Collections

This collection is made up of five letters from James Colquhoun at St. James's Place, London, to William Auriol Drummond-Hay between May and September 1834. At the time, Colquhoun served as British Consul-General for the Hanseatic Cities of Hamburg, Bremen, and Lübeck, and Drummond-Hay was British consul at Tangier, Morocco. The correspondence relates to diplomacy and suppression of piracy in the Mediterranean, the danger to British capital in case of Neapolitan or Hanseatic depredations on foreign cargoes, Neapolitan vessels en route to Morocco, the state of Moroccan ships, and the appropriateness of the Hanseatic Senates' desire to express tangible appreciation to Drummond-Hay for protection of their commerce.

• May 29, 1834. A Neapolitan Frigate and several corsairs headed to Tangier with instructions to negotiate or, in the case of failure, to resort to force; at the same time a Neapolitan Brig of War has left England to join them there. "The large quantity of British Capital in Foreign Ports & consequently of shipments on British account, distributed in the ships of all nations expose British Interests to be affected indirectly by any depredations committed on Cargoes under the Hanseatic or Neapolitan flag & indeed under almost every flag. . . . The only security for British as well as foreign Commerce in the Mediterranean & on the European Coasts bordering on the Atlantic is via the dismantling of the Piratical Vessels which it is hoped will be enforced & immediately follow the settlement of the Neapolitan question."
• June 2, 1834. The Hamburgh Senate thinks it difficult or impossible to "abolish the piratical system and as Morocco in particular will probably not be brought for some time to alter her System, the Hanseatic negociation must be persevered in, with a view to a final settlement." The Senate is fully aware of the benefits Drummond-Hay's work has provided for the protection of "Hans. Towns" commerce. They are preparing further instructions and in the meantime trust entirely on Drummond-Hay's "Judgment & diplomatic tact still to shield them from any hostile Measures and trust that the piratical Vessels in question will be dismantled forthwith as the best earnest of Security."
• June 30, 1834. Believes the arrival of the Neapolitan fleet and apparent support by a French force will put to rest the risk of putting a Moroccan flotilla to sea. Discusses the state of Moroccan vessels.
• September 1, 1834. Spoke with Secretary of State Thomas Spring Rice regarding the Hanseatic Republics' Senates' desire to express esteem for Colquhoun's diplomatic talents. Rice wants to talk to Lord Palmerston [i.e. Foreign Secretary Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston] about it, so that the two men act on the same principles. "I pointed out the distinction between a British Diplomatic Functionary receiving unlimited presents from Indian Princes or Barbary Pirates and his receiving a well earned Compliment from the States to whom he had rendered services under the auspices of his own Government."
• September 18, 1834. Pleased that Secretary Rice has approved of the Senates making an acknowledgment of Colquhoun's "services at Morocco to Hanseatic Commerce during the last 5 years."

Professor of astronomy and director of the Observatory at University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin. Correspondence, professional papers, travel journals, and files of astronomical observations and calculations.

The James C. Watson collection consists of correspondence with astronomers, University of Michigan colleagues, and other scientists and inventors; professional papers, travel journals of trips to Alaska, China, Sicily, Egypt and Arabia; and files of astronomical observations and calculations, mainly pertaining to asteroids. The papers are organized into the following series: Correspondence and related; Professional papers; Travel and personal; Photographs; and Astronomical observations calculations.

The James Craik collection contains seven letters and recipes written by Craik. Three items relate to the health of George Washington and his family, and six propose contemporary cures for various ailments.

The James Craik collection contains seven letters and recipes written by Craik. Three items relate to the health of George Washington and his family, and six are contemporary cures for various ailments. In the first letter, addressed to Tobias Lear, Craik encouraged him to introduce his friend Mrs. Dixon to George Washington (September 21, 1789). The remainder of the material focuses on medicine, and contains several remedies for a range of complaints, including chest pain, a "perpetual blister," and a malady frequently affecting children. Three of the items relate directly to the health of George Washington and his family.

• A letter to Martha Washington proposing a treatment for her son's fever (August 8, 1780)
• A letter to Colonel Bassett suggesting a method to alleviate "weakness" in Washington's stomach (December 6, 1792)
• A method for easing one of Washington's complaints (undated)

This collection contains letters written to James Cunningham of Adams County, Pennsylvania, by members of his family, and early letters to family members concerning the Cobean family of Adams County, related to Cunningham through marriage. Correspondents discussed family news, agricultural prices, health and medicine, and politics.

