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This slim volume contains a partial account of a trip from New York City to Niagara Falls in August 1825, with entries cutting off abruptly at Lockport, New York. The currently unidentified writer traveled on the incomplete Erie Canal aboard the safety barge Lady Clinton and by road on the last leg of their journey. The author included descriptions of scenery, geographic features, towns, and canal systems they passed. Within the volume are calligraphic headings, pressed leaves, and a color illustration of two birds and flowers.

This slim volume contains a partial account of a trip from New York City to Niagara Falls in August 1825, with entries cutting off abruptly at Lockport, New York. The currently unidentified writer traveled on the incomplete Erie Canal aboard the safety barge Lady Clinton and by road on the last leg of their journey. The author included descriptions of scenery, geographic features, towns, and canal systems they passed. Within the volume are calligraphic headings, pressed leaves, and a color illustration of two birds and flowers.

Major points of the route serve as headings within the volume, being visually differentiated from the main text by calligraphic headings. Observations on town layouts and architecture—including rough estimations of population count—provide a developmental snapshot of the region as perceived by the writer. Also mentioned is the construction on the Mt. Pleasant Prison at Sing Sing [Sing Sing Prison, Ossining, New York] and the quarry of white marble used by the builders.

The writer's travel by road was apparently not as easy as their travel by canal. After turning off the Ridge Road at Hartland, New York, descriptions of the woodland seem to indicate a host of obstructions in the form of mudholes, ruts, and stumps (p. 22). Apart from the entries on towns and landscapes, the writer noted a hotel landlord in Victor, New York, who kept two wolves, two small deer, and a fox in his yard (p. 16).

Yellowed imprints of larger leaves placed into the volume can be found on later pages, but only the smallest have lasted to the present day.

This volume contains a manuscript play prompt for the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast," drawn directly from Julia Corner's 1854 adaptation of the same tale.

This volume contains a manuscript play prompt for the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast," drawn directly from Julia Corner's 1854 adaptation of the same tale.

The text largely corresponds with Corner's adaptation, albeit with abbreviated or simplified stage directions. The text appears to have been written by one hand, with a pencil annotation at the end of the volume in a second hand, crediting the performance of this play to "some of the girls that go to Miss Lacy's School."

Although the location of Miss Lacy's School is unclear, the spelling within may indicate contemporary American rather than British expectations. The roles are for a merchant, the Beast, the merchant's daughters, Beauty, and a beneficent fairy with four attendants.

This volume contains a manuscript play prompt for the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast," drawn directly from Julia Corner's 1854 adaptation of the same tale.

This volume contains a manuscript play prompt for the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast," drawn directly from Julia Corner's 1854 adaptation of the same tale.

The text largely corresponds with Corner's adaptation, albeit with abbreviated or simplified stage directions. The text appears to have been written by one hand, with a pencil annotation at the end of the volume in a second hand, crediting the performance of this play to "some of the girls that go to Miss Lacy's School."

Although the location of Miss Lacy's School is unclear, the spelling within may indicate contemporary American rather than British expectations. The roles are for a merchant, the Beast, the merchant's daughters, Beauty, and a beneficent fairy with four attendants.

The July 1, 1874 kidnapping of four-year-old Charles Brewster "Charley" Ross from a sidewalk in front of the family home in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania became the first nationally publicized kidnapping for ransom case in the United States. This collection contains six items: one letter, a manuscript reward advertisement, handwritten notes, a pencil sketch portrait of Charley, a manuscript account of experiences with the main suspects, and an undated newspaper clipping related to the continuing investigation of the child's abduction, ca. 1909.

The July 1, 1874, kidnapping of four-year-old Charles Brewster "Charley" Ross from a sidewalk in front of the family home in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania became the first nationally publicized kidnapping for ransom case in the United States. This collection contains six items: a letter, a manuscript draft of a reward advertisement, handwritten notes, a pencil sketched portrait of Charley, a manusscript account of experiences with the main suspects, and an undated newspaper clipping-related to the continuing investigation of the child's abduction, ca. 1909.

The one Letter in the collection is from Charley Ross's father Christian K. Ross to Rev. Henry Whitney Cleveland, October 20, 1877; Philadelphia. 2 pages. In it, Mr. Ross states that he cannot help Cleveland publish a book as his time is spent searching for his missing son. Ross mentions the book he published on the case, lamenting that he published it using a subscription service as it limited its circulation.

Written on the verso of printed, illustrated stationery of the Haynes Hotel, Springfield, Massachusetts, the manuscript draft of a Reward Advertisement stipulates a $10,000 reward for the return of Charley Ross alive, promising not to seek out or discover the identity of the kidnappers. The page is headed "For Local Article."

