Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D 180
Portrait of Rev. William B. Sprague 184
Portrait of Charles C. Jones 194
Portrait of Elliot Danforth 196
Portrait of Ferdinand J. Dreer 226
Page of an autograph letter signed, of John Keats . 238
Autograph letter of Aaron Burr written in the year
1776, at the age of twenty, when he was an
officer in the Continental Army 251
Conclusion of an autograph letter of Burr written
in the year 1795, at the age of thirty-nine 251
Autograph letter of Francis Bacon — afterwards
Baron Verulam and Viscount St. Albans —
written some years before his elevation to the
peerage 253
Autograph letter of Bacon, written in the year 1619,
when he was Lord Chancellor of England 253
Portrait of A. H. Joline 278
EXPLANATION OF ABBREVIATIONS USED
IN THIS BOOK
A. L. S., autograph letter signed. A letter entirely in
the handwriting of, and signed by, the person named.
A. D. S., autograph document signed. A document
entirely in the handwriting of, and signed by, the
person named.
P. A. S., the same as A. D. S.
L. S., letter signed. A letter signed by the person
named, the body of which is not in his handwriting.
D. S., document signed. A document signed by the
person named, the body of which is not in his hand-
writing.
Folio, foolscap paper size.
4to, letter paper size.
8vo, note paper size.
p., page, pp., pages.
CONTENTS
Concerning the taste for collecting autographs. ... 13
The qualities that determine the value of auto-
graphs 21
Of the various ways in which collections have been
formed 26
Concerning spurious or false autographs 40
On the progressive increase in the market value of
autographs' 69
Concerning some noted European collections of the
olden and of recent times 85
Concerning collectors and private collections in the
United States 170
Concerning public collections of autographs 208
On the migration and pedigree of autographs 230
Conversations about autographs 240
APPENDICES
A. List of books containing facsimiles of autograph
letters or of mere signatures 283
B. List of commissioners to confer with the Six
Nations and other Indians,^October 5, 1745.. . 289
C. Delegates to the Albany Convention in 1754. . 291
D. Delegates to the Stamp Act Congress of 1765. . 293
E. Delegates to the Continental Congress of 1774. 296
F. Presidents of the Continental Congress 298
G. Revolutionary Cabinets 300
H. Signers of the Declaration of Independence . . . 308
I. Delegates to the Continental Congress 311
J. Signers of the Articles of Confederation 329
K. Delegates to the Annapolis Convention, 1786.. 332
L. Signers of the Constitution and Members of
the Federal Convention 335
M. Generals of the Revolutionary War 339
N. Washington's Secretaries and Aides-de-Camp. . 344
O. Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the United
States 346
P. Speakers of the House of Representatives 351
Q. Delegates to the Peace Congress of 1861 353
R. Members of the First Congress under the
Constitution 359
Index 363
CHAPTER I
Concerning the Taste for Collecting Autographs
FORTUNATE should we count the man who
has formed a taste for collecting books, auto-
graphs, coins, engravings, postage stamps, or
any other thing that may strike his fancy. If
he takes a genuine interest in, and has a real love for,
the diversion he has chosen, he is sure to derive much
pleasure, and to gain a varying amount of intellectual
profit, from its pursuit.
It is good for the body, as well as the mind, to seek
occasional relief from the tedium and cares of active
professional or business life, by turning to one's chosen
hobby for relaxation and quiet pleasure.
Students of history and biography are naturally
attracted to the great names that shine in the pages
they have read. They cherish — if they can obtain it
— any personal memento of one who is famous in the
14 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
annals of literature, statecraft, royalty, war, music,
etc., etc. A fragment of his personal attire, his watch,
cane, seal, snuffbox, sword — in short, anything that
was worn or used by him — is valued most highly. A
small piece of the cofhn in which he was buried, or a
few of the hairs cut from his head, would be regarded
as exceptional treasures. Witness the prices, as given
in Dr. Scott's "Autograph Collecting," that such things
have brought. In 1816, an English peer gave £750
for a tooth of Sir Isaac Newton. For an old waistcoat
of Rousseau's, 960 francs were given. In 1836, 500
francs were paid for a doubtful cane of Voltaire's.
The wig of Sterne, the author of "Tristram Shandy,"
realized, at a London auction in 1822, the enormous sum
of 200 guineas. Two pens used in signing the treaty
of Amiens in 1801 were purchased for £500. The hat
worn by Napoleon at the battle of Eylau was sold in
Paris, in 1835, for 1920 francs. Twenty years ago an
engraved silver spur, worn by Henri IV. at his entrance
into Paris, realized 14,000 francs.
Of all these "gentle pastimes," the collecting of
autographs appeals most strongly to those who seek a
delightful relaxation in an eminently intellectual amuse-
ment. An autograph letter from the hand of a noted
man is the closest personal memorial of him that can
be had. Here we have the identical paper that his
TASTE FOR COLLECTING 15
hands touched and on which he wrote the words we
read — words expressing thoughts as they emanated
from his brain. We almost feel as if we were in direct
contact with the writer. If he was good as well as
great, a feeling of reverence for the paper we treasure
steals over us. We are moved by the desire to learn
the leading events of his life; and, if he was a prominent
character in history, we wish to know the historical
events in which he was a participant. In this way our
treasured personal memorial leads us into fields of in-
tellectual activity and historical research.
The taste for autographs dates back to ancient
times, when people wrote on tablets of wax or on papy-
rus. Mr. Joline, in his entertaining "Meditations of
an Autograph Collector," tells us that "it existed among
the Greeks in the palmy days of their civilization. It
is related that the third Ptolemy refused to supply the
starving Athenians with wheat, unless he was allowed
to borrow the original manuscripts of iEschylus,
Sophocles, and Euripides, in order that he might make
copies of them. . . . Cicero was an enthusiastic col-
lector, as were also the Consul Mucianus and Libanius
the Sophist."
Whether these manuscripts of great writers were
desired merely for literary purposes, or whether an
additional and special interest was attached to them as
16 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
original autographic papers, does not appear. The
probability is that they were not sought in the way or
for the reasons that, at a much later period, led to the
collecting of autographs.
William S. Walsh, in his "Hand-Book of Literary
Curiosities," speaks thus of autograph hunting: "Spo-
radic cases are, indeed, recorded at a very high antiquity;
but it is only during the last two centuries that it has
reached the epidemic stage. The first case ever re-
corded was that of a certain Atossa. Little is known
about her, save that she was not the mother of Darius,
though she may have been the mother of the autograph
collector. . . . But we really are not on solid
ground until we reach the great name of Cicero. We
know that he had a collection, and a fine one; for he
speaks of it with gratulation. The fever, even in those
early days, was contagious. It spread to his contem-
poraries; it raged with some violence among his im-
mediate successors. Pliny mentions one Pompeius
Secundus, at whose house he had seen autographs of
Cicero, Augustus, Virgil, and the Gracchi. Yet Pliny,
who bows to Secundus as his superior, himself possessed
a collection. Then came the eruption of the barba-
rians, and good-by to the collector and his collections.
We do not meet him again until the beginning of the
sixteenth century. Then he reappears in the person
TASTE FOR COLLECTING 17
of a certain Bohemian squire who, about the year 1507,
began keeping a book which recorded his exploits of
the chase, and in which, as a further refresher of his
memory, he collected the signatures of his great hunter
friends. This he called his Album Amicorum, probably
in memory of the Roman Album, from albus, white, a
blank tablet for making entries. The custom soon ex-
tended all over Germany, not merely with hunters, but
more especially with travellers who, on returning from
the grand tour, would proudly exhibit their Alba in
proof of the good company they had kept while on the
road. By the seventeenth century it had reached
France, and evidently it was just beginning to be heard
of by Englishmen anxious to emulate foreign fashions
in 1642, when James Howell included in his "Instruc-
tions for Forreine Travel" this item: "Some do use to
have a small leger book fairly bound up table-book-
will [table-book-wise], wherein when they meet with
any person of note and eminency, and journey or pen-
sion with him any time, they desire him to write his
name, with some short sentence which they call the
mot of remembrance, the perusall whereof will iiU one
with no unpleasing thoughts of dangers and accidents
passed."
John Gough Nichols, in his preface to "Auto-
graphs of Royal, Noble, Learned, and Remarkable
18 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Personages conspicuous in English History from the
reign of Richard the Second to that of Charles the
Second," says: "Our earliest signatures of laymen of
rank commence with the reign of Richard the Second.
Familiar epistles are not found until the reign of Henry
the Fifth. We have nothing earlier than the fifteenth
century which can be called a familiar letter. . . .
The first collections of autographs were probably those
entitled Alba Amicorum. . . . Isaak Walton, in
his biography of Sir Henry Wotton, defines an 'Albo'
to be 'a white paper book which the German gentry
usually carry about them for the purpose of requesting
eminent characters to 'write some sentence in.' No.
933 in Humphrey Wanley's catalogue of the Harleian
Manuscripts is described as a paper book in octavo,
bound longwise, being one of those which the Germans
call Albums, and are much used by the young travellers
of that nation, who commonly ask a new acquaintance
[even at the first meeting] to write some sentence there-
in, with a compliment to the owner's learning, good
sense, etc. Which done, the names gotten are laid be-
fore the next new face, and the young man upon all oc-
casions, especially at his return, by these hands demon-
strates what good company he has kept."
These Alba Amicorum are very numerous. In
the year 1862 there were said to be upwards of six
y(^/u/tr\ ,
J^O^'yfvJ J\CkjLt-^. IC^l^T-i^-
C-^fiY^a
^.
yTJ\^w
Upper — Autograph Inscription in an Album Amicorum of Otto von Guericke,
the celebrated German experimental philosopher, and the inventor of the air-pump.
Loiver — Autograph Inscription in an Album Amicorum of Caspar Ziegler, an
able German jurist and Protestant Canonist, and Samuel Stryk, a German jurist
and author.
20 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
hundred of them in the manuscript department of the
British Museum, one of which contains the rare auto-
graph of the poet Milton. The earliest is that num-
bered 1178 in the Egerton Mss. It bears date 1554.
No. 851 in the Sloane Collection is also a notable early
example. It was formed in 1579, commences with the
motto and signature of the Due d'Alengon, the suitor
of Queen Elizabeth, and has on the opposite page a
short inscription by the Emperor Matthias of Germany.
At the present day they frequently occur at auc-
tion sales or in dealers' catalogues in Germany, and
bring prices varying from high to moderate according
to the importance of the names they contain. Many
of them have been taken to pieces to obtain autographs
of noted persons that are not procurable in the form of
letters.
CHAPTER II
The Qualities that Determine the Value of
Autographs
IN considering the qualities that determine the
value of autographs it seems scarcely necessary to
remark that the only letters or documents which
are welcomed as ornaments in the cabinets of
collectors, and which have a definite and well sustained
market value, are those of men and women who have
achieved note in some particular walk of life or have
held positions of commanding prominence. Occa-
sionally it may happen that a collector will, for some
special reason, desire a letter of one who was unknown
to fame or, perhaps, had earned the horrid fame which
attaches itself to a few notorious criminals. Thus, a
letter of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President
Lincoln, brings a large price; as, probably, would let-
ters of the fanatics who killed King Henry of Navarre,
22 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
the Due de Guise, and the Duke of Buckingham.
What, then, are the factors that settle the rank of
an autograph letter or document, as well as its market
value?
First. The genuineness of the paper — that is, the
authenticity of the handwriting — must be undoubted.
This is an absolute requisite. Where the shadow of a
reasonable doubt hangs over a paper, a prudent buyer
will not becomes a purchaser.
Second. The most illustrious names that shine in
the pages of history, literature, etc., are, of course,
those that will command the highest prices; as they are
sought for by all collectors. Of the names that come
in this class, those that are most rarely met with are
naturally the most costly. For example, Tasso or
Corneille would bring vastly more than Addison or
Pope in the literary series; while for such names as
Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and others that, as the
French say, are presque introuvables, a man of great
wealth might be willing to pay a small fortune. In
American autographs we have the well known instances
of two signers of the Declaration of Independence,
Thomas Lynch, junior, and Button Gwinnett; of the
former of whom only one autograph letter signed is
known, and of the latter nothing better than a letter
signed. A good A. L. S. 4to or folio of either would
DETERMINING VALUED 23
readily bring from five to ten thousand dollars in the
present condition of the market for such rarities.
Third. The character of the contents of the letter
or document plays a large part in the answer to the
inquiry about value. A love letter from a noted poet
or prose-writer — as, for example, one of Dean Swift's
letters to Stella, or one of the many that John Keats
wrote to Fanny Brawne — is worth much more than a
letter with ordinary contents. One that contains
material for history is, in like manner, more valuable
than one devoid of any particular interest. A good
A. L. S. 4to of King Charles I., of England, with unim-
portant contents, may to-day [when prices are tre-
mendously inflated] be worth from £30 to £50; whereas
the remarkable letter to the Marquis of Ormond, which
is twice named in other chapters of this book, would
probably bring ten times as much. So, w^hile an or-
dinary A. L. S. of Sir Walter Raleigh may be estimated
at £75 to £100, that which was recently sold in the
Huth sale brought, on account of its pathetic and very
interesting contents, £520; an enormous figure when we
consider that £84 was thought to be a high price for it
at the Young sale in 1869. And whereas a letter, with
contents of no particular importance, of the unfortunate
Sir Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, might be
rated at £30 or £40, that which he wrote to his wife.
24 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
while he was a prisoner in the Tower, expressing his
belief that there was nothing in the charge against him,
or that "at the worst, his Majesty will pardon all" —
which produced £40.10,0 at the Baker sale in 1855 —
would be likely to realize not less than five times that
amount to-day.
Fourth. The celebrity or station of the person ad-
dressed is far from being an unimportant factor. Take,
for example, the letters, in the Tremont collection, of
Kings and Queens written to other crowned heads;
such as those of Queen Elizabeth to King Henry III
[of France], Francis I. [of France] to the Emperor
Charles V., Henry VIII. to Catherine de Medicis,
James I. [of England] to Henry IV. [of France], and
Louis XII. to the Emperor Maximilian. We do not
need to be told why such a letter has a value much in
advance of that which attaches to one written by a
Sovereign to a subject on an ordinary affair of State.
Fifth. The length of the letter is also to be taken
into account; though it is hard to understand why the
number of pages should influence value, unless the in-
terest of the contents keeps pace with the quantity of
written words.
Sixth. The condition of the letter is a matter for
consideration. A dilapidated or worm-eaten paper,
or one in which the ink, by its corrosive qualities, has
DETERMINING FJLUES 25
destroyed portions of the text — as is quite common with
Italian letters of the 16th and 17th centuries — is thus
robbed of much of its commercial value. Any imper-
fection in the signature has a like effect.
Seventh. A full A. L. S. 4to or folio is far more val-
uable than a letter merely signed by the writer or a docu-
ment signed, unless the historic interest of the two latter
should offset the difference; and letters or manuscripts
on paper are much more desirable than those on vellum.
Lastly. The taste that prevails at any particular
period has a large influence upon prices. This fact
can be well illustrated by the series of American cabinet
officers and that of members of the Continental Con-
gress. Thirty or forty years ago nearly all collectors
paid attention to the names in these series, and they
were in constant demand at good prices. To-day, for
some inexplicable reason, they have fallen Into almost
complete neglect and have consequently lost most of
the value they once had. They may, however, at
some time in the future, regain their old rank.
CHAPTER III
On the Various Ways in Which Collections Have
Been Formed
AS a preliminary remark it may be said that
collections of letters which are merely replies
to requests for the autographs of the persons
addressed are not recognized as having any
place in the sphere of legitimate collecting and are
practically without interest or pecuniary value. As
W. S. Walsh says, in his "Handy-Book of Literary
Curiosities": "Legitimate collectors limit their fad
to the serious collection of autographs that are in the
market. They look down with scorn upon the ama-
teurs who beg signatures that may be had for the ask-
ing. It is the latter, indeed, who have brought the
autograph-hunter into disrepute. They are a sore trial
to the patience and the morality of statesmen and men
of letters, who are apt to become ferociously and even
blasphemously contemptuous."
FORMING COLLECTIONS 11
From the beginning of the taste for gathering auto-
graphs, most of the notable collections have been formed
by men of education, refinement, and prominence; and,
as a natural consequence, the ways they have followed
in pursuing their hobby have been such as were in com-
plete accord with the highest standards of propriety.
Their acquisitions, prior to the time when the com-
merce in autographs commenced, were almost exclusively
by the gift of masses of letters and manuscripts which
had accumulated, for many generations, in the archives
of families of ancient or noble lineage. When, in the
early part of the 19th century, a large and steady in-
crease in the number of collectors began to manifest
itself, a legitimate business in the purchase and sale
of autographs was developed; and men of repute formed
their collections by the gradual acquisition, either by
purchase, gift, or exchange, of the names they wanted.
At a later day, a number of men from whom better
things might have been expected, resorted to methods
which, in varying degrees, were discreditable. To
some of these attention will now be directed.
One of the best known and most successful of the
earlier American collectors obtained a great part of the
numerous letters that formed his series of Cabinet
Officers, Governors of States, and U. S. Senators, by
writing to the men who were holding or had held these
28 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
positions, and asking for the date of their election or
appointment to the particular office, the time when the
duties of the position were assumed, etc. His custom —
as he unblushingly stated it to a brother collector who
was seeking the same kind of material — was to precede
the letter of request for information with one expressing
regret that no answer had been received to an inquiry
contained in a letter written on a given date; no such
letter having been written. He would then get a reply,
saying that the letter [never written] had not come to
hand; and that, if the inquiry were repeated, the in-
formation would, if possible, be given. Thereupon, a
second letter was written, stating the particular infor-
mation desired. Of course, it was answered; and thus,
as this collector said, "I got two letters, instead of one,
from each person addressed, and so acquired a good deal
of material for exchange." How he could consider such
conduct as entirely honorable is something that is not
easy to understand. But even after obtaining two
letters from his unfortunate victim he was not content
to leave him without further annoyance. The man
who had courteously replied to requests which were
made under false pretence was then importuned, in a
way which the writer supposed would flatter his vanity,
for letters of prominent persons who had been his cor-
respondents; and this appeal brought many hundreds
FORMING COLLECTIONS 29
of autographs to his collection. He carried his bold-
ness so far as to ask all the American poets, from the
most eminent down to those of mediocre rank, for
full autograph copies of one or more of their best known
poems; and, strange to say, the poem was almost always
sent entire.
In "The Archivist" for July, 1889, there is an ar-
ticle entitled "Pseudo Autograph Collectors," which
says: "We have seen recorded lately in one of our
journals the various devices by which pseudo collectors
endeavor to obtain the autographs of eminent con-
temporary men and women. . . . Letters are
now written to authors in praise of their works, and
for an explanation of some particular passage, etc.
Artists are requested to give an estimate for a certain-
sized picture on a given subject, and many ingenious
methods are adopted, by flattery and otherwise, to
obtain the coveted epistle. A genuine autograph col-
lector does not stoop to such methods for enriching his
store. The following story will show how successful an
imposter was in duping some of the principal men of
the day. Thirty-five years ago there was a young
Frenchman [we believe his real name was Ludovic
Picard] who, under various aliases, addressed himself
to nearly every distinguished name in Europe, not for
any pecuniary assistance, ah no! he had grown sick
30 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
of life and thought seriously of quitting it. . . . He
was one of the odious race of the unappreciated; at
one time an unfortunate and neglected artist, at an-
other a poet or musician, whom the world had used ill,
and driven to despair. Could the recipient of the letter
give him any philosophical reason why he should not
blow his brains out, etc. . . . But he always in-
formed those to whom he wrote that he would stay his
hand from committing any rash act until he had re-
ceived their valuable counsel and advice. In this way
he received some hundreds of communications in re-
sponse to his pathetic appeal, some in anger, others in
jest, but by far the greater number written in sym-
pathy for his wretched and forlorn condition and using
every argument to dissuade him from laying violent
hands on himself. It is a pity so much rose-water
should have been poured over such a reptile; as these
eloquent arguments and homilies were never read, but
when received were sent at once to a well-known auto-
graph dealer of the Faubourg Saint Germain and con-
verted into ready cash, which the recipient dissipated
upon his vagabond amours or at the counter of an
auberge. ... In this way he succeeded in extract-
ing letters from Beranger, Heine, Georges Sand, Montal-
embert, Dumas, Eugene Sue, Jules Janin, Xavier de
Maistre, Lacordaire, Espartero, and Charles Dickens.
FORMING COLLECTIONS 31
The letter of Dickens was particularly sympathetic,
and begged him to be courageous and to bear the ills
that beset so many people in this life. . . . With this
imposter all went merry as a marriage bell for some time,
until by merest chance he was detected by Jules San-
deau, the novelist, who had received one of these press-
ing appeals. Instead of answering it by letter, like a
true Samaritan he thought he would go and see 'Mis-
errimus' himself, and try what could be done to help him
upon the spot. He accordingly went to Crenelle,
from which suburb these despairing appeals were ad-
dressed. After a great deal of trouble, the soi-disant
suicide was discovered carousing with some boon com-
panions at a neighboring cabaret, and preparing to
draw up fresh leases of his life in the shape of more
pathetic circulars. On his return to Paris M. Sandeau
lost no time in communicating with the press and ex-
posing the whole imposture."
In the month of May, 1899, there was sold at
auction, in Philadelphia, the collection of autograph
letters of Confederate and Union Generals in the
Civil War, of the persons who held official positions
under the Confederate Government, and of a number
of miscellaneous names of other periods, that had been
formed by Mr. Belmont Perry, a lawyer of W^oodbury,
N. J., during the thirty-five years preceding the sale.
32 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
The mode of formation of the greater part of this col-
lection was exposed when the papers were placed on
sale. It appears that, shortly after the close of the
Civil War, Mr. Perry resolved to attempt to gather
autograph letters of all the generals who had served on
either side, and of all other prominent Confederate
characters. At this time, by far the greater part of
these men were living, and it was easy to communicate
with them by letter; the only trouble being that inci-
dent to ascertaining their addresses. Rightly sup-
posing that an ordinary request for the autograph of
the person addressed would meet with a Hmited and an
unsatisfactory response, he determined to pose as an
historian. He represented himself to the ex-Confeder-
ates who were living, and to the families of those who
were dead, as having commenced the preparation of a
history of the war, in which full justice was to be done
to the part taken by those who were engaged on the
Southern side; and that, for the accomplishment of this
purpose, he desired to obtain, from living generals,
autograph letters giving their full military records, and,
in some instances, autograph copies of certain short
military reports that had been made by them while in
the field. The families of the deceased generals were
asked to give, or lend, any letter or letters in their pos-
session, written during the war, that contained inter-
FORMING COLLECTIONS 33
esting information. In addressing surviving Union
generals, and the families of those who were no longer
living, he adopted the same tactics; except that he
then became the prospective author of a history of the
war in which the part taken by all Union generals was
to be fully shown, so that no name should fail to receive
proper notice in the pages of his book. Thus repre-
senting the project he had in hand, his requests met
with a very large response. The pitiful side of the case,
and that which subjects it to severe condemnation,
lies in the fact that, in a number of instances, the
widows of deceased generals sent him letters upon the
express condition that they should be returned after they
had been copied. One widow wrote several times, beg-
ging for the return of the treasured letter of her hus-
band which was the only one she had. Subsequent
correspondence which Mr. Perry had, unfortunately
for himself, failed to destroy, showed that no attention
was paid to these earnest requests for the return of the
letters so lent; and they were included in the sale
catalogue.
A large and interesting collection of autographs
which was sold at auction not many years ago was
formed, in part, in a way that merits a very pronounced
disapproval. The collector in question held an impor-
tant office which gave him access to the Civil War cor-
34 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
respondence of the Adjutant-General of one of the
leading States. From this source he obtained thou-
sands of letters of Generals, addressed to the Governor
or Adjutant-General of the State, on the subject of
regimental appointments; and, after reserving as many
of these as he wanted for his own use, the remainder
were exchanged for other names needed or were sold.
A few years afterwards, when his collection had
become large and he was endeavoring to complete all
the different American series, he conceived the idea
that some of the rare and much sought for names might
be discovered among the papers filed in the offices of
Prothonotaries, Sheriffs, Registers of Wills, and other
County offices, as well as in the correspondence pre-
served among State records. Diligent search rewarded
him most bountifully. He found in one public office,
and was allowed to take, as many as fifty, or more,
official autograph documents signed of one of the mem-
bers of the Congress of 1774 whose signature was so
rare that the only example of it ever offered for sale
had commanded the price of 3200. A number of these
documents, when placed in the hands of dealers, were
greedily taken at 3100 apiece, each purchaser supposing
he had secured a great rarity. When, after a time, the
market became glutted with them, their price fell to
$\S, with few or no takers.
FORMING COLLECTIONS 35
The offices of the Prothonotaries of the Courts in
several States yielded, in like manner, quantities of
legal papers in the handwriting of men who were law-
yers by profession, and who had been signers of the
Declaration of Independence, members of the Conti-
nental Congress, or had held other public positions
during the Revolutionary contest. Many names that
had heretofore been very rare and high priced became,
after the market demand had been satisfied at large
prices, practically unsalable on account of the huge
supply.
Visits were paid to the Capitols of two Southern
States; and permission was given to take, from the
papers remaining on file in the offices of the Governor
and the Secretary of State, whatever was wanted.
If this over-zealous collector had limited himself
to taking a single specimen only, of any particular name,
for his own use, the criticism attaching to his conduct
would be much milder; but when whole bundles of
letters or documents of one man were taken from a
public office, to be sold or used in exchange, a more pro-
nounced disapproval is deserved.
The last instance that will be given of highly im-
proper ways of forming collections of autographs is
that of Ben W. Austin, of Sioux City, Iowa; whose bare-
36 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
faced audacity almost passes belief. Some time about
the year 1875, Mr. Austin commenced the formation
of his collection by writing to noted people, requesting
their autographs. The measure of his success is told
in the following article which appeared, on Dec. 14,
1884, in "The Sunday Telegram," of Sioux City.
"One of the most extensive and valuable collections of
autographs in this country is that possessed by Mr.
Ben W. Austin of this city. It is only by the most
indefatigable eifort, and at great expense, that Mr.
Austin has been able, in nine years, to make this col-
lection. ... It has cost him for postage, etc., at
least 32000, and would easily bring, if sold to a con-
noisseur in the interesting art, 310,000. Some idea of
the constant study and work required in collecting
his 3000 or more autographs may be had when it is
known that during 1883 Mr. Austin wrote 2181 letters
containing requests for autographs, and during 1884,
when he had not so much time as last year, he wrote
1314 letters The autographs include those of noted
people and men of rank from all quarters of the globe.
They are in almost all known languages. . . . This
grand collection is not only a credit to Mr. Austin,
whose enterprise and energy have secured such souve-
nirs, but to Sioux City as well. Mr. Austin is well known
among the most famous collectors, and many letters
FORMING COLLECTIONS 37
express surprise that he, in this 'remote spot,' should
take such an interest in these things."
In 1884 or 1885 he devised a new plan for obtaining
the covered autographs of noted living people, in order
that he might increase — if such a thing were possible
— ^his reputation as one of the most famous collectors!!
He founded an imaginary Society, to which he gave the
imposing title of "The Northwestern Literary and
Historical Society," and of which he made himself the
imaginary Secretary, with an imaginary George D,
Chester, D.D., LL.D., as President. Equipped with
the requisite seal and with suitable stationery, he
proceeded, in his capacity of Secretary, to write to men
of note in all countries, informing them that they had
been elected honorary members of this Society in
recognition of their rank in the world of letters, art, or
whatever profession or pursuit they followed. The
persons thus addressed, taking it for granted that
"The Northwestern Literary and Historical Society"
was a respectable — perhaps a notable — ^American In-
stitution, and doubtless feeling flattered by the com-
plimentary tone of the letter of notification, accepted
the honor of election in letters such as might be ex-
pected from men of politeness who were the frequent
recipients of such honors. After the Society — that is,
Mr. Austin — had elected an honorary member, and
38 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
had received an acceptance of the honor conferred,
Mr. Secretary Austin would again write to the new
member, telling him how much the Society would value
his photograph, to hang on the wall of its building,
and how grateful it would be if he could give it — that is,
Mr. Austin — -for preservation among its archives, any
letters of noted people of the period. So far as could
be judged from the character of the collection which
went to the auction rooms after Mr. Austin's death,
these additional requests did not seem to have brought
satisfactory results. Perhaps a large part of the very
considerable number of honorary members of this
unique Society may have become suspicious. Some
of them may have even gone so far as to make inquiries
about it. At all events, when Mr. Austin and the im-
aginary creature of his creation suffered the common
lot of humanity, and passed out of existence, his be-
longings — or perhaps we should say those of the
Society — were ruthlessly sacrificed under the hammer
of the auctioneer, and the proceeds of sale, deducting
expenses, were much less than the 32000 which, ac-
cording to "The Sunday Telegram," had been spent
for postage.
FORMING COLLECTIONS
39
^-<^L,.c
&c
.jC<^e^ycz.<
^X^
.^^i-«-^ ^^^-a^L,.-*-^ ^^.^.^^ f.-A't ^-^..-c-^-c ^ ^-^^^^^f «
Autograph Letter of Pierre Jean Clays, the eminent Belgian marine painter,
written to Benjamin W. Austin.
CHAPTER IV
Concerning Spurious or False Autographs
TEMPTED by the high prices to be had for
genuine letters of certain men or women of
note, disreputable people, skilled in imitat-
ing handwriting and having the requisite
amount of literary attainment, have sought to put
money in their pockets by foisting upon trustful and
inexperienced collectors letters they have manufac-
tured. While such rogues — for they can be called by
no other name — have, in some instances, met with a
fair measure of success, the majority of them have soon
been exposed, and have learned that dishonesty, such
as they were practising, could not thrive.
Thev have been of various nationalities — French,
German, British, Italian, and, in small measure,
American.
As a general rule they have limited their false
productions to a few names for which, at the time, there
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 41
was a special demand. Some of their work was so good
as not to be easily detected; but the greater part of it
failed to deceive even those who were not experts,
but who exercised reasonable judgment in considering
the question of genuineness. There are many things
that the worker in this nefarious field must, if he hopes
to be at all successful, bear constantly in mind. The
paper on which he writes must be of the period at which
the letter is to bear date; the ink must have the pecu-
liar appearance that age gives to it; the handwriting
must not only, in general respects, be an exact imita-
tion of that which is to be counterfeited, but great
attention must be paid to peculiarities in the formation
of certain letters, the capitalization of words, the spell-
ing, the punctuation, the style, the literary quality,
the date, the character of the contents, etc. etc. Be-
sides all this, the way in which the letter is folded
must accord with the custom of the time at which it
purports to have been written, and its creases and stains
must bear the appearance of genuine age. Such are
the difficulties the counterfeiter must contend with
when he attempts to fabricate the contents, as well as
the handwriting, of a letter or document; and the great-
est combination of skill and care will scarcely avail to
save him from making some error which shall prove
fatal to him. Where he is merely making a false du-
42 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
plication of a genuine original, his pathway is a some-
what easier one to travel.
The trained eye rarely fails to detect the falsity of
an autograph. The skilled expert will, with perfect
assurance, pronounce for or against the genuineness of
a letter, and will give the exact reasons for his judgment.
Nor can he be deceived by any of the tricks that are
used to aid the acceptance of the forgery; as, for ex-
ample, the fact that, in order to suggest age, the paper
has been repaired after it has purposely been torn or
its edges made ragged. Such experts are, of course,
few in number; but, of these few, we occasionally meet
with one whose skill seems to come from a sense of
intuition.
M. Etienne Charavay, in his excellent preface to
the catalogue of Alfred Bovet's collection of autographs
— afterwards published as a pamphlet, with the title
of "La Science des Autographes" — states some inter-
esting facts relating to the authenticity of autographs.
He tells us that the first fabrications appeared in Paris
about 1840, and that they were in all respects — hand-
writing, style, paper, ink, and traces of seals — well
done. When mingled, as they often were, with numer-
ous authentic letters from family papers, they were
accepted as genuine. Such names as those of Rabelais
and Bayard — of whom genuine letters are unknown in
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 43
private collections — were thus fabricated. These spu-
rious letters of Rabelais are dated from Italy; while, in
point of fact, at the time they pretend to have been
written, Rabelais was in Paris or in Montpellier. The
falsity of those that appeared in the Tremont collec-
tion has been established beyond question. But the
forger went a step too far. He was not content to imi-
tate handwriting: he invented it. The genealogical
cabinet of Letellier was filled with such pieces. They
were well conceived and executed; but when examined
by experts and scholars, their falsity was determined.
The same hand, the same ink, appeared on letters of
persons living in times far apart. Three names —
those of Racine, Boileau and La Fontaine — particu-
larly tempted the forger. Their handwriting was easy
to imitate; the text of the letters of the first two was
furnished by correspondence in the Bibliotheque Na-
tionale; and that of La Fontaine was taken from his
Fables. Many of Letellier's fabrications found their
way into the Chambry collection; but they were re-
jected by Charavay, and marked by him as false, when
he prepared the catalogue of that collection.
It is greatly to be regretted that a number of these
counterfeit autographs have found their way into
English and American collections. If they had first
been submitted to competent French experts, they
44 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
would have been rejected by the men who bought them
in ignorance of their real character. As M. Noel
Charavay says, in a private letter, in which he speaks
of letters of La Fontaine and Racine: "Many spurious
ones circulate; but this is not easy in France, where
they are hunted down, A dealer would be disqualified
if he ventured to sell any such, because everything has
been done to avoid errors."
Letters of Louis XVL, Marie Antoinette, and
Madame Elisabeth have also been extensively counter-
feited in France; while the forger has occasionally
turned his attention to other names, of which he has
produced either a single specimen only or a very lim-
ited number. Upon one occasion forty guineas were
paid for a spurious letter of Henry the Eighth, the work
of one of these men.
No account of French forgeries would be complete
without the story of the famous case of Vrain Lucas;
which is told in extenso in a pamphlet written by M.
Etienne Charavay. The forger was a Frenchman of
middle age and fair education who, with the most
astounding audacity, and with unusual skill, great
perseverance, and information gained from much read-
ing, manufactured 27,000 pieces which he sold to M.
Michel Chasles — a noted geometer and mathematician
— during a period of eight years, for the sum of 140,000
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 45
francs. How M. Chasles could have been so easily
and completely deceived and imposed upon is a marvel.
It seems that, at one time during his dealings with
the forger, his suspicions were aroused and expressed;
but they were quieted when Lucas promptly offered
to take back everything he had sold and to return the
money that had been paid him.
A train of events led to the complete exposure of
these forgeries. Prior to July, 1867, M. Chasles had
presented the Academy of Belgium with two letters
from Charles the Fifth [of Germany] to Rabelais.
They were accepted as genuine, though their authen-
ticity was contested by an expert whose authority to
speak could not be denied; and their falsity was finally
settled by the fact that they were addressed to "Alaster"
Rabelais — a form of address not then in use — and that
one of them bore a pretended endorsement, by Rabelais,
of "Letter from the Emperor Charles the Fifth,"
whereas, during his lifetime he was never mentioned
otherwise than as "The Emperor."
Shortly afterwards, the French Academy of Sci-
ences was profoundly moved by the production, by
M. Chasles, of letters written by the great Pascal to
Boyle and Sir Isaac Newton, showing that he, and not
Newton, was the discoverer of the law of gravitation.
These letters aroused the interest of the scientific world
46 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
in England and France, and their genuineness was de-
bated for a considerable time; but when Sir David
Brewster showed that Newton was a child of less than
eleven years of age at the date of the pretended letters
of Pascal addressed to him, and a French critic called
attention to an admitted historical fact showing that
Pascal could not have written the letters, the contro-
versy came to an abrupt end. The falsity of another
letter, addressed by Pascal to Queen Christina, was
demonstrated by the forger's use of certain words that
were unknown in Pascal's time and by the discovery of
the fact that the contents of the letter were similar to,
and in large part identical with, the language of a
certain Eulogy on Descartes.
M. Chasles rather unwillingly yielded to the press-
ure of his friends and dislosed the name of the man
from whom he had obtained these papers. The forger
was tried before the tribunal of the Seine on February
16, 1870, was convicted of swindling, and was sen-
tenced to an imprisonment of two years and the pay-
ment of a fine of 500 francs.
At the trial M. Chasles testified that when Lucas
first came to him he stated that a great quantity of
valuable autograph letters originally gathered by the
Comte de Boisjourdain, an emigrant to America in the
year 1790, who had perished in a shipwreck, but whose
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 47
collection had been saved, had been placed in his
hands to sell. M. Chasles believed this story and
bought whatever was brought to him. All of the im-
mense number named, except about one hundred, of
small value, were false. The list of his purchases is
an amazing one, almost passing belief. In addition
to most of the important names of the 15th, 16th and
17th centuries — including Ariosto, Boccacio, Boileau,
Cervantes, Dante, Labruyere, Luther, Montaigne,
Rabelais, Racine, Raphael, Shakespeare, and Spinoza
— we find the following: five letters from Abelard;
five from Alcibiades to Pericles; six from Alexander
the Great to Aristotle; three from Cleopatra to Caesar,
to Cato, and to Pompey; ten from Pontius Pilate to
Tiberius; and one, each, from Archimedes to Hiero,
from Anacreon, from Arcesilaus to Euripides, from
Atilla to a Gallic general; from Belisarius; from Julius
Caesar to Verclngetorix; from Caligula; from Charle-
magne to Alcuin; from Cicero; from ^schylus to Pytha-
goras; from Germlus Julius to Jesus Christ; from
Herod to Lazarus; from Judas Iscarlot to Mary Mag-
dalene; from Lazarus to St. Peter; from Mahomet to
the king of France; from Ovid; from Pliny; from Plu-
tarch; from Pompey; and from Suetonius.
Though, for the purposes of his forgeries, Lucas
had found an ink of the proper quality, and though he
48 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
sought to give the appearance of old age to his produc-
tions by exposing them, after their completion, to the
flame of a lamp, he did not hesitate to write all of them in
modern French and on -paper from the mills of Angou-
lemeU
As natural curiosity inspires the desire to know
something about the contents of these letters, three or
four of them will be given in full.
Letter from Queen Cleopatra
Cleopatra, Queen, to her very beloved Julius Caesar,
Emperor.
My very beloved. Our son Cesarion is well. I
hope that he will soon be able to support the travel
from here to Marseilles, where I need to send him to
study, as much for the good air that one breathes there
as for the fine things which are taught. I beg you to
tell me how long you will still remain in that country,
for I want myself to take our son there and see you on
this occasion. This is to tell you, my very beloved,
the pleasure I feel when I am near you, and meanwhile
I pray the gods to have you in their guard.
The XI March year of Rome VCCIX.
Cleopatra.
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 49
Letter from Lazarus, the Resuscitated, to St.
Peter
My dear friend Petrus. You tell me you have
noticed in the writings of Caesar and in those of Cicero
that one of the most important parts of the Druids'
religion consists in sacrificing savage men. It is true
they take in an erroneous sense this principle, that men
can only appreciate the life God gave them by offering
Him the life of a man. They have continued that in-
human and bloody practice until the time of Cicero.
This is why he says that they soil and profane their
temple and their altars by offering there human vic-
tims, and here Cicero is right in insulting a worship so
barbarous, saying it is a strange thing that to satisfy
for what they owe to their religion they must first dis-
honor it by some murder. They can not be religious
without being homicides. The infamy of this horrible
maxim has reflected on all the Gauls, even if it has been
practised only in some places. But the arms and the
conquest of the Romans have wiped out this infamy
and I do not believe that it is practised anywhere now.
Amen. This X August XLVIL
Lazarus.
50 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Letter from Mary Magdalene to Lazarus, the
Resuscitated
My very beloved brother. That which you tell
us of Petrus, the Apostle of our meek Jesus, gives us
hope that soon we shall see him here and I dispose my-
self to receive him well. Our sister Martha also re-
joices of it. Her health is very tottering and I fear
her passing away. This is why I recommend her to
your good prayers. The good girls who have come to
place themselves under our guidance are admirable for
us and make us the most amiable caresses. It is
enough said, my very beloved brother, that our sojourn
in these countries of the Gaul pleases us much, that we
have no desire to leave it, also none of our friends sug-
gest it. Do you not think that those Gauls who were
thought barbarian nations are not at all so, and judg-
ing only by what we have learned it must be from
these that the light of science started. I have a great
desire to see you and beg our Lord may have you in
favor. This X June XLVL
Magdalene.
SPURIOUS AUIVGRAPIIS 51
Letter from Alexander the Great, King of
Macedonia
Alexander rex, to his very beloved Aristotle — Greeting.
My beloved I am not satisfied because you have
made public certain of your books which you had to
keep under the seal of secrecy, for it is a profanation of
their value; and no more render them public without
my consent. As to what you asked of me, to travel to
the country of the Gauls in order to learn the sciences
of the Druids, of whom Pythagoras made so fine a
eulogy, not only do I permit you but I entreat you to
go for the good of my people, as you are not ignorant
in what esteem I hold that nation which I consider as
the one that carries the light in the world. I salute
you. This XX of the Kalends of May, year of the CV
Olympiad.
Alexander.
CHAPTER V
The Same Subject Continued
SINCE the notable forgeries spoken of in the
preceding chapter, a number of Frenchmen
have engaged, in a comparatively small way, in
the same disreputable business; but their work
was poor and was soon detected.
Let us now inquire what contribution Italy, Great
Britain, Germany, and the United States have made
to this tribe of counterfeiters. Italy has furnished
its quota. Their productions — chiefly of a few of the
most noted early painters, sculptors, and literary men
— were so good as to pass current with many persons
who had insufficient experience and who did not seek
the advice of an expert. Prudent collectors must,
therefore, be on their guard when considering the pur-
chase of a rare Italian name from one who is not known
as a dealer of established reputation for integrity and
sound judgment of genuineness.
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 53
In Great Britain, a number of people have been
diligent, since the middle of the 19th century, in plying
this contemptible vocation. Thej^ have turned their
attention principally to the names of Burns, Byron,
Keats, Shelley, Scott and Nelson; to which, at a later
date, they added Thackeray and Dickens. As a gen-
eral rule — the most notable exception to which will
presently be noticed — some particular forger devoted
his energies to the production of spurious letters of one
person only. The forger of Thackeray letters brought
detection upon himself by his wretched attempts to
make the contents of his productions comparable, in
wit and literary style, with those of the great novelist.
The Keats letters, which came from the hand of the
man now to be named in connection with the Byron
and Shelley forgeries, were well done; careful attention
having been paid to all the details which aid in procuring
deception.
In the year 1848, a young man who assumed the
name of George Gordon Byron and claimed, though
falsely, to be a natural son of Lord Byron, arranged for
the publication of a volume of the poet's writings, sup-
plementary to the edition published by Mr. Murray in
1832. He pretended to have come into possession of
original material sufficient for this purpose. Notice
of the intended publication had been given, when it
54 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
was ascertained that this pretender had been denied
access to any papers in possession of the family. Thus
exposed, he went to New York; where he made the same
effort, but with no greater success. He returned to
London in the winter of 1850, and shortly thereafter
the Byron and Shelley forgeries made their appearance
at an auction sale in the rooms of Messrs. Sotheby &
Wilkinson. The auctioneers had received them from a
Pall Mall bookseller named White, who had obtained
them from the "pseudo Byron." The Shelley forgeries
were admirably executed and were published by Moxon
in 1852; but nearly the entire edition was taken up and
destroyed after the forgery was established by the dis-
covery that the contents of the letters consisted of
copies of letters in old periodicals.
Forty-seven counterfeit Byron letters, which Mr.
White had bought from their maker at half a guinea
apiece, were resold to John Murray, the publisher, for
£123.7.6. They were characterized as "a monument
of criminal ingenuity"; the greatest pains having been
taken to give them such post-marks, stamps, seals, etc.,
as should convey the appearance of genuineness.
Dr. Scott gives such a full and interesting account
of the wholesale forgeries of letters of Robert Burns
and Sir Walter Scott perpetrated in Edinburgh, that
no excuse need be made for reproducing it, in a con-
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 55
densed form, in his own words: "For a period of ten
years, at the close of the nineteenth century, a con-
stant stream of forged documents issued from Edin-
burgh, consisting of pretended writings of Marie Stuart,
Bothwell, James L, Charles I., Cromwell, Charles II.,
Claverhouse, the Young Pretender, John Knox, Rob
Roy, Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and many other eminent
persons. The culprit was a nam named Smith who, on
June 27, 1893, was sentenced to twelve months' im-
prisonment. The mass of his spurious writing became
so formidable that every large city in the United King-
dom has been almost inundated w^ith it. And yet,
after all, notwithstanding the exaggerated statements
as to the ability and skill of the forger, nothing could
be clumsier, more careless or commonplace, than the
products of his pen. No dealer or auctioneer, no one
connected with public museums, seems to have hesi-
tated for a moment in condemning these forgeries.
It appears that for documents of great historic im-
portance, for original poems of Burns never yet pub-
lished, for letters of Thackeray, Scott, and others.
Smith obtained prices ranging only from Is. to 15s.
His chief patrons appear to have been Edinburgh
tradesmen, Mr. James Mackenzie, a chemist and F. S.
A., Mr. James Stillie, a bookseller, and Mr. Andrew
Brown, also a bookseller.
56 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
In May, 1891, what were called "The Rillbank
Crescent Manuscripts" were sold by auction in Edin-
burgh. They comprised letters of Burns, Scott, and
various historical documents — now believed to have
been manufactured by Smith; but the small prices
realized proved that the public had but little faith in
them. The auctioneer refused to warrant them.
Five letters of Burns — one containing a poem — fetched
only from £1 to 30s. each. In the "Cumnock Express"
for August 12, 1892, Mr. Mackenzie published a letter
of Robert Burns addressed to a certain "John Hill,
weaver," as to an old friend living at Cumnock, about
the time of the poet's marriage. This clue sufficed to
expose the whole forgery. Immediately after the pub-
lication of this letter, its genuineness was challenged
by Messrs. James Angus, of Edinburgh, and Colville-
Scott, of Brookwood, Surrey; who proposed that it
should be submitted to the inspection of British Mu-
seum experts. This oifer was refused by Mr. Macken-
zie, who declared he had been a Burns collector for
twenty-five years; and was fortified with the opinion
of Mr. Stillie, a veteran Burns student, who testified
to the undoubted truth of the document, and also of
others which he proceeded to publish, viz. : a "Song to
the Rosebud" and "The Poor Man's Prayer," which
he affirmed, and challenged any one to deny, were the
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS S7
evident product of Burns. Unfortunately, however,
for Mr. Mackenzie, diligent inquiry could discover no
trace of any such person as "John Hill, the weaver";
and "The Poor Man's Prayer," vaunted as the pure
offspring of the poet's muse, was traced to the "London
Magazine" for 1766, when Burns was only seven years
old. Its real author was Dr. W. H. Roberts, who be-
came Provost of Eton in 1781 . Even then Mr. Macken-
zie would not admit that he was convinced. When
pressed to state the source from which he had ob-
tained his extraordinary treasures, he gave a curious
history of an old cabinet purchased by him, which con-
tained a secret drawer in which a bundle of papers
were found.
Though the bubble had now burst, it was some
time before the extent of the frauds was fully revealed.
A lot of manuscripts presented by Mr. Kennedy, a
banker of New York, to the Lenox Library, turned out
to be forgeries. Some documents which had been
presented to the Edinburgh Town Council had like-
wise to be condemned. A number of Burns and Scott
letters which Mr. Stillie, already named as a Burns col-
lector, had sold to Mr. W. W. Cadell in 1899, were in-
spected by several competent experts, and pronounced
worthless; as neither paper, writing, ink, nor style bore
any resemblance to that employed in genuine letters
of Burns or Scott.
58 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
The forger — ^Alexander Hamilton Smith, nick-
named "Antique" Smith from his surrounding himself
with curiosities of various kinds — is [circa 1893] a
little over thirty years of age, has a sallow complexion,
dark moustache, and small side whiskers. His ex-
pression is dull, but his manner is described as being
very plausible and interesting. His education, which
has been exaggerated, did not prevent the perpetration
of the grossest mistakes in grammar and historic dates
and circumstances. His occupation was that of a
copying clerk in legal offices.
His modus operandi consisted in purchasing cheap
folios with fly-leaves, preferring those bound in vellum,
the fly-leaves and vellum being soaked and prepared
to give the appearance of age. But so carelessly were
the forgeries perpetrated that the Ink of all the manu-
scripts, whether centuries old or of quite recent date,
was almost the same, and whole batches of letters dat-
ing from 1757 to 1858, and bearing the names of such
different persons as Edmund Burke, Gen. Abercromby,
Robert Burns, Grattan, Thackeray, and Sir Walter
Scott, began and concluded In the same words. All the
documents were evidently done by the same hand; the
letters were usually very brief, and were laboured and
clumsy Imitations. No care had been taken to pro-
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 59
cure paper such as the supposed writers were in the
habit of using. That, for example, used for the Burns
forgeries was coarse, rough, and bore the appearance
of having been extracted from books. The poems were
written on two kinds of paper — one modern cartridge,
the other of a bluish colour, of a coarse make and glossy,
like that used for making legal drafts, quite unlike
any ever used by the poet. The aspect of age was given
by washing or soaking with some yellow substance,
and the soiling and worn appearance was done very
artificially by drawing the paper across a wet, dirty
surface. All the pretended signatures were evidently
copied from one model. The subscription, "I remain,"
usually found in these letters, was very unusual with
Burns. One of the verses ascribed to Burns was
Pope's.
The Sir Walter Scott letters showed only a super-
ficial resemblance to his hand. They were not written
on letter-paper, as was Scott's method, but on coarse
paper artificially tinted; and they were folded in a
manner different from the custom of the time. Four
letters, dated 1801, 1804, 1818 and 1820, are all writ-
ten on pieces of exactly the same size, bearing the
same water-mark, and addressed to the same person.
Numbers of them begin 'T have your letter," and end
"I remain"; language which Scott rarely employed.
60 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
In some of the pretended ancient documents, the
paper of which had evidently been taken out of old
books, there were worm-holes, and these were clearly
more ancient than the writing, since the writer had
been at pains to avoid the holes. As Burns was an
Excise-man, paper with the Excise heading was often
employed, but dated before Burns was thus occupied.
To put people off their guard, various endorsements
were written on the backs of the pretended autographs,
as if by James Hogg, the "Ettrick Shepherd," Macken-
zie, author of "The Man of Feeling," and others. The
strokes of writing, especially when examined by a
powerful lens, were seen to be shaky and broken.
Autograph signatures on the fly-leaves and title-
pages of worthless books were manufactured and sold
in great numbers.
As there are so many of these forgeries floating
about, it should be remembered that Burns always
wrote on large-sized sheets of paper, possessing a
peculiar texture and a roughish surface, rather thick,
and never glossy; that his usual signature was "Robt.,"
not "Robert" Burns; that his handwriting is free, bold
and flowing; and that his writing at different periods
varies far less than with most persons."
CHAPTER VI
The Same Subject Concluded
IN Germany, as in other European countries, the
counterfeiters of autographs have, at various
times, plied their busy pens with varying degrees
of success.
Many years ago a friend of the writer prepared for
a monthly publication containing matter of interest to
autograph collectors, a short account of certain ex-
tensive and, for a time, successful forgeries which were
the work of a certain Baron von Gerstenbergh, of
Weimar. Somewhere about the year 1850, he began
to forge letters of the poet Schiller. He entered upon
his course of deception with a degree of circumspection
and assiduity worthy of a better cause. Having made
the life of Schiller a special study, and living in the very
city where the poet spent the best years of his life, he
was enabled to compose letters which bore every in-
62 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
ternal evidence of being authentic. Long practice had
made him almost perfect in the imitation of the poet's
handwriting, and he resorted to every possible device
to give his forgeries the appearance of antiquity.
Moreover, in order to make assurance doubly sure, he
purchased a number of genuine letters, at a high price,
in order to sell them to those persons who would be
most likely to detect a forgery; while the spurious
productions went to those who could easily be imposed
upon. For a while he prospered beyond his antici-
pations. The collectors of Europe were anxious to
obtain the autographic treasures he offered them,
which he claimed to have obtained from certain lately
deceased friends and correspondents of the poet. He
even succeeded in deceiving Schiller's daughter to such
an extent that she purchased from him certain pre-
tended unpublished manuscripts of her father for
nearly 1500 thalers. Emboldened by success, Gersten-
bergh, who imagined himself a poet, began to compose
stanzas, to which he did not hesitate to attach the
name of Schiller. These were so execrable, that it was
felt at once they could not possibly be genuine. The
matter was referred to a number of expert autograph
collectors, who unanimously decided that nearly all the
papers sold by Gerstcnbcrgh were forgeries, and at
the same time pointed out infallible means for their
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 63
detection. On the 27th of February, 1856, the forger
was arraigned before the criminal court of Weimar, and
after a long and very interesting trial was condemned
to an imprisonment of two years and six months, be-
sides the payment of a heavy fine.
If other wholesale forgeries have been perpetrated
in Germany, as may be the case, they have not gained
the notoriety which would make them known to the
world at large.
An American collector, whose judgment of the
genuineness of an autograph is not only founded on
long experience, but is largely a matter of intuition,
purchased, some ten years ago, from an entirely repu-
table dealer in Berlin, what was believed to be a full
autograph letter of Count Wallenstein, the central
figure in the Thirty Years' War. It was signed with
his full signature; not with the wretched sign -manual
which is almost undecipherable. When the purchaser
examined it, something which he could not define, in
the general appearance of the letter, suggested a doubt,
almost equivalent to a conviction, that it was not gen-
uine. Thereupon he returned it to the dealer, with a
request that it should be submitted to three well known
experts on autographs of the period of the Thirty
Years' War, and its authenticity or falsity determined
by them. Accordingly, this was done; when two of the
64 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
selected experts pronounced it a counterfeit, while the
third declared himself unable to speak with positive-
ness. Of course, the collector did not take the letter.
There remain, for notice, brief statements of the
few forgeries that have occurred in the United States.
In the year 1860, a man calling himself James W.
Turner, and writing from Washington, D. C, made the
bold attempt to manufacture letters of those Signers
of the Declaration of Independence whose autographs
were either very rare or practically unobtainable. He
knew that but one full letter of Thomas Lynch, Jr.,
and nothing better than a letter signed by Button
Gwinnett, existed. Brotherhead's "Book of the Sign-
ers" had recently been published, and furnished Turner
with the materials for his venture. He commenced
operations by sending to a Philadelphia dealer a letter
purporting to be written by Lynch and signed by him
and Christopher Gadsden. In view of the rarity of
the autograph, he named $2S as the price for it. It
was shown to three Philadelphia collectors, two of
whom were willing to purchase it if the price were re-
duced, while a third unhesitatingly declared it to be a
counterfeit, and expressed his intention to expose the
counterfeiter. Accordingly, he wrote to Turner, say-
ing that he was collecting a set of the Signers, was in
need of certain names — Lynch being one of them —
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 65
and that he would hke to know whether Mr. Turner
could supply him with any of them. A quick response
came, accompanied by two letters of Lynch that were
substantially duplicates of the one sent to the Phila-
delphia dealer, and stating that, if informed of the
wants of the collector, the writer could probably furnish
many of the names desired. The fraud was thus un-
covered and exposed in time to prevent more than a
very few inexperienced and trustful persons from being
imposed upon.
At about the same time an Englishman, calling
himself Robert Spring, and living in Philadelphia,
where he carried on a small business as a dealer in books,
autographs, engravings, etc., boldly resorted to the
manufacture of autographs, as an aid to obtaining
means for the support of his family. He made no effort
to conceal this fact from his customers in Philadelphia;
telling them that he had no thought of oflFering them
anything that was not genuine; but that the productions
of his pen were intended only for persons residing
abroad, who were not regular collectors. As a matter
of fact he frequently obtained, by traveling through
the States and visiting the homes of the descendants
of Revolutionary characters, considerable numbers of
valuable letters which he sold at fair prices to the
few collectors who regularly bought from him. Being
66 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
a most expert penman, he applied himself, for weeks
and months, to practice in imitating the handwriting
of Gen. Washington. When he felt that he had mas-
tered it he would provide himself with paper of the
period, sufficiently stained or darkened; and with a
quill pen, using ink of suitable quality and colour, would
write — not trace or copy — what purported to be an
original letter or document, the contents being of his
own composition, while he had a genuine letter spread
before his eyes to guide him in his work. In this way
he wrote dozens of short letters or small military docu-
ments of Gen. Washington, in which the handwriting,
easy for Spring to simulate, so closely resembled that
of the General as to pass current with most people.
Most of his forgeries were of this one name. He tried
his hand at a few other names, such as Jefferson, Frank-
lin, and some rare signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, by the usual mode of tracing from lithographic
fac-similes; but this work was not well done and was
seldom offered for sale.
He was in the habit of sending these spurious
papers, in three or four different assumed names, to
members of the English nobility and gentry and to
Canadians, representing himself, in various persona-
tions, as a widow in want, a daughter of Gen. "Stone-
wall" Jackson, in needy circumstances, and in other
SPURIOUS AUTOGRAPHS 67
characters which he thought might appeal to kind-
hearted people of means. When he wrote as a widow,
the letter would say that she had found the enclosed
paper among her husband's effects, that she believed it
to be valuable, and would the gentleman whom she
addressed have pity on the widow and the fatherless
and send her whatever he might think the document
was worth. These appeals were quite successful, and
many supposed autographs of Gen. Washington thus
passed into the possession of people who bought them
from a feeling of sympathy rather than from a desire to
obtain a valuable paper at a small price.
Spring was arrested several times for obtaining
money under false pretences; but always escaped pun-
ishment by confessing his guilt, declaring that he had
never sent his productions to any persons in the United
States, and by pleading that he had resorted to this line
of conduct solely in order to obtain means for the
support of his large family. For a number of years
prior to his death he led a correct life.
Before concluding the subject considered in this
chapter and the two preceding ones, attention should
be called to the fact that lithographic — and, in recent
years, photographic — copies of letters which appeared
as illustrations in biographical or other publications
have been offered for sale, sometimes in good faith, and
68 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
occasionally have been accepted as genuine original
letters. Though, in the case of comparatively old
lithographs, time and discoloration have helped to aid
the deception, it is hard to understand how any person
of intelligence and judgment could be so imposed on.
Any expert would recognize their real character at a
moment's glance. Among the most familiar instances
of such fac-similes are Washington's well-known letter
to Francis Hopkinson [originally published as an illus-
tration in an old Philadelphia Magazine], Lord Byron's
to Mr. Galignani [18, Rue Vivienne, Paris], and Lord
Nelson's to Thomas Lloyd [No. 15, Mary's Buildings,
St. Alartin's Lane, London]. A sure way to determine
whether a paper is an original or a fac-simile is to touch
a single letter of a word with a minute drop of diluted
muriatic acid. In the case of a lithograph or photo-
graph the spot touched will not be in the least degree
affected by the acid, whereas the ink in an original
letter will be wholly or in great part obliterated.