This collection (21 items) contains letters written to James Cunningham of Adams County, Pennsylvania, by members of his family, and several early letters from family members concerning the Cobean family of Adams County, related to Cunningham through marriage. The early letters include 1 from Polly Waugh Cunningham to her daughter Betsy (June 2, 1821) and 4 from John Cunningham to his brother James and to their brother-in-law, Samuel Cobean. Cunningham offered his condolences following the death of James's son Alexander and mentioned a recent land purchase by John W. Cunningham (May 23, 1831).

James Cunningham received 9 letters from his nephew, Dr. Alexander Stewart of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Stewart mentioned his medical practice and the growth of his family and occasionally commented on political issues, such as his thoughts about the Anti-Masonic Party (March 19, 1840) and the Locofoco presence in Pennsylvania (October 28, 1845). John S. Cunningham, another nephew, wrote 5 letters about his life in Pulaski, Pennsylvania, addressing topics such as agriculture and his financial troubles. He wrote about the health of his family and in one letter described a person experiences a lengthy trance (February 24, 1844). A third nephew, Alexander Cobean, wrote to James Cunningham of his trip from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Euphemia, Ohio, where he found work as a teacher. Cobean provided insight into his life as new arrival among strangers in the Midwest, discussing local land prices, the landscape, and the corn crop (February 8, 1848). In the final letter, dated October 27, 1851, Cobean reported that he had to abandon his teaching career because of his poor health.

This collection contains 21 sermons and sets of sermon notes compiled by Reverend James Cushing of Haverhill, Massachusetts, and Plaistow, New Hampshire, between 1734 and 1756. Cushing, a Congregationalist minister, preached throughout northeastern Massachusetts on topics such as sin, vanity, and divine law.

This collection contains 21 sermons and sets of sermon notes compiled by Reverend James Cushing of Haverhill, Massachusetts, and Plaistow, New Hampshire, between 1734 and 1756. Each sermon records the date on which it was first preached, as well as dates and places of subsequent delivery, which occasionally included private residences. Cushing traveled around northeastern Massachusetts, often preaching in Andover and Salisbury. The sermons include Biblical verses as a basis for discussion, and address topics such as vanity, sin, and divine laws. Several sermons include expanded sections titled "Improvements." Most of the sermons are bound, and some comprise over 30 closely written, two-column pages; many items contain the texts of multiple sermons.

This collection of pamphlets and reprints of the writings of James C. Wood was gathered together from different sources. The collection is arranged alphabetically by title.

This collection contains 4 letters that James Stokes Dickerson wrote to his brother, John S. Dickerson, while studying at Madison University (now Colgate University) in Hamilton, New York. He provided details of his life at the college, reminisced about his childhood, and discussed his health and finances.

This collection contains 4 letters that James Stokes Dickerson wrote to his brother, John S. Dickerson, while studying at Madison University (now Colgate University) in Hamilton, New York. He discussed many aspects of his life at school, such as his social activities and the boarding hall where he lived (May 23, 1846), and lamented his poverty and poor financial situation, which prevented him from taking full advantage of vacation periods. Dickerson expressed his joy at a recent religious revival in Hamilton and his hope that John would convert to Christianity (March 28, 1846), and some of his early letters concern his family and his childhood.

This volume contains invoices and accounts related to London-based merchant James Douglas, who shipped fabrics, woven goods, and other items between Great Britain and the United States during the 1780s. The bulk of the records document the amount and cost of goods shipped on behalf of various firms and consignment agents. Later accounts reflect the shipment of tobacco, indigo, rice, and other goods from the United States to Great Britain.

This volume (329 pages) contains invoices and accounts related to London-based merchant James Douglas, who shipped fabrics, woven goods, and other items between Great Britain and the United States during the 1780s. The bulk of the records (317 pages) pertain to shipments of cloth goods from Great Britain to the United States between April 1784 and August 1786. His goods included domestic and imported cloths, handkerchiefs, blankets, and other finished products. Daily records include the name of the ship carrying the goods from London or Liverpool to North American ports, including Charleston, South Carolina. Some records include the price of related items such as buttons and tassels. One entry concerns a shipment of books (pp. 202-204).

