About the George Finlay Papers
The George Finlay Papers contain materials created by and related to the British Historian and Philhellene George Finlay, his father John Finlay, Greek-American Philhellene George Jarvis, and British Philhellene Captain Frank Abney Hastings, dating from 1791 to 1949. Most of the collection consists of George Finlay’s meticulous records of his travels, personal and official correspondence, his personal expenditures, copious memoranda on strategy and on military and political organisation, journal entries, maps, facetiae, scrapbooks, personal notes on people—Greeks and others—and on revolutionary events, newspaper cuttings mainly on Greece and international affairs, as well as Finlay’s original manuscripts of the History of the Greek Revolution (1861) as well as corrected proofs of Finlay’s other published works.
Also included are the papers of Finlay’s father, John, two journals of Greek American philhellene, George Jarvis, and those of Finlay’s fellow British philhellene, Captain Frank Abney Hastings. The Hastings papers, which Finlay purchased in 1830, include personal and official correspondence, ship’s logs, notes that he took on board or ashore, as well as memoranda on strategy and on the naval organisation of the revolutionary forces. Collectively, these records reveal a great deal about the character, motivations, ideas, as well as the military and political judgements of these British individuals, as well as of many others, both British and Greek, with whom they interacted during the Greek War of Independence as well as many of Finlay's other interests, such as Classical and Byzantine history, natural history and politics.
T. P. Konstantinides, "Τὸ Ἀρχεῖον Ἄστιγγος παρὰ τῇ ἐν Ἀθήναις Ἀγγλικῇ Ἀρχαιολογικῇ Σχολῇ", Ναυτικὴ Ἐπιθεώρησις, pt. 216 (1949), offprint (in Greek).
Volume 1 of George Jarvis, Journal, 2 vols.
Description of MSS. and contents and considerable extracts are published in George Jarvis: His Journal and Related Documents, with introduction, prologues, sequel, and notes, ed. by G. G. Arnakis, with the collaboration of E. Demetracopoulou, Thessalonica, 1965.
Volume 2 of George Jarvis, Journal, 2 vols.
Description of MSS. and contents and considerable extracts are published in George Jarvis: His Journal and Related Documents, with introduction, prologues, sequel, and notes, ed. by G. G. Arnakis, with the collaboration of E. Demetracopoulou, Thessalonica, 1965.
vol. I, pp. 1-368, 1 January 1775-28 June 1782 (short preface on his family and early life, pp. 1-7).
Grey mottle board, leather spine and corners, handwritten, bound.
Volume from the Journal of John Finlay, which is paginated continuously pp. 1-1863. In addition to autobiographical matter the Journal contains many observations on the topography and flowers of England, the Channel Islands, and certain West Indian islands.
vol. II, pp. 369-710, 29 June 1782-22 March 1783, with 6 water-colour and 1 pencil sketches and maps of the Channel Islands + 1 water-colour of ixia bulbocodium and schoenus bound in.
Grey mottle board, leather spine and corners, handwritten, bound.
Volume from the Journal of John Finlay, which is paginated continuously pp. 1-1863. In addition to autobiographical matter the Journal contains many observations on the topography and flowers of England, the Channel Islands, and certain West Indian islands.
vol. III, pp. 711-1080, 24 March 1783-1 November 1786, with 33 loose sketches.
Grey mottle board, leather spine and corners, handwritten, bound.
Volume from the Journal of John Finlay, which is paginated continuously pp. 1-1863. In addition to autobiographical matter the Journal contains many observations on the topography and flowers of England, the Channel Islands, and certain West Indian islands.
vol. IV, pp. 1081-1444, 1 November 1786 (continued)- 15 August 1789, with 1 loose engraving.
Grey mottle board, leather spine and corners, handwritten, bound.
Volume from the Journal of John Finlay, which is paginated continuously pp. 1-1863. In addition to autobiographical matter the Journal contains many observations on the topography and flowers of England, the Channel Islands, and certain West Indian islands.
vol. V, pp. 1445-1788, 17 August 1789-21 April 1791, with 1 water-colour sketch bound in.
Grey mottle board, leather spine and corners, handwritten, bound.
