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Lot 294
* Peninsular War. Two important campaign letters from Alexander Steele describing the actions at El Boden (1811) and Salamanca (1812), in his first letter (Ginaldo, 13 October 1811) Steele gives a full account of events leading to the action at El Boden, how Marmont surprised Wellington with his divisions scattered, the Light Division was cut off by the French advance, Steele describes their escape, 'Gen'l Crauford saw that he had no time to lose in getting away, therefore on the same night we were ordered to make fires along our lines and to leave wooden sentries with a stick and bayonet on top of it... ', some spotting and browning, a few old small tape repairs and slight marginal loss from seal tear etc., 4 pages including address panel, folio; in the second letter from Salamanca (dated 25 June, and later 25 July) Steele describes the approach of the Army towards Salamanca, and then the great battle itself, 'a most glorious day for the British Army', some spotting and browning, a few old clear tape repairs to folds, some small text loss from seal tear, 4 pages including address panel, 4to; together with an earlier letter (Plymouth Dock, 1 November 1808), addressed to his parents in Halifax, Yorkshire, 2 pages with integral address leaf, small seal tears, various postal markings, 4toQTY: (3)NOTE:Alexander Steele became an ensign in 43rd Foot 14 December 1809; Lieutenant in 43rd Foot 7 November 1811.
Lot 305
* Baden-Powell (Robert, 1857-1941). A sketch of a native fruit seller by General Sir R. Baden-Powell at Barbadoes [so titled on mount], c. 1912, watercolour on paper, signed 'R. Badenpowell' at foot, 135 x 90 mm, laid on to a piece of old album mount, contemporary inscription in a contemporary hand to mount, together with a pencil caricature of an unidentified gentleman with chest puffed out, drawn on ruled paper, signed 'Badenpowell' in pencil lower right, image size 17 x 10 cm, a little dust soiling, 1 page with integral blank, folio, plus a small drawing of a young woman with walking stick, jacket and hat drawn on a folded piece of South Africa Constabulary, Johannesburg, letterhead, signed twice in pencil at foot, 'RSS Badenpowell', some spotting and toning, 14.5 x 10.5 cm, plus a watercolour of a woman riding with two horses, titled in the lower margin 'A.B-P. [Agnes Baden-Powell, younger sister] Riding Tandem, Malta 1892', some spotting, contemporary paper mount of the same size, 11.5 x 17.5 cmQTY: (4)
Lot 320
* Darwin (Charles Robert, 1809-1882). English naturalist, geologist and originator of the theory of evolution. Autograph Letter Signed, ‘C. Darwin’, Down, [Bromley, Kent, after 14 April 1863], to [Daniel] Oliver, concerning ovules in primula [primroses], in full, ‘Many thanks about the Primula: I see that I was pretty right about the ovules. I have been thinking that the apparent opening at the chalaza end must have been withering or perhaps gnawing by some very minute insects, as the ovarium is open at the upper end. If I have time I will have another look at pollen-tubes, as from what you say they ought to find their way to the micropyle. But ovules to me are far more troublesome to dissect than animal tissue; they are so soft, and muddy the water’, alphanumeric '16a' written to upper left corner in Darwin's hand, small pencil number '26a' and 'Apr. 1863' inscribed to upper margin in other hands, album hinge remains to left margin, a few small spots to extremities and a little light creasing, 2 pages, 8vo QTY: (1)NOTE:Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4095”. Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 11. The date is inferred from two other related letters in the Darwin Correspondence Project, the first from Darwin to Oliver, 12 April 1863, in which Darwin asked about the position of the ovule in Primula; the second from Oliver to Darwin, 14 April 1863, to which the letter offered here is the reply. Daniel Oliver, FRS (1830-1916) was an English botanist. He was Librarian of the Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1860-1890 and Keeper there from 1864-1890, and Professor of Botany at University College, London from 1861 to 1888. Darwin was fascinated by the structure of primula flowers. In his autobiography, he wrote, ‘no little discovery of mine ever gave me so much pleasure as the making out the meaning of heterostyled flowers’ (‘Recollections’, p. 419). There are two forms of primrose flowers, which look almost identical apart from the position of the stigma (female part) and the anthers (male part holding the