Mid-Eighteenth Century Public Affairs

[Hanbury Williams, Sir Charles.] Plain Thoughts in plain language. A New Ballad. For W. Webb, 1743 [Foxon W501]--[Dudgeon, William.] Some Reflections on a late pamphlet, called the State of the Moral World Considered. Edinburgh, 1732--Pasquin and Marforio on the peace: being a discussion, by these celebrated statues at Rome, of the general conduct of England, but particularly pending the late war, and in negotiating the present peace. Translated from Italian... W. Webb, 1748--[Burton, John.] A genuine and true journal of the most miraculous escape of the Young Chevalier, from the battle of Culloden, to his landing in France... Printed in the year 1754; and many others, subjects including the war of the Austrian secession, relations with Spain, proposed land wars in Europe, trade and tax, affairs in Holland, France, Poland and elsewhere, with accounts of naval and military battles (e.g. the taking of the ship Northumberland by the French, 1745), military discourses, State of Nation tracts, editions of Plato's dialogues, plays by Dodsley, works on Perspective, religious revivals in Scotland, the training of peach and nectarine trees, cookery, the Letters of Carlisle, speeches by Burke, some with Edinburgh imprints; 4to and 8vo, various bindings (spines numbered 64, 70, 76, 77, 78,  80, 120, 162, 187, 195, 203, 204, 209, 225, 226, 233, 314), some bindings damaged and scuffed and worn, one badly defective (17)

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 unless otherwise stated
"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."