Letters concerning George Harris' A Philosophical Treatise on the Nature and Constitution of Man, 1873-1877
Processed by Pat Walter.
Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections
for the Sciences
History and Special Collections Division for the
Sciences
UCLA
12-077 Center for Health Sciences
Box 951798
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1798
Phone: 310/825-6940
Fax: 310/825-0465
Email: biomed-ref@library.ucla.edu
URL:
http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/biomed/his/
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The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Letters concerning George Harris'
A Philosophical
Treatise on the Nature and Constitution of Man
,
Date (inclusive): 1873-1877
Collection number: 10
Creator: Harris, George
1809-1890
Extent: 1 v. (various pagings) ; 22 cm.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections
for the Sciences
Los Angeles, California 90095-1490
Abstract: George Harris (1809-1890) was a barister and judge
with strong interests in anthropology and psychology. During 1874-1876, George
Harris solicited comments and suggestions from many eminent philosophers,
theologians and naturalists concerning the ideas and language of his planned
treatise on the nature of man. This collection includes approximately 150
original manuscript letters sent him in reply by 31 correspondents, bound into
one octavo-sized volume. In 1876 Harris' work was published in two volumes
titled "A Philosophical Treatise on the Nature and Constitution of Man"; in it
he quoted from over 100 of these letters.
Physical location: History and Special Collections for the
Sciences, Biomedical Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Language of Material: Collection materials in English, French
Access
Collection is available for use.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Letters concerning George Harris'
A Philosophical Treatise on the Nature and Constitution of Man (Manuscript collection 10). Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections for the Sciences, University
of California, Los Angeles.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Acquisition Information
The volume bears a small sticker on the rear endpaper: "Ex Libris, C. K.
Ogden". Charles Kay Ogden (1889-1957), British psychologist, linguist, and
author of "Meaning of Meaning" among many other publications, amassed a vast
personal library. After his death, ca. 100,000 of these volumes were bought by
the Library of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Biography
George Harris (1809-1890) was articled to his solicitor father at age 16. He
subsequently became a partner in his father's firm in Rugby, but just before he
reached the age of 30 he left for London to pursue a literary career. After some
small success as journalist and editor, he decided to go back to the law and
entered the Middle Temple. After ten not very lucrative years as a barrister he
became a judge in county courts and finally the court of bankruptcy at
Manchester, from which he retired in 1868.
During all his years in the law, Harris continued writing and publishing:
e.g., "Life of Lord Chancellor Hardwicke", "Memoir of Lord Brougham", "The
Theory of the Arts", and his proposal "The Manuscript Treasures of this Country,
and the Best Means of Rendering them Available". He was a member of the
Anthropological Society of London, and one of the founders of the Psychological
Society.
In 1876 Harris published "A Philosophical Treatise on the Nature and
Constitution of Man", the work which elicited the letters described in this
collection. To quote from the "Dictionary of National Biography": it was "a work
on which he had been engaged intermittently for forty-three years. While many of
his theories were novel, his general treatment of the subject reverted to the
principles and terminology of the medieval schoolmen, and he completely ignored
the methods and conclusions of contemporary scientific psychology".
Scope and Content
The collection consists of 152 holograph letters, according to the numbering
which has been added at some time. This numbering is somewhat erratic, however;
an early cataloging record specifies "158 pieces". The letters have been folded
and are bound into a handsome octavo-sized volume, preceded by a publisher's
advertisement for the two-volume edition of "A Philosophical Treatise on the
Nature and Constitution of Man," by George Harris. London: George Bell and Sons,
1876. The 18 pages of printed introductory matter consist of: Contents;
Extracts; Opinions of the Press. A short paragraph after "Contents" states
"Eminent authorities...have been in correspondence with, and have been consulted
by the author...". This statement is followed by 24 names listed as "...among
the gentlemen who have so kindly aided the undertaking."
Following the printed introductory pages is a two-page handwritten list
headed "Letters from", giving the correspondent's name and the letter number or
numbers coming from that person. All letters are dated 1873 through 1877 (most
from 1874-1875). Letter no.l, from Charles Darwin, was probably missing from the
volume at the time it was bound.
The finding aid is organized by series, each series naming one of the
correspondents. The form of the names mostly follows the Library of Congress
name file. The titles attached to each name are those used by Harris in the
"Treatise..." and the identifying notes are mostly taken from the "Dictionary of
National Biography".
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1. Barclay, Hugh, 1799-1884, Mr. Sheriff
- Series 2. Beddoe, John, 1826-1911, Dr.
- Series 3. Blake, Charles Carter, 1840-1897, Dr.
