The Portland daily press., 1897-12-24
SALE OF FAMOUS AUTOGRAPH
LETTERS,

SALE OF FAMOUS AUTOGRAPH
LETTERS.
Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge
this morning offered for sale at their
rooms in Wellington street, most inter
esting collection of autograph letters
written by Sir Philip Francis, at one
time a prominent official at the War
Office, and VINO Ia regarded in many
quarters as the most probable author of
the famous Letters of Junius. The col
lection brought under the hammer in
cluded in all 276 letters, divided into
143 lots, and included letters from Lord
Darlington. Edmund Burke, William
Burke, Christopher D'Oyly, Richard
Tilghmsn, William Pitt (the Earl of
Chatham Alexander Wedderburn( subse-
quentiy Lord Loughborough,) and John
Horne. The Francis series, around which
the interest chiefly conferred comprised
forty zone letters addressed to Alexander
Macrabie the cousin and brother-in law
of the writer, who was at that period Iiy-
ing at Philadelphia, and fourteen letters
nG1ASh ITO nOAiU w Allo COueIuY N1tJOr Inll-
ip Baggs in India. In both these series
most significant illusions are made to
Junius, and other SUBJECTS dealt with
| are the American war Of Independence,
Wilkes (who was cordially hated by Fran
cis), the historic Middlesex election, and
the quarrel which eliminated in the duel
fought between Sir Philip and Warren
Hastings. The mo striking passage in
the letters bearing on the Junius contro-
versy was contained in letter written to
Mr.. Macrabie on June 10, ITO 1t ran as
follows:
"Junius is not known, and that cir
cumstance is perhaps as curious as any
of his writings. ! have always suspected
Burke; but, whoever he is, 1t is impos-
sible he can ever discover himself The
offence he has given Ito his Majesty and
the D1ke of Grafton) is more than an
private man could support He would
soon be crushed. Almon has been found
guilty of publishing the letter to the
King, and Woodfall, who was the origi-
nal publisher, is to be tried tomorrow If
he be found guilty. fancy he will have
reason to remember"
Mr.. Hodge, Jr., conducted the sale.
Notwithstanding the historical interest
attaching to many of the letters, there
was only a small attendance Of buyers and
the general public, and the bidding was
anything but spirited The whole collec-
ton was first of all offered at the reserved
price of 500 guineas, but no bid being
forthcoming the lots were sold separately
as catalogued. The first forty letters in
the Macrabie series were sold to Mr..
Stanley EgeTtoD for $50, while the same
gentleman gave $50 for the letters to Ma
Jor Baggs. A letter written by Sir
Philip to Mr.. Edward Wheeler, of the SUI
preme Council, on the eve of his duel
with Warren Hastings realized 9l4 Nc
Gibbon); while the Darlington series
were disposed of to DR.. Rogers at two
guineas each. A letter from the pen of
Edmund Burke in ITS, vigorously de-
nouncing the folly of our then foreign
policy, was knocked. down to Mr.. Pear
son for 10 guineas; while q long oommu-
nication, of which the author WAS John,
tlIb DAObNOl VI AA0Aibth0 11ulhof AooSALCd
guineas. There was a spirited competi-
ton for the possession Of an extremely
interesting letter from Mr.. Maorabie.
dated Philadelphia, March 10, ITO, in
which the following passage occurs:
but Junius is the Mars of maioon-
tents. His letter to tho King is past all
endurance, as we'll as all compare. The
Americans are under small obligations
to him for his representation of them.
Who tho devil can he be?''
Mr. Pearson eventually secured the doc
ument for el5. A letter from the Earl
of Chatham fetched So 5s. while two very
characteristic epistles by Richard Thigh
man, one of the supposed authors of Ju-
MUS, realized respectively IS and 5
guineas. A miscellaneous parcel of let
tiers by the Duke of Sussex, Lord Hol
land, Lord Granville, the Duke of Leeds,
and others sold for 10 guineas. The total
realized at the sale was SAB 2s.-St
Jamess Gazette, November 81.