Volume from the Journal of John Finlay, which is paginated continuously pp. 1-1863. In addition to autobiographical matter the Journal contains many observations on the topography and flowers of England, the Channel Islands, and certain West Indian islands.
vol. VI, pp. 1789-1863 (+unpaginated blank), 22 April 1791-5 May 1791, with 1 loose water-colour of plants and 1 loose press cutting.
Grey mottle board, leather spine and corners, handwritten, bound.
Volume from the Journal of John Finlay, which is paginated continuously pp. 1-1863. In addition to autobiographical matter the Journal contains many observations on the topography and flowers of England, the Channel Islands, and certain West Indian islands.
No. 3. 1 April-7 May 1791. From a series of 3 calf-bound notebooks, handwritten, unpaginated, bound, date on front cover, numbers 3-5 (the rest missing).
No. 4. 8 May-1 June 1791. From a series of 3 calf-bound notebooks, handwritten, unpaginated, bound, date on front cover, numbers 3-5 (the rest missing).
No. 5. 1 June 1791-8 January 1792. From a series of 3 calf-bound notebooks, handwritten, unpaginated, bound, date on front cover, numbers 3-5 (the rest missing).
Black board, handwritten, unpaginated, bound. Jottings on expenditure and receipts during 1790 and 1791.
Diary of journey from London via Newcastle and Morpeth to Belford, Scotland, 6 December- 12 December 1796.
Brown suede, 'Letter Book 1798' on spine, handwritten, paginated, pp. 1- 84+blanks, bound. Letter Book, containing drafts of 99 letters from 20 January 1798 to March 1799, mainly official letters concerning his work for the Board of Ordnance as 'Inspector of the Royal Manufacturers of Gunpowder' at Faversham and Waltham Abbey where he was directing 'the Engineer Department'.
17 letters, contract and memorandum, loose.
Memorandum (copy, loose), 29 March 1796, re money owed JF by the Duke of Richmond.
Contract (loose), 4 December 1799, with the Board of Ordnance for dealing with escaping acid of wood at the Royal Gunpowder Works at Faversham. Seventeen letters to his wife Helen 27 June 1799-21 April 1802.
Grey mottle board, handwritten, unpaginated, with 5 loose sheets.
Books FIN/J/12 to FIN/J/15 cover 10 April 1799-20 January 1801 and contain a disjointed mixture of diary, personal accounts, clothes and rations on board, gunnery problems, chemical experiments, and meteorological statistics.
Grey mottle board, handwritten, unpaginated, with some loose sheets.
Books FIN/J/12 to FIN/J/15 cover 10 April 1799-20 January 1801 and contain a disjointed mixture of diary, personal accounts, clothes and rations on board, gunnery problems, chemical experiments, and meteorological statistics.
Grey mottle board, handwritten, unpaginated, with 3 loose sheets.
Books FIN/J/12 to FIN/J/15 cover 10 April 1799-20 January 1801 and contain a disjointed mixture of diary, personal accounts, clothes and rations on board, gunnery problems, chemical experiments, and meteorological statistics.
Grey mottle board, handwritten, unpaginated, with some loose sheets.
Books FIN/J/12 to FIN/J/15 cover 10 April 1799-20 January 1801 and contain a disjointed mixture of diary, personal accounts, clothes and rations on board, gunnery problems, chemical experiments, and meteorological statistics.
Brown calf notebook with clasp, handwritten, unpaginated, bound, much of this is blank.
Random jottings (1799-1801), with 7 sides of diary on journeys to and from Haslemere and London, notes on his work and list of flowers seen en route 17 Apri1-20 April 1801.
Green calf, handwritten, paginated pp. 1-129, the rest blank, bound, with 6 loose sheets.
Inventory and price of furniture and soft furnishings purchased 16 January 1798-22 February 1799. pp. 5-15
Recipes (with 3 cuttings loose at p. 17). pp. 17-18 Experiments (chemical) October 1790-January 1800 (with 2 drawings loose). pp. 31-129
Printed election list of the Royal Society 1799, including Major John Finlay (cutting loose at front).
Red mottle boards, brown calf spine, folder tied sides, top and bottom, containing loose quires and foolscap sheets, handwritten.
Equipment and conduct of certain expeditions to the West Indies.
Copies of reports on various West Indian islands, Buenos Aires, Baldivia, Chilae Islands, Valparaiso, Conception; copies of