CHAPTER VII
On the Progressive Increase in the Market
Value of Autographs
THE last hundred years have witnessed a
wonderful change in the market values of all
sorts of things dear to collectors, and especi-
ally in books and autographs. If we examine
the catalogues of sales made in the first quarter of the
19th century, or a few years later, we shall see there
enumerated a multitude of items that would now read-
ily bring from twenty to fifty, or more, times as much
as they then did. The reason for this advance in
values is not difficult to understand. In those days
the number of collectors was extremely small in com-
parison with the present number, and they had far
less wealth than their successors in after years. The
multi-millionaire existed, but was rarely met with.
As, from decade to decade, there were constant acces-
70 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
sions to the ranks of the collectors, and as the purchas-
ing power of the pound, the franc, or the dollar de-
clined, there was a natural advance in values which,
when once commenced, has continued, sometimes with
leaps and bounds, to the present day. There are many
who think it has gone too far, and that a reaction will
follow. Whether this will happen is purely problem-
atical.
Turning our attention to the prices at which auto-
graphs were sold in the comparative infancy of the
hobby, we shall find some rather remarkable records
of sales in France and England, between the years 1822
and 1837, at figures which, to-day, would seem ab-
surdly small.
Thus, in France, an A. L. S. of Barbaroux [French
Revolutionist] was quoted at 5 francs in 1829; one of
Bichat [the great anatomist] at 2}^ francs in 1831;
one of Charles VI. of France at 30 francs in 1837; one
of the Emperor Charles V. at 21^/2 francs in 1833; one
of Camille Desmoulins at 3 francs in 1837; one of King
Henry III. of France at 20 francs in 1831; one of Marat
[the noted French Revolutionist] at 7 francs 10 cen-
times in 1828; one of Marie Antoinette at 81 francs in
1833; one of Marshal Lanncs at 15 francs in 1831; one
of Philip II. of Spain at 10 francs in 1834; one of
Madame de Pompadour at 17 francs in 1833; one of
INCREASE IN VAEUES 71
Jean Racine at 39 francs in 1826; one of Robespierre at
10 francs in 1837; one of Madame Roland at 16 francs
in 1837; and one of Voltaire at 4 francs in 1822.
The "Archivist" for December, 1889, gives the
text of an article on autographs, written in the year
1827 by a woman who was well known in her day as an
author, and who was also a collector, in which she
quotes, from a catalogue of a collection for sale in
London, the price affixed to each lot. Queen Elizabeth
[the character of the specimen not being stated] is
worth £2 2s. Charles I. is of equal value. Francis I.
and Louis XIV. are estimated at about 4s. each. Car-
dinal Mazarin is valued at 3s. 6d. The dramatists
Congreve and the elder Coleman combine with four
other individuals to reach 10s. 6d. Addison is worth
£2.15, Swift £3, and Burns £3.7.6. Gibbon [the his-
torian] is valued at 8s., Dr. Johnson at £1.16, Lawrence
Sterne at 2 guineas, Samuel Richardson [the novelist]
at 20s., and Sir Walter Scott at 8s.
During the two succeeding decades there was a
slow, but substantial, increase in prices; though they
continued to be very moderate throughout the Upcott,
Tremont, Donnadieu, and Dawson Turner sales. The
advance in values became more pronounced, though
far from excessive, at the sales of the Young and Dillon
collections in 1869, and it held good during the Fillon
72 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
sale in 1878 and the Bovet sale in 1887. Still the
rarer and more valuable items were not beyond the
purchasing power of a man of moderate means. It
was not until fifteen years later that prices began their
leap to figures that seemed almost impossible; and their
onward march appears to be without check.
As illustrations of the difference between the low
prices of 1827 to 1859, and the current values of to-day,
the following instances may be cited,
Ludwig von Beethoven [the great composer]. An A. L.
S. sold at 12 francs in 1842. In 1911, at the Huth
sale, an A. L. S. 2 pages 4to brought £4-0.
Catharine of Arragon^ first Queen of Henry the Eighth.
In 1851, at the Donnadieu sale, an A. L. S. 3 pages
folio, to the Emperor Charles V., sold at £21. At
the Huth sale the same letter brought £800.
Lord Byron. In 1843 an A. L. S. 4to sold at 80 francs.
In 1916 the catalogue of Bernard Quaritch prices a
similar specimen at £63.
Andre Chenier. In 1827 an A. L. S. 4to was priced at
20 francs 95 centimes. In 1887 a similar specimen
brought 810 francs at the Bovet sale.
Queen Elizabeth. At the Donnadieu sale, in 1851, an
A. ].. S. 4 pages folio, to James VI. of Scotland,
INCREASE IN VALUES 73
brought £16. At the Huth sale, in 1911, an A. L. S.
3 pages folio, to King Henry IV., of France, sold for
£365.
Galileo Galilei. In 1833 an A. L. S. was priced at 51
francs. At the Huth sale, in 1911, an A. L. S. \}/2
pages folio sold for £116.
Christoph Gluck [the composer]. In 1843 an A. L. S.
sold for 74 francs. In 1905, at the Cohn sale, one
sold for 4000 marks.
Charles Lamb. At the Donnadieu sale, in 1851, an
interesting A. L. S. 3 pages folio brought £1.15. In
1916 a similar specimen is priced by Quaritch at £55.
Martin Luther. In 1869, at the Dillon sale, an A. L. S.
1^ pages folio to the Duke of Saxony sold for £18.
At the Huth sale, in 1911, the same letter produced
£495.
John Milton [the great poet]. The collection of auto-
graph letters formed by John Anderdon, Esq., which
was sold by Mr. Evans, in London, in 1833, contained
a long A. L. S. from Milton to his dear friend Carlo
Dati, dated from London, 1647. It was purchased
by Mr. Pickering, the publisher, for £14. To-day
it would readily bring from ten to twenty times that
price.
Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1834 an A. L. S. 4to was sold
for 104 francs. In 1887, at the Bovet sale, a similar
specimen realized 1000 francs.
74 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Rembrandt [the great painter]. At the Donnadieu
sale, in 1851, an A. L. S. 4to sold for £10. At the
Cohn sale, in 1905, an A. L. S. folio went for 7000
marks.
Cardinal Richelieu. In 1841 an A. L. S. was quoted at
18 francs. At the Fillon sale in 1878, the price was
1000 francs.
Peter Paul Rubens [the painter]. In 1842 an A. L. S.
folio was priced at 60 francs. At the Cohn sale,
in 1905, one sold for 1500 marks.
Percy B. Shelley. At the Young sale, in 1869, an A. L.
S. 4to sold at £7.10. In the Quaritch catalogue for
1916 a similar specimen is priced at £90.
In the United States, the advance in values has
been confined chiefly to names that appear in the
series of Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
Generals of the Revolutionary War, Presidents, and
to a comparatively few literary and miscellaneous
names. In some instances it has been moderate; in
others, very great. A signature of Thomas Lynch,
Jr., one of the Signers of the Declaration, cut from
the title page of a book belonging to him, was worth
$\0 in 1860. By 1886 it had advanced to 3210 at the
Cist sale; and later on it commanded a still higher
figure. At the same sale a folio document signed by
INCREASE IN VALUES 7S
Button Gwinnett sold for 3185; while a similar speci-
men brought the enormous price of ^4600 at the
Danforth sale in 1912.
Among literary names the most pronounced ad-
vance has been in letters of Edgar A. Poe. In 1860
good letters of this poet could readily be had for $S :
to-day they are worth from 350 to 3100. Nathaniel
Hawthorne, Washington Irving, James Russell Lowell,
Longfellow, Bret Harte, Samuel L. Clemens, and a
few other leading poets and prose-writers, are now in
constant demand at prices from five to ten times
greater than those at which they were then abundant.
Of miscellaneous names, those of General Washing-
ton, his mother [Mary] and wife [Martha], Capt.
Nathan Hale [the martyr spy]. Major John Andre,
John Paul Jones [the naval hero], William Penn, and
Abraham Lincoln are a few that may be particu-
larly mentioned. In the middle of the 19th century
full autograph letters of Gen. Washington, with in-
teresting contents, were not valued at more than
315 to 320; and military letters signed [but not written]
by him were sold at 33 to 35. There was a plentiful
supply of both kinds. Letters of his mother were,
and are, of extreme rarity: yet one was bought, in 1858,
for 350, which would now be worth 31000. Letters
of Martha Washington appeared only occasionally.
76 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
but were not estimated at more than ^25 — a fifth
or tenth of their present value. No letter of Nathan
Hale was heard of, either at public or private sale,
until 1892; when an A. L. S. 3 pages 4to [not military]
realized 31125 at an auction sale in Philadelphia.
For a letter of Major Andre, which today would be
worth 31000, 3100 was considered a full price. A
good letter of John Paul Jones could be had for 310 —
a small fraction of its present value. Letters of
William Penn will readily bring ten times as much as
they did then; and those of Abraham Lincoln have
had an enormous advance.
In the series of Generals of the Revolutionary
War much attention has, of late years, been paid to
the character of the contents of the letters. Such as
embodied valuable historical material, even though
written by men whose autographs were of common
occurrence, have been selling at prices largely in ex-
cess of those that prevailed thirty or forty years ago.
Of the more noted names that now command a very
decided increase in price, Israel Putnam, Richard
Montgomery, Benedict Arnold, Anthony Wayne, Count
Pulaski, Baron de Kalb, Hugh Mercer and Charles
Lee may be specified. Letters of Philippe Du Cou-
dray and the Chevalier de la Neuville have never
appeared in sale catalogues, and are so rare that, so
INCREASE IN VALUES
11
far as is known, they are not to be found except in
one private collection. Baron de Woedtke has ap-
peared once, or perhaps twice, as L. S.
As the prices obtained for autographs of the
Signers of the Declaration of Independence at the
Cist sale, in 1886, fairly represent their current values
up to that time, a comparison of them with the prices
realized at the Danforth sale, in 1912, will indicate
the extent of the increase in value. To that end
the following tabulated statement is given; omitting
a few names poorly represented in the Cist series:
Name. Price
John Adams A. L.
Samuel Adams A. L.
Carter Braxton A. L.
Charles Carroll A. L.
Samuel Chase A. L.
Abraham Clark A. L.
George Clymer A. L.
William Ellery A. L.
William Floyd A. L.
Benjamin Franklin.. . .A. L.
Elbridge Gerry A. L.
Button Gwinnett D. S.
Lyman Hall A. D.
John Hancock A. L.
Benj. Harrison A. L.
Joseph Hewes A. L.
Thomas Hey ward D. S.
William Hooper A. L.
Francis Hopkinson. . . . A. L.
Samuel Huntington . . . A. L.
Thomas Jefferson A. L.
Francis Lightfoot Lee . A. L.
at the Cist Sale.
S. 4to, 1780. $11
S.4to, 1779. $35
S. 3 pp., 1777. $5
S.4to, 1810. $2.75
S.4to, 1788. $6
S. 2 pp. folio, 1776. $20
S.5pp.4to, 1785. $2|
S.4to, 1771. $4
S.4to, 1821. $7
S.2pp.4to, 1750. $12
S.2pp.4to, 1782. $7
folio, 1774. $185
S. 2 pp. folio, 1787. $36
S.4to, 1778. $15
S.4to, 1788. $9
S.2pp.4to, 1777. $28
4to, 1786. $10
S.3pp.4to, 1781. $20
S.4to, 1786. $8
S.2pp.4to,1794. $5
S.4to,1826. $4.75
S.3pp.4to, 1777. $12
Price at the Danforth Sale.
A. L. S. 3 pp. 4to, 1779. $36
A.L.S.4to, 1772. $31
A. L.S. 3 pp. folio, 1778. $36
A.L.S.4to, 1790. $14
A.L.S.2pp. folio, 1779. $92^
A.L.S.4to, 1776. $305
A. L.S. folio, 1778. $50
A. L.S. 2 pp. 4to, 1782. $85
A.L.S.4to, 1783. $80
A.L.S.4to, 1776. $375
A.L.S.2pp. folio, 1776. $205
D.S.2pp. folio, 1770. $4600
A. L.S. large folio, 1783. $225
L.S.2pp. folio, 1776. $175
A.L. S.2pp. folio, 1782. $46
A.L.S.3pp.4to, 1775. $800
A. L.S.4to, 1801. $195
A.L. S. 2 pp. folio, 1782. $450
A.L.S.4to, 1778. $80
A. L.S. 2 pp. 4to, 1783. $35
A.L.S.4to, 1779. $50
A. L.S. 2 pp. 4to, 1776. $160
78 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
RichardHenry Lee. . .A.L.S.4to, 1781. $3.50 A. L. S.2pp. 4to, 1776. $175
Francis Lewis A. L. S.2 pp. 4to, 1778. $16 A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1777. $125
Philip Livingston L. S. 4to, 1773. $3.25 A. L. S. 2pp.4to, 1778. $280
Thomas Lynch, Jr . . . . Cut signature. $210 Signature on a title page. $580
Arthur Middleton B. S. | page 4to, 1782. $15 A. L. S.4to, 1781. $470
Lewis Morris A. L. S. folio, 1776. $85 A. L. S. folio, 1788. $100
Robert Morris A. L. S.4to, 1799. $1.50 A. L. S. 3 pp. folio, 1776. $60
ThomasNelson, Jr....A.L.S.4to, 1783. $6.50 A. L. S. folio, 1776. $160
William Paca A. L. S. 4to, 1779. $17 A. L. S. folio, 1786. $45
Robt. Treat Paine. ...A. L. S.2 pp. 4to, 1778. $22 A. L. S.4pp.4to, 1784. $250
JohnPenn A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1776. $40 A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1776. $710
Caesar Rodney A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1775. $8.50 A. L. S. folio, 1776. $150
George Ross A. L. S. folio, 1773. $9 A. L.S.2pp.4to, 1775. $120
Benjamin Rush A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1811. $2 A. L. S. 3 pp.4to, 1783. $95
Edward Rutledge A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1798. $10 A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, 1776. $250
Roger Sherman A. L. S.4pp.4to, 1781. $25 A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, 1784. $200
Richard Stockton A. L. S.4to, 1779. $50 A. L. S. 3 pp. 4to, 1763. $235
Thomas Stone A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1786. $25 A. L. S. 4to, 1778. $250
Matthew Thornton . . . A. D. S. 4to, 1764. $3 A. L. S. folio, 1775. $310
William Whipple A. L. S. 4 pp. 4to, 1778. $9 A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1776. $250
William Williams A. L. S.4pp. 4to, 1777. $6 A. L. S.2 pp. folio, 1776. $165
James Wilson A. L. S.4to, 1793. $4^ A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, 1780. $110
John Witherspoon . . . . A. L. S. 4to, 1791. $4f A. L. S. folio, 1776. $125
Oliver Wolcott A. L. S. 4to, 1783. $15 A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, 1776. $240
George Wythe A. D. S. folio, 1789. $26 A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, 1776. $680
It should not be forgotten that the extremely
high prices obtained at the Danforth sale were chiefly
due to competition among a few men of great wealth
who had recently entered the field, and to the desire
to obtain letters written in the year 1776; a desire
which had not manifested itself in earlier days.
CHAPTER VIII
Concerning Those Who Have Conducted the Com-
merce IN Autographs
IN any mention of the men who have become well
known and successful as dealers in autographs,
the Charavay family, of Paris, is entitled to first
place. Three generations of the family have,
since the year 1843, not only been one of the chief me-
diums through which collectors in Europe and America
have been supplied, but the successive heads of the
business have always been considered as most com-
petent and trustworthy experts, especially in regard
to the authenticity of French and Italian autographs,
and as thoroughly honest and reliable business men.
Jacques Charavay was the first of the family to com-
mence the occupation of a dealer in autographs.
Coming to Paris in 1843, with a knowledge of the
subject obtained from close study, and with an eye
80 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
that quickly detected want of genuineness, he issued,
in November, 1845, his first bulletin of autographs
for sale at the prices marked. Up to the time of his
death in 1867, he continued to issue these monthly
bulletins and to prepare the sale catalogues of im-
portant collections to be disposed of at auction.
He was succeeded by his son Etienne, who gained
even a greater reputation than that which attached
to his father. His knowledge of autographs, their
rarity, value, and authenticity, was conceded to be
unrivaled. His judgment of the genuineness of a
paper was accepted without question. After his
death, the business passed into the hands of M. Noel
Charavay, who still conducts it with the intelligence,
energy, and success that characterized his predeces-
sors. He, too, is acknowledged to be an expert of
high rank.
Other members of the family who followed this
same pursuit were Gabriel Charavay [1818-1879],
his son Eugene, and his widow, both of whom are
now deceased. They issued their priced catalogues
with great regularity, and had a large clientele.
In England, the bookseller Waller was one of
the first well-known dealers in London. He and his
son John, who succeeded him, issued catalogues for
nearly fifty years, and up to the death of the son in
AUTOGRAPH DEALERS 81
the latter part of the nineteenth century. They were
greatly respected for intelligent and fair dealing, and
they always endeavoured to keep their prices at
moderate figures, so as to encourage young collectors.
Frederick Barker and Frederick Naylor were two
of the best known dealers in London in the last quarter
of the nineteenth century. They were extensive pur-
chasers at the various auction sales, and large quan-
tities of good material came into their hands by private
purchase. It was Mr. Barker's good fortune to ac-
quire, in this way, the business correspondence of
William Strahan, the leading English publisher of the
18th century, containing hundreds of letters of Ben-
jamin Franklin, Sir William Blackstone, Tobias Smol-
lett, and many other leading characters and literary
lights of that day. He had a large circle of customers
in the United States as well as Great Britain, to whom
he was in the habit of sending parcels of autographs
for examination and selection. His prices were mod-
erate, he was extremely fair and very obliging, and
his death was greatly regretted by all with whom he
had dealings. Both he and Mr. Naylor issued, for
many years and up to the time of their death, regular
monthly catalogues in which rare and choice letters
frequently appeared.
82 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
After their deaths, Walter V. Daniell, Bernard
Quaritch, and J. Pearson & Co. became the principal
London dealers; the latter firm, through the attention
given by Mr. F. Wheeler, acquiring the leading place
and issuing occasional catalogues of letters of the first
importance. At a somewhat later date Maggs Bros,
entered the field and have been very active in it.
In Germany the principal dealers have been Otto
August Schulz and his son, Richard Zeune, Albert
Cohn, Emil Hirsch, and Leo Liepmannssohn; the latter
of whom, after many years of deserved success, has
laid aside the cares of active business. Those who are
best known to-day are C. G. Boerner, in Leipzig, and
J. A. Stargardt, Karl Ernst Henrici, and Otto Haas
[successor to Leo Liepmannssohn] in Berlin.
In the United States, Charles De F. Burns was
the first to establish himself in this business. He be-
gan in a small way, in the city of New York, in the
year 1864, and was so prosperous that, in August,
1870, he commenced the issue of a periodical, called
"The American Antiquarian," part of which was de-
voted to a catalogue of the autographs for sale by him.
For many years there was no other dealer in this
country. He had a large knowledge of autographs,
was an excellent judge of the genuineness of a paper,
and was very straightforward in his dealings with his
AUTOGRAPH DEALERS 83
customers. He would never accept a commission in
excess of five per cent for making purchases at auction
sales; and he would complain, in the most outspoken
way, if compelled to pay, for a client, an unduly high
price. He died, much regretted, a few years ago,
after spending nearly fifty years in a pursuit which
was most congenial to him.
William Evarts Benjamin and his brother, Walter
R., first became known to collectors in the year 1886.
Shortly thereafter William retired from the business
which Walter has since conducted with so large a
measure of success. He has an immense stock of
autographs, and publishes a monthly paper called
"The Collector," in which, like Mr. Wegg, he frequent-
ly "drops into poetry"; for he inherits the poetic in-
stinct from his father, the well-known Park Benjamin
of the "Knickerbocker" days. He resides in New
York City; where P. F. Madigan and his son Thomas
have lately established themselves as dealers, partic-
ularly in fine literary autographs, and where Joseph
Sabin occasionally offers some choice letters to his
large clientele for engravings. From Syracuse, N. Y.,
John Heise sends out priced lists from which his nu-
merous customers are supplied. In Boston, Charles E.
Goodspeed is the leading, if not the only, dealer.
84 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
In Philadelphia few people are engaged in this
line of business. The best known are Dr. A. S. W.
Rosenbach — who, in addition to a magnificent array
of books, carries a small stock of letters and documents
of the finest quality — and Dr. William J. Campbell,
bookseller and publisher.
CHAPTER IX
Concerning Some Noted European Collections
OF THE Olden and of Recent Times
THE earliest noted collections of autographs
which have passed into national archives in
France and England and have there been
preserved intact, were formed, not for the
sake of obtaining specimens of the handwriting of
eminent men and women, but to ensure the preserva-
tion of the papers for historical purposes. They were,
in most part, obtained by gift of the ancient families
in which they had long been accumulating.
Some such collections are specially mentioned by
M. Etienne Charavay in "La Science des Autographes."
One of them was the immense collection formed in
France, in the early part of the 17th century, by Philippe
de Bethune, brother of the great Sully, and his son
Hippolyte, with the aid of their family archives and
86 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
those of the houses of Nevers and of Montmorency.
It contained thousands of original letters of illustri-
ous personages, classified by reigns, and is now part
of the precious possessions of the Bibliotheque Na-
tionale.
After them, Antoine Lom^nie de Brienne, Fabri de
Peiresc, Etienne Baluze, Andr6 Du Chesne, and some
other literary men, joined the collection of autographs
with that of books and other curiosities. But the
man who, more than any other, devoted his time
and fortune to the search for autographs was Roger
de Gaignieres. This gentleman, born in 1644, with
the aid of his valet [who became his librarian], saved
great numbers of valuable historical papers from de-
struction. In 1711 he presented them to Louis XIV.,
and they now form a most important part of the
treasures of the Bibliotheque Nationale.
In the same category with the foregoing must be
named several great collections formed in England,
in the 17th century and the early part of the 18th, by
Sir Robert Cotton, Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford,
and Sir Hans Sloane — all of which are numbered among
the glories of the British Museum.
The 18th century witnessed a slow, but steady,
development of the taste for autographs; and the 19th
century produced hundreds of votaries of the hobby,
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 87
diligently seeking to obtain letters or documents of
eminent persons, not only for such historic or personal
interest as might attach to them but also as specimens
of handwriting.
M. Charavay gives, as the names of the notable
French collectors in the early part of the 19th century,
those of Guilbert de Pixerecourt, the Marquis de
Chalabre, the Marquise de Dolomieu, the Comtesse
de Castellane, Monmerque, the Baron Feuillet de
Conches, the Comte d'Hauterive, the Baron de Tre-
mont, Alexandre Martin, Lucas de Montigny, Tarbe,
Chambry, Michel Chasles [the mathematician], Victor
Cousin, Guizot, Sainte-Beuve, Dubrunfaut [the chem-
ist], Benjamin Fillon, and Alfred Sensier. To these
must be added, somewhat later in that century, the
names of Mons. La Caille — who had one of the finest
collections in Europe — ^\^ictorien Sardou, Alexandre
Dumas, Alfred Bovet, and very many others.
In relation to English collectors, John Gough
Nichols, in his preface to ^'Autographs of Royal,
Noble, Learned, and Remarkable Personages Con-
spicuous in English History," says: "The preface to
Thane's 'Autography' tells us that the fac-similes given
in the work are from the originals which were formerly
in the collections of those well-known antiquaries,
Ralph Thoresby, Esq., Peter le Neve, Esq. [whose
88 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
collection now forms the Harleian volumes 4712 and
4713], James West, Esq., Rev. Mr. Ives, Mr. Bar-
telet, Gustavus Brande, Esq., and others. The first
of these collections will be found fully described in a
distinct chapter of the 'Museum Thoresbyanum.'
After mentioning that he had a copy of Camden's
Britannia in quarto, 'which I bought for the sake of
the learned author's autograph,' Mr. Thoresby con-
tinues: 'This reminds me of another branch of the
curiosities that I began to collect of late years, viz:
Original letters and other matters of the proper Hand-
writing of persons of all ranks, eminent in their genera-
tions'; of which he proceeds to give a catalogue, the
names only of the writers occupying more than three
large folio pages. In more recent days, collections of
autographs have been formed by Sir William Musgrave
[who bequeathed them to the British Museum], and
the late James Bindley, the sale of whose library, in
1820, was concluded with 108 lots of autographs."
Among the names of Englishmen who were best
known, in the 19th century, as the possessors of exten-
sive collections, are those of John L. Anderdon, Esq.,
Dawson Turner, J. B. Williams, of Shrewsbury, Rev.
Robert Bolton, Robert Cole, Baron Heath, A. Don-
nadieu. Sir Thomas Phillips, John Dillon, John Young,
Rev. Dr. Raffles, William Upcott, and Alfred Morrison.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 89
Charavay gives the names of a few of the best
known collectors in other European countries; but, as
might be expected, the list represents a mere fraction
of the actual number.
While it would be manifestly impossible, for want
of space, to take any further notice of most of these
collections, curiosity to know something about the
character of the material that, at different periods,
composed them, may be gratified by the detailed
statements that follow.
The Monmerque Collection
One of the earliest French collections disposed of
at auction, was that of M. Monmerque. The sale
took place in May, 1837. The catalogue is an 8vo
pamphlet of 108 pages, enumerating 1352 items, ar-
ranged alphabetically, but giving a very scant descrip-
tion of the autographs. The following names will
serve to indicate the general character of the collection
and the auction prices of that day.
Balzac, Jean Louis Guez de [Author]. A. L. S., 1639.
283^ francs.
Garrick, David [Actor]. A. L. S., 1767. 31}/^ francs.
Henri IF. [King of France]. A. L. S., 1594. 60 francs.
90 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
La Fontaine, Jean de. [Fabulist]. A. L. S., 1658.
320 francs.
Le Couvreur, Adrienne [Actress], A. L. S., 1729. 62
francs.
Louis XL [King of France]. L. S. 16 francs.
Mabillon, dom Jean [Pulpit orator]. A. L. S., 1697.
5 francs.
Marat, Jean Paul. A. L. S. 8vo. 293^2 francs.
Marie Antoinette. A. D. S. of 4 lines on the back of a
letter. 1781. 23 francs.
Mazarin, Jules, Cardinal. A. L. S., 1658. 23 francs.
Medicis, Marie de [Queen of France]. A. L. S., 1614.
19 francs.
Mignard, Pierre [Painter]. A. L. S. 26 francs.
Pare, Ambroise [Surgeon]. D. S., 1672. 43^ francs.
Perrault, Charles [Author]. A. L. S. 18 francs.
Piron, Alexis [Poet]. A. L. S., 1755. 20 francs.
Pompadour, Madame de [Mistress of Louis XV.]. A.
L. S., 1747. 10 francs.
Prevost d' Exiles, VAbhe [Author]. A. L. S., 1735. ll]^
francs.
Rochefoucauld, Frangois, Due de la. [Author of "Max-
ims."] A. L. S., 1658. 47 francs.
Rohan, Henri, Due de [Chief of the Calvinists]. A. L.
S., 1617. 2 francs.
VVIJJ.IAM UPCOTT
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 91
Roland^ Madame [French Revolution]. A. L. S. 16
francs.
Rousseau^ Jean Jacques. A. L. S. and A. D. S., 1774.
41 francs.
Saint Pierre^ Bernardin de [Author]. A. L. S. 11
francs.
Sales, Saint Frangois de. A. L. S. 65 francs.
Tasso, Torquato. A. L. S., 1586. 400 francs.
Washington, George. A. L. S., 1797. 40 francs.
The Upcott Collection
In 1836 Mr. William Upcott, the assistant-libra-
rian of the London Institution from 1806 to 1834,
printed, for private distribution, a catalogue of the
"Original letters, manuscript, and State papers" in his
collection. In a brief preface, he states that the col-
lection — the labor of more than twenty-five years — •
comprises thirty-two thousand letters, exclusive of
manuscripts. "Favourable and extraordinary oppor-
tunities have encouraged my pursuit. The papers and
correspondence of Henry Hyde, second Earl of Claren-
don, J. and S. Dayrolles, Ralph Thoresby of Leeds,
Emanuel da Costa, and others, were in my possession.
. . . Added to these, many of the most eminent pub-
lishers kindly permitted me to select from their preserved
92 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
correspondence letters written by eminent scholars. . . .
I am, in consequence, induced to believe, from the
opinions expressed by many men of acknowledged
taste, that there does not exist a private collection so
rich in literary and historical matter." He goes on to
say that he has transcribed into this catalogue only some
of the leading names, and expresses the desire to see
the collection preserved in one of the public museums
either abroad or at home.
Ten years later — in 1846 — the collection was sold
at auction, in London, "under the direction of the
Court of Chancery," by Messrs. Evans. The cata-
logue comprised 585 lots, many of which contained
several hundred different items; and the sale produced
the sum of £4125.17.6. As might be reasonably sup-
posed, the larger part of the names were those of per-
sons of comparatively little note. There were, how-
ever, a great number of lots made up of names of first
importance. A few of these may be specified with some
detail.
1. Letters and documents of British kings and
queens. Bound in one volume.
2. Autographs of the kings of France, from the
time of Philip V. [1319] to Napoleon. Bound in two
folio volumes. Sold at £7.10.0.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 93
3. Original letters and documents signed by the
principal persons who figured in the French Revolution.
In two portfolios.
4. 535 letters and documents of British Naval
officers from 1652 to 1826; including Blake, Monk,
Prince Rupert, Anson, Nelson, and many other celeb-
rities. Sold at £10.
5. 383 letters of literary characters of the 16th,
17th, and part of the 18th centuries; the greater por-
tion of which are addressed to John Evelyn. Includ-
ing Jos. Addison, Sir Thomas Browne, Robert Boyle,
William Congreve, John Evelyn, Andrew Marvel, Sir
Isaac Newton, Samuel Pepys, Alex. Pope, Sir Richard
Steele, Dean Swift, and Edmund Waller. Sold at
£80.
6. 752 letters of literary characters of the 18th
and 19th centuries. Including James Boswell, Dr.
Sam. Johnson, R. Porson, and Adam Smith. Sold at
£33.
7. 1279 letters of literary men of the 18th and
19th centuries. Including Sir William Blackstone,
Lord Byron, Benj. Franklin, Edward Gibbon, Thomas
Paine, Sir Walter Scott, Percy B. Shelley, R. B. Sheri-
dan, and Henry Kirke White. Sold at £42.
94 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
8. 121 letters of dramatists. Including W. Con-
greve, David Garrick, Aaron Hill, David Mallet, Thos.
Shadwell, R. B. Sheridan, Thos. Southerne, and Sir
John Vanbrugh.
9. 470 letters of deceased British poets, from the
16th century to 1836. Including Sir Philip Sydney,
A. Cowley, Sir William Davenant, Edmund Waller,
Thos. Parnell, S. Garth, Matthew Prior, T. D'Urfey, E.
Settle, Sir R. Blackmore, William Congreve, John Gay,
Thos. Tickell, Alex. Pope, Richard Savage, Jonathan
Swift, James Thomson, Wm. Shenstone, Wm. Falconer,
Oliver Goldsmith, Robert Burns, Henry Kirke White,
Percy B. Shelley, Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, Sam.
Taylor Coleridge, and Charles Lamb.
10. 414 letters of actors and actresses. Includ-
ing Frances Abington, George Anne Bellamy, Barton
Booth, Anne Bracegirdle, Colley Cibber, J. Emery,
David Garrick, Jo. Grimaldi, Thos. Hull, Dorothea
Jordan, Edmund Kean, John P. Kemble, Thos. King,
Charles Macklin, John Palmer, W. Parsons, John
Quick, Mrs. Siddons, Tate Wilkinson, and Henry
Woodward.
Among the letters catalogued separately, mention
should be made of John Selden, George Fox (the
Quaker), Robert Boyle, Sir Christopher Wren, Wm.
Blake (painter), T. Gainsborough (painter), William
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 95
Hogarth, J. Hoppner (painter), Sir Godfrey Kneller,
Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, Lawrence Sterne,
Samuel Richardson, Edmund Burke, Matthew Prior,
Wm. Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Spranger
Barry (actor), Samuel Foote (actor), George Wash-
ington, and Martha Washington.
The Donnadieu Collection.
The noted collection of autographs belonging to
Mons. A. Donnadieu was sold at auction, by Messrs.
Puttick and Simpson, in 1851. The catalogue was
printed in ordinary 8vo form. For private distri-
bution, however, there were a few large paper copies,
which contained a number of lithographic reproduc-
tions of important letters. The English Royal letters
in the collection were those purchased at the Upcott
sale. The total number of items named in the cata-
logue was only 1038; but many of these were of first
importance in respect to their rarity, their contents,
their fine condition, and the persons to whom they were
addressed.
The following named are of this class. [The
prices at which they sold are affixed; and the remarks
on the various items are those of the compiler of the
catalogue.]
96 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Albret, Jeanne d\ Queen of Navarre. Mother of
Henri IV. A. L. S. 4to, 2 pp., to Charles IX. April
17, 1572. Very interesting. £6.0.0.
Alexander VI. ^ Roderic Borgia. Pope. A. L. S. [in
Latin] as Cardinal Vice-Chancellor, to Lorenzo de
Medici. Roma, Sept. 8, 1477. £1.12.0.
Anne of Austria. Queen of France. A. L. S. 4to, to
the Duke of Saxe- Weimar. Oct. 6, 1638. £1.4.0.
Aretino, Pietro. Italian poet. A. L. S. 1 p. folio.
Nov. 12, 1539. £4.0.0.
Aske^ Robert. Leader of the great rebellion in the North
occasioned by the suppression of the monasteries
in 1536. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to. Presumed to be unique.
£3.19.0.
Bacon, Francis — Viscount St. Albans. Lord Chancel-
lor. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, closely written, addressed to
Sir Tho. Hobby. Aug. 4, 1606. Fine and very
rare. £15.0.0.
The Same. L. S. 1 p. 4to, as Chancellor, "Fr. Veru-
1am, Ca.," Feb. 13, 1619. [From the Upcott collec-
tion.] £2.4.0.
Bellievre, Pomponne de. Chancellor of France. A.
L. S. 3 pp. folio. Londres, Dec. 13, 1586. To M.
de Villeroy. Very rare and of great historical in-
terest. £8.0.0.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 97
Berulle, Pierre, Cardinal. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to M. de
Bouthiller. Paris, July 20, 1628. Rare. £2.2.0.
Beza, Theodore. Reformer. A. L. S. 1 p. folio. Ge-
neve, Feb. 2, 1573. Very interesting. £3.10.0.
Biron, Charles de Gontaut, Due de. Marshal of France.
A. L. S. 3 pp. folio, to M. de Villeroy. Dijon,
Feb. 20, 1602. Very fine and rare. £1.16.0.
Boileau-Despreaux. Great French poet. A. L. S. 2
pp. 4to. Paris, July, 6 1674. £4.9.0.
Bolivar, Simon. Liberator of South America. A. L.
S. 4 pp. folio. Trugillo, April 2, 1824. Rare and
interesting. £3.7.0.
Borgia, Ccesar — Duke of Valentinois. Natural son of
Pope Alexander VI. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to the
Justiciaries of Florence. Forlini, April 6, 1501. In
beautiful condition, and believed to be unique.
£8.8.0.
Buckingham, George Villiers, Duke of. Assassinated.
A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to the French Ambassador. New-
market, Feb. 12, 1624. Very fine and interesting.
£6.2.6.
Burghley, William Cecil, Lord. Minister of Queen
Elizabeth. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Robert Dudley,
Earl of Leicester. Jan. 1, 1563. Very fine. £2.
12.0.
98 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Catesby, Robert. Chief of the Gunpowder Plot con-
spirators. A. L. S. 1 p. folio. Believed to be unique.
£12.0.0.
Catherine of Arragon. 1st Queen of Henry VIII. A.
L. S. 3 pp. folio, closely written, to the Emperor
Charles V. Bucdon, Ebrero 8. Very fine and of
extreme interest. £21.0.0.
Parr, Catherine. 6th and last Queen of Henry VIII.
L. S. 1 p. folio, to her brother. Lord Parr. Otelands,
July 20, anno 35 [A. D. 1543]. Written eight days
after her marriage to the king. Fine and extremely
rare. £13.10.0.
Chapelain, Jean. Author of La Pucelle. A. L. S. 3
pp. 4to, to M. Huet. Paris, Feb. 4, 1662. Very
interesting. £1.11.0.
Charles VII, King of France. Called "the Victorious."
D. S. on vellum. Mehun, Jan. 23, 1454. Extremely
rare. 10s.
Charles /., King of England. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to the
Queen of Bohemia. St. James, June 28, 1630.
Very fine. [Upcott.] £4.2.0.
Charles II., King of England. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to, to
Cardinal Mazarin. Oct. 8, 1660. £4.14.0.
Christina, Queen of Sweden. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, to
the King. Feb. 23, 1656. £1.13.0.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 99
Clairon^ Hippolite Claire. Celebrated actrees. A. L.
S. 3 pp. 4to, to the Duke of Aiguillon. Anspach, Feb.
18, 1774. £1.0.0.
Clement VIIL^ Hippolyte Aldobrandini, Pope. A. L.
S. 1 p. folio, to Henri IV. Rome, Marzo 26, 1596.
Very fine and excessively rare. £3.14.0.
Cromwell^ Oliver. L. S. 2 pp. folio, in Latin, to Car-
dinal Mazarin. June 9, 1654. This letter is doubt-
less the composition of the poet Milton, who was
Cromwell's Latin secretary. Fine specimen. £5.
15.0.
Cromzvelly Richard. Lord Protector. A. L. S. 1 p.
folio, to Mr. Steward. Fine and very rare. [Up-
cott.] £7.0.0.
Diana of France. Natural daughter of Henri II. and
Diana of Poictiers. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to the Grand
Duke of Tuscany. Paris, May 22, 1575. Fine and
rare. £1.17.0.
Edward IF., King of England. Parafe to a warrant
on vellum. "Geven under oure signet at oure
Towre of London, the XXII. day of August, the
third yere of oure Reign [1462]." Excessively rare.
£5.5.0.
Edward VI,. King of England. Signature to a license
for John, Duke of Norfolk, to travel into the Holy
Land. Greenwich, Junii 19, anno 7 [1553]. With
100 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
seal. On fine vellum. Excessively rare. [Upcott.]
£11.5.0.
Elizabeth, Queen of England. A. L. S. 4 pp. folio, to
James VI. of Scotland. No date. Very fine. [Up-
cott.] £16.0.0.
The Same. L. S. 3 pp. folio, to Philip II. of Spain.
Westminster, Dec. 16, 1571. Very fine and of his-
torical interest. £5.0.0.
Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, to
Sir Isaac Wake, English Ambassador. Aug. 28,
1631. Very fine. [Upcott.] £5.10.0.
Elizabeth of France. Queen of Philip IV. of Spain. A.
L. S. 2 pp. folio, to Louis XIII. [her brother].
I'Escurial, Aout 20. Fine and rare. £5.7.6.
Elizabeth of France. Sister of Louis XVI. Guil-
lotined. A. L. S. 1}^ pp. 8vo, to the Princess Lam-
balle. Oct. 4, 1791. Very rare. £4.2.0.
Essex, Robert Devereux, Earl of. Favorite of Queen
Elizabeth. Decapitated. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to
Queen Elizabeth. Sept. 6, 1600. £17.10.0.
Estrades, Godefroi, Comte d\ Marshal of France. A.
L. S. 2 pp. folio, to Marshal Turenne. London,
Jan. 20, 1662. Fine and interesting. £2.2.0.
Evelyn, John. A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, to Lord Arlington.
June 11, 1669. Fine. £1.0.0.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 101
Francis L, King of France. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Pope
Clement VII. Very fine. £9.0.0.
Francis 11.^ King of France. D. S. 7 pp. folio. St.
Germalns, Oct. 4, 1560. Fine and historical. £3.
10.0.
Frederic 11. , King of Prussia. Called ''the Great."
A. L. S. 4 pp. 4to, to "mon cher cousin." Magde-
bourg, Sept. 12, 1742. £5.10.0.
Frederic, King of Bohemia. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to the
English Ambassador. La Haye, Mai 8, 1731. [Up-
cott.] £4.12.0.
Gramont, Philibert, Comte de. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio.
Francfort, Mars 17, 1658. Very fine. £1.6.0.
Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I. 5 A. L. S. 4to,
dated from 1641 to 1660. All very fine. £1.16.0,
£2.0.0, £2.2.0, £3.12.0, £6.10.0.
Henry IV., King of France. 16 very fine A. L. S.
folio, of various dates. Some written to Charles
IX. and Catherine de Medicis. Prices ranging from
£1.8.0. up to £3.3.0.
Henry V., King of England. A request for a pass-
port for some German merchants, on which the
King has written "H. R. a vous mandoies qu'il soit
fait." Fine, and perhaps unique in private collec-
tions. [Upcott.] £16.10.0.
102 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Henry FL, King of England. Sign Manual to a Peti-
tion of John, Duke of Norfolk, for a passport to go
out of the kingdom "in pilgrimage to visit certaine
hooly places." In fine preservation and excessively
rare. [Upcott.] £13.5.0.
James /., King of England. Letter subscribed and
signed, 1 p. folio, to Henri IV. Falkland, Juillet
16, 1602. Fine. £3.0.0.
James III., the old Pretender, called the Chevalier de
St. George. A. L. S. 3 pp. 4to, to the Due de Ven-
dome. St. Germain, Dec. 29, 1710. Very fine and
rare. £4.16.0.
Kepler, John. Astronomer. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, in
Latin, to Dr. Ph. Miller. Jan. ^, 1630. Very rare.
£3.3.0.
Lamb, Charles. Poet and essayist. A. L. S. 3 pp.
folio. Feb. 7. 1831. Very interesting. £1.15.0.
Le Brun, Charles. Painter. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to, to
Bishop Huet. Oct. 28, 1666. Fine and very rare.
£4.0.0.
Locke, John. Metaphysician. A. L. S. 2 pp. 8vo.
Oates, Aug. 11, 1704. Excessively rare. No letter
of Locke has appeared in a public sale except the
present. £9.
Louis XI IL, King of France. A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, to the
Queen. Laleu, Oct. 6, 1628. Fine. £3.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 103
Louis XIV., King of France. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to, to the
Queen of England. Versailles, July 25, 1683. Very
fine. £4.
Louis XV. y King of France. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to. Ver-
sailles, Mai 28, 1756. Very fine. £2.
Louis XVI., King of France. A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, to
George III., King of England. Paris, Avril 18,
1792. Very fine. Written eight months before his
death. £6.6.0.
Louise de Savoie, mother of Francis I. A. L. S. 1 p.
folio, to the Emperor Charles V. Written a few
days after the battle of Pavia. Extremely fine. A
pathetic letter relative to her son's captivity.
£10.
Luther, Martin. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, in Latin, to C. G.
Spalatinus. Jan. 7, 1519. Rare and interesting.
£16.
Malherbe, Francois de. The father of French poetry.
A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, to M. de Bouillon; relative to the
death of his son, killed in a duel. [This letter has
sold at a public sale in Paris for 409 francs.] Fine
and rare. £1.11.0.
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to,
to her brother, the Archduke Leopold. Aug. 12,
1791. [Eight days after her arrest at Varennes.]
Fine and very interesting. £5.
104 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
The Same. A. L. S. 2 pp. 8vo. to the Princesse Lam-
balle. Jeudi [Sept. 1, 1791]. Very interesting.
£5.12.6.
Mary, Queen of England. "Bloody Mary." D. S. 23/^
pp. folio. June, 1556. Fine and very rare. [Up-
cott.] £10.10.0.
Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stuart, Lord Darn-
ley. A joint letter signed by both, "Marie R." and
"Henry R.", to Matthew, Earl of Lennox. Dec,
1565. The signature of Darnley is excessively rare,
and a paper on which both signatures occur is
probably unique. [Upcott.] £10.
Mayenne, Charles de Lorraine, Due de. A. L. S. 1 p.
folio, to the Due de Guise. Dec. 17, 1590. Fine
and rare. £1.
M edicts, Catherine de. Queen of Henri II. of France.
A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of
Navarre. 1572. Of the greatest historical interest.
£9.
Medicis, Marie de. Queen of France. A. L. S. 1 p.
folio, to her son. Juin 28, 1638. Fine and rare.
£2.2.0.
Moliere, J. B. Poquelin. The great French dramatist.
A certificate, delivered by the Notaries upon the at-
testation of Jacques Martin and Moliere, and signed
by them. 1 p. folio, Jan. 25, 1664. [We are not
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 105
aware of any specimen having occurred for public
sale in this country except the present, and but one
in Paris.] From the Hodges collection. £10.5.0.
Monmouth, James, Duke of. Natural son of Charles
II. Beheaded. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Lord Roches-
ter. Ringwood, July, 9 1685. Very rare and of
the highest interest. [Upcott.] £21.10.0.
Montgomery, Gabriel, Comte de. Beheaded 1574. A.
L. S. 2 pp. folio, to Viscount Turenne. Very rare.
£1.4.0.
Montmorency, Henri II., Due de. Marshal of France.
Beheaded. A. L. S. 3 pp. 4to. La Grange, May
19, 1627. Fine and rare. 14s.
Napoleon Bonaparte. Emperor of France. A full
authority given to Caulincourt, Duke of Vicenza,
to negotiate and sign a definitive treaty of peace
with the Allied Powers, and thus to arrest the ef-
fusion of human blood and the attendant calam-
ities of war. A document of the highest historical
importance, dated Paris, Jan. 4, 1814, and signed
by Napoleon and the Due de Bassano. £10.15.0.
Nassau, Maurice of. Celebrated general. A. L. S.
2/^ pp. folio, to the Due de Bouillon. La Flaye,
Juin 23, 1595. Fine, rare, and very interesting.
£2.2.0.
106 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Nelson, Horatio, Lord. A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to, to Lieut.-
Gen. Fox. Jan. 1, 1800. Interesting. £1.9.0.
Newton, Sir Isaac. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to, to Lord Towns-
hend. Aug. 25, 1724. Interesting. £7.
Nostradamus, CcEsar. [1555-1629.] A. L. S. 1 p. folio.
Fine and excessively rare. £2.9.0.
Philip II., King of Spain. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to the
King of France [Charles IX]. Written shortly after
the massacre of St. Bartholomew. Very fine. £5.
Piron, Alexis. Poet and dramatist. A. L. S. 4 pp.
4to. Mars 8, 1754. Fine and extremely rare. £2.2.0.
Pope, Alexander. Poet. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to, to his
publisher. Aug. 16, 1732. Interesting. £1.12.0.
Poussin, Nicholas. Great painter. A number of fine
A. L. S. 4to or folio, at prices varying from £2.4.0
to £3.8.0.
Raleigh, Sir Walter. A Petition to the Lord High
Chancellor, requesting that a Commission might
be issued to correct some abuses which had occurred
relative to the authority given by Queen Elizabeth
to Raleigh to grant licenses for the sale of wines
by retail. Signed by Sir Walter Raleigh, and by
Lord Burghley and Sir John Popham. £5.7.0.
Raphael Sanzio. The greatest of painters. A study
of two horses' heads, with men's arms, sketched in
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 107
pen and ink, and having several lines of writing in
his autograph. Extremely rare. £11.11.0.
Rembrandt. Celebrated Dutch painter. A. L. S. 1 p.
4to, to Const. Huygens. Excessively rare. £10.
Richard IIL, King of England. Warrant dated April
15, Anno 1 [1484], for the payment of money. Signed
In full "Ricardus Rex." Fine. [Upcott.] £25.10.0.
Rousseau^ Jean Jacques. Several A. L. S. 4to, 2 or 3
pages, at prices varying from £1.19.0 to £5.5.0.
Rubens, Peter Paul. Great painter. 3 A. L. S. folio,
2 or 3 pages, at prices varying from £4.18.0 to £5.7.6.
Rupert, Prince. The great general. A. L. S. 1 p. folio.
Bristol, July 5, 1645. Fine and rare. [Upcott.]
£8.10.0.
Sales, Saint Francis de. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, "a son al-
tesse serenissime." Sept. 17, 1611. Fine and ex-
cessively rare. £4.11.0.
Salisbury, Robert Cecil, Earl of. A. L. S. 4 pp. folio.
Farnham, Sept. 21, 1601. Fine and very interesting.
£6.10.0.
Saumaise, Claude de. Critic. A. L. S. 2]/^ pp. folio,
to M. du Puy. Leyden, Feb. 28, 1638. Fine. [Up-
cott.] £1.1.0.
Scaliger, Joseph Justus. Philologist. A. L. S. 1 p.
folio, to M. de St. Marthe. August 10, 1606. Fine.
£1.13.0.
108 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Scott, Sir Walter. Poet and novelist. A. L. S. 4to,
2pp. May 16, 1800, and A. L. S. 4to, 3 pp., March,
1802, to Cadell and Davies. Fine and interesting.
Each, £1.2.0.
Sforza, Ludovicus Marie. Surnamed "the Moor." A.
L. S. to Pandolphino. Milan, 1496. Excessively-
rare. 10s. 6d.
Somerset, Edward, Dtike of. Commonly styled "the
Protector." Beheaded in 1552. L. S. 1 p. folio,
to the Justices of the Peace. July, 1549. Fine and
rare. 16s.
Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of. Beheaded in
1641. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio. Dublin, Aug. 21, 1634.
[Upcott.] £7.7.6.
Suffolk, Edmund de la Pole, Duke of. Nephew of Ed-
ward IV., and heir apparent to the throne. Beheaded
in 1513. A, L. S. 2 pp. folio, closely written, to
Thomas Killengworth. About the year 1506. Very
rare, if not unique. £7.
Tasso, Bernardo. Poet. Father of the great Tasso.
Letter subscribed and signed, 1 p. folio, to Speroni.
Vinegia, Agosto 19, 1559. Fine. [From the Hodges
Collection.] £1.6.0.
Vane, Sir Henry. Parliamentarian. Beheaded in 1662.
A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, to William II., Prince of Orange.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 109
Whitehall, Feb. 26, 1629. Fine and interesting.
£2.4.0.
Veronese^ Paolo Cagliari, called. Noted painter. A.
L. S. 1 p. folio, to his patron Marc Antonio Gandini.
Marzo 31, 1578. Good specimen. Very rare. £2.
The Same. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to his patron Gandini.
Very fine. £1.10.0.
Villeroy, Nicolas de Neufville de. Minister of State to
four French kings. A. L. S. 3 pp. folio, to King
Henri IV. Paris, Nov. 10, 1598. Fine, interesting,
and very rare. £1.6.0.
Vincent de Paul, Saint, A. L. S. 3 pp. 4to, to M. Du
Festel. Breste, Nov. 28, 1642. In perfect condi-
tion and excessively rare. £5.
Wren, Sir Christopher. Architect. A. L. S. 1 p. folio.
July 28, 1675. Fine, interesting, and excessively
rare. [Upcott.] £15.
York, Anne Hyde, Duchess of. Wife of James, Duke of
York; afterwards King James II. A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to,
to her sister Lady Henrietta Hyde. York, Aug. 14,
[1666]. Very fine and extremely rare. [Upcott.]
£5.5.0.
Collection of Baron de Tremont
Louis Philippe Joseph, Baron de Tremont, was a
French prevet and an enthusiastic collector. He was
110 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
born in the year 1779, and died in 1852. His collec-
tion was sold at auction in Paris; the first portion of it
in December, 1852, and the two succeeding portions in
February and April, 1853. The catalogue was pre-
pared with great care by M. Laverdet. It consists of
three parts numbering, respectively, 222, 151, and 196
8vo pages. The first part comprised 1482 items; the
second, 1200 items; and the third, 1337 items. A
majority of the items consisted of a single letter or docu-
ment; but frequently many names were grouped in a
lot.
While the collection was largely composed of names
of ordinary occurrence and small importance, it was
notable for its extensive series of persons who were
prominent in the French Revolution, and of noted
French actors and actresses; and especially for the
number and character of the letters of first importance
— and, frequently, of great rarity — that appear in the
first part of the catalogue. The following named are
certainly worthy of mention.
Alengon, Rene de Faloisy Due d\ Died 1492. Con-
fined by Louis XI. in an iron cage. Quittance signed,
on parchment. Tours, Juin 24, 1490.
Alexander VI., Roderic Borgia, Pope. L. S. on parch-
ment. To the King of France. Rome, Oct. 8, 1499.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 111
Anne de Bretagne. Queen of France. L. S. 1 p. 4to.
To my cousin the Prince de Rohan. Amboise, May
8, 1498.
Bassompierrej MarshaL 1579-1649. A. L. S. 2 pp.
folio. To Marshal de Breze. Sept. 17, 1643.
Bayard, Pierre — Seigneur du Terrail. The Chevalier
Sans peur et sans reproche. A. L. S. 2 pp. large folio,
to King Louis XII. Du camp de Payava, le 11' jour
d'Octobre. With certificate of genuineness from M.
Teulet, archiviste paleographe of the National Ar-
chives.
Beze, Theodore de. Illustrious reformer. A. L. S. 3 pp.
folio, to Vicomte de Turenne. Geneve, 9 Mars 1591.
Biron, Armand de Gontaut, Due de. Marshal of France.
A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, to the King. May 24, 1578.
Boileau-Despreaux, Nicolas. Poet. 1636-1711. A.
L. S. IJ/^ pp. 4to. Paris, Samedi, 2 Juin.
Bonaparte y Madame. Mother of Napoleon. 1750-
1836. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to. To her son Lucien. Paris.
27 Nivose.
Borgia, Ccesar. Natural son of Pope Alexander VI.
Died in 1507. L. S. 1 p. 4to, with autograph sub-
scription of two lines. To Pietro de Medici. Rome,
Dec. 8, 1472.
112 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Boucicaut, Jean Le Maigre, Sire de. Marshal of
France. 1364-1421. Quittance signed, on parch-
ment. Nov. 29, 1395.
Bourbon, Matthieu de. Called "le grand batard."
Noted warrior. Quittance signed, on parchment.
July 20, 1499.
Bourbon, Charles II., Cardinal de. Proclaimed, by the
League, King of France, under the title of Charles X.
D. S. on parchment, 1 p. double folio. Angers, Feb.
4, 1570.
Camden, William. Historian. A. L. S. 1 p. folio (in
Latin). To Jacques Auguste de Thou. London,
July, 1596.
Caracchi, Ludovico. Eminent painter. A. L. S. 1 p.
folio. Bologna, 15 Feb. 1617.
Carignan, Thomas Francois de Savoie, Prince de. Great
warrior. 1596-1656. A. L. S. 1 p. small folio.
To S. A. R. Madame.
Catherine de Medicis, Queen of France. 1519-1589.
A. L. S. 2 pp. folio. To her daughter, la Royne
Catolique.
Chapelain, Jean, Poet. A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to. To M.
Colbert. Paris, July 14, 1661.
Charles V., King of France. 1337-1380. A. L. S.
]/^ p. 4to. To Maitre Giles Malet, his valet de
chambre. Au boyz de Vicenez le XXP jour de
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 113
May. With M. Teulet's certificate of authenticity.
Very fine.
Charles F., Emperor of Germany. 1500-1558. A. L.
S. [in French] 3 pp. folio. To Philibert de Nassau,
Prince of Orange.
Charles VL, King of France. 1368-1422. D. S. with
one line autograph, oblong 4to. Abbeville, le 25
jour de May.
Charles VII.., King of France. 1407-1461. L. S. on
parchment. To Charles, Marquis de Baude. Nancy,
in Lorraine, le 4' jour d'Avril, 1445.
Charles VIII., King of France. 1470-1498. A. L. S.
1 p. oblong folio. To Mon chier et bien ame cousyn,
le Conte de Guyse. Montelzles-Tours, ce setiesme
jour d'Octtobre. Very fine.
Charles IX., King of France. 1550-1574. A. L. S.
I p. folio. To M. de la Mole.
Charles, Due de Bourgogne — surnamed le Temeraire.
1433-1477. A. L. S. 3^ p. folio. To M. de Grancey.
II aout.
Charles II., Due de Lorraine. Surnamed "the Great."
A. L. S. 1 p. 4to, to the King. 1602.
Christian III., King of Denmark. L. S. 1 p. folio.
Sept. 4, 1547. To Henri II., king of France.
114 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Claude of France, wife of Francis I. 1499-1524. L.
S. 1 p. 4to. Blols, August 27. To the Surintendant
of Finances, Baron de Samblanjay.
demerit VII. , Pope. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Paolo de
Victorys. Florence, May 8, 1522.
Clement IX,, Pope. 1599-1669. A. L. S. 1 p. folio.
Rome, March 30, 1664.
Coligny, Gaspard de Chastillon, Sire de. 1517-1572.
The illustrious leader of the Huguenots. A. L. S. 1
p. 4to. To M. de Plancy. Blois, Oct. 2.
Colonna, Vittoria — Marquise de Pescara. Celebrated
Italian lady. 1490-1541. A. L. S. 3 pp. folio, to
Cardinal de Trivulce. Lucques, Oct. 23, 1538.
Superb letter.
Coypel, Noel. Great painter. A. L. S. 1 p. folio.
Paris, Aug. 30, 1696.
D^Albret, Jeanne. Queen of Navarre. A. L. S. 1 p.
folio. To Monsieur, frere du Roi. La Rochelle,
Feb. 4.
Descartes, Rene. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Pere Mersenne.
Amsterdam, Aug. 14, 1634.
Diane de Poitiers, Duchesse de Valentinois. Mistress
of King Henri H. 1499-1566. A. L. S. 1 p. folio,
to M. de Beaumont. Chalons, Juin 16.
Dunois, Jean, Comte de Longueville et de. Called "the
Bastard of Orleans." Companion in arms of Jeanne
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 115
d'Arc. 1402-1468. A. L. S. 3^ p. oblong folio.
To Madame de Dampierre. Saint Benoit, Sept. 20.
Elizabeth, Queen of England. 1533-1602. A. L. S.
2/^ pp. folio [in French], to King Henri III.
Elzevier, Abraham. Printer. Died in 1652. A. L. S.
folio, to Pere Mersenne. March 8, 1638.
Esirees, Gabrielle d\ The celebrated mistress of Henri
IV. A. L. S. folio, signed with her paraphe. To
Henri IV.
Estrees, Jeanne d\ Mistress of Henri IV. A. L. S. 1
p. folio. To Madame de Lannoye.
Francis /., King of Frafice. A. L. S. 4to. To the
Emperor Charles V.
Francis II., King of France. A. L. S. 1 p. large folio.
To the Constable Montmorency.
