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Miscellaneous letters and papers
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Sir Lewis Morris letter,

A letter, 16 February [?1903], from the poet Sir Lewis Morris, Penbryn, Carmarthen, to the bibliophile James Carleton Young, Minneapolis, discussing the going rate for literary manuscripts, apparently with a view to selling some of his own to Young.

Morris, Lewis, 1833-1907

W. H. Davies: Sweet Night

An autograph fair copy, [1914], of the poem 'Sweet Night' by W. H. Davies. It was first published in W. H. Davies, The Bird of Paradise (London, 1914), p. 20.
The manuscript contains a different reading of line 3, 'Take thou a lover’s grateful heart' rather than the published 'A lover gives his grateful heart', and two corrections in lines 9 and 10, conforming to the printed version. The poem is written on '29 Clarence Gardens, N.W.' notepaper with the address changed by Davies to '22, Priory Gardens, Highgate'.

Davies, W. H. (William Henry), 1871-1940

W. H. Davies: The Soul's Companions

An autograph fair copy, [1918], of the poem 'The Soul's Companions' by W. H. Davies. It was first published in the Nation, 20 April 1918, p. 64, and collected in William H. Davies, Forty New Poems (London, 1918), p. 33.
The poem is written on '14, Great Russell Street, W.C.' notepaper. A pencil note 'Poetry for this week' (partially erased) indicates it was used as the printer’s copy.

Davies, W. H. (William Henry), 1871-1940

W. H. Davies: Lamorna Cove

An autograph fair copy, dated 14 August 1920, of the poem 'Lamorna Cove' by W. H. Davies, used as the printer's copy for the Nation. It was first published in the Nation, 21 August 1920, p. 642, and collected in W. H. Davies, The Hour of Magic (London, 1922), p. 12.

Davies, W. H. (William Henry), 1871-1940

Anna Seward: Sonnet

Autograph manuscript, dated 11 September 1799 (watermark 1794), of Anna Seward's 'Sonnet for the drawer in the thatched shed by the brook at Plas Newydd'. It was published, with a very few minor alterations, in The Poetical Works of Anna Seward, ed. by Walter Scott, 3 vols (Edinburgh, 1810), III, 314.
Seward stayed with Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby, The Ladies of Llangollen, at their Plas Newydd home for four days in September 1799 (see Letters of Anna Seward: Written between the years 1784 and 1807, ed. by A. Constable, 6 vols (Edinburgh, 1811), V, 248-53).

Seward, Anna, 1742-1809

Edward Thomas: Cock-Crow

Autograph revised manuscript, [23 July 1915], of Edward Thomas's poem 'Cock-Crow'.
The poem is preceded by an autograph note: 'The image used to appear to me every morning in the spring when the cocks crowed, just like a coat of arms'. The draft includes two autograph revisions in ink that are reproduced in the published text: 'They [?cleave]' is changed to 'Cleaving' (l. 4) and 'Of equal glory' is changed to 'Heralds of splendour' (l. 6). Other textual differences remain: 'that grow by night' rather than 'that grows by night' (l. 1); no comma after 'stand' (l. 5); and 'one on either hand' rather than 'one at either hand' (l. 6). 'Cock-Crow' was first published in Six Poems by Edward Eastaway (Flansham, Sussex, 1916), p. [19], and collected in Edward Thomas ("Edward Eastaway"), Poems (London, 1917), p. 61. It is No. 88 in The Collected Poems of Edward Thomas, ed. by R. George Thomas (Oxford, 1978) (see pp. 244-5), the editor however does not record the present manuscript.

Thomas, Edward, 1878-1917

David Lloyd George letter,

An autograph letter, 14 June 1898, from D[avid] Lloyd George, House of Commons, to Sidney Robinson, declining an invitation to a meeting the following Friday [17 June] on account of a debate on education funding in Parliament that day.
Robinson was later MP for Breconshire (1906-1918) and Brecon and Radnor (1918-1922).

Lloyd George, David, 1863-1945

Dylan Thomas letter,

An autograph letter, 29 August 1949, from Dylan Thomas, The Boat House, Laugharne, to Colin Robinson of Isleworth, Middlesex, answering a series of questions mostly concerning the publication of his work (ff. 12-13).
The letter is apparently unpublished. The poet is replying to Robinson's typescript letter, dated 22 August 1949, a carbon copy of which is enclosed (f. 14).

