IMPORTANT MANUSCRIPTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1234, 16 September 1911, Page 9

IMPORTANT MANUSCRIPTS.

In n. way, the most interesting lot sold fit Sotheby's tho other day (says tho "Morning Post") wns -i leaf of the lost Journal of Captain Cook, in his own handwriting, dated May 5 and May 6, 1770. The entry of Sunday, Jiny 6, rends: "The gvent number of new plants, etc., our Gentlemen' Botanists have collected in this place occasioned my giving it the name of Botanist Bay. It is situated in Latitude of 84deg. OS and Longitude 20deg. 537 West. It is capacious, safe, and commodious. The entrance is little moro thau J mile broad, and the depth of water doth nowhere exceed 7 fathom?, and tho bottom is everywhere of fine sand. The English Colours wero displayed ashore for several days during our stay in this harbour, and I caused an inscription to be cut out upon ono of the trcc3 near the watering place, setting forth tho ship's name." Tho thrco known copies of his Journal are in tho handwriting of an amanuensis, and they show many alterations compared with, this loaf. Tho importance of this treasure may; bo judged by tho price, .£451, paid for by Mr. Salmi. Mr. Quaritch gave .£IOB for two leaves of Captain Cook's- log-linok—one written by himself and dated November 22 to December i, 1774, when he was croising from New Zealand to Terra del Fucgo on his homewnrd journey, the other, dated March 2G, 1773, was writtera olf the coast of New Zealand, when he was trying to enter Dusky Bay.

An autograph one pngo list of tho titlo and 13 chapter headings for a projected novel, "The- Adventures of Henry Shovel, Esq.," by R. L. Stevenson, and a folio pngs with the names of various medicines required by Stevenson, made X 52; tho

manuscript of "Henry 1V.," by Alexandra Dumas, Pen-, signed fourteen times by

him, and a letter from Dumas to Louis Philippe, .£IOO. The following were tho property of Mr. n. H. Gilchrist, of llollingbonrnc, Kent. In one of 29 letters from D. G. Rossetti to Mrs. Gilchrist he says o[ Swiubunif: "S. is, however, a downright enthusiast through thick and thin, and thick is the Jerusalem (i.e., Blake's prophetic book of tfiat name), at any rate. . . . My brother . . . admits the continual and inscrutable incoherence of the Jerusalem. ... I myself cannot tackle such a book at all." This lot cost Mr. Quaritch XSS, and he paid X) 8 for Rocsetti's autograph notes of corrections and additions to Gilchrist's "T.ife of William Blake." Jj.no Welsh Carlyle had wit and fancy that brightened her conversation and letters, and enabled her to tolerate her croehety hiisbaiul. In one of the letters, of Lot 22fi, slm pays in asking some favour: "A precious bother I am to be sure to you! But if I can never reward you on rarth your are pretty certain to have two little additional wings for it in hnaven." In another letter, written while in Scotland, she writes: "Charlotte (a servant) is the happiest of

created girls—everything so new to her, everything delightful! especially the open admiration of Abcrdonr lads, who call her 'Bonnie wee Lassie' in tho public highway. 'So kind of them,' she eays. . . Mr. C. remarked justly, that 'the compliment to herself wore tho only words of Scotch she could manage to understand,' otc." Mr. Maggs bought, the letters nt -E2G, and Mr. Qimritch paid X3G for several epistles of Carlyle, among them a note to Mr. Ciilchrist praising her husband's "Blake." "I find everywhere," ho remarks, "that it is right well done— minute knowledge, well arranged, lively utterances, brevity, cheerful lucidity—and, in fact, that it is a book likely to provo acceptable."

Therb were quite a largo number of lots relating to Oscar Wilde, and they commanded groat attention. From his literary executor, Mr. Kobert Ross, came an interesting batch of 2!) letters writttn to Wilde. In one from Sir F,. Burne-.Tones the artist arranges with Wilde to bring Sarah Bernhardt to his studio; in another Millais praises "Vera"; and Mr. G. B. Shaw writes referring to "Salome," tho Censorship, and "Lady AVindermerc'e Fan," and giving a criticism of his own work "Widowers' Houses." To Wilde Whistler wrote, after seeing the ' poet walking in Chelsfa wearing a "befroggsd and wondcrfully-befurred" coat: "Oscar, how dare you! What means ■ his unseemly carnival in ray Chelsea! Restore thoss things to Nathan, and never again let me see you masquerading the streets in thp. combined character of a degraded Kossuth and Mr. Mantalini."

Another letter which is unpublished refers to a visit of Mr. Walter Sickert to Wilde:

No, Oscar!—l can spare him longer if needs must—behave well to him and attempt not to palm off wine of inferior quality upon my Ambassador! "Remember he travels no longer as Walter Sickert—of course he is amazing -for does he not represent the Amazing One?—and his tastes arc for the nonce necessarily of the most refined—even tho Louvre holds for him no secrets. . . . . "What more shall I say?—He can explain you the Amazing Catalogue—and for the rest has he not my blessing and his return ticket?" ; This lot fetched .£l3O (Quaritch).' A collection of 11SS., printed books, and newspaper cuttings by and relating to '.Vildo was from another source. Part of the;manuscript of "The Soul of Man Under Socialism" mado .£180; an early draft of "The Function of Criticism," ,£•13; manuscript Chapters XIV and XV of "Dorian Gray," .£80; translations in manuscript from "Ivan Tourquenielt," apparently unfinished, ..£SO; portions of tho manuscript of "The Florentine Tragedy," ■£56; an early draft of "Tho Sphinx." ,J-120. The complete and final draft of this poem, which was the last work published by Wildo before his 'imprisonment, has been presented to the British Museum by Robert Ross.