Frederic II. (the Great), King of Prussia. A. L. S. 2
pp. 4to, in verse and prose. To Voltaire. Potsdam,
May 24, 1750.
Galilei, Galileo. The great natural philosopher. 1564-
1642. A. L. S. folio. Padua, Jan. 5, 1601.
Galland, Antoine. Translator of the "Arabian Nights."
A. L. S. 4 pp. 4to. Aug. 22, 1706. To the Bishop of
Avanches.
Garcias Laso, or Garcilasso de la Vega. Eminent Span-
ish poet. 1505-1536. L. S., with autograph sub-
116 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
scription of two lines. To Prince de Florence.
March 15, 1567.
Guicciardirii, Francisco. Noted historian. A. L. S.
1 p. folio. Milano, May 27, 1518.
Guise, Fra7igois de Lorraine, Due de. Assassinated by
Poltrot. 1519-1563. A. L. S. folio. To M. de
Tavannes.
Guise, Henri de Lorraine, Due de. Called "Balafre."
A. L. S. 1 p. large folio. To M. de Laussac. Oct. 1,
1581.
Guise, Henri //. de Lorraine, Due de. 1614-1664. A.
L. S. 3 pp. 4to. To his Eminence. Jan. 28, 1655.
Henri IL, King of France. A. L. S. folio. To Cardinal
de Lorraine. December 21.
Henry VI IF, King of England. A. L. S. 1 p. folio (in
French). To Queen Catherine de Medicis.
Ignatius Loyola, Saint. 1491-1566. A. L. S. large
folio, [in Latin]. To Nicolas de Furno. Rome,
10th day.
James I., King of England. A. L. S. 1 p. large folio.
To King Henri IV. Dec. 28, 1605.
Julius IF, Pope. A. L. S. 1 p. oblong 4to. To Lorenzo
de Medicis. July 10, 1473.
Lafontaine, Jean de. Fabulist. A. L. S. in prose and
verse, 1 p. small 8vo. To Mons. A. Chauny. April
29.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 117
Lavihalle, Princesse de. 1749-1792. A. L. S. 1 p.
large folio. To the King. Paris, Jan. 2, 1792.
La Tremoille, Louis IL, Sire de. Vicomte de Thouars.
Surnamed "le Chevalier sans reproche." 1460-
1525. L. S. 13^2 PP- large folio. To Vicomte de
Tavanne.
La Falliere, Louise Fran^oise de la Baume Le Blanc,
Duchesse de. Mistress of Louis XIV. 1644—1710.
A. L. S. 3 pp. 4to, to M. de Verneuil. March 15.
Leicester, Robert Dudley, Earl of. Favorite of Queen
Elizabeth. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Lord Cecil. July
7, 1566.
Lenclos, Ayine de. Commonly called Ninon de Len-
clos. Famous French courtesan. 1615-1706. A.
L. S. 1 p. small 4to, to M. de Bourepaux.
Leo X., Pope. A. L. S. 1 p. oblong 4to. To his brother,
Pietro de Medicis. Nov. 5, 1492.
Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim. Celebrated German writer.
1729-1781. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to.
Lorraine, Louis de Guise, Cardinal de. Celebrated
leaguer. 1527-1588. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to the
King. Avignon, May 26, 1572.
Louis VIL, King of France. 1120-1180. D. S. [in
Latin] on parchment, subscribed with his monogram,
1 p. large folio. 1173. [From the collection of M.
Alonmerque.]
118 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Louis IX., King of France. 1215-1273. D. S. 4to,
on parchment [in Latin], signed with his monogram.
Aug. 1244. [From the Monmerque collection.]
Louis XIL, King of France. A. L. S. 2 pp. large folio,
to the Emperor Maximilien. Blois, Mai 10.
Louis XVL, King of France. A. L. S. 13^^ pp. 4to, to
the National Assembly. Dec. 31, 1791.
Luynes, Charles d'' Albert, Due de. Constable of France.
A. L. S. 1 p. large folio, to Comte de Tilliers. Abbe-
ville, Dec. 22, 1620.
Machiavelli, Niccolo. Famous Italian statesman and
writer. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Fr. Nigro. Aug. 31,
1523.
Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre. Sister of
Francis I. Named "la Marguerite des Marguer-
ites." 1492-1549. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to. To Madame
de Clermont.
Marguerite de France. Sister of Charles IX., and first
wife of Henri IV. 1552-1615. A. L. S. 3 pp. folio.
To the King, my husband. Chateau d'Usson, April,
1599.
Marie Stuart, Queen of Scots. 1542-1587. A. L. S.
1 p. large folio. Written from her prison to M. de la
Mothe de Vaingfield. September 22.
EUROPEAN COELECTJONS, 119
Marie Antoinette^ Queen of Erance. Guillotined. A.
L. S. 1 full p. 4to, to the Princessc de Lamballe.
Nov. 17.
Marillac, Louis de, Comte de Beaumont. Marshal of
France. 1572-1632. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Car-
dinal Richelieu. Paris, March 12, 1629.
Mary /., Queen of England. "Bloody Mary." L. S.
1 p. oblong folio [in Latin]; also signed by her hus-
band, King Philip II. of Spain. To Cosmo de Medi-
cis. Westminster, Feb. 19, 1554.
Mezeray, Francois Eudes. Historian. 1610-1683. A.
L. S. 3 pp. 4to, to the Abbe Huet. Ce Mardi 4
Decembre.
Michel-Angelo Buonarotti. The grand painter. 1474-
1564. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Cardinal Trivulce.
Aug. 13.
Mignard, Pierre. Painter. 1610-1695. A. L. S. 1
p. 4to, to M. Garique. Versailles, July 15.
Moliere, Jean Baptiste Pocquelin. Famous dramatist.
1620-1673. D. S. on parchment, on the back of a
receipt for money. Also signed by the Minister Le
TelHer. June 30, 1660.
Montcalm de Saint Veran., Louis Joseph, Marquis de.
Killed at Quebec in 1759. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to, to I'Abbe
Donadieu. Au camp le 1" Septembre, en Flandre,
1755.
120 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Montmorency, Anne de. Constable and Marshal of
France. 1493-1567. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to M. de
Villandry.
Norfolk, Thomas Howard, Duke of. English Admiral
and General. 1473-1554. Acquiesced in the ex-
ecution of his niece, Anne Boleyn. A. L. S. 1 p.
folio, 1527.
Pare, Ambroise. Father of French surgery. 1518-
1590. D. S. with his paraffe, on parchment. Dec.
1581.
Philippe Auguste [Philippe II.], King of France. 1165-
1223. D. S. with his monogram [in Latin] on parch-
ment. [From the Monmerque collection.]
Pius II., ^neas Piccolomini, Pope. 1404-1464. A.
L. S. 1 p. 4to [in Latin]. Jan. 15, 1450.
Poliziano, Angelo. Noted poet and historian. 1454-
1494. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to, to Lorenzo de Medici. Pis-
tole, Sept. 12, 1478.
Portsmouth, Louise de Querouille, Duchess of. Noted
as the mistress of King Charles IL A. L. S. 2 pp.
4to, to M. Desmarets. Paris, Aug. 15, 1713.
Pulci, Luigi. Poet. 1432-1487. A. L. S. 1 p. 4to,
to Lorenzo de Medici. Sept. 8, 1474.
Rabelais, Francois. The great French satirical writer.
1485-1553. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, to Cardinal du
Bellay, Plaisance, Ic 13 Avril.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 121
Rantzau, Joseph, Comte de. Marshal of France. Died
in 1650. Celebrated in the Thirty Years' War. Suf-
fered fearful wounds. A. L. S. 3 pp. 4to, to Cardinal
Mazarin. Aug. 8, 1648.
Raphael Sanzio. The superb painter. 1483-1520. A
study of two heads of horses, with the arms of men,
sketched in ink; with 5 lines in his autograph. Dated
1510. [From the Donnadieu collection,]
Rene D'Anjou. "The good King Rene." 1408—1480.
A. L. S. 1 p. 4to. to Maitre Jehannot. Le flament
15 Octobre.
Rubens, Peter Paul. Painter. A. L. S. [in Italian] 2
pp. folio, to M. DuPuy. Anvers, May 13, 1627.
Sales y Saint Francis de. 1567-1622. A. L. S. 2 pp.
folio, to Son Altesse. April 20, 1617.
Scala, Bartolomeo. Celebrated Italian poet and his-
torian. 1424-1497. A. L. S. 1 p. folio. Florence,
April 24, 1470.
Sevigne, Marie de Rabutin Chantal, Marquise, de. 1627-
1696. A. L. S. 2 pp. 4to [circa 1658]. Pour Mons.
Menage.
Sforza, Galeas Maria Visconti. Duke of Milan. 1444-
1476. Cruel and sanguinary Prince. A. L. S. 1 p.
oblong 4to, to Lorenzo de Medici. Aug. 12.
122 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Sorel, Agnes. Mistress of Charles VII. 1410-1450.
A. L. S. }/2 P- oblong folio. To le Sire de la Varenne.
Le 18 jour d'Aout.
Straford, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of. 1593-1641. A.
L. S. 1 p. folio, to his wife. York, Sept. 20, 1632.
Talbot^ John — Earl of Shrewsbury. Illustrious warrior.
1373-1453. A. L. S. 1 p. oblong folio. To Chas-
telain de la Motte Seurin. Ce 23 jour de May.
Tromp, Martin Harpertzoon. Noted Dutch Admiral.
1597-1653. A. L. S. 1 p. folio. May 24, 1644.
Urbain Fill., Pope. 1568-1644. A. L. S. 1 p. folio.
Rome, Feb. 14, 1592.
Veronese, Paolo Cagliari, called. Eminent painter.
1530-1588. A. L. S. 1 p. folio, to Sig. Marinetto.
Venice,Oct. 27, 1578.
Vinci, Leonardo da. Grand painter. 1452-1519. A
paper, 2pp. 4to, containing drawings by him and
twelve lines in his handwriting.
The Dawson Turner Collection.
One of the most noted collections of the 19th cen-
tury was that of Dawson Turner, F. R. S., F. S. A., etc.,
formerly of Yarmouth, England, which contained up-
wards of forty thousand autograph letters or docu-
ments of persons of all nationalities and in all the ranks
X
N.
\
w
DAWSON TURNER
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 123
and walks of life, many of them being of first impor-
tance. After his death the collection was sold, by
auction, in London, in June, 1859. The sale catalogue
is an 8vo volume of 308 pages, with many plates of
fac-similes. Most of the important letters were in-
cluded in lots of large size; some of them being bound
volumes whose contents comprised items numbering,
respectively, 565, 1300, 1500, 2300, 9000 and 9100
letters and documents.
Among such a wealth of material it is not possible
to name more than a few of the most prominent names
to be found in the lists of the six largest series. They
specify A. L. S. folio or 4to of Dr. Arne [composer],
Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland [mistress of Charles
II.], Robert Boyle [philosopher], Duke of Buckingham
[assassinated by Felton], Sir Edward Coke, Capt.
James Cook, Rene Descartes, Robert Dudley, Earl of
Leicester, George Fox [the Quaker], Thos. Gainsbor-
ough [painter], Sir Christopher Hatton, King James
L, C. Jordaens [painter]. Duchess de la Valliere [mis-
tress of Louis XIV.], Lorenzo de Medici, Sir Isaac
Newton, Blaise Pascal, Richard Porson, Salvator Rosa
[painter]. Prince Rupert, Paul Veronese [painter],
Simon Vouet [painter]. Sir Francis Walsingham, and
Gen. James Wolfe; and of the following named English
poets, essayists, dramatists, historians, and miscel-
124 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
laneous prose-writers, viz: Joseph Addison, Richard
Baxter, Robert Blair, Sir Thomas Browne, Robert
Burns, Lord Byron, Mrs. Centlivre, Charles Churchill,
Earl of Clarendon [historian of the Rebellion], William
Congreve, Daniel De Foe, John Dryden, Henry Field-
ing, John Gay Edward Gibbon, Dr. Sam. Johnson, Ben.
Jonson [autograph inscription signed, 1 page 4to], John
Keats, Sir W. Killegrew, Andrew Marvell, Matthew
Prior, Alex. Pope, Samuel Richardson, Nicholas Rowe,
John Selden, Percy B. Shelley, Tobias Smollett, Thomas
Southerne, Sir Richard Steele, Lawrence Sterne, Dean
Swift, James Thomson, Edmund Waller, Henry Kirke
White, and William WYcherly.
In many cases there were several — ^three or more —
letters of the same person.
The total sum realized for this immense collection,
including a considerable number of fine illuminated
manuscripts and valuable documents, was [what would
now be regarded as the paltry sum of] £6558.
The Collection of Mons. Lucas de Montigny,
Counsellor of the Prefecture of the
Department of the Seine.
In the year 1860, the collection of the late M. Lucas
de Montigny was disposed of at public sale in Paris.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS US
The sale was divided among sixteen sessions. The
catalogue is an 8vo volume of 550 pages, containing
2954 separate lots, many of which comprised a large
number of autographs. The size of the collection was,
therefore, very considerable. The catalogue describes
the pieces with great care, and frequently gives the
contents — especially of all letters of historical impor-
tance — either in full or in an abstract form.
The most notable series in this collection was that
of the leading persons in the French Revolution and
the "reign of terror." These were letters or documents
of nearly all the members of the Convention, and, in
addition, a very considerable number of orders of the
Committee of Safety for the arrest and imprisonment
of individuals or for setting them at liberty. Of special
importance, too, were the letters — about 148 in num-
ber — written by King Henry III. of France; and those
of Queen Catherine de Medicis — 41 pieces — to many of
her officials, in relation to the internal affairs of the
kingdom.
Apart from the autographs thus named, and some
correspondence of King Henry IV., the bulk of the col-
lection was made up of pieces of small moment. Real
rarities seldom occurred.
Of letters separately catalogued as A. L. S. folio or
4to, the following may be named: Charles, Cardinal
126 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
de Bourbon [proclaimed King of France under the name
of Charles X.], Jean Chapelain [1595-1674], Diana of
France [1538-1619], Madame Elizabeth [sister of Louis
XVI.], Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma [1545-1592],
Francois Malherbe, poet [1555-1628], Marguerite de
Valois, Queen of France and Navarre [1552-1615], Gilles
Menage, poet [1613-1693], and Saint Vincent de Paul
[1576-1660].
Among L. S. or D. S. worthy of mention, are
Charles, Constable of France [1489-1527], King Charles
V. of France [1337-1380], Diana of Poitiers [1499-1556],
Johan, Comte de Dunois [Bastard of Orleans, 1402-
1468], Henri D'Albret, King of Navarre [1503-1555],
Pierre Mignard, painter [1610 — 1685], Charles Le Val-
ois, Due d'Orleans [poet, father of Louis XIL, 1391-
1465], Ambroise Pare, surgeon [1510-1590], and Blaise
Pascal [1623-1662].
The Collections of Mr. Young, Mr. John Dillon,
AND Mr. Samuel Addington.
A remarkably fine collection was disposed of when
that of Mr. Young came to the auction rooms in Lon-
don, in April, 1869. The catalogue numbered 125
pages, large 8vo, and embraced 1050 separate items,
**the whole in singularly fine condition, selected with
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS Ml
great care, solicitude and judgment, as to historical
and literary importance, from the various collections
that have been dispersed during the last forty years."
Among the few letters of first importance that space per-
mits to be named, mention should be made of the mem-
orable A. L. S. 2 pages folio of King Charles the First
to the Marquis of Ormond [quoted in full in another
chapter]; a characteristic A. L. S. 2 pages folio of Oliver
Cromwell to his son; and a most pathetic A. L. S. folio
of Sir Walter Raleigh, written while he was a prisoner
in the Tower.
As being of unusual occurrence, or as having ex-
ceptional interest, we may also name A. L. S. folio or
4to of Jeanne d'Albret, Queen of Navarre, to Charles
IX.; Admiral Robert Blake; Sir Thos. Browne; George
VilHers, Duke of Buckingham, to Cardinal Richelieu
[1626]; William Camden [historian]; Catherine, Em-
press of Russia; Capt. James Cook [circumnavigator],
Abraham Cowley [poet]; Diana of Poitiers; John Dry-
den; Queen Elizabeth, to King Henry the Fourth, of
France; Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia; Robert Dever-
eux, Earl of Essex, to King Charles I.; Henry Fielding;
Jean de la Fontaine; Francis I,, King of France; Fran-
cis n., King of France; Oliver Goldsmith; Sir Matthew
Hale; James I., King of England, to Henry the Fourth,
of France; Sir Godfrey Kneller; Martin Luther; Niccolo
128 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Macchiavelll; Mary, Queen of Scots; James, Duke of
Monmouth; James Graham, Marquis of Montrose;
Sir Isaac Newton ; Algernon Percy, Earl of Northumber-
land; Titus Oates; Johan van Olden Barneveldt [emi-
nent Dutch statesman]; Philip I., King of Spain; Reg-
inald, Cardinal Pole; Francois Rabelais [famous French
author]; Jean Racine; Rembrandt [the great painter];
Cardinal Richelieu; Peter Paul Rubens; Johannes
Secundus [Latin poet]; John Selden [historian]; Sir
Philip Sidney; Benedict Spinoza [founder of modern
Pantheism]; Paul Veronese [painter]; Edmund Waller;
John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury; Cardinal
Wolsey, to the Archduchess of Parma, Regent of the
Netherlands; and Sir Henry Wotton.
The collection of Mr. John Dillon, sold in June,
1869, was, in its general character, very much like that
of Mr. Young, and, while slightly larger, was of about
the same importance. A number of its leading items
may be specified; such as A. L. S. folio or 4to of Francis
Bacon, Viscount St. Albans [Lord High Chancellor];
Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux; many letters and poems
of Robert Burns; John Calvin [reformer]; Robert Cates-
by [chief of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators]; Charles
L, to his sister, the Queen of Bohemia; Charles II., to
Prince Rupert; Mr?. Susan Cibber [actress], to Garrick;
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 129
Pope Clement VIII., to Henry the Fourth, of France;
Barbara Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland [mistress of
Charles II.]; William Congreve [dramatist]; George
Fred. Cooke [tragedian]; Oliver Cromwell; Sir William
Davenant [poet]; Sir Francis Drake [D. S. on vellum];
Erasmus of Rotterdam; Henry Fielding; George Fox
[the Quaker]; Francis I., King of France, to the Em-
peror Charles V.; John Gay [poet]; Oliver Goldsmith,
to Sir Joshua Reynolds; John Henderson [actor], to
Garrick; Henry the Fourth, King of France [5 letters];
Henry VIII., King of England; Sir Edward Hyde, Earl
of Clarendon [historian], to Prince Rupert; Princesse
de Lamballe, to Louis XVI; Martin Luther; Marguer-
ite de Valois, wife of King Henry the Fourth, of France;
Marie Antoinette, to the Princesse de Lamballe; Mary,
Queen of Scots; James Graham, Marquis of Montrose;
Algernon Percy, Earl of Northumberland; Hugh Peters
[fanatic and regicide]; Sir Walter Raleigh; Nicholas
Rowe [dramatist]; Tobias Smollett; Thomas Southerne;
Emanuel Swedenborg; Dr. Jonathan Swift; James
Thomson [poet]; Edmund Waller; Gen. James Wolfe;
and William Wycherly [dramatist].
In April, 1876, the collection of Samuel Addington,
Esq., was sold by auction. He appears to have been a
collector for a few years only. The fever had taken
violent possession of him at the time of the Young and
130 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Dillon sales; where, having ample means to distance
all competitors, he bought a great part of the most
costly and valuable items then offered, at prices that
were considered very high. His collection was small,
but very choice. It consisted of 396 numbers only,
most of them containing a single letter or document.
To name the most valuable of its component parts
would be nearly to repeat very many of the names
specified in the accounts of the Young and Dillon col-
lections. The gross proceeds of the sale were £2151.8.6;
prices having fallen considerably below those paid by
Mr. Addington in 1869.
Mr. Hazlitt, in "Four Generations of a Literary
Family," speaks of him as "a noted and conspicuous
character in the auction rooms. A tall, imposing fig-
ure, with an inclination to stoop, illiterate, but having
the keenest and truest instinct for what was worth
having, whether prints, miniatures, books, manuscripts,
or coins. He was a bachelor, with some £15,000 a
year. He was perhaps the first to give prices totally
beyond record and example; declining to be beaten by
any other collector."
The Sensier Collection.
In February, 1878, the collection of Mr. Alfred
Sensier was sold at auction in Paris. He was born in
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 131
that city on Dec. 25, 1815, and died there on Jan. 7,
1877. In 1848 he received an official position under
the Minister of the Interior, which he held until 1872.
The great painters Theodore Rousseau, Jean Francois
Millet, and Narcisse Diaz were his intimate personal
friends. He commenced his collection at the age of
twenty, and continued to add to it, with intelligence,
taste and earnestness, until the time of his death.
The catalogue is a 4to volume of 117 pages, with
many fac-similes, prepared by Etienne Charavay; and
includes among its 782 items many of the leading names
in the series of Heads of Government, Statesmen,
French Revolution, Warriors, Savants, Writers, Ar-
tists, Composers of Music, and Noted Women. The
French Revolution series was particularly fine.
The Collection of M. Benjamin Fillon.
In 1878 the remarkable collection of M. Benjamin
Fillon was disposed of at public sale in Paris. The
catalogue was prepared with great care by Etienne
Charavay, and is very interesting and valuable as a
book of reference, inasmuch as it gives, in addition to
the notes descriptive of the autographs, a great number
of fac-similes. It consists of three 4to volumes, con-
taining, respectively, 239, 381, and 200 pages; and de-
132 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
scribes 2986 autographs, all of which are choice, while
many of them are of extreme rarity. It may be inter-
esting to note some of the most important items, with
the prices at which they sold.
Savonarola, Girolamo. [1452-1498.] A. L. S. oblong
4to. Florence, Oct. 28, 1495. 600 francs.
Rabelais, Francois. L. S. 43^^ pp. folio. Rome, Jan.
28, 1536. 1000 francs.
Bacon, Francis. [1560-1626]. A. L. S. folio. "Fr.
Verulam, Cane." To the Marquis of Buckingham.
Nov. 28, 1619. 500 francs.
Galileo-Galilei. [1564-1642.] A. L. S. folio. March
4, 1635. Written from prison. 695 francs.
Pascal, Blaise. [1623-1662.] A. L. S. 2 pp. folio.
Jan. 1643. 1500 francs.
Malebranche, Nicolas. [1638-1715.] A. L. S. 2 pp.
4to. Paris, Dec. 5, 1713. 125 francs,
Newton, Sir Isaac. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio. Aug. 12, 1719.
1500 francs.
Louis XI. A. L. S. oblong 4to. To Due d'Orleans.
500 francs.
Catherine de Medicis. A. L. S. 4 pp. folio. June 12,
1569. To Charles IX. 200 francs.
Marie Antoinette. A. L. S. small 4to. Jan. 31, 1775.
650 francs.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 133
Marguerite de Valois [la Marguerite des Marguerites].
A. L. S. folio. April 11, 1492. 100 francs.
Henry FIIL, King of England. A. L. S. J/^ p. folio.
To Margaret of Austria. 1000 francs.
Queen Elizabeth. A. L. S. folio. To Catherine de
Medicis. 1500 francs.
Cromwell, Oliver. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio. Dec. 7, 1657.
To Cardinal Mazarin. 1105 francs.
Marie Stuart, Queen of Scots. A. L. S. folio. July 27,
1568. To Catherine de Medicis. 450 francs.
Charles V., Emperor of Germany. A. L. S. X]/^ pp.
folio. June 7, 1525. To Francis I., of France. 555
francs.
Philip II., of Spain. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio. Dec. 16,
1578. To Pope Gregory XIII. 85 francs.
Richelieu, Armand Jean Duplessis, Cardinal. A. L. S.
4to. Sept. 29, 1628. To Marie de Medicis. 1000
francs.
Vespucci, Emerico. [1451-1512.] A. L. S. oblong 4to.
Florence, Oct. 18, 1476. To his father. 2600 francs.
Hawkins, Sir John. [English navigator.] A. L. S.
folio. Bedford, July 11, 1581. 180 francs.
Pico Delia Mirandola, Giovanni. [Philosopher.] A. L.
S. 3 pp. folio. Ferrare, May 15, 1492. 600 francs.
Ronsard, Pierre de. [Eminent poet. 1524-1585.] A.
L. S. 4to. 250 francs.
134 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Francois de Sales, Saint. A. L, S. folio. Annecy,
May 8, 1610. 145 francs.
Balzac, Jean Louis Guez de. [1594-1655.] A. L. S.
23^2 PP- 4to. Rome, Jan. 11, 1621. 250 francs.
Scarron, Paul. [Comic poet.] A. L. S. 4to. 1660.
200 francs.
La Fontaine, Jean de. A. L. S. 23^2 PP- '^to. Aug. 28,
1692. 345 francs.
Moliere, Jean Baptiste Poquelin de. P. S. 4to. Paris,
May 22, 1670. 300 francs.
Racine, Jean. A. L. S. 134 PP- 4to. May 16, 1692.
295 francs.
Le Sage, Alain Rene. [1668-1747.] A. L. S. 2 pp.
4to. 410 francs.
Prevost WExiles, Vahhe. [1697-1763.] A. L. S. 4pp.
4to. 460 francs.
Chenier, Andre Marie de. A. L. S. 13^^ pp. 4to. Lon-
don, Nov. 24, 1789. To his father. 700 francs.
Ariosto, Lodovico. A. L. S. foHo. Ferrare, June 6, 1519.
350 francs.
Colonna, Vittoria. [1490-1547.] A. L. S. ly^ pp.
foHo. 150 francs.
Tasso, Torquato. [1544-1595.] A. L. S. 23-^ pp. foHo.
Ferrare, June 21, 1575. 600 francs.
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de. P. A. S. [3 Hnes]. \]/2
pp. folio. Feb. 4, 1593. 600 francs.
EUROPEAN COLLECTION t^ 135
Vega-Carpio^ Felix Lope de. [Spanish dramatic poet.]
P. A. S. 8 pp. small 4to. 399 francs.
Erasmus of Rotterdam. A. L. S. folio. Fribourg, Aug.
22. 150 francs.
Lecouvreur, Adrienne. [Tragic actress.] A. L. S. 43/2
pp. 4to. Paris, Jan. 10, 1730. 500 francs.
Stella^ Jacques. [Celebrated painter.] A. L. S. folio.
Rome, Feb. 19, 1633. 100 francs.
Fouet, Simon. [Celebrated painter.] A. L. S. 13/^ pp.
folio. May 21, 1621. 130 francs.
Mansart, Jules Hardouin, called. [Architect.] A. L.
S. 2 pp. folio. Clagn)^, Sept. 19, 1677. 300 francs.
Vanucci, Pietro. Called Le Perrugin. [Celebrated
painter.] A. L. S. folio. Florence, Aug. 16, 1504.
650 francs.
Buonarotti, Michel Angiolo. [The grand painter.] A.
L. S. }/2 page oblong 4to. [Jan. 25, 1545.] 500
francs.
Titian^ Vicelli Tiziano, called. A. L. S. folio. Rome,
Dec. 8, 1545. To the Emperor Charles V. 2000
francs.
Santi, Rafaele. P. S. 3^ P- 4to, with two lines auto-
graph. Rome, Jan. 1, 1515. 2000 francs.
Pippi, Giulio — called Giulio Romano. A. L. S. foHo.
April 30, 1541. 700 francs.
136 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Cagliari, Paolo — called Paul Veronese. A. L. S. folio.
Venise, March 2, 1578. 225 francs.
Caracci, Lodovico. [1555-1619.] A. L. S. folio. 1616.
102 francs.
Cranachy Lucas. [Celebrated painter and engraver.
1472-1553.] A. L. S. 8vo. 400 francs.
Rubens, Peter Paul. A. L. S. small folio. Rome,
April 28, 1607. 380 francs.
Jordaens, Jakob. [1594-1678.] A. L. S. 13^ pp. folio.
An vers, Nov. 8, 1651. 360 francs.
Van Dyck, Anthony. L. S. 2 pp. folio. Paris, Nov. 16,
1641. 420 francs.
Rembrandt. A. L. S. folio. To Constantin Huygens.
800 francs.
Rameau, Jean Phil. [Noted composer.] A. L. S. 4to.
June 29, 1754. 305 francs.
Lulli, Giambattista. [Composer.] P. A. S. [on vel-
lum] oblong 4to. June 3, 1684. 70 francs.
Cimarosa, Domenico. [Composer.] A. L. S. 2 pp.
folio. April 30, 1793. 250 francs.
Handel, Georg Friedrich. A. L. S. 3 pp. 4to. London,
Feb. 20, 1719. 910 francs.
Gluck, Christoph Willibald. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to.
Paris, Nov. 16, 1777. 1135 francs.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 137
Beethoven, Ludwig von. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to. Relative
to one of his compositions. Baden, 1810. 227
francs.
Ignatius de Loyola. [Founder of the Jesuits.] L. S. 2
pages 4to. Rome, Feb. 17, 1546. 3100 francs.
Reuchlin, Johann. [Reformer.] A. L. S. folio. May
7,1518. 1000 francs.
Luther, Martin. P. A. S. folio [on vellum]. Nov. 24,
1543. 1300 francs.
Zwingliy Ulrich. [Reformer.] A. L. S. 4to. Aug. 10,
1529. 1000 francs.
The Chambry Collection.
On March 7, 1881, there was sold, in Paris, a col-
lection that was considered one of the most notable in
France. It had belonged to M. Etienne Pierre Louis
Chambry, a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, who was
born Dec. 24, 1786, and died Oct. 15, 1871. He com-
menced his collection when he was a very young man,
and for years was a large purchaser at all the sales in
Paris.
The catalogue is an 8vo pamphlet of 90 pages, des-
cribing 674 separate items, the most important of which
is an A. L. S. IJ/2 pages 8vo of Pierre Corneille, the il-
lustrious French tragic poet, written to Pellisson.
138 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
This autograph — bought by M. Chambry, in 1856, at
the Parison sale — is unique in private collections.
The catalogue was compiled by Etienne Charavay,
who closes a short preface by calling attention to the
fact that he had excluded from the sale certain letters
which, in the opinion of all the experts, were counter-
feit. They came from the famous genealogical cabinet
of Letellier — the prolific source of so many forgeries —
and included such names as Charles VII,, Agnes Sorel,
the Chevalier Bayard, Rabelais, Diana of Poitiers,
Bonnivet, Raphael, and Michel-Angelo. He also
excluded letters of Jean Racine, Louis XVI., and Marie
Antoinette; the geniuneness of which was doubted.
The sale produced 54,900 francs.
Among the gems of the collection, the following
autographs may be specified:
Amboise, Georges, Cardinal d\ The illustrious Prime
Minister of Louis XII. A. L. S. 2 pages folio. 160
francs.
Anne de Bretagne, Queen of France. A. L. S. folio.
205 francs.
Anne de France. Daughter of Louis XI. Regent of
France under Charles VIII. A. L. S. 4to. 205 francs.
Beauharnais, Josephine de. Empress of France. A.
L. S. 3 pages 8vo. To Vadier. Paris, 28 nivose an
II. 400 francs.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 139
Bichat, Fr. Xavier. The creator of modern physiology.
A. L. S. 2J/2 pages 4to. 205 francs.
Boileau-Despreaux, Nicolas. The great satiric poet.
A. L. S. 4to. Paris, May 25, 1673. 200 francs.
Bonaparte, Charles de. feather of Napoleon I. A. L.
S. [in ItaHan] l"^ pages 4to. Ajaccio, Nov. 7, 1784.
505 francs.
Cadoudal, Georges de. The celebrated Chouan chief.
A. L. S. 2 pages 4to. May 18, 1796. 200 francs.
Charles FIIL, King of France. L. S. folio, with 3 lines
autograph. 315 francs.
Charles IX., King of France. A. L. S. }^ page folio.
To his mother, Catherine de Medicis. 150 francs.
Chenier, Andre Marie de. The celebrated poet. A. L.
S. 4 pages 4to. To the King of Poland. Paris,
November 18, 1790. 1910 francs.
Claude de France. Queen of France. Wife of Francis
I. L. S. Y2 page 4to. 135 francs.
Coligny, Gaspard de. The illustrious admiral. Assas-
sinated. A. L. S. 134 pages folio. To the Queen of
Navarre. July 2, 1569. 600 francs.
Commynes, Philippe de. Illustrious historian. L. S.
folio, with 12 lines autograph. July 23, 1505. To
the Queen. 220 francs.
Corneille, Thomas. Celebrated dramatic poet. A. L.
S. 3 pages 8vo. Sept. 13, 1702. 600 francs.
140 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Deshoulieres, Antoinette Ligier de la Garde. Celebrated
poet. [1638-1694.] A. L. S. 2}/^ pages 8vo. 500
francs.
Fabert, Abraham. Illustrious French marshal. A. L.
S. 2 pages 4to. July 2, 1657. To Cardinal Mazarin.
75 francs.
Fenelon, Francois de la Mothe Salignac. Archbishop
of Cambray. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to. Cambral, May
17, 1717. 300 francs.
Frangois I., King of France. A. L. S. J/^ page 4to.
April 4, 1526. To the Emperor Charles V. 100
francs.
Francois II., King of France. A. L. S. J^ page folio.
Sept. 10, 1552. To the king, his father. 210 francs.
Gluck, Christophe. The great composer. A. L. S. 4to.
April 1,1778. 5 10 francs.
Guyon, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la MoUe. Celebrated
mystic. Friend of Fenelon. P. A. S. \}/i pages 4to.
April 15, 1695. 105 francs.
Jeanne d^Albret, Queen of Navarre. A. L. S. ^ page
folio. To Monsieur.
LaFayeUe, Marie Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne, Com-
tesse de. Celebrated writer. A. L. S. 4to. Feb.
13, 1662. To Arnauld de Pomponne. 85 francs.
Lannes, Jean. Celebrated French marshal. A. L. S.
4to. Oct. 14, 1806. To Napoleon I. 150 francs.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 141
La Rochefoucauld^ Frangois FLy Due de. The illus-
trious author of the "Maxims." A. L. S. \}/2 pages
4to. To Madame de Scudery.
La Sabliere^ Marguerite Hessin de. The celebrated
friend of La Fontaine. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to. To
PereRapin. 1010 francs.
La Falliere, Duchesse de. Celebrated mistress of Louis
XIV. A. L. S. 2 pages 8vo. 245 francs.
Lecouvreur, Adrienne. The great tragic actress. Auto-
graph letter (unsigned), IJ^ pages 4to. Jan. 10,
1730. 480 francs.
Lesage, Alain Rene, Author of "Gil Bias." A. L. S.
S}/2 pages 4to. Paris, June 18, 1715. 920 francs.
Louis XILy King of France. A. L. S. folio. To his
daughter. 500 francs.
Maratj Jean Paul. French revolutionist. A. L. S.
3^ pages folio. Paris, July 4, 1793. 325 francs.
Marguerite d'Angouleme, Queen of Navarre. Author
of the "Heptameron." A. L. S. 3^ page folio. To
Charles V. 205 francs.
Marie Stuart, Queen of Scots. A. L. S. 13^ pages folio.
Nov. 13, 1574. To the Archbishop of Glasgow.
1005 francs.
Massillon, J. B., Bishop of Clermont. Celebrated pul-
pit orator. A. L. S. 3 pages folio. Feb. 16, 1723.
300 francs.
142 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Napoleon /., Emperor of France. A. L. S. 4to. Ajac-
cio, June 12, 1792. 600 francs.
Piccinni, Nicolas. Noted composer. A. L. S. 2^
pages 4to. Oct. 22, 1782. 105 francs.
Pompadour, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de.
A. L. S. ^ page 8vo. To Malesherbes. Oct. 18,
1752. 155 francs.
Prevost d^Exiles, Pabbe Ant. Fr. Author of "Manon
Lescaut." A. L. S. 2 pages 4to. Oct. 8, 1738.
200 francs.
Racan, Honorat de Bueil, Marquis de. Celebrated
poet. A. L. S. 4to. Dec. 16, 1665. 500 francs.
Rameau, J. Ph. Celebrated composer. A. L. S. 3^
page 4to. June 7, 1758. 500 francs.
Ronsard, Pierre de. Celebrated poet. A. L. S. folio.
395 francs.
Saint Amant, Marc Antoine Gerard, Sieur de. Poet.
A. L. S. 2}4 pages folio. April 1, 1648. 660 francs.
Scarron, Paul. Noted writer. A. L. S. 1}^ pages 4to.
505 francs.
Vincent de Paul, Saint. A. L. S. 4to, 2 pages. Sept.
20, 1642. 300 francs.
Corneille, Pierre. The great tragic poet. A. L. S. IJ^
pages 8vo. To Pellisson. 4000 francs.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 143
The Bovet Collection.
One of the best collections that ever fell under the
hammer of the auctioneer was that of Alfred Bovet,
which was sold in Paris in 1887. The catalogue —
prepared by Etienne Charavay, with a very interest-
ing preface — is an unusually handsome 4to volume
of 880 pages, with hundreds of fac-similes. It enu-
merates 2138 separate items, representing the leading
names in most of the principal series. M. Bovet com-
menced the formation of this collection in the year
1869; and the earnestness and enthusiasm with which
he devoted himself to the pursuit of his hobby are
shown by the fact that in nineteen years he had ac-
quired this splendid aggregation of letters and docu-
ments, many of which had previously been in the noted
collections of Chambry, Tremont, Dubrunfaut, Fillon,
and Sensier. The following named items will exemplify
its general character.
Charles FL, King of France. L. S. oblong folio [on
vellum], 1368. 92 francs.
Charles FIL^ King of France. L. S. oblong 4to. 56
francs.
Francis /., King of France. A. L. S. 4to. To the Em-
peror Charles V. 255 francs.
144 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Catharine de Medicis. A. L. S. folio, 1583. To Mary,
Queen of Scots. 610 francs.
Desmoulins, Camille. A. L. S. 4to, 1790. To his
father. 100 francs.
Dunois, Jean d' Orleans, Comte de. Called "the bastard
of Orleans." [1402-1468.] A. L. S. oblong 4to.
500 francs.
Bonaparte, Napoleon. A. L. S. 4to, 1793. 1000 francs.
Sickingen, Franz von. Noted soldier and Protestant.
Friend of Luther. A. L. S. folio, 1519. 720 francs.
Wallenstein, Alhrecht Wenzel Eusehius von. The great
general in the Thirty Years' War. A. L. S. folio,
1619. 200 francs.
Garcia de Paredes, Don Diego. Noted Spanish general,
surnamed "the Spanish Bayard." A. L. S. folio,
1512. To Ferdinand, King of Spain. 495 francs.
Galilei, Galileo. A. L. S. folio, 1601. 690 francs.
Cook, Capt. James. Explorer. A. L. S. 4to, 1776.
100 francs.
Vancouver, George. Explorer. A. L. S. 4to, 1797.
110 francs.
Ronsard, Pierre de. Noted poet. [1524-1585.] A. L.
S. 4to. 330 francs.
Francois de Sales, Saint. [1567-1622.] A. L. S. 13^
pp. folio. July 31, 1613. To the Duke of Savoy.
260 francs.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 145
Corneille, Pierre. D. S, folio. 1663. 1785 francs.
Scarron, Paul. Poet. A. L. S. 4to, 1660. 300 francs.
La Fontaine, Jean de. [1621-1695.] A. D. S. 4to.
100 francs.
Moliere, Jean Baptiste Poquelin, Called. [1622-1673.]
D. S. 3H pp. folio, 1670. 2500 francs.
Malebranche, Nicolas. [1638-1715.] A. L. S. 4 pp.
4to, 1714. 130 francs.
Le Sage, Alain Rene. [1668-1747.] A. L. S. 6 pp. 4to,
1715. 1010 francs.
Prevost D'' Exiles, Pabbe Antoine Francois. [1697-1763.]
A. L. S. 3pp. 4to, 1735. 260 francs.
Chenier, Andre Marie de. Poet. [1762-1794.] A. L.
S. IJ^ pp. 4to, 1789. To his father. 810 francs.
Reuchlin, Johann. Reformer. A. L. S. folio, 1518.
1200 francs.
Luther, Martin. A. L. S. oblong 4to, 1526. 1000
francs.
Hutten, Ulrich von. Friend and pupil of Luther. A. L.
S. folio, 1520. 1210 francs.
Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim. [1729-1781.] A. L. S.
3}4 PP- 4to, 1767. 700 francs.
Byron, Lord. The English poet. A. L. S. 4to, 1820.
200 francs.
Shelley, Percy B. A. L. S. 23^ pp. 4to, 1820. To
Lord Byron. 500 francs.
146 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Erasmus, Desiderius. A. L. S. Xy'z PP- folio, 1527.
360 francs.
Mignard, Pierre. Painter. [1612-1695.] A. L. S.
2 pp. folio, 1693. 235 francs.
Greuze, Jean Baptiste. Painter. [1725-1805.] A. L.
S. 4to, 1766. 250 francs.
Duquesne, Abraham. Illustrious naval officer. [1610-
1688.] A.L. S.4to, 1661. 80 francs.
Lenclos, Ninon de. Celebrated courtesan. [1620-1705.]
A. L. S. lY^ PP- 8vo. 300 francs.
La Vallierey Madame de. Mistress of Louis XIV. A.
L. S. 23^ pp. 8vo. 330 francs.
Pompadour, Marquise de. Mistress of Louis XV. A.
L. S. 8vo. 300 francs.
Corday, Charlotte. A. L. S. 4to, 1789. 400 francs.
The Collection of Count Paar.
The collection of Ludwig, Count Paar, which was
sold in Berlin in March, 1893, was said, at the time,
to be of such a character that its equal would not be
seen at auction for many years to come. This was the
opinion generally expressed by the dealers; and the
prices that were realized for the more important items,
though then thought to be extremely high, would
probably be considered quite reasonable to-day.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 147
The catalogue is a pamphlet of 255 pages, with
many facsimiles, enumerating 2074 items, embracing
the series of Royalty, Warriors, Statesmen, the Re-
formation, Scientists, Poets and Prose-writers, Com-
posers of music. Painters and Sculptors, Celebrated
Women, Popes, and Saints. Some of these series —
as, for instance, those of the Reformation and the Thirty
Years' War — were particularly fine. The following
names are worthy of special mention.
Christian II. [King of Denmark. "The Nero of the
North"]. L. S. 3 pp. folio, 1525. 50 marks.
Bianca Capello [wife of Francesco de Medici. Cele-
brated for her beauty and her adventures]. L. S.
4to, 1584. 56 marks.
Peter the Great [Sovereign of Russia]. A. L. S. 4to, 1720.
400 marks.
Philip II. [King of Spain]. A. L. S. 3 pp. folio, 1593.
To Pope Clement VIII. 200 marks.
Wallenstein, Albrecht, Graf von [the great general of
the Thirty Years' War]. A. L. S. folio, 1619. 300
marks.
Gotz von Berlichingen [1480-1562. Celebrated German
soldier]. A. L. S. oblong 4to. 235 marks.
Hofer, Andreas [Tyrolese patriot]. A. L. S. folio, 1809.
143 marks.
148 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Sickingen, Franz von [celebrated German soldier and
Protestant reformer]. A. L. S. folio, 1520. 415
marks.
Borgia, CcBsar [son of Pope Alexander VI . and brother
of Lucretia Borgia]. D. S. oblong folio, 1503. 150
marks.
Doria, Andrea [Illustrious Genoese admiral]. A. L. S.
folio, 1545. 86 marks.
Robespierre, Maximilien [French Rev^olution]. A. L. S.
4 pp. 4to, 1790. 291 marks.
Washington, George. A. L. S. 4to, 1799. 130 marks.
Calvin, Jean [Reformer]. A. L. S. 21/3 pp. folio, 1545.
365 marks.
Erasmus, Desiderius. A. L. S. 3 pp. folio, 1528. 555
marks.
Hutten, Ulrich von [German poet and Protestant re-
former. 1488-1523]. A. L. S. 4to. 590 marks.
Luther, Martin. A. L. S. folio, 1519. 650 marks.
Melancthon, Philipp [Luther's friend]. A. L. S. 3 pp.
folio, 1552. 150 marks.
Peutinger, Conrad [Protestant reformer]. A. L. S. 3 pp.
folio, 1522. 410 marks.
Pirkheimer, Wilihald [Protestant reformer]. A. L. S.
folio, 1519. 335 marks.
Reuchlin, Johann [Protestant reformer]. A. L. S. folio,
1518. 580 marks.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 149
Zwingli, Ulrich [Protestant reformer]. A. L. S. folio,
1524. 630 marks.
Kepler^ Johannes [Astronomer]. A. L. S. 2 pp. folio,
1613. 350 marks.
Mercator, Gerard Kaufmann, called [the great Geogra-
pher]. A. L. S. folio, 1577. 402 marks.
Spinoza, Benedict [1632-1677. Philosopher]. A. L. S.
2 pp. 4to, 1675. 1100 marks.
Frank, Sebastian [1500-1545. German prose-writer].
A. L. S. 2 pp. folio, 1533. 152 marks.
Aretino, Pietro[poQt\. A. L. S. folio, 1553. 850 marks.
Mendoza, Don Inigo Lopez de [Spanish poet]. D. S.
folio, on vellum, 1452. 205 marks.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus [the great Composer]. A.
L. S. 2 pp. 4to, 1781. 420 marks.
Buonarotti, Michel Angiolo, called Michel- Angelo.
A. D. S. of 3 lines, on the back of a document signed
by Pope Leo X. 3 pp. folio, 1518. 1850 marks.
Durer, Albrecht [the great Painter], Autograph docu-
ment, 16 lines, oblong folio, 1518. 585 marks.
Pippi, Giulio — called Giulio Romano [1492-1546.
Painter]. A. L. S. 1}^^ pp. folio, 1541. 500 marks.
Titian [the illustrious Painter]. A. L. S. folio, 1548.
To King Ferdinand I. 1825 marks.
Lucretia Borgia [One of the great celebrities of Italian
history]. A. L. S. folio. 1800 marks.
150 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Colonna, Vittoria — Marchesa di Pescara [1490-1547.
Noted for her intellect, beauty and virtues]. A. L.
S. 2 pp. folio. 505 marks.
Marguerite de Valois [Queen of Navarre. Author of
the ^'Heptameron"]. A. L. S. folio. 1050 marks.
Leo X. [Pope]. A. L. S. folio, 1492. 75 marks.
SaieSj Saint Francis de [1567-1622]. A. D. S. folio,
1614. 40 marks.
Collection of Alexander Meyer Cohn.
Among the private collections of autographs
formed in Germany during the latter half of the 19th
century, that of Alexander Meyer Cohn held first rank.
He was a resident of Berlin, born in 1853, and was a
most energetic and intelligent collector. When he
died, in 1904, he left, as part of his worldly possessions,
a truly magnificent gathering of autographs. It was
offered for sale at auction, in Berlin, in two parts; the
first on Oct. 23-28, 1905, and the second on Feb. 5-10,
1906. The catalogues are two 4to volumes which,
together, contain 316 pages, enumerating 3437 items,
with very many facsimiles. The entire sale, including
an important lot of modern political documents which
were sold to the German government, realized a total
of more than 300,000 marks.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 151
From this wealth of material the following names
are selected, as being of unusual occurrence or of special
note.
Friedrich V.^ King of Bohemia ["The Winter King"].
A. L. S. 3 pages folio, 1618. 295 marks.
Friedrich Wilhelm. The great Elector of Brandenburg.
A. L. S. folio, 1671. 560 marks.
Catharine of Aragon. Queen of Henry VIII. L. S.
folio, 1531. 1150 marks.
Edward VL, King of England. D. S., 1548. 1150
marks.
Napoleon Bonaparte. A. L. S. 13^ pages folio, 1796.
2510 marks.
William of Nassau, Prince of Orange. [Called "the
Silent."] A. L. S. 4 pages folio, 1561. To Count
Egmont. 405 marks.
Catherine II., Empress of Russia. A. L. S. 4to, 1760.
400 marks.
Desmoulins, Camille. A. L. S. 4to. An. III. 411
marks.
Brant, Sebastian [Writer]. A. L. S. folio, 1505. 440
marks.
Luther, Martin. A. L. S. folio, 1525. 1400 marks.
Goethe, Johann W. von. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to, 1780.
801 marks.
152 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Grillparzer, Franz. Dramatist. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to,
1819. 551 marks.
Kant, Immanuel. Philosopher. A. L. S. 4to, 1770.
335 marks.
Kleist, Heinrich von. Poet. A. L. S. 4to, 1810. 490
marks.
Mendelssohn, Moses. Philosopher. A. L. S. 4to, 1779.
255 marks.
Danneker, Johann Heinrich von. Sculptor. A. L. S.
4to, 1797. 715 marks.
Chenier, Andre Marie de. Poet. A. L. S. 4to, 1789.
780 marks.
La Fontaine, Jean de. A. L. S. 3 pages 8vo, 1656. 600
marks.
Le Sage, Alain Rene [1668-1747]. A. L. S. 6 pages 4to,
1715. 955 marks.
Spinoza, Benedict de [1632-1677]. Eminent philos-
opher. A. L. S. 4to, 1675. 1175 marks.
Calderon de la Barca, Don Pedro. Eminent Spanish
poet. A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1635. 1410 marks.
Cranach, Lucas. Eminent painter. A. L. S. folio,
1538. 810 marks.
Jordaens, Jakob. Painter. A. L. S. folio, 1649. 1150
marks.
Rembrandt. The great painter. A. L. S. folio, 1639.
7000 marks.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 153
Rubens, Peter Paul. A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1627. 1500
marks.
Raphael. The illustrious painter. A. D. S. [2 lines]
folio, 1514. 1000 marks.
Titian. The great painter. A. L. S. folio, 1548. 1910
marks.
Gluck, Christoph Willibald. Composer of music. A. L.
S. 3 pages folio, 1769. 4000 marks.
Lasso, Orlando [1532-1594]. Composer of music. A.
L. S. 3 pages folio. 2050 marks.
Mozart, Wolfgang Aviadeus. A. L. S. 4to, 1788. 1105
marks.
Geibel and Herz Collections
In 1911, the collections of Dr. Carl Geibel, of Leip-
zig, and Carl Herz v. Hertenried, of Vienna, were sold
at auction in Leipzig. They were remarkable chiefly
for letters of men noted in connection with the Refor-
mation, and of some of the great painters and com-
posers of music. The following names may be men-
tioned as among those that commanded the highest
prices :
Berlichingen, Gbtz von [1480-1562]. A. L. S. 4to. 580
marks.
Eck, Johann Maier [1486-1543]. A. L. S. folio. 720
marks.
154 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Erasmus, Desiderius [1467-1536]. A. L. S. folio. 810
marks.
Luther, Martin. A. L. S. 43^2 pages folio. 102,000
marks.
[Note. — This letter was bought for J. Plerpont Morgan, the New York
banker, who presented it to the German Kaiser. It was written to the Emperor
Charles V., defending the position he [Luther] had taken at the Diet of Worms.
Its contents were such that no one dared to deliver it to the Emperor. It is safe
to say that such an enormous price was never before paid for any autograph.]
Bora, Katharma von [Luther's wife]. A. li. S. IJ^
pages folio, 1546. Written to her sister. 6000
marks.
Sickingen, Franz von [1481-1523]. A. L. S. 2}/2 pages
folio, 1521. 560 marks.
Zwingli, Ulrich. A. L. S. 33^ pages folio, 1528. 3200
marks.
Rubens, Peter Paul [Painter]. A. L. S. 21/0 pages folio,
1628. 1520 marks.
Rafaele Santi [1483-1520]. A. L. S. 4to, 1514. 1560
marks.
Mozart, Wollgang Amadeus. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to, 1789.
1505 marks.
The Huth Collection.
The small collection formed by Mr. Henry Huth,
and sold in London on June 12 and 13, 1911, realized
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 155
prices so far in excess of any that had been previously
obtained, or that were believed to be warranted by
the rarity of the pieces, as to be truly astonishing.
Mr. W. Carew Hazlitt, in his "Four Generations
of a Literary Family," says: — "Henry Huth was a
gentleman, a scholar, and a linguist — affable, kind and
unostentatious. He was born in 1815, and succeeded
his father, Frederick Huth, in the firm of F. Huth &
Co., carrying on a very extensive and profitable mer-
cantile business. A great book collector, possessing a
fair knowledge of the contents of books, and a master
of several languages, he accumulated, in the course of
many years, an exceedingly valuable library, largely
from the Daniel and Corser sales. His wealth, coupled
with the fact that prices were vastly lower in the 1860s.
and 70s. than they now are, enabled him to do this.
He died in December, 1878, from the effects of a fall
in his own home, which fractured his skull. His
library and manuscript letters and documents passed
into the hands of his son, who made numerous addi-
tions to them."
The catalogue of the collection is a pamphlet of
43 pages, with many facsimiles, and describes 246
separate items, which produced the remarkable total
of £13166. An article in the London "Times," com-
menting on the sale, makes the statement that the
156 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
whole collection cost very little over £2000 between
the years 1862 and 1880; and gives, in many instances,
the particular prices paid by Mr. Huth.
The following names will exemplify the general
character of the collection, and will show the vast
difference between the prices paid, and those received,
for some of the principal letters.
Burns, Robert. Autograph manuscript of the famous
cantata of "The Jolly Beggars," 3 pages folio. £490.
Defoe, Daniel. A. L. S. 1 page 4to, 1704. Signed
"D. F." £295.
Dryden, John. (Poet.) A. L. S. 4to, 1698. £200.
Edward IV. [King of England] and his brother Ed-
mund. Letter on paper, in Latin, signed by both,
1 page oblong folio. London, Dec. 10, 1460. £130.
[Cost Mr. Huth £16.15 at the Addington sale.]
Elizabeth [Queen of England]. A. L. S., 3 pages folio.
To Henry IV., of France. £365.
Galileo [the great astronomer]. A. L. S. X]/^ pages
folio, 1635. £116.
Goldsmith, Oliver. A. L. S. 23^2 pages 4to. To Sir
Joshua Reynolds. £280.
[Cost Mr. Huth £17.17 at the Dillon sale.]
Katherine of A rr agon [Queen of Henry VIII.]. A. L. S.
3 pages folio, Buckden, Feb. 8, 1534. To the Em-
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 157
peror Charles V., on the subject of her divorce.
£800.
[Cost Mr. Huth £26 at Puttick & Simpson's, in
1862.]
Katherine Parr [Queen of Henry VIII.]. L. S. I page
oblong folio. £175.
[Cost Mr. Huth £27 at Puttick & Simpson's in
1862.]
Keats, John [Poet]. A. L. S. 3J^ pages 4to, 1818. To
his publisher, relating to the proof sheets of "Endy-
mion." £450.
[Cost Mr. Huth £27.]
Lambj Charles. Autograph manuscript of his Essay
"Grace before Meat." 63^^ pages folio, signed
"EHa." £455.
[Cost Mr. Huth £5.2.6.]
Luther, Mart 171. A. L. S. 134 pages folio, 1525. To
John, Duke of Saxony. £495.
[Cost Mr. Huth £14 at the Addington sale.]
Mary Tudor [Queen of England]. A. L. S. folio, 1557.
To the Emperor Charles V. £420.
[Cost Mr. Huth £81].
Mary, Queen of Scots. A. L. S. folio, 1586. Written
to the French Ambassador while she was in captivity
atChartley. £1025.
[Cost Air. Huth 2 guineas at Puttick & Simpson's
in 1862.]
158 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Raleigh, Sir Walter. A. L. S. folio. Written from the
Tower to Sir Walter Cope, begging that his wife
might be allowed to share his captivity. £520.
[Cost Mr. Huth £84 at the sale of the Young col-
lection in 1869.]
Shelley, Percy B. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1821. To
Joseph Severn, on John Keats and "Adonais."
£770.
[Cost Mr. Huth £6.12.]
Washington, George. A. L. S. 3}^ pages 4to, 1788. To
Sir Edward Newenham. £71.
[Cost Mr. Huth £9.15 at the Addington sale.]
CHAFFER X
The Collection Formed by Alfred Morrison.'
IN previous chapters mention has been made of a
number of the leading European collections which,
in successive decades since 1846, have gone to
public sale. While it might be interesting to give
a similar detailed notice of other great collections, it
is not possible to do so within the limits assigned to
the present book. There is, however, one collection —
part of which has lately been sold at auction, where
the remaining and larger part is shortly to be sold —
that far exceeds in importance and value any other of
which we have knowledge. It is that of Alfred Morri-
son, a London merchant of great wealth, who was born
in 1821 and died in 1897. The "Dictionary of National
Biography" contains a notice of him. After speaking
of what he had accomplished as "a devoted and dis-
160 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
criminating collector," it goes on to say: — "The chief
occupation of the last thirty years of his life was the
accumulation of an extraordinary collection of auto-
graphs and letters, perhaps never rivalled by any
private person, no less remarkable for its extent than
for its completeness and historical and literary interest.
It contains every kind of epistolary document dealing
with politics, administration, art, science, and litera-
ture, ranging from the fifteenth to the nineteenth
centuries, and especially relating to the public and
private life of monarchs, statesmen, and other persons
of mark of all European countries, particularly Great
Britain, France, and Italy. Many of the manuscripts
are of great importance. The correspondence between
Nelson and Lady Hamilton was for the first time fully
printed in his catalogue. The papers of Sir Richard
Bulstrode, who died in 1711 at the age of 101, contain
his news-letters, which may be looked upon as a com-
panion to, and a continuation of, Pepys's 'Diary.' . . .
He was a man of fastidious taste, of retiring disposition,
and of wide information on the subjects in which he
was interested."
He printed for private distribution six sumptuous
volumes, large 4to, with numerous facsimiles, in which
a large part of his chief treasures are described; and,
in addition, seven volumes, large 8vo. To say of these
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS \(>\
treasures that they are truly wonderful, and that they
never could have been acquired by any one who did
not couple persistent endeavor with the possession of
immense wealth, is to speak entirely within bounds.
If a great rarity appeared for sale anywhere in Europe,
his order was to buy it, irrespective of price. And
so there are here gathered together the gems of all the
principal collections that have been dispersed since
the year 1865. No great name that was obtainable is
absent from this goodly company; many names of first
importance are represented by from two to ninety
letters, instead of the single letter or document with
which most collectors would be fully satisfied; and
here and there we find a specimen that is unique in
private hands. Add to all this the fact that the con-
tents of very many of the letters are of historical im-
portance; and we shall not hesitate to admit that this
collection combines all the elements that contribute to
make it one of surpassing excellence. It was left by
Mr. Morrison to his wife, still living; by whose order it
is to be dispersed.
The first portion of the collection is described in a
catalogue of 119 pages, embracing 771 items, issued by
Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, the auctioneers. The
sale took place on Monday, Dec. 10, 1917, and the four
following days, and produced the sum of £12606.2.0.
