New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-12-02
HISTORIC LETTERS.
The Scribner Exhibition OF rare
Manuscripts and Books.

To those who love to collect mementos OF .he
GREAT there will be a strong appeal IN the coHec-
+ion of autographs historical documents DOORS
and manuscripts now on exhibition at Charles
Scribners Sons, at No lob to lo' FlI'n As0
nue. Two pieces IN the exhibit are OF equ@i AZ
terest to collector and historian. Ihe nrs' 10
collection Of sixty-two letters ana documents
either entirely or in the autographs OF the ropes
from, Tnnocent Nv to Plus X. 1t covers all that
period from 1248 to the present day. ana N
cludes seven Bulle issued by certain OF the
paas o+bar n,eces bring the number Of letters
and documents up to seventy-fve. The earnest
document on heavy sheepskin is dated 1zOo'
and sisned with the rota and benevalete OF IN
nocent " This Is also signed as CarolIial OS
Nicholas III, who became Pope In IZi'' Inc
collection has autograph OF Alexander W.
rare thing outside of Italy, and there arc four
letters Of Alexander VIII before his elevation 10
the Papal throne.
or equal interest and value is a similar col
lection covering the history OF France r0Hh
Louis xI down to President Fallieres. Inter
snersed with the documents are prints of con-
siderable value Among the documents deserV-
ing special attention are letter from Louise Oh
sayoie concerning Anne de Bretagne, the queen
of both Charles VIII and Louis XII; the au'o-
graphs OF the four famous mattresses Oh
Henri VI Gabrielle d'Estrees, Henriette DIN
traigTIes Diane d'Andouins and CharIotte dc
Beaune: a state paper signed by Louis A1N IN
his seventh year, and autograph or Marie
Antoinette as Daupniness written only three
months after her marriage, and said to be her
earliest existing autograph. Accompanying this
is a letter from the Queen written in 1791' TO
the Princess de Lambane. The four autographs
of NAPOLEON show him successfully as general
commander in chief, First Consul and Emperor.
similar series shows Napoleon III before 1910
as prince President, as Emperor and then rs an
exiIe or the letters of the eight Presidents. per
haps the most interesting Is one written by
c.ssiroir- Perter to the Emperor of China. The
series of letters showing the history OF England
begins with the sign manual of Richard Ill who
seized the throne in 1888, and continues with
royal documents of every succeeding reign down
TO that of Edward VII The signature of
Henry VII Is an unusual form A letter from
Mary I relates 10 her husband, Philip of Spain
Following it is the original proclamation OF
Eliza beth on the destruction Of churches and
church properties by too jealous reformers
One highly interesting document IS the attested
statement of Sophia the Flectress Of her
right of succession to the English throne. OF
three letters written by George III, two refer
directly to America and the third to his recovery
from fit of insanity. This was written by him
to his favorite son, the Duke OF York.
Tho presentation volumes, annotated books.
etc In this exhibition numerous and varied
in interest There is, to mention one out Of
many a copy of Ireland's Fisher Boy" given
to her son by Queen Charlotte, with this inscrip-
ton: Prince Augustus Frederick the gift of his
affecte mother, Janry. 18th, 1910" Frobisher's
rare autograph is to be found on the fyleaf of
his COPY of MachiaveIn printed at Palermo in
1884 He presented this volume to his friend
George Day in 1856, writing this inscription with
his own hand: ITO Maijster George Daye this
book Of Machiavelu his woorkes from his grte
ffrende Martin Frobisher We 26 March 1885"
Racine's beautiful copy of THE Decameron,"
from the villeneuve collection is also to be
a fine Elzevir, exQu!sitely bound. The gem of
tie collection is the Newbold- Revel Shake
speare, valued at nearly $4,000. This copy was
an heirloom with the Skipwith family, who were
Shakespeare's neighbors in Warwickshire, and
contains the Skipwith book plate. 1t has the
rare Richard Hawkins title page. Of which the
example now in the Lenox Library is of the
very few known 70 exist. The folio is still pre-
served in its old sheepskn binding, and contains
all the irregularities Of pagination found only in
the earliest issues of the second folio.