The remaining accounts (12 pages) pertain to shipments of tobacco from Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, to British ports between January 1, 1789, and July 7, 1792. These accounts, recorded sporadically, primarily pertain to the value of the tobacco and, less frequently, other items such as rice and indigo.

The James Douglas papers are comprised of letters, letter books, logbooks, account books, and official naval documents relating to the career of Sir James Douglas, a British Admiral who was active in European and Caribbean waters and participated in the 1745 Siege of Louisbourg.

The James Douglas papers are comprised of letters, letter books, logbooks, account books, and official naval documents relating to the career of Sir James Douglas. Douglas rose to the rank of admiral and was active in European and Caribbean waters, and participated in the 1745 Siege of Louisbourg. The collection contains 7 letterbooks, 10 logbooks, 1 orderly book, 7 prize and account books, 1 book of sailing instructions (with notations by Douglas), 10 letters, 17 financial and official documents, and 2 genealogical documents (for an itemized list of the collection, see Additional Descriptive Data).

The Letter Books, Logbooks, and Account Books series contains the collection's bound volumes.

The letter books are comprised of copies of over 1,000 letters and orders to and from Douglas and his fellow naval officers. The letter book from Jamaica (1738-1745) includes letters and orders from Edward Vernon, Sir Chaloner Ogle, Thomas Davers, and Commodore Charles Brown, mostly addressed to naval store keeper George Hinde, concerning repairing and outfitting ships. The 1755-1759 letter book contains observations on ship movements and encounters, and letters from him to other naval officers, largely concerning European waters. The letter books from 1775 to 1777 hold copies of letters from Douglas, written when he was commanding the naval base at Spithead during the Revolutionary War. The letters are primarily addressed to Sir Philip Stephens, Secretary of British Admiralty, regarding naval administration and military news during the war in America (August 6, 1775-May 27, 1777).

• Tilbury, 1741-1742 (kept by Thomas Lempriere)
• Vigilant, 1745-1747
• Anson, 1755
• Bedford, 1755-1759
• Alcide, 1757
• Dublin, 1760
• SterlingCastle, 1760-1762
• Cruzer, 1770 (kept by Midshipman James Douglas, Jr.)
• Cerberus, 1770 (kept by Midshipman James Douglas, Jr.)

Topics of note include: an account of the British attack against the Spanish at Cartagena (Tilbury logbook, 1740-1741); the British capture of Dominica and Martinique, and the Siege of Havana, while Douglas was commander and chief of the Leeward Island Station (1760-1762 logbook); and a logbook for a captured French ship (1760-1761). The logbook of a French ship captured in the West Indies (December 16, 1761-May 1, 1762) contains sketches on the insides of the front and back covers. Depicted are fish and sea creatures; crude portraits of men and women, dressed in finery; silhouettes of faces; and drawings of two stately homes.

• Ledger of Douglas' private accounts (1770-1771).
• Two notebooks accounting for prizes taken by British ships in 1759 and 1762.
• A sederunt book of the trustees, relating to the settlement of Douglas' estate, created sometime after his death in 1787.

Also of note is a printed copy of Sailing and Fighting Instructions, heavily annotated by Douglas.

The Correspondence and Documents series contains 29 letters and documents, including: 8 letters concerning naval matters; 4 letters concerning Douglas' will, estate, and genealogy; Douglas' marriage agreement; 7 signed naval promotions on vellum; Douglas' appointment as baronet (1786); 3 memorials and petitions; 2 essays; 1 speech; 1 receipt; 1 legal disposition; and two genealogical items. Genealogy records include a family tree of Douglas' ancestor Douglas of Friarshaw (d. 1388) and a facsimile of the genealogical chart of Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane's ancestors going back to the 13th century.

James Duncan was a British naval captain who served during the Seven Years' War and the Revolutionary War. His papers contain information related to his military service, probate records, and a proposal for ending slavery in Britain.

The Duncan Papers include manuscripts relating to James Duncan's Revolutionary War service, principally his attempts to gain compensation for losses sustained while in the service of the British crown. The series of documents concerning the settlement of his estate are useful for study of English probate, and the remainder of the collection relates mainly to the legal affairs of the family. Of particular interest, however, are an account by James Duncan's ancestor, William Duncan (1613-ca.1673) about a shipwreck in 1631, and a draft of a manuscript written by James Duncan proposing a plan for ending slavery in Great Britain and ridding the country of its former slaves.