162 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
The catalogue of the second portion — sold on
Monday, April 15, 1918, and the four following days —
is a pamphlet of 169 pages, naming 997 items, which
produced a total of £15009.14.0.
The larger part of the collection remains for sale
hereafter. The prices realized for a few of the rarest
and most valuable autographs disposed of at the two
sales named will now be stated.
AlmagrOy Don Diego de. Accompanied Pizarro and
Cortez to America. Conquered Chili. A. L. S.
2 pages folio. Peru, Jan. 1, 1535. To the Emperor
Charles V. £76.
Alva, Fernando, Duke of. The cruel Spanish general.
A. L. S. 4 pages folio. 1567. £31.
Ariosto, Lodovico. The great Italian poet. A. L. S.
folio. Ferrara, June 6, 1519. £45.
Artaignan, Comte d\ The original of Dumas' hero.
A. L. S. 4 pages 4to. Dec. 24, 1658. To Cardinal
Mazarin. £23.
Borgia, Lucrezia. L. S. folio. Rome, Nov. 20, 1501.
£64.
Browne, Sir Thomas. Physician and author. A. L. S.
folio. Jan. 21, 1659. To John Evelyn. £45.
Buckingham, George Villiers, 1st Duke of. A. L. S.
folio. 1626. To Cardinal Richelieu. £31.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 163
Buo7iarotii, Michel Angela. A. L. S. oblong 4to. 1545.
£36.
Cagliari^ Paolo. Called Paolo Veronese, A. L. S.
folio. Dec. 20, 1577. £31.
Castiglioney Baldassare. Friend of Raphael. A. L. S.
3 pages folio. Rome, 1521. £28.
Catesby, Robert. The chief contriver of the Gunpowder
Plot. A. L. S. 34 page folio. £26.
Cervantes de Saavedra, Miguel. Author of Don Quixote.
D. S. 114 pages folio, Feb. 4, 1593. £270.
Charles I. A. L. S. folio. May 29, 1630. To Marie
de Medicis. Announcing the birth of the future
Charles II. £98.
Charles I. A. L. S. 13^ pages folio. Cardiff, July 31,
1645. To the Marquis of Ormond. Extremely
important. £160.
Colon, Don Diego. Eldest son of the great Columbus.
D. S. 5 pages folio. To the Emperor Charles V.
Historically important. £106.
Cook, Ja^nes. Celebrated navigator. A. L. S. 4to.
1776. £36.
Corneille, Pierre. The great French poet. A. L. S.
\}/2 pages 8 vo. £135.
Cromwell, Oliver. A. L. S. 2 pages folio. July 5, 1644.
Important. £300.
164 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Defoe, Daniel. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to. Signed with ini-
tials. Edinburgh, Nov. 2, 1706. £155.
Diane de Poitiers. Mistress of Henri II. A. L. S.
folio. £46.
Edward IV. King of England. D. S. folio. 1475.
£32.
Elizabeth. Queen of England. A. L. S. 2 pages folio.
To King Henri IV. £150.
Erasmus, Desiderius. A. L. S. 434 pages folio. May
14,1533. To Viglius Zuichen. £64.
Francis I. A. L. S. folio. 1531. £21.
Galilei, Galileo. The great astronomer. A. L. S. 3
pages folio. June, 1627. £66.
Gwynn, Eleanor. Mistress of Charles II. D. S. folio,
1684. £27.10.
Hawkins, Sir John. Naval commander. L. S. folio,
1581. £23.
Henry VII. King of England. L. S. folio, 1498. To
the Duke of Milan. £28.
Henry VIII. King of England. A. L. S. Yz page
folio. In French. To Margaret of Austria. £80.
Jordaens, Jakob. Flemish painter. A. L. S. IJ/^ pages
folio. Antwerp, 1651. To Constantin Huygens.
£28.
Knox, John. Scottish reformer. A. L. S. in Latin.
Edinburgh, Oct. 24, 1561. To Calvin. £220.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 165
Las Casas, Fray Bariolome de. Bishop of Chiapa. Ac-
companied Columbus on his first voyage. A. L.
(unsigned) 3 pages folio. 1520. £145.
Le Sage, Alain Rene. Author of Gil Bias. A. L. S. 2
pages 4to. £59.
Luther, Martin. A. D. S. folio. On vellum. A hom-
ily on the 28th verse of the 11th chapter of St. Luke.
£155.
Malherbe, Francois de. French poet. A. L. S. 2 pages
folio. 1606. £16.
Marie Antoinette. Queen of France. A. L. S. 8vo.
1791. To the Princesse de Lamballc. £78.
Burets, Robert. Scottish poet. A. L. S. 3 pages folio.
Dec. 13, 1789. To Miss Dunlop. An extraordinary
letter. £220.
Mary Stuart. Queen of Scotland. A. L. S. 23/^ pages
folio. Sheffield, Dec. 3, 1581. To Henri III. £360.
Melancthon, Philip. A. L. S. 3 pages folio. Witten-
berg, March 3, 1554. To Duke Augustus of Saxony.
£28.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Composer. A. L. S. 4
pages 4to. 1787. Interesting. £50.
Napoleon /. A. L. S. J^ page 4to. Paris, Sept. 6,
1800. To Louis XVIII. £435.
Napoleon I. A. L. S. 8vo. To Josephine. £150.
166 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Orange, William the Silent^ Prince of. A. L. S. folio.
1573. £30.
Rabelais, Francois. French wit and satirist. A. L. S.
4I/2 pages folio. Rome, Jan. 28, 1537. £270.
Racine, Jean. Tragic poet. A. L. S. 63^2 pages 4to.
April 3, 1691. To Boileau. £54.
Rembrandt van Rijn. Famous Dutch painter. A. L.
S. 1J4 pages folio. Jan. 27, 1639. To Constantino
Huygens. £180.
Richard III. King of England. D. S. on vellum.
June 10, 1484. A treaty with the Duke of Brittany.
£64.
Robespierre, Maximilien. A. L. S. 4to. Paris, Feb.
15, 1793. To Danton. £64.
Rubens, Sir P. P. Great Flemish painter. A. L. S.
3 pages folio. Antwerp, Feb. 25, 1628. To M.
Dupuy. £31.
Saint Albans, Francis Bacon, Viscount. A. L. S. J^
page folio. July 13, 1609. £54.
Scarron, Paul. Comic poet. A. L. S. IJ-^ pages 4to.
To Pelisson. £17.10.
Siddons, Sarah. Famous actress. A. L. S. 7 pages 4to.
Leeds, July 5, 1807. To James Ballantyne. £16.5.0.
Sterne, Laurence. A. L. S. 4to. March 12, 1763.
Respecting the sale of "Tristram Shandy." £21.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 167
Swift, Jonathan. Noted English author. A. L. S. 3
pages 4to. Nov. 10, 1709. To Lady (jifford. In-
teresting. £35.
TassOy Torquato. Celebrated Italian poet. A. L. S. 3
pages folio. Ferrara, June 21, 1575. £43.
Fecelli, Tiziano. Called Titian. Famous painter. A.
L. S. folio. Rome, Dec. 8, 1545. To the Emperor
Charles V. £76.
Vespucci, Emerico. The Florentine navigator who
gave his name to America. A. L. S. (in Latin), Oct.
18, 1476. 1 page oblong 4to. On vellum. [One
of the two known specimens of his handwriting.]
£390.
Vinci, Leonardo da. Celebrated Italian painter. Two
pen and ink sketches of machines, with autograph
descriptions. 1 page folio. £110.
Washington, George. A. L. S. 3}^ pages 4to. Sept.
12, 1758. To Miss Fairfax. About his love for
Mrs. Custis. £152.
Wolfe, Gen. James. A. L. S. (initials). 33^ pages
folio. Louisburg, May 19, 1759. To his uncle,
Major Walter Wolfe. Giving particulars of his
position before the attack on Quebec. £62.
Bonaparte, Letizia. Mother of Napoleon. A. L. S. 3''2
page 4to. [March 23, 1801.] To her son Lucien.
£21.
168 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Bums, Robert. A. L. S. 6 pages 4to. Feb. 28, 1791.
To Dr. John Moore. Enclosing a ballad of 22 lines
on Queen Mary. £200.
Byron, Lord. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to. June 25, 1809.
To Rev. Francis Hodgson. Interesting. £32.
Byron, Lord. Autograph verses, 3 pages 4to. Com-
prising 13 stanzas, of 4 lines each, dated March 18,
1816, of his famous poem
Fare thee well ! and, if for ever.
Still, for ever, fare thee well. £320.
Catherine de Medicis. Queen of France. A. L. S. %
page folio. Dec. 20, 1583. To Mary, Queen of
Scots. £300.
Cellini, Benvenuto. Celebrated Italian Goldsmith. 2
A. L. S. folio. To Francesco Ricci. £30.
Charles V. Emperor of Germany. A. L. S. folio. To
Francis I. Written in French. £32.
Dejoe, Daniel. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to. May 29, 1711.
£195.
Dryden, John. Poet. A. L. S. Y^ page 4to. Aug.
5, 1699. £34.
Edward IV. King of England. L. S. Yi page oblong
folio. To the Duke of Milan. £50.
Edward VI. King of England. Royal sign manual
to a warrant on paper. March 18, 1553. £35.
EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS 169
Elizabeth. Queen of England. A. L. S. (in French),
2 pages folio. Sept., 1602. To King Henry IV. of
France. £90.
Falstaffy Sir John. Famous military commander, van-
quished by Joan of Arc. D. S. on vellum, 1 page
folio. Jan. 1, 1435 (1436). £27.
Francis I. King of France. A. L. S. 1 page 4to, 1527.
To the Emperor Charles V., assuring him of the de-
votion of the writer. £38.
Garrick, David. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to. London, Dec.
3, 1773. Speaking of his appearance in the character
of Hamlet. £42.
Goldsmith, Oliver. A. L. S. 1 page 4to. To Garrick.
£265.
KeatSy John. English poet. A. L. S. 2}4 pages 8vo.
To Fanny Brawne. £100.
La Fontaine, Jean de. Poet and Fabulist. A. L. S.
2 pages 8vo, Sept. 2, 1683. To the Duchesse de
Bouillon. £60.
Mary, Queen of Scots. A. L. S. 2 pages folio. July
11, 1568. To Philip H. of Spain. Fine and im-
portant. £340.
CHAPTER XL
Concerning Collectors and Private Collections
IN THE United States.
PRIOR to 1850 there were few collectors of
autographs in the United States, and their col-
lections, with four exceptions — those of Robert
Gilmor, I. K. Tefft, William B. Sprague, and
Lewis J. Cist — were small and unimportant. In this
category come the names of Prof. R. W. Gibbes [of
Columbia, S. C], Benjamin B. Thatcher [author, of
Boston], Thomas S. Grimke [philanthropist, of Charles-
ton, S. C], Mrs. E. H. Allen [of Providence, R. L], and
Mellen Chamberlain [of Boston].
Between 1850 and 1860 this list was enlarged by
the addition of the names of Dr. John S. H. Fogg
[of Boston], Joseph J. Mickley [of Philadelphia], Dr.
Thomas Addis Emmet [of New York], Robert C. Davis
[of Philadelphia], Benj. Perley Poore [of Washington,
D. C], Frank M. Etting [of Philadelphia], Brantz
l\
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 171
Mayer [of Baltimore], Ferdinand J. Drccr [of Phila-
delphia], and Joshua J. Cohen [of Baltimore]. There-
after it grew steadily.
A few words will suffice to tell what is known of
the general character and history of some of these col-
lections.
Robert Gilmor was a wealthy merchant of Balti-
more, who became a devotee to art and accumulated
a fine gallery of paintings. Somewhere about the year
1825 he commenced the formation of a collection of
autographs, and was thereafter a liberal buyer in
European markets. In 1841 he printed, for private
distribution, a catalogue of the foreign autographs in
his possession, which contained many good, and some
rare, names. The American portion of the collection
was small. In 1851 — after the death of Mr. Gilmor —
Ferdinand J. Dreer, of Philadelphia, purchased part
of the collection, the remainder being sold piecemeal.
The following rather curious, but interesting, ac-
count of Mr. Gilmor's collection is given in a letter
written by Benj. B. Thatcher [the well-known author,
who was also a collector of autographs] to the New
Orleans "Bulletin."
Providence, R. I., June, 1835.
I embrace my earliest leisure since writing you last
to give you a sketch of one of the most remarkable
172 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
curiosities which I have thus far met with. I mean the
collection of autographs in the possession of Robert
Gilmor, Esq., of Baltimore, a gentleman of taste and
travel, and fortunately favored with the means of in-
dulging the one, and availing himself, as heretofore he
has done freely, of the benefit of the other. I had
heard of his cabinet formerly, and, I believe, mentioned
him to you in my description of Mr. Tefft's collection
at Savannah, as standing at the head of his profession,
so to speak, in this country, if not in the caste at large.
He has not more of the passion, perhaps, than some
others — and the number, by the way, is fast increas-
ing — but more of the means of making the best of it,
which he does. I venture to say it has been no rare
thing for him to give, not five and ten dollars only for a
precious rarity, but fifteen, twenty, thirty, and I dare
say more than that — more than he would be willing
to acknowledge. I am not aware that any other col-
lector has adopted this system to any extent worthy of
mention. It is common abroad; indeed the gratuitous
s)^stem is getting fast out of use there; autographs are
growing daily more and more articles of mere mer-
chandise in the literary market; and begging has given
place to buying, perhaps almost universally, with the
exception of those cases where the individual is himself
distinguished enough to accumulate a curious and
ROBERT GILMOR
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 173
recherche correspondence. . . . Mr. Gilmor's cabinet is
not the most extensive in the United States, so far as
quantity is concerned. That of the Rev. Mr. Sprague,
at Albany, stands in that respect at the head of the
list longo iniervallo, being composed of 20,000 specimens
at least. ... A very considerable portion of them,
however, consists of the theological division. . . . Mr.
Gilmor's is more general, though less voluminous, and
it is also, autographically speaking, undoubtedly more
valuable — admitted to be so by the worthy Dr. Sprague
himself. It consists of about 20 large quarto hollow
wooden volumes filled with loose letters, notes, royal
decrees and proclamations, papal bulls, state papers,
single signatures pasted upon white sheets, and all the
other variety of documents commonly comprised in
similar hoards, lying flat and neatly labelled with such
memoranda as may be essential to preserve the record
of their authenticity and whatever is of interest in their
history or character at large. . . . My time being
limited, I asked to be shown the poets, foreign — having
a particular desire to look at Byron and some others,
which are not very common even at this day; for Byron,
especially, has come already, such is the search for him,
to be decidedly a rara avis. In respect to him, partic-
ularly, my host has been fortunate. He showed me,
among other things, the identical letter of credit which
174 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
he took with him — in 1829, I think it was — on starting
for those travels which proved to be his last. . . .
There was also one of his bills of exchange, and, if I
mistake not, a letter or note to Cam Hobhouse, from
Genoa, signed "Noel." Walter Scott of course is here,
with the ordinary characteristic of a total want of
punctuation of any sort. Then came a letter from
Southey to Scott — how interesting you will easily con-
ceive; long letters of Chapelain, Goldoni, Metastasio,
Racine, and Malesherbes; clusters of Cunningham,
Joanna Baillie, Charles Dibdin, Barton, Montgomery,
Watts, Hemans, Bowring, Crabbe, L. E. L., Moore,
and I can't remember whom, all crowded together.
. . . In many instances poems — sometimes original
pieces, sometimes the celebrated — are preserved. There
is a piece of Mrs. Barbauld, and another of Rogers; a
broken fragment of Wordsworth; and a verse or two of
Horace Smith. . . . But what shall I say of an article
from the pen of the immortal Alfieri himself, of the
date of 1793. It were enough to set a genuine virtuoso
a little frantic; and if I were one, and were compelled
to choose a single specimen from this rich reservoir of
rarities, alone, I confess I should be sadly at a loss
whether to postpone this splendid treasure even for the
primitive copy of that masterly effort of Campbell's,
"What's hallowed ground" — for here it is, corrections
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 175
and all. It makes my eyes water to think of it. I
must breathe a while for a fresh foray in my memo-
randa. Miss Edgeworth shines with this constellation,
and the famous Berkeley and Sir Richard Steele, who
has got to be decidedly rare and precious. Madame
D'Arblay and the portly Dr. Parr hobble along to-
gether; and Jeffrey goes arm in arm with Mrs. Graham,
the historian; while Roscoe, Porson, Pinkerton, Gillies,
Lamb, and Bryan W. Proctor bring up the rear. Then
comes a procession of Bulwer, Lady Morgan, Hallam,
Richard Cumberland, Godwin and Darwin, with a
rabble rout of Holcroft, Arthur Young, Macklin, Mur-
phy, GifFord, Hamilton, Shelley, and Sir John Shore.
Two letters of Sir William Jones follow on. There is
a power of attorney by Swift, a note of Addison's, the
signature of Francis Bacon to an instrument of 1616;
letters of Burke, Dugald Stewart, and Hearne; War-
burton and Arbuthnot, side by side; Jeremy Bentham,
alone in his glory; a knot of Italians, with Sismondi,
Manzoni, Belzoni and Botta at their head; Hannah
More; and how many others more I can't remember.
I do remember, however, three of the bijoux of this vol-
ume. One is a letter of Dillenius to Gronovius, I be-
lieve in Latin; the second, of Pope to the novelist Rich-
ardson; and the third, of the celebrated Sam Johnson
to Bishop White, of Philadelphia, dated 1773, and giv-
176 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
ing an account of Goldsmith's new comedy and a new
edition of his own Dictionary. The Doctor wrote a
back hand also, something like Beattie's.
In the French literary chapter, among the rarities,
is a letter of Rousseau to D'Alembert — a gem of course;
Salmatius of 1687; a fragment of Tasso, in Latin, and
of Vossius, 1648, in the same; Diderot, Volney, De
Stael, Horian, and Beaumarchais; and the whole list
of the pensioners of the Institute, from SO to 100 of
them. There are the scientific savans on a similar
pay-roll, the two first named of which, I think, are
Lagrange and Laplace, and then Delambre, Lacroix,
Lalande, Hauy, Lamarque, Cuvier, and so on. In
this division are Michaux, Banks, Denon, Priestley,
Davy, Bonpland, Humboldt, and Blumenbach. Kotz-
ebue, Goethe, and Schlegel were there somewhere.
Among the artists were notes of Chantry, Thorwaldsen
and West, and something from Fuseli, Shea, Camuc-
cini, Gerard, Morghen, Beechey, Madame Le Brun,
Canova and Lawrence, and, what is still better, of
Pietro Paulo Rubens, an inestimable treasure. Then
there is a valuable dramatic collection, which I cannot
detail, but Bannister and Pasta I remember among
them, as well as Kean, all the Kembles, etc. In many
cases there arc signatures only, more than that having
become introuvable. So it is with Walpole, Voltaire
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 177
[very rare], and Richard Brinslcy Sheridan. . . . The
Bonaparte family, male and female, are all here, Letitia
Mere included, and the son alone wanting. I looked
at Maria Louisa with a strange interest, and especially
when I saw it side by side with all the distingues of her
day. I turned then to gaze upon the musty memorials
of Queen Elizabeth; for there was her hand proper.
There too was her august father, the Eighth Harry.
There were Queen Anne, Leopold, a whole letter of
Charles L, Boyer, Christophe, Iturbide, a letter of the
great Charles V. of Spain to Magistrates [1522], his son
Philip IL to the Duke of Alva, in French [1567],
Capo D'Istria, Saxe Weimar, and a host more. I con-
fess that I valued Lafayette, with his wife and family,
beyond them all. Every American will attach a still
higher estimate to the Washington series, which of it-
self forms the soul of a volume. This is rich indeed.
It begins with the great man as a boy 13, and follows his
writmgs down to his death. There is his ciphering at
school, his surveying minutes, his journal as an orderly
sergeant, his Braddock memoranda, his Revolutionary
hand, and so to the end, showing the gradual settling
down of the characters into that beautiful and char-
acteristic writing now so generally known and admired.
What a treasure is this; and there is a corresponding one
in the autographs of the entire family of the Penns,
178 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
from William to this day. . . . Here are files of Col-
onial papers of every date, including Lord Baltimore's
in abundance, and especially the original minute-book
of the persons employed by Maryland and Pennsylvania
in 1751 to survey the boundary between those States.
. . . Mr. Gilmor has succeeded, with infinite pains,
in getting together the autographs of all the Signers of
the Declaration — that ne plus ultra of collectors — with
the exception of a single one, Mr. Lynch. Mr. Sprague
has outrun him in this field, for he has the whole, and
so has Dr. Raffles, of Liverpool; and these are the only
complete sets in the world. Mr. Gilmor will finish
his, I cannot doubt. He could not lie still in his grave
without it. But there would be no end to a detail like
this. I will conclude with a curiosity of the first mag-
nitude, such as autograph hunters, were they able,
would give their weight in gold for. I do not refer to
a letter of Sterne's to Dodsley, chaffering in vain to get
£50 [I think] for Tristam Shandy. I mean a memo-
randum in the writing of the notorious Dr. Dodd, being
the original minutes furnished to the scrivener for the
forged deed to Chesterfield, of £500, payable at 25
years of age — for which he suffered the penalty of the
law. The name of the gambler is not given; a signifi-
cant blank stands in the place of it. In some depart-
ments are deficiencies still. What would Mr. Gilmor
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 179
give for a Columbus — such as never has been seen in
America — or for a genuine Isabella! Gibbon is hard
to be had, and so is Garrick. Grotius I never have met
with anywhere.
Mr. Gilmor is the owner, I may add, of the best
private collection of paintings in this country. They
cost him over 320,000."
Frank M. Etting was a lawyer, of Philadelphia,
and an historical student, who devoted himself assid-
uously, from early manhood [circa 1852], to the col-
lection of American autographs, particularly those of
the Colonial and Revolutionary periods. He left his
numerous and valuable manuscript possessions to the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Robert C. Davis was a Philadelphia pharmacist,
whose antiquarian taste led him to gather, with avid-
ity, Continental and Colonial paper money, coins,
and autographs. Of the last named, he had an inter-
esting collection, principally American, including a
complete set of the Signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence; which was sold en bloc, after his death, to
Charles Roberts, of Philadelphia. It, together with
the additions which Mr. Roberts afterwards made to
it, is now deposited in Roberts Hall, Haverford Col-
lege; having been given to that institution by his
180 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
widow. Mr. Davis was an exceptionally good judge
of the genuineness of autographs, and his opinion in
doubtful cases was often sought.
The very valuable collection of Ferdinand J.
Dreer, of Philadelphia, is described in a catalogue con-
sisting of two large 4to volumes, which he printed for
private distribution in 1890. Its formation was begun
in 1848, and year by year it grew rapidly in size and
importance. Being the fortunate possessor of large
means, Mr. Dreer was never compelled to decline the
purchase of a rarity on account of the price asked for
it. Several years prior to his death he gave the entire
collection to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania,
where it is now carefully preserved and greatly treas-
ured.
The splendid American collections formed by Dr.
Thomas Addis Emmet, of New York, were purchased
from him at a very large price — said to have been not
less than 3200,000— by Mr. John S. Kennedy, a New
York banker, in 1896; who then presented them to the
New York Public Library. The several series of the
Signers of the Declaration of Independence in this
collection are, and must ever remain, unequaled.
They contain the only known autograph letter of
Thomas Lynch, Jun.
THOMAS ADDIS EMMET, M. D.
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 181
The collection of Dr. John S. H. Fogg, of Boston,
was a choice one. He became a cripple about the time
he reached middle life, and turned his attention to
autographs as a desirable diversion for a man deprived
of physical activity. He was particularly interested
in the series of Colonial Governors of Mass., Signers of
the Declaration of Independence, and Generals of the
Revolutionary War; and was successful in obtaining
fine specimens of most of the names they embrace.
The entire collection has, by his bequest, become the
property of the Historical Society of Maine.
Joseph J. Mickley, of Philadelphia, was a dealer in
musical instruments, and for many years was an ardent
collector of coins and autographs. After his death, in
1878, the autographs belonging to his estate were sold
at auction in Philadelphia. The catalogue enumerates
a complete and fairly good set of the Signers of the
Declaration of Independence, many desirable miscel-
laneous American and foreign names, and a complete
set of letters of the Presidents of the United States.
In the last-named set there was a very remarkable
A. L. S. 4to, of four pages, written by President Lin-
coln to Gen. George B. McClellan on April 9, 1862, as-
suring him of the President's kind feeling and full pur-
pose to sustain him, and closing with the words ^^But
you must act.^^
182 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Brantz Mayer, the well known author who died in
Baltimore, on March 21, 1879, left a small collection
of letters, chiefly of the Revolutionary period, among
which were a considerable number of the rarer Signers
of the Declaration of Independence and Generals of the
Revolutionary War. The best of them came from the
Maryland State papers. After his death they were
scattered; partly at private, partly at public, sale.
The large collection formed by Major Ben Perley
Poore, of Newburyport, Mass., and Washington, D. C,
was disposed of at auction, in Boston, on Feb. 15-17,
1888. The catalogue is a pamphlet of 153 pages,
enumerating 2751 separate items, most of which are
American. The Generals of the Civil War, both Union
and Confederate, members of the Continental Congress,
Presidents of the United States and their Cabinets,
Signers of the Delcaration of Independence, and officers
in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, were
well represented. The sale produced 36500.
The Tefft Collection.
Israel K. Tefft, of Savannah, Ga., was probably
the earliest American collector; his first acquisitions
of autographs having been made as far back as 1815.
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 183
From this date, up to the time of his death in 1861,
he was devoted to his hobby, and was successful in
gathering an interesting collection, of moderate size,
containing two complete sets of the Signers of the Decla-
ration of Independence; the better of which was sold by
his widow to Mr. Almon W. Griswold, of New York,
for the exceedingly small price of 3500. The rest of
the collection was disposed of at auction, in New York,
in 1867. The catalogue is a pamphlet of 262 pages,
enumerating 2630 items; of which 1794 are American,
the rest foreign. Many of them include a number of
names or specimens. It contains much good material,
Colonial, Revolutionary, and of a later date, as well as
a few good foreign names, coupled with a considerable
quantity of what is closely akin to trash. The sale
produced 37369.
As indicative of the difference between the auction
values of that day and of the present time, the following
instances may be given:
A complete set of the Signers of the Declaration of In-
dependence sold at 3625.
Arnold, Gen. Benedict. A. L. S. 4to. 36.
Cooper, J. Fenimore, A. L. S. 4to. 31-50.
Eliot, John [Apostle of the Indians]. A. D. S. }/2 page
folio. 33.50.
Gadsden, Gen. Christopher. A. L. S. 4to, 1792. 32.
184 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Gist, Gen. Mordecai. A. L. S. folio, 2 pages, 1781.
31.50.
Harrison, Robert H. [Supreme Court U. S.]. A. L. S.
folio, 1780. 31.63.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. A. L. S. 4to. 75 cents.
Irving, Washington. A. L. S. 4to, 2 pages, 1834. 33.
Lafayette, General. A. L. S. 4to, 1778. 32.50.
Payne, John Howard. A. L. S. 4to, 4 pages, 1835.
31.25.
Poe, Edgar A. A. L. S. 4to, 1836. 35.
Poe, Edgar A. A. L. S. folio, 1840. 37.
Jones, John Paul. A. L. S. folio, 1^ pages, 1777.
314.50.
Beethoven, Ludwig von (the composer). A. L. S. 4to.
313.
Dickens, Charles. A. L. S. 8vo, 2 pages, 1842. 32.50.
Henry VII, King of England. D. S. folio. 34.
Lamb, Charles. A. L. S. 4to. 314.
Thackeray, William M. A. L. S. 8vo, 2 pages, 1856.
33.
The Sprague Collection.
The Rev. Dr. William B. Sprague, who passed the
greater part of his life as pastor of a Presbyterian Church
RLW WILJ.IAM B. SPRAGLE
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 185
in Albany, N. Y., was not only the patriarch of Ameri-
can collectors, but was acknowledged to be the owner
of the largest and finest collection in the United States.
Shortly after his graduation from college, he became a
tutor in the family of Major Lewis, a nephew of Gen.
Washington, who had in his possession the entire cor-
respondence of the General. Young Sprague — then
not more than twenty-two years of age — was allowed
to select from this correspondence all the letters and
papers he desired; and thus he obtained a great num-
ber of military letters addressed to Washington by
Generals and other officers in the Revolutionary War,
as well as many that were written by other leading
men between the years 1774 and 1799. Among the
papers thus secured were specimens of Washington's
handwriting from the age of twelve to that of seven-
teen. In after years he was given the correspondence
of Samuel Huntington, a Signer of the Declaration of
Independence, and that of Thomas Rodney, of Del.,
and Jedediah Morse; and was also the recipient of a
large part of the papers of President Monroe, Aaron
Burr, and Sir William Johnson. From these and
other sources he obtained an abundance of material
available for exchanges with American and European
collectors. Owing to his prominence in the Presby-
terian Church, many clergymen of that denomina-
186 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
tion, both in the United States and Great Britain,
interested themselves in securing desirable contribu-
tions to his treasures. At the time of his death, in
1876, the collection numbered upwards of 90,000
items, of which at least one-third were letters or docu-
ments of men and women of prominence. Most of the
American series wxre complete, and a majority of the
names in them were represented by numerous speci-
mens. The European letters included many rarities
and numbered not less than 5000. Five years after
his death the collection was sold en bloc, and still re-
mains intact in the hands of its purchaser.
The Cist Collection.
Lewis J. Cist, who became widely known as an en-
thusiastic collector of autographs, was born in Pennsyl-
vania on November 20, 1818, and died in Cincinnati
on March 30, 1885. He commenced his collection
when he was seventeen or eighteen years of age; and
thereafter devoted himself, most energetically, to the
acquisition of letters or documents of notable persons
of all nationalities and periods. His life was spent,
partly in St. Louis and partly in Cincinnati, as teller
in a bank. His pecuniary resources were not large;
but a little money went a long way in securing auto-
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 187
graphs in England, France and Germany — partic-
ularly the latter country — during the years dating
from 1836 to 1860. By dint of great industry and very
numerous exchanges with other collectors, he succeeded
in forming a collection which, at the time of his death,
ranked second only to that of Dr. Sprague. It was
sold at auction, in New York, in four parts; the first
sale taking place in October, 1886, and the last in May,
1887. The catalogues of these four sales described
11,624 items, which realized about 318,000. The
American portion was quite complete in all the principal
series; and included sets of the Signers of the Declara-
tion of Independence [elsewhere spoken of in detail],
the Federal Convention, Generals of the Revolutionary
War, Presidents, and a specially large and important
gathering of the Colonial Governors. Many of the
latter — including a fine A. L. S. folio of Roger Williams
and others of equal rarity — came from the Winthrop
papers, and were given to Mr. Cist by Hon. Robert C.
Winthrop in return [as he himself told a brother col-
lector] for a letter of President William H. Harrison
which Mr. Winthrop desired as a present for a friend.
The manuscript autograph poems by the most noted
American poets were remarkable both in point of num-
ber and importance. The foreign portion of the col-
lection was quite equal to the American. It covered a
188 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
large field and, among many fine and desirable speci-
mens, contained a complete set of letters of Napoleon
and his Marshals, and a large number of letters of the
leading characters in the Thirty Years' War.
Specific mention may be made of the following
items :
Allen, Col. Etha7i. Fine military A. L. S. folio, 1781.
320.
Williams, Roger [founder of R. I.]. A. L. S. folio, 1637.
3107.50.
Stuyvesant, Peter [Governor of N. Y.]. A. L. S. folio,
1664. 381.
Andros, Sir Edmund [Governor of N. Y.]. A. L. S.
folio, 1675. 331.
Penn, William. A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1685. 350.
Lessing, Gotthold Eph. [Great German author]. A. L.
S. 4to, 1775. 318.
Schiller, Friedrich von [Great poet]. A. L. S. 4 pages
4to. 325.
Korner, Karl Theodor [Celebrated poet]. A. L. S. 3
pages 4to. 37.
Garrick, David [Actor]. A. L. S. 8vo. 311-
Abington, Frances [Actress]. A. L. S. 4to. 35.25.
Jorda7i, Dora [Actress]. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to. 33.25.
Melancthon, Philip [friend of Luther]. A. L. S. 2 pages
folio. 340.
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 189
Aquilay Caspar [friend of Luther]. A. L. S. 4to, 1551.
318.
Richardson, Samuel [Novelist]. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to,
1758. 322.
Haydn, Joseph [Composer of Music]. A. L. S. 4to,
1800. 327.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. A. L. S. 4to. 369.
Beethoven, Ludzvig vo7i. A. L. S. 4to. 327.
Schubert, Franz [Composer]. A. L. S. 4to, 1828. 317.
Congreve, William [Dramatist]. A. D. S. folio, 1718.
36.
Southerne, Thomas [Dramatist]. A. L. S. 8vo. 34.25.
Medici, Catherine de [Queen of France]. A. L. S. folio.
318.
Napoleon Bonaparte. L. S. 4to, 1804. Relative to his
coronation as Emperor. 315.50.
Cowper, William [Poet]. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1792.
313.
Keats, John [Poet]. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1820. 322.
Pope, Alexander [Poet]. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to, 1720.
332.
Shelley, Percy B. [Poet]. A. L. S. 4to, 1817. 342.
Mary, Queen of Scots. L. S. folio, 1559. 352.
Elizabeth [Queen of England]. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1591.
332.
190 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Washington^ George. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to, 1779. To
Col. John Laurens. 332.
Jackson, Andrew. A. L. S. 4to, 1841. 33.75.
Taylor, Zachary. A. L. S. 4to, 1848. 313.50.
Lincoln, Abraham. A. L. S. 4to, 1849. 327.50.
Putnam, Gen. Israel. L. S. 4to, 1776. 39.50.
Kalb, John, Baron de [General]. A. L. S. folio, 1777.
321.
Conway, Gen. Thomas. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1778.
375.
Jones, John Paul. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to, 1780. 334.
The Leffingwell Collection.
The months of January and March, 1891, witnessed
the dispersal at auction, in Boston, of the splendid
collection formed by Prof. E. H. Leffingwell, of New
Haven. He commenced his autographic pursuits when
he was quite a young man, and was, with Dr. Sprague
and Messrs. Tefft and Cist, one of the small coterie of
noted early American collectors. During the course
of a long life, he was a liberal and constant purchaser
from dealers, both American and European, and at
auction sales.
The catalogues of his collection number, respec-
tively, 331 pages, enumerating 3335 items, and 357 pages.
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 191
enumerating 3315 items; very many of which include a
considerable number of autographs. The collection
was much larger and more important than that of Mr.
Cist, and was unquestionably the finest that had ever
been sold at auction in the United States; producing
ov^er 351,000, and showing a great advance in values
within the few years that had elapsed since the Cist
sale. It comprised not only the series of Colonial
Governors, Albany Convention, Stamp Act Congress,
Annapolis Convention, Constitutional Convention,
Signers of the Articles of Confederation, Members of
the Continental Congress, Generals and officers of the
Revolutionary War, and Presidents of the United States,
but also many foreign Sovereigns, and a great number of
foreign autographs, English, French, and German. Its
most notable portion was its complete set of the Signers
of the Declaration of Independence, classed as fourth in
rank among the twenty-two complete sets then known;
which realized 310,350, a price regarded at the time as
enormous. There was also a second set, lacking
Lynch and Gwinnett only.
Amidst such a wealth of material it will be mani-
festly impossible to note more than a few items.
Boone, Daniel [Pioneer]. A. L. S. folio, 1809. 335.
Braddocky Gen. Edward. L. S. 2 pages 4to, 1755. 347.
Byron, Lord [Poet]. A. L. S. 4 pages, 4to 1819. 385.
192 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Danforthy Thomas [Deputy Governor of Mass.]. D. S.
4to, 1673. 335.
Davenport, Rev. John [Founder of New Haven Colony].
A. L. S. 2 pages 4to, 1650. ^81.
Eliot, Rev. John [Missionary to the Indians]. A. L. S.
2 pages folio, 1673. 3500.
Mary, Queen of Scots. D. S. folio, 1559. 390.
Paul I. [Emperor of Russia]. A. L. S. 4to, 1779. 321.
Garrick, David [Actor]. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to. 342.
Penn, William. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to, 1708. 3105.
Williams, Roger [founder of Rhode Island]. A. L. S. 2
pages folio, 1656. 3310.
Dunster, Henry [President of Harvard]. A. L. S. folio,
1655. 356.
Jones, John Paul. A. L. S. 3 pages folio, 1782.
3107.50.
Knyphausen, Baron [Commanded the Hessian troops
in the Revolutionary War]. L. S. folio, 1780. 340.
McNeill, Hector [Captain in the Continental Navy].
A. L. S. folio, 1785. 320.
Endecott, John [Governor of Mass.]. A. L. S. 4to, 1659.
360.
Dudley, Thomas [Governor of Mass.]. A. L. S. 4to,
1649. 3110.
Mather, Rev. Cotton. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1692. 3101.
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 193
Munson, Capi. William. A. L. S. 3 pages folio, 1780.
Giving an account of the execution of Major Andre.
^450.
Newton, Sir Isaac. A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1719. 3325.
Poe, Edgar A. A. L. S. 4to, with an autograph poem
signed. 3255.
Revere, Paul. A. L. S. [9 lines], 1779. 340.
Andre, Major John. A. L. S. folio, 1780. 3700.
Kalb, Baron de [General in the Revolutionary War]. A.
L. S. 2 pages folio, 1777. 377.50.
Hale, Captain Nathan [the Martyr Spy]. A. L. S. folio,
1775. 31275.
Harrison, Col. Robert H. [Aide to Gen. Washington].
A. L. S. folio, 1779. 350.
Lee, Gen. Charles [Revolutionary War]. A. L. S. 2
pages 4to, 1776. 3175.
Lewis, Gen. Andrew [Revolutionary War]. A. L. S. 4to,
1779. 3121.
Moore, Gen. James [Revolutionary War]. L. S. 2 pages
folio, 1777. 3168.
Nash, Gen. Francis [Revolutionary War]. A. D. S.
folio, 1765. 370.
Pomeroy, Gen. Seth [Revolutionary War]. A. L. S. 4to,
1773. 3100.
Scammel, Col. Alexander. A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1780.
Giving an account of Arnold's treason. 3425.
194 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Spencer, Gen. Joseph [Revolutionary War]. A. L. S.
4to, 1776. 366.
Warren, Gen. Joseph. L. S. folio, 1775. To Benj.
Franklin. 3225.
Wayne, Gen. Anthony. A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1781.
To Gen. Washington, on the mutiny of the Pennsyl-
vania Line. 3150.
Woodford, Gen. Wm. [Revolutionary War]. A. L. S.
folio, 1778. 380.
Bartlett, Josiah [Signer]. A. L. S. 3 pages folio, 1776.
3240.
Hall, Lyman [Signer]. A. L. S. 4 pages folio, 1777.
Giving an account of the duel in which Gwinnett was
killed. 31775.
Hancock, John [Signer]. A. L. S. folio, 1776. 3380.
Heyward, Thomas, Jr. [Signer]. A. L. S. 4to, 1780.
3450.
Livingston, Philip [Signer]. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to, 1776.
3325.
Lincoln, Abraham. A. L. S. folio, 1840. 390.
Johnson, Andrew. A. L. S. 4to, 1853. 380.
Washington, Gen. George. L. S. 4 pages folio, 1782.
3100.
Wolfe, Gen. James. A. L. S. 4to, 1752. 3105.
CHAKl.KS C. JONES
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 195
The Charles C. Jones Collection.
Col. Charles C. Jones — born in Savannah, Ga., in
1831 — was an officer of artillery in the Confederate
Army during the Civil War who, after peace was de-
clared, devoted his attention largely to historical pur-
suits. In 1866 he commenced the formation of a
series of autograph letters of all the Confederate
generals; which he succeeded in completing, after a
large correspondence, during a number of years, with
surviving Southern officers. The taste for collecting
autographs, thus acquired, grew upon him; and he began
a diligent search for letters of Colonial and Revolu-
tionary characters of his native State, not alone for the
purpose of placing them in his own portfolios, but also
because they might furnish material for a full history
of Georgia, which he had determined to write, and which
was completed and published several years before his
death. His enthusiastic efforts in this field, during
a period of twenty-five years, were rewarded by the
acquisition of a collection which embraced two complete
sets of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
a set [nearly complete] of the Members of the Contin-
ental Congress, the Presidents of the United States,
Generals and officers in the Revolutionary War, and a
number of miscellaneous American and foreign names.
196 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
After his death, in 1893, the more valuable part of
the collection was disposed of at private sale; the best
set of the Signers going to Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan, of
New York, and the nearly complete series of Members
of the Continental Congress, which included letters of
most of the Signers of the Declaration, passing into the
hands of a collector in Boston.
The remainder of the collection was sold at auction,
in Philadelphia, on April 24-26, 1894. The prices
obtained were very reasonable, and showed a great
falling off from the high figures of the Leffingwell sale.
An autograph signature ["Lynch"] of Thomas Lynch,
Jr., cut from one of his books, went for 330, and a
D. S. folio [mortgage] of Button Gwinnett for 3320.
Two folio letters signed of Gen. Washington, written
in 1789 to George Walton, sold for $\6 each.
The Cohen Collection.
The collection of Dr. Joshua J. Cohen, of Baltimore,
came under the auctioneer's hammer, in Philadelphia,
on Nov. 12 and 13, 1907. Dr. Cohen commenced its
formation some time between the years 1840 and 1850,
and continued to add to it until the close of his life.
It was almost exclusively American; and contained a
number of letters of Gen. Washington and his family, a
ELLlor DANFORTH
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 197
complete set of the Signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, many members of the Continental Congress,
Generals and officers of the Revolutionary War, Presi-
dents and their Cabinets, Naval officers, Governors of
Maryland [from Colonial days], and miscellaneous
items. The sale realized 34300; most of the autographs
going at very moderate prices.
The Danforth Collection.
In point of size the collection of Elliot Danforth
greatly outdistanced any that had previously been dis-
persed at auction; and its importance, in the American
series, was at least equal to that of the Leffingwell
collection. Mr. Danforth was born in New York on
March 6, 1850, and died there on Jan. 7, 1906. He was
a lawyer by profession, but devoted most of his time to
politics, and was chosen Treasurer of the State of New
York, an office which he held for two terms. While in
this position he had the opportunity of examining,
and making selections from, the immense correspon-
dence of the Adjutant General of New York during
the Civil War; whereby he came into possession of a
great number of letters of Union generals. His success
in this particular field led him to extend his attention
to all classes of American autographs; and in the course
198 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
of a comparatively few years he amassed, by the ac-
quisition of large numbers of public papers, as well as
by exchanges with other collectors and liberal pur-
chases, the immense collection which, after his death,
was sold at auction, in Philadelphia, on various dates
in the years 1911, 1912, 1913 and 1914.
Owing to its great size, it was disposed of in seven
parts. The catalogues included, among the American
series, Colonial Governors, the Albany Convention of
1754, the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, the Continental
Congress [with many fine letters of Signers of the Dec-
laration of Independence], Generals and officers of the
Revolutionary War, Presidents of the United States, the
Supreme Court of the U. S., the first Federal Congress,
and authors. They also contained very notable sets
of the Generals of the Civil War [both Union and Con-
federate], the Peace Congress of 1861, and of all prom-
inent persons connected with the Southern Confeder-
acy; as well as a very large number of autograph doc-
uments of Abraham Lincoln, and many miscellaneous
autographs [American and foreign]. The set of the
Signers of the Declaration of Independence, which
attracted more attention than any other part of the
collection, is elsewhere particularly noticed. The price
—34600— paid for the D. S. 2 pages folio, 1770, of
Button Gwinnett, was the highest ever given for an
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 199
autograph in an American auction room.
The following items may be mentioned as typical
of the most valuable letters in the collection:
Christie, Gen. Gabriel [French and Indian War]. A. L.
S. 3 pages 4to, 1757. Interesting. $\\S.
Gage, Gen. Thomas. A. L. S. 4 pages folio, 1765. In-
teresting. 3100.
Greene, Gen. NathanaeL A. L. S. 3 pages folio, 1781.
To Gen. Lafayette. 3191.
Montgomery, Gen. Richard. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to, 1775.
Military letter. 3560.
Paine, Thomas [Patriot]. A. L. S. folio, 1783. To
Robert Morris. 3125.
Penn, Thomas [Colonial Governor of Pa.]. A. L. S. 7
pages 4to, 1758. 3105.
Washington, George. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to, 1785. To
James Madison. 3590.
Franklin, Benjamin. A. L. S. folio, 1772. To his
wife. 3140.
Grant, Gen. U. S. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to. Headquarters,
Jan. 8, 1865. 3220.
Lincoln, Abraham. A. L. S. 3 pages 8vo, 1861. To
Gov. Magoffin, of Ky. 3975.
Washington, George. L. S. 3 pages folio, 1782. An im-
portant letter to Gen. Greene. 3300.
200 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Washington, Martha. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1794. 3780.
Lincoln, Abraham, A. L. S. 4to, 1841. 3137.50.
Pynchon, Col. John [Governor of Springfield, Mass.].
A. D. S. 4to, 1656. 3360.
Herkimer, Gen. Nicholas [Revolutionary War]. L. S.
4to, 1775. 3150.
Moore, Alfred [Supreme Court of the U. S.]. A. L. S.
2 pages 4to, 1800. 3210.
Blair, John [Supreme Court of the U. S.]. A. L. S.
4to, 1781. 3200.
Eliot, John [Missionary to the Indians]. A. D. S.
small 4to, 1665. 3330.
Alden, John [Plymouth pilgrim]. D. S. folio, 1663.
3190.
The Hale Collection.
John Mills Hale, of Philipsburg, Pa., devoted more
than fifty years of his life to the formation of a col-
lection of autographs composed of nearly all of the
American series and a large number of foreign letters.
It was sold at auction, in Philadelphia, on Feb. 14 and
15, and June 3, 1913. The catalogues of the two sales
enumerated 2466 items, many of which embraced a
number of autographs. His complete set of the
Signers of the Declaration of Independence was be-
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 201
queathed to the University of Pennsylvania; but an-
other set, nearly complete, was included in his series
of the Members of the Continental Congress.
Among the more noteworthy items, the following
may be mentioned:
Arnold^ Gen. Benedict. L. S. 4 pages 4to, 1778. Im-
portant military letter. 3260.
Burgoyne, Gen. Sir John. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1777.
3150.
Greene, Gen. Natha^iaeL A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1777.
365.
Hale, Capt. Nathan [the Martyr Spy]. A. L. S. 2 pages
4to, 1775. 31500.
Kosciuszkoj Gen. Thaddeus. A. L. S. 4 pages 4to.
Revolutionary letter. 3235.
Mercer, Gen. Hugh. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1776. 3172.
Montgomery, Gen. Richard. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to.
Camp, St. Johns, 1775. 3280.
Putnam, Gen. Israel. L. S. 4to, 1776. 3100.
Revere, Paul. A. L. S. 4to, 1791. 395.
Scammel, Col. Alexander. A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1779.
350.
Warren, Gen. Joseph. A. L. S. 4to, 1775. 3212.50.
Jones, John Paul. A. L. S. 4to, 1777. 3400.
Lynch, Thomas, Jr. Signature "Lynch" cut from the
title page of a book. 3175.
202 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Morton, John [Signer]. D. S. 4to, 1776. 324.
Taylor, George [Signer]. D. S. folio. 352.
Livingston, William [Governor of N. J.]. A. L. S.
folio, 1777. 338.
Washington, George. A. L. S. 4to, 1785. 3320.
Adams, John. A. L. S. 3 pages 4to, 1785. 380.
Lincoln, Abraham. A. L. S. 2 pages 8vo, 1860. In
reference to his nomination. 3900.
Chase, Samuel [Signer]. A. L. S. 3 pages folio. 3130.
Boone, Daniel [Pioneer]. A. D. S. folio, 1786. 343.
Biirns, Robert [Poet]. A. L. S. 8vo. 380.
Byron, Lord [Poet]. A. L. S. 8vo, 1815. 355.
Lafayette, General. A. L. S. 4to. Valley Forge, 1778.
3160.
Washington, Martha. A. L. S. 4to. 3650.
Henry VIII [King of England]. Vellum D. S. folio,
1540. 3170.
The Thacher Collection.
John Boyd Thacher, of Albany, N. Y., was known,
for many years prior to his death, as one of the leading
collectors in the United States. He was a scholar, and
the author of several valuable works on the early his-
tory of America. His antiquarian taste led him, in
early life, to commence the acquisition of interesting
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 203
letters and manuscripts; particularly such as fell
directly within the line of his historical pursuits. Hav-
ing large pecuniary resources, the steady prosecution of
his hobby for more than forty years enabled him to
accumulate a very large, and remarkably fine and val-
uable collection of letters, foreign as well as American;
in which rarities were of frequent occurrence. His
favorite foreign series was that of the French Revolu-
tion; which [it is said] he had so fully completed as to
make it unrivaled in the United States and without a
superior abroad.
The collection — excluding the French Revolution
series — was sold at auction, in six parts, during the
years 1913, 1914 and 1915. A tolerably correct idea
of its character and extent may be had from the fol-
lowing general statement of the various elements com-
prised in it:
1. Dutch Governors of New Netherlands. Peter Min-
uit, Wm. Kieft, Pieter Stuyvesant, Wouter van
Twiller.
2. Early New England and Massachusetts Bay.
William Bradford, John Alden, Myles Standish,
Roger Williams, and many others.
3. Colonial Governors. Henry Sloughter, Sir E. An-
dros, Leisler, Francis Lovelace, William Penn,
and many others.
204 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
4. Early Governors and explorers of New France.
Frontenac, D'Iberville, Joliet, La Salle, and
others.
5. Famous early celebrities and divines.
6. Stamp Act and Continental Congresses.
7. Revolutionary celebrities. John Paul Jones, Major
Andre, Nathan Hale, George and Martha Wash-
ington, Joseph Warren, and many others.
8. Literary and historical celebrities.
9. Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
10. Presidents of the U. S.
IL Miscellaneous. Saint Vincent de Paul, Ignatius
Loyola, Francis de Sales, and others.
12. English statesmen, from Henry VIII. to Charles
II.
13. English authors. Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Thos.
Browne, Oliver Goldsmith, Thomas Gray, Ben
Jonson, John Keats, John Locke, Thomas Chat-
terton, Robert Burton, De Foe, Dryden, Byron,
Burns, and many others.
14. European celebrities.
15. Composers. Bach, Beethoven, Gliick, Handel,
Haydn, Mozart, and others.
16. Celebrated women. Lucretia Borgia, Bianca Ca-
pello, Madame de Maintenon, and others.
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 205
17. English artists. Gainsborough, Hogarth, Kneller,
and others.
The Joline Collection.
Of all the American collectors of autographs who
were living in 1913, few were as well known as Adrien
H. Joline. He was a lawyer, residing in New York City;
and during the larger part of his long, active and useful
life he devoted the hours that could be spared from his
professional pursuits to the collection of books and auto-
graphs. His large scholarship, his ability as a writer,
and his love for his hobby are shown in the numerous
works that came from his pen; among which his
"Meditations of an Autograph Collector" and "Rambles
in Autograph Land" are charming specimens of the
way in which a subject, somewhat dry to those who do
not belong to the fraternity of collectors, can be made
interesting to the general reader. They have been
aptly described as "characterized by humor, philos-
ophy, shrewd observations of men and events, deep
insight into political history and social life, strong
human sympathy, and an intimate knowledge of the
best literature."
The years that he gave to the acquisition of his
treasures made him, at the time of his death, the pos-
206 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
sessor of one of the largest and finest collections ever
formed in the United States. It was disposed of at
auction, in New York, in nine instalments, at various
dates between Dec. 15, 1914, and Feb. 24, 1916.
In addition to a large number of books that were
extra-illustrated by the insertion of many letters and
portraits — some of them containing such complete
series as those of the Presidents of the U. S. and the
Justices of the Supreme Court of the U. S. — the col-
lection covered so wide a field, both American and
foreign, that any detailed statement of its component
parts would be out of the question. All that can be
said is that it included, in the American line, a complete
set of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
fine letters of most of the Generals and more prominent
officers of the Revolutionary War, many letters of Gen.
Washington, a number of fine literary manuscripts of
the most noted authors, etc., etc. In the foreign line,
sovereigns, military and naval officers, authors, states-
men, noted women, and Napoleon and his Marshals,
were represented by most of the leading names.
A few items, selected from a large number that are
of equal importance, will now be specifically noted,
to give some indication of the prices realized:
Arnold, Gen. Benedict. A. L. S. 2 pages folio, 1780.
3140.
AMERICAN COLLECTIONS 207
Washington, George. A. L. S. 4to, 1796. 3112.50.
Washington, Martha. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to, 1782. 3159.
Stuyvesani, Peter. D. S. large 4to, 1664. 3140.
Penn, William. A. L. S. folio, 1682. 3235.
Bacon, Sir Francis [Baron Verulam. Lord Chancellor].
D. S. folio, 1619. 3165.
Elizabeth [Queen of England]. Vellum L. S. oblong
folio. 3110.
Garrick, David [Actor]. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to. 3105.
Goldsmith, Oliver. D. S. large folio. 3385.
Hogarth, William. D. S. folio, 1775. 363.
Lamb, Charles and Mary. A. L. S. 23^ pages 4to, 1811.
3315.
Napoleon Bonaparte. L. S. 4to, 1812. To Marshall
Grouchy. 3155.
Richardson, Samuel [Novelist]. A. L. S. 3 pages small
4to, 1753. 380.
Sterne, Laurence [Novelist]. A. L. S. 2 pages 4to,
1764. 3125.
Thackeray, William M. A. L. S. 3 pages 12 mo., 1857.
3126.
Gibber, Colley [Actor]. A. L. S. 4to, 1753. 345.
CHAPTER XII.
Concerning Public Collections of Autographs.
I. EUROPEAN.
IN France the Bibliotheque Nationale of Paris has,
probably, the largest number of autographs of
first importance. Its manuscript department con-
tains many notable collections formed in centuries
past by distinguished public or private characters for
historical purposes, which passed to the Bibliotheque
either by gift or purchase. In the Mazarine gallery
of this institution one may see displayed letters or
manuscripts of nearly all the names that are noted in
French history, beginning with a document bearing
the signature of John II., surnamed "Le Bon," who
ascended the French throne in 1350, and coming down
to modern times. Here are to be found such rarities
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 209
as the autographs of Charles V., Bertrand Du Guesclin,
Agnes Sorel, Montaigne, Pierre Corncillc, Molicrc, and
Jean de la Bruyere; as well as the autograph manu-
scripts of Blaise Pascal's "Pensees," La Fontaine's
tragedy of "Achille," Fenelon's "Telemaque," and
others of great value.
The National Archives contain, as a matter of
course, a wealth of autographic material, in which all the
kings of France are represented by charts or letters. The
oldest of these autographs is a signature of king Dago-
bert I. on a diploma of the year 628. A handsome 4to
volume, published in 1872 under the title of "Musee
des Archives Nationales," and illustrated with numerous
facsimiles, gives a detailed statement of the autographs
and manuscripts in this collection.
Several of the public libraries in Paris, and many
of those in other parts of France, also have consider-
able collections.
The other countries of Continental Europe have,
in addition to their collections of State papers, large
gatherings of autographs in their public libraries.
The library of Berlin is particularly rich in such pos-
sessions.
In Italy, the archives of Rome, Milan, Florence,
Venice, Turin and Naples are full of autographs, as are
the archives of Simancas in Spain.
210 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
The libraries of Holland, Belgium and Switzerland
are not without a considerable quantity of precious
manuscript matter.
In England, the great depository of autographs is
the British Museum, in London. Its possessions in
this line are unequaled except, perhaps, by the Biblio-
theque Nationale. In addition to the magnificent
collections of Sir John Cotton, Sir Hans Sloane, Robert
Harley [Earl of Oxford], the Marquis of Lansdowne and
Lord Egerton, which were acquired by gift, it has, for
hundreds of years, added to its treasures by the pur-
chase of letters or documents of all important persons
whose autographs were lacking; so that there is scarcely
a single name of prominence, of any nationality or any
modern time, which is not now represented in its man-
uscript department.
The National Archives in the Public Record office
are, as will naturally be taken for granted, of great
size and importance.
n. AMERICAN.
The American Antiquarian Society.
The American Antiquarian Society, located at Wor-
cester, Mass., was founded by Isaiah Thomas, noted as
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 211
a printer and publisher, and as the author of a "History
of Printing." Incorporated on Oct. 24, 1812, it has
been wonderfully successful in its acquisitions of books,
newspapers and manuscripts; and it now ranks as one
of the great libraries of the country for students of
American history and allied subjects. The Society's
"Handbook of Information" states that "from a few
groups of manuscripts, chiefly of a local or personal
character, there has succeeded a collection of over
35,000 pieces, largely national in its scope."
Cotton Mather is represented by nearly 300 letters;
and there are many, and important, manuscripts by
him and by Richard and Increase Mather. There is
much material illustrative of the French and Indian
War, and a very extensive collection relating to the
Revolutionary War. Included in the latter are numer-
ous military papers of Generals John Nixon and Wil-
liam Heath, and letters of Generals Washington, Greene,
Schuyler, Stirling, Gates, Conway, Charles Lee and
Arnold. One of the most interesting manuscripts in
the collection is the reply of the garrison at West Point
to Washington's farewell address, Nov. 10, 1783.
There are letters of Signers of the Declaration of
Independence and of men who were noted in the Con-
tinental Congress, and thousands of miscellaneous
letters and manuscripts of a later date.
212 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
The Library of Congress.
The character and extent of the manuscript collec-
tions of the Library of Congress are briefly stated in a
leaflet which has been issued for the information of the
public, from which the following quotations are made:
"The Library is the custodian of about 600 separate
collections of manuscripts, varying in size from col-
lections which comprise only a few documents to those
which contain many thousands. There are at least
a million separate manuscripts in the combined col-
lections. They cover the whole field of history —
political, military, scientific, artistic, religious, literary,
social, and economic. For example, there are the
papers of eleven of the Presidents of the United States;
of the Continental Congress; of Benjamin Franklin,
Alexander Hamilton, Daniel Webster, William L.
Marcy, James H. Hammond (of S. C), and Edwin M.
Stanton; of Generals Sherman, McClellan, and Beaure-
gard; of Paul Jones, Alexander Cockburn, and Ericsson;
of Simon Newcomb and Matthew F. Maury; of Rev.
John Witherspoon and Rev. Moses Waddell; of Louise
Chandler Moulton and William Gilmore Simms; of
Dolly Madison and Margaret Bayard Smith; and the
account books of plantations and old mercantile firms.
