Scottish and Irish Affairs, chiefly 1780s-90s

A List of the persons on whose lives the sum of 265000l. was subscribed, pursuant to an act of Parliament passed in the Kingdom of Ireland (in the 13th and 14th years of the reign of His Present Majesty George the Third, King of Great Britain, &c.) for granting annuities in the manner therein provided... [Dublin:], Nathaniel Clements, 1775; A list of the persons on whose lives the sum of 300,000l. was subscribed, pursuant to a resolution of the House of Commons of Ireland in the session of 1777... [Dublin:] Henry Clements, 1777, both with folding tables--[Ogilvie, William.] Outlines of a plan for uniting the King’s and Marischal universities of Aberdeen, with a view to render the system of education more complete. Abderdeen, 1786, ESTC RECORDS ONLY THREE COPIES, bound with an autograph letter to Sir William Forbes in support of the proposal-- State of the evidence, for proving that the present Sir John Stuart of Castelmilk is the lineal heir-male and representative of Sir William Stuart of Castelmilk, who lived during part of the 14th and 15th centuries. [Edinburgh, 1794],  ONLY TWO COPIES RECORDED BY ESTC, BOTH IN THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND--A catalogue of pictures, Copied or Multiplied (for Sale) By a chymical and mechanical process; exhibited with The capital originals from which they have been taken, by the Polygraphic Society, At their Rooms, in Pall-Mall, being their eighth exhibition: opened the 4th of April, 1792, A. Grant, 1792, ONLY TWO COPIES RECORDED BY ESTC--State of the Lunatic Hospital and Dispensary at Montrose from the 26th of May 1782 to the 1st of January 1787, [Montrose, 1787], ONLY TWO COPIES RECORDED BY ESTC; and numerous other works, including memorial of Joshua Reynolds and works in verse; various sizes, eighteenth-century quarter calf (spine numbered 62), red morocco label, some headlines shaved, some leaves soiled or stained, some wear to binding

The Forbes Baronetcy was created in 1626 for Sir William Forbes (d. circa 1650) by James VI in the Barontage of Nova Scotia. The majority of the works offered here were acquired by the sixth Baronet, also William (1739-1806), who added Pitsligo to his title in 1781. He was an eminent Scottish banker and benefactor, good friend of James Boswell and Samuel Johnson (see lots 45-46), and finally succeeded in recovering the Pitsligo estates forfeited after the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. His son William, the seventh baronet, beat Sir Walter Scott to the hand of the renowned beauty Williamina Belsches Stuart (1776-1810), and it was with their marriage that the family moved to her family seat, Fettercairn House in Kincardineshire, Aberdeenshire.

One of the sixth baronet’s acquisitions for his library at Pitsligo were numerous highly important miscellanies and tract volumes, many of which were purchased as a set from Edinburgh bookseller Elphinstone Balfour in October 1786. These were subsequently supplemented by further contemporary tracts and other works from the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century. Most of these miscellanies bear a nineteenth century Forbes family bookplate.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when 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."