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1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Rare Books
Médecine : Aux auteurs du Journal
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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
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Rare Books
705161
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Manuscripts
Five letters written by Jean Frédéric Ostervald and one manuscript by an unidentified writer. Two of the five letters are addressed to Monsieur [Jean] Clogenson (1785-1876), a librarian in Alençon, and one letter, dated 1825, is addressed to Professor [Marc-August] Pictet (1752-1825), an influential editor and researcher who was a professor of natural philosophy at the Academy of Geneva. The recipients of the other two letters are unidentified. The letters are in French; one was written from Paris, France, while the origin of the others is unspecified. The four-page manuscript, also written in French, possibly by Ostervald, describes routes and travel times between numerous destinations, mostly within Switzerland.
mssHM 82714-82719
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Rare Books
Alternate title in MS on cover. Detailed map with tracks of explorers including Cook. Furneaux, Clark & Gore. Upper cartouche: "On trouve à Paris, chez le Sr. Desnos, Libraire, Ingenr. Géogre. du Roy de Dannemark, Rue St. Jacques, au Globe, toutes les Cartes des différents Auteurs. Par le St. Jaillot; et augmentée des Voyages et Découvertes du Célèbre Capitaine Cook qui, après avoir porté l'art Naval jusqu'au dernier degré de la har diesse, et avoir achevé la reconnoissance du Globe, a terminé sa glorieuse carriere de la maniere la plus tragique en 1779; ayant été assomé et poignard�� par les Insulaires d'O-why-hée située près du Tropique du Cancer, dans la Mer du Sud, On a ajouté aux Découvertes de ce grand Navigateur les Voyages de ceux qui ont fait avec lui le tour du Monde. Par M. Brion de la Tour Ingénieur-Géographe du Roi, Auteur de l'Atlas Général destiné spécialement à l'instruction de la jeune Noblesse de l'Ecole Royale Militaire en 1789." Lower catouche: "Avis Les Routes des celebres Navigateurs tracées sur cette Mappe-Monde sont désignees par differentes couleurs, Celles du Capitaine Cook en bleu, Celles de Capitaines Clark et Gore en vert, Celles du Capitaine Furneaux en jaune, a Paris, Chez le Sr. Desnos Ingr. Geographe et Libraire de Sa Majesté Danoise rue St. Jacques au Globe où se trouvent les Cartes du Fond du Sr. Jaillot et celles de differens Auteurs, 1782." Original map by Nicolas Sanson, redrawn on a larger scale and with fresh embellishments by Jaillot, who had acquired the plates after Sanson's death. One of the earliest editions of this map, as redrawn by Jaillot, is dated 1674, and appears in Sanson's Atlas nouveau, 1689--Cf. Tooley, R.V. A dictionary of mapmakers; Fordham, H.G. Some notable surveyors; and RB 180718. Cartouche: Gods & Goddesses. Figures in surround, elaborate art work. Prime meridian: Fer. Relief: pictorial. Projection: Dual Hemisphere. Printing Process: Copper engraving. Verso Text: MS note: Mappemonde.
8836
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Manuscripts
This collection consists of letters and documents related to the government of the municipality of Monterey, California, primarily during the period 1828-1854, with two earlier items for 1785 and 1798, and a later one for 1877. The collection also includes minute books, election results, and records of disbursements of funds and of ordinances passed. Most of the documents are in Spanish until 1846, and in English thereafter. The papers offer a good example of the California municipal system of government operating under an ayuntamiento during the Mexican period, when Monterey was the capital of the province, and under a common council during the early American period. Subject matter includes: Common welfare and the preservation of the public order Health measures, sanitation and hospitals Financial administration: salaries of public officials and employees; assessment of property and taxation, collection of revenues, etc. (over 350 pieces consist of orders to pay, bills, receipts, etc.). Education Elections Administration of justice Repair of streets, bridges, & public buildings Persons represented in the collection include George Allen, W.E.P. Hartnell, José María de Híjar, Philip A. Roach, José Mariano Romero, and David Spence. Some notable items include: Hartnell, William E. P. To Ayuntamiento of Monterey: petition for Mexican citizenship. 1829, Jan. 22 (MR 188) Spence, David. To Ayuntamiento of Monterey: petition for Mexican citizenship. 1829, Jan.22 (MR 364) Monterey (Calif.). Ayuntamiento. Minute books of meetings for the years 1833, 1834, and 1836, which, according to Bancroft, were not believed to be extant. The 1836 minute book contains a copy of the inaugural address of Gov. Mariano Chico, of which there seems to be only one printed copy in the Mercantile Library in San Francisco. (MR 251-253) Hijar, José María de. Letter to David Spence, then Alcalde, requesting a certificate of good character as demonstrated during the four months he resided at Monterey, and asking to state if Spence ever considered that he entertained revolutionary ideas. 1835, Apr. 12 (MR 191) Romero, José Mariano. Letter from the teacher of the normal school at Monterey to the Ayuntamiento, protesting the unjust criticism of his teaching levelled at him by parents and civic authorities. 1835, Nov. 14 (MR 347) Allen, George. Accounts of receipts and disbursements of the municipal funds. 1835 - 1837 (MR 41-45) Tally list of votes, signed ballots cast, and list of delegates elected at Monterey to the Consejo General, scheduled to meet at Santa Barbara on June 15, 1846. 1846, May 26 - 30. (61 pieces) (MR 13) Several documents and bills concerning the building and repair of Colton Hall, California's Constitution Hall. 1847 - 1850 (MR 29, 102, 226, 336, 400) Roach, Philip A. To Common Council of Monterey. Letters from the Mayor containing his recommendations to the council regarding the need for defining the boundaries of the newly constituted city of Monterey, the sale of vacant lands, efforts to be made to have Monterey designated as the capital of California, need for building a wharf, etc. 1850, April 10 and 27. (MR 330) Monterey (Calif.). Residents. Petition addressed to the Common Council requesting that an appropiation be made to defray the expenses of suitably celebrating the 4th of July. Document containing 23 signatures, dated June 6, 1850. (MR 282)
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Manuscripts
This collection contains family correspondence and a few miscellaneous items, chiefly addressed to Joel and Ruth Barlow, Clara Baldwin Bomford, and her daughter Ruth Bomford Paine. Correspondents include Elizabeth Whitman and George William Erving (1769-1850), an American diplomat. The letters discuss the Baldwin family affairs and contain only occasional references to political affairs. Also included are a few documents and 1 manuscript poem. The collection chiefly reflects the children of Michael Baldwin (1719-1787) of New Haven, including Abraham Baldwin (1754-1807), American statesman and founder of the University of Georgia; Henry Baldwin (1780-1844), justice of the United States Supreme Court; Ruth (Baldwin) Barlow (1756-1818) and her husband, Joel Barlow (1754-1812), American poet and statesman; Clara (Baldwin) Bomford (1782-1856), wife of George Bomford (1782-1848), chief of ordnance of the army; and the descendants of George and Clara Bomford. About one-sixth of the letters are addressed to Joel and/or Ruth Barlow, 