. . . The collections have come to the Library, some
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 213
by transfer from other Departments of the Govern-
ment, but most of them from the descendants of the
historical characters to whom the manuscripts pertain.
Some of the collections are obtained by gift, some by
purchase, and some are deposited, the title remaining
with the depositors."
From the long list of the more important collections
of personal papers — other than those before mentioned
— in the possession of the Library, the following may be
named as fairly representative of the entire number:
John Archdale [Colonial Governor], Gen. Jacob Brown
[War of 1812], Aaron Burr, Salmon P. Chase, Henry
Clay, Gen. George Clinton [Revolutionary War], Gen.
James Clinton [Revolutionary War], John J. Crittenden
[Statesman], John Fitch [Inventor], Albert Gallatin,
Sir William Johnson [French and Indian War], James
Kent [Jurist], Hugh McCulloch [Statesman], John Mc-
Lean [Jurist], George Mason [Statesman], Commodore
Edward Preble, John Sherman [Statesman], Gen. Adam
Stephen [Revolutionary War], Thaddeus Stevens, Ly-
man Trumbull [Statesman], Elihu B. Washburne
[Statesman], Gideon Welles [Statesman], Henry Wil-
son [Vice-President], and William Wirt [Statesman].
214 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
The Connecticut Historical Society.
The manuscript collections of the Connecticut His-
torical Society are extensive and important. They
cover the Colonial period, from an early date; the
French and Indian War; the Revolutionary War; and
they come down to the present day. Of the component
parts of this large mass of material a few, having a
special interest, may be mentioned as illustrative of the
general character of the collections:
Correspondence of the Colony and State of Connec-
ticut with other Colonies and with Congress, 1753-
1809.
Deane, Silas. Correspondence of, 1771-1789.
Fitch, Gov. Thomas. Official correspondence, 1754-
1766.
Greene, Gen. Nathanael. Letters from him, 1778-1785.
Hale, Capt. Nathan [the Martyr Spy]. His diary, and
letters addressed to him, 1773-1776.
Johnson, William Samuel. His correspondence from
1765 to 1790.
Law, Gov. Jonathan. His official correspondence from
1741 to 1750.
Occum, Samson [Indian preacher]. His correspon-
dence.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 215
Revolutionary War. Muster rolls, orderly books, and
letters from soldiers and others concerning the war.
Talcott, Gov. Joseph. His official correspondence from
1724 to 1741.
Trumbull, Gov. Jonathan. Political, official, and per-
sonal letters, and other papers, extending over nearly
the whole period of his life.
Trumbull, Col. Jonathan, Jr. Military letters while
Paymaster General [1775-8], personal and business
letters [1773-1809], letters from members of Congress
[1790-1809], and letters from the U. S. Government
[1778-1809].
Wadsworth, Col. Jeremiah [member of the Continental
Congress]. His correspondence from 1777 to 1803.
Williams, William [Signer of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence]. His correspondence from 1760 to 1800.
Wolcott, Oliver [Secretary of the treasury and Governor
of Conn.]. Letters to him from his father [one of the
Signers of the Declaration of Independence], Gen.
Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Oliver
Ellsworth, Geo. Cabot, Fisher Ames, and many others
of the leading men of his day.
The Drexel Institute, Philadelphia.
The manuscript collections of the Drexel Insti-
tute contain the manuscripts and autographs collected
216 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
by the late Mr. George W. Chllds, and presented by
him, during his lifetime, to the Library. They con-
sist of valuable original manuscripts of modern au-
thors, and autograph letters of noted persons. Among
the treasures of the collection are the original manu-
script of Dickens's "Our Mutual Friend," bound in
two volumes, closely written, as it was sent to the
printer, with innumerable erasures and insertions;
an autograph manuscript of Thackeray's "Lecture on
George IIL," handsomely bound and extra-illustrated
with portraits and original drawings and water-colors
by Thackeray (the identical copy from which he read
when he lectured in America); the original manuscript
of Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue"; of Lamb's
"Essay on Witches and other Night Fears," signed
"Elia"; of Bremer's "Hertha"; of Godwin's "Cloudes-
ley, a Novel"; of Andre's "The Cow Chace," and of
many other important works. The autograph letters
comprise, among others, a set of letters from the
Presidents of the United States; the Pinkerton corres-
pondence (in four volumes), including letters from many
noted Englishmen, of the latter part of the eighteenth
century, to John Pinkerton; and collections of miscel-
laneous letters written by English and American au-
thors and statesmen.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 1X1
The Maine Historical Society.
In addition to a large quantity of local historical
matter in the manuscript department of the Maine His-
torical Society, its collections include such important
papers as those of Gen. Henry Knox, Sir William Pep-
perell, Dr. Silvester Gardiner, Gov. William King, and
the Longfellow family. The letter-book of Benedict
Arnold during his expedition to Quebec, presented to
the Society by Aaron Burr in 1831, is an interesting
relic of the American Revolution.
In point of value and general attractiveness, the
collection formed by the late Dr. John S. H. Foge. of
South Boston, and bequeathed by him to the Society,
overshadows all the other manuscript material in its
possession. It numbers between four and five thousand
papers, arranged in fifty-nine volumes, and includes
letters and documents of Colonial Governors, Generals
of the Revolution, members of the Continental Con-
gress, and most of the noted men and women of America,
in all ranks of life, from Colonial days to modern times.
Its set of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence
is complete and very fine.
Foreign autographs are represented by Ferdinand
and Isabella, Queen Elizabeth, Oliver Cromwell, Napo-
218 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
leon Bonaparte, William Harvey [discoverer of the cir-
culation of the blood], John Keats [a love-letter to
Fanny Brawn], Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and
many more who are noted in history or literature.
The Missouri Historical Society.
This Society has, among its numerous manuscript
collections, many letters of Thomas Jefferson, a com-
plete set of letters of the Presidents of the U. S., and a
quantity of miscellaneous, political, and literary papers
[known as the VV. K, Bixby Collection].
Its most important historical manuscripts are the
following named:
Spanish Archives, 1769-1805, relating to the history of
Louisiana.
St. Louis Archives, French, Spanish, and English.
1766-1809.
St. Genevieve Archives, 1746-1855.
Francois Valle collection, St. Genevieve, 1791-1847.
New Madrid Archives, 1791-1804.
The papers of Charles Dehault Delassus, the last Span-
ish Governor of Upper Louisiana.
Mexican War papers.
Papers of Senator Thomas H. Benton.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 219
The New Hampshire Historical Society.
The manuscripts in the possession of this Society
are chiefly of an historical nature. Its most important
collections are the twenty-five volumes of letters of
Daniel Webster and the four volumes of letters and
papers of Gen. John Sullivan, of the Revolutionary War.
The Hibbard papers, which relate in part to the Revo-
lutionary War and in part are of an autographic nature,
consist of letters of distinguished men, mostly of this
country, for the last two hundred years. There are,
in addition, numerous small collections and many mis-
cellaneous manuscripts.
The New York Historical Society.
The archives of the New York Historical Society
contain fifty-eight volumes of original manuscripts
covering the Colonial period, represented in the Col-
den, de Peyster, Lloyd, and Leggett papers. The
Revolutionary period embraces the Gates, Lamb,
Steuben, Stirling, Reed, McDougall, Duer, Stewart, and
McLane papers, and a collection of Orderly books.
It also contains the correspondence, in nine volumes, of
220 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
James Duane, There are, in addition, many papers
of a later period, included in the Gallatin, Hone, Bar-
clay, King, and Thomas papers.
The New York Public Library.
The manuscript collections in the New York Public
Library are, beyond question, much larger and more
important than those in any other Public Library in
the United States.
The Emmet collection alone contains 10,800 pieces,
embracing complete series of the Albany Convention
of 1754, the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, the Conti-
nental Congress of 1774, the entire Continental Con-
gress, the Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
the Signers of the Articles of Confederation, the Gen-
erals of the American Revolution, Washington and
his military family, the Annapolis Convention, the
Federal Convention, and the first Federal Adminis-
tration. Some of these series — especially those of the
Signers of the Declaration of Independence — are either
unrivaled or unexcelled in any other collection.
In the field of American literature the Library has
the extensive correspondence of Evert A. and George
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 221
L. Duyckinck, which includes letters from nearly every
American literary character from 1840 to 1855. In
English literature, it has one or more letters of Robert
Burns, William Covvper, Oliver Goldsmith, Dr. Samuel
Johnson, Alexander Pope, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert
Southey. It also has the good fortune to be the pos-
sessor of an autograph letter of the poet Milton,
written to his friend Carlo Dait, of Florence. This
great rarity was, in connection with some other material
relating to Alilton, purchased from B. Quaritch, in
1882, for £42.
The Library also owns the following named sepa-
rate collections:
The Rich collection, of about 142 volumes, relat-
ing to Spanish-America.
The Chalmers Collection, of 25 volumes, contain-
ing material for a history of the revolt in the American
Colonies.
The Hardwicke collection, of 140 volumes, relating
to English history of the sixteenth and seventeenth cen-
turies.
The Bancroft collection, consisting of original pa-
pers and transcripts collected by George Bancroft for
his historical work; and comprising the extensive cor-
respondence of Samuel Adams [one of the Signers of the
Declaration of Independence], the letters and papers
222 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
relating to the German auxiliary troops in the American
Revolution, the papers of Joseph Hawley [the patriot,
of Northampton, Mass.], and numerous letters of dis-
tinguished Americans.
The Myers collection, formed by Col. T. Bailey
Myers, contains about 1600 pieces, chiefly autograph
letters and documents of the Colonial and Revolution-
ary periods. It includes Signers of the Declaration of
Independence, Members of the Continental Congress,
Generals of the Revolutionary War, distinguished
Englishmen and Frenchmen, Hessian officers, and the
papers of Gen. Daniel Morgan.
The Ford collection, made by Gordon L. Ford and
his sons, between 1840 and 1898, is of a varied character.
It is composed mainly of autographs of Americans of
the Revolutionary period and the nineteenth century,
and contains about 60,000 loose pieces and some bound
volumes.
The Schuyler Revolutionary papers number about
2430 items, consisting of letters to Gen. Philip Schuyler
from military officers, members of Congress, Committees
of Safety, etc., 1761-1802. The greater part of them
relate to the conduct of the war in the Northern De-
partment, 1775-1777.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 223
The New York State Library.
The manuscript department of the New York State
Library constituted, prior to the fire which worked
such destruction to its contents, "the largest and most
important body of archives in the possession of the
State. The manuscripts were acquired by gift, by pur-
chase, and by transfer from various State offices, during
a period of sixty-five years, anci embraced practically
all that had been preserved of the executive, legislative,
and judicial records of the administration of the province
under Dutch regime [1630-1664, 1673-4]; the executive
and legislative papers, other than land papers, of the
English Colonial administration; the executive and
legislative papers of the Provincial administration
during the Revolution; the correspondence of Sir Wil-
liam Johnson, and of Governors George Clinton and
Daniel D. Tompkins."
Notwithstanding the serious losses incurred by the
fire — principally in the records of the English Colonial
period, the Sir William Johnson papers, the Clinton
papers, and the Tompkins papers — a vast amount of
valuable manuscript material remains. It includes a
series of letters and documents of the Signers of the
Declaration of Independence, Andre papers [13 manu-
scripts], Washington's opinion of the surviving Generals
224 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
of the Revolution [written in the winter of 1791-2,
after St. Clair's defeat], draft of Washington's Farewell
Address [written in the Spring of 1796], and draft of
Lincoln's first Emancipation Proclamation [Sept. 22,
1862].
There are 61 volumes of New York Colonial manu-
scripts, illustrating the civil and political history of the
Colony from its first settlement to the time of the
American Revolution; 13 volumes of the public and
private papers of Sir William Johnson; and 10 volumes
of the papers of General [and Governor] George Clinton.
Among miscellaneous manuscripts there are papers
relating to the household affairs of President Wash-
ington in 1790, British Colonial army papers and ac-
counts, autograph letters of American officials and
authors, and a large collection of papers of Ethan Allen,
Ira Allen, and other Vermonters [known as the Stevens
papers].
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
The manuscript department of the Historical So-
ciety of Pennsylvania greatly exceeds, in size and im-
portance, that of any other Historical Society in the
United States. It contains over 3,000 volumes of let-
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 225
ters and documents, and thousands of loose papers;
aggregating a total of not less than 500,000 items, and
probably nearly twice that number.
The Penn manuscripts are contained in 210 of these
volumes; which include 234 autograph letters or docu-
ments of William Penn, 160 of them being full auto-
graph letters signed.
The collection is particularly rich in autographs of
Gen. Washington, having 128 A. L. S. folio or 4to, 185
L. S. folio or 4to, 6 A. D. S., 9 autograph documents
unsigned, and 25 D. S. — a total of 353. It also con-
tains Washington's pocket diary of the weather from
January to June, 1796; entirely in his handwriting.
Of letters and documents of Benjamin Franklin
there are, in the collection, 42 A. L. S. folio or 4to, and
160 A. D. S., L. S., D. S., and unsigned autograph docu-
ments.
The Wayne collection comprises over 2000 letters
and drafts of letters of Gen. Anthony Wayne, covering
the entire period of the Revolutionary War and his
campaign against the Western Indians.
Among the papers of James Wilson, a Signer of the
Declaration of Independence, there is the original
draft of the Constitution of the United States.
The five volumes of the papers of Thomas McKean
[a Signer of the Declaration of Independence] contain
226 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
letters from Washington, Franklin, and many other
Revolutionary statesmen and soldiers.
The Joel R. Poinsett papers contain much of his
correspondence with Andrew Jackson during the Nul-
lification period.
The correspondence of James Buchanan, extending
from 1813 to 1868, contains a great number of letters
of men who were prominent in public life during those
years.
The Dreer, Etting, Conarroe, and other collections,
furnish letters and documents of all the noted men of
the Colonial and Revolutionary periods. The Dreer
collection alone numbers about 15,000 autograph
letters and documents, covering the entire field of
American history; and including, in its treasures,
hundreds of letters of British and Continental celebri-
ties, of all modern periods and in all the walks of life.
The British literary series is especially full, from the
reign of Elizabeth to the twentieth century; and con-
tains, among other gems, a D. S. of the poet Milton.
The Society has two complete sets of the Signers of
the Declaration of Independence, another set complete
with the exception of Lynch, and two others that are
complete with the exception of Lynch and Gwinnett.
It has complete sets of the Albany Convention and the
Federal Convention. The Stamp Act Congress lacks
^ 1^'
^■f^.
FERDINAND I. DREER
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 111
one name only; and the Continental Congress and
Generals of the Revolutionary War are almost complete.
The Rhode Island Historical Society.
The Rhode Island Historical Society has about
200,000 manuscripts, which deal with the history of
the Colony and State from 1636 to the present time.
The principal series are the Rhode Island Historical
Society manuscripts, the Foster papers, the Moses
Brown papers, the Greene papers, the military papers,
the Harris papers, the Champlin papers, and the
Channing-Ellery papers.
The Virginia Historical Society.
The Virginia Historical Society has, in its possession,
a number of interesting collections relating to the Co-
lonial and Revolutionary history of the State; the most
important of which are the Philip Ludwell, the Ran-
dolph, the Lee, and the Campbell papers, and those
relating to the Custis family.
It is specially rich in letters of Presidents Jefferson,
Madison, and Monroe; of Edmund Pendleton; of
Generals Lafayette and Knox; of Chief Justice John
228 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Marshall ; of the Lee families ; and of the British General
William Phillips, who was a prisoner of war, in com-
mand of the "Convention troops," at Charlottesville,
Va. It probably owns more letters of Gen. Washington
than any other Historical Society in the United States,
with the single exception of the Historical Society of
Pennsylvania.
The State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
This Society has an unusually large and rich col-
lection of manuscripts, embracing hundreds of volumes
of letters, documents, etc., that have special reference
to the history of Wisconsin and to its military history
during the Civil War.
The Lyman C. Draper manuscript collection, which
is probably the most important part of the treasures
of the Society, alone consists of 469 folio volumes. It
comprises six volumes of data relative to the Mecklen-
burg declaration of independence; while other volumes
contain early manuscripts relative to Alabama, Georgia,
Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and King's Aloun-
tain. The wealth of historical material laboriously
gathered by Dr. Draper during the greater portion of
his life baffles description in any short notice.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 229
While he was Secretary of the Society much atten-
tion was given to the collection of autographs. "As a re-
sult the Society has several valuable series. Most note-
worthy are the two containing the autographs of the
Signers of the Declaration of Independence and of the
Signers of the Constitution. Another interesting set
is that of the Presidents of the Old Congress. The
Society also possesses the autographs of most of the
Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the United States, of
many of the Generals of the Revolutionary War, and
of a large number of Kentucky pioneers. It has also
received, from many sources, a large number of auto-
graphs of prominent men in America and Europe."
CHAPTER XIII.
On the Migration and the Pedigrees of Auto-
graphs.
THE passage of important autograph letters
and documents from one collection to another
prompts a few remarks on what, in the
heading of this chapter, is called the migra-
tion of autographs. When we learn, in a general way,
that many of the great collections formed in years
gone by and dispersed after the death of their respect-
ive owners, contained specimens of names that are
now seldom met with or are practically unobtainable,
we are apt to conclude that the rarity of these names
has been exaggerated. This belief, however, quickly
disappears when we discover that, not infrequently,
the identical letter or document has traveled from col-
lection to collection, taking its place, in turn, in several
of them. Thus, a letter of Andre Chenier, which in
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 231
1827 was sold for 20 francs 95 centimes, and which
had become part of the great Fillon collection, passed
in succession into the noted collections of Alfred Bovet
and Alexander Cohn, and was disposed of, after the
death of Mr. Cohn, for the sum of 780 marks, or more
than forty-five times the price it had brought in 1827.
To one who does not trace the lineage of letters it might
seem as though four different letters of Chenier had
been sold, in the few collections named, since the year
1827, and that this autograph could not, therefore,
be rare; whereas, in point of fact, a single letter, only,
was sold as it journeyed from one home to another.
The catalogue of the Tremont collection has, as one
of its important items, a sketch in ink, by the great
painter Raphael, of two heads of horses, with the arms
of men, containing five lines in his handwriting, with
the date 1510. The following note is appended:
"This drawing formed part of the collection of Prince
de Ligne. It then passed into the collection of Comte
de Fries; thence to that of Prof. Bohm, of Vienna;
and lastly into that of M. Donnadieu, who had bought
it from a Mons. Hertz, paying 1000 francs for it. At
the Donnadieu sale in London it was bought by Baron
de Tremont." Here we have six migrations of the
same paper.
It would be very easy, though tiresome, to multiply
232 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
instances of this kind. The fact, however, should be
noted, that a lineage like that named in the two cases
cited, where the stamp of genuineness has been so
firmly fastened upon the letter, gives the paper addi-
tional value. The best known dealers in France —
the Charavay family — fully recognize this fact; and
it has been their custom, for many years past, in the
preparation of catalogues, to name, as far as possible,
the sources from which the letters were obtained.
The poet Southey says: "A book is the more valu-
able to me when I know to whom it has belonged, and
through what 'scenes and changes' it has passed. I
would have its history recorded in the fly-leaf; and I am
sorry when I see the name of a former owner obliterated
in a book, or the plate of his arms defaced." If he had
been writing about autographs, instead of books,
would he not have said that an autograph would be
more valuable to him "when he knew to whom it had
belonged and through what scenes and changes it had
passed"?
No apology is needed for quoting the following
beautiful passage from Mr. Frederick R. MacDonald's
entertaining brochure entitled "In a Nook with a
Book." His words about the feeling of the book-
lover towards his treasures are equally true of the feeling
the autograph-lover has for the personal memorials he
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 233
has gathered. "I have," he says, "a special affection
for a volume that comes to me at second, or at twentieth,
hand. No possessions that our predecessors have left
behind them are so truly a part of themselves, or link
us so directly with those who have joined 'the choir
invisible,' as the books they once handled and read.
We are all of us moved, more or less, at sight of the
personal relics of the illustrious dead — the mouldering
helmet of the Black Prince, Newton's telescope, Nel-
son's sword, Wesley's teapot, and the like. I have
seen the visitor visibly affected at sight of a hero's
cocked hat, or wig, or snuff box in the glass case of a
museum. The lifeless thing, with no touch of grace
or beauty in it, helps the imagination. The past is
brought back, and that which has long been dead is for
the moment quickened to something like life. But a
man's books will bring him nearer to us than his old
clothes or trinkets can. A book that has served the
studies, or helped the devotion, or furnished the rec-
reation of a once living man or woman, is itself almost
a living thing, with human memories and associations
lastingly inwrought. Your book-lover knows and feels
all this. When he handles an old book he has an eye
for former owners' names, for inscriptions, for mar-
ginalia, for notes of any kind suggesting human per-
sonality — in some cases a recognizable personality, but
234 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
for the most part one of which a faint and shadowy
perception is all that is possible. I have volumes on
my shelves that have had a history — that much is
plain — and they drop hints, so to speak, of the places
they have lived in and the company they have kept.
It is impossible to question them, as I have often wished
to do, or at least to get an answer to one's questions.
They are reserved, and, like people we have met, never
speak freely of their past, but by an allusion now and
again they give glimpses of it that one makes a note of."
While a letter is no more gifted with the power of
speech than is a book, there is, nevertheless, much that
it can tell to one who seeks to learn its biography in a
spirit of affection for its voiceless body. By way of
illustration let us take a very remarkable letter of the
unfortunate king of England known in history as "the
Royal Martyr." It was written to the Marquis of
Ormond, his commander in Ireland, just after the dis-
astrous defeat of the king's main army at Naseby, and
bears date July 31, 1645.
Any one who reads the letter with an accurate
knowledge of this unfortunate Alonarch's distinguishing
characteristics, and of the forlorn state of his cause at
this time, can easily form, in imagination, a picture of
him as, with a heavy heart and intense distress of mind,
he wrote these words.
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 235
Cardif 31 July 1645
Ormond, it hath pleased God, by many successive
misfortunes, to reduce my affaires of late from a very
prosperous condition, to so low an eb, as to be a perfect
tryel of all mens' integrities to me, and you being a
person whom I consider as most entyrly and generously
resolved to stand and fall with your King, I doe prin-
cipally rely upon you for your utermost assistance in
my present hazards. I have comanded Digby to
acquainte you at large with all particulars of my con-
dition, what I have to hope, trust too, or feare, wherein
you will fynde, that if my expectation of relife out of
Irland be not in some good measure, and speedely
answered, I am lykely to be reduced to great extremi-
ties. I hope some of those expresses I sent you, since
my misfortune by the Battaile of Nazeby, ar come to
you, and am therfor confident that you ar in a good
forwardness for the sending over to me a considerable
supply of Men, Artillery, and Amunition. All that I
have to add is, that the necessety of your speedy per-
forming them, is made much more pressing by new
disasters, so that I absolutely command you [what
hazard soever that Kingdome may run by it] personally
to bring up all the Forces, of what sort soever you can
draw from thence, and leave the Government there
[during your absence] in the fittest hands that you shall
236 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
judge to discharge it, for I may not want you heere
to comand those forces which will be brought from
thence, and such as, from hence, shall be joyned to
them. But you must not understande this, as a per-
mission for you to grant to the Irish [in case they will
not otherwais have a Peace] anything more in matter
of Religion than what I have alowed you allready,
except only, in some convenient Parishes, where the
much greater number ar Papists, I give you power to
permitt them to have some places, which they may use
as Chapells for theire Devotions, if there be no other
impediment for obtaining a Peace, but I will rather
chuse to suffer all extremities, than ever to abandon
my Religion, and particularly ether to English or Irish
Rebels, to which effect I have comanded Digby to
wryt to their Agents that were employed hither, giving
you power to cause deliver, or suppresse the letter, as
you shall judge best for my services. To conclude, if
the Irish shall so unworthily take advantage of my
weake condition, as to presse me to that which I cannot
grant with a safe Conscience, and withoute it to reject
a Peace, I comand you, if you can, to procure a
further Cessation, if not, to make what divisions you
can among them, and rather leave it to the chance of
Warr betweene them, and those Forces which you have
not power to draw to my assistance, then to give my
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 237
consent to any such allowance of Popery, as must
evidently bring destruction to that Profession which,
by the grace of God, I shall ever maintaine through
all extremities. I know, Ormond, that I impose a
very hard Taske upon you, but if God prosper me,
you will be a happy and glorious subject; if otherwais,
you will perishe, nobly and generously, with and for
him who is
your constant reall faithfuU Frend,
Charles R.
This letter has been one of the gems in several
notable collections. We first hear of it as belonging
to a Mr. Baker, who had many other letters of historical
importance. When his collection was sold in the year
1855, Mr. John Young became its purchaser at the
price of £70. In 1869 Mr. Young's autographs were
disposed of; and the letter passed into the hands of
Mr. Addington, who paid £80 for it. In 1876, at the
sale of the Addington collection, it was purchased by
Mr. Morrison for £69 and had a place among his
splendid manuscript possessions until, on their dis-
persal in December, 1917, it was sold to Quaritch for
£160. Where will its next home be?
Many other letters could tell stories of extreme
historical or personal interest. As an additional il-
238 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
lustration of the way in which they can speak to one
who loves to learn their full biographies, a letter of the
poet Keats to his betrothed, Fanny Brawne, may be
taken.
On July 8, 1819 — shortly after his engagement to
Miss Brawne, and about nineteen months before his
death in Italy — he writes to her:
My Sweet Girl:
Your letter gave me more delight than any-
thing in the world but yourself could do; indeed I am
almost astonished that my absent one should have
that luxurious power over my senses which I feel.
Even when I am not thinking of you I receive your
influence and a tenderer nature stealing upon me. All
my thoughts, my unhappiest days and nights have,
I find, not at all cured me of my love of Beauty, but
made it so intense that I am miserable that you are
not with me. ... I never knew before what such
a love as you have made me feel, was. I did not be-
lieve in it; my Fancy was afraid of it, lest it should
burn me up. But if you will fully love me, though
there may be some fire it will not be more than we can
bear when moistened and bedewed with Pleasures.
... I would never see anything but Pleasure in your
eyes, love on your lips, and Happiness in your steps.
'/ , J, I iuL do cu^. Xo Uti en /r ytu etUoi/h*^
^ „„f <^. ^.- . n^j^ /^ ^ ^^
ty ^^ ;, _ ,,,,^ iUt <W. fli^-'' '-^'^
\? ,Jl .^ ^AW/ "-^^ --- ^-^^ '■ /^'^
jCUu luuM -
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 239
. . . Why may I not speak of your Beauty, since
without that I could never have lov'd you. I can not
conceive any beginning of such love as I have for you
but Beauty. There may be a sort of love for which,
without the least sneer at it, I have the highest respect
and can admire it in others: but it has not the richness,
the bloom, the full form, the enchantment, of love
after my own heart. So let me speak of your Beauty,
though to my own endangering, if you could be so
cruel to me as to try elsewhere its Power. You say
you are afraid I shall think you do not love me. In
saying this you make me ache the more to be near you.
I am at the diligent use of my faculties here. I do not
pass a day without sprawling some blank verse or
tagging some rhymes; and here I must confess that
[since I am on that subject] I love you the more in that
I believe you have liked me for my own sake and for
nothing else. I have met with women whom I really
think would like to be married to a Poem and to be
given away by a Novel. ... I kiss'd your writing
over in the hope you had indulg'd me by leaving a
trace of honey. What was your dream? Tell it me
and I will tell you the interpretation thereof.
Ever yours my love!
John Keats.
240 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
As we read the words that speak the strength of his
love, our hearts go out to him in deepest sympathy.
We are reminded that consumption had carried off
his brother, and had laid its fatal hold upon him; that
his fine literary work did not earn him a living. We
recall the fact that he well knew his marriage with Miss
Brawne could not take place unless he could overcome
both his disease and his poverty. We are filled with
indignation at the merciless and cruel criticisms of the
reviewers of that day — criticisms that sorely wounded
his gentle, lovable nature, but that called forth no
resentment from him: merely the reply: "I think I
shall be among the English poets after my death."
And while we ponder upon the loss that literature and
poetry suffered in the death, in his early youth, of one
so gifted, we unite with the English-speaking world
in saying: "You thought rightly. You have an as-
sured place, and a high one, among the great English
poets."
Conversations About Autographs.
First Conversation.
Mr, Young, I have called on you, Mr. Old, to ask
your advice about a matter in which I intend to be
guided by your judgment. A year or more ago a
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 241
friend gave me an autograph note of President Lincoln,
written to his father; and, seeing the pleasure with
which I received it, he invited me to look over his
father's correspondence, and take from it what I de-
sired. I did so; and in this way I obtained quite a
number of letters of prominent men of the Civil War
period. The more I got, the more I wanted. The
fever for collecting had taken possession of me. Now,
as I am a man of very moderate means, unable to in-
dulge myself with any expensive taste; and as I am
told that the rarer and more desirable autographs are
commanding very high prices, and that common names
alone can be had cheaply; the question I am considering
is whether it would not be wise for me to abandon this
hobby before it becomes so firmly established with me
as to make it difficult for me to give it up.
Mr. Old. I do not know of any reason why I should
advise you to give up the pursuit of one of the most im-
proving and interesting of all recreations. It is true,
as you have been told, that the prices of certain auto-
graphs have risen so greatly within the last fifteen or
twenty years, that wealthy men alone can purchase
them. But these autographs are very few in number
when compared with the thousands of others that would
receive a welcome to the portfolios of any one who does
not confine himself to some special, and therefore
242 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
limited, line of collecting. When I tell you that some
men who finally amassed very noteworthy collections
spent fifty years or more of their lives in gathering
their treasures, you will see that the pursuit of the hobby
brings in its gains slowly but steadily, from month to
month and year to year, until long continued alertness
and watchful waiting accomplish the completion or
extension of series after series. The greatest pleasure
is derived from the gradual acquisition of your needs.
You go on adding, little by little, to some favorite
series; each successive gain being full of pleasure for
you. When the work is done and the series completed,
you are apt to allow your old love to be somewhat
neglected, though never forgotten; and to become ener-
getic in some other direction.
The fact that I want to convey to your mind by what
I have said is that there is plenty of worthy material
that is accessible to men who are not rich; enough
indeed to engage their attention all their lives. The
few greatest rarities are seldom acquired even by the
millionaire collector; in fact I have never heard of
more than one such collector whose indefatigable
energy and great wealth enabled him, during many
years, to outbid all competitors for the choicest and
rarest autographs that appeared at public sales in
any part of Europe or that were in the hands of dealers.
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 243
I refer to the late Mr. Morrison, an English merchant,
who at the time of his death was the owner of a col-
lection that is unequaled, except by the British Museum
and the Bibliotheque Nationale, for the quality and
character of the numerous gems it contains.
Names of first importance come slowly to those who
seek them, and they are never likely to fall very much
in value; because they are limited in quantity, and col-
lectors are constantly increasing in number. Why,
however, may not one whose purse will not permit the
purchase of a full autograph letter signed of — let us
say — Queen Elizabeth or Oliver Cromwell, content
himself, at least for the time being, with a letter or
document, merely signed, of either of them?
If, in the youth of your hobby, you purpose confining
your attention to American autographs, I can tell you
of many interesting series the formation of which you
may undertake with the reasonable hope that you
can go far towards completing them without the ex-
penditure of much money. One of the most attractive
of these series is that of the members of the Continental
— sometimes called Old — Congress. As you know,
this was the body that governed the United Colonies
during the Revolutionary War, and it was composed
of the most eminent statesmen and patriots of the day.
Autograph letters or documents of most of the men
244 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
who were members of this Congress can be had at small
cost; and, with few exceptions, nearly all the scarcer
ones are procurable, from time to time, at prices that
are not extravagant. For many years this was a favor-
ite and leading series with collectors; but, for some un-
accountable reason, the taste for it has, during recent
times, lain dormant; the consequence being a large
reduction in the prices asked for the names it includes.
Another instructive and patriotic series that you
might attempt, with the certainty of success at very
reasonable cost, is that of the Presidents of the United
States and the Members of their Cabinets. This, too,
was once a series that was undertaken by all collectors;
but, while the Presidential series is universally popular
— more so than ever — the Cabinet series is almost en-
tirely neglected, and prices have suffered correspond-
ingly.
A great number of miscellaneous names — ^United
States Senators, Governors, authors, scientists, army
and navy officers, and other notables — can be had for
little more than a song.
A good series to attempt is that of the members of
the first Congress organized under the Constitution
of the United States. Most of the names can be had
without difficulty.
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 245
Another series, equally easy of completion, is that of
the "Peace Congress" of 1861 ; the membership of which
comprised a large number of the leading statesmen of
that day.
I ought not to omit calling your attention to one
other series that has been steadily growing in the favor of
collectors, and that is sure to become, in the near future,
important and attractive. I refer to the Generals of
the Civil War, Union and Confederate. According to
my recollection, there are more than a thousand of
them. War letters — that is, letters written from camp
or field during the war — are considered choice, and
bring much larger prices than those written before or
after the war. Most of them are of plentiful occurrence
at this time, and cost but little. I hope I have now-
said enough to convince you that my advice is good
when I say, unqualifiedly, stick to yotir hobby.
Second Conversation.
Mr. Young. You will remember, Mr. Old, that
when I first came to consult you, some months ago,
in regard to the wisdom of attempting to form a col-
lection of autographs, you told me to call on you for
any information I might need for my guidance.
246 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Adopting one of your suggestions, I commenced to
collect letters and documents of the members of the
Continental Congress, and I have been quite successful
in getting a considerable number of them. The
dealer who offers to sell me the letters, which I now
show you, of Daniel Carroll, a member from Maryland,
and John Swann, a member from North Carolina, says
he has no doubt that they are written by the men whose
autographs I want, but declines to give me a positive
guarantee of that fact. Will you have the kindness
to tell me what you think of them ?
Mr. Old. One of the most important things for any
man who is engaged in forming this series, or any other
one, is to be particular in guarding against the in-
clusion of letters written by men who, while having
the right name, were not the identical persons who were
members; or, in other words, to see that he does not
place in his collection letters written by wrong men of
the right name. Neither of the letters you show me is
what you want. There were two Daniel Carrolls of
Maryland, who were contemporaries. One of them
was Daniel Carroll of Duddington, who generally
added the sufhx to his signature, but sometimes omitted
it, as he has done in this instance. He was not the
member of Congress. Now, in regard to the letter of
John Swan. The old Congressman from North Caro-
TALKS JBOUr AiroCRAPIlS 247
lina spelt his name with two n's — John Swann. 'I'here
was, contemporaneously with him, a John Swan, who
spelt his name with a single n. He was a Alajor of
Baylor's regiment of dragoons in the Revolutionary
War. The letter you show me is written by him.
If proper care were exercised, these mistakes should
not occur. Yet such an experienced collector as Mr.
Cist had, in his series of Old Congressmen, both of the
wrong men we have been talking about, and Prof.
Leffingwell had the wrong John Swann.
It may interest you to know that the fine collections
of both these men were marred by errors of this kind —
errors which, in many instances, were inexcusable.
For example, in the Cist collection we find John
Stevens, noted for his invention for driving a screw
propeller by steam, instead of his father of the same
name; and John Vining, Senior, of Delaware, instead
of his son, John.
Among the Congressmen from Maryland, Robert
Goldsborough, Jr., a Judge of the Supreme Court of
Maryland, is accepted in place of his father; William
Harrison is a wrong man of the right name; and David
Ross, an officer in the French and Indian War, represents
the right Ross. Among Virginia Congressmen we find
Mann Page, Senior, instead of the son, of that name; a
Marylander named William Fitzhugh, who, of course.
248 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
was not the right man; and a James Henry who was a
contemporary of the Congressman. When we come to
the names in South Carolina and Georgia, we see Paul
Trapier represented by the father of the Congressman,
and John Walton by the son.
The Leffingwell collection had fewer errors of this
kind; the most notable being those of William Flem-
ing, of Virginia, William Gibbons, of Georgia, William
Henry, of Pennsylvania, and Nicholas Van Dyke, of
Delaware. These names were represented, respect-
ively, by Col. William Fleming, William Gibbons,
/wn., a totally different William Henry, and Nicholas
Van Dyke, the younger.
There are other names in the series about which
you must be careful. In Pennsylvania, William Ship-
pen, father and son, were contemporaries, and both of
them were physicians. The elder Shippen was the
congressman. Dr. David Jackson must not be con-
founded with another Philadelphian of the same name;
and Matthew Clarkson, the member from Pennsyl-
vania, must not have his place filled by Major Matthew
Clarkson, who was an aide to General Arnold. Gun-
ning Bedford, of Delaware, must not be represented
by a Philadelphia carpenter, of that name; nor Jona-
than Elmer, of New Jersey, by a contemporary Jona-
than, who was a clergyman.
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 249
Perhaps the most serious and glaring error that
has occurred, apparently without excuse, is in the
acceptance of a letter of George Taylor, who belonged
to the New Jersey Coast Guard in the Revolutionary
War, as that of the Pennsylvania Signer of the Declara-
tion of Independence. The handwriting and signa-
tures of these two men are not at all similar; and yet
I have known high prices to be paid by dealers, on
at least two occasions, for letters of the wrong man.
They have probably gone into collections whose own-
ers are in happy ignorance of the truth.
Let me add a word or two about the autographs
of members of the "Albany Convention" of 1754.
There has been a great deal of blundering on the part
of collectors in accepting, for a place in this series,
letters of the wrong men. To particularize — Henry
Sherburne, Roger Wolcott, and Martin Howard should,
in each case, be the Junior of that name, while William
Smith should be the Senior. The Senior John Chand-
ler should not supplant, as he often does, his son of
the same name.
I have said enough — perhaps more than enough
— to caution you to be sure to get the right man of the
given name, and not to accept the father instead of
the son, or vice versa. The character of a collection
depends, to a large extent, on the authenticity of its
250 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
component parts. There must be equal exclusion of
the spurious item and of that which can not show its
title to the place in which it is to be put.
Mr. Young. You have shown me, very clearly,
some of the dangers I am likely to encounter. I shall
certainly make every effort to avoid them; and I hope
that, with your help, I shall succeed in doing so.
Third Conversation.
Mr. Young. I am trying to gather material for
a set of letters of the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of
the United States; and, though I am told that Aaron
Burr is easily obtained, I have not, up to this time, had
the opportunity of getting a letter written by him.
Yesterday I was offered the letter which I now show
you. It is dated April 9, 1776. On comparing the
handwriting and signature with a facsimile of a letter
of his dated in 1790, I do not see the slightest resem-
blance between the two papers. This fact leads me
to think that some other man, of the same name,
must have written the letter about which I am asking
your opinion.
Mr. Old. I don't wonder that you have the
doubt you express. Burr's early letters — those that he
wrote as Aide-de-Camp to Gen. Putnam, and as a
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
251
y/A.
^*-i^i^^ r^
^'~!!^^\^
•~~>^^'
,»^-*-'» '-t
1. Conclusion of an autograph letter of Aaron Burr written in the year 1795,
at the age of thirty-nine.
2. Autograph written in the year 1776, at the age of twenty, when he was an
officer in the Continental Army.
252 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Lieutenant-Colonel in the Continental service — ^were
the productions of a man less than, or very slightly
over, twenty-one years old. At this time his hand-
writing strongly resembled a school boy's scrawl. It
was totally unformed; and, as you have said, is utterly
unlike that of a period some eight or ten years later,
when, after a series of gradual changes, it had acquired
the neat and legible form so familiar to collectors.
You need have no hesitation in placing this letter in
your collection, unless you prefer to wait for one of
a later date. As a matter of fact his early military
letters are a hundred times scarcer than those he
wrote after he had reached a mature age.
Mr. Young. Are not these dissimilarities in the
handwriting of a man, at different periods of his life,
very unusual.^
Mr. Old. You will find, in your progress as a
collector, a number of interesting instances similar to
that you have had with the Burr letter. I can cite a
couple that are directly in point. The signature of
J. Rodman Drake, the noted poet, at the age of seven-
teen bears only the shadow of resemblance to that
at the age of twenty-one or twenty-two. The hand-
writing and signature of General Washington at the
age of seventeen, though scrupulously neat, bears a
/4^ i^/v i-o^ ^/i^' - --^^ ^'^ :^; v^
/^yc
/
i
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 253
boyish character totally unlike his mature hand. Dur-
ing the succeeding live years it was shaping itself,
little by little, into the well known hand which it
acquired by the time Washington was twenty-five.
In contradistinction to these cases, there are others
in which the handwriting became mature and fixed at
a very early time of life. So it was with the preco-
cious genius, Thomas Chatterton, who died at the age
of eighteen, and with the lamented poet Henry Kirke
White, who was only twenty-one at the time of his
death.
The handwriting of Abraham Lincoln preserved,
until the close of his life, its early form and neatness.
Of changes in the handwriting of eminent men
none is more notable than that which occurs in the
case of the illustrious Bacon, afterwards Baron Veru-
1am and Viscount St. Albans. As Francis Bacon his
handwriting and signature present characteristics very
different from those which appear when he became
Lord Chancellor and signed himself "Fr. Verulam,
Cane."
Samuel Leigh Sotheby, the author of "Ramblings
in the Elucidation of the Autograph of Milton," had
occasion to make a close study of handwriting, and
became an acknowledged expert in this field. He
says: "Comparatively few persons adopt any other
254 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
than the ordinary handwriting they use in their daily
transactions. Their writing does not vary through-
out their Hves more than by its failure in precision and
boldness as their physical powers decay. Of this fact
numerous instances might be illustrated by facsimiles;
while, on the other hand, many examples might be
given of the handwriting of eminent persons, the
character of which is totally different at various
periods of their lives. More remarkable instances
could not be adduced than in the autograph of Queen
Elizabeth and Charles I, whose writing varied at dif-
ferent periods and under peculiar circumstances."
Mr. Sotheby might have mentioned a number of
causes, some of which seem to be mere trifles, that
affect the character of the handwriting. The pen,
the posture of the hand, the space at command for
the writing, even the condition of the health, have a
positive influence upon the formation of the written
words.
While I am discussing handwriting, let me men-
tion one or two facts which, possibly, may be of in-
terest to you. Some day or other you will want an
autograph letter, or at least a letter signed, of the
great Napoleon. If you should succeed in getting a
full letter, or one that has a few lines written by him,
be prepared to find that you cannot decipher his words.
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 255
In the latter part of his Hfe his handwriting became
almost illegible, even to those who had long made a
study of it.
If you should want — as you probably will at some
stage of your collecting — a letter or document signed
of the illustrious Cardinal Richelieu, be careful, be-
fore you buy, to have an expert say whether the sig-
nature is that of the Cardinal or of his Secretary, who
succeeded in imitating his master's signature so closely
as to make it difficult to distinguish one from the
other. I spoke of a letter or document merely signedy
because a full autograph letter signed of the Cardinal
is a very great rarity.
Perhaps you have heard some people speak of
the handwriting of Rufus Choate and Horace Gree-
ley as being almost impossible to decipher. They tell
fairy stories about the interpretations that have been
placed on certain passages in letters of these men.
Now, while it is true that their writing does not follow
the models set down in the copy-books, and is neither
beautiful nor easily read by one not accustomed to a
variety of hands, it is equally untrue that their letters
present the difficulties encountered with hieroglyphics.
256 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Fourth Conversation.
Mr. Young. I have made a pretty good start on
the series of Signers of the Declaration of Independence,
and have secured more than twenty letters or docu-
ments of the men who affixed their names to this docu-
ment. I know, as a matter of course, that the two
rarest names in the series are those of Thomas Lynch,
junior, and Button Gwinnett, and that I can never
hope to get more than a mere signature of the one and
perhaps a document signed of the other. I am offered
at 350 — which I am told is a very low price — this
book, having the signature of Thos. Lynch, junior,
on the title page. The question in my mind is whether
the signature is genuine. Will you tell me what you
think of it?
Mr. Old. First of all, let me ask you about the
source from which the book comes. Is it the property
of a reputable dealer in autographs or of some person
unknown to you? The importance of this question
will be plain when I tell you that, in passing upon the
genuineness of signatures on the title pages of books,
the existence of a strong reason for believing that the
book belonged to the person whose signature it is
said to contain greatly helps us in reaching a correct
conclusion.
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 257
Air. Young. The book was brought to me by a
stranger, who said he had heard Mr. A., a friend of
mine, speak of my wish to obtain a Lynch signature.
I asked him how long he had owned it and what he
knew about its history. His answer was that his
father had brought it, and many other books, with
him when he moved from South Carolina. What
impressed me more than anything else in regard to
his good faith was that he was entirely willing to leave
the book with me so that I might have it critically
examined.
Mr. Old. As you have no proof whatever that
the book ever belonged to Lynch, let us see whether
a close examination of the signature will throw any
light on the question of genuineness. A great many
years ago, when Mr. Tefft and other collectors in the
South were making an active search for autographs of
this Signer, it was accidentally discovered that a
Public Library in Charleston contained a number of
books that had belonged to him and that contained his
signature. As it occupied a very minute space at the
top of the title page, its removal did little damage to
the book. The signatures so obtained found their
way, by exchanges, into all the leading American
collections of the nineteenth century; and the supply,
which probably never exceeded fifteen, became ex-
258 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
hausted. These signatures were written by Lynch
when he was a very young man, and all of them are
exactly alike. Let me show you one that I have.
It is, as you see, "T Lynch Jun"""; and the letters are
very small, the whole writing being little more than
an inch in length. Do you not observe several great
differences between this signature and that in the
book? In the first place, the book has it ^'Thos.
Lynch Jun'""; and he did not so write his name in
books. Secondly, the writing lacks the firmness and
precision of the acknowledged genuine signatures, and
is a more flowing hand. Thirdly, and of great mo-
ment, the ink is evidently not of the period when the
pretended signature was written. It shows no sign
of being nearly one hundred and fifty years old, but,
on the contrary, bears all the looks of an ink of modern
manufacture. I have no hesitation in advising you
to return the book to the man from whom you got it.
Mr. Young. You have taught me a lesson to be
remembered. Certainly there must be many books in
existence that contain the genuine autographs of dis-
tinguished men. Must we look with suspicion upon
all that can not be positively shown to have belonged
to the man whose signature they bear.^
Mr. Old. No. To take that position would be
going much too far. What we must do in all cases is
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 259
to apply the recognized tests, and judge by the re-
sults. Mr. Sotheby has considered this question in
his "Ramblings." He says: "The success that has
of late years attended the 'profession' of the forger of
literary and antiquarian relics both abroad and at
home, has had the effect of making the most learned
and acute in such matters occasionally sceptical as to
the genuineness of that of which they would not other-
wise have entertained a doubt."
Please remember that there are plenty of books,
printed in Continental Europe as well as in England
in the seventeenth century, that can be had for a
trifling price. Assume that some industrious forger
wants to put on the title page of one of these books
the signature of Francis Bacon. He gets a good fac-
simile of Bacon's handwriting, practices in copying it,
and finally, when he has acquired sufficient skill to
make an exact copy, he writes it on the title page of
such a book of the period as one might suppose Bacon
would admit to the shelves of his library. Or, he may
adopt one of the ways in which a faint, but correct,
tracing of the signature can be transferred to the pa-
per, then to be gone over with ink. These forgeries
are spoken of by Etienne Charavay and other experts
as being common. In Volume 16 of the Cornhill
Magazine there is an account of a German Bible
260 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
which was purchased by the British Museum at the
Hibbert Sale, in 1829, for the sum of £267.15. It
was said to have belonged to Luther up to the time of
his death, and afterwards to Melancthon, Bugenhausen,
and Major; and to contain the autographs of all these
famous men. Mr. Sotheby pronounced all these sig-
natures to be forgeries.
By what means, then, are such forgeries of mere
signatures on title pages to be detected? You can
not give them the same tests you can use in the case
of letters. If the genuineness of a letter is doubted,
among other tests you can take a single word and
apply to it the proper chemical to inform you about
the age and character of the ink. To test a mere
signature in this way would be to ruin it. Inasmuch
as the paper is surely of the period, your endeavor
must be to ascertain whether the same thing is true
of the ink. Dr. Scott discusses this matter in his
"Autograph Collecting." He says: "With reference
to the subject of ink, we need only consider one kind,
since only one fluid has been used during the whole
history of letter-writing until recent years, viz., ink
made by macerating or infusing coarsely powdered
nutgalls in pure water, in which green copperas [sul-
phate of iron] had been previously dissolved with
sufficient gum arable or animal glue added to cause the
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 261
fluid to flow readily from the pen and adhere to the
paper. Nothing, however, connected with autographs
requires closer or more attentive scrutiny, as hitherto
the production of any liquid which will exactly re-
semble old ink has bafl^ed all the art of the forger.
. . . Few inks have ever produced enduring jet-black
writing, but they generally result in peculiar shades of
colour of their own through the long-continued action
of the atmospheric oxygen, and thus old writings sup-
ply a wonderful variety of yellows, browns, and reds."
An expert, following the information given in
Carvalho's "Forty Centuries of Ink," and in Black-
burn and Caddell's "The Detection of Forgery," ought
to be able to come to a reasonably correct conclu-
sion whether the ink with which the alleged ancient
signature was written is genuine ink of the period or
whether it is of modern manufacture.
Fifth Conversation.
Mr. Young. I come to you again, Mr. Old, for
information that I need. I am making very good
progress with my set of autographs of the Members of
the Continental Congress; but sometimes I am at a
loss to know whether the high price I am asked to pay
262 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
for a letter on the ground of its rarity is justified by
the fact. I know, of course, that rarity is one of the
main factors in determining value; but I don't know
which of the names in this long list are to be included
in the extremely rare, the very rare^ and the rare, cate-
gories.
Mr. Old. I am not at all surprised that you ask
this question. Some sale catalogues describe a large
number of the autographs named in them as rare or
very rare; not for the purpose of deception, but chiefly
because the cataloguer, having no real knowledge on
this head, supposes that such a description of the
item will make it more attractive. In other cata-
logues all designations of rarity or degrees of rarity
are omitted, upon the presumption that the intelli-
gent collector already has this knowledge. I think
this mode is decidedly the better one.
Now I will try to answer your question. Your
division of the degrees of rarity into extremely rare,
very rare, and rare, is a good one. Unconsciously,
perhaps, you are following, in part, the method origin-
ated by the great French collector, Benjamin Fillon,
and adopted by the late Etienne Charavay in prepar-
ing the catalogue of that collection for the sale that
took place in Paris in 1878. This method was to mark
the degrees of rarity in the following manner: C [com-
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 263
mon]; R' [same as common], R^, R% R% R^ Rs R^ R«,
R», to indicate the various degrees of progress in rarity;
and R* to indicate excessive rarity, or, in other words,
autographs that are either unique or presque introuvables.
Running over the names in the list of old Con-
gressmen, I should say that in the category of extremely
rare names — those that would be marked R» — place
should be given to John Gardner [R. 1.], and James
Forbes and David Ross [Md.]. No letter of the right
John Gardner has ever appeared for sale, nor is any
known to exist in a private collection. His father [of
the same name] — born in 1696, and died in 1770 —
was quite a noted man, and at one time was Deputy
Governor of R. I. The autograph of the elder Gard-
ner is common, and some collectors have allowed it to
do duty for the autograph of the son.
No letter of James Forbes has appeared in any
auction or sale catalogue; and the only known letter
of the right David Ross is that which was sold at the
Lefhngwell sale, and resold when the collection of its
purchaser was disposed of.
Among the very rare names — those that would be
designated by R^ or R^ — I should include George
Champlin [R. I.]; Charles Humphreys and Joseph
Montgomery [Pa.]; Edward Giles and John Rogers
[Md.]; William Gumming, John Swann, Ephraim Bre-
264 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
vard, Joseph McDowell and John Stokes [N. C.]; Henry
Middleton [S. C.]; and John Walton [Ga.].
In classifying these names as very rare, and in all
other classifications, I must be understood as speak-
ing of full autograph letters or documents, or, at least,
of a good letter merely signed. The designation would
not be correct as applied, for example, to the Colonial
paper money signed by Charles Humphreys in Penn-
sylvania and by Henry Middleton in South Carolina.
The rare names — such as would be in the R^ or
R^ classification — may well include Samuel Rhoads
[Pa.]; John Cooper [N. J.]; John Evans and John
Patten [Del.]; Thomas Adams, Richard Bland, and
Aierewether Smith [Va.]; Thomas Person [N. C.]; and
Thomas Lynch and John Parker [S. C.].
A small number of the remaining names may
properly be called scarce; but it is scarcely necessary to
particularize them.
Mr. Young. May I ask you to go further, and
give me the same kind of information about names
that occur in the Albany Convention and the Stamp
Act Congress Series, as well as in the series of Mem-
bers of the Federal Convention and Generals of the
Revolutionary War?
Mr. Old. In the Albany Convention Series the
rare names — for A. L. S. — are Roger Wolcott, Jun.
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 265
[Conn.], and Martin Howard, Jun. [R. I.]; and the
extremely rare name is Abraham Barnes [Md.]. By the
way, it must not be forgotten that there was another
Abraham Barnes, also a Maryland man, who was
contemporary with the member of the Convention;
and care must be taken not to accept him in place of
the right man.
In the Stamp Act Congress Series there is one
extremely rare name; that of William Murdock of
Maryland. Three names — those of Timothy Ruggles
[Mass.], David Rowland [Conn.], and Thomas Lynch
[S. C] — may properly be called rare. You must guard
against being deceived by a letter of a certain Thomas
Lynch, a merchant of the city of New York, who was
a contemporary of the right Lynch.
In the series of Signers of the Constitution of the
U. S. and Members of the Federal Convention, no
names occur that are extremely rare. Of names that
are rare I can specify Robert H. Harrison [Md.], John
Blair [Va.], Willie Jones [N. C], and William Houstoun
[Ga.].
In the series of Generals of the Revolutionary War,
the extremely rare names are Philippe Du Coudray,
the Chevalier de Roche Fermoy, and the Chevalier de
la Neuville. They are not represented in any of the
collections, large or small, that have been sold at
266 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
auction during the last fifty years. A letter signed by
Baron de Woedtke has appeared once, and once only,
in a sale catalogue. An A. L. S. is unknown.
Among the very rare names I should class John
Stark and Israel Putnam [in the form of A. L. S.],
Count Pulaski, Andrew Lewis, Francis Nash, James
Hogun, and the Chevalier De Preudhomme De Borre.
The rare names would include Richard Mont-
gomery, John Thomas, Thomas Conway, the Baron de
Kalb, Seth Pomeroy, James Moore, John Philip De
Haas, Ebenezer Learned, and Hugh Mercer.
Names of certain generals that are of common
occurrence, but are much sought for — such as Wash-
ington, Benedict Arnold, Anthony Wayne, and Na-
thanael Greene — would be designated as recherche by
a French dealer.
Having answered all your questions, I want to
say that the conclusions I have expressed in regard
to rarity are based on an experience covering very
many years; during which time I have had in my
hands and have carefully examined all the catalogues
of public or private sales of autographs that have been
issued in the United States. Some collectors will,
perhaps, differ with me in regard to certain names,
which they may think should have received either a
higher or a lower mark of rarity. Some may think
/
I
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 267
I have named too many — others that I have not named
enough. Such differences of opinion are most natural,
and are bound to exist.
Let me, however, impress upon you the fact that
substantial changes in the degrees of rarity I have
noted may easily happen within any decade. Names
that have long been sought, either totally or very
largely in vain, may emerge from sources hitherto un-
known, be placed on the market, and thus lose their
rarity. Other names, that are now merely scarce or
rare, may become very rare by the failure of an ade-
quate supply of them. I can cite instances of such
changes in years gone by. Fifty or sixty years ago no
collector had ever seen an autograph of William
Clingan, a Pennsylvania member of the Continental
Congress and a Signer of the Articles of Confederation.
Mr. Cist expressed the opinion that if any man of this
name had been a member of the Congress, he would
have left some written sign of his existence. Dr.
Sprague came to the conclusion that the name was a
misprint for William Bingham. So it happened that
this void in the series remained unfilled until 1876,
or perhaps 1880; when, among a large quantity of
papers of the Revolutionary period discovered in a
long-unused room in the Capitol at Harrisburg, many
letters and documents of Clingan were found. Of
268 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
course no collection was thereafter without this name.
Simon Boerum is another instance of the same
kind. Up to the time when Mr. Danforth unearthed,
in a County Surrogate's office, dozens of official auto-
graphs — documents — signed of this absolutely obscure
man, any paper in his handwriting would have been a
rarity of rarities. For years and years the name was
totally unprocurable. Then, when Dr. Emmet was
so fortunate as to secure a large D. S. at a correspond-
ingly large price, collectors thought he had become
the owner of something almost unique. Now, every
collector who wanted this autograph has it; and it is
a drug on the market, though the dealers still hold it
at a pretty stiff price because once upon a time it sold
at 3200.
As an instance of great increase in rarity, let me
tell you a little story about the letters and manu-
scripts gathered by Gov. David L. Swain, of North
Carolina, with the intention of using them in the prep-
aration of a history of his native State. He succeeded
in getting together a very large amount of material of
great autographic, as well as historical, interest and
value, including many letters of Signers of the Declara-
tion of Independence, Generals of the Revolutionary
War, etc. During the latter part of the Civil War,
Dr. Charles G. Barney, a Northerner by birth, who
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 269
had married a Southern lady and had become a resi-
dent of Richmond, Va., heard of these papers. He
was a collector in a small way and had some knowledge
of the rarity of certain letters. So he paid a visit to
Gov. Swain, and requested permission to examine
them for historical purposes. It was granted; and he
became the possessor of hundreds of letters which had
come from the correspondence of William Hooper,
Joseph Hewes, John Penn, and Samuel Johnston. He
had a large number of letters of each of the North
Carolina Signers, with fine historical contents, which
he brought to the North, immediately after the close
of the war, and sold to collectors and dealers at 320
per letter. There were other gems obtained from the
same source, for which he received prices depending
upon the number of specimens in his hands. It took
him live or six years to dispose of his entire supply.
If collectors had considered the fact that, with the
exhaustion of this supply, letters of these Signers would
again become rare, a better appreciation of their pe-
cuniary value would have been entertained. To-day,
all of them are considered rare, and their money value
is vastly greater than it was from 1865 to 1880.
Arthur Middleton, one of the South Carolina
Signers, may also be mentioned as an Instance of an
autograph which was once, for a time, quite plentiful,
270 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
but afterwards became very rare. In the year 1860
a bundle of drafts signed by Middleton and some of
his colleagues in the Continental Congress, dated in
1781 and 1782, and written on one half of a 4to sheet
of paper, came to light in Philadelphia. They were
offered for sale at $S each, and were greedily taken by
collectors, nearly all of whom needed this autograph.
After the collectors had been fully supplied, the sur-
plus went to dealers. In 1886, at the Cist sale, one
of these drafts sold for $\S. Five years later, at the
Leffingwell sale, the price advanced to 3140. To-day
it would be much more.