Notes: Six pages of pencil notes on checkbook stubs, measuring approximately 9x4 inches. Dating from July 1, 1874, to an unknown point in 1909, the notes begin from the point of Charley's kidnapping, chronicling accounts of the case. First remarking that Christian Ross had "run down false clews [in a] vain attempt" to locate Charley, the unidentified writer continues with a sparse summary of the alleged kidnappers capture "at Fort Hamilton, L.I. [Long Island]" and Joseph Douglas's confession that "Mosher & I stole Charly [sic] Ross." The next entry, dated 1909, discusses one Wm. G. Eyster, whose claim to be the lost Charley Ross was rejected.

The notes conclude with a sketch of a man wearing glasses and a bow tie, with the caption "3 days to get it ready, $20,000," followed by what appears to be notes related to other kidnappings and reference to a "Jessy James."

Manuscript: On October 9, 1932, James H. Hall wrote a nine-page summary of George W. Murdock's recounting of his experiences with the main suspects in the Charles Brewster Ross kidnapping case, Bill Mosher and Joe Douglas, while his mother was in charge of the lighthouse in the Hudson River. Murdock recalled Mosher and Douglas attempting to sell them a boat, described the two men, and described encounters with detectives who searched their premises and read their mail. Hall speculated about the possible role of the boat in the kidnapping.

Newspaper Clipping: An undated clipping regarding one Mr. W.C. DeWitt, claiming to be the lost Charley Ross and giving a lecture, titled "The True Story of My Abduction."

Portrait: A pencil sketch of Charley with an inscription that reads,"at the time of his abduction. Then 4 yrs. and Walter, his 6-yr-old brother. Disappeared from the sidewalk, near their home. July 1, 1874."

A currently unidentified person wrote this temperance speech in Madison, Connecticut, around 1849. The writer included extracts from previous annual reports of the Madison Temperance Society and provided a brief history of the society before writing about the effect of drinking and temperance on society.

A currently unidentified person wrote this temperance speech in Madison, Connecticut, around 1849. The writer included extracts from previous annual reports of the Madison Temperance Society and provided a brief history of the society before writing about the effect of drinking and temperance on society.

The extracts include the number and sex of adult members, as well as the number of juvenile members. The writer noted that a majority of the members were women and that a significant portion of members who pledged against the use of distilled liquors were self-proclaimed Sons and Daughters of Zion.

The writer frequently referenced the Gospel, proclaiming that "no drunkard shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven" (page 20). They tell the story of a man in the prime of his life who, although working hard, could never acquire a "permanent home" for himself and his family because of his expenditures on alcohol. The writer insisted that if those men stopped spending their money on alcoholic beverages, they would be able to afford a home and good clothing for their family within a few years.

The speech concludes with a condemnation of members who violated their pledges, and a suggestion that further steps be taken to ascertain the exact number of society members on account of poor record-keeping.

This 32-page manuscript notebook, dated to the second half of the eighteenth century, is an instruction manual for the systematic use of color in mapmaking. Though the writer and exact date of publication are unknown, it is assumed that the writer was a master mapmaker and that this notebook was meant to be distributed to students who were learning how to make maps. An English translation of the notebook is published in "Coloring Manuscript Maps in the Eighteenth Century," Clements Library Occasional Bulletin 4 (January 2017): 5-11.

This 32-page manuscript notebook, dated to the second half of the eighteenth century, is an instruction manual on the systematic use of color in mapmaking. Though the writer and exact date of publication are unknown, it is assumed that the writer was a master mapmaker and that this notebook was meant to be distributed to students who were learning how to make maps. An English translation of the notebook is published in "Coloring Manuscript Maps in the Eighteenth Century," Clements Library Occasional Bulletin 4 (January 2017): 5-11.

The writer begins by explaining the process that one should follow when preparing and using colors for a map. After the writer explains how to mix colors, they offer detailed notes about the use of eight main colors; a palette of those colors is found on page three of the manuscript. Throughout the rest of the manuscript, the writer explains how to mix colors and correctly render features like cultivated lands, meadows, pastures, woods, vineyards, mountains, trees, hedges, rocks, quarries, sand, and rivers. Interspersed throughout the manuscript is the writer's observations about common mapmaking mistakes and diagrams illustrating different techniques.

This impassioned speech about the dangers of intemperance, licentiousness, and infidelity was given at Polkville, New York, in May 1848. The currently unidentified orator warned against travelling exhibitions, theatre, sleight of hand, "modern ball room influence," and public singing.

This impassioned speech about the dangers of intemperance, licentiousness, and infidelity was given at Polkville, New York, in May 1848. The currently unidentified orator warned against travelling exhibitions, theatre, sleight of hand, "modern ball room influence," and public singing. They also make what may or may not be a reference to Dr. R. H. Collyer's "Model Artists" (pertinent to animal magnetism/mesmerism).

