Daltoniana and other documents

Scope and Content

A folder of mixed material: this includes the cover for a ledger, 1794-1803 [Dalton MS 129 or MS 130? ] and receipt for material 16 August 1935; an engraving of Dalton; notes on the Aurora Borealis.

There is a letter from Joseph Priestley to his sister, Mrs Prout, 17 January 1794, which describes finalising his arrangements for the move to America, his sons (who are already there) have provided further information; he plans to go to New York; says if things become difficult for his sister, he will welcome her in the US: "I expect great troubles here, sooner or later..."; the letter is dated at Clapton, London.

Also present is a transcript of a letter from Priestley to his sister, dated 22 May 1795, where he describes his life in America, the cost of living is higher but taxes lower, describes his plans for the college at Northumberland, Penn., his wife's illness, and remarks on the "very perilous situation in England." This copy is believed to have been made in the same period as the original letter was written.

It is believed that the latter two items may have been acquired by the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, and sold with the Dalton material in 1979; there have no obvious other association with the collection. They have been marked "post bibliography"