- Series 4. Bloxam, John Rouse, 1807-1891, Rev. Dr.
- Series 5. Bogouschevsky, Nicolas Casimir de, Baron
- Series 6. Bray, Charles, 1811-1884, Mr.
- Series 7. Chaplain of Hanwell Lunatic Asylum (William Grey?)
- Series 8. Chapman, John, 1821-1894, Dr.
- Series 9. Clarke, Hyde, 1815-1895, Dr.
- Series 10. Coleridge, Derwent, 1800-1883, Rev.
- Series 10. Galton, Francis, Sir, 1822-1911
- Series 11. Cox, Edward William, 1809-1880, Mr. Serjeant
- Series 12. Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882, Mr.
- Series 13. Galton, Francis, 1822-1911, Sir
- Series 14. Gladstone, W. E. (William Ewart), 1809-1898, Rt. Hon.
- Series 15. Huxley, Thomas Henry, 1825-1895, Prof.
- Series 16. Lubbock, John, 1834-1913, Sir
- Series 17. Maudsley, Henry, 1835-1918, Dr.
- Series 18. Newman, John Henry, 1801-1890, Rev. Dr.
- Series 19. Plumptre, Charles John, 1818-1887, Prof.
- Series 20. Quatrefages, A. de (Armand), 1810-1892, Prof.
- Series 21. Richardson, Benjamin Ward, Sir, 1828-1896, Dr.
- Series 22. Rogers, Charles (1825-1890), Rev.
- Series 23. Sainte Croix, Le Roy de
- Series 24. Seager, Charles (possibly 1808-1878), Prof.
- Series 25. Smee, Alfred, 1818-1877, Mr.
- Series 26. Sopwith, Thomas, 1803–1879, Mr.
- Series 27. Tagore, Ganendro Mohun, 1826 – 1890, Mr.
- Series 28. Vaughan, Charles John, 1816-1897, Rev. Dr.
- Series 29. Wake, C. Staniland (Charles Staniland), 1835-1910 , Mr.
- Series 30. Wallace, Alfred Russel, 1823-1913, Mr.
- Series 31. Wood, J. G. (John George), 1827-1889, Rev.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Darwin, Charles
Robert, 1809-1882
Harris, George,
1809-1890.
English letters--19th
century
Philosophical anthropology
Series 1.
Barclay, Hugh, 1799-1884, Mr. Sheriff
Letter #143
1876
Note
judge, sheriff-substitute of Dunblane and Perthshire, author of legal
works
Series 2.
Beddoe, John, 1826-1911, Dr.
Letter #52
1875
Note
physician and anthropologist, author
Series 3.
Blake, Charles Carter, 1840-1897, Dr.
Letters #134, 134a, 135-138
1873-1875
Scope and Content Note
the first page of letter #138 seems to be missing
Note
Lecturer on Comparative Anatomy and Zoology, Westminster
Hospital
Series 4.
Bloxam, John Rouse, 1807-1891, Rev. Dr.
Letters #35-37, 42
1875-1876
Scope and Content Note
in letters #35-37 Rev. Bloxam serves as an intermediary between Cardinal
Newman and Mr. Harris; letter #42 is more directly personal, thanking Mr. Harris
for the gift of his 2-vol. "Treatise on Man"
Note
Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, Doctor of Divinity
Series 5.
Bogouschevsky, Nicolas Casimir de, Baron
Letters #146-152
1877-1878
Scope and Content Note
letters in English, written from Pskof, Russia
Note
Russian landholder
Series 6.
Bray, Charles, 1811-1884, Mr.
Letters #144-145
1876
Note
a freethinker and social reformer interested in phrenology, mesmerism
and spiritualism
Series 7.
Chaplain of Hanwell Lunatic Asylum (William Grey?)
Letter #139
1874
Note
the letter's signature is hard to decipher - it might be William Grey;
Harris quotes from the letter in his treatise but identifies the source only as
"The chaplain of one of our largest lunatic asylums..."; in the handwritten
contents list bound into the letters volume, the writer is listed as "the
Chaplain of Hanwell Lunatic Asylum"
Series 8.
Chapman, John, 1821-1894, Dr.
Letter #92-93
1874
Scope and Content Note
there is only one letter, which had two numbers assigned to it
Note
physician and publisher, known for "editorship of the leading
intellectual journal of the period, "The Westminster Review", his medical
activities, and championing of radical causes"
Series 9.
Clarke, Hyde, 1815-1895, Dr.
Letter #133
undated
Scope and Content Note
the letter has no salutation or date, so the first page might be missing
Note
engineer, philologist, author, member of the British Association for
the Advancement of Science
Series 10.
