Add MS 37661

LETTER-BOOK of "Letters written to England and Holland since his Majesties returne from La Hougue, 22 June, 1692, by the Right Hon. the Earle of Melfort, Principall Secretary of State [to James II.], to the last of December, 1692." The letters are generally of a secret nature, and, though undoubtedly from Lord Melfort, only a few, and those of least importance, are under his own name. His most frequent pseudonyms are "Da. Forde," "Jo. Mills" (Millis or Mellis, cf. Macpherson's Original Papers of the Secret History of Gt. Britain, i. p. 414), "Ja. May," "J. Stoacks" (or Stoakes), "Jo. Dempster," "Jo. Duke," and "Ja. Pilot"; and, though he was at this time at St. Germain, many of the letters are dated "from Amsterdam." A list of the persons addressed is given at the end (f. 19 b), and in some cases the real names are added to the pseudonyms. Among them are [Henry Hyde] Earl of Clarendon, Sir Richard Bulstrode, [Thomas Bruce] Earl of Ailesbury, al. "Esquire" or "Mr. Esquire," [Charles Middleton] Earl of Middleton, al. Watson al. "Mrs. Bettie," Sir Robert Clerk, al. Willow al. Van Ashe, etc. Others are addressed apparently under pseudonyms only, as "Laty," "Mrs. Susan," "y^e Parkkeeper " and, possibly, "Sackfied" "Nerinx" and others. Frequently the language used is pseudo-commercial, the most important names or allusions being referred to as "Bailes" or "Boxes" of goods, as in a letter to "Coll. Sakfield" [? Col. Sackville], 5 Sept. 1692 (f. 34) and elsewhere. The letter to Sackville is given in full by Macpherson (op. cit. i. p. 420) with the decypherings; his reference to the original is to "Nairne's Papers D. N. [sc. Sir David Nairne, Under Secetary to Janies II. at St. Germain's], vol. ii. 4to. No. 15," and he states that he decyphered it "according to doctor Hicks's and colonel Sackville's cyphers in Lord Middleton's copy-book of letters, D. N. vol. viii." The Nairne papers are now among, the Carte collection at the Bodleian Library, Oxford (cf. F. Madan, Summary Catalogue, 1895, vol. iii. nos. 10625, 10626, 10653-10657,10701-10703). Paper; ff. i. + 201. Folio. Vellum binding. On f. 201 b is inscribed (early l9th cent.) "Mr. Drummond de Melfort, 49 Mortimer Street, Cavendish Square, London." Phillipps MS. 22412 (sale-cat. 1908, lot 510).

Colonel Edward? Sackville: Letters to, as Col. ',Sack field " or " Sakfield," from Lord Melfort: 1692.

'Nernix', pseudonym?: Letters to, from Lord Melfort: 1692.

'Laty'; pseudonym: Letters to, from Lord Melfort,: 1692.

Jacobites: Letters by Lord Melfort, Envoy to Rome, to Jacobites at St. Germain: 1689-90.: Copies.

John Drummond, Earl of Melfort (1686): Letters to Jacobites, etc., under assumed names: 1692.

Sir Richard Bulstrode, Envoy at Brussels: Letters to, from Lord Melfort: 1692.

Thomas Bruce, Earl of Ailesbury: Letters to, as " Esquire " or " Mr. Esquire," from Lord Melfort: 1692.

includes:

• ff.,2 b, 130, 179 b, 180 Sir Robert Clerk: Letters to, as " Willow" or " Van Ashe," from Lord Melfort: 1692.
• ff. 70, 123, 167, 193 'Susan, Mrs.'; Pseudonym: Letters to, from Lord Melfort: 1692.
• ff. 87 b, 128, 152 b, 189 Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton: Letters to, as " Watson " or " Mrs. Bettie," from Lord Melfort: 1692.
• f. 106 'Park-keeper, The'; pseudonym: Letter to, from Lord Melfort: 1692.