Bloomsbury Auctions

183. Gellibrand family. Co r r e S p o n d e n C e, numerous pp., 8vo,
London, Philadelphia, Germany & Russia, v.d., late nineteenth
- twentieth centuries, family news etc., “I must say I am rather
concerned about Jack. From what I can learn he appears to be
doing very little good at Payne’s stuffing the child with Latin &
chemistry... . If he could be placed in Petersburg or some other
commercial town in Russia it certainly be far better than sending
him to Onega,” folds (qty). £100 - £150
184. Sign Language.- a de a f mu t e pa rt y at a ga m e o f bi l l i a r d S
(di S p u t i n g t h e SC o r i n g) [&] th e do u b l e ha n d al p h a b e t (britiSh)
[&] th e Si g n ha n d ma n u a l al p h a b e t (ir i S h, am e r i C a n, fr e n C h),
printed broadside, 2pp., central fold strengthened with tape, 160 x
215mm., n.d. [c.1880]. £60 - £80
185. Yorkshire Flora.- Le Fall (B.B.) fl o r a o f yo r K, heavily
annotated and interleaved copy of The London Catalogue, and
other material, with letters, sketch maps and other additional
material, [c. 1880-1900] § Ibbotson (H.) & others. The Bootham
Flora, adapted from a heavily annotated copy of The London
Catalogue of Plants, 1877, numerous pp., later cloth, 8vo (2).
£150 - £200
186. Currie (Bertram, banker, friend of Gladstone, 1827-96).-
Co r r e S p o n d e n C e to Cu r r i e, including: w.e. gl a d S t o n e (6),
Catherine Gladstone, Randolph Churchill, Lord Rosebery, Victoria
Mary of Teck (2), Lord Kimberley (2), T.H. Farrer, John Morley,
together c. 30 pieces, numerous pp., 8vo, v.p., v.d., loose in a
contemporary red morocco letter book, 8vo. £200 - £300
*** Currie “... advised W.E. Gladstone on financial topics, lent his
Whitehall house to the Gladstone’s when they left Downing Street
in 1885, and also put at their disposal his Surrey house, where the
Grand Old Man once held a meeting of ministers. Gladstone much
appreciated Currie’s ‘unbounded kindness’ on these occasions
(Gladstone, Diaries, 11.129). Currie supported Gladstone’s Irish
policy... .” - Oxford DNB.
187. America, Louisiana.- mi n u t e b o o K o f t h e lo u i S i a n a
pl a n tat i o n Sy n d i C at e, manuscript, 39pp. excluding blanks,
original half reversed calf, rubbed, edges worn, gilt and leather
label: “Louisiana Plantation Syndicate” on upper cover, folio,
1883. £120 - £180
*** Ledger setting out estimates of capital needed to develop
100,000 acres of Louisiana’s former plantations with estimates of
returns in various years together with transcripts of correspondence
relating to the development of the project. The Louisiana Plantation
Syndicate was a London based organisation aimed at taking over
defunct plantations after the American Civil War.
188. Switzerland.- Mahlendorff (W.F., schoolboy, of Hendon)
di a ry o f my Stay in fl e u r i e r & t h e r e & b a C K, autograph
manuscript, title and 166pp. excluding blanks, browned, corner
torn from title, old photograph loosely inserted, original cloth,
upper cover working loose, spine defective, 8vo, 1883. £80 - £120
Lot189
189. Battle of Issandlwana and aftermath (Durnford’s Watch).-
[Thrupp (James Godfrey, surgeon, member of the Royal College
of Surgeons, author, served as civil surgeon with the 1-24th
Regiment during the Zulu War in South Africa 1879, grandson
of Joseph Thrupp, the coach builder of Grosvenor Square, 1849-
1913), “J.G. Lefebre” & A. Egmont Hake. th e new dan C e o f
de at h, firSt e d i t i o n, 3 vol., J.g. th r u p p’S C o p y w i t h h i S o r i g i n a l
S i g n e d p e n C i l a n n o tat i o n S o n t h e p i e C e in v o l. ii C o n C e r n i n g t h e
b at t l e o f iSS a n d lwa n a a n d i t S a f t e r m at h, ink inscription torn
away from corner of each title, vol. I lower free endpaper corner
torn away, some other small tears, browned, original decorated
cloth, worn, vol. I covers detached, lacks spine, vol. III lower cover
loose, vol. II & III spines working loose, 8vo, 1884. £600 - £800
*** a u n i q u e zu l u wa r i t e m.
James Godfrey Thrupp was a surgeon at St. Thomas’s Hospital
in London and became for a short time, Civil Surgeon during the
Zulu Wars in South Africa. Due to the illness of a colleague he
was too late to attend the battle at Issandlwana but arrived shortly
afterwards and was responsible for removing Colonel Durnford’s
pocket watch after the battle. Later, Thrupp under the pseudonym
of J.G. Lefebre (his mother’s maiden name) collaborated with
Alfred Egmont Hake in writing The New Dance of Death, a novel,
but with a n a C C o u n t o f t h e b at t l e o f iS S a n d lwa n a (a n d ro r K e’S
dr i f t) a n d th r u p p’S r e C o l l e C t i o n o f t h e a C t u a l e v e n t S a S h e S aw
t h e m a f t e r t h e b at t l e a n d w i t h h i S n o t e S i d e n t i f y i n g fiCtitiouS
a n d a C C u r at e pa rt S o f t h e t e x t.
(1). Page 28. Starting, “That march back from Matyana’s stronghold
was effected with extraordinary rapidity...” and Thrupp’s note:
“th e f o l l o w i n g iS a n e x a C t S tat e m e n t o f w h at r e a l ly h a p p e n e d,
a S w i t n e S S e d b y t h e au t h o r h i m S e l f Jgt.”
(2). du r n f o r d’S wat C h . “...Beaumont walked on slowly until
he was arrested by [‘finding’ substituted for ‘recognising’ by the
author] the body of an officer who had held a high command. It lay
head downwards, and was only partially stripped; a mess waistcoat,
and the shirt beneath it, had been torn open, and h a n g i n g f r o m a
S l e n d e r C h a i n, f i x e d i n t o a b u t t o n-h o l e, w a S a S m a l l g o l d w a t C h
and bunch of charms. The expression of the face was peaceful, and
the corpse apparently disfigured by only one long deep wound.
Beaumont knelt down and removed the watch and
chain, then taking up one of the cold stiffened hands shook it warmly,
murmuring: ‘Good-bye, dear old friend, you’ve done your best, and
died hard, I know. I feel I could almost gladly change places with
you.’ This man had been a brave soldier, a good example and kind
friend to all the men under him. the w a t C h h a d b e e n Stopped b y
b l o o d t r i C K l i n g i n t o t h e w o r K S, and the hands pointed to a quarter
to three.” - Thrupp. A New Dance of Death, 1884.
BLOOMSBURY AUCTIONS
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