Description:

Benjamin Disraeli ALS Referring to "The collapse of the House yesterday," During Debates of the Second Reform Act of 1867 Which Doubled Male Suffrage

A 3pp autograph letter signed by future British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) as "B. Disraeli" at the bottom of the third page. Written on May 11, 1867 at Disraeli's London residence at 1, Grosvenor Gate. On bifold stationery with "Grosvenor Gate" embossed in maroon at top. One word found in the first paragraph of the first page is slightly smeared but still legible. Expected paper folds. Mounting traces located at the top of the blank fourth page has slightly stained the top of the third page. Else near fine. 4.5" x 7."

Benjamin Disraeli, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, wrote this letter to a certain "Alfred Denison Esq." requesting his assistance on an administrative matter. This letter is listed as #4434 in the published collection of Disraeli's correspondence edited by M.G. Wiebe, "Volume IX, Benjamin Disraeli Letters, 1865-1867" (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Inc.) See this book for further details and some interesting editorial notes.

In full, with unchanged spelling and punctuation:

"My dear Sir -

The collapse of the House yesterday prevents my asking Mr. Speaker to do me the favor of admitting a gentleman to hear the debate next Monday, + there are reasons wh: make me much regret this.

Could you arrange this for me? I should be personally obliged, if you cd do so. The name of the gentleman is Furzecotte who I wish to be permitted to sit under the Gallery, or otherwise enter.

Yours faithfully

B. Disraeli."

This letter was written during Benjamin Disraeli's third and last term as Chancellor of the Exchequer, an office which he held between July 1866 and February 1868. In the letter, Disraeli rather dramatically wrote that the House of Commons had "collapsed" the day before, referring to a particularly spirited parliamentary session which had discussed the third clause of the 1867 Second Reform Act. Called during the period "The Representation of the People Act," or 30 & 31 Victoriae 1867, the Act was a continuation of the 1832 First Reform Act. When it was finally enacted in January 1869, the Act extended suffrage to previously disenfranchised tenants, artisans, and members of the working poor, doubling the number of eligible voting males in the United Kingdom from 1 million to 2 million.

The riotous session which Disraeli refers to in this letter was a continuation of a debate initially begun on May 6, 1867 which discussed the specific wording of Clause 3, "Occupation Franchise for Voters in Boroughs." (HC Deb 09 May 1867 vol 187 cc266-361). Committee members of the House of Commons speaking publicly about the proposed change in verbiage included William Gladstone, Disraeli's arch rival, and the progressive philosopher John Stuart Mill. The session lasted until 1 am the morning of May 10, 1867 but ended up passing 322 ayes to 256 noes in favor of the clarified wording. Disraeli wrote Queen Victoria shortly after the vote that after a "fine debate…[the] result [was] overwhelming, & [the] Bill safe."

The identity of Mr. Furzecotte is unknown. If Disraeli's guest was granted admittance to the continuation of the debate, we are confident that it would have been quite a show!

Benjamin Disraeli would serve two terms as British Prime Minister in 1868 and between 1874-1880. He devoted 44 years of service to Parliament and was one of Queen Victoria's most cherished advisers.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 17, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000