Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Collings, Jesse, 1831-1920
- Abstract:
- The bulk of this manuscript is comprised of typewritten letters authored by Jesse Collings, Britain's Under-Secretary of the Home Office from 1896-1902, describing places visited during his 1899 trip to North America. The typescript is supplemented with illustrations, photographs, ephemera, and three short essays focused primarily on the Civil War and its aftermath.
- Extent:
- 188 leaves : paper, ill. ; 265 x 220 mm. bound to 285 x 233 mm.
- Language:
- Finding aid is written in English.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This manuscript consists of typescript letters written by Jesse Collings for his family during his trip to Canada and the United States in 1899, supplemented with illustrations, photographs, American newspaper clippings featuring interviews with Collings, menus, a brochure for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and a Confederate ten-dollar bill. In addition, an "addenda" section includes notes, three short essays, and four published opinion pieces by Collings, most of which concern what he considered to be Britain's misguided support for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
His major stops during his trip included Quebec, Niagara Falls, Victoria, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., and Virginia. His letters address topics like the relationship between French and English in Canada, Chinese and Japanese immigrants, the Gold Standard controversy in Colorado, Mormonism in Utah, and American political corruption. The newspaper articles demonstrate that he was often expected to speak on behalf of the British government, especially on Canada's future prospects and the issue of the Boer War. While Collings was publicly optimistic about the war, he is more ambivalent in his personal letters.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Jesse Collings (1831-1920) was a native of Devonshire, though he lived most of his life in Birmingham. He started out with the mercantile firm of Booth & Co. before moving into politics, serving as mayor of Birmingham before representing Ipswich (1880-1886) and Bordesley (1886-1918) in Parliament. Collings is best known for authoring an important land reform bill, the Small Holdings and Allotments Bill, often referred to as the "three acres and a cow" policy. Collings served as Under-Secretary for the Home Office from 1896-1902. One of the reasons he undertook the journey to North America was an invitation to witness the America's Cup yacht race, but his letters show that his interest in the race was minimal. Instead, he used his time to explore Canada and the United States. Colllings wrote several books on land and education reform and other issues that he saw as central to Britain; his publications include "The land question from the labourer's point of view" (1885), "The colonization of rural Britain; a complete scheme for the regeneration of British rural life" (1914), and "The great war: its lessons and its warnings" (1915).
- Physical location:
- Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Manuscripts.
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988