The author discussed the monetary profits of tavernkeepers, landlords, and rum-sellers, and also condemned those who indirectly supported liquor dealers through the support of balls, or dinners with oysters and cigars. The people who attended such gatherings were labelled as aiders and abettors. Within the speech is the motto "To the rescue of the World from the reign of King Alcohol."

The orator argued that the decline, crime, mutiny, and subsequent execution Philip Spencer (1823-1842) was the result of intemperance influenced by "The Pirate's Own Book." Other subjects mentioned include college life, party politics, and the need for all temperance supporters and societies to work together despite political and social differences.

This 8-page manuscript speech was written by a currently unidentified author in the United States seeking the presidency in a temperance society, perhaps sometime in the 1840s or 1850s. The orator addressed "Fellow Citizens" and focused their anti-alcohol rhetoric on moral, social, and political issues. They focused on the fiscal costs of prosecutions, imprisonment, and overcrowded jails; on election corruption due to intemperate men selling their votes for alcohol money; and on the damnation of "drunkards" resulting from the immorality of liquor distributors. He expressed sympathy for the intemperate while simultaneously blaming them for moral failings. Brief references to the sex of the intemperate and conflict with Great Britain are present. The orator occasionally drew language and comparisons used in speeches and letters of the American Temperance Union, New-York Society for the Promotion of Intemperance, and others.

This 8-page manuscript speech was written by a currently unidentified author in the United States seeking the presidency in a temperance society, perhaps sometime in the 1840s or 1850s. The orator addressed "Fellow Citizens" and focused their anti-alcohol rhetoric on moral, social, and political issues. They focused on the fiscal costs of prosecutions, imprisonment, and overcrowded jails; on election corruption due to intemperate men selling their votes for alcohol money; and on the damnation of "drunkards" resulting from the immorality of liquor distributors. He expressed sympathy for the intemperate while simultaneously blaming them for moral failings. Brief references to the sex of the intemperate and conflict with Great Britain are present. The orator occasionally drew language and comparisons used in speeches and letters of the American Temperance Union, New-York Society for the Promotion of Intemperance, and others. The manuscript is made up of loose pages, hand-sewn on the left.

• Alcohol should only be consumed as prescribed by a "temperance Physician."
• The intemperate include not only laboring classes, but legislators and justice officials.
• The "stability of our free institutions" is at stake because of intemperate people's willingness to sell their votes for funds to purchase alcohol; the speaker claims that thousands of votes have been corrupted and that political parties filter money into elections for this purpose.
• Enough money is spent on alcohol to pay off the United States' foreign debt. Estimates $15,000,000/year spent in "this state alone."
• Bar rooms prepare people for crimes and God never gave people the right to get drunk. Distilleries are "smoking breathing holes of hell"; "...there are men, who would build grogshops, on a volcano if they could make money by it -- Nay they would go down, to the verry confines of hell and build grogshops there if they could only make money --" Reformed men should take their old rags and give them to the rum sellers, so that they might become paper makers. The drinker is wicked.
• Female drinkers are few and far between (crossed out is a sentence saying "but, I have saw a woman beastly drunk between this and the borough").
• Some of the intemperate succeed in escaping, but those who do not might become robbers or pirates. Wives, children, and society lose nothing when the drunkard dies, regardless of whether he has been a "tender father, a finished scholar, a profound statesman," but the addict loses his soul. They end up "Frozen in a storm, or drowned, or dying on his bed of straw, with delirium tremens, devils seizing him before his time, with none to care for him, none to lament him."
• "Drunkards demand our sympathy, I make no apology for drunkenness -- It is a sin, for which there can be no apology -- The moderate drinker, is master of himself -- He does what he does, deliberately, of free choice, feeling, and knowing, as he says, that there is no danger." But this is a slippery slope.
• "The Queen of England might send an army against us, and we could drive them into the sea -- But we must fight against intoxicating drinks by letting it alone come forward sign the pledge..."

This manuscript rhyming poem written by "Hazel" is about a young girl who hung an extra Christmas stocking for an impoverished child, and Santa Claus' enlistment of elves to help provide gifts.

This manuscript rhyming poem written by "Hazel" is about a young girl who hung an extra Christmas stocking for an impoverished child, and Santa Claus' enlistment of elves to help provide gifts.

The poem is written in a blank book bound with red, white, and green braid, and pages featuring printed decorative borders of holly. The volume also features six watercolor illustrations depicting Santa, the elves, and the gifts in the stockings. The cover bears the title and painted holly and leaves.

An inscription on inside front cover reads "A merry Christmas from Hazel."