Sixth Conversation.
Mr. Young. A friend of mine who is interested,
as I am, in collecting letters of American poets, and
who has most of the important names, asked me, a
few days ago, if I had autographs of Philip Pendleton
Cooke, Lucy Hooper, Edward C. Pinkney, and the
Davidson sisters. I told him that I hadn't any of
them, and I frankly confessed that, with the exception
of Cooke, the names were unfamiliar to me. Since
then I have looked into Duyckinck's "Cyclopedia of
American Literature," where I find quite lengthy
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 271
notices of all of them. Can you tell mc anything in
regard to the rarity of their autographs?
Mr. Old. All the names you mention have honor-
able places in the annals of American literature. While
it is true that they are rarely mentioned nowadays, it
is no less true that they were once well known and
highly esteemed. A special interest, of a somewhat
sad kind, attaches to them from the fact that they
died when very young. The Davidson sisters — Lu-
cretia Maria and Margaret Miller — furnish very re-
markable instances of youthful precocity. Both of
them died of consumption; Lucretia, one month be-
fore reaching her seventeenth birthday, and Margaret,
at the age of fifteen. The esteem in which Lucretia's
poems were held was expressed by the English poet
Southey in a laudatory notice in the Quarterly Review,
in which he said: "In our own language, except in the
cases of Chatterton and Kirke White, we can call to
mind no instance of so early, so ardent, and so fatal
a pursuit of intellectual advancement." Margaret's
poems were introduced to the world by Washington
Irving. She began to write when she was only six
years old; and, according to her mother's statement,
"she seemed to exist only in the regions of poetry."
No letter of either of these sisters has ever ap-
peared in a sale catalogue, nor is any known to exist in
272 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
a public collection. Dr. Sprague, who lived in Albany
and personally knew the Davidson family, was unable
to obtain from Mrs. Davidson any autographic me-
mentos of her gifted daughters other than a small
manuscript poem, signed on the back, written by
Lucretia, and a short note written and signed by Mar-
garet. You may, therefore, consider their autographs
as excessively rare.
Next, in the order of rarity of the names we are
considering, I should place Lucy Hooper. She, too,
died when she was very young — only twenty-five.
That she was regarded as a poet of much merit is evi-
denced by the fact that, when her "Complete Poetical
Works" were published in 1848, they contained lauda-
tory verses by Whittier and Tuckerman. Her auto-
graph was wanting in every collection that has yet
been exposed to public sale, and may be classed as
extremely rare. The same remark is true in regard to
Edward C. Pinkney and Philip Pendleton Cooke; both
of whom hold high rank among the minor poets.
Pinkney, who died in his twenty-sixth year, was noted
for the exquisite taste of his lyrics; and Cooke, who
was only thirty-three at the time of his death, had
established his reputation by his beautiful poems, of
which "Florence Vane" is the best known.
Mr. Young. Is it not true that, as a general rule.
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 273
letters of our best known poets, though bringing high
prices, are not rare?
Mr. Old. You state what I believe to be a fact.
I do not, at this moment, recall more than one name
— that of Joseph Rodman Drake — that is an excep-
tion to the rule. His letters are excessively rare; not
more than two or three of them being known to exist
in public or private collections. Here you have an-
other instance of rarity due to early death; for you
know that Drake did not survive his twenty-fifth year.
Mr. Young. You told me, while speaking of the
Davidson sisters, that Southey ranked them as the
equals of Chatterton and Kirke White in poetical
precocity. Are they, too, very rare names?
Mr. Old. Thomas Chatterton's letters very sel-
dom occur; and when one is offered for sale, the price
asked for it is high, say from seventy-five to one hun-
dred pounds. Remember that, unable to stand the
conflict with the extreme poverty to which he was re-
duced, he poisoned himself with arsenic when he was
only eighteen years of age. Hence the rarity of his
letters is readily accounted for. Henry Kirke White's
letters fall much below Chatterton's in point of rarity
and value. Still, as he died when in his twenty-first
year, his letters must be rare. The last one that I
274 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
remember to have seen in a sale catalogue was priced
at fifteen pounds.
Mt. Young. Changing the subject of conversa-
tion, may I ask you if it is not an odd circumstance
that certain literary names should be sought with such
persistence, while others, of very positive merit, suffer
comparative neglect? For instance, there seems to be
a rage for letters of Eugene Field, Bret Harte, Lowell,
James Whitcomb Riley, Bayard Taylor, Thoreau, and
Walt Whitman. Why should they be more desirable
than Longfellow, Bryant, Halleck, Holmes, T. Bu-
chanan Read, Whittier, and others of nearly equal
rank?
Mr. Old. There is no way of accounting for the
taste of collectors or for their preference for certain
names. Something occurs to set the pace in a certain
direction, and it keeps up while the vogue lasts. The
same thing happens in England. Dickens, Thackeray,
Stevenson, Meredith, and a few others, are special
favorites at high prices; while little attention is
paid to such excellent novelists as Anthony Trollope,
Charles Reade, Charles Kingsley, Bulwer Lytton,
Wilkie Collins, Dinah M. Craik, Stanley Weyman,
and many others. It is easy to understand why Dick-
ens should be such a prime favorite, and why his
almost countless letters should have advanced so enor-
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 275
mously in value within the last twenty or twenty-five
years; but it would not be easy to give a reason — even
a purely literary reason — for the autographic esteem
accorded to some writers and denied to others of high
rank.
Seventh Conversation.
Mr. Young. I am somewhat at a loss to deter-
mine the best way to arrange and preserve the letters
I have collected. My inquiries show me that col-
lectors differ very much in their views on this ques-
tion. A few of them mount their autographs in books;
some have their letters inlaid, on Whatman paper, to
a uniform folio size; while others place them loose in
wrappers. Does your experience enable you to say
which one of these modes is the best.''
Mr. Old. Individual tastes differ so widely that
one must be careful in making an ex cathedra statement
on the question you ask. As a general rule, however,
I should say that autographs should never be mounted;
that is, pasted down in books. When so placed, they
are difficult to remove, in case you want to make a
change; and, if you are not particular in regard to the
kind of paste used, the letter may be injured. This
276 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
is particularly true where gum arable is used. It
nearly always produces a serious discoloration.
In recent times a few collectors have had their
letters inlaid on large sheets, of uniform size, of What-
man paper. I consider this a most objectionable mode
to follow. When so inlaid, the letter is pasted down,
by the edges, on all sides; and then, in order to get rid
of the extra thickness on the parts where the letter
and the Whatman paper unite, the edges of the letter
are pared down. Its margins are thus weakened; and
small portions of words on the right hand side, the top,
and the bottom of the letter, are not unfrequently
scraped away. The pecuniary value of a letter which
has been so treated is much lessened thereby. I have
no hesitation in expressing my unqualified disapproval
of such inlaying. It is justifiable only where the let-
ters are to be bound together in a volume; and even
then a much better plan is to attach the letters to the
sheets on which they are laid by means of a few small
strips placed on their left sides, which serve as hinges.
What, then, is the best mode to adopt? Nearly
all of the leading American collectors have followed
the custom, pursued by the principal European col-
lectors, of placing their autographs loose in boxes,
arranged in series. Some have used wrappers; others
have not done so. The most noted French and Ger-
TALKS ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS 277
man collectors have had handsome wrappers, of spe-
cial design, containing their coats of arms, in which
their letters were placed, accompanied by a portrait
of the person whose autograph is enclosed. The addi-
tion of a portrait gives enhanced interest to the letter.
The two together bring you in much closer contact
with the writer than either one would separately.
The splendid collection of Alfred Bovet was thus ar-
ranged, and several fine portraits frequently accom-
panied a letter or document. All things considered,
I regard this mode of keeping autographs as by far the
best.
Mr. Young. I have been reading, with great
pleasure, Mr. Joline's delightful "Meditations of an
Autograph Collector." The concluding words of the
book impressed me very much. He says, as you
probably remember: "No one will ever be as fond of
my pets as I have been, and at no distant day they will
be scattered among the bidders at the inevitable auc-
tion-sale which awaits all collections save only those
consigned to perpetual burial in some library. My
own association with them will be lost and forgotten.
I look upon them almost as one might upon the chil-
dren whom he must leave behind him. They, how-
ever, may remember, while our cherished autographs
and books, in serene unconsciousness, will be forever
278 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
unmindful of the fondness which has been lavished
upon them. A rare book will now and then retain
the record of a tender and devoted ownership, but an
autograph seldom recalls the memory of a chance
possessor. None the less dear to me are these relics
of the leaders of life and of literature. Some one
will preserve them, and perhaps may fondle them as
I have done. I trust that they may come under the
protecting care of a true collector, a real antiquary —
no mere bargain-hunter, no ^snapper up of uncon-
sidered trifles,* but one endowed with the capacity
to appreciate whatever things are worthy of the af-
fection of the lover of letters and of history." There
is such a decided tone of sadness in these words; such
an expression of regret that his autographic treasures
must eventually pass into other hands; that I fail to
see why, if he wanted to prevent such a fate from over-
taking them, he did not prefer to keep them together
and give them what he calls "perpetual burial in some
library." There, at least, they would bear his name,
preserve his memory, and give pleasure and instruc-
tion to the select few who, in future years, would ask
to see and examine them. I can understand, of course,
why the needs of a man's family might make it im-
perative that his collection should be sold; but, in the
case of Mr. Joline, I am told that no such needs existed.
A. H. JOLINE
TALKS ABOUT AUTOCRATllS 279
Mr. Old. There is enough pathos in Mr. Joline's
lament to stir the heart of any collector who, like him,
has a positive affection for his manuscript possessions.
The true collector is generally a man of education and
refinement, who, until the close of his days, follows
his hobby with a real love for it. There is pleasure-
able occupation for a long life in gathering a truly
representative collection of letters of the great men
and women of past and present times. From day to
day, month to month, year to year, these memorials
of the dead and the living fall, one by one, into his
hands, rewarding his earnest search and patient wait-
ing. He gives them his affectionate care. They be-
come dear to him, as his constant companions. They
give him joy in many a weary hour. They almost
become part of his existence. How any man whose
pecuniary means would enable him to keep these
silent and constant friends from being sold and sepa-
rated can consent to have them scattered to the four
winds of heaven, never again to be reunited as mem-
bers of a family, is something I cannot understand.
Mr. Dreer gave his valuable collection, to the forma-
tion of which he had given fully sixty years of his life,
to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, in order
that it might be there preserved for all time, bearing
his name. He told me that he could not endure the
280 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
thought of its dispersal. Dr. Fogg left his manu-
script possessions to the Maine Historical Society.
Lyman C. Draper gave the great mass of papers, which
he spent years in collecting, to the Historical Society
of Wisconsin. Dr. Sprague was anxious that his im-
mense collection should not be scattered after his
death; and his family saw that this wish was met when
they determined to sell the collection as a whole to
some one who would keep it together.
No one will doubt the truth of Mr. Joline's thought
that his "cherished autographs, in serene unconscious-
ness, will be forever unmindful of the fondness which
has been lavished upon them" — for they are inani-
mate. But I cannot agree with him that "an auto-
graph seldom recalls the memory of a chance pos-
sessor." The statement is probably true in the case
of common letters and such as are without historical
or personal interest or have not had a place in a col-
lection of note; but letters that are rare or that have
important contents, often carry with them the story
of the different hands through which they have passed.
Alfred Bovet loved the pieces that came from cele-
brated collections; and the beautiful and remarkable
catalogue prepared by Etienne Charavay indicates
the sources from which many of his autographs came.
The names of Baron de Tremont, Lucas de Montigny,
BOOK OF FACSIMILES 281
Chambry, Benjamin Fillon, Alfred Sensier, Dubrun-
faut, and others, frequently occur as former owners of
pieces named in the catalogue.
The collection of the Prince de Ligne contained a
drawing, sketched in pen and ink, by Raphael Sanzio,
the superb painter, of two heads of horses, with the
arms of men, and five lines in his handwriting, dated
1510. At his sale, this drawing passed into the hands
of Comte de Fries; thence to the collection of Prof.
Bohm, of Vienna; thence to Mr. Donnadieu, who had
bought it, for 1000 francs, from a Mons. Hertz; and
thence to Baron de Tremont. You see, from this
illustration, that an autograph may, and often does,
recall the memory of a former possessor.
There Is one other statement of Mr. Joline's to
which I cannot accede. He speaks of "the inevitable
auction-sale which awaits all collections save only
those consigned to perpetual burial in some library.*'
Mr. Joline's experience in regard to collections given
to Historical Societies and libraries must have been
an unfortunate one; otherwise he would not have
spoken of them in words which imply that they are
forever hidden from sight. The truth is that they are
always open for the inspection of those who want to
see them as mere curiosities, and for the use of those
282 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
who wish, for historical or literary purposes, to ex-
amine their contents.
So, while I am in full accord with Mr. Joline in
his expressions of affection for the "pets" of a lifetime,
I must disagree with him In his view of what is their
natural and inevitable fate.
APPENDIX A.
List of Books Containing Facsimiles of Auto-
graph Letters or of Mere Signatures.
British Autographyy a Collection of Fac-Similes of
the Handwriting of Royal and Illustrious Personages,
with their Authentic Portraits. By John Thane.
Small 4to, 3 volumes.
Autographs of Royal, Noble, Learned and Re-
markable Personages Conspicuous in English History
from the reign of Richard the Second to that of Charles
the Second; with some Illustrious Foreigners; contain-
ing many passages from important letters. Engraved
under the direction of Charles John Smith. Accom-
panied by concise biographical memoirs and inter-
esting extracts from the original documents, by John
Gough Nichols. Folio. London, 1829. [A very val-
uable work.]
284 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Autographs of the Kings and Queens, and Emi-
nent Men, of Great Britain, from the 14th century to
the present period. Being Fac-Similes taken from
original documents by J. Netherclift, Oblong folio.
London, 1835.
Autograph Letters, Characteristic Extracts and
Signatures, from the Correspondence of Illustrious
and Distinguished Women of Great Britain, from the
XIVt*» to the XIXt'* Century. Collected and copied
in Fac-Simile from Original Documents by J. Nether-
clift. Folio. London, 1838.
Isographie des Hommes Celebres, ou Collection
de Fac-Simile de Lettres Autographes et de Signatures.
4 volumes, 4to. Paris, 1843. [An invaluable work
to a collector.]
Collection of One Hundred Characteristic and
Interesting Autograph Letters, written by Royal and
Distinguished Persons of Great Britain, from the XV.
to the XVIII. centuries. By J. Netherclift and Son,
1849. [An instructive work.]
The Autograph Miscellany: A Collection of Auto-
graph Letters, Interesting Documents, etc. By F.
Netherclift, 1855.
BOOK OF FACSIMILES 285
Sale Catalogue of the manuscript library of the
late Dawson Turner, Esq. Puttick and Simpson,
1859. [Contains many important facsimiles.]
American Historical and Literary Curiosities: Con-
sisting of Fac-Similes of some plates, &c., relating to
Columbus, and Original Documents of the Revolu-
tion, &c., &c., with a variety of Reliques, Antiquities
and Autographs. Edited and arranged, with the
assistance of several autograph collectors, by John
Jay Smith. Second Series. Folio. New York:
Charles B. Richardson, 1860.
The Book of the Signers: Containing Fac-Simile
Letters of the Signers of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence. Edited by William Brotherhead. 4to. Phil-
adelphia, 1861.
The Autograph Souvenir: A Collection of Auto-
graph Letters, etc., selected from the British Museum
and other Sources by F. G. Netherclift. With notes
by R. Sims, of the British Museum.
American Historical and Literary Curiosities: Con-
sisting of Fac-Similes of Original Documents relating
to the events of the Revolution, &c., &c. Collected
286 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
and edited by John Jay Smith and John F. Watson.
Folio. Sixth edition; with improvements and addi-
tions. New York: G. P. Putnam, 1861.
The Autograph Mirror: Autographic Letters and
Sketches of Illustrious and Distinguished Men of past
and present times: Sovereigns, Statesmen, Warriors,
Divines; Historians, Lawyers; Literary, Scientific,
Artistic and Theatrical Celebrities. 4to. London
and New York: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin.
Album de Fac-Simile des Regents, Capitaines, et
Hommes D'Etat depuis L'An 1500 Jusqu' en 1576.
Dessines sur les Originaux et Expliques par Charles
Oberleitner. 4to. Vienne, 1862.
The Hand-Book of Autographs: Being a Ready
Guide to the Handwriting of Distinguished Men and
Women of every Nation. Designed for the use of
literary men, autograph collectors, and others. By
Frederick G. Netherclift. With a Biographical In-
dex, etc., by Richard Sims, of the British Museum.
London, John Russell Smith, 1862.
The Autographic Mirror: L'Autographe Cosmopo-
lite. Inedited autographs of illustrious and dis-
tinguished men of past and present times. Sovereigns,
BOOK OF FACSIMILES 287
Statesmen, Warriors, Divines, Historians, Lawyers,
Literary, Scientific, Artistic and Theatrical Celebrities.
Lithographed by Vincent Brooks, Chandos St., Char-
ing Cross, London. Large folio. Vol. L Published
Feb. 20, 1864.
The same. Volume 2.
The Autographic Album: A collection of four hun-
dred and seventy fac-similes of Holograph writings of
Royal, Noble, and Distinguished Men and Women of
various Nations. With biographical notices, and oc-
casional translations. By Lawrence B. Phillips, F. R.
A. S. Lithographed by F. G. Netherclift. Small 4to.
London, 1866.
The Centennial Book of the Signers: Being Fac-
simile Letters of each Signer of the Declaration of
Independence. By W. Brotherhead, Librarian. Folio,
295 pages. Philadelphia; J. M. Stoddart & Co., 1875.
Inventaire des Autographes et Documents Historiques
Reunis par M. Benjamin Fillon. Decrits par Etienne
Charavay. 3 volumes, 4to. Paris, 1878. [Filled with
fac-similes of letters and signatures.]
Lettres Autographes composant la Collection de
M. Alfred Bovet, Decrites par Etienne Charavay.
288 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
A Paris. Librarie Charavay Freres. 1887. 4to, 880
pages. [Very valuable for its numerous fac-similes of
letters and documents.]
Catalogue of the Collection of Alfred Morrison.
Six sumptuous volumes, large 4to, filled with full page
fac-similes. Printed for private distribution.
Fac-Similes of Royal, Historical, Literary, and
other Autographs in the Department of Mss., British
Museum. Edited by George F. Warner. Series I-V,
with 150 plates. Folio. 1899.
English Court Hand: A. D. 1066 to 1500. Illus-
trated chiefly from the Public Records. By Charles
Johnson and Hilary Jenkinson. Text 1 vol. 8vo, and
a royal folio volume containing 44 reproductions.
Oxford, 1915.
Catalogue of the Autograph Letters collected by
Henry Huth, and sold by auction by Messrs. Sotheby,
Wilkinson & Hodge, London, on June 12 and 13, 1911.
[Contains many full-page fac-similes.]
APPENDIX B.
Convention of Commissioners to Confer with
THE Six Nations and Other Friendly Indians
ON Offensive and Defensive Measures against
the French and the Indians Acting with
Them. Held at Albany, October 5, 1745.
Commissioners frorn New York.
Governor George Clinton. \
Philip Livingston. I Members of the Execu-
Daniel Horsmanden. > tive Council of New
Joseph Murray. \ York.
John Rutherford. /
Co7nmissioners from Massachusetts.
Col. John Stoddard.
Jacob Wendell.
Thomas Berry.
John Choate.
Thomas Hutchinson.
290 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Commissioners from Connecticut.
Roger Wolcott.
Col. Nathaniel Stanley.
Commissioners from Pennsylvania.
Thomas Lawrence.
John Kinsey.
Isaac Norris.
APPENDIX C.
Delegates to the Convention Held at Albany,
IN 1754.
New York.
Massachusetts.
New Hampshire.
James Delancey.
Joseph Murray.
Sir William Johnson.
John Chambers.
William Smith, Sen.
Samuel Welles.
John Chandler.
Thomas Hutchinson.
Oliver Partridge.
John Worthlngton.
Theodore Atkinson.
Richard Wibird.
Mesech Weare.
Henry Sherburne, Jun.
292
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Connecticut.
Rhode Island.
Pennsylvania.
Maryland.
William Pitkin.
Roger Wolcott, Jun.
Elisha Williams.
Stephen Hopkins.
Martin Howard, Jun.
John Penn.
Benjamin Franklin.
Richard Peters.
Isaac Norris.
Benjamin Tasker.
Abraham Barnes.
APPENDIX D.
Delegates to the Stamp Act Congress, Held in
1765.
Massachusetts.
Rhode Island.
Connecticut.
New York.
New Jersey.
James Otis, Jun.
Oliver Partridge.
Timothy Ruggles.
Metcalf Bowler.
Henry Ward.
Eliphalet Dyer.
David Rowland.
William Samuel Johnson.
Robert R. Livingston, Sen.
John Cruger.
Philip Livingston.
William Bayard.
Leonard Lispenard.
Robert Ogden.
Hendrick Fisher.
Joseph Borden.
294
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Pennsylvania.
Delaware.
Maryland.
South Carolina.
John Dickinson.
John Morton.
George Bryan.
Thomas McKean.
Caesar Rodney.
William Murdock.
Edward Tilghman.
Thomas Ringgold.
Thomas Lynch.
Christopher Gadsden.
John Rutledge.
APPENDIX E.
Delegates to the Continental Congress
OF 1774.
Peyton Randolph, President.
New Hampshire. John Sullivan.
Nathaniel Folsom.
Massachusetts, Thomas Cushing.
Samuel Adams.
James Bowdoin. (Did not attend.)
John Adams.
Robert Treat Paine.
Stephen Hopkins.
Samuel Ward.
Eliphalet Dyer.
William Samuel Johnson. (Did not
attend.)
Erastus Wolcott. (Did not attend.)
Roger Sherman.
Rhode Island.
Connecticut.
296 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Richard Law. (Did not attend)
Silas Deane.
Joseph Trumbull. (Did not attend.)
New York. Isaac Low. '^
John Haring. (Did not attend.)
John Alsop.
John Jay.
James Duane.
Philip Livingston.
William Floyd.
Henry Wisner.
Simon Boerum.
New Jersey. James Kinsey.
William Livingston.
Stephen Crane.
Richard Smith.
John DeHart.
Pennsylvania. Joseph Galloway.
John Dickinson.
Charles Humphreys.
Thomas Mifflin.
Edward Biddle.
John Morton.
George Ross.
Samuel Rhoads. (Did not attend.)
CONGRESS OF 1774
297
Delaware.
Maryland.
Virginia.
North Carolina.
South Carolina.
Caesar Rodney.
Thomas McKean.
George Read.
Robert Goldsborough.
attend.)
Matthew Tilghman.
John Rogers.
Thomas Johnson, Jr.
William Paca.
Samuel Chase.
Richard Henry Lee.
Peyton Randolph.
George Washington.
Patrick Henry, Jr.
Richard Bland.
Benjamin Harrison.
Edmund Pendleton.
William Hooper.
Joseph Hewes.
Richard Caswell.
Henry Middleton.
Thomas Lynch.
Christopher Gadsden.
John Rutledge.
Edward Rutledge.
(Did not
APPENDIX F.
Presidents of the Continental Congress.
Elected
Peyton Randolph. Sept. 5, 1774.
Henry MIddleton. Oct. 22, 1774.
Peyton Randolph. May 10, 1775.
John Hancock. May 24, 1775.
Henry Laurens. Nov. 1, 1777.
John Jay. Dec. 10, 1778.
Samuel Huntington. Sept. 28, 1779.
Samuel Johnston. July 9, 1781.
[Note. On July 10 he declined to accept the
election, for reasons that were satisfactory to the
Congress.]
Thomas McKean. July 10, 1781.
John Hanson. Nov. 5, 1781.
Elias Boudinot. Nov. 4, 1782.
Thomas Mifflin. Nov. 3, 1783.
PRESIDENTS OF CONGRESS 299
Richard Henry Lee. Nov. 30, 1784.
John Hancock. Nov. 23, 1785.
[Note. Illness prevented him from serving, and
hejresigned on June 5, 1786.]
Nathaniel Gorham. June 6, 1786.
Arthur St. Clair. Feb. 2, 1787.
Cyrus Griffin. Jan. 22, 1788.
Note. The following named members of the Con-
tinental Congress were elected Chairmen [Presidents
PRO TEM.] of Congress, to preside during the absence
of the President.
John Rutledge. Sept. 8, 1783.
Daniel Carroll. April 15, 1782. Sept. 9,
1783. Nov. 3, 1783.
Thomas Jefferson. March 12, 1784.
Thomas Stone. June 1, 1784.
Samuel Holten. Aug. 17, 1785.
David Ramsay. Nov. 23, 1785.
[He served until May 15, 1786, during the long
absence of John Hancock, caused by his illness.]
Nathaniel Gorham. May 15, 1786.
[He served until the first Monday of June, 1786.]
Lambert Cadwalader. Feb. 19, 1787.
William Grayson. July 4, 1787.
APPENDIX G.
Revolutionary Cabinets.
Comprising the names of the persons who were
elected or appointed by the Continental Congress to
administer the affairs of the departments of State,
Finance, War, Navy, and the Post Office during the
Revolutionary War and up to the time when the Con-
stitution of the United States became operative.
Department of State.
Secretary for foreign affairs.
Aug. 10, 1781. Robert R. Livingston.
May 7, 1784. John Jay.
REVOLUTIONARY CABINETS 301
Department of Finance.
Board of Treasury. Commissioners of the Board
OF Treasury.
July 23, 1776. George Clymer. Served until May 8,
1777.
Feb. 6, 1777. Mann Page, Jr.
Jonathan Elmer.
March 22, 1777. Jonathan Bayard Smith.
Lewis Morris.
May 8, 1777. George Walton.
Aug. 12, 1777. Henry Laurens.
Nathaniel Folsom.
Cornelius Harnett.
Eliphalet Dyer.
Dec. 3, 1777. Francis Dana.
Benjamin Rumsey.
Joseph Jones.
June 9, 1778. Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Henry Marchant.
John Wentworth.
Roger Sherman.
Feb. 24, 1779. Frederick Frelinghuysen.
302
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Nov. 9, 1779.
Nov. 25, 1779.
Dec. 13, 1779.
April 28, 1780.
May 9, 1780.
May 10, 1780.
June 23, 1780.
July 7, 1780.
Dec. 4, 1780.
June 3, 1784.
Jan. 25, 1785.
July 27, 1785.
Feb. 20, 1781.
Ezekiel Forman. Resigned July 24,
1781.
Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.
William Churchill Houston.
William Sharpe.
John Gibson.
William Floyd, vice William Sharpe.
William Denning.
James Duane, vice William Churchill
Houston. Declined the election.
James Henry.
Roger Sherman.
Edward Telfair, vice James Henry.
Oliver Wolcott. Excused from serv-
ing.
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer.
Oliver Ellsworth.
William Denning. Declined the ap-
pointment.
John Lewis Gervais. Declined the
election.
Samuel Osgood.
Walter Livingston.
Arthur Lee.
Robert Morris was elected Superin-
tendent of Finance.
REVOLUTIONARY CABINETS 303
Department of War.
Board of War and Ordinance. Board of War.
Commissioners for the Board of War. Secretaries at
War.
Board of War and Ordinance.
June 13, 1776. John Adams.
Roger Sherman.
Benjamin Harrison.
James Wilson.
Edward Rutledge.
Sept. 11, 1776. Francis Lightfoot Lee.
March 26, 1777. George Clymer.
May 8, 1777. Charles Carroll of CarroUton.
July 2, 1777. William Duer.
Board of War.
Nov. 7, 1777. Maj. Gen. Thomas Mifflin.
Col. Timothy Pickering.
Col. Robert H. Harrison.
Nov. 17, 1777. Francis Dana.
Jonathan Bayard Smith.
Jan. 14, 1778. Edward Langworthy.
Dec. 22, 1778. Jesse Root, vice Roger Sherman.
304 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
April 8, 1779. Joseph Spencer, vice Francis Light-
foot Lee.
Samuel J. Atlee, vice Jesse Root.
Sept. 27, 1779. Jesse Root, vice Joseph Spencer.
Nov. 23, 1779. Robert R. Livingston, vice Sam.
J. Atlee.
April 6, 1780. John Morin Scott.
John Matthews.
June 23, 1780. Gen. Artemas Ward, vice John Mat-
thews.
Dec. 29, 1780. John Matthews.
Commissioners for the Board of War.
Nov. 27, 1777. Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates, President.
Joseph Trumbull.
Richard Peters.
Jan. 12, 1778. Maj. Gen. Thomas Mifflin.
June 22, 1779. Maj. Gen. William Heath.
[On July 27, 1779, he asked to be excused.]
Dec. 7, 1779, Col. William Grayson.
Dec. 29, 1780. Ezekiel Cornell.
Secretaries at War.
Oct. 30, 1781. Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln.
REVOLUTIONARY CABINETS 305
Nov. 19, 1781. Richard Peters was authorized to
continue to exercise the duties of
the War Department until the
Secretary at War shall enter upon
the execution of his office.
March 8, 1785. Henry Knox.
Navy Department.
Continental Navy Board. Commissioners of the
Board of Admiralty. Secretary of Marine. Agent of
Marine.
Continental Navy Board.
Nov. 6, 1776. John Nixon.
John Wharton. Resigned Jan. 11,
1781.
Francis Hopkinson.
Board of Assistants to the Marine Committee for the
Eastern Department.
May 6, 1777. William Vernon.
James Warren.
John Deshon. Resigned May 7,
1781.
306 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
For the Middle Department.
May 9, 1778. William Smith. Resigned July 22,
1778.
Aug. 19, 1778. Capt, Nathaniel Falconer. Declined.
James Searle. Resigned Sept. 28,
1778.
Nov. 4, 1778. James Read.
John Wharton.
William Winder.
Commissioners of the Board of Admiralty.
Nov. 26, 1779. Thomas Waring. Declined the elec-
tion.
William Whipple. Resigned March
7, 1780.
Dec. 3, 1779. George Bryan. Declined the elec-
tion.
William Floyd. Resigned.
James Forbes.
Dec. 7, 1779. Francis Lewis. Resigned July 17,
1781.
Dec. 8, 1779. William Ellcry.
March 22, 1780. James Madison. On account of the
illness of James Forbes.
RE I OL U TIONAk } ' CABIN E TS 3U7
June 6, 1780. Whitmill Hill.
Benjamin Huntington.
June 23, 1780. Thomas Woodford.
Nov. 7, 1780. John Hanson.
William Sharpe.
[On Dec. 3, 1779, John Brown was elected Secre-
tary of the Board of Admiralty, and he was the actual
head of the Continental Navy during the remainder of
the war.]
Secretary of Marine.
Feb. 27, 1781. Maj. Gen. Alexander McDougall.
Agent of Marine.
Sept. 7, 1781. Robert Morris [as Superintendent of
Finance], until the close of the war.
Post Office Department.
Postmasters-general.
July 26, 1775. Benjamin Franklin.
Nov. 7, 1776. Richard Bache.
Jan. 28, 1782. Ebenezer Hazard.
APPENDIX H.
Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
New Hampshire.
Massachusetts Bay.
Rhode Island.
Connecticut.
New York.
Josiah Bartlett.
William Whipple.
Matthew Thornton.
Samuel Adams.
John Adams.
Robert Treat Paine.
Elbridge Gerry.
Stephen Hopkins.
William EUery.
Roger Sherman.
Samuel Huntington.
William Williams.
Oliver Wolcott.
William Floyd.
Philip Livingston.
Francis Lewis.
Lewis Morris.
SIGNERS OF DECLARATION
309
New Jersey,
Pennsylvania.
Delaware.
Maryland.
Virginia.
Richard Stockton.
John Witherspoon.
Francis Hopkinson.
John Hart.
Abraham Clark.
Robert Morris.
Benjamin Rush.
Benjamin Franklin.
John Morton.
George Clymer.
James Smith.
George Taylor.
James Wilson.
George Ross.
Caesar Rodney.
George Read.
Thomas McKean.
Samuel Chase.
Charles Carroll of Car roll ton.
William Paca.
Thomas Stone.
George Wythe.
Richard Henry Lee.
Thomas Jefferson.
Benjamin Harrison.
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
310 BOOK
ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Francis Lightfoot Lee.
Carter Braxton.
North Carolina.
William Hooper.
Joseph Hewes.
John Penn.
South Carolina.
Edward Rutledge.
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton.
Georgia.
Button Gwinnett.
Lyman Hall.
George Walton.
APPENDIX I.
Delegates to the Continental Congress.
[Note. The names printed in tlalics are those of delegates who either did
not accept the appointment or did not attend any session of Congress.]
Adams, Andrew, Conn.
do John, Mass.
do Samuel, Mass.
do Thomas, Va.
Alexander, Robert, Md.
Allen, Andrew, Pa.
Alsop, John, N. Y.
Andrew, Benjamin, Ga.
Armstrong, John, Sen., Pa.
Armstrong, John, Jr., Pa.
Arnold, Jonathan, R. I.
Arnold, Peleg, R. I.
Ashe, John B., N. C.
Atlee, Samuel J., Pa.
Atkinson, George, N. H.
312 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Baldwin, Abraham, Ga.
Banister, John, Va.
Barnwell, Robert, S. C. Attended Jan. 1, 1789.
Bartlett, Josiah, N. H.
Bassett, Richard, Del.
Bayard, John, Pa.
Beatty, John, N. J.
Bedford, Gunning, Sen., Del.
Bedford, Gunning, Jr., Del.
Bee, Thomas, S. C.
Bellows, Benjamin J N. H., 1781.
Benson, Egbert, N. Y.
Beresford, Richard, S. C.
Biddle, Edward, Pa.
Bingham, William, Pa.
Blair, John, Va., 1781.
Blanchard, Jonathan, N. H.
Bland, Richard, Va.
do Theodoric, Va.
Bloodworth, Timothy, N. C.
Blount, William, N. C.
Bocrum, Simon, N. Y.
Boudinot, Elias, N. J.
Bowdoin, James, Mass.
Bradford, William, R. L, 1776.
Braxton, Carter, Va.
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 313
Brevard, Ephraim, N. C, 1781.
Brown, John, R. I., 1784-5.
do John, Mass.
Brown, John, Va.
Brownson, Nathan, Ga.
Bull, John, S. C.
Bulloch, Archibald, Ga.
Burke, Thomas, N. C.
Burnet, William, N. J.
Burton, Robert, N. C.
Butler, Pierce, S. C.
Cadwalader, Lambert, N. J.
Canfield, John, Conn, 1786-7.
Carmichael, William, Md.
Carrington, Edward, Va.
Carroll, Charles, Barrister, Md., 1775.
do Charles, of CarroUton, Md.
do Daniel, Md.
Caswell, Richard, N. C.
Champlin, George, R. I., 1785-6.
Chandler, Charles Church, Conn., 1784-5.
Chase, Jeremiah T., Md.
do Samuel, Md.
Chester, John, Conn., 1787-9.
Clark, Abraham, N. J.
Clarkson, Matthew, Pa.
314 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Clay, Joseph, Ga.
Clingan, William, Pa.
Clinton, George, N. Y.
Clymer, George, Pa.
Cocke, Willliam, State of Franklin.
Collins, John, R. I.
Condict, Silas, N. J.
Contee, Benjamin, Md.
Cooke, Joseph P., Conn.
Cooper, John, N. J.
Cornell, Ezekiel, R. I.
Coxe, Tench, Pa.
Crane, Stephen, N. J.
Gumming, William, N. C.
Gushing, Nathan, Mass., 1784.
Gushing, Thomas, Mass.
Dalton, Tristram, Aiass., 1783. Resigned 1784.
Dana, Francis, Mass.
Dane, Nathan, Mass.
Danielson, Timothy, Mass., 1781-2. Resigned 1783.
Dawson, John, Va. Attended Dec. 3, 1788.
Dayton, Elias, N. J.
do Jonathan, N. J.
Deane, Silas, Conn.
De Hart, John, N. J.
De Witt, Charles, N. Y.
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 315
Dick, Samuel, N. J.
Dickinson, John, Pa.
do Philemon, Del.
Dow, Moses, N. PL, 1784.
Drayton, William Henry, S. C.
Duane, James, N. Y.
Duer, William, N. Y.
Duffield, Samuel, Pa.
Dyer, Eliphalet, Conn.
Edwards, Pierpont, Conn.
Edwards, Timothy, Mass., 1778. Resigned 1779.
Elbert, Gen. Samuel, Ga.
Ellery, William, R. I.
Ellsworth, Oliver, Conn.
Elmer, Jonathan, N. J.
Evans, John, Del.
Eveleigh, Nicholas, S. C.
Fell, John, N. J.
Few, William, Ga.
Fitzhugh, William, Va.
Fitzsimons, Thomas, Pa.
Fleming, William, Va.
Floyd, William, N. Y.
Folsom, Nathaniel, N. H.
Forbes, James, Md.
Forrest, Uriah, Md.
316 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Foster, Abiel, N. H.
Franklin, Benjamin, Pa.
Frelinghuysen, Frederick, N. J.
Frost, George, N. H.
Gadsden, Christopher, S. C.
Galloway, Joseph, Pa.
Gansevoort, Leonard, N. Y.
Gardner, John, R. I. Attended Feb. 12, 1789.
Gardner, Joseph, Pa.
Gardner, Sylvester, R. I., 1787.
Gelston, David, N. Y. Attended Feb. 18, 1789.
Gerry, Elbridge, Mass.
Gervais, John Louis, S. C.
Gibbons, William, Ga.
Giles, Edward, Md.
Gillon, Alexander, S. C, 1784.
Gilman, John Taylor, N. H.
Gilman, Nicholas, N. H.
Goldsborough, Robert, Md.
Gorham, Nathaniel, Mass.
Grantham, Isaac, Del., 1787.
Grayson, William, Va.
Griffin, Cyrus, Va.
Gunn, James, Ga., Feb. 10, 1787.
Gwinnett, Button, Ga.
Habersham, John, Ga.
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 317
Habersham, Joseph, Ga.
Hall, John, Md.
Hall, Lyman, Ga.
Hamilton, Alexander, N. Y.
Hancock, John, Mass.
Hand, Edward, Pa.
Hanson, John, Md.
Hardy, Samuel, Va.
Haring, John, N. Y.
Harnett, Cornelius, N. C.
Harrison, Benjamin, Va.
do William, Md.
Hart, John, N. J.
Hartley, Thomas, Pa.
Harvie, John, Va.
Hathorn, John, N. Y.
Hawkins, Benjamin, N. C.
Hazard, Jonathan J., R. I.
Hemsley, William, Md.
Henderson, Thomas, N. J.
Henry, James, Va.
do John, Md.
do Patrick, Va.
do William, Pa.
Hewes, Joseph, N. C.
Heyward, Thomas, Jr., S. C.
318 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Higglnson, Stephen, Mass.
Hill, Whitmill, N. C.
Hillhouse, James, Conn., 1786-9.
do William, Conn.
Hindman, William, Md.
H olden, Thomas, R. I., 1788-9.
Holten, Samuel, Mass.
Hooper, William, N. C.
Hopkins, Stephen, R. I.
Hopkinson, Francis, Pa.
Hornblower, Joslah, N. J.
Hosmer, Titus, Conn.
Houston, William Churchill, N. J.
Houstoun, John, Ga.
do William, Ga.
Howard, John E., Md.
Howell, David, R. I.
Howley, Richard, Ga.
Huger, Daniel, S. C.
Humphreys, Charles, Pa.
Huntington, Benjamin, Conn.
do Samuel, Conn.
Hutson, Richard, S. C.
Ingersoll, Jared, Pa.
Irvine, William, Pa.
Izard, Ralph, S. C.
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 319
Jackson, David, Pa.
do Jonathan, Mass.
Jay, John, N. Y.
Jefferson, Thomas, Va.
Jenifer, Daniel of St. Thomas, Md.
Johnson, Charles, N. C, 1786.
Johnson, Thomas, Md.
do William Samuel, Conn.
Johnston, Samuel, N. C.
Jones, Allen, N. C.
Jones, Gabriel, Va., June 17, 1779.
do Joseph, Va.
do Noble W., Ga.
Jones, Samuel, N. Y.
do Willie, N. C.
Kean, John, S. C.
Kearney, Dyre, Del.
King, Rufus, Mass.
Kinloch, Francis, S. C.
Kinsey, James, N. J.
Langdon, John, N. H.
do Woodbury, N. H.
Langworthy, Edward, Ga.
Lansing, John, N. Y.
Latimer, Henry, Del., April, 1784.
Laurance, John, N. Y.
320 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Laurens, Henry, S. C.
Law, Richard, Conn.
Lee, Arthur, Va.
do Francis Lightfoot, Va.
do Henry, Va.
do Richard Bland, Va., 1780.
do Richard Henry, Va.
do Thomas Sim, Md.
Lewis, Francis, N. Y.
L'Hommedieu, Ezra, N. Y.
Lincoln, Levi, Mass.
Livermore, Samuel, N. H.
Livingston, Philip, N. Y.
do Robert R., N. Y.
do Walter, N. Y.
do William, N. J.
Lloyd, Edward, Md.
do James, Md.
Long, Pierse, N. H.
Lovell, James, Mass.
Low, Isaac, N. Y.
Lowell, John, Mass.
Lowndes, Rawlins, S. C, 1779.
Lynch, Thomas, Sen., S. C.
do Thomas, Jr., S. C.
McComb, Eleazer, Del.
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 321
McDougall, Alexander, N. Y.
McDowell, Joseph, N. C, 1788.
McHenry, James, Md.
Mcintosh, Lachlan, Ga.
McKean, Thomas, Pa.
McKinly, John, Del., April, 1784.
McLene, James, Pa.
Macon, Nathaniel, N. C, 1787.
Madison, James, Jr., Va.
Manning, James, R. I.
Manton, Daniel, R. I.
Marchant, Henry, R. I.
Martin, Alexander, N. C, 1787.
Martin, Luther, Md.
Mason, George, Va.
Mathews, John, S. C.
Matlack, Timothy, Pa.
Mercer, James, Va.
do John F., Va.
Meredith, Samuel, Pa.
Middleton, Arthur, S. C.
do Henry, S. C.
Mifflin, Thomas, Pa.
Miller, Nathan, R. I.
Mitchell, Nathaniel, Del.
do Stephen Mix, Conn.
322 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Monroe, James, Va.
Montgomery, John, Pa.
do Joseph, Pa.
do William, Pa.
Moore, Williamy Pa.
Morris, Cadwalader, Pa.
do Gouverneur, N. Y.
do Lewis, N. Y.
do Robert, Pa.
Morton, John, Pa.
Motte, Isaac, S. C.
Mowry, Daniel, R. I.
Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus, Pa.
Mumford, Paul, R. I., 1785.
Nash, Abner, N. C.
Neilson, John, N. J.
Nelson, Thomas, Jr., Va.
Osborne, Adlai, N. C, 1785.
Osgood, Samuel, Mass.
Otis, Samuel A., Mass.
Paca, William, Md.
Page, Mann, Jr., Va.
Paine, Elisha, N. H.
do Ephraim, N. Y.
do Robert Treat, Mass.
Parker, John, S. C.
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 323
Partridge, George, Mass.
Paterson, William, N. J.
Patten, John, Del.
Patterson, Gen. Samuely Del., 1784.
Peabody, Nathaniel, N. H.
Peery, William, Del.
Pell, Philip, N. Y. Attended March 2, 1789.
Pendleton, Edmund, Va.
Penn, John, N. C.
Person, Thomas, N. C, 1784.
Peters, Richard, Pa.
Pettit, Charles, Pa.
Phillips, Peter, R. I., 1785.
Pickering, John, N. H., 1788.
Pierce, William, Ga.
Pinckney, Charles, S. C.
Pinckney, Thomas, S. C, 1788.
Pitkin, William, Conn., 1784-5.
Plater, George, Md.
Piatt, Zephaniah, N. Y.
Polk, Thomas, N. C, 1788.
Potts, Richard, Md.
Ramsay, David, S. C.
Ramsey, Nathaniel, Md.
Randolph, Edmund, Va.
do Peyton, Va.
324 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Read, George, Del.
do Jacob, S. C.
Reed, Joseph, Pa.
Reid, James R., Pa.
Rhoads, Samuel, Pa.
Ridgeley, Richard, Md.
Roberdeau, Daniel, Pa.
Rodney, Caesar, Del.
Rodney, Thomas, Del.
Rogers, John, Md.
Root, Jesse, Conn.
Ross, David, Md.
do George, Pa.
Rumsey, Benjamin, Md.
Rush, Benjamin, Pa.
Rutledge, Edward, S. C.
do John, S. C.
Schureman, James, N. J.
Schuyler, Philip, N. Y.
Scott, Gustavus, Md.
do John Morin, N. Y.
Scudder, Nathaniel, N. J.
Searle, James, Pa.
Sedgwick, Theodore, Mass.
Seney, Joshua, Md.
Sergeant, Jonathan D., N. J.
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 325
Sharpe, William, N. C.
Sherman, Roger, Conn.
Shippen, William, Pa.
Sitgreaves, John, N. C.
Smallzuood, Gen. Williamy Md., 1788.
Smith, Benjamin, N. C, 1786.
Smith, James, Pa.
do Jonathan Bayard, Pa.
do Melancton, N. Y.
do Merewether, Va.
do Richard, N. J.
do Thomas, Pa.
do William, Md.
Spaight, Richard Dobbs, N. C.
Sparhawk, John, N. H.
Spencer, Joseph, Conn.
St. Clair, Arthur, Pa.
Stevens, John, Sen., N. J., 1783-4.
Stewart, Charles, N. J.
Stirk, Samuel, Ga.
Stockton, Richard, N. J.
Stokes, John, N. C, 1788.
Stone, Thomas, Md.
Strong, Caleb, Mass.
do Jedediah, Conn.
Sturges, Jonathan, Conn.
326 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Sullivan, James, Mass.
do John, N. H.
Sumner, Increase, Mass., June 6, 1781. Resigned
June 28, 1781.
Sumter, Gen. Thomas, S. C, Feb. 1783.
Swann, John, N. C.
Sykes, James, Del.
Symmes, John Cleves, N. J.
Taylor, George, Pa.
Telfair, Edward, Ga.
Thacher, George, Mass.
Thompson, Ebenezer, N. H., 1783.
Thornton, Matthew, N. H.
Tilghman, Matthew, Md.
Tilton, James, Del.
Trapier, Paul, Jr., S. C.
Treadwell, John, Conn.
Trumbull, Jonathan, Jr., Conn.
Trumbull, Joseph, Conn.
Tucker, Thomas Tudor, S. C.
Van Dyke, Nicholas, Del.
Varnum, James M., R. I.
Vining, John, Del.
Wadsworth, James, Conn.
do Jeremiah, Conn.
Wadsworth, Peleg, Mass.
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 327
Walker, John, Va.
Walker, Timothy, N. H.
Walton, John, Ga.
do George, Ga.
Ward, Artemas, Mass.
do Samuel, R. I.
Warren, James, Mass., 1782.
Washington, George, Va.
Wentworth, James, Conn.
Wentworth, John, Sen., N. H.
Wentworth, John, Jr., N. H.
Wentworth, Joshua, N. H.
West, Benjamin, N. H.
Wharton, Samuel, Del.
Whipple, William, N. H.
White, Alexander, N. C.
do James, N. C. Attended Feb. 6, 1788.
do Phillips, N. H.
Williams, John, N. C.
do William, Conn.
Williamson, Hugh, N. C.
Willing, Thomas, Pa.
Wilson, James, Pa.
Wingate, Paine, N. H.
Wisner, Henry, N. Y.
Witherspoon, John, N. J.
328 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Wolcott, Erastus, Conn., 1774, 1787-9.
Wolcott, Oliver, Conn.
do Roger, Jr., Conn., 1777.
Wood, Joseph, Ga.
Wright, Turbett, Md.
Wynkoop, Henry, Pa.
Wythe, George, Va.
Yates, Abraham, Jr., N. Y
do Peter W., N. Y.
Zubly, John J., Ga.
APPENDIX J.
Signers of the Articles of Confederation.
New Hampshire,
Massachusetts.
Rhode Island.
Connecticut.
Bartlett, Josiah.
Wentworth, John, Jr.
Hancock, John.
Adams, Samuel.
Gerry, Elbridge.
Dana, Francis.
Lovell, James.
Holten, Samuel.
Ellery, William.
Marchant, Henry.
Collins, John.
Sherman, Roger.
Huntington, Samuel.
Wolcott, Oliver.
Hosmer, Titus.
Adams, Andrew.
330
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
New York.
New Jersey.
Pennsylvania.
Delaware.
Maryland.
Virginia
North Carolina.
Duane, James.
Lewis, Francis.
Duer, William.
Morris, Gouverneur.
Witherspoon, John.
Scudder, Nathaniel.
Morris, Robert.
Roberdeau, Daniel.
Smith, Jonathan Bayard.
Clingan, William.
Reed, Joseph.
McKean, Thomas.
Dickinson, John.
Van Dyke, Nicholas.
Hanson, John.
Carroll, Daniel.
Lee, Richard Henry.
Banister, John.
Adams, Thomas.
Harvie, John.
Lee, Francis Lightfoot.
Penn, John.
Harnett, Cornelius.
Williams, John.
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION 331
South Carolina. Laurens, Henry.
Drayton, William Henry.
Mathews, John.
Hutson, Richard.
Heyward, Thomas, Jr.
Georgia, Walton, John.
Telfair, Edward.
Langworthy, Edward.
APPENDIX K.
Delegates to the Annapolis Convention,
Sept. 1, 1786.
[Note. The names in italics arc those of delegates who declined the appoint-
ment or who did not attend the Convention.]
Rhode Island. Bowen, Jahez. See Blake's Blog.
Dict'y.
Ward, Samuel. See Appleton.
Massachusetts. Dana, Francis.
Higginsony Stephen.
IScc "The Collector," vol. 5, No. 9, page 142.]
Sullivan, James.
Sullivan declined the appointment. See No. 152, Part 1, Leffingwcll sale.
Lowell, John.
Parsons, Theophilus.
Gerry, Elbridge.
ANNAPOLIS CONVENTION 333
New York. Hamilton, Alexander.
Benson, Egbert.
[See "New York Civil List" and "The Collector," vol. 5, No. 9, page 142.)
Duane, James.
Gansevoort, Leonard.
Livingston, Robert C.
Livingston, Robert R.
New Jersey. Clark, Abraham.
Schureman, James.
Houston, William Churchill.
Pennsylvania. Morris, Robert.
[See "The Financiers and Finances of the American Revolution," vol. 2, page
197, Prof. W. G. Sumner.]
Coxe, Tench.
Clymer, George.
Armstrong, John, Jr.
Fitzsimons, Thomas.
Maryland. Martin, Luther.
Delaware. Read, George.
Dickinson, John. Chairman of the
Convention.
Bassett, Richard.
Broom, Jacob.
Virginia. Randolph, Edmund.
Madison, James, Jr.
Tucker, St. George.
[See No. 2148, Part 1, Leffingwell sale; and Virginia Hist. Soc. Collections
New Series, vol. x.]
334 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Smith, Merewether.
Jones, Dr. Walter.
Ross, David.
Ronald, William.
Mason, George.
North Carolina. Nash, Abner.
Moore, Alfred.
[Sec No. 2124, Part 1, LefRngwell sale.]
Williamson, Hugh.
Blount, John G.
Hawkins, Philemon.
APPENDIX L.
Signers of the Constitution of the United States,
AND Members of the Federal Convention.
(Note. Those wliose names are printed in Capitals took their seats and
signed the Constitution. Those whose names arc printed in italics — unless other-
wise stated — never accepted their positions or acted in any way.]
New Hampshire.
Massachusetts.
Connecticut.
John Langdon.
John Pickering.
Nicholas Gilman.
Benjamin West.
Francis Dana.
Elbridge Gerry. (Refused to sign.)
Nathaniel Gorham.
Rufus King.
Caleb Strong. (Absent on day of
signing.)
William Samuel Johnson.
Roger Sherman.
336
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
New York.
New Jersey.
Pennsylvania.
Delaware.
Oliver Ellsworth. (Absent on day of
signing.)
Robert Yates.
Alexander Hamilton.
John Lansing.
William Livingston.
David Brearley.
William C. Houston.
William Paterson.
John Neilson.
Abraham Clark.
Jonathan Dayton.
Benjamin Franklin.
Thomas Mifflin.
Robert Morris.
George Clymer.
Thomas Fitzsimons.
Jared Ingersoll.
James Wilson.
GOUVERNEUR MoRRIS.
George Read.
Gunning Bedford, Jr.
John Dickinson.
Richard Bassett.
Jacob Broom.
SIGNERS Of CONSTITUTION
337
Maryland.
Virginia.
North Carolina.
James McHenry.
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer.
Daniel Carroll.
John Francis Mercer. (Withdrew.)
Luther Martin. (Withdrew.)
Charles Carroll of Carrollton.
Tho7nas Stone.
Thomas Sim Lee.
Gabriel Duvall.
Robert H. Harrison.
George Washington.
Patrick Henry.
Edmund Randolph. (DecHned to
sign.)
John Blair.
James Madison, Jr.
George Mason. (Declined to sign.)
George Wythe. (Absent on day of
signing.)
James McClurg. (Absent on day of
signing.)
Richard Henry Lee.
Thomas Nelson., Jr.
Richard Caswell.
Alexander Martin. (Absent on day
of signing.)
338 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
William R. Davie. (Absent on day
of signing.)
William Blount.
Willie Jones.
Richard Dobbs Spaight.
Hugh Williamson.
South Carolina. John Rutledge.
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.
Charles Pinckney.
Pierce Butler.
Henry Laurens.
Georgia. William Few.
Abraham Baldwin.
William Pierce. (Withdrew.)
George Walton.
William Houstoun. (Declined to
sign.)
Nathaniel Pendleton.
J
APPENDIX M.
Generals of the Revolutionary War.
George Washington, General and Commander-in-chief.
Charles Tufin Armand, Marquis de la Rouarie, Brig.-
Gen.
John Armstrong, Brigadier-General.
Benedict Arnold, Major-General.
George Baylor, Brevet Brigadier-General. -
Daniel Brodhead, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Richard Butler, Brevet Brigadier-General.
John Cadwalader, Brigadier-General.
Thomas Clark, Brevet Brigadier-General.
George Clinton, Brevet Major-General.
James Clinton, Brevet Major-General.
John Crane, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Thomas Conway, Major-General.
Elias Dayton, Brigadier-General.
The Chevalier De Preudhomme De Borre, Brigadier-
General.
340 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
The Chevalier Matthias Alexis de Roche Fermoy,
Brig.-General.
John Philip De Haas, Brevet Major-General.
Philippe Du Coudray, Major-General.
The ChevaHer Louis Lebegue Duportail, Major-Gen-
eral.
Samuel Elbert, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Christian Febiger, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Joseph Frye, Brigadier-General.
Christopher Gadsden, Brigadier-General.
Horatio Gates, Major-General.
John Gibson, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Mordecai Gist, Brigadier-General.
John Glover, Brigadier-General.
John Greaton, Brigadier-General.
Nathanael Greene, Major-General.
John Gunby, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Edward Hand, Brevet Major-General. '
Moses Hazen, Brevet Brigadier-General.
William Heath, Major-General.
James Hogun, Brigadier-General.
Robert Howe, Major-General.
Isaac Huger, Brigadier-General.
Richard Humpton, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Jedediah Huntington, Brevet Major-General.
William Irvine, Brigadier-General.
i
GENERALS OF REl OLUi'iOA 341
Henry Jackson, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Michael Jackson, Brevet Brigadier-General.
John, Baron de Kalb, Major-General.
Henry Knox, Major-General.
Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Marquis de Lafayette, Major-General.
John Lamb, Brevet Brigadier-General.
The Chevalier de la Neuville, Brevet Brig.-Gen.
Monsieur de Laumoy, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Ebenezer Learned, Brigadier-General.
Charles Lee, Major-General.
Andrew Lewis, Brigadier-General.
Benjamin Lincoln, Major-General.
Alexander McDougall, Major-General.
Lachlan Mcintosh, Brigadier-General.
George Mathews, Brevet Brigadier-General.
William Maxwell, Brigadier-General.
Hugh Mercer, Brigadier-General.
Thomas Mifflin, Major-General.
Richard Montgomery, Major-General.
James Moore, Brigadier-General.
Daniel Morgan, Brigadier-General.
William Moultrie, Major-General.
Stephen Moylan, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Peter Muhlenberg, Brevet Major-General.
Francis Nash, Brigadier-General.
342 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
John Nevill, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Lewis Nicola, Brevet Brigadier-General.
John Nixon, Brigadier-General.
Matthias Ogden, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Samuel H. Parsons, Major-General.
John Paterson, Brigadier-General.
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Brevet Brig.-Gen.
Seth Pomeroy, Brigadier-General.
Enoch Poor, Brigadier-General.
Casimir, Count Pulaski, Brigadier-General.
Israel Putnam, Major-General.
Rufus Putnam, Brigadier-General.
James Reed, Brigadier-General.
Joseph Reed, Brigadier-General.
William Russell, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Philip Schuyler, Major-General.
Charles Scott, Brevet Major-General.
William Shepard, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Elisha Sheldon, Brevet Brigadier-General.
William Smallwood, Major-General.
Joseph Spencer, Major-General.
John Stark, Brevet Major-General.
Arthur St. Clair, Major-General.
Adam Stephen, Major-General.
Baron Steuben, Major-General.
Walter Stewart, Brevet Brigadier-General.
GENERALS OF REIOLUTION 343
William Alexander, Lord Stirling, Major-Gencral.
John Sullivan, Major-Gcneral.
Jethro Sumner, Brigadier-General.
Heman Swift, Brevet Brigadier-General.
John Thomas, Major-General.
William Thompson, Brigadier-General.
Benjamin Tupper, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Philip, Van Cortlandt, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Gozen Van Schaick, Brevet Brigadier-General.
James M. Varnum, Brigadier-General.
Joseph Vose, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Artemas Ward, Major-General.
Anthony Wayne, Brevet Major-General.
Samuel B. Webb, Brevet Brigadier-General.
George Weedon, Brevet Major-General.
John Whetcomb, Brigadier-General.
James Wilkinson, Brevet Brigadier-General.
Otho H. Williams, Brigadier-General.
Friedrich Wilhelm, Baron de Woedtke, Brig. -Gen.
William Woodford, Brigadier-General.
David Wooster, Brigadier-General.
APPENDIX N.
General Washington's Secretaries and Aides-de-
camp.
Baylies, Hodljah.
Baylor, George.
Gary, Richard.
Cobb, David.
Custis, John Parke.
Fitzgerald, John.
Fitzburgh, Peregrine.
Grayson, William.
Hamilton, Alexander.
