Manuscripts
John Dolland letter to John Canton
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John Percy letter to Edward William Cooke
Manuscripts
The letter from John Percy to Edward William Cooke regards a Royal Academy exhibition, Cooke's travels, art, and Percy's wife's health.
mssHM 83090
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Edward Belcher letter to Miss Russell
Manuscripts
In this letter, which was written on board the HMS Assistance while at Woolwich, Belcher is thanking Miss Russell for her "handsome contritubtion to the sledge parties about to seek for traces of Sir John Franklin." The letter was written in third person.
mssHM 75976
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John Burroughs letter to John W. Childs
Manuscripts
In this letter, written while Burroughs was on the S. S. Mongolia, he discusses his recent trip to California where he visited Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Yosemite, where he was given a tour by John Muir. The letter is signed "John Burroughs," but text is in the hand of Dr. Clara Barrus; the envelope is postmarked Honolulu, Hawaii, May 11, 1909. The letter is addressed to John W. Childs of Floral Park, Long Island, New York.
mssHM 82577
John T. Hudson logbook, 1807-1808
Manuscripts
This logbook, kept by John T. Hudson, includes accounts of journeys from the Sandwich [Hawaiian] Islands to Canton and Canton to Boston. The log is in two main sections. The first section comprises 9 pages and is headed: "Remarks on board ship Mercury. Wm. H. Davis, from Sandwich Islands towards Canton." The first entry is dated 15th October, 1806 [actually 1807]. It concludes November 29, 1807. Davis was the father of William Heath Davis, Jr. an early Californian and important San Diego pioneer. Entries mention the Hawaiian royal family, cargo including bananas and taro, and ports along the way. He mentions taking leave of his ship Tamana. The second section comprises 42 pages and is headed, "Ship O'Cain from Canton to Boston." The first entry is February 14, 1808 and concludes on June 15, 1808. His notes include lists and prices of skins purchased, lists of items such as sewing silks, India cotton, china and glassware, lace, liquors, tobacco, paper & ink, powder & shot, knives, axes, etc. Several shorter sections occur towards the end of the volume, including one headed: "The purchase of sea otter skins at San Blas." Much of the volume is blank. The very last pages of entries include only a few lines: "Don Luis Munoz de Gusman. Captain General of Chile." "Don Manuel Rodriguez, Comd. of the Port of St. Diego." and a list of several names including: Capt. James Rowen, William H. Davis, Samuel C. Blodget, Clifford, and Boyd. Several loose pages of writing containing notes and navigational calculations are laid in volume.
mssHM 83408
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T.M. Leung letter to Z.F. Nevius and Mrs. Nevius
Manuscripts
Dr. T. M. Leung addresses this letter to his "dear friends" Dr. Z. F. Nevius and Mrs. Nevius in San Francisco, California. Writing from Hong Kong, China, Leung begins by noting that their letter of last month has been received and expresses relief that they have finally written to him since his return to China. Leung hopes Nevius' drug business will "do as well as my drug store in Canton, for which has been paying 100% dividend per annum." Leung proceeds to explain that he is about "to take interest in a new [drug store] soon in the same city [Canton] for I believe that European drugs are becoming more and more in demand from now on." The letter is written on the letterhead of Canton-based Yan Sun Co. Ltd. (est. 1884), specializing in wholesale and retail of European drug and dental supplies; Leung appears to have been a distributor. Included: Original envelope and two business cards.
mssHM 75846
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Fourteen months in Canton
Rare Books
"The letters forming the subject of this small work were written during a fourteen months' residence in the city of Canton, where I enjoyed many opportunities of seeing the inner life of the Chinese, and of learning much of their daily life in their own homes. The letters were written for circulation amongst my family and a few friends who kindly expressed an interest in all I saw and did in the far-off country of China. These descriptive letters accompanied others I wrote at the same time to my family, and so they do not contain any reference to domestic matters necessary to suppress. They are therefore published in extenso. We left Liverpool in the S.S. Abyssinian on our outward journey, January 13th, 1877, and arrived at New York in fourteen days. Our voyage was rough and uninteresting, especially so perhaps to me, as I was very ill the whole time. Fourteen days spent in a cabin is very trying, even to the most patient of minds"--Introduction.
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