Disraeli, Benjamin, first Earl of Beaconsfield.

to Mary Anne Weld Forester, Lady Forester (26), and her husband (George) Cecil Weld Forester, 3rd Baron Forester (2), congratulating them on their marriage, on Parliamentary business, personal engagements, with repeated apologies that the House of Commons keeps him from dinner engagements ("...Thus disappointments repeat themselves, like everything else in life..."), the critical illness of the Prince of Wales ("...Telegram just arrived from Sandringham, & dated 6 o'clock announced 'decided improvement'...", 15 December 1871) and Prince Leopold ("...who has been very unwell, & is only slowly recovering in the wildness of the Highlands..., 22 November 1877), and family affairs including letters of congratulation to both parties on the marriage of George and Mary Anne, 65 pages, chiefly 8vo, Hughenden Manor and London (various addresses), 14 October 1862 to 7 September 1878, 17 autograph envelopes (some fronts only), mounted in an album together with three autograph letters signed by Disraeli's secretary Montagu Corry, two letters by Sarah Disraeli on the marriage of George Cecil Weld Forester, a letter of condolence by Sir Pope Hennessey fondly recalling Lord Forester (14 June 1886), signed photographs of Disraeli and Corry, press cuttings, a dinner invitation and menu, some items with extensive contemporary notes in an unknown hand, two pages with pencil inscription and signature by the writer Shane Leslie, two notes relating to the binding of the album loosely inserted, half blue morocco with gilt lettering piece on upper cover ("Letters of Rt Honble. B. Disraeli"), adhesive tape marks at the edges of some letters, binding rubbed

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"...Alas! dear Lady, it must be Nilly, not Willy! On 1st Nov., I go up to town to begin our November Cabinets & have little prospect of a cessation from labour for a long time..." (24 October 1875)

A substantial series of letters to an intimate friend. Mary Anne Weld Forester (1812-93) was the daughter of Viscount St Vincent. In 1840 she had married David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre, a wealthy Indian prince of mixed Scottish-Indian heritage. The marriage collapsed as her husband became increasingly anti-social and violent. He was confined as a lunatic in 1843 and various legal cases followed until Dyce Sombre died in 1851. At the time of her second marriage in 1862 Disraeli wrote to her husband-to-be that "I have always had a very sincere regard for her, & recognised, at an early period, that union of lively, & original, talents with affectionateness of disposition, which deserved a partner for life worthy of her companionship & her devotion." This typically gracious letter was particularly significant as her chequered past (and large dowry) ensured that the marriage was met with considerable society gossip. Her second husband, Cecil Weld Forester (1807-1886), was a general in the army and MP for Wenlock from 1828 until his elevation to the peerage on the death of his brother in 1874. In 1862 Disraeli could write that he had been friends with Forester for "the greater part of my life" and indeed Forester's two sisters, Selina, Countess of Bradford, and Anne, Countess of Chesterfield, were his closest female friends: after his wife's death Disraeli proposed to Lady Chesterfield, but his deepest emotional attachment was with Lady Bradford (whose husband was still living).