The priceless Morrison Collection has already been mentioned. Its dispersal would certainly occasion a dislocation in autograph prices throughout the world.
Since 1900 I have carefully noted the prices realised at all the principal sales in London, and more recently in New York, and although there has been a steady rise in prices for high-class autographs, not a single sale has ever occurred at which some bargain or other might not have been picked up.
The existing firm of Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, of 13, Wellington Street, Strand (the premises, by a strange coincidence, once occupied by the elder Ireland), was really founded as far back as 1696, when Messrs. Cooper & Milling first began to dispose of MSS.—generally in the evening. The business passed successively through the hands of Messrs. Ballard, Paterson, & Baker. In 1744 Samuel Baker moved to auction-rooms over "Exeter 'Change" in the Strand. At the death of Mr. Baker he was succeeded by Mr. John Sotheby, when the firm became Leigh & Sotheby. From 145, Strand, they removed to the premises in Wellington Street, long familiar to buyers of MSS.
At the "Sotheby" sale of November 1, 1901, I note the following prices:—
| £ | s. | d. | ||
| Queen Henrietta Maria, D.S. | 5 | 12 | 6 | |
| Queen Victoria, A.L.S., to Lady Dover | 5 | 10 | 0 | |
| (Now in my collection.) | ||||
| Sir Walter Scott, A.L.S., 2 pp. | 3 | 10 | 0 | |
| Edmund Burke, A.L.S., 2 pp. | 2 | 10 | 0 | |
| Several A.L.S. of Thos. Campbell, averaged | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Several A.L.S. of Wm. Cowper, averaged | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Several A.L.S. of Edwin Landseer, averaged | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Several A.L.S. of Thomas Moore, averaged | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| A fine A.L.S. of William Pitt the elder | 4 | 15 | 0 | |
| A whole series of A.L.S. of the Dukeof Wellington to Lord Beresford(over 50), nearly all written duringthe Peninsular War | } | From | ||
| 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
| to | ||||
| 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
At the sale of Colonel John Moore's autographs at "Sotheby's" (November 29-30, 1901), I note a magnificent series of Civil War MSS. Amongst the letters sold were the following:—
| £ | s. | d. | |||||
| A.L.S. | John Bradshaw | (1644) | 24 | 10 | 0 | ||
| " | Sir Wm. Brereton | (1643) | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| " | Lord Byron | (1652) | 7 | 5 | 0 | ||
| D.S.O. | Cromwell | (1649) | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| " | " | (1649) | 12 | 0 | 0 | ||
| " | " | (1651) | 10 | 12 | 6 | ||
| A.L.S. | William, Earl of Derby (with other papers) | (1672) | 10 | 10 | 0 | ||
| D.S. | Thomas, Lord Fairfax | (1643) | 9 | 10 | 0 | ||
| L.S. | " | " | (1649) | 13 | 0 | 0 | |
| A.L.S. | Colonel John Hewson | (1648) | 8 | 15 | 0 | ||
| D.S. | William Lenthall | (1645) | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A.L.S. | Sir Edward Massey | (1660) | 2 | 10 | 0 | ||
| D.S. | Colonel John Moore | (1645) | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A.L.S. | " | " | " | (1647) | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| " | " | " | " | (1646) | 11 | 15 | 0 |
| " | " | " | " | (1650) | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| A.L.S. | Algernon Percy, Duke of Northumberland | (1645) | 19 | 15 | 0 | ||
| A.L.S. | Sir Christopher Wren | (1693) | 49 | 0 | 0 | ||
The two days' sale of 318 lots realised £956 13s.