Hanson, Alexander Contee.
Harrison, Robert H.
Humphreys, David.
Jackson, William.
Johnston, George.
Laurance, John.
Laurens, John.
irJSIIINGTON'S J IDS ^4S
Lewis, George.
McHcnry, James.
Meade, Richard K.
Mifflin, Thomas.
Moylan, Stephen.
Palfrey, WilHam.
Randolph, Edmund.
Reed, Joseph.
Smith, Benjamin.
Smith, William S.
Thornton, Presly P.
Tilghman, Tench.
Trumbull, John.
Trumbull, Jonathan, Jr.
Varick, Richard.
Walker, Benjamin.
Walker, John.
Webb, Samuel B.
APPENDIX O.
Presidents and Vice-Presidents ^ of the United
States.
Presidgnts.
Washington, George.
Adams, John.
Jefferson, Thomas.
Madison, James.
Monroe, James.
Adams, John Quincy.
Jackson, Andrew.
Van Buren, Martin.
Harrison, William Henry.
Tyler, John.
Polk, James K.
Taylor, Zachary.
Fillmore, Millard.
Pierce, Franklin.
PRESIDENTS AND VICE-PRESIDENTS 347
Buchanan, James.
Lincoln, Abraham.
Johnson, Andrew.
Grant, Ulysses S.
Hayes, Rutherford B.
Garfield, James A.
Arthur, Chester A.
Cleveland, Grover.
Harrison, Benjamin.
Cleveland, Grover.
McKinley, William.
Roosevelt, Theodore.
Taft, William H.
Wilson, Wood row.
Vice-Presidents of the United States, and Presidents pro
tempore of the U. S. Senate who were Acting Vice-
Presidents.
Adams, John.
Jefferson, Thomas.
Burr, Aaron.
Clinton, George.
Crawford, William H., Acting Vice-Pres. after the
death of Clinton.
Varnum, Joseph B., Acting Vice-Pres. from Dec. 6,
1813, to April 7, 1814.
348 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Gerry Elbridge.
GalUard, John, Acting Vice-Pres. after the death of
Gerry.
Tompkins, Daniel D.
Calhoun, John C.
White, Hugh Lawson, Acting Vice-Pres. after the
resignation of Calhoun.
Van Buren, Martin.
Johnson, Richard M.
Tyler, John.
Southard, Samuel L., Acting Vice-Pres. during part of
Tyler's Presidency.
Mangum, Willie P., Acting Vice-Pres. during part of
Tyler's Presidency.
Dallas, George M.
Fillmore, Millard.
King, William R., Acting Vice-Pres. during the Presi-
dency of Fillmore.
King, William R.
Atchison, David R., Acting Vice-Pres. after the death
of King.
Mason, James M., Acting Vice-Pres. after the death
of King.
Cass, Lewis, Acting Vice-Pres. after the death of
King.
PRESIDENTS AND J' ICE-PRESIDENTS 349
Bright, Jesse D., Acting Vice-Pres. after the death of
King.
Stuart, Charles E., Acting Vice-Pres. after the death
of King.
Brecken ridge, John C.
Hamlin, Hannibal.
Johnson, Andrew.
Foster, Lafayette S., Acting Vice-Pres. during part of
Johnson's Presidency.
Wade, Benjamin F., Acting Vice-Pres. during part of
Johnson's Presidency.
Colfax, Schuyler.
Wilson, Henry.
Ferry, Thomas W., Acting Vice-Pres. after the death
of Wilson.
Wheeler, William A.
Arthur, Chester A.
Bayard, Thomas F., Acting Vice-Pres. during part of
Arthur's Presidency.
Davis, David, Acting Vice-Pres. during part of
Arthur's Presidency.
Edmunds, George F., Acting Vice-Pres. during part of
Arthur's Presidency.
Hendricks, Thomas A.
Sherman, John, Acting Vice-Pres. after the death of
Hendricks.
350 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Ingalls, John Jay, Acting Vice-Pres. after the death
of Hendricks.
Morton, Levi P.
Stevenson, Adlai E.
Hobart, Garrett A.
Frye, William P., Acting Vice-Pres. after the death of
Hobart.
Roosevelt, Theodore.
Frye, William P., Acting Vice-Pres. after Roosevelt's
accession to the Presidency.
Fairbanks, Charles W.
Sherman, James S.
Marshall, Thomas R.
APPENDIX P.
Speakers of the U. S. House of Representatives.
Muhlenberg, Frederick Augustus.
Trumbull, Jonathan.
Dayton, Jonathan.
Dent, George.
Sedgwick, Theodore.
Macon, Nathaniel.
Varnum, Joseph B.
Clay, Henry.
Cheves, Langdon.
Taylor, John W.
Barbour, Philip P.
Stevenson, Andrew.
Hubbard, Henry.
Bell, John.
Polk, James K.
352 BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Hunter, R. M. T.
White, John.
Jones, John W.
Hopkins, George W.
Davis, John W.
Winthrop, Robert C.
Burt, Armistead.
Cobb, Howell.
Boyd, Lynn.
Banks, Nathaniel P.
Orr, James L.
Pennington, William.
Grow, Galusha A.
Colfax, Schuyler.
Pomeroy, Theodore M.
Blaine, James G.
Kerr, Michael C.
Randall, Samuel J.
Keifer, J. Warren.
Carlisle, John G.
Reed, Thomas B.
Crisp, Charles F.
Henderson, David B.
Cannon, Joseph G.
Clark, Champ.
APPENDIX Q.
Delegates to the "Peace" Congress Held at
Washington in 1861.
Maine
New Hampshire.
Vermont.
William P. Fessenden.
Lot M. Morrill.
Daniel E. Somes.
John J. Perry.
Ezra B. French.
Freeman H. Morse.
Stephen Coburn.
Stephen C. Foster.
Amos Tuck.
Levi Chamberlain.
Asa Fowler.
Hiland Hall.
Levi Underwood.
H. Henry Baxter.
Lucius E. Chittenden.
B. D. Harris.
354
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Massachusetts.
Rhode Island.
Connecticut.
New York.
John Z. Goodrich.
Charles Allen.
George S. Boutwell.
Theophilus P. Chandler.
Francis B. Crowninshield.
John M. Forbes.
Richard P. Waters.
Samuel Ames.
Alexander Duncan.
William W. Hoppin.
George H. Browne.
Samuel G. Arnold.
Roger S. Baldwin.
Chauncey F. Cleveland.
Charles J. McCurdy.
James T. Pratt.
Robbins Battell.
Amos S. Treat.
David Dudley Field.
William Curtis Noyes.
James S. Wadsworth.
James C. Smith.
Amaziah B. James.
Erastus Corning.
Francis Granger.
Greene C. Bronson.
PEACE CONGRESS OF 1S61
-^•^5
New Jersey.
Pennsylvania.
Delaware.
William E. Dodge,
John A. King.
John E. Wool.
Addison Gardiner. Declined the ap-
pointment.
Charles S. Olden.
Peter D. Vroom.
Robert F. Stockton.
Benjamin Williamson.
Joseph F. Randolph.
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen.
Rodman M. Price.
William C. Alexander.
Thomas J. Stryker.
James Pollock.
William M. Meredith.
David Wilmot.
A. W. Loomis.
Thomas E. Franklin.
William McKennan.
Thomas White.
George B. Rodney.
Daniel M. Bates.
Henry Ridgely.
John W. Houston.
William Cannon.
356
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Maryland.
Virginia.
North Carolina.
Tennessee.
John F. Dent.
Reverdy Johnson.
John W. Crisfield.
Augustus W. Bradford.
William T. Goldsborough.
J. Dixon Roman.
Benjamin C. Howard.
John Tyler.
William C. Rives.
John W. Brockenbrough.
George W. Summers.
James A. Seddon.
George Davis.
Thomas Ruffin.
David S. Reid.
D. M. Barringer.
J. M. Morehead.
Samuel Milligan.
Josiah M. Anderson.
Robert L. Carruthers.
Thomas Martin.
Isaac R. Hawkins.
A. W. O. Totten.
R. J. McKinney.
Alvin Cullom.
William P. Hickerson.
PEACE CONGRESS Of 1861
357
Kentucky.
Missouri.
Ohio.
Indiana.
George W. Jones.
Felix K. Zollicoffcr.
William H. Stephens.
William O. Butler.
James B. Clay.
Joshua F. Bell.
Charles S. Morchead.
James Guthrie.
Charles A. Wickliffe.
John D. Coalter.
Alexander W. Doniphan.
Waldo P. Johnson.
Aylett H. Buckner.
Harrison Hough.
Salmon P. Chase.
William S. Groesbeck.
Franklin T. Backus.
Reuben Hitchcock.
Thomas Ewing.
Valentine B. Horton.
C. P. W^olcott.
John C. Wright.
Caleb B. Smith.
Pleasant A. Hackleman.
Godlove S. Orth.
E. W. H. Ellis.
358
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Illinois.
Iowa.
Kansas.
Wisconsin.
Thomas C. Slaughter.
John Wood.
Stephen T. Logan.
John M. Palmer.
Burton C. Cook.
Thomas J. Turner.
James Harlan.
James W. Grimes.
Samuel R. Curtis.
William Vandever.
Thomas Ewing, Jr.
J. C. Stone.
Henry J. Adams.
Martin F. Conway.
Cadwalader C. Washburn.
John F. Potter.
James R. Doolittle.
Charles Durkee.
Charles Billinghurst.
They
did not
attend.
APPENDIX R.
Members of the First Congress Under the
Constitution.
New Hampshire,
Massachusetts.
Rhode Island.
Connecticut.
New York.
New Jersey.
Pennsylvania.
Delaware.
Maryland.
Senators.
John Langdon.
Paine Wingate.
Tristram Dalton.
Caleb Strong.
Theodore Foster.
Joseph Stanton, Jun.
Willian Samuel Johnson.
Oliver Ellsworth.
Rufus King.
Philip Schuyler.
Jonathan Elmer.
William Paterson.
Philemon Dickinson.
William Maclay.
Robert Morris.
Richard Bassett.
George Read.
Charles Carroll of Carrollton.
John Henry.
360
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Virginia.
North Carolina.
South Carolina.
Georgia.
William Grayson.
Richard Henry Lee.
John Walker.
James Monroe.
Benjamin Hawkins.
Samuel Johnston.
Pierce Butler.
Ralph Izard.
William Few.
James Gunn.
Massachusetts.
Members of the House of Representatives.
New Hampshire. Nicholas Gilman.
Samuel Livermore.
Abiel Foster.
Fisher Ames.
Elbridge Gerry.
Benjamin Goodhue.
Jonathan Grout.
George Leonard.
George Partridge.
George Thacher.
Theodore Sedgwick.
Benjamin Bourn.
Benjamin Huntington.
Roger Sherman.
Rhode Island.
Connecticut.
CONGRESS Of 17 89
361
New York.
New Jersey.
Pennsylvania.
Delaware.
Maryland.
Jonathan Slurges.
Jonathan Trumbull.
Jeremiah Wadsworth.
Egbert Benson.
William Floyd.
John Hathorn.
Jeremiah Van Rensselaer.
John Laurance.
Peter Sylvester.
Elias Boudinot.
Lambert Cadwalader.
James Schureman.
Thomas Sinnickson.
George Clymer.
Thomas Fitzsimons.
Thomas Hartley.
Daniel Hiester.
Fred. Aug. Muhlenberg.
Peter Muhlenberg.
Thomas Scott.
Henry Wynkoop.
John Vining.
Daniel Carroll.
Benjamin Contee.
George Gale.
Joshua Seney.
362
BOOK ABOUT AUTOGRAPHS
Virginia.
North Carolina.
South Carolina.
Georgia.
William Smith.
Michael Jenifer Stone.
Theodoric Bland.
John Brown.
Isaac Coles.
Samuel Griffin.
Richard Bland Lee.
James Madison, Jun.
Andrew Moore.
John Pa^e.
Alexander White.
Josiah Parker.
William B. Giles.
John Baptiste Ashe.
Timothy Bloodworth.
John Sevier.
John Steele.
Hugh Williamson.
(Edanus Burke.
Daniel Huger.
William Laughton Smith.
Thomas Sumter.
Thomas Tudor Tucker.
Abraham Baldwin.
James Jackson.
George Mathews.
INDEX
Figures in Italics indicate pages where auction prices of autographs are given;
Bold-face figures indicate pages where names appear in official lists. All other
references are indicated by plain type.
4.
INDEX
365
Abbreviations, 10
Abelard, 46
Abington, Frances, 94, /SS
Adams, Andrew, 311, 329
Adams, Henry J., 358
Adams, John, 77, 202, 215, 295, 303,
308, 311, 346, 347
Adams, John Quincv, 346
Adams, Samuel, 77, 295, 308, 311, 329;
collection, 221
Adams, Thomas, 311, 330
Autograph rare, 264
Addington, Samuel, 126, 129-130, 156,
157, 237
Addison, Joseph, 22, 71, 93, 124, 175
Admiralty, Revolutionary Board of, 306,
307
/Eschylus, 15, 47
Aides-de-Camp to Washington, 344-345
Aiguillon, Duke of, 99
Alba Amicorum, 17, 18, 19, 20
Facsimiles from, 19
Albany Convention, 191, 198, 220, 226,
249, 291-292
Mistakes of identity, 249
Scarce autographs, 264, 265
Albert, Charles d' — see Luynes.
Albret, Henri d', 126
Albret, Jeanne d", 96, 104, 114, 127, MO
Album de Fac-SimiU, 286
Album, Roman, 17
Alcibiades, 46
Alcuin, 47
Alden, John, <?00, 203
Aldobrandini, Hippolyte — see Clement
VIIL
Alenyon, Ducd', 20, 110
Alexander the Great, 46; spurious letter,
51
Alexander VI., Pope, 96, 97, 1 10, 1 11, 148
Alexander, Robert, 311
Alexander, William C, 355
Alfieri, 174
Allen, Andrew, 311
Allen, Charles, 354
Allen, Mrs. E. H., 170
Allen, Ethan, 188; papers, 224
Allen, Ira, papers, 224
Almagro, Don Diego de, 162
Alsop, John, 296, 311
Alva, Fernando, Duke of, 162, 177
Amboise, Georges, Cardinal d', 138
American Antiquarian, 82
American Antiquarian Society, 210-211;
Handbook of Information, 211
American Collectors, 170-207; Public,
210-229
American Historical and Literary Curiosi-
ties, 285-286
American Poets, 270
Amerigo Vespucci, 22
Ames, Fisher, 215, 360
Ames, Samuel, 354
Amiens, Treaty of, 14
Among my Autographs, 8
Anacreon, 47
Anderdon, 73
Anderdon, John L., 88
Anderson, Josiah M., 356
Andre, John, 75, 76, 193, 193, 204
MS. of Cow Chace, 216
Papers, 223
Letter Book, 217
Andrew, Benjamin, 311
Andros, Sir Edmund, 188, 203
Angus, James, 56
Annapolis Convention, 191, 220; Dele-
gates, 332-334
Anne of Austria, 96
Anne of Bretagne, 111, 138
Anne of France, 138
Anne, Queen of England, 177
Anson, Admiral, 93
Appendices, 283-363
Aquila, Caspar, 189
Arbuthnot, 175
Arc, Jeanne d' — see Jeanne.
Arcesilaus, 47
Archdale, John, papers, 213
Archimedes, 47
Archivist, 29, 71
Aretino, Pietro, 96, 149
Ariosto, Ludovico, 47, 134, 162
Aristotle, 47, 51
Arlington, Lord, 100
Armand, Gen. Charles Tufin, 339
Armstrong, John, Sr., 311
Armstrong, John, Jr., 311, 333
Armstrong, Gen. John, 339
Arne, Dr., 123
Arnold, Benedict, 76, 183, 193, 201,206,
211, 248, 339; Letter Book, 216
Autograph recherch6, 266
Arnold, Jonathan, 311
366
INDEX
Arnold, Peleg, 311
Arnold, Samuel G., 354
Artaignan, Comte d', 162
Arthur, Chester A., 347, 349
Articles of Confederation, 191, 220;
Signers, 329-331
Ashe, John B., 311,362
Aske, Robert, 96
Atchison, David R., 348
Atkinson, George, 291, 311
Atkinson, Theodore, 291
Atlee, Samuel J., 304, 311
Atossa, 16
Attila, 47
Auction sales of note — see Collections and
Collectors.
Auctioneers — see Evans, Henkels, Put-
tick & Simpson, Sotheby.
Augustus, 16
Austin, Ben W., 35-38
Austin, Jane, 218
Authors — see Blackburn 6? Caddell,
Brotherhead, Davey, Howell, Joline,
Netherclift, Nichols, Scott, Sims, Thane,
Walsh, Walton.
Autograph dealers — see Dealers.
imposters, 28-38
Autograph Letters, 284
Autograph Mirror, 286
Autograph Miscellany , 284
Autograph Souvenir, 285
Autographic Album, 287
Autographic Miiror, 286
Autographs of the Kings and Queens, etc.,
284
Autographs of Royal, Noble, Learned and
Remarkable Personages, etc., 283
Autographs — Taste for collecting, 13
What determines their value, 22
Requests for, 26
Spurious, 40-68
Progressive increase in values, 69
Collectors of — see Collectors.
Dealers in, 79-84
Migration of, 230
Pedigrees of, 230
Should not be mounted or inlaid, 275,
276
Care of, 275-277
Prices of, 69
Conversations about, 240-282
Avanches, Bishop of, 115
Bach, 204
Bache, Richard, 307
Backus, Franklin T., 357
Bacon, Francis, 96, 128, 132, J 66, 175,
204, 207, 259
Handwriting changed with maturity,
253
Facsimiles of handwriting, opposite
page 253
Baillie, Joanna, 174
Baker sale, 25, 237
Balafr6 — see Guise.
Baldwin, Abraham, 312, 338, 362
Baldwin, Roger S., 354
Ballantyne, James, 166
Baltimore, Lord, 178
Baluze, Etienne, 86
Balzac, Jean Louis Guez de, 89, 134
Bancroft, George, 221; collection, 221
Banister, John, 312, 330
Banks, 176
Banks, Nathaniel P., 352
Bannister, 176
Barbaroux, 70
Barbauld, Mrs., 174
Barbour, Philip P., 351
Barclay papers, 220
Barker, Frederick, 81
Barnes, Abraham, 292; autograph ex-
tremely rare, 265
Barnes, Abraham — not the desirable
autograph, 265
Barnevelt, Johann van Olden, 128
Barney, Dr. Charles G., 268-269
Barnwell, Robert, 312
Barringer, D, M., 356
Barry, Spranger, 95
Bartelet, Mr., 88
Bartlett, Josiah, 194, 308, 312, 329
Barton, 174
Bassano, Due de, 105
Bassett, Richard, 312, 333, 336, 359
Bassompierre, Marshall, 111
Bates, Daniel M., 355
Battell, Robbins, 354
Baude, Charles, Marquis de, 113
Baxter, H. Henry, 353
Baxter, Richard, 124
Bayard, 42, 138
Bayard, John, 312
Bayard, Pierre, 111
Bayard, Thomas F., 349
INDEX
367
Bayard, William, 293
Baylies, Hodijah, 344
Baylor, Col. George, 247, 339, 344
Beattie, James, 176
Beatty, John, 312
Beauharnais, Josephine de, 138, 165
Beaumarchais, 176
Beaumont, Comte de — sec Marillac.
Beaumont, M. de, 1 14
Beauregard, Gen., 212
Bedford, Gunning, 312; confused with a
carpenter of the same name, 248
Bedford, Gunning, Jr., 312, 336
Bee, Thomas, 312
Beechey, 176
Beethoven, Ludwig von, 72, 137, 184,
189, 204
Belisarius, 47
Bell, John, 351
Bell, Joshua F., 357
Bellamy, George Anne, 94
Bellay, Cardinal du, 120
Bellievre, Pomponne de, 96
Bellows, Benjamin, 312
Belzoni, 175
Benjamin, Park, 83
Benjamin, Walter R., 83
Benjamin, William Evarts, 83
Benson, Egbert, 312, 333, 351
Bentham, Jeremy, 175
Benton, Thomas H., papers, 218
Beranger, 31
Beresford, Richard, 312
Berkeley, 175
Berlichingen, Gotz von, 147, 153
Berlin Library, 209
Berry, Thomas, 289
Berulle, Pierre, Cardinal, 97
Bethune, Hippolyte de, 85
Bethune, Philippe de, 85
Beza, Theodore, 97, 111
BibliothSque Nationale, 86, 208-209,
210, 243
Bichat, Francois Xavier, 139
Bichet, 70
Biddle, Edward, 296, 312
Billinghurst, Charles, 358
Bindley, James, 88
Bingham, William, 267, 312
Biron, Armand de Gontaut, Due de. 111
Biron, Charles de Gontaut, Due de, 97
Bixby, W. H., collection, 218
Blackburn & Caddell — The Detection of
Forgery, 261
Black Prince, 233
Blackmore, Sir R., 94
Hlackstone, Sir William, 81, 93
Blaine, James G., 352
Blair, John, Zt^O, 312, 337
Autograph rare, 265
Blair, Robert, 124
Blake, Admiral Robert, 93, 127
Blake, William, 94
Bianchard, Jonathan, 312
Bland, Richard, 297, 312
Autograph rare, 264
Bland, Theodoric, 312, 362
Bloodworth, Timothy, 312, 362
Blount, John G., 334
Blount, William, 312, 338
Blumenbach, 176
Boccacio, 47
Boerner, C. G., 82
Boerum, Simon, 268, 296, 312
Autograph formerly extremely rare,
268
Bohemia, Queen of, 98, 128
Bohm, Professor, 231,281
Boileau-Despreaux, Nicholas, 43, 47, 97,
111, 128, /JP, 166
Boisjourdain, Comte de, 46
Boleyn, Anne, 50, 120
Bolivar, Simon, 97
Bolton, Rev. Robert, 88
Bonaparte — see Napoleon.
Bonaparte Family, 177
Bonaparte, Charles de, 139
Bonaparte, Letizia, 167, 177
Bonaparte, Lucien, 111, 167
Bonaparte, Madame, 111
Bonnivet, 138
Bonpland, 176
Books with facsimiles, 283-288
Book of the Signers, 285
Booksellers — see Dealers.
Boone, Daniel, 191, 202
Booth, Barton, 94
Booth, John Wilkes, 21
Bora, Katharina von, 154
Borden, Joseph, 293
Borgia, Caesar, 97, 111,/^^
Borgia, Lucretia, 148, 149, 162, 204
Borgia, Roderigo — see Alexander VI.
Boswell, James, 93
368
INDEX
Bothwell, 55
Botta, 175
Boucicaut, Jean La Maigre, Sire de, 112
Boudinot, Elias, 298, 312, 361
Bouillon, Due de, 105
Bouillon, Duchesse de, 169
Bouillon, M. de, 103
Bourbon, Charles II., Cardinal de, 112,
126
Bourbon, Matthieu de, 112
Bourepaux, M. de, 117
Bourn, Benjamin, 360
Bouthiller, M. de, 97
Boutwell, George S., 354
Bouver, Benjamin,
Bovet, Alfred, 87, 143, 280; collection,
42, 143-146, 231, 277; sale, 72, 73;
catalogue, 287
Bowdoin, James, 295, 312
Bowen, Jabez, 332
Bowler, Metcalf, 293
Bowring, 174
Boyd, Lynn, 352
Boyer, 177
Boyle, Robert, 45, 93, 94, 123
Bracegirdle, Anne, 94
Braddock, Gen. Edward, 177, 191
Bradford, Augustus W., 356
Bradford, William (Mass.), 203
Bradford, William (R. I.), 312
Brande, Gustavus, 88
Brant, Sebastian, 151
Brawne, Fanny, 23, 169, 218, 238, 240
Braxton, Carter, 77, 310, 312
Brearley, David, 336
Breckenridge, John C, 349
Bremer, Frederica — MS. o( Hertha, 216
Brevard, Ephraim, 313; autograph very
rare, 263
Brewster, Sir David, 46
Br6ze, Marshall de. 111
Brienne, Antoine Lomenie de, 86
Bright, Jesse D., 349
British Autography, by John Thane, 87,
283
British Museum Collection, 20, 86, 210,
243
Brittany, Duke of, 166
Brockenbrough, John W., 356
Brodhead, Gen. Daniel, 339
Bronson, Greene C, 354
Brontd, Charlotte, 218
Brooks, Vincent, 287
Broom, Jacob, 333, 336
Brotherhead's Book oj the Signers, 64,
285, 287
Brown, Alexander, 55
Brown, Jacob, papers, 213
Brown, John, 307
Brown, John (Mass.), 313
Brown, John (R. I.), 313
Brown, John (Va.), 313, 362
Brown, Moses, papers, 227
Browne, George H., 354
Browne, Sir Thomas, 93, 124, 127, J62,
204
Brownson, Nathan, 313
Bruyere, Jean de la, 209
Bryan, George, 293, 306
Bryant, William Cullen, 274
Buchanan, James, 226, 347
Buckingham, Duke of, 22, 97, 123, 127,
162
Buckingham, Marquis of, 132
Buckner, Aylett H., 357
Bueil, Honorat de— see Racan.
Bugenhausen, 260
Bull, John, 313
Bulloch, Archibald, 313
Bulstrode, Sir Richard, 160
Bulwer, 175
Buonarotti — see Michelangelo.
Burghley, William Cecil, Lord, 97, 106
Burgoyne, Gen. John, 201
Burke, Edmund, 58, 95, 175
Burke, (Edanus, 362
Burke, Thomas (N. C), 313
Burnett, William, 313
Burnev, Fanny — see D'Arblay.
Burns,' Charles De F., 82, 83
Burns, Robert, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59,
60, 71, 94, 124, 128, 156, 165, 168, 202,
204, 221; Forgeries, 54, 55
Burr, Aaron, 185, 217, 347
Facsimiles, 251; Papers, 213; Differ-
ences in his handwriting, 250-252
Burt, Armistead, 352
Burton, Robert, 204, 313
Butler, Pierce, 313, 338, 360
Butler, Gen. Richard, 339
Butler, William O., 357
Byron, "George Gordon," 53, 54
INDEX
369
Byron, Lord, 53, 54, 72, 93, 94, 124, M5,
145, 168, 173, 1 74, 191, 202, 204; Letter
to Galignani, 68
Byron, Pseudo, 53, 54
Cabinet Officers, 25, 244
Cabinet Officers — see Revolution.
Cabot, George, 215
Cadell, W. W., 57
Cadell & Davies, 108
Cadoudal, Georges, 139
Cadwalder, John, 339
Cadawalder, Lambert, 299, 313, 361
Caesar, 47, 48
Cagliari, Paolo — see Veronese.
Calderon, 152
Calhoun, John C, 348
Caligula, 47
Calvin, John, 128, 148, 164
Camden, William, 112, 127
Camden's Britannia, 88
Campbell, Thomas, 174
Campbell papers, 227
Campbell, William J., 84
Camuccini, 176
Canfield, John, 313
Cannon, Joseph G., 352
Cannon, William, 355
Canova, 176
Capello, Bianca, 147, 204
Caracchi, Ludovico, 112, 136
Carignan, Thomas Franjois de Savoie,
Prince de, 112
Carlisle, John G., 352
Carmichael, William, 313
Carrington, Edward, 313
Czrroll, Charles, 76, 303, 309, 313, 337,
359
Carroll, Charles (Barrister), 313
Carroll, Daniel, M. C, 246, 299, 313,
330, 337, 361
Carroll, Daniel, of Duddington, 246;
autograph mistaken for the Congress-
man's, 246, 247. [Portrait also.]
Carruthers, Robert L., 356
Carvalho's Forty Centuries of Ink, 261
Cary, Richard, 344
Cass, Lewis, 348
Castellane, Comtesse de, 87
Castiglione, Baldassare, 163
Caswell, Richard, 297, 313, 337
Catalogue, etc., Henry Huth, 288
Catalogue, etc., Alfred Morrison, 288
Catesby, Robert, 98, 128, 163
Catharine of Arrapon, 72, 98, 151, 156
Catherine of Russia, 127, 151
Cato, 47
Caulincourt — see Vicenza.
Cecil, Robert — see Salisbury.
Cecil, William — see Burghley.
Cellini, Benvenuto, 168
Centennial Book oj the Signers, 287
Centlivre, Mrs., 124
Cervantes, 47, 134, 163
Chalabre, Marquis de, 87
Chalmers Collection, 221
Chamberlain, Levi, 353
Chamberlain, Mellen, 170
Chambers, John, 291
Chambry, Etienne Pierre Louis, 87, 137,
280; Collection, 43, 137-142, 143
Champlin, George, 313; autograph very
rare, 263
Champlin papers, 227
Chandler, Charles Church, 313
Chandler, John, Sr. and Jr., mistaken for
e.-ich other, 249, 291
Chandler, Theophilus P., 354
Channing-Ellery Papers, 227
Chantry, 176
Chapelain, Jean, 98, 112, 126, 174
Charavay family, 79, 232
Charavay, Etienne, 41, 43, 44, 80, 85,
89, 131, 138, 143, 259, 262, 280, 287,
288
His La Science des Autographes, 41, 85
Charavay, Eugene, 80
Charavay, Gabriel, 80
Charavay, Jacques, 79, 80
Charavay, Madame, 80
Charavay, Noel, 44, 80
Charles I, of England, ?J, 55, 71, 98, 101,
127, 128, /6J, 177.
His letter to Ormond, 234-237
Variations in his autograph, 254
Charles II, of England, 18, 55, 98, 105,
120, 123, 128, 129, 163, 164, 204
Charles II, Duke of Lorraine, 113
Charles V, Emperor, 24, 70, 72, 98, 103,
115, 129, 141, 143, 157, 162, 163, 167,
169, 177, 209
Charles V, of Germany, 45, 1 13, 133, 168
Charles V, of France, 112, 126
Charles VI, of France, 70, 1 13, 143
370
INDEX
Charles VII, of France, 98, 1 13, 122, 138,
143
Charles VIII, of France, 113, 138, 139
Charles IX, of France, 96, 101, 106, 113,
118, 127, /JP
Charles X, of France, 112, 126
Charles, Constable of France, 126
Charles, Due de Bourgogne, 113
Charlemagne, 47
Chase, Jeremiah T., 313
Chase, Salmon P., 357; papers, 213
Chase, Samuel, 77, 202, 297, 309, 313
Chasles, Michel, 87; dupe of Vrain Lucas,
44-50
Chastillon, Gaspard de, 114
Chatterton, Thomas, 204, 271
Handwriting always the same, 253;
extremely rare, 273.
Chauny, A., 116
Chenier, Andr6 Marie de, 72, 134, 139,
145, 152
Migration of one of his letters, 231
Chester, George D. — see Austin {Ben
fV.).
Chester, John ,313
Chesterfield, 178
Cheves, Langdon, 351
Childs, George W., 216
Chittenden, Lucius E., 353
Choate, John, 289
Choate, Rufus, difficult handwriting, 255
Christian II, of Denmark, 147
Christian III, of Denmark, 113
Christie, Gen. Gabriel, 199
Christina, Queen, 46, 98
Christophe, 177
Churchill, John, 124
Cibber, CoUey, 94, 207
Cibber, Mrs. Susan, 128
Cicero, 15, 16, 47
Cimarosa, Domenico, 136
Cist, Lewis J., 170, 186-190, 190, 191,
247, 267; Sale, 74, 75, 270
Clairon, Hippolite Claire, 99
Clarendon, Edward, Earl of, 124, 129
see Hyde {Henry).
Clark, Abraham, 77, 309, 313, 333, 336
Clark, Champ, 352
Clark, Gen. Thomas, 339
Clarkson, Matthew, 313; confused with
Major Matthew, 248
Claude, wife of Francis I, 1 14, 139
Claverhouse, 55
Clay, Henry, 351 ; Papers, 213
Clay, James B., 357
Clay, Joseph, 314
Clays, Pierre Jean — facsimile, 39
Clemens, Samuel L., 75
Clement VII, Pope, 101, 114
Clement VIII, Pope, 99, 129, 147
Clement IX, Pope, 1 14
Cleopatra, 47; Spurious letter, 48
Clermont, Madame de, 118
Cleveland, Barbara, Duchess of, 123, 129
Cleveland, Chauncey F., 354
Cleveland, Grover, 347
Clingan, William, 314, 330; Doubts of
his existence, 267
Clinton, Gen. George, 289, 314, 339,
347; Papers, 213, 223, 224
Clinton, Gen. James, 339; Papers, 213
Clvmer, George, 77, 301, 303, 309, 314,
333, 336, 361
Coalter, John D,, 357
Cobb, David, 344
Cobb, Howell, 352
Coburn, Stephen, 353
Cockburn, Alexander, 212
Cocke, William, 314
Cohen, Joshua J., 171, 196-197
Cohn, Albert, 82
Cohn, Alexander Meyer, 150
Cohn Sale, 73, 74, 150-153, 231
Coke, Sir Edward, 123
Colbert, 112
Colden papers, 219
Cole, Robert,88
Coleman, the Elder, 71
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 94, 95
Coles, Isaac, 362
Colfax, Schuyler, 349, 352
Coligny, 114, /JP
Collecting of Autographs, 13
Collection of one hundred characteristic,
etc., autograph letters, 284
Collections, European, 85
Collections, formation of, 26
Collector, The, 83
Collectors and Collections in the United
States, 170-207
Collectors, disreputable, 28-39
Collectors, European, 85-169
INDEX
371
Collectors, Collections and Sales, see
Addington, Samuel
Allen, Mrs. E. H.
American Antiquarian Society
Anderdon, John L.
Baker
Baluze, Etienne
Bartelet, Mr.
Berlin Library
Bethune, Hippolyte de
Bethune, Phillipe de
Biblioth^que Nationale
Bindley, James
Bixby, W. H.
Bolton, Rev. Robert
Bovet, Alfred
Brande, Gustavus
Brienne, Antoine Lominie de
British Museum
Castellane, Comtesse de
Chalabre, Marquis de
Chamberlain, Mellon
Chambry, Etienne Pierre Louis
Chasles, Michel
Childs, George W.
Cicero
Cist, Lewis J.
Cohen, Joshua J.
Cohn, Alexander Meyer
Cole, Robert
Conches, Feuillet de
Congressional Library
Connecticut Historical Society
Corser
Cotton, Sir Robert
Cousin, Victor
Danforth, Elliot
Daniel
Davis, Robert C.
Dillon, John
Dolomieu, Marquise de
Donnadieu, A.
Dreer, Ferdinand J.
Drexel Institute
Dubrunfaut
DuChesne, Andr6
Dumas, Alexandre
Egerton MSS.
Emmet, Dr. Thomas Addis
Etting, Frank M.
European, 85-169
Fillon, Benjamin
Collectors, Collections and Sales, jr*
Fogg, John S. H.
Gaignidres, Roger de
Geibel, Dr. Carl
Gibbes, R. W.
Gilmor, Robert
Grimke, Thomas S.
Guizot
Hale, John Mills
Harleian MSS.
Harley, Robert
Hauterive, Comte d'
Haverford College
Herz v. Hertenried, Carl
Heath, Baron
Hibbert
Hodges
Huth, Henry
Ives
Joline, Adrien H.
Jones, Charles C.
La Caille.
LefRngwell, E. H.
Libanius the Sophist
Maine Historical Society
Martin, Alexandre
Mayer, Brantz
Mickley, Joseph J.
Missouri Historical Society
Monmerqu6
Montigny, Lucas de
Morrison, Alfred
Mucianus
Musgrave, Sir William
Neve, Peter le
New Hampshire Historical Society
New York Historical Society
New York Public Library
New York State Library
Oxford, Earl of
Paar, Count
Parison
Peiresc, Fabri de
Pennsylvania, Historical Society of
Phillips, Sir Thomas
Pix6r6court, Guilbert de
Pliny
Pompeius Secundus
Poore, Ben Perley
Raffles, Rev, Dr.
Rhode Island Historical Society
Roberts, Charles
372
INDEX
Collectors, Collections and Sales, see
Sainte-Beuve
Sardou, Victorien
Sensier, Alfred
Sloane, Sir Hans
Sprague, William B.
Swain, Gov. David L.
Tarbe
Tefft, Israel K.
Thacher, John Boyd
Thatcher, Benjamin B.
Thoresby, Ralph
Tr^mont, Baron de
Turner, Dawson
Upcott, William
Virginia Historical Society
West, James
Williams, J. B.
Wisconsin State Historical Society
Young, John
Collins, John, 314, 329
Collins, Wilkie, 274
Colon, Don Diego, 163
Colonial Governors, 181, 187, 191, 198,
203, 204, 217
Colonial paper money signatures, 264
Colonna, Vittoria, 114, 134, 150
Columbus, 23, 163, 165, 179
Commerce in Autographs — see Dealers.
Commissioners to the Six Nations, 289-
290
Commynes, Phillipe de, 139
Conarroe collection, 226
Conches, Feuillet de, 87
Condict, Silas, 314
Congress, First, under the Constitution,
244, 359-362
Congress, Library of, collection, 212-213
Congress, Peace — see Peace.
Congreve, William, 71, 93, 94, 124, 129,
189
Connecticut Historical Society Collec-
tion, 214-215
Connecticut MSS., 214
Constitution, Signers of the, 335-338,
265
Constitutional Convention, 191
Contee, Benjamin, 314, 361
Continental Congress of 1774, 295-297
Continental Congress, 25, 191, 195, 196,
197, 198, 201, 204, 211, 212, 217, 220,
222, 227, 229, 243, 246, 261, 262, 263,
311; Presidents of the, 298
Continental Navy Board, 305
Convention with Indians at Albany, 289-
290
Conversations on Autographs between
Mr. Old and Mr. Young, 240-282
First, on advisability of collecting, 240-
245
Second, on Right names but wrong
men, 245-250
Third, on handwriting at different
periods of a man's life, 250-255
Fourth, on Forgeries, 256-261
Fifth, Rarity and Scarcity of auto-
graphs, 261-270
Sixth, American Poets, 270-275
Seventh, Arrangement of a collection,
275-282
Conwav, Martin F., 358
Conway, Gen. Thomas, 190, 211, 339;
autograph rare, 266
Cook, Burton C, 358
Cook, Capt. James, 123, 127, 144, 163
Cooke, George Fred, 129
Cooke, Joseph P., 314
Cooke, Philip Pendleton, 270; autograph
extremely rare, 272
Cooper, J. Fenimore, 1S3
Cooper, John, 314; autograph rare, 264
Cope, Sir Walter, 158
Corday, Charlotte, 146
Corneille, Pierre, 22, 137, 142, 145, 163,
209
Corneille, Thomas, 139
Cornell, Ezekiel, 304, 314
Cornhill Magazine, 259
Corning, Erastus, 354
Corser sale, 155
Cortez, 162
Costa, Emanuel da, 91
Cotton, Sir John, 210
Cotton, Sir Robert, 86
Coudray, Philippe du, 76
Cousin, Victor, 87
Cowley, Abraham, 94, 127
Cowper, William, 1S9, IIX
Coxe, Tench, 314, 333
Coypel, Noel, 114
Crabbe, 174
Craik, Dinah Maria, 274
Cranach, Lucas, 136, 152
Crane, Gen. John, 339
INDEX
373
Crane, Stephen, 296, 314
Crawford, William H., 347
Crisfielii, John W., 356
Crisp, Charles F., 352
Crittenden (John J.) papers, 213
Cromwell, Oliver, 55, 99, 127, 128, 133,
163, 1\1, 243
Cromwell, Richard, 99
Crowninshield, Francis B., 354
Cruger, John, 293
Cullom, Alvin, 356
Cumberland, 175
Cumming, VVilliam, 314; autograph very
rare, 263
Cumnock Express, 56
Cunningham, 174
Curtis, Samuel R., 358
Cushing, Nathan, 314
Cushing, Thomas, 295, 314
Custis, John Parke, 344
Custis papers, 217
Cuvier, 176
Dagobert I, 209
Dait, Carlo, 221
D'Alembert, 176
Dallas, George M., 348
Dalton, Tristram, 314, 359
Dampiere, Madame, 115
Dana, Francis, 301, 303, 314, 329, 332,
335
Dane, Nathan, 314
Danforth, Elliot, 33-35, 197-200, 268;
Sale, 75; Prices of the Signers at the
sale, 77-7S
Danforth, Thomas, 192
Daniel Sale, 155
Daniell, Walter V., 82
Danielson, Timothy, 314
Danneker, Johann Heinrich von, 152
Dante, 47
Danton, 166
D'Arblay, Madam, 175
Darnley, Lord, 104
Darwin, 175
Dati, Carlo, 73, 221
Davenant, Sir William, 94, 129
Davenport, Rev. John, 192
Davey, Samuel — Guide to the Collector
of Historical Documents, 7
Davidson, Lucretia M., 270, 271, 272, 273
Davidson, Margaret M., 270, 271, 272,
273
Davie, William R., 338
Davis, David, 349
Davis, George, 356
Davis, John W., 352
Davis, Robert, C. 170, 179, 180
Davy, Sir Humphrey, 176
Dawson, John, 314
Dayrolles, J., 91
Dayrolles, S., 91
Dayton, Elias, 314, 339
Dayton, Jonathan, 314, 336, 351
Dealers in autographs, 79
American, 82-84
English, 81
French, 79, 80
German, 82
Dealers, Individual, see
Barker, Frederick, 81
Benjamin, William Evarts, 83
Benjamin, Walter R., 83
Boerner, C. G., 82
Brown, Andrew, 55
Burns, Charles De F., 82, 83
Campbell, William J., 84
Charavay family, 79, 232
Charavay, Etienne, 80
Eugene, 80
Gabriel, 80
Jacques, 79, 80
Madame, 80
Noel, 80
Cohn, Albert, 82
Daniell, Walter V., 82
Evans, Mr., 73
Goodspeed, Charles E., 83
Haas, Otto, 82
Heise, John, 83
Henrici, Karl Ernst, 82
Hirsch, Emil, 82
Liepmannssohn, Leo, 82
Madigan, P. F., 83
Madigan, Thomas, 83
Maggs Bros., 82
Moxon, Edward, 54
Murray, John, 53, 54
Naylor, Frederick, 81
Pearson, J., & Co., 82
Pickering, William, 73
Quaritch, Bernard, 72, 73, 82, 221
Rosenbach, A. S. W., 84
374
INDEX
Dealers, Individual, see
Sabin, Joseph, 83
Schulz, Otto August, 82
" Richard Zeune, 82
Stargardt, J. A., 82
Stillie, James, 55, 56, 67
Waller, , 80
" John, 80
Wheeler, F., 82
White, , 54
Zeune, Richard, 82
Deane, Silas, 296, 314; papers, 214
De Borre, Chevalier De Preudhomme,
339; autograph very rare, 266
Declaration of Independence — see Sign-
ers.
Defoe, Daniel, 124, 156, 164, 168, 204
DeHaas, John Philip, 340; autograph
rare, 266
De Hart, John, 296, 314
Delambre, 176
Delancey, James, 291
Delassus, Charles Dehault, papers, 218
Denney, William,
Denning, William, 302
Denon, 176
Dent, George, 351
Dent, John F., 356
Department — see Admiralty, Finance,
Marine, Navy, Post Office, State, War,
War and Ordinance.
Descartes, Ren6, 46, 114, 123
Deshon, John, 305
Deshoulieres, Antoinette Ligier de la
Garde, 140
Desmarets, M., 120
Desmoulins, Camille, 70, 144, 151
De Stael, Madame, 176
Devereux, Robert — see Essex.
De Witt, Charles, 314
Diana of France, 99, 126
DianaofPoictiers,99, 114, 126, 127, 138,
164
Diaz, Narcisse, 131
Dibdin, Charles, 174
Dick, Samuel, 315
Dickens, Charles, 30, 31, 53, 184, 21 A
Mutual Friend MS., 216
Dickinson, John, 294, 296, 315, 330,
333, 336
Dickinson, Philemon, 315, 359
Diderot, 176
Dillenius, 175
Dillon, John, 88, 128
Dillon sale, 71, 73, 128-129, 130, 156
Disreputable collectors, 28-38
D'Istria, Capo, 177
Dodd, Dr., 178
Dodge, William E., 355
Dodsley, 178
Dolomieu, Marquise de, 87
Donadieu, Abb6, 119
Doniphan, Alexander W., 357
Donnadieu, A., 71, 72, 73, 74, 88, 95, 95-
109, 121, 231, 281
Doolittle, James R., 358
Doria, Andrea, 148
Dow, Moses, 315
Drake, Sir Francis, 129
Drake, J. Rodman — autograph ex-
tremely rare, 273; change in his hand-
writing, 252
Draper, Lyman C, MS. collection, 228,
279-280
Drayton, William Henry, 315, 331
Dreer, Ferdinand J., 171, 180; collec-
tion, 226, 279
Drexel Institute Collection, 215-216
Dryden, John, 124, 127, 156, 168, 204
Duane, James, 296, 302, 315, 330, 333;
papers, 220
Dubrunfaut, 87, 143, 280
DuChesne, Andr6, 86
DuCoudray, Philippe, 340; autograph
extremely rare, 265
Dudley, Robert, 97; see Leicester.
Dudley, Thomas, 192
Duer, William, 303, 315, 330; papers,
219
DufBeld, Samuel, 315
Dumas, Alexandre, 30, 87
Duncan, Alexander, 354
Dunlop, Miss, 165
Dunois, Jean, Comte de Longuevillc ct
de, 114, 126,144
Dunster, Henry, 192
Duplessis, Armand Jean, see Richelieu.
Duportail, Gen. Louis Lebegue, 340
Dupuy, M., 121, 166
Duquesne, Abraham, 146
D'Urfey, Thomas, 94
Durer, Albrecht, 149
Durkee, Charles, 358
Duvall, Gabriel, 337
INDEX
375
Duyckinck, Evart A. and George L.,
papers, 221; Cyclopedia of American
Literature, 110
Dyer, Eliphalct, 293, 295, 301, 315
Eck, Johann Maier, 153
Edgeworth, Maria, 175
Edmund, brother of Edward IV, 156
Edmunds, George F., 349
Edward IV, of England, 99, 108, 156,
164, 168
Edward VI, of England, 99, 151, 168
Edwards, Pierpont, 315
Edwards, Timothy, 315
Egerton, Lord, 210
Egerton MSS., 20
Elbert, Gen, Samuel, 315, 340
E]:\ot,]o\^n, 183,192,200
Elizabeth of France, sister of Louis XIII,
100
Elizabeth of France, sister of Louis XVI,
100, 126
Elizabeth, Madame, 44
Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, 100, \TJ
Elizabeth, Queen of England, 20, 24, 71,
72, 73, 97, 100, 106, 1 15, 1 17, 127, 133,
156, 164, 169, 111, 189, 207, 111, 226,
243; variations in her autograph, 254
Ellery, William, 77, 306, 308, 315, 329
Ellis, E. W. H., 357
Ellsworth, Oliver, 302, 315, 336, 359;
papers, 215
Elmer, Jonathan, 301, 315, 359; con-
fused with Rev. Jonathan, 248
Elzevier, Abraham, 115
Emery, J., 94
Emmet, Dr. Thomas Addis, 170, 180,
268; collection in New York Public
Library, 180
Endicott, John, 192
English collectors, 86, 87, 88
English court hand, 288
English dealers, 81
Erasmus, Desiderius, 129, 135, 146, 148,
154, 164
Ericsson, 212
Espartero, 30
Essex, Earl of, 100, 127
Estrades, Godefroi, Comte d', 100
Elstrees, Gabrielle d', 115
Estrees, Jeanne d', 115
Etting, Frank M., 170, 179
Etting Collection, 179, 226
Ettrick Shepherd, see Hogg (James).
Euripides, 15, 47
European noted collections, 85-169
European Public Collections, 208-210
Evans, auctioneers, 92
Evans, Mr., 73
Evans, John, 315; autograph rare, 264
Eveleigh, Nicholas, 315
Evelyn, John, 93, 100, 162
Ewing, Thomas, 357
Ewing, Thomas, Jr., 358
Eylau, Battle of, 14
Fabert, Abraham, 140
Facsimiles, etc., in British Museum, 288
Facsimiles sold as originals, 67; detection
of, 68; books of, 283-288
Fairbanks, Charles VV., 350
Fairfax, Miss, 167
Falconer, Capt, Nathaniel, 306
Falconer, William, 94
Falstaff, Sir John, 169
Farnese, Alexander, 126
Febiger, Gen. Christian, 340
Federal Administration, F"irst, 220
Federal Congress, First, 198
Federal Convention, autographs, 187,
220, 226, 229, 264, 265; Members, 335-
338
Fell, John, 315
Felton, assassin, 123
Fenelon, Franfois de la Mothe Salignac,
140, 209
Ferdinand, King of Spain, 144, 217
Fermoy, Chevalier de Roche, 340; auto-
graph extremely rare, 265
Ferry, Thomas W., 349
Fessenden, William P., 353
Festel, M. du, 109
Few, William, 315, 338, 360
Field, David Dudley, 354
Field, Eugene, 274
Fielding, Henry, 124, 127, 129
Fillmore, Millard, 346, 348
Fillon, Benjamin, 87, 131-137, 262, 280
Fillon Sale, 71, 74, 131, 143, 231; cata-
logue, 131,287
Finance, Revolutinary Department of,
301-302
First Congress — see Constitution.
376
INDEX
Fisher, Hendrick, 293
Fitch, John, papers, 213
Fitch, Governor, papers, 214
Fitzburgh, Peregrine, 344
Fitzgerald, John, 344
Fitzhugh, Peregrine,
Fitzhugh, William, 315; confused with
another William, 247
Fitzsimons, Thomas, 315, 333, 336, 361
Fleming, William, 315; confused with
Col. William, 248
Florence, Prince of, 116
Flovd, William, 77, 296, 302, 306, 308,
315, 361
Fogg, Dr. John S. H., 170, 181, 217, 279
Folsom, Nathaniel, 295, 301, 315
Fontaine, Jean de la, 127
Foote, Samuel, 95
Forbes, James, 306, 315; autograph
extremely rare, 263
Forbes, John M., 354
Ford, Gordon L., papers, 222
Foreign Affairs, Secretaries, 300
Forgers of autographs, 40-68; Vrain Lu-
cas, 42-51; "George Gordon Byron,"
53-54; Alexander Hamilton Smith,
54-60; Baron von Gerstenbergh, 61-
63; James W. Turner, 64-65; Robert
Spring, 65-67; Conversation on, 256-
261
Forman, Ezekiel, 302
Forrest, Uriah, 315
Foster papers, 227
Foster, Abiel, 316, 360
Foster, Lafayette S., 349
Foster, Stephen C, 353
Foster, Theodore, 359
Fowler, Asa,*353
Fox, George, 94, 123, 129
Fox, Lieut. Gen., 106
France, collecting in, 17
Frnncis I, of France, 24, 71, 101, 103,
114, 115, 118, 127, 129, 133, 139, 140,
143, 164, 168, 169.
Francis II, of France, 101, 115, 127, 140
Frank, Sebastian, 149
Franklin, Benjamin, 66, 77, 81, 93, 199,
in, lis, 116, 292, 307, 309, 316, 336
Franklin, Thomas E., 355
Frederic II, of Prussia, 101, 115
Frederic, King of Bohemia, Wl
Frederic V, King of Bohemia, 151
Frederic William, of Brandenburg, 151
Frelinghuysen, Frederick, 301, 316
Frelinghuysen, Frederick T., 355
French, Ezra B., 353
French Academy of Sciences, 45
French and Indian War, 211
French collectors, 86, 87
French dealers, 79-80
French Revolution autographs, 125, 203
Fries, Comte de, 231, 281
Frontenac, 204
Frost, George, 316
Frye, Gen. Joseph, 340
Frye, William P., 350
Furno, Nicolas de, 1 16
Fuseli, 176
Gadsden, Christopher, 64, 183, 294, 297,
316, 340
Gage, Gen. Thomas, 199
Gaignidres, Roger de, 86
Gaillard, John, 348
Gainsborough, Thomas, 94, 123, 205
Gale, George, 361
Galignani, 68
Galileo Galilei, 73, 115, 132, 144, 156, 164
Galland, Antoine, 115
Gallatin, Albert, papers, 213, 220
Galloway, Joseph, 296, 316
Gandini, Marc Antonio, 109
Gansevoort, Leonard, 316, 333
Garcia de Paredes, Don Diego, 144
Garcilasso de la Vega, 115
Gardiner, Addison, 355
Gardiner, Silvester, 316; papers, 217
Gardner, John, 316; autograph ex-
tremely rare, 263
Gardner, John, Sr., mistaken for his son,
263
Gardner, Joseph, 316
Gardner, Sylvester, 316; Papers, 217
Garfield, James A., 347
Garique, 119
Garrick, David, 89, 94, 128, 129, 169,
169, 179, 188, 192, 207
Garth, S., 94
Gates, Horatio, 211, 304, 340; papers,
219
Gay, John, 94, 124, 129
Geibel, Dr. Carl, collection, 153-154
Gelston, Daviti, 316
INDEX
Zll
Generals of the Revolution, 74, 76, 181,
187, 191, 195, 197, 198, 206, 211, 217,
220, 222, 227, 229, 265, 339-343
Generals of the Civil War, 191, 198, 245
Generals of the Confederacy, 195
George III, of England, 103
Gerard, 176
Gerard, Marc Antoinc — see Saint Amant.
German dealers, 82
German auxiliaries, 222
Germany, collecting in, 17
Germius, Julius, 47
Gerry, Elbridge, 77, 308, 316, 329, 332,
335, 348, 360
Gerstenbergh, Baron von, 61-63
Gervais, John Louis, 302, 316
Gibbes, R. W., 170
Gibbon, Edv/ard, 7/, 93, 124, 179
Gibbons, William, 316; father and son
often confused, 248
Gibson, Gen. John, 302, 340
Gifford, 175
Gifford, Lady, 167
Giles, Edward, 316; autograph very rare,
263
Giles, William B., 362
Gillies, 175
Gillon, Alexander, 316
Giiman, John Taylor, 316
Gilman, Nicholas, 316, 335, 360
Gilmor, Robert, 170, 171, 172, 173, 178;
collection, 171-179
Gist, Mordecai, 184, 340
Giulio Romano, 135, 149
Glover, Gen. John, 340
Gluck, Christoph Willibald, 73, 136, 140,
153, 204
Godwin, William, 175; MS. oiCloudesley,
216
Goethe, Johann W. von, 151, 176
Goldoni, 174
Goldsborough, Robert, 297, 316
Goldsborough, Robert, Jr., Judge of the
Supreme Court, confused with the
Congressman, 247
Goldsborough, William T., 356
Goldsmith, Oliver, 94, 127, 129, 156, 169,
176, 204, 207, 111
Gontaut — see Biron.
Goodhue, Benjamin, 360
Goodrich, John Z., 354
Goodspeed, Charles E., 83
Gorham, Nathaniel, 299, 316, 335
Governors — see Colonial,
Gracchi, The, 16
Graham, James — see Montrose.
Graham, Mrs., 175
Gramont, Philibert, Comte de, 101
Grancey, M. de, 113
Granger, Francis, 354
Grant, U. S., 199, 347
Grantham, Isaac, 316
Grattan, Henry, 58
Gray, Thomas, 204
Grayson, William, 299, 304, 316, 344,
360
Greaton, Gen. John, 340
Greeley, Horace, handwriting hard to
read, 255
Greene, Gen. Nathaniel, 199, 201, 211,
340; autograph rech6rch6, 266; papers,
214, 227
Gregory XIII, Pope, 133
Greuze, Jean Baptiste, 146
Griffin, Cyrus, 299, 316
Griffin, Samuel, 362
Grillparzer, Franz, 152
Grimaldi, Joseph, 94
Grimes, James W., 358
Grimke, Thomas S., 170
Griswold, Almon W., 183
Groesbeck, William S., 357
Gronovius, 175
Grotius, 179
Grout, Jonathan, 360
Grow, Galusha A., 352
Gruachv, M. de, 113
Grouchy, Marshall, 207
Guericke, Otto von — facsimile from his
Album Amicorum, 19
Guesclin, Bertrand du, 209
Guicciardini, Francisco, 1 16
Guise, Due de, 22, 104
Guise, Franfois de Lorraine, Due de, 116
Guise, Henri de Lorraine, Due de, 116
Guise, Henri II de Lorraine, Due de, 1 16
Guise, Louis de. Cardinal — see Lorraine.
Guizot, 87
Gunby, John, 340
Gunn, James, 316, 360
Guthrie, James, 357
Guvon, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la
Motte, 140
Guyse, Comte de, 113
378
INDEX
Gwinnett, Button, 22, 23, 75, 77, 91, 191,
194, 196, 198, lie, 256, 310, 316
Gwynn, Eleanor, 164
Haas, Otto, 82
Habersham, John, 316
Habersham, Joseph, 317
Hackleman, Pleasant A., 357
Hale, John Mills, 200-202
Hale, Sir Matthew, 127
Hale, Nathan, 75, 76, 193, 201, 204;
papers, 214
Hall, Hiland, 353
Hall, John, 317
Hall, Lyman, 77, 194, 310, 317
Hallam, Henry, 175
Halleck, Fitz Greene, 274
Hamilton, Alexander, 175, 212, 215, 317,
333, 336, 344
Hamilton, Lady, 160
Hamlin, Hannibal, 349
Hammond, James H., 212
Hancock, John, 77, 194, 298, 299, 317,
329
Hand, Edward, 317, 340
Handbook of Autographs, 286
Handel, George Fricdrich, 136, 204
Hanson, Alexander Contee, 344
Hanson, John, 298, 307, 317, 330
Hardouin, Jules — see Mansart.