1779-1816; about one-half to Ruth's sister, Clara (Baldwin) Bomford, 1803-1855; about one-sixth to Clara's daughter, Ruth (Bomford) Paine, 1856-1891; and the remainder to others. Perhaps the collection as a whole is best described as the remnant of a family archive which has passed through a number of generations. Subject matter include Baldwin family affairs; social life in New Haven, Connecticut; the Kalorama property in Washington, D.C., purchased by the Barlows in 1807; sold to the Bomfords in 1818 and subsequently sold by them in 1846; society in Washington, D.C., from 1803 to 1815; the Barlow's social life in Paris in 1811 and 1812; and description and travel in Europe, with letters by George W. Erving describing Switzerland, Italy, and France. Includes biographical material for: Abraham Baldwin; Ruth (Baldwin) Barlow and Joel Barlow; Clara (Baldwin) Bomford and George Bomford; George William Erving; Robert and Harriet Fulton; and other members of the Baldwin family and descendants of George & Clara Bomford. Of particular note are the letters of Elizabeth Whitman to Joel Barlow; the letters of Ruth Barlow; and the extensive series of letters from George William Erving (1769-1850), American diplomat, to Clara Bomford. Erving's letters are perhaps the most substantial part of the collection and the earlier ones are particularly interesting. He never married, occupied several diplomatic posts in Europe, travelled about a good deal, and lived for many years in Paris. The letters contain nothing about his diplomatic work as such, but are full of reflections and observations on a number of subjects and some of them run to a considerable length--there is one of twenty-nine pages. In the earlier part of the collection there are references to Joel Barlow and a number of letters addressed to him, but only one document and several postscripts in his handwriting, and copies of his will and one poem. There are occasional references to political affairs, but the primary importance of the collection is for the picture it presents of the social and day-to-day life of the time, and for the information it contains about the individuals noted below. Persons represented by 3 or more pieces (Figures in square brackets indicate number of letters addressed to the individual)" Baldwin, Abraham (24 pieces, 1789-1807 [2]) Baldwin, Henry (8 pieces, 1813-1816) Baldwin, William D. (4 pieces, 1882) Barlow, Anica (Preble) (4 pieces, 1812-1855) Barlow, Joel (3 pieces, 1797-1812 (38)) Barlow, Ruth (Baldwin) (67 pieces, 1795-1816 [41]) Bishop, Victor (7 pieces, 1845-1852) Bomford, Clara (Baldwin) (21 pieces, 1811-1827 [236]) Bomford, George (7 pieces, 1844-1848 [10]) Bomford, James V. (6 pieces, 1883-1887) Bomford, Mattie (4 pieces, 1856-1883) Dall, Caroline Wells (Healey) (7 pieces, 1884-1892) Derby, Richard C. (5 pieces, 1882-1886) Erving, George William (116 pieces, 1812-1850 [1]) Eyre, Wilson (4 pieces, 1882) Gaines, Edmund Pendleton (10 pieces, 1812-1814) Lafayette, Marquis De (4 pieces, 1789-1827) Linwood, Mary (3 pieces, 1805-1812) Madison, Dolly (Payne) Todd (4 pieces, 1811-1842) Maguire, Bernard (3 pieces, 1844-1848) Marbois, Comte De (6 pieces, 1812-1814) Maulsby, A. M. (5 pieces, 1882) Moore, Margaret Jane (King), Countess Mountcashell (4 pieces, 1812) Olmstead, Lemuel G. (11 pieces, 1854-1855) Riddle, John S. (4 pieces, 1844) Seymour, Louisa (5 pieces, 1886-1891) Smith, J. B. H. (5 pieces, 1851-1856) Thornton, Anna Maria (Brodeau) (17 pieces, 1812-1855 [18]) Whitman, Elizabeth (15 pieces, 1779-1782) Williams, Helen Maria (6 pieces, 1812-1815) Some notable items include: Baldwin, Abraham. To Ruth Barlow. 1789, July 3. "These Politicians Keep Such A Talking Round My Ears, That I Cannot Write You Any More At Present." To Joel Barlow. 1791, Mar. 13. "Many Of The Atlantic Settlers Wish The Western Country Not To Be Settled, And Take All Opportunities To Throw Blocks In The Way...." Will. 1807, Mar. 1. Barlow, Joel. Will. 1797, Apr. 15. Certified Copy, Dated 1813. Barlow, Ruth (Baldwin). To Clara Bomford. 1810, Mar. 10 abd 14. Re: Clara'S Change Of Name; Mrs. Madison; Mme. Bonaparte; Napoleon'S Divorce; Etc. To Clara Bomford. 1812, Sep. Letters Describing Her Visit To Mme. De Villette. Will. 1813, Aug. 24. To Clara Bomford. 1814, Mar. 13. "...Yet The World Suppose Him [Robert Fulton] Swimming In Wealth, Whilst In Reality He Is Oppressed With Debts Which He Can Hardly Find The Means Of Meeting. How Little My Dear Clara, We Know Of Peoples Real Situations & Feelings." Bomford, Clara (Baldwin). To Anna Maria (Brodeau) Thornton. 