972 BONAPARTE (Joseph). Napoleon's Eldest Brother. King of Naples and Spain. L.S. "Joseph" to General Dedon. I page, 4to. Naples, 15th 15s Concerning two officers of artillery whose company was to be suppressed. 973 BONAPARTE (Marie Laetitia Ramolino, "Madame Mère"). L.S. and Subscribed" Madre" to her son Lucien. 3 pp., 4to. Paris, 29th July, 1808. With translation from the Italian. £11 11s Expressing his fears for her son, and entreating him to be reconciled to his brother the Emperor Napoleon. She also mentions other members of her family. Judge of all that I feel now that I know for certain. Believe that I cannot find peace, though fate so willed it. 66 "At my arrival I found Pauline in a deplorable condition, the doctors of one accord agreed that there was no time to lose if we wished to save her, that she must leave for Paris instantly, adding that any delay might prove fatal. At Lyons I saw Julie who spoke to me of you and yours with all possible interest and with tears in her eyes. From Joseph I have not, however, had any letter since he went to Bayonne, nor can I understand the cause of his silence. Perhaps when the Emperor returns he may have some news, and I will let you know. "I am dismayed to see that you still speak of going away. I again renew my prayers to you to renounce this fatal project. My heart tells me that it is impossible that I shall not see you reconciled to your brother. The Emperor loves you as I know you love him. Your reconciliation depends on so little that I cannot imagine but that you will put an end to this by making some little sacrifice.” The last two lines of the letter are entirely in Mde. Mère's own hand “ Goodbye dear son, I embrace you with all my heart and am your affectionate mother." 974 BONHEUR (Rosa). French Animal Painter. A.L.S. to M. Loustan. 1 pp., 8vo. Autograph address on fly-. leaf. Paris, November 25th, 1853. £1 1s (Trans.):-". I do not rely on my influence to facilitate the success of your brother's request, for I am afraid it is of little value at this time; but, sir, if my recommendation would be useful to your brother, I shall be pleased to give it to him. "Madame Lebrun has given me reason to hope that I shall have the pleasure of seeing you soon. I shall be very grateful for this opportunity of making the acquaintance of you and your brother and of talking to you." Etc. "Lavengro," etc. 975 BORROW (George). Author of "Wild Wales," A.L.S. 3 pp., 4to. Lowestoft, May, 1875. £8 10s In which he makes interesting mention of early Irish missionary labours in Switzerland. "You mention Chamberlayne's work, containing versions of the Lords Prayer in a hundred languages, and ask whether I can explain why the one which purports to be a rendering into Waldensian is evidently made in some dialect of the Gaelic. I first saw it at St. Petersburgh in 1834, and the translation in question soon (Continued over.) Borrow (George)-continued. 976 caught my attention. I at first thought it was an attempt at imposition, but I soon relinquished that idea. I remembered that at one time Helvetia was a great place for Gaelic. I do not mean the old time when the Gall possessed the greater part of Europe, but a long subsequent period. Switzerland was converted to Christianity by Irish monks, the most active and efficient of whom was Gall. These people founded schools, in which together with Christianity the Irish or Gaelic language was taught In process of time, though the religion flourished the Helreto language died away, but many pieces in that tongue survived, some of which might still probably be found in the recesses of St. Gall, the noble Abbey named after the venerable apostle of Christianity in Helvetia, so I deemed it very possible that the version in question might be one of the surviving fruits of Irish missionary labour in Helvetia." Etc. A.L.S. to J. Evan Williams. 