Hardwicke Collection, 221
Hardy, Samuel, 317
Haring, John, 2%, 317
Harlan, James, 358
Harleian MSS., 88
Harley, Robert, 86, 210
Harnett, Cornelius, 301, 317, 330
Harris, B. D., 353
Harris papers, 227
Harrison, Benjamin, 77, 297, 303, 309,
317
Harrison, Benjamin (President), 347
Harrison, Col. Robert H., 184, 193, 303,
337, 344; autograph rare, 265
Harrison, William, 317; another William
confused with him, 247
Harrison, William Henry, 187, 346
Hart, John, 309, 317
Harte, Bret, 75, 274
Hartley, Thomas, 317, 361
Harvey, William, 218
Harvie, John, 317, 330
Hathorn, John, 317, 361
Hatton, Christopher, 123
Hauterive, Comte d', 87
Hauy, 176
Haverford College, Roberts collection,
179
Hawkins, Benjamin, 317, 360
Hawkins, Isaac R., 356
Hawkins, Sir John, 133, 164
Hawkins, Philemon, 334
Hawley, Joseph — collection, 222
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 75
Haydn, Joseph, 189, 204
Hayes, Rutherford B., 347
Hazard, Ebenezer, 307
Hazard, Jonathan J., 317
Hazen, Gen. Moses, 340
Hazlitt, William — "Four Generations of
a Literary Family," 130, 155
Hearne, 175
Heath, Baron, 88
Heath, Gen. William, 211, 304, 340
Heine, 30
Heise, John, 83
Hemans, 174
Hemsley, William, 317
Henderson, David B., 352
Henderson, John, 129
Henderson, Thomas, 317
Hendricks, Thomas A., 349
Henkels, Stan. V.,
Henrici, Karl Ernst, 82
Henrietta Maria, 101
Henry 11, of France, 99, 103, 104, 112,
113, 114, 116, 164
Henry III, of France, 24, 70, 1 15, 125, 165
Henry IV, of France, 14, 21, 24, 73, 89,
96, 99, 101, 102, 109, 115, 116, 118,
125, 127, 129, 156, 164, 169
Henry V, of England, 18, 101
Henry VI, of England, /Oi-
Henry VII, of England, 164, 184
Henry VIII, of England, 24, 44, 72, 98,
116, 129, 133, 151, 156, 157, 164, 177,
202, 204
Henry, James, 302, 317; two of same
name confused, 248
Henry, John, 317, 359
Henry, Patrick, 317, 337
Henry, Patrick, Jr., 297
Henry William, 317; two of same name
confused, 248
INDEX
379
Herkimer, Nicholas, 200
Herod, 47
Hertz, M., 231, 281
Herz von Hertenried Collection, 153-154
Hewes, Joseph, 77, 269, 297, 310, 317
Heyward, Thomas, 77
Hevward, Thomas, Jr., 194, 301, 310,
317, 331
Hibhard papers, 219
Hibbert sale, 260
Hickerson, William P., 356
Hiero, 47
Hiester, Daniel, 361
Higginson, Stephen, 318, 332
Hill, Aaron, 94
"Hill," John, 56, 57
Hill, Whitmill, 307, 318
Hillhouse, James, 318
Hillhouse, William, 318
Hindman, William, 318
Hirsch, Emil, 82
Historical Society of Pennsylvania — see
Pennsylvania.
Hitchcock, Reuben, 357
Hobart, Garrett A., 350
Hobby, Sir Thomas, 96
Hobhouse, Cam., 174
Hodges, collection, 105, 108
Hodgson, Rev. Francis, 168
Hofer, Andreas, 147
Hogarth, William, 95, 205, 207
Hogg, James, 60
Hogun, Gen. James, 340 ; autograph very
rare, 266
Holcroft, 175
Holden, Thomas, 318
Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 184, 274
Holten, Samuel, 299, 318, 329
Hone papers, 220
Hooper, Lucy, 270; complete Poetical
Works, 272; autograph extremely rare,
272
Hooper, William, 77, 269, 297, 310, 318
Hopkins, George W., 352
Hopkins, Stephen, 292, 295, 308, 318
Hopkinson, Francis, 68, 77, 305, 309,
318
Hoppin, William W., 354
Hoppner, J., 95
Hornblower, Josiah, 318
Horsmanden, Daniel, 289
Horton, Valentine B., 357
Hosmer, Titus, 318, 329
Hough, Harrison, 357
Houston, John W., 355
Houston, William Churchill, 302, 318,
333, 336
Houstoun, John, 318
Houston, William, 318, 338; autograph
rare, 265
Howard, Benjamin C, 356
Howard, John Eager, 318
Howard, Martin, Jr., 292; autograph
rare, 265; confused with Martin, Sr.,
249
Howard, Thomas — see Norfolk.
Howe, Gen. Robert, 340
Howell, David, 318
Howell, James — Instructions for Forreine
Travel, 17
Howley, Richard, 318
Hubbard, Henrv, 351
Huet, Abb€, 119
Huet, Bishop, 102
Huet, M., 98
Huger, Daniel, 318, 362
Huger, Gen. Isaac, 340
Hull, Thomas, 94
Humboldt, 176
Humphreys, Charles, 296, 318; auto-
graph very rare, 263, 264
Humphreys, David, 344
Humpton, Richard, 340
Hunter, R. M. T., 352
Huntingdon, Samuel, 77, 185
Huntington, Benjamin, 307, 318, 360
Huntington, Gen. Jedediah, 340
Huntington, Samuel, 185, 298, 308, 318,
329
Hutchinson, Thomas, 289, 291
Huth, Frederick, 155
Huth, F., & Son, 155
Huth, Henrv, 154-156; sale, 23, 7?, 7J,
154-158; catalogue, 288
Hutson, Richard, 318, 331
Hutten, Ulrich von, 145, 148
Huygens, Constantin, 107, 136, 164, 166
Hyde, Anne — see York.
Hyde, Henrietta, 109
Hyde, Henry (Clarendon), 91
Iberville, 204
Increase in value of autographs, 69
Indians, Convention with, 289
380
INDEX
Ingalls, John Jay, 350
Ingersoll, Jared, 318, 336
Ink used, detection of forgeries, 260-261
InvetJtaire des Autographes, 287
Irvine, William, 318, 340
Irving, Washington, 75, 184, 271
Isabella, Queen of Spain, 179, 217
Isographie des Hommes Celebres, 284
Iturbide, 177
Ives, Mr., 88
Izard, Ralph, 318, 360
Jackson, Andrew, 190, 11(>, 346
Jackson, Dr. David, 319; confused with
another David, 248
Jackson, Gen. Henry, 341
Jackson, James, 362
Jackson, Jonathan, 319
Jackson, Gen. Michael, 341
Jackson, William, 344
James I, of England, 24, 55, 102, 116,
123, 127
James II, of England, 109
James III, of England, 102
James VI, of Scotland, 72, 100
James, Amaziah B., 354
Janin, Jules, 30
Jay, John, 296, 298, 300, 319
Jeanne d'Arc, 114, 169
Jefferson, Thomas, 66, 77, 218, 299, 309,
319, 346, 347; papers, 227
Jeffrey, 175
Jehannot, 121
Jenifer, Daniel, of St. Thomas, 302, 319,
337
Jenkinson, Hilary, 288
Jesus Christ, 47
Joan of Arc — see Jeanne.
Johannes Secundus, 128
John "Le Bon," 208
John II, of France, 208
Johnson, Andrew, 194, 347, 349
Johnson, Charles, 288
Johnson, Charles (N. C), 319
Johnson, Reverdy, 356
Johnson, Richard M., 348
Johnson, Samuel, 71, 93, 124, 175, 176,
221
Johnson, Thomas, 319
Johnson, Thomas, Jr., 297
Johnson, Waldo P., 357
Johnson, Sir William, 185, 291; papers,
213,223,224
Johnson, William Samuel, 293, 295,
319, 335, 359; Papers, 214
Johnston, George, 344
Johnston, Samuel, 269, 298, 319, 360
Joliet, 204
Joline, Adrien H., 205-207, 277-281;
Meditations of an Autograph Collector,
15, 205, 277-281; Rambles in Auto-
graph Land, 205
Jones, Allen, 319
Jones, Charles C, 195-196
Jones, Gabriel, 319
Jones, George W., 357
Jones, John Paul, 75, 76, 184, 190, 192,
201, 204, 212
Jones, John W., 352
Jones, Joseph, 301, 319
Jones, Noble W., 319
Jones, Samuel, 319
Jones, Dr. Walter, 334
Jones, Sir William, 175
Jones, Willie, 319, 338; autograph rare,
265
Jonson, Ben, 124, 204
Jordaens, C, 123, 152, 164
Jordaens, Jakob, 136
Jordan, Dora, 188
Jordan, Dorothea, 94
Josephine — see Beauharnais.
Julius II., Pope, 116
Judas, 47
Kalb, Baron de, 76, 190, 193, 341; auto-
graph rare, 266
Kant, Immanuel, 152
Katharine of Arragon — see Catharine.
Kauffmann, Gerard — see Mercator.
Kean, Edmund, 94, 176
Kean, John, 319
Kearney, Dyre, 319
Keats, John, 23, 53, 124, 157, 158, 169,
189, 204, 218, 238-240; migration of
his letter to Fannv Brawne, 238-239
Keifer, J. Warren, 352
Kemble, John P., 94
Kemble family, 176
Kennedy, John S., 57, 180
Kent, James, paper, 213
Kepler, John, 102, 149
Kerr, Michael C, 352
INDEX
381
Kieft, William, 203
Kiliengworth, Thomas, 108
Killigrew, Sir W., 124
King, John A., 355
King, Rufus, 319, 335, 359
King, Thomas, 94
King, William, papers, 217
King, William R., 348
King papers, 220
Kingsley, Charles, 274
Kinloch, Francis, 319
Kinsey, James, 296, 319
Kinsey, John, 290
Kleist, Heinrich von, 152
Kneller, Sir Godfrey, 95, 127, 205
Knox, Gen. Henry, 305, 341
Knox, John, 55, 164^ 111; papers, 217
Knyphausen, Baron, 192
Korner, Karl Theodor, 188
Kosciuszko, Thaddeus, 201, 341
Kotzebue, 176
La Bruvere, 47
La Caille, M., 87
Lacordaire, 30
Lacroix, 176
La Fayette, Comtesse de, 140
La Fayette, Marquis de, 177, 184, 202,
211, 341
La Fontaine, Jean de, 43, 44, 90, 116,
127, 134, 141, 145, 152, 169, 209
Lagrange, 176
Lalande, 176
Lamarque, 176
Lamb, Charles, 73, 94, 102, 157, 175, 184,
207; MS. of Essay on mtches, 216
Lamb, Gen. John, 341; papers, 219
Lamb, Mary, 207
Lamballe, Princess, 100, 104, 117, 119,
129, 165
Landon, Letitia E., 174
Langdon, John, 319, 335, 359
Langdon, Woodbury, 319
Langworthy, Edward, 303, 319, 331
Lannes, Marshall, 70, 140
Lannoye, Madame de, 115
Lansdowne, Marquis of, 210
Lansing, John, 319, 336
Laplace, 176
La Rochefoucauld — see Rochefoucauld.
La Sablifere, Marguerite Hessin de, 141
La Salle, 204
Las Casas, Fray Bartolome de, 165
Laso, Garcias — see Garcilasso.
Lasso, Orlando, 153
Latimer, Henry, 319
La Tremoille, Louis II, Sire de, 117
Laumoy, Gen. de, 341
Laurance, John, 319, 344, 361
Laurens, Henry, 298, 301, 320, 331,
338
Laurens, John, 344
Laussac, M. de., 116
La Valliere, Louise de, 117, 123, 14/, 146
Laverdet, Mr., 1 10
Law, Jonathan, papers, 214
Law, Richard, 296, 320
Lawrence, John,
Lawrence, Thomas, 290
Lawrence, Sir Thomas, 176
Lazarus, 47, 50; spurious letter of, 49
Learned, Gen. Ebenezer, 341; auto-
graph rare, 266
Le Brun, Charles, 102
Le Brun, Madame Vigee, 176
Le Couvreur, Adrienne, 90, 135, 141
Lee family papers, 227, 228
Lee, Arthur, 302, 320
Lee, Gen. Charles, 76, 193, 211, 341
Lee Francis Lightfoot, 77, 303, 310,
320, 330
Lee, Henry, 320
Lee, Richard Bland, 320, 362
Lee, Richard Henrv, 78, 297, 299, 309,
320, 330, 337, 360
Lee, Thomas Sim, 320, 337
Leffingwell, Prof. E. H., 190-194, 196,
197, 247, 248, 263, 270
Leggett papers, 219
Leicester, Robert Dudley, Earl of, 97,
117, 123
Leisler, Jacob, 203
Lennox, Matthew, Earl of, 104
Lenclos, Anne de (Ninon), 117, 146
Lenox Library, 57
Leo X., Pope', 117, AW
Leonard, George, 360
Leopold, 177
Leopold, Archduke, 103
Le Sage, Alain Ren6, 134, 141, 145, 152,
165
Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim, 1 17, 145, 188
Letellier, 43, 1 19, 138
382
INDEX
Lewis, Andrew, 193, 341 ; autograph very
rare, 266
Lewis, Francis, 78, 306, 308, 320, 330
Lewis, George, 345
Lewis, Major, 185
Lettres Autographes Composent la Collec-
tion de M. Aljred Bovet, 287-288
L'Hommedieu, Ezra, 320
Libanius the Sophist a Collector, 15
Liepmannssohn, Leo, 82
Ligne, Prince de, 231, 281
Lincoln, Abraham, 21,75,76, 181, 190,
194, 198, 199, 200, 202. 241, 347;
Emancipation Proclamation, 224;
Handwriting did not change, 253.
Lincoln, Benjamin, 304, 341
Lincoln, Levi, 320
Lispenard, Leonard, 293
Lithographs — see Facsimiles.
Livermore, Samuel, 320, 360
Livingston, Philip, 78, 194, 289, 293,
296, 308, 320
Livingston, Robert,
Livingston, Robert C, 333
Livingston, Robert L.,
Livingston, Robert R. Sr., 293
Livingston, Robert R., 300, 304, 320,
333
Livingston, Walter, 302, 320
Livingston, William, 202, 2%, 320, 336
Lloyd, Edward, 320
Lloyd, James, 320
Lloyd, Thomas, 68
Lloyd papers, 219
Locke, John, 102, 204
Logan, Stephen T., 358
London Magazine, 57
Long, Pierse, 320
Longfellow, Henry W., 75, TIA; Family
papers, 217
Loomis, A. W., 355
Lope de Vega — see Vega.
Lorraine, Charles de — see Mayenne.
Lorraine, Henry de — see Guise.
Lorraine, Louis de Guise, Cardinal de,
116, 117
Louis VII, of France, 117
Louis IX, of France, 118
Louis XI, of France, 90, 110, 132, 138
Louis XII, of France, 24, 111, 118, 126,
138, 141
Louis XIII, of France, 100, 102
Louis XIV, of France, 71, 86, 103, 117,
123, 141, 146
Louis XV, of France, 103, 146
Louis XVI, 44, 100, 103, 118, 126, 129,
138
Louis XVII,
Louis XVIII, 165
Louise de Savoie, 103
Louisiana, Spanish archives of, 218
Lovelace, Francis, 203
Lovell, James, 320, 329
Low, Isaac, 296, 320
Lowell, James Russell, 75, 274
Lowell, John, 320, 332
Lowndes, Rawlins, 320
Loyola, Ignatius, 1 16, 137, 204
Lucas, Vrain, forger, 44-50
Ludwell, Philip, papers, 227
Lulli, Giambattista, 136
Luther, Martin, 46, 73, 103, 127, 129,
137, 143, 144, 145, 148, 151, 154, 157,
165, 189, 260; Letter presented to
William II, of Germany by J. Pierre-
pont Morgan, note, 154
Luynes, Charles d'Albert, Due de, 118
Lynch, Thomas, New York merchant,
265
Lynch, Thomas, 297
Lynch, Thomas, Sr., 294, 320; aato*
graph rare, 264, 265
Lynch Thomas, Jr., 22, 23, 64, 65, 74, 78,
178, 180, 191, 196, 201, 226, 310, 320;
signature scarce, 256, 264, 265; only
one letter known, 180; source of his
signatures, 257; forgeries, 256-258
Lytton, Bulwer, 274
Mabillon, dom Jean, 90
McClellan, Gen. George B., 181, 212
McClurg, James, 337
McComb, Eleazer, 320
McCuUough, Hugh, papers, 213
McCurdy, Charles J., 354
MacDonald, Frederick R., His In a Nook
with a Book, 232-234
McDougall, Alexander, 307, 321, 341;
papers, 219
McDowell, Joseph, 321; autograph very
scarce, 264
MacGregor, Rob Roy, 55
McHenry, James, 321, 337, 345
Machiavelli, Nicolo, 118, 128
INDEX
383
Mcintosh, Lachlin, 321, 341
McKean, Thomas, 294. 297, 298, 309,
321, 330; papers, 225-226
McKennan, William, 355
Mackenzie, Henry, 60
Mackenzie, James, 55, 56, 57
McKinley, John, 321
McKinley, William, 347
McKinney, R. J., 356
Macklin, Charles, 94, 175
McLane papers, 219
Maclay, William, 359
McLean, John, papers, 213
McLene, James, 320
McNeill, Hector, 192
Macon, Nathaniel, 320, 351
Madigan, P. F., 83
Madigan, Thomas, 83
Madison, Dolly, 212
Madison, James, 306, 346; papers, 227
Madison, James, Jr., 321, 333, 337, 362
Mahomet, 47
Maine Historical Society collections,
217-218; Fogg collection, 181, 217, 279
Maintenon, Madame de, 204
Maistre, Xavier de, 30
Major, 260
Malebranche, Nicolas, 132, 145
Malesherbes, 142, 174
Malet, Giles, 112
Malherbe, Francois de, 103, 126, 165
Mallet, David, 94
Mangum, Willie P., 348
Manning, James, 321
Mansart, Jules Hardouin, called, 135
Manton, Daniel, 321
Manzoni, 175
Marat, Jean Paul, 70, 90, 141
Marchant, Henry, 301, 321, 329
Marcy, William L., 212
Margaret of Austria, 132, 164
Marguerite d'Angoulfime, 141,
Marguerite de France, 118
Marguerite de Valois — see Valois.
Maria Lxjuisa, 177
Marie Antoinette, 44, 70, 90, 103, 104,
1 19, 129, 132, 138, 165
Marillac, Louis de, 119
Marine, Agent of, 307
Marine Committee assistants, 305-306
Marine, Secretary of, 307
Marshall, John, 228
Marshall, Thomas R., 350
Martin, Alexander, 321, 337
Martin, Alexandre, 87
Martin, Jacques, 104
Martin Luther, 321, 333, 337
Martin, Thomas, 356
Marvel, Andrew, 93, 124
Mary I, of England, 104, 1 19, 157
Mary, Queen of Scots, /(9^, 118, 128, 129,
133, 141, 144, 157, 165, 168, 169, 189,
192
Mary Magdalene, 47; spurious letter, 50
Maryland governors, 197
Mason, George, 321, 334, 337; papers,
213
Mason, James M., 348
Massillon, J. B., 141
Mather, Cotton, 192, 211
Mather, Increase, 211
Mather, Richard, 211
Mathews, Gen. George, 341, 362
Mathews, John, 304, 321, 331
Matlack, Timothy, 321
Matthews, John, 304
Matthias, Emperor of Germany, 20
Maury, Matthew F., 212
Maximilian, Emperor of Germany, 20,
118
Maxwell, Gen. William, 341
Mavenne, Charles de Lorraine, Due de,
104
Mayer, Brantz, 170, 182
Mazarin, Cardinal, 71, 90, 98, 99, 121,
133, 140, 162
Mazarine Gallery, 208
Meade, Richard K., 345
Mecklenburg Declaration of Independ-
ence, 228
Medicis, Catherine de, 24, 101, 104, 112,
116, 125, 132, 133, 139, 144, 168, 189
Medicis, Cosmo de, 1 19
Medicis, Francesco de, 147
Medicis, Lorenzo de, 96, 116, 120, 121,
123
Medicis, Marie de, 90, 104, 133, 163
Medicis, Pietro de. 111, 117
Melancthon, Philipp, 148, 165, 188, 260
Menage, M., 121
Menage, Gilles, 126
Mendelssohn, Moses, 152
Mendoza, Don Inigo Lopez de, 149
384
INDEX
Mercator, Gerard KaufFmann, called,
149
Mercer, Hugh, 76, 201, 341; autograph
rare, 266
Mercer, James, 321
Mercer, John,
Mercer, John Francis, 321, 337
Meredith, George, 274
Meredith, Samuel, 321
Meredith, William M., 355
Mersenne, Pere, 114, 115
Metastasio, 174
Mexican war papers, 218
Mezeray Francois Eudes, 119
Michaux, 176
Michelangelo Buonarotti, 1 19, 135, 138,
149, 163
Mickley,JosephJ., 170, 181
Middleton, Arthur, 78, 310,^321; ad-
vance in values, 269-270, 270
Middleton, Henry, 297, 298, 321; auto-
graph very rare, 264
Mifflin, Thomas, 296, 298, 303, 304,
321, 336, 341, 345
Mignard, Pierre, 90, 119, 126, 146
Migrations and Pedigrees of Autographs,
230-240
Milan, Duke of, 164, 168
Miller, Nathan, 321
Miller, Dr. Ph., 102
Millet, Jean Franjois, 131
Milligan, Samuel, 356
Milton, John, 73, 99, 221, 226, 253;
autograph in British Museum, 20
Minuit,5Peter, 203
Mirandola — see Pico.
Missouri Historical Society Collection,
218
Mitchell, Nathaniel, 321
Mitchell, Stephen Mix, 321
Mole, M. dela, 113
Moliere, J. B. Poquelin, 104, 119, 134,
145, 209
Monk, 93
Monmerqu6, 87; sale, 89-91, 1 17, 1 18, 120
Monmouth, James, Duke of, 105, 128
Monroe, James, 185, 322, 346, 360;
papers, 227
Montaigne, 47, 209
Montalembert, 30
Montcalm de Saint Veran, I^uis Joseph,
Marquis de, 1 19
Montgomery, 174
Montgomery, Gabriel, Comte de, 105
Montgomery, John, 322
Montgomery, Joseph, 322; autograph
very rare, 263
Montgomery, Gen. Richard, 76, 199, 201,
341; autograph rare, 266
Montgomery, William, 322
Montigny, Lucas de, 87, 124, 280; col-
lection, 125-126
Montmorency, Anne de, the Constable,
115, 120
Montmorency, Henry II, Due de, 105
Montmorency, House of, 86
Montrose, Marquis of, 128, 129
Moore, Alfred, 200, 334
Moore, Andrew, 362
Moore, Gen. James, 193, 341; auto-
graph rare, 266
Moore, Dr. John, 168
Moore, Thomas, 174
Moore, William, 322
More, Hannah, 175
Morehead, Charles S., 357
Morehead, J. M., 356
Morgan, Gen. Daniel, 341; papers, 222
Morgan, J. Pierrepont, 196; and the Lu-
ther letter, note, 154
Morgan, Lady, 175
Morghen, 176
Morrill, Lot M., 353
Morris, Cadwalader, 322
Morris, Gouverneur, 322, 330, 336
Morris, Lewis, 78, 301, 308, 322
Morris, Robert, 78, 302, 307, 309, 322,
330, 333, 336, 359
Morrison, Alfred, 88, 159, 160, 161, 237,
243; sale, 159-169; catalogue, 160, 161,
288
Morse, Freeman H., 353
Morse, Jedediah, 185
Morton, John, 202, 294, 296, 309, 322
Morton, Levi P., 350
Mothe de Vaingfield, M. de la, 118
Motte, Isaac, 322
Moulton, Louise Chandler, 212
Moultrie, Gen. William, 341
Mowry, Daniel, 322
Moxon, 54
Moylan, Gen. Stephen, 341, 345
Mozart, 149, 153, 154, 165, 189, 204
Mucianus a collector, 15
INDEX
385
Muhlenberg, Fretlk. Augustus, 322, 351,
361
Muhlenberg, Gen. Peter, 341, 361
Mumford, Paul, 322
Munson, Capt. William, 193
Murdock, William, 294; autograph ex-
tremely rare, 265
Murphy, 175
Murray, John, 53, 54
Murray, Joseph, 289, 291
Musde des Archives Nationales, 209
Museum Thoresbyanum, 88
Musgrave, Sir William, 88
Myers, T. Bailey, 227; collection, 222
Napoleon, 14, 73, 92, 105, 111, 139, 140,
J42, 144, 151, 165, 167, 188, 189, 206,
207, 1\1; deterioration of autograph,
254-255
Nash, Abner, 322, 334
Nash, Gen. Francis, 193, 341; autograph
very rare, 266
Nassau, Maurice of, 105
Nassau, Philibert de, 113
Naval Officers, 197
Navarre — see Albret, Henri d'.
Navarre, Queen of; see Albret, Jeanne d';
Valois, Marguerite de; Marguerite d'
Angoulhme.
Navy Department, Revolutionary, 305
Naylor, Frederick, 81
Neilson, John, 322, 336
Nelson, Lord, 53, 93, 106, 233; his letter
to Thomas Lloyd, 68; his correspond-
ence with Lady Hamilton, 160.
Nelson, Thomas, Jr., 78, 309, 322, 337
Netherclift, J. and F., Books of facsimile
autographs, 284, 285, 286, 287
Neuville, Chevalier de la, 76, 341; auto-
graph extremely rare, 265
Neve, Peter le, 87, 88
Nevers, House of, 86
Nevill, Gen. John, 342
Newcomb, Simon, 212
Newenham, Sir Edward, 158
New Hampshire Historical Society Col-
lection, 219
New Madrid archives, 218
Newton, Sir Isaac, 14, 45, 46, 93, 106,
123, m, 132, 193,122
New York Historical Society collection,
219-220
New York Dutch Governors, 203
New York MSS., 224
New York Public Library collection,
220-222; Emmet collection, 180, 220
New York State Library collection, 222,
224
Nichols (John Gough) — Autographs oj
Royal, Noble, Learned and Remarkable
Personages, etc., 18-19, 87, 283
Nicola, Gen. Lewis, 342
Nigro, Fr., 1 18
Nixon, Col. John, 211, 305, 342
Norfolk, John, Duke of, 99, 102
Norfolk, Thomas Howard, Duke of, 120
Norris, Isaac, 290, 292
North Carolina signers, 269
Northwestern Literary and Historical
Society a fraud, 38
Northumberland, Algernon, Earl of, 128,
129
Nostradamus, Csesar, 106
Noyes, William Curtis, 354
Gates, Titus, 128
Oberleitner, Charles, 286
Occam, Sampson, papers, 214
Ogden, Matthias, 342
Ogden, Robert, 293
Old Congress — see Continental Congress.
Old, Mr., Conversations with Mr. Young,
240-282
Olden, Charles S., 355
Orange, Prince of, 113
Orange, William the Silent, Prince of,
151, 166
Orange, William II, of, 108
Orleans, Due d', 132; see Valois.
Ormond, Marquis of, 23, 127, 163, 234-
237
Orr, James L., 352
Orth, Godlove S., 357
Osborne, Adlai, 322
Osgood, Samuel, 302, 322
Otis, James, Jr., 293
Otis, Samuel A., 322
Ovid, 47
Oxford, Earl of, 86
Oxford, Harley, Earl of — see Harley.
Paar, Ludwig, Count, 146; collection,
146-150
Paca, William, 78, 297, 309, 322
386
INDEX
Page, John, 362
Page, Mann, Jr., 301, 322; confused with
Mann, Sr., 247
Paine, Elisha, 322
Paine, Ephraim, 322
Paine, Robert Treat, 78, 295, 308, 322
Paine, Thomas, 93, 199
Palfrey, William, 345
Palmer, Barbara — see Cleveland.
Palmer, John, 94
Palmer, John M., 358
Pandolphino, 108
Par6, Ambroise, 90, 120, 126
Paredes — see Garcia.
Parison sale, 138
Parker, John, 322; autograph rare, 264
Parker, Josiah, 362
Parma, Archduchess of, 128
Parma, Duke ol — see Farnese.
Parnell, Thomas, 94
Parr, Dr., 175
Parr, Lord, 98
Parr, Catherine, 98, 157
Parsons, Gen. Samuel, 342
Parsons, Theophilus, 332
Parsons, W., 94
Partridge, George, 323, 360
Partridge, Oliver, 291, 293
Pascal, Blaise, 45, 46, 123, 126, 132, 209
Pasta, 176
Paterson, Gen. John, 342
Paterson, William, 323, 336, 359
Patten, John, 323; autograph rare, 264
Patterson, Gen. Samuel, 323
Paul I, of Russia, 192
Payne, John Howard, 184
Peabody, Nathaniel, 323
Peace Congress of 1861, 198, 245, 353-
358
Pearson, J. & Co., 82
Pedigrees of autographs, 230-240
Peiresc, Fabri de, 86
Peery, William, 323
Pell, Philip, 323
Pellisson, 137, 142, 166
Pendleton, Edmund, 297, 323; papers,
227
Pendleton, Nathaniel, 338
Penn, John, 78, 269, 292, 310, 323, 330
Penn, Thomas, 199
Penn, William, 75, 76, 178, 188, 192, 203,
207, lis
Penn MSS., 225
Penns, The, 177
Pennington, William, 352
Pennsylvania Historical Society, collec-
tions, 224-227; Penn MSS., 225;
Washington letters, 225; Wayne Col-
lection, 225; Wilson papers, 225; Mc-
Kean papers, 225; Poinsett papers,
226; Conarroe papers, 226; Dreer Col-
lection, 180, 226, 279; fitting Collec-
tion, 179, 226; Buchanan letters, 226;
Franklin letters, 225
Pennsylvania University; Hale Collec-
tion, 201
Pepperill, Sir William, papers, 216
Pepys, Samuel, 93
Percy, Algernon — see Northumberland.
Pericles, 47
Perrault, Charles, 90
Perrugin, Petro Vanucci, called, 135
Perry, Belmont — autograph imposter, 32
Perry, John J., 353
Person, Thomas, 323; autograph rare,
264
Pescara, Marquise de — see Colonna,
Fittoria.
Peter, Saint, 47, 49
Peter the Great of Russia, 147
Peters, Hugh, 129
Peters, Richard, 292, 304, 305, 323
Pettit, Charles, 323
Peutinger, Conrad, 148
de Peyster papers, 219
Philip I, of Spain, 128
Philip II, of Spain, 70, 100, 106, 119,
133, 147, 169, 177
Philip IV, of Spain, 100
Philip V, of Spain, 92
Philippe II, of France, Philippe Auguste,
129
Phillips, Lawrence B., 287
Phillips, Peter, 323
Phillips, Sir Thomas, 88
Phillips, Gen. William, 228
Photographic reproductions — see Fac-
similes.
Picard, Ludovic — French imposter, 29
Piccini, Nicolas, 142
Piccolomini, ^neas, see Pius II.
Pickering, John, 323, 335
Pickering, Timothy, 303
Pickering, William, 73
INDEX
387
Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni, 133
Pierce, Franklin, 346
Pierce, William, 323, 338
Pilate, Pontius, 47
Pinckney, Charles, 323, 338
Pinckncy, Charles Cotesworth, 338, 342
Pinckney, Thomas, 323
Pinkerton, John, 175; papers, 216
Pinkney, Edward C.,270; extremely rare,
272
Pippi, Giulio — see Giulio Romano.
Pirkheimer, Wilibald, 148
Piron, Alexis, 90, 106
Pitkin, William, 292, 323
Pius II, Pope, 120
Pix6r6court, Guilbert de, 87
Pizarro, 162
Plancy, M. de, 114
Plater, George, 323
Piatt, Zephaniah, 323
Pliny, 16, 47
Poe, Edgar A., 75, 184, 193; MS. of
Murders in the Rue Morgue, 216
Poinsett, Joel R., papers, 226
Poisson — see Pompadour.
Pole, Edmund de la — see Suffolk.
Pole, Reginald, Cardinal, 128
Poliziano, Angelo, 120
Polk, James K., 346, 351
Polk, Thomas, 323
Pollock, James, 355
Poltrot, assassin, 116
Pomeroy, Seth, 193, 342; autograph
rare, 266
Pomeroy, Theodore M., 352
Pompadour, Madame de, 70, 90, 142, 146
Pompeius Secundus, a collector, 16
Pompey, 47
Pomponne, Arnauld de, 140
Pontius Pilate, 47
Poor, Enoch, 342
"Poor Man's Prayer," 56, 57
Poore, Ben Perlev, 170, 182
Pope, Alexander, 22, 59, 93, 94, 106, 124,
175, 189, 221
Popham, Sir John, 106
Poquelin, J. B. — see Moliere.
Porson, Richard, 93, 123, 175
Portsmouth, Duchess of, 120
Post Office Department, Revolutionary,
307
Potter, John F., 358
Potts, Richard, 323
Poussin, Nicholas, 106
Pratt, James T., 354
Preble, Edwin, papers, 213
Presidents of the Continental Congress,
229, 298-299
Presidents pro tem of the Senate, 347-
350
Presidents of the United States, 74, 181,
187, 191, 195, 197, 198, 204, 206, 212,
216, 218, 229, 244, 250, 346-347;
papers in the Library of Congress, 212
Pretender, the Old — see James III.
Pretender, the Young, 55
Prevost D'Exiles, L'Abb6, 90, 134, 142,
145
Price, Rodman M., 355
Prices of other things than autographs,
15
Prices from 1827 to 1859, 71, 72
Prices at Bovet sale, 72, 73
Cist sale, 77-78
Cohn sale, 73, 74
Danforth sale, 77-78
Dillon sale, 73
Donnadieu sale, 72, 73, 74, 95-
109
Fillon sale, 74, 132-137
Huth sale, 72, 73
Young sale, 74
Monmerqu6 sale, 89-91
Upcott sale, 92-93
Tefft sale, 183
Leffingwell sale, 196
Priestley, 176
Prior, Matthew, 94, 95, 124
Proctor, Bryan W., 175
Progressive decrease in market value of
autographs, 69-78
Pseudo Autograph Collectors, 29
Ptolemy III, 5
Public Collections in America, 210-229;
in Europe, 208-210
Pulaski, Count, 76, 342; autograph very
rare, 266
Pulci, Luigi, 120
Putnam, Israel, 76, 190, 201, 250, 342
autograph very rare, 266
Putnam, Rufus, 342
Puttick & Simpson, 95, 157, 285
Puy, M. de, 107, 121
Pynchon, Col. John, 200
388
INDEX
Qualities that determine the value of
autographs, 21
Quaritch, Bernard, 72, 73, 74, 82, 221, 237
Querouille, Louise de — see Portsmouth.
Quick, John, 94
Rabelais, Franfois, 42, 43, 45, 47, 120,
128, 132, 138, 166
Racan, Honorat de Bueil, Marquis de,
142
Racine, Jean, 43, 44, 47, 7/, 128, 134,
138, 166, 174
Raffles, Rev. Dr., 88, 178
Raleigh, Sir Walter, 23, 106, 127, 129, 158
Rameau, Jean Phil., 136, 142
Ramsay, David, 298, 323
Ramsey, Nathaniel, 323
Randall, Samuel J., 352
Randolph, Edmund, 323, 333, 337, 345
Randoplh, Joseph F., 355
Randolph, Peyton, 295, 297, 298, 323
Randolph papers, 227
Rantzau, Joseph, Comte de, 121
Raphael Sanzio, 47, 106, 121, 135, 138,
153, 154, 163; migration of a sketch,
231,281
Rapin, Pfire, 141
Rarity of autographs — see Conversation
Five.
Read, George, 297, 309, 324, 333, 336,
359
Read, Jacob, 324
Read, James, 306
Read, T. Buchanan, 274
Reade, Charles, 274
Recherche autographs, 266
Reed, Gen. James, 342
Reed, Joseph, 324, 330, 342, 345
Reed, Thomas B., 352
Reed papers, 219
Reid, David S., 356
Reid, James R., 324
Rembrandt, 74, 107, 128, 136, 152, 166
Ren6 d' Anjou, 121
Replies for requests for autographs, 26
Reuchlin, Johann, 137, 145, 148
Revere, Paul, 193, 201
Revolutionary Cabinets, 300-306
Revolutionary War— see Generals.
Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 95, 129, 156
Rhoads, Samuel, 296, 324; autograph
rare, 264
Rhode Island Historical Society collec-
tion, 227
Ricci, Francesco, 168
Rich collection, 221
Richard II, of England, 18
Richard III, of England, 107, 166
Richardson, Samuel, 71, 95, 124, 175,
189, 207
Richelieu, Cardinal, 74, 119, 127, 128,
133, 162; autograph of his secretary
like his, 255
Ridgeley, Henry, 355
Ridgeley, Richard, 324
Riley, James Whitcomb, 274
Riilbank, Crescent MSS., 56
Ringgold, Thomas, 294
Rives, William C, 356
Roberdeau, Daniel, 324, 330
Roberts, Charles, 179; Roberts Hall at
Haverford College, 179
Roberts, Dr. W. H., 57
Robespierre, 71, 148, 166
Rochefoucauld, Franfois, Due de la, 90
Rochefoucauld, Franjois VI, Due de la,
141
Rochester, Lord, 105
Rodney, Cssar, 78, 293, 297, 309, 324
Rodney, Caesar A.,
Rodney, George B., 355
Rodney, Thomas, 185, 324
Rogers, John, 297, 324; autograph very
rare, 263
Rogers, Samuel, 174
Rohan, Henri, Due de, 90
Rohan, Prince de. 111
Roland, Madame, 71, 91
Roman, J. Dixon, 356
Romano — see Giulio Romano.
Romney, George, 95
Ronald, William, 334
Ronsard, Pierre de, 133, 142, 144
Roosevelt, Theodore, 347, 350
Root, Jesse, 303, 304, 324
Rosa — see Salvator Rosa.
Roscoe, 175
Rosenbach, A. S. W., 84
Ross, David, 324, 334; autograph ex-
tremely rare, 263; another David some-
times passes for him, 247
Ross, George, 78, 296, 309, 324
Rousseau, Jean Jacques, 91, 107, 176
Rousseau, Theodore, 131
INDEX
389
Rowe, Nicholas, 124, 129
Rowland, David, 293; autograph rare,
265
Roy, Rob, 55
Rubens, Peter Paul, 107, 121, 128, 136,
153, J 54, J 66, 176
Ruffin, Thomas, 356
Ruggles, Timothy, 293; autograph rare,
265
Rumsey, Benjamin, 301, 324
Rupert, Prince, 93, 107, 123, 128, 129
Rush, Benjamin, 309, 324
Russell, Gen. William, 342
Rutherford, John, 78, 289, 303
Rutledge, Edward, 297, 303, 310, 324
Rutledge, John, 294, 297, 299, 324, 338
Sabin, Joseph, 83
Sabli^re — see La Sabliire.
Saint Albans, Viscount — see Bacon.
Saint Amant, Sieur de, 142
Saint-Beuve, 87
St. Clair, Arthur, 224, 299, 325, 342
Saint Genevieve Archives, 218
St. George, Chevalier de— see James III.
Saint Louis Archives, 218
St. Marthe, M. de, 107
Saint-Pierre, Bernadin de, 91
Sales, noted — see Collections and Col-
lectors.
Sales, St. Francis de, 91, 107, 121, 134,
144, 150, 204
Salisbury, Robert Cecil, Earl of, 107
Salmatius, 176
Salvator Rosa, 123
Samblanfay, Baron de, 1 14
Sand, Madame Georges, 30
Sandeau, Jules, 31
Santi, RafFaele, 135
Sardou, Victorien, 87
Saumaise, Claude de, 107
Savage, Richard, 94
Savonarola, Girolamo, 132
Savoy, Duke of, 144
Saxe- Weimar, Duke of, 96, 177
Saxony, Augustus, Duke of, 165
Saxony, John, Duke of, 157
Saxony, Duke of, 73
Scala, Bartolomeo, 121
Scaliger, Joseph Justus, 107
Scammel, Col. Alexander, 193, 201
Scarron, Paul, 134, 142, 145, 166
Schiller, 61,62, 63, y<J<J
Schlegel, 176
Schubert, Franz, 189
Schulz, Otto August, 82
Schureman, James, 324, 333, 361
Schuyler, Gen. Philip, 21 1, 324, 342, 359
papers, 222
Science des Aulographes, La, SS
Scott, Dr., his ylulograph Collecting, 14,
54, 260; his Guide to the Collector of
Historical Documents, 7
Scott, Gen. Charles, 342
Scott, Colville, 56
Scott, Gustavus, 324
Scott, John Morin, 304, 324
Scott, Thomas, 361
Scott, Sir Walter, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59,
71, 93, 94, 108, 174, 221; forgeries, 54,
55
Scudder, Nathaniel, 324, 330
Scudery, Madame de, 141
Searle, James, 306, 324
Seddon, James A., 356
Sedgwick, Theodore, 324, 351, 360
Selden, John, 94, 124, 128
Seney, Joshua, 324, 361
Sensier, Alfred, 87, 130-131, 143, 280
Sergeant, Jonathan D., 324
Settle, E., 94
Seurin, Chastelain de la Mottc, 122
Severn, Joseph, 158
Sevier, John, 362
Sevign6, Marquise de, 121
Sforza, Galeas Maria Visconti, 121
Sforza, Ludovicus Marie, 108
Shadwell, Thomas, 94
Shakespeare, 46
Sharpe, William, 302, 307, 325
Shea, 176
Sheldon, Gen. Elisha, 342
Shelley, Percy B., 53, 54, 74, 93, 94, 124,
145, 158, nS, 189
Shenstone, William, 94
Shepard, Gen. William, 342
Sherburne, Henry, Jr., 291
Senior and Junior often confused, 249
Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 93, 94, 177
Sherman, James S., 350
Sherman, John, 349; papers, 213
Sherman, Roger, 78, 295, 301, 302, 303,
308, 325, 329, 335, 360
Sherman, Gen. Wm. T., 212
390
INDEX
Shippen, Edward,
Shippen, William, 325; Father and son
often confused, 248
Shore, Sir John, 175
Shrewsbury, John Talbot, Earl of, 122
Sickingen, Franz von, 144, 148, 154
Siddons, Mrs. Sarah, 94, 166
Sidney, Sir Philip, 128. See also Sydney.
Signers of the Declaration of Independ-
ence, 74, 77, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182,
183, 183, 187, 191, 195, 196, 197, 198,
200, 204, 206, 211, 217, 220, 222, 223,
226, 229, 256, 308-310; prices at Cist
and Danforth sales, 77-78; at TefFt
sale, 183
Signers — see Articles of Confederation,
Constitution, etc.
Simms, William Gilmore, 212
Sims, George R. — Among my Autographs,^
Sims, Richard, 286
Sinnickson, Thomas, 361
Sismondi, 175
Sitgreaves, John, 325
Six Nations, Convention with, 289
Sloan collection, 20
Sloane, Sir Hans, 86, 210
Slaughter, Thomas C., 358
Sloughter, Henry, 203
Smallwood, Gen. William, 325, 342
Smith, Adam, 93
Smith, Alexander Hamilton, 54-60
Smith, "Antique," 54-60
Smith, Benjamin, 325, 345
Smith, Caleb B., 357
Smith, Charles John — Book on Auto-
graphs, 283
Smith, Horace, 174
Smith, James, 309, 325
Smith, James C, 354
Smith, John J. — American Historical
and Literary Curiosities, 285, 286
Smith, Jonathan Bayard, 301, 303, 325,
330
Smith, Margaret Bayard, 212
Smith, Melancton, 325
Smith, Merewether, 325, 334; autograph
rare, 264
Smith, Richard, 296, 325
Smith, Thomas, 325
Smith, William, 306, 325
Smith, William, 362
Smith, William, Sr., 291; often confused
with Junior, 249
Smith, William Laughton, 362
Smith, William S., 345
Smollett, Tobias, 81, 124, 129
Somerset, Edward, Duke of, 108
Somes, Daniel E., 353
"Song to the Rosebud," 56
Sophocles, 15
Sorel, Agnes, 122, 138, 209
Sotheby & Wilkinson, 54, 161, 288
Sotheby, Samuel Leigh — Ramblings in
the Elucidation of the Autograph of Mil-
ton, 253, 254, 259, 260
Southard, Samuel L., 348
Southern Confederacy, 198
Southerne, Thomas, 94, 124, 129, 189
Southey, Robert, 174, 201, 221, 232, 271,
273
Spaight, Richard Dobbs, 325, 338
Spalatinus, C. G., 103
Spanish Archives in Missouri, 218
Sparhawk, John, 325
Speakers of the House of Representa-
tives, 351-352
Spencer, Joseph, 194, 304, 325, 342
Speroni, 108
Spinoza, 47, 128, 149, 152
Sprague, William B., 170, 173, 178, 184,
185, 186, 187, 190, 267, 272, 280
Spring, Robert, 65-67
Spurious autographs, 40-68
Stamp Act Congress, 191, 198, 204, 220,
226, 264, 293-294; scarce names, 265
Standish, Myles, 203
Stanley, Col. Nathaniel, 290
Stanton, Edwin M., 212
Stanton, Joseph, Jr., 359
Stargardt, J. A., 82
Stark, Gen. John, 342; autograph very
rare, 266
State Department of the Revolution, 300
State Historical Society — see Wisconsin.
Steele, John, 362
Steele, Sir Richard, 93, 124, 175
Stella, Jacques, 135
Stephen, Adam, 342; papers, 213
Stephens, William H., 357
Sterne, Laurence, 14, 71, 95, 124, 166,
178, 207
Steuben, Baron, 343; papers, 219
Stevens, John, Sr. (N. J.), 325
INDEX
391
Stevens, John, Sr. (Vt.), papers, 224
Stevens, John, Jr., often mistaken for
John, Sr., 247
Stevens, Thaddeus, papers, 213
Stevenson, Adiai E., 350
Stevenson, Andrew, 351
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 274
Steward, Mr., 99
Stewart, Charles, 325
Stewart, Dugald, 175
Stewart, Gen. Walter, 342
Stewart papers, 219
Stillie, James, 55, 56, 57
Stirk, Samuel, 325
Stirling, Earl of, 211, 343
papers, 219
Stockton, Richard, 78, 309, 325
Stockton, Robert F., 355
Stoddard, Col. John, 289
Stokes, John, 325
autograph very rare, 264
Stone, J. C., 358
Stone, Michael Jenifer, 362
Stone, Thomas, 78, 299, 309, 325, 337
Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of,
24, 25, 108, 122
Strahan, William, 81
Strong, Caleb, 325, 335, 359
Strong, Jedediah, 325
Stryk, Samuel — Facsimile from his Alba
Amicorum, 20
Stryker, Thomas J., 355
Stuart, Charles E., 349
Stuart, Henry — see Darnley.
Stuart, Mary — see Mary, Queen of Scots.
Sturges, Jonathan, 325, 361
Stuyvesant, Peter, 188, 203, 207
Sue, Eugene, 31
Suetonius, 47
Suffolk, Edmund, Earl of, 108
Sullivan, James, 326, 332
Sullivan, Gen. John, 219, 295, 326, 343
Sully, Due de, 85
Summers, George W., 356
Sumner, Increase, 326
Sumner, Gen. Jethro, 343
Sumter, Gen. Thomas, 326, 362
Supreme Court of the U. S., 198, 206
Swain, Gov. David L., Collection, 268-
269
Swan, John, Major in Revolution, 247;
mistaken for John Swann, 246
Swann, John, autograph very rare, 263,
326; John Swan's autograph mistaken
for it, 246
Swann, John, M. C. from N. C, 247
Swedenborg, Emanuel, 129
Swift, Dean Jonathan, 23, 71, 93, 94, 124,
129, 167, 175
Swift, Gen. Heman, 343
Sydney, Sir Philip, 94
Sykes, James, 326
Sylvester, Peter, 361
Symmes, John Cleves, 326
Taft, William H., 347
Talbot, John — see Shrewsbury.
Talcott, Joseph, papers, 215
Tarb6, 87
Tasker, Benjamin, 292
Tasso, Bernardo, 108
Tasso, Torquato, 22, 91, 134, 167, 176
Taste for collecting autographs, 13
Tavanne, M. de, 116
Tavanne, Vicomte de, 117
Taylor, Bayard, 274
Taylor, George, 202, 309, 326; confused
with a N. J. coast guard of same name,
249
Taylor, John W., 351
Taylor, Zachary, 190, 346
Tefft, Israel K., 170, 172, 182, 190, 257
Telfair, Edward, 302, 326, 331
Terrail, Seigneur de, 111
Teulet, Mr., Ill, 113
Thacher, George, 326, 360
Thacher, John Boyd, 202-205
Thackeray, Wm. M., 53, 55, 58, 184, 207,
11^; MS. of Lecture on George III, 216
Thane's British Autography, 87, 283
Thatcher, Benjamin B., 170, 171
Thomas, Isaiah, 210; History of Printing,
211
Thomas, John, 343; autograph rare, 266
Thomas papers, 220
Thompson, Ebenezer, 326
Thompson, Gen. William, 343
Thomson, James, 94, 124, 129
Thoreau, Henrv D., 274
Thoresby, Ralph, 87, 88, 91
Thornton, Matthew, 78, 308, 326
Thornton, Presly P., 345
Thorwaldsen, 176
Thou, Jacques Auguste de, 112
392
INDEX
Thouars, Vicomte de — see La TremoiUe.
Tiberius, 47
Tickell, Thomas, 94
Tilghman, Edward, 294
Tilghman, Matthew, 297, 326
Tilghman, Tench, 345
Tilliers, Comte de, 118
Tilton, James, 326
Titian, 135, 149, 153, 167
Tompkins, Daniel D., 348; papers, 223
Totten, A. W. O., 356
Townshend, Lord, 106
Trapier, Paul, Jr., 326; confused with his
father, 248
Treadwell, John, 326
Treasury Board, 301
Treat, Amos S., 354
Tremont, Louis Philippe Joseph, Baron
de, 87, 109, 110, 231, 280, 281; collec-
tion, 24, 43, 143; sale, 71, 109-122
Trivulce, Cardinal de, 114, 119
TroUope, Anthony, 274
Tromp, Martin Harpertzoon, 122
Trumbull, John, 345
Trumbull, Jonathan, 351; papers, 215
Trumbull, Jonathan, Jr., 302, 326, 345,
361; papers, 215
Trumbull, Joseph, 296, 304, 326
Trumbull, Lyman, papers, 213
Tuck, Amos, 353
Tucker, St. George, 333
Tucker, Thomas Tudor, 326, 362
Tuckerman, Henry T., 272
Tupper, Gen. Benjamin, 343
Turenne, Comte, 105, 111
Turenne, Marshall, 100
Turner, Dawson, 88; collection, 122-124;
sale, 71; catalogue, 285
Turner, James W., 64-65
Turner, Thomas J., 358
Tuscany, Grand Duke of, 99
Twiller, Wouter van, 203
Tyler, John, 346, 348, 356
Underwood, Levi, 353
Upcott, William, 88, 91-95; collection,
91-95; sale, 71, 91-95, 95, 99, 100, 101,
102, 104, 107, 109
Urbain VIII, Pope, 122
Vadier, 138
Vaingfield, M. de la Mothe de, 118
Valentinois, Duke of — see Borgia, Caiar.
Valentinois, Duchesse de — see Diana of
Poictiers.
Vall6, Franfois, papers, 218
Valois, Charles le, 126
Valois, Marguerite de, 118, 126, 129, 133,
150
Valois, Ren6 de — see Alencon.
Values of autographs, 21; affected by
condition, 24, 25; length, 25; celebrity,
24; contents, 23; genuineness, 22;
fashion, 25; whether 1. s. or a. 1. s., 25;
increase in, 69-78. See Prices.
Van Brugh, Sir John, 94
Van Buren, Martin, 346, 348
Van Cortlandt, Gen. Philip, 343
Vancouver, George, 144
Vandever, William, 358
Van Dyck, Anthony, 136
Van Dyke, Nicholas, 326, 330; father
and son confused, 248
Vane, Sir Henry, 108
Van Rensselaer, Jeremiah, 361
Van Schaick, Gozen, 343
Vanucci, Pietro — see Perrugino.
Varenne, Sire de la, 122
Varick, Richard, 345
Varnum, James M., 326, 343
Varnum, Joseph B., 347, 351
Vecelli — see Titian.
Vega — see Garcilasso.
Vega-Carpio, Felix Lope de, 135
Vendome, Due de, 102
Vercingetorix, 47
Verneuil, M. de, 117
Vernon, William, 305
Veronese, Paolo Cagliari, called, 109, 122,
123, 128, 136, 163
Verulam, Baron — see Bacon.
Vespucci, Emerico, 133, 167
Vice Presidents, 250, 347-350
Vicenza, Duke of, 105
Victorvs, Paolo de, 1 14
Villandry, M. de, 120
Villeroy, M. de, 96, 97
Villeroy, Nicolas de Neufville'de, 109
Villiers, George — see Buckingham.
Vincent de Paul, 109, 126, 142, 204
Vinci, Leonardo da, 122, 167
Vinin^, John, 326, 361; Senior and
Junior often confused, 247
Virgil, 16
INDEX
393
Virginia Historical Society Collections,
227-228
Volney, 176
Voltaire, 14,7/, 115, 176
Vosc, Gen. Joseph, 343
Vossius, 176
Vouet, Simon, 123, 135
Vroom, Peter D., 355
Waddell, Rev. Moses, 212
Wade, Benjamin F., 349
Wadsworth, James, 325
Wadsworth, James S., 354
Wadsworth, Jeremiah, 326, 361; papers,
215
Wadsworth, Pcleg, 326
Wake, Sir Isaac, 100
Waldstein, Albrect Wenzel Eusebius
von, 144
Walker, Benjamin, 345
Walker, John, 327, 345, 360
Walker, Timothy, 327
Wallenstein, Count, 63, 64, 144, 147
Waller, Edmund, 93, 94, 124, 128, 129
Waller,John, 80, 81
Waller, , 80
Walpole, 176
Walsh, W. S., Handybook of Literary
Curiosities, 16, 26
Walsingham, Sir Francis, 123
Walton, George, 196, 301, 310, 327, 338
Walton, Isaac — Life of Sir Henry JVoot-
ton, 18
Walton, John, 327, 331; autograph very
rare, 264; father and son confused, 248
Wanley, Humphrey, catalogue of the
Harleian MSS., 18
War, Board of, 303; commissioners for
the Board, 303
War, Civil VVar letters, 245
War, Revolutionary Department of, 303
War, Revolutionary secretaries, 303-
304
War and Ordinance, Board of, 303
Warburton, 175
Ward, Artemas, 304, 327, 343
Ward, Henrv, 293
Ward, Samuel, 295, 327, 332
Waring, Thomas, 306
Warner, George F., 288
Warren, James, 305, 327
Warren, Joseph, 194, 201, 204
Washburn, Cadwalader C, 358
Washburne, P^iihu B., papers, 213
Washington, George, 75, 91, 95, 148, 158,
167, 177, 185, 190, 194, 194, 196, 196,
199, 202, 204, 206, 207, 211,215, 220,
225,226, 297, 327, 337, 339, 346, 347;
letter to Francis Hopkinson, 68; forged
letters, 66, 67; letter about his gen-
erals, 224; letters considered recherchi,
266; farewell address, 224; household
papers, 224; letters in Pennsylvania
and Virginia Historical Societies, 225,
228; change in his handwriting, 252-
253; his aides-de-camp, 344-345; his
secretaries, 344-345
Washington, Martha, 75, 76,95,200,202,
204, 207
Washington, Marv, 75
Waters, Richard P., 354
Watson, John F., 286
Watts, 174
Wayne, Anthony, 76, 194, 343; auto-
graph recherche, 266; papers, 225
Weare, Mesech, 291
Webb, Samuel B., 343, 345
Webster, Daniel, 212, 219
Weedon, George, 343
Welles, Gideon, papers, 213
Welles, Samuel, 291
Wendell, Jacob, 289
Wentworth, James, 327
Wentworth, John, Sr., 301, 327
Wentworth, John, Jr., 327, 329
Wentworth, Joshua, 327
Wentworth, Thomas — see Strafford.
Wentworth, Sir Thomas, 23, 24
Wesley, John, 233
West, Benjamin, 176
West, Benjamin (N. H.), 327, 335
West, James, 88
West Point Garrison's reply to Wash-
ington, 211
Weyman, Stanley, 274
Wharton, John, 305, 306
Wharton, Samuel, 327
Wheeler, F., 82
Wheeler, William A., 349
Whipple, William, 78, 306, 308, 327
Whitcomb, Gen. John, 343
White, Alexander, 327, 362
White, Henry Kirke, 93, 94, 124, 271,273;
handwriting never changed, 253
394
INDEX
White, Hugh Lawson, 348
White, James, 327
White, John, 352
White, Phillips, 327
White, Thomas, 355
White, Bp. William, 175
White, , dealer, 54
Whitgift, John, 128
Whitman, Walt, 274
Whittier, John G., 272, 274
Wibird, Richard, 291
Wickliffe, Charles A., 357
Wilhelm — see Woedtke.
Wilkinson, James, 343
Wilkinson, Tate, 94
William the Silent — see Orange,
William II, of Orange — see Orange.
William II, of Germany, note, 154
Williams, Elisha, 292
Williams, John, 327, 330
Williams, J. B., 88
Williams, Otho H., 343
Williams, Roger, 187, 188, 192, 203
Williams, William, 78, 308, 327; papers,
215
Williamson, Benjamin, 355
Williamson, Hugh, 327, 334, 338, 362
Willing, Thomas, 327
Wilmot, David, 355
Wilson, Henry, 349; papers, 213
Wilson, James, 78, 225, 303, 309, 327,
336
Wilson, Woodrow, 347
Winder, William, 306
Wingate, Paine, 327, 359
Winthrop, Robert C, 187, 352
Wirt, William, papers, 213
Wisconsin Historical Society Collection,
280
Wisconsin State Historical Society's
Collection, 228-229
Wisner, Henry, 296, 327
Witherspoon, John, 78, 212, 309, 327,
330
Woedtke, Baron de, 77, 343; autograph
extremely rare, 266
Wolcott, C. P., 357
Wolcott, Erastus, 295, 328
Wolcott, Oliver, 78, 302, 308, 328, 329
Wolcott, Oliver (Sec. Treas.); papers, 215
Wolcott, Robert, Sr., Wolcott, Robert,
Jr., confounded, 249
Wolcott, Roger, 290
Wolcott, Roger, Jr., 292, 328; auto-
graph rare, 265
Wolfe, Gen. James, 123, 129, 167, 194
Wolfe, Maj. Walter, 167
Wolsey, Cardinal, 128
Wood, John, 358
Wood, Joseph, 328
Woodford, Thomas, 307
Woodford, Gen. William, 194
Woodward, Henry, 94
Woodward, William, 95, 174, 343
Wool, John E., 355
Wooster, David, 343
Wotton, Sir Henry, 128
Wordsworth, William, 95, 174
Worthington, John, 291
Wren, Sir Christopher, 94, 109
Wright, John C, 357
Wright, Turbett, 328
Wycherly, William, 124, 129
Wynkoop, Henry, 328, 361
Wythe, George, 78, 309, 328, 337
Yates, Abraham, 328
Yates, Peter, 328
Yates, Robert, 336
York, Anne Hyde, Duchess of, 109
York, Duke of — see James II.
Young, Arthur, 175
Young, John, 88, 126, 237; sale, 23, 71,
74, 126-128, 129, 158
Young, Mr., Conversations with Mr. Old,
240-282
Zeune, Richard, 82
Ziegler (Caspar) — Facsimile from his
Album Amicorum, 19
Zollicoffer, Felix K., 357
Zubly, John J., 328
Zuichen, Viglius, 164
Zwingli, Ulrich, 137, 149, 154
i
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