pollen) in the flower tube in the centre. These are ‘pin-eyed’ primroses and ‘thrum-eyed primroses. In the pin-eyed the style and stigma are taller than the surrounding stamens. In thrum-eyed flowers the stamens are taller than the style and stigma. The two flower types were first described by Charles Darwin in 1862 who also observed that the pollen produced by the pin flowers was smaller than that of the thrum flowers. He performed a number of crosses (taking pollen from one flower and placing it on the stigma of another) and proved that pollination between the two flower types, where the pollen of the different form flowers resulted in greater seed production than pollination between the same forms. Both flower types contain nectar at the bottom of the flower tube to attract insects to mediate pollination of the flowers. Darwin thought that the reciprocal positions of the anthers and the stigma in the two flower types would promote cross fertilisation. He suggested that when an insect visits a pin flower it inserts its proboscis into the flower tube to feed on the nectar, and pollen from the anthers would stick onto the proboscis about halfway down. If the insect then visits a thrum flower the pollen already on its proboscis is at the right level to meet and stick to the stigma about halfway down the flower tube, leading to cross fertilisation. At the same time pollen from the anthers at the top of the thrum flower tube is likely to stick to the top of the insect proboscis, the perfect position for cross-fertilising the next pin flower the insect visits. Primrose flowers also have a ‘self-incompatibility’ mechanism that stops the eggs being fertilised by pollen that is genetically identical. Therefore, the vast majority of successful pollinations in a wild population of primroses are between pin and thrum plants. Charles Darwin, 'On the two forms, or dimorphic condition, in the species of Primula, and on their remarkable sexual relations', [Read 21 November 1861.] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society (Botany) 6 (1862): 77-96. [Collected papers 2: 45-63.] Reprinted, with many alterations, in Forms of Flowers (1877), pp. 14-30.
Lot 504
A pair of George V silver candlesticks with a later snuffer, the sticks with mark of Hawksworth, Eyre & Co Ltd., Sheffield 1918, each with filled and stepped octagonal base, fluted column and sconce and part marked friction fitting wax pan, 21cm high; the snuffer, maker's mark not traced (BIF within a triangular shaped cartouche) London 1992, of simple conical form topped with a pheasant finial, to a turned wooden handle (2)Sticks - Loading bases loose on both and filling coming out between the loading bases and rims. One base now proud of the rim, so the stick wobbles a little and leans a little when on a flat surface. Some surface scratches, dents and dings. Hallmarks clear and readable. Wax pans both a good fit.Snuffer - Overall in good condition. The handle slightly loose in the socket. Hallmarks clear and readable.
Lot 80
An enamelled mourning stick pin, together with a cameo stick pin, the oval mourning pin designed as a coiled black enamelled serpent with rose cut diamond eyes around a seed pearl and agate forget-me-knot motif, engraved to reverse 'SAMUEL WHITBREAD BORN JAN 18th 1764 DIED JULY 6th 1815, LADY ELIZABETH WHITBREAD BORN APRIL 7th 1765 DIED NOVEMBER 28th 1846', unmarked yellow metal, tested as 18ct gold, together with an abalone shell cameo stick pin, unmarked yellow metal, tested as 18ct gold, gross weight 8.1g (2)Whitbread II was born in Cardington, Bedfordshire, the son of the brewer Samuel Whitbread. He was educated at multiple places including St John’s College, Cambridge and then went on to join his father’s successful brewing business in 1786. In 1790, he was elected Member of Parliament for Bedford, a post he held for twenty-three years. He was a champion of religious and civil rights, for the abolition of slavery and a proponent of a national education system.
Lot 113
A trio of turquoise jewels, first, an openwork pendant set with a central oval cabochon turquoise surrounded by split pearls and suspending another turquoise, split pearl bale, length including bale 4.3cm, width 2.7cm, stamped '9CT'; second, a bar brooch set with five graduating oval shaped cabochon turquoise, closed back settings, pin and hook fitting, length 4cm, unmarked, tested as 9ct gold; third, a stick pin set with an oval shaped cabochon turquoise, length 5.8cm, unmarked, tested as 18ct gold on a 9ct gold pin, gross weight 7.6g (3)
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