Letters of correspondents at the Admiralty.

Barrow, John

Letter, 1 September 1814, of John Barrow, Southampton, to John Macdonald praising his telegraphic system. Folios 1-2.

Letter, 13 May 1817, of John Barrow, Admiralty, London, to John Macdonald stating that his work on telegraphic communication has been laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Folios 3-4.

Letter, 22 August 1818, of John Barrow, Admiralty, London, to John Macdonald commenting that The Lords of the Admiralty ‘...will not give you any more trouble...’. Folios 5-6.

Bickerton, Richard Hussey

Letter, 1817, of Sir Richard Hussey Bickerton, Admiralty, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging the receipt of Macdonald's book. Folios 7-8.

Dundas, Robert Saunders

Letter, 23 May 1812, of Robert Saunders Dundas, Admiralty, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging receipt of the 'models [etc.] which he was so good as to leave at the Admiralty'. Folios 9-10.

Letter, 28 January 1819, of Robert Saunders Dundas, Admiralty, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging receipt of his letter. Folios 11-12.

Letter, 8 February 1819, of Robert Saunders Dundas, Admiralty, London, to John Macdonald declining an offer to examine plans for Macdonald's telegraphic system. Folios 13-14.

Hay, Robert William

Letter, 20 April 1814, of Robert William Hay, private secretary to Viscount Melville, Admiralty, London, to John Macdonald advising him that Lord Melville 'will take an opportunity of bringing your Telegraphic model under the consideration of the Board of Admiralty'. Folios 15-16.

Letters of other correspondents concerning the telegraphic system

Arbuthnot, Charles

Letter, 8 March 1815, of Charles Arbuthnot to John Macdonald acknowledging receipt of his letter and stating that it had been forwarded to the Home Secretary of State. Folios 17-18.

Calvert, Henry

Letter, 12 August 1814, of Sir Henry Calvert, Horse Guards, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging a demonstration of Macdonald's telegraphic system. On the verso of the bifolium is a copy of a further letter, 27 April 1814, of Calvert stating HRH `much satisfied' with the 'machine'. Folios 19-20.

Davis, J

Letter, [1811], of J Davis, Portland Place, to John Macdonald stating that he had discovered that the ‘encouragement given to Capt Lynn is true’. Folios 21-22.

Garstin, John

Letter, 21 October 1815, of John Garstin, Bath, to John Macdonald commenting favourably on his telegraphic dictionary. Folios 23-24.

Ludbrook, T

Letter, 13 April 1825, of T Ludbrook, representative of the Duke of Buckingham, Stowe, Buckinghamshire, to John Macdonald acknowledging that the Duke of Buckingham had received the books. Folios 25-26.

Murray, John MacGregor

Letter, 5 December 1814, of John M[acGregor] Murray, Lanrick Castle, Stirling, to John Macdonald concerning his poor treatment by the 'Lords of the East' over his 'system of telegraphic language‘. Folios 27-28.

Phipps, Henry

Letter, 16 September 1814, of Henry Phipps, Mulgrave Court, to John Macdonald stating that he had 'not a sufficient recollection of the transaction' to be able to add to the testimonial of John Barrow. Folios 29-30.

Wood, Charles

Letter, 6 June 1811, of Charles Wood, Downing Street, London, to John Macdonald expressing Lord Grey's thanks for his letter and communication. Folios 31-32.

Letter, 8 August 1811, of Charles Wood, Downing Street, London, to John Macdonald expressing Lord Grey's thanks for his letter and communication. Folios 33-34.

Yorke, Charles

Letter, 24 April 1813, of Charles Yorke, Boningtons, to John Macdonald concerning the appendix to Macdonald's 'ingenious treatise'. Folios 35-36.

Letter, 25 September 1814, of Charles Yorke, Bath, to John Macdonald concerning the support of General Calvert and John Barrow for his project, and acknowledging that the project was ingenious. Folios 37-38.

Letters of various ambassadors, mostly, as recipients of copies of the treatise of 1817 to be presented to the King, or other head of state

Fagel, Willem Jacob

Letter, 7 June 1817, of Willem Jacob Fagel, Whitehall Place, London, to John Macdonald stating that he will present the copy of the book to the King of the Netherlands. Folios 39-40.

Fust, Herbert Jenner

Letter, with envelope, 15 May 1817, of Herbert Jenner Fust, Brook Street, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging the receipt of his work and stating that he would forward it to the King of Saxony. Folios 41-43.

Holstein, Pedro de Sousa

Letter, 12 May 1817, of Pedro de Sousa Holstein, Count de Palmella, South Audley Street, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging the receipt of a copy of his 'General Telegraphic Communication' to be presented to the King. Folios 44-45.

Hurtado, Miguel Jose

Letter, with envelope, 15 June 1824, of Miguel Jose Hurtado, Columbian Ambassador, Baker Street, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging the receipt of Macdonald's work on a new telegraphic system. Folios 46-48.

Translation of the letter, 15 June 1824, of Miguel Jose Hurtado, Columbian Ambassor, Baker Street, London, to John Macdonald concerning his new telegraphic system. Folios 49-50.

Rehausen, Gotthard Mauritz von

Letter, 20 May 1817, of Gotthard Mauritz von Rehausen, Chesterfield Street, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging the receipt of his book and stating that he would present it to the King of Sweden. Folios 51-52.

Vargas, José Miguel de Carvajal-

Letter, 23 December 1817, of José Miguel de Carvajal-Vargas, Duke of San Carlos, London, to John Macdonald stating that the King of Spain received the book `with very great satisfaction'. Folios 53-54.

Unidentified embassy officials

Letter, 21 October 1817, in French, to John Macdonald from an unidentified sender, Berlin, acknowledging that the King of Prussia had received his book. Folios 55-56.

Letter, 27 May 1817, of the Ambassador of the Netherlands, Whitehall Place, London, to John Macdonald. Folios 57-58.

Correspondence between John Macdonald and various correspondents concerning his 'A treatise on telegraphic communication, naval, military, and political.' (London: T Egerton, printer, 1808.)

The letters are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the senders.

Bentinck, William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-

Letter, 2 June 1808, of William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging receipt of 'his treatise on Telegraphic Communication'. Folios 59-60.

Bullen, James

Letter, 2 June 1808, of James Bullen, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging receipt of the 'book he has done him the honour to send him'. Folios 61-62.

Domett, William

Letter, 31 May 1808, of Sir William Domett, Admiralty, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging the receipt of the book 'which he had the goodness to send him'. Folios 63-64.

Dundas, Robert Saunders

Letter, 19 September 1808, of Robert Saunders Dundas, Dunira, to John Macdonald acknowledging receipt of his 'Telegraphic Communication'. Folios 65-66.

Grant, Charles

Letter, 2 June 1808, of Charles Grant, India House, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging receipt of 'your work on Telegraphic Communications'. Folios 67-68.

Jenkinson, Robert Banks

Letter, 2 June 1806, of Robert Banks Jenkinson, Coombe Wood, to John Macdonald supporting the communication of his works on telegraph systems to Lord Grenville. Folios 69-70.

Letter, 1 June 1808, of Robert Banks Jenkinson, Charles Street, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging the receipt of a copy of his book, with other copies that he would 'lose no time in lodging before His Majesty, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of York'. Folios 71-72.

MacDonald, William

Letter, with envelope, 1 June 1808, of William MacDonald, Upper Gower Street, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging his book and commenting on how it might be presented to 'His Royal Highness'. Folios 73-75.

Pulteney, James

Letter, partial date 6 June [1808], of Sir James Pulteney, Park Lane, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging that he had received Macdonald's book on telegraphic communication and had forwarded it to Sir Alexander Mackenzie. Folios 76-77.

Ross, James

Letter, 2 October 1804, of James Ross, Officer of the East India Company, London, to John Macdonald commenting on his “superior [telegraphic] system”. Folios 78-79.

Stewart, Robert

Letter, 8 June 1808, of Robert Stewart, St James's Square, London, to John Macdonald acknowledging the receipt of 'the work he has been so good as to send him on Telegraphic Communications'. Folios 80-81.

Letters concerning other works of John Macdonald: military, scientific, and on music

Military works

Letters concerning ‘Rules and Regulations for the Field Exercise and Manœuvres of the French Infantry, issued August 1, 1791; translated from the ... French. ‘ (London: 1803.)

Barnard, Frederick Augusta

Letter, 26 October 1803, of Frederick Augusta Barnard to John Macdonald stating that he “will ... place the copy of French tactics on His Majesty’s Table...” Folios 82-83.

Creech, William

Letter, 29 December 1803, of William Creech, bookseller, to John Macdonald concerning the interest in and sale of Macdonald’s book on French tactics. Folios 84-85.

Egerton, Thomas

Letter, 3 March 1804, of Thomas Egerton, publisher, Whitehall, to John Macdonald advising against continuing the printing of his translation of a work on French tactics. A copy of Macdonald’s reply is recorded on the letter. Folios 86-87.

Scott, William

Letter, 8 November 1803, of Sir William Scott to John Macdonald thanking him for his ‘interesting publication’. Folios 88-89.

On another military work

Letter, 13 November 1806, of Sir Henry Calvert, Horse Guards, London, to John Macdonald stating that his Majesty cannot accept "your offer of dedicating to him a military work which is not published under His Majesty's express sanction". A copy of Macdonald's reply is on the verso, in which he expresses his concern that he has unintentionally incurred the displeasure of His Royal Highness, the Duke of York. Further, Macdonald comments that the work is 'intimately connected with the French Tactics'. Folios 90-91.

On scientific interests

Magnetic variation

Letter, 20 July 1798, of Edward Whitaker Gray, Secretary to the Royal Society, to John Macdonald confirming the Society’s intention to publish Macdonald’s paper ‘on the variation of the magnetic needle, etc.’ Folio 92.

Longitude

Part only of a letter, undated, of Joseph Crisp, Deputy Governor of Bencoolan [Bengkulu], to John Macdonald concerning the mode of calculating longitude. Folios 93-94.

On music

Draft letter, circa 1818, of John Macdonald to Sir Benjamin Bloomfield concerning a work on music and a request to be able to dedicate it to HRH The Prince Regent. Folios 95-96.

Letter, 30 July 1823, of J W Hallett, Soho, London, to John Macdonald concerning a publication on music. Folios 97-98.

Letter, undated, of Joseph Kemp, organist, London, to John Macdonald concerning music. Folios 99-100.

Concerning freemasonry

Letter, 15 April 1794, of William White, Freemasons Hall, to John Macdonald confirming his appointment as Provisional Grand Master of a new lodge in Sumatra. Folios 101-102.

Legal and financial papers of John Macdonald

Financial

Letter, 14 September 1802, of John Macdonald to ‘My dear Colonel’ concerning an order of £300 on George Baillie, and the difficulty of locating Baillie in London. Folio 103.

Letter, 2 July 1804, of John Macdonald, Dover, to Drummonds Bank concerning an investment of £12,150. Folio 104.

Letter, 10 March 1814, of John Macdonald, Exeter, to Messieurs Drummonds, bankers, concerning investments. Folios 105-106.

Legal

Assignment, 23 May 1791, of power of attorney by J[ames] Howison, Assistant Surgeon, Honourable United East India Company, Fort Marlbro’, to Philip Braham, Andrew Burnett, Henry Lewis, and John Macdonald, in the presence of Henry Clifton Osborne and Edward Bagley. Folios 107-108.

Offprints and proofs

Review, 1818 or after, of John Macdonald’s work on ordnance fuses: ‘Article IV. A short examination of the statements contained in a work entitled, “A circumstantial and explanatory account of experiments lately made at the royal Artillery Depot at Woolwich … By John Macdonald Esq … late Lieut. Colonel, Chief engineer and Commandant of Artillery at Sumatra”’. Folios 109-118.

Corrected proof page for 'A treatise on telegraphic communication, naval, military, and political' (London: T Egerton, printer, 1808), by John Macdonald. The page corresponds with the published pages 151-152. Folio 119. Offprint from a work, possibly ‘Bengal past and present’, by R B Ramsbotham: ‘A proposal for the establishment of an improved system of telegraphic communication, by Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald of the E.I Coy.’s Military Service’. Folios 120-125.