VALUED MANUSCRIPTS

Taranaki Daily News, 29 May 1933, Page 9

VALUED MANUSCRIPTS

BISHOP HADFIELD’S BOOKS. GIFT TO VICTORIA COLLEGE. A gift of several valuable books and manuscripts, which once belonged td the late Bishop Hadfield, has been made to Victoria University College by Miss Amy Hadfield. Reference to them was made at the last meeting of the college council in a letter received from Mr. H. G. Miller, librarian of the college, who recently returned from a trip abroad. Mr. Miller stated that while he was in London he received from Miss Hadfield several books and manuscripts for the college library. „ < , . “These,” he wrote, “are of such great interest and value that they call for more than ordinary notice. “The gifts are as follow:— (1) “Eikon Basilike: The Portraicture of His Sacred Majestie in His Solitudes and Sufferings.—This is, of course, as Mason calls it, ‘one of the most famous books of the world.’ It was published ‘with great secrecy and in very mysterious circumstances . . . exactly ten days after the late King’s death . . . i.e., February 9, 1649. This particular copy, if not one of the absolutely first impressions, must have been issued within six weeks of Charles execution. (2) “Monumentum Regale, or a Tombe erected for that incomparable and glorious Monarch, Charles the First.—This is a first edition, published 1649. , (3) “Resusitatio, or . . . work . . . hitherto sleeping of Francis Bacon—This is a first edition, ‘much esteemed’ by collectors. The first part (published 1657) contains the Life of Rawley upon which all subsequent writers have depended, and also a splendid portrait. The second part, published in 1670, is bound with 1 (4) “A Latin whole Bible, published at Lyon, in 1732. (5) “A letter of John Henry (Cardinal) Newman headed Oriel College, Oxford, February 23, 1830. (6) “A letter written by the wellknown son of Te Rauparaha to Miss Hadfield’s mother in 1852. Very interesting as showing how the Maori had profited by 12 years of missionary instruction. . • (7) “[Unpublished M.S.] notes on .the State of Jersey (U.S.A.), June, 1786, by Joseph Hadfield. (8) “[Unpublished M.S.] observations on the present state . . •. of Great Britain . . * [written by Joseph Hadfield in 1806 for Lord Henry Petty.] “The Canadian journals of Joseph Hadfield have just been published by Toronto University. “All these books and manuscripts were once owned by the late Bishop Hadfield, Wellington. It will be seen at once that these constitute a valuable gift, and that the college is much indebted to Miss Hadfield for her generosity.” It was decided to send a special letter to Miss Hadfield thanking her for this exceptionally valuable gift.