1811, Nov. 13. Re: Paris Opera, Joel Barlow'S Presentation To The Emperor, Etc. To Anna Thornton. 1814, Dec. 11. Our [Connecticut] neighbors are mostly people of fortune or independant farmers, all delighted to see their friends & acquaintance, they call a visit from 2 in the afternoon till 9 in the evening--about 4 they have a table groaning with the weight of all the good things they can muster--chickens sausages, apple sauce, sweet meats, bread & butter cakes & pies & in the evening cider apples & nuts. Erving, George William. To Joseph Gales. 1814, Oct. 22. Re: the misinterpretation by the British press of American news. To Clara Bomford. 1819, Oct. 6-20. Re: his life in Paris; Mrs. Decatur (she is a charming woman; she was not absolutely a flame, but a little flamelet of mine many years ago, but all calculations duly made, I thought it most prudent to withdraw.); Lafayette (he is one of those in whom hope will never die, who will always see 'couleur de rose' tho affairs be as black as ink,--he thinks that good principles & a good heart is every thing,--tho a soldier he does not calculate well the power of bayonets...) To the same. 1825, Nov. 20. I am glad that you like Mr Vaughan, but I neither presume or desire that you see much of him;--tho' he is a very estimable man, perhaps more respectable (morally speaking) than ministers are in general, yet I shoud not have given him a letter to you (for this is against my rules) but that he almost compelled me to do so:-- with all Vaughans apparent simplicity & frankness, put this well into your head, that he is as thorough an Englishman as any of them; nor could they find in all England a more fit man to send to Washington; for his modesty, his want of all pretension,--his 'bonhommie' & his moderate calm manner, are the very qualities suited to our gullibility;... To the same. 1826, June 8. Monroe... demands great 'swads' of our money without even the shadow of any right at all; thinking no doubt that as the mouth of the publick purse has opened for poor Lafayette, he may as well thrust his big fist into it; before the delicate paw of Madam Decatur shall have quite exhausted it, for the sake of her future husband.... [In Washington] You live precisely in the centre, the best position for observation--look about you,--probably you will not find one man excepting your good husband, who is devoid of this mania; look at their gray or bald foreheads--laden with care; see all the younger ones--rushing--& jostling & fighting & worrying each other, their hearts full of bitterness & envy; their nights sleepless; see what a proportion leave their families, neglect their business, impair their fortunes & ruin their constitutions, for the gratification of empty vanity--called 'ambition':--for do not mistake, not one in an hundred is there to 'serve his country' as a duty. Poor Rufus King!--he has been minister & Senator, & not being able to arrive at the Presidency for which he has been struggling all his life, must needs be minister again; well he dies in the effort! Poor Monroe! he arrived by dint of perseverance, he retires, health & fortune ruined, reputation in not much better condition,--he is to be consumed by mortification! Poor Crawford! the best years of his life sacrificed, his estate & profession neglected;--all his prospects defeated,--he vegitates!--so of the rest. To the same. 1835, Mar. 18. You & I who knew so well must sympathize in the loss of that most excellent friend Mr Crawford; I have never seen in publick life anyone of such perfect & disinterested patriotism, or in private of more pure integrity. Fulton, Robert. To Joel Barlow. 1809, Mar. 1. Re: Explanation of his moving away from Kalorama; Barlow's interest in the steamboat (you had little faith in the success or profits of the boat); Barlow's financial affairs; and getting The Columbiad reviewed in London. Gaines, Edmund Pendleton. To Clara Bomford. 1812, Jan. 20. Re: death of his wife, Frances. Lafayette, Marquis de. Dinner invitation to Joel Barlow. 1789, Feb. 9. Thornton, Anna Maria (Brodeau). To Clara Bomford. 1812, Mar. 15. Re: Count Crillon. Whitman, Elizabeth. To Joel Barlow, 14 letters, 1779-1780; and one letter to Ruth Barlow, 1782. The tragic life of Elizabeth Whitman served as the basis for the popular early American novel by Hannah Webster Foster, The Coquette, or, the history of Eliza Wharton, 1797. These letters were published (inaccurately) by Mrs. Caroline Dall in The Romance of the Association..., Cambridge, 1875.
mssMR
mssBN 1-475