Medical treatise, titled ‘An enquiry into the principal cause of the wide destruction of mankind in time of war, and of the slow ineffectual progress and permanency of military and naval operations in general’, exemplified by reference to various campaigns, long voyages and colonizations.
Scope and Contents
The author, who describes himself in an inscription to Henry Dundas, 1789, as a citizen of Edinburgh, was apparently Alexander Bruce whose son William was a major commanding the 24th Battalion in the Carnatic in 1787-1788 (page 204), and he may have been that Alexander Bruce, leather merchant, at the West Bow, to whom is ascribed, in an unknown hand in a copy of the work in this Library, 'An inquiry into the cause of the pestilence'.
Accompanying the volume are two letters of Bruce; one of them, addressed to Henry Dundas, encloses a long letter of Major-General William Lockhart supporting Bruce's theories about the importance of exercise in preserving the health of troops.
Dates
- Creation: [1789, or before.]
Conditions Governing Access
Normal access conditions apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.
Extent
118 Leaves
Language of Materials
Undetermined
Arrangement
vi folios + 223 pages.
Custodial History
The manuscript was bought by the National Library of Scotland with the aid of the Reid Fund.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Bought, Sotheby's, 22 February 1949, lot 5820.
Bibliography
Physical Description
Bound in contemporary green morocco with gold tooling in the style of James Scott of Edinburgh: on the boards a simple Greek key border; on the spine, compartments, one with a title on a red label, each of the others with a cluster of military objects.
Genre / Form
- Title
- National Library of Scotland Catalogue of Manuscripts
- Author
- National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division
- Description rules
- International Standard for Archival Description - General
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk