RARE BOOK, LITERATURE & COLLECTORS’ SALE May 30th & 31st

77 Fonsie Mealy’s Est. 1934 436 437 433. The Great Telescope at Birr Unique Collection of Photographs Photographs, A collection of four enormous Photographs of Lord Rosse, and his ‘Leviathan of Parsonstown,’Telescope. “The Great Telescope,” diameter 6 feet, length 54 feet, Birr Castle Observatory, with Lord Rosse standing at front; Two others showing different angles of the Telescope and its housing structure. The fourth Photograph shows “The Small Telescope, diameter 3 feet,” Each approx. 56cms x 40cms (22” x 16”), and mounted in original mounts with letterpress etc by [George] Morrison of Birr, [Co. Offaly, Ireland]. A unique collection. * Lord Rosse’s ‘Great Telescope’, was the largest Telescope in the world, from 1845 until 1917. Provenance: Birr Castle Estate. €1000 - €1500 434. Astronomy: (Schmidt Dr. J.F. Julius) Charte der Gebirge des Mondes, nach eigenen Beobachtungen in den Jahren 1840 - 1874. V. lg. Atlas 4to Berlin 1878. Only lg. fold. linen backed plates XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX & XXI. Damp stains, in orig. hf. mor. portfolio. As maps, w.a.f. (1) Provenance: Birr Castle Estate. €300 - €400 436. Testimonial from Grateful Passengers, 1876 to New Zealand Manuscript : A Testimonial to J.J. Tighe, M.D., Ship’s Surgeon Superindent on board ship Rangitiki by the Emigrants, 15th December 1876. In original frame, with modern mount and backing 54cms x 50cms. It thanks Dr. Tighe “for his constant and unremitting attention to the various bodily ailments of themselves, their wives and children” in a voyage of 13 weeks (to New Zealand.) Signed on behalf of the emigrants by Arthur McMurrough, Hon. Sec., and R.A. Berry, Treasurer. Dr. Tighe’s exertions prevented the outbreak of an epidemic of measles on board ship, and the testimonial was written to accompany the gift to him of a silver cup. As a m/ss. (1) €250 - €350 437. NapoleonicWar - Capture of a British Sloop Watercolour: An attractive Drawing depicting the capture of the Royal Navy’s brig-sloop Challenger by two French ships, the frigate Revanche and the armed store-ship Pregel on 11 March, 1811 during the Napoleonic Wars. The 16-gun Challenger stood no chance against her two more powerful opponents and her commander, Goddard Blennerhassett, had no option but to surrender. Repatriated in 1814 after the war ended, he was court-martialled (a routine matter when a captain had lost his ship) but was acquitted with honour. (See John Marshall, Royal Naval Biography, L. 1823-30). (1) €300 - €400 438. Portfolio: Portrait Prints. Large Portfolio of varied, small and large engd. portrait Prints, c. 1780-1850, mostly by T.H. Maguire, c. 1849-1850, and all principally of scientists, botanists, and others, over 100 individual items. As a coll. of portraits, w.a.f. (1) Provenance: Birr Castle Estate. €250 - €400