3 pp., 8vo. Brompton, December 31st, 1863. £7 10s Mentioning his "Wild Wales and discussing the Slavonian languages. With respect to Lope de Vega's Ghost Story I beg to say that I am thinking of publishing a supplement to my Wild Wales in which, amongst other things I shall give a full account of the tale and point out where it is to be found. You cannot imagine the number of letters I receive on the subject of that ghost story. With regard to the Slavonian languages I wish to observe that they are all well deserving of study. The Serrian and Bohemian contain a great many old traditionary songs, and the latter possesses a curious though not very extensive prose literature. The Polish has I may say been rendered immortal by the writings of Mickiewicz, whose Conrad Wallenrod is probably the most remarkable poem of the present century. The Russian, however, is the most important of all the Slavonian tongues, not on account of its literature, but because it is spoken by fifty millions of people, it being the dominant speech from the Gulf of Finland to the frontier of China. There is a remarkable similarity both in sound and sense between many Russian and Welsh words." Etc. 977 BOSSE (Abraham). Famous French Engraver and Painter. Quarrelled with the Academy of Painting. A.L.S. to M. de Suylecom, steward of the household of his Highness at the Hague. I page, 4to. Paris, 12th November, 1649. With translation. £4 4s Concerning his journey home from Holland, and expressing thanks for kindness received, and then continuing :(Trans.).-". I met my good old friend Mr. Tassin, who snewed me one of your letters in which there is manifest an excessive kindness, Sir, for your very humble servant, who prays you, since you are so kind as to remember him, to honour him with your good advice to serve as a corrective rather than to put so great a value on the little he can produce. Thus he will have greater courage in offering you his modest works." Etc. 978 BOTHA (Louis). Commander in Chief of the Boer Forces during the War. Subsequently first Premier of the Union of South Africa. A.L.S. to the Repatriation Board, Standerton. toria, 6th April, 1903. I page, 4to. Pre £2 10s Written to the Repatriation Board asking for certain supplies to enable him to complete the erection of buildings on his farm Varkenspruit. 979 BOUCHARDON (Edme). Celebrated French Sculptor, Architect and Engraver. Executed the famous Equestrian Statue of Louis XV. A.L.S. 2 pp., 4to. Dated "du Roulle 26 Novembre 1757." £5 5s Concerning the Equestrian Statue of Louis XV.,; Bouchardon writes that he is powerless to reveal to Didier, a founder, the secret processes of the operation of casting the mould; it depending entirely upon Gord who is preparing the mould of the statue. 980 BOURBON (Louis Auguste de, Duc de Maine). Louis XIV. and Madame de Montespan. Legitimatised Son of A.L.S. to Mons. Desmarets, Controller General of Finance and Minister of State. 2 pp., 4to. Marly, 21st November, 1714. Address on reverse and fine wax seal. £1 15s Concerning a certain Mons. Brabant whom the Duke had recommended as "Underlessee" to the Government, for the monopoly of tobacco in the department of Languedoc; intimating that he was not entirely satisfied with the actions of Mons. Maynon, in whose hands the affair had been placed, and requesting his correspondent to remind Mons. Maynon to keep before him the Duke's recommendation, for: (Trans.): In the discourse and manners of this man of finance there are almost always certain intricacies which I must confess I am very far from understanding and by which they frequently endeavour to impose upon those who are not well up in that sort of thing.” Historian. QSI BOWER (Archibald, 1686-1766). Proved guilty of being 15s A.L.S. to Mrs. Elizabeth Montagu, the first "blue stocking. I page, 4to. N.D. Mentioning his History. "I hope to lay the last volume of my History at your feet, as a Tabula votiva before, or soon after, Christmas." Etc. ON BYRON. G82 BOWLES (William Lisle). Poet. Famous for his Sonnets. 983 A.L.S. I page, 4to. 14th June, 1825. Concerning his verses on Lord Byron. £4 10s I have no objection whatever to your friend publishing any verses of mine. unfair to Mr. Watts, to permit these particular verses to be printed by any one else A.L.S. I page, sm. 8vo. Salisbury, 8th March, 1836. £1 1s "i have carefully re-written the Postscript to Scenes & Shadows, & I hope the printer will find no difficulty in re-printing this part & the introduction to the Poems." Etc. 984 BRADLEY (Rev. Edward "Cuthbert Bede"). Wrote "Verdant Green,” etc. A.L.S. to Mr. Parke. 5 pp., 8vo. Denton Rectory, December 23rd. 18s 985 BRADSHAW (John). Regicide. President of the High Court of Justice which tried Charles I. Died in 1659, exhumed at the Restoration, hanged and re-buried at Tyburn. D.S. "Jo: Bradshawe, Prsidt." 1 page, folio. Whitehall, 10th £2 10s Addressed to the Commissioners of the Navy, appointing a Boatswain to the prize ship "Peacock." HIS DISLIKE OF ENGLAND. 986 BRAHMS (Johannes). Famous Composer and Musician. 987 A.L.S. to Georg Henschel the musician. 3 pp., sm. 8vo. (Vienna, 22nd May, 1886.) With translation. £6 10s Explaining his dislike of England. (Trans.):-"Thank you very much for your kind invitation although it is very annoying to hear the usual remarks from you about my dislike for England, etc. You must know then that it is merely my love of comfort & dislike to concerts which keeps me away from England-just as it does from Petersburg or Paris. "I quite understand that my refusals are misinterpreted by the English but it is no use explaining it to them and telling them that it has nothing to do with the music so long as we have a bohemian ministry over here and you have an opium war over there." Etc. A.L.S. to the same. 2 pp., 8vo. 7th November (circa 1874). With translation. £6 6s Pressing Henschel to accept of singing engagements. (Trans.):-". Could you not sing in the Passion-music on Tuesday in Passion week (March 23rd). Then give some concerts here & sing in Odysseus on April 18th. We would modestly offer 200 fl. each time and I will do my best to see that you make more. I am afraid you will have had a lot of invitations for Passionweek. "I am inviting Bruch in case you can't come. I have got the Directors to offer him 150 fl. which seems to me very suitable. It would be very nice if you were here together." Etc. UNPUBLISHED POEM. 9SS BRONTE (Anne, "Acton Bell"). Novelist. Wrote Agnes Grey," etc. Autograph MS. signed of a poem, commencing "Tell him, that earth is not our rest." Comprising 46 lines on 2 pp. 8vo. Signed and dated at end of second page, June 1845. £25 This poem is believed to be unpublished. Anne Brontë's manuscripts are of the greatest rarity, as she died at the early age of 29 years, and her sister Charlotte Bronte (Anne, "Acton Bell "-continued. destroyed, after Anne's and Emily's death, all the letters and manuscripts tuat she could find of her two sisters. "Tell him, that earth is not our rest, And point beyond the sky; But gleams of light may reach us here, Because the road is rough and long, That cheers the wanderer's way? 989 BRONTE (Charlotte, "Currer Bell"). Novelist. Author of "Jane Eyre." Autograph MS. (in French) entitled "Exercises sur les Participes." Contained on 22 pp., 4to. Circa 1842. Evidently a school exercise; a memento of her schooldays in Brussels. £18 990 BRONTE (Patrick Branwell). Brother of the Brontë sisters. Autograph Prose Piece being portion of a storyette written round the Duke of Wellington. 4 pp., 12mo. N.D. £2 10s This little manuscript contains over 160 lines, and is written in the usual microscopic hand of the Brontë family. The Bronte infatuation for the Duke of Wellington is well known, a number of their early literary efforts being weaved around him. 991 BROSSE (Jacques de). Celebrated French Architect. Constructed the Luxembourg Palace for Marie de Medicis, and in 1622 the "Salle des Pas Perdus" in the Palace of Justice. 1613. Autograph Document signed.page, sm. folio. 28th February, £4 10s Exceedingly rare, entirely in the hand of Brosse. The document is a receipt of 3,000 livres which Marshal de Bouillon had paid on account for carrying out certain works to his residence in the Faubourg St. Germain des Prés at Paris. *** De Brosse's last work was the aqueduct of Arcueil, which he completed in 1624. In all his works he gave evidence of a rich imagination, exquisite taste, and a profound knowledge of the laws of architecture. Concerning a picture entitled "St. Ives." "The picture you refer to must be St. Ives (A.D. 1630),' representing Cromwell on his farm There are two Water-colours of the same in oil design with slight alterations." Etc. |