Thomas, Dylan, 1914-1953

Dylan Thomas: Into her lying down head

A carbon copy typescript, [?1940], of the third verse of Dylan Thomas's poem 'Into her lying down head', with the final ten lines crossed through and completely re-written (as nine lines) in Thomas's hand, [1943x1946] (f. 17).
The typescript appears to match the text as originally published in Life and Letters To-day, 27 (November 1940), 124-126, and collected in Dylan Thomas, New Poems (Norfolk, Conn., 1943), pp. 2-4; the manuscript changes, with one exception, conform to those made before its publication in Dylan Thomas, Deaths and Entrances (London, 1946), pp. 20-22. A typescript summary of the poem's history, [late 20 cent], reproducing the original version of the third verse, is also included (f. 18).

Thomas, Dylan, 1914-1953

Henry M. Stanley letter,

An autograph letter, 22 August 1872, from journalist and explorer Henry M[orton] Stanley, London, to Charles Ollivant, Sale, Cheshire, refuting the (correct) claim made in the Rhyl Journal that Stanley was not an American but rather a Welshman named John Rowlands (f. 19).
Also included is a newspaper cutting, from the Manchester Examiner and Times, 27 August 1872, printing the contents both of Stanley's letter and a covering letter by Ollivant, dated 24 August 1872 (f. 20). Copies of the letter were sent by Ollivant to several newspapers, including the Examiner and Times and the Manchester Guardian, and it was printed in these and several others over the following days.

Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton), 1841-1904

Llythyr T. Gwynn Jones,

Llythyr, 5 Mai [recte Mehefin] 1941, oddi wrth yr Athro [Emeritws] T. Gwynn Jones at yr Athro Ganon W. H. Harris, a oedd newydd ei benodi yn Athro'r Gymraeg, Coleg Dewi Sant, Llanbedr Pont Steffan, yn bennaf yn trafod ei hen gwrs Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg yn Aberystwyth, a'r darpar offeiriaid a gweinidogion a ddysgodd yno. = Letter, 5 May [recte June] 1941, from [Emeritus] Professor T. Gwynn Jones to Professor Canon W. H. Harris, who was newly appointed Professor of Welsh at St. David's College, Lampeter, mainly concerning Jones's former course in Welsh literature at Aberystwyth and the trainee clergy and ministers he taught there.
Mae Jones yn ateb llythyr gan yr Athro Harris, dyddiedig 31 Mai 1941, yn gofyn iddo am gopi o brospectws ei hen gwrs (gw. NLW, Papurau Thomas Gwynn Jones G1930). = The letter is in reply to that of Professor Harris, dated 31 May 1941, asking Jones for a copy of the prospectus for his former course (see NLW, Papurau Thomas Gwynn Jones G1930).

Jones, T. Gwynn (Thomas Gwynn), 1871-1949

Llythyrau O. M. Edwards,

Pedwar llythyr, 1900-1902, oddi wrth O. M. Edwards, tri at [W. A.] Lewis, 1900-1901 (ff. 26-28), ac un at un Mr Edwards, 22 Tachwedd 1902 (f. 29), yn ymwneud yn bennaf â busnes cyhoeddi. = Four letters, 1900-1902, from O. M. Edwards, three addressed to [W. A.] Lewis, 1900-1901 (ff. 26-28), and one to a Mr Edwards, 22 November 1902 (f. 29), mainly relating to publishing concerns.
Ysgrifennwyd y llythyrau yn y trên o Lundain i Rydychen (f. 26), yng Ngholeg Lincoln, Rhydychen (ff. 27, 29), ac yn Llanuwchllyn (ff. 28); mae cyfeiriadau ynddynt at Isaac Foulkes (Llyfrbryf) (ff. 26-27), Robert Bryan (ff. 26, 28) a John Penry (f. 29). = The letters were written on the London to Oxford train (f. 26), at Lincoln College, Oxford (ff. 27, 29) and in Llanuwchllyn (f. 28); there are references in them to Isaac Foulkes (Llyfrbryf) (ff. 26-27), Robert Bryan (ff. 26, 28) and John Penry (f. 29).

Edwards, Owen M. (Owen Morgan), 1858-1920

Vernon Watkins letters,

Three typescript letters, March-August 1962, from the poet Vernon Watkins, Pennard Cliffs, to a Mr Rogers, giving advice about the latter's poems and explaining his own approach to writing poetry.

Watkins, Vernon Phillips, 1906-1967

Sir Lewis Morris letters,

Two letters, December 1892, April 1897, from (Sir) Lewis Morris, London, to Dr Whyte Glendower Owen, White Castle, Louisiana, mainly conveying personal and family news (ff. 34-35).
An additional envelope addressed to Owen, from an unknown sender, postmarked Dolwyddelan, 1909, is also included (f. 36). Owen and Morris were the great-grandsons of Goronwy Owen (1723-1769) and of Lewis Morris (1701-1765) respectively.

Morris, Lewis, 1833-1907

John Rhŷs letters,

Five letters and one postcard, 1873-1876, from the Celtic scholar (Sir) John Rhŷs, Rhyl, to W[illiam] H[enry] Bliss, then an assistant librarian at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, mainly discussing early inscriptions in Welsh and Cornish and in ogham (ff. 37-42 verso).
Rhŷs refers, 18 June 1874, to the recent death of his daughter, [Gwladus] (f. 38). Several of the letters are annotated in pencil by W. H. Bliss (ff. 37 recto-verso, 40, 42); the final letter, 23 September 1876, is written on a circular advertising Rhŷs's forthcoming volume, Lectures on Welsh Philology (London, 1877) (f. 42 verso). Also included is a copy of Bliss's obituary from The Athenaeum, 20 March 1909, p. 346 (f. 43), and some pressed flowers (with f. 40).

Rhys, John, Sir, 1840-1915

Notes by Lloyd George,

Manuscript notes in ink and pencil, [1922], in the hand of David Lloyd George, concerning the honours system in Britain. They appear to relate specifically to his statement on the issue in the House of Commons on 17 July 1922, during the 'honours scandal' (see note on f. 45).

Lloyd George, David, 1863-1945

Ernest Nicolini letter,

A letter, in French, from the tenor Ernest Nicolini at Craig-y-nos, Ystradgynlais, 8 February 1889, to [an executive of the Messageries Maritimes shipping company], discussing the forthcoming voyage by himself and his wife, the soprano Adelina Patti, on board the Portugal from Bordeaux to Buenos Aires, and their extravagant cabin requirements (f. 5).
Also included is a half-tone print depicting Nicolini, apparently taken from a copy (not seen) of Charles F. Escher, Our Hearts' Delight (Philadelphia, 1892) (f. 6).

Nicolini, Ernest, 1834-1898

Kyffin Williams letter,

A letter, 26 May 1970, from Kyffin Williams, [London], to Meic Stephens, [Literature Director of the Welsh Arts Council], attempting to secure financial support to publish his book on his 1968-1969 visit to Patagonia.
The book remained unpublished, although parts of it appeared as 'An Artist in Welsh Patagonia', in The Anglo-Welsh Review, 18.42 (February 1970), 5-32, or would be adapted for his book A Wider Sky (Llandysul, 1991). The letter contains references to Christopher Falkus of prospective publishers Weidenfeld [& Nicolson].

Williams, Kyffin, 1918-2006

Letters relating to Edward Thomas,

Three letters to [Thomas] Seccombe from Eleanor Farjeon, 18 April 1917 (ff. 62-65), John Freeman, 19 April 1917 (f. 66), and Edward Garnett, 19 April 1917 (ff. 67-68), concerning the death of Edward Thomas at Arras on 9 April 1917 and Seccombe's letter of tribute published in the Times Literary Supplement, 19 April 1917, p. 189.
Also included is a letter, 1 April 1970, from Myfanwy Thomas, daughter of Edward and Helen Thomas, to a Mr Reynold, discussing collecting her father's books and the Edward and Helen Thomas Window Fund (f. 69); and a typescript copy, [20 cent, third ¼], of a letter, dated 3 August 1908, from Edward Thomas to his literary agent C. F. Cazenove (the original letter was lot 402 in the Dominic Winter auction, 13 December 2012) (f. 70).

Seccombe, Thomas, 1866-1923

Claudia Williams letter,

A typescript letter, with manuscript additions, 23 January 1985, from the artist Claudia Williams, Kanapitsa, Skiathos, giving news of her and her husband Gwilym Prichard's stay there during the winter of 1984-5. The letter was sent to Mrs Edna Quinn but is addressed collectively to her and to Williams' other friends in an art group in Wales.
The letter contains a cartoon in ink by Williams (f. 7 verso).

Williams, Claudia, 1933-

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