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All four of Hume’s letters refer to his quarrel with the Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Following an initially friendly relationship, Rousseau attacked Hume in a letter accusing him, among other things, of trying to sideline him. The quarrel became an 18th-century cause célèbre and attracted the attention of philosophers and literary figures all across Europe. Hume corresponded with many of his friends throughout the continent before finally publishing his response to Rousseau’s accusations. The National Library of Scotland holds the most significant collection of Hume manuscripts to be found anywhere in the world and is the premier destination for those studying his life and work.

The document is an indenture of release between William Lushington (1747-1823) and the Scotsmen John Stewart (1754/5-1826) and Alexander Fraser of Inchcoulter (1759-1837), which ultimately transferred ownership of the Camden Estate on Trinidad, and the enslaved workers, from Lushington to Stewart and Fraser. This indenture provides a level of detail on the enslaved people not always evident in such documents. This is important in helping to read against the grain: for example, the list of ‘runaways’ demonstrates resistance to enslavement. The detailed listing of skilled occupations, such as carpenters, masons and blacksmiths, illustrates the technical proficiency of the enslaved workers. As such, it is an important source in recovering silenced voices.

It is rare that Robert Louis Stevenson diary fragments, or manuscripts of more than a single page, come to market. This four-page manuscript of diary entries covers the period from May 9th to July 5th, 1872, when Stevenson was 21, living in Edinburgh, and studying towards his law degree. The manuscript offers research interest to Stevenson scholars and readers and is a significant addition to the Library’s existing holdings of Stevenson material.

Set during the Second Partition of Poland in the 1790s, Thaddeus of Warsaw is one of the earliest examples in English of the historical novel, introducing the new stock figure of the noble exile. Despite being commercially published, this work did not have a large initial print run. It did, however, become enormously popular and successive editions were rapidly produced. Porter is now best known now for her second major novel, The Scottish Chiefs, based on William Wallace and Robert Bruce. The women, like Porter, who preceded Walter Scott as authors of historical fiction are increasingly popular subjects of research interest and are being reclaimed by a wider audience. Thaddeus of Warsaw received its first scholarly edition in 2019, after having been out of print for more than a century, and other works of Jane Porter have recently received modern editions.

This letter is an oft-quoted missive, revealing Stevenson’s justification for his take on Robert Burns in a recent article, and with a foreshadowing of his plans to travel extensively. It provides a rare example of two of Scotland’s most important literary figures featuring in one manuscript letter.

John Huddleston (1608-98), the missal’s original owner whose inscription can be found on the title-page, was a Benedictine priest famous for the role he played at several key moments in the life of Charles II. Huddleston was the chaplain and tutor to the Catholic Whitgreave family and was in residence at their Moseley home at the time of Charles II’s famous escape following the Battle of Worcester. Huddleston was instrumental in bringing Charles to Moseley Old Hall early on the morning of 8 September 1651 and was his constant companion during the king’s two-day stay, which included use of the priest hole. It is known that Charles consulted books in Huddleston’s library and it is possible that the collection included the recently-acquired Parisian missal of 1623. The missal may also have been a witness to the end of Charles II’s life.

Unknown and thought to be unpublished, this vellum-bound manuscript was written probably around the 1580s. The manuscript, in Secretary hand, is probably the first comprehensive academic study of a single foodstuff to be written in the English language, which gives it particular significance for food historians. The ‘Pamflyt’ follows typical Elizabethan practice of collecting all available information from Classical authors such as Galen and Virgil - it opens with the Greek philosopher-physician Galen’s broad definition of cheese as ‘milke coagulated, or congealed’ - as well as the Persian philosopher-physician Abu Bakr al-Razi, and contemporary physicians at the University of Salerno. There is also a section on ‘the vertues of cheese used as a medicine’, with the effects of cheese on people of different temperaments based on the theories of the bodily humours put forward by Galen and his predecessors. To gain practical information, the author then went on to ‘diligently inquire of country folke, who gave their experience in theis matters.’

This volume augments a fine parish archive, it is also one of a very few examples Cornish highway surveyors’ accounts and rates that we hold. When the book arrived and was unpacked a bundle of 26 additional folded documents dating from 1768-1814 was found tucked inside its front cover, consisting of lists of inhabitants liable for highways repairs, lane measurements, road completion agreements, compositions and arrears, highway order repairs and even a list of parish tools. It also contained several items of correspondence.

The archive consisted of a very large vellum bound ledger of leases, dated 1648 on its front cover, as well as a similar volume commencing in 1786. In addition, there was a mid-18th century survey book for the manors of Arwenack, Mylor, Tregenvor, Trevethan, Trescobeas, Prisla and Treganiggey. Other records include 25 letters from the 1730s from Martin Killigrew to a Mr Hall, three undated lists of Falmouth houses, a manor of Arwenack field book for 1820-1821, a report for new buildings and improvements at Falmouth in 1812-1826 and seven rentals from 1877-1899.

Lawrie Siggs was a cartoonist and illustrator who used a gentle humour in his work, often inspired by domestic scenes and observation of everyday life. He worked for Punch for 35 years as well as various newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, the Evening Standard and The New Yorker.