Coleridge, Derwent, 1800-1883, Rev.
Letter #109
1875
Note
Rector of Hanwell and Prebendary of St. Paul
Series 11.
Cox, Edward William, 1809-1880, Mr. Serjeant
Letters #75-79
1872-1875
Note
Serjeant-at-law, President of the Psychological Society
Series 12.
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882, Mr.
Letters #1-4
1874-1875
Scope and Content Note
letter #1 is listed in the handwritten contents list but seems to have been
missing at the time the volume was bound: a folded blank sheet is included in
its stead
Note
naturalist, geologist, and originator of the theory of natural
selection
Series 13.
Galton, Francis, 1822-1911, Sir
Letters #42a, 43-47
1874-1876
Note
biostatistician, human geneticist, eugenicist and author
Series 14.
Gladstone, W. E. (William Ewart), 1809-1898, Rt. Hon.
Letters #33-34
1875-1876
Note
British prime minister and author
Series 15.
Huxley, Thomas Henry, 1825-1895, Prof.
Letters #8-10
1874-1875
Note
biologist and science educationist
Series 16.
Lubbock, John, 1834-1913, Sir
Letters #5-7
1875
Note
English banker, politician, naturalist and archaeologist
Series 17.
Maudsley, Henry, 1835-1918, Dr.
Letters #67-72
1874-1876
Note
medical psychologist and author
Series 18.
Newman, John Henry, 1801-1890, Rev. Dr.
Letters #38-41
1875-1876
Scope and Content Note
letter #38 is addressed to John Bloxam; the others are addressed to
Harris
Note
Anglican theologian who converted to Catholicism and was named a
cardinal; author
Series 19.
Plumptre, Charles John, 1818-1887, Prof.
Letters #94-107
1874-1876
Scope and Content Note
the numbers have been assigned to the letters somewhat erratically
Note
barrister and writer, edited two volumes of "The County Courts'
Chronicle (1860–61)" with George Harris
Series 20.
Quatrefages, A. de (Armand), 1810-1892, Prof.
Letters #64-66
1874-1876
Scope and Content Note
letters in French, sent from Paris
Note
Jean Louis Armand de Quatrefages de Bréau, physician, professor
of natural history, member of the French Academy of Sciences
Series 21.
Richardson, Benjamin Ward, Sir, 1828-1896, Dr.
Letters #11-32, 32a, 32b, 32c
1873-1875
Scope and Content Note
includes some paragraphs of Harris' original printed proofs, with
annotations
Note
British physician, physiologist, sanitarian and writer on medical
history
Series 22.
Rogers, Charles (1825-1890), Rev.
Letter #142
1876
Note
Church of Scotland minister and historian
Series 23.
Sainte Croix, Le Roy de
Letters #114-121
undated-1877
Scope and Content Note
in French, sent from London
Note
in his volumes, Harris refers to this correspondent as Le Roy; in the
handwritten contents list bound with the letters he is referred to as Dr. de
Sainte Croix (Paris); the signature is L. R. de Sainte Croix; there are records
of an author by that name with the appropriate years of 1834-1882, whose books
concern French history
Series 24.
Seager, Charles (possibly 1808-1878), Prof.
Letters #140-141
1874-1875
Note
orientalist, graduate of Magdalen College, converted to Catholicism,
taught at Catholic University College, Kensington
Series 25.
Smee, Alfred, 1818-1877, Mr.
Letters #48-51
1875
Note
chemist and surgeon, MCRS
Series 26.
Sopwith, Thomas, 1803–1879, Mr.
Letters #53-63
1874-1875
Note
surveyor and civil engineer, fellow of the Royal Society
Series 27.
Tagore, Ganendro Mohun, 1826 – 1890, Mr.
Letters #122-132
1874-1875
Note
first Asian to be called to the English bar, 1862, professor of Hindu
Law, University College, London
Series 28.
Vaughan, Charles John, 1816-1897, Rev. Dr.
Letter #108
1874
Note
headmaster of Harrow School, Master of the Temple, headmaster and dean
of Llandaff
Series 29.
Wake, C. Staniland (Charles Staniland), 1835-1910 , Mr.
Letters #80-91
1874-1875
Note
anthropologist, author
Series 30.
Wallace, Alfred Russel, 1823-1913, Mr.
Letters #73-74
1874
Note
naturalist and evolutionary theorist
Series 31.
Wood, J. G. (John George), 1827-1889, Rev.
Letters #110-113
1874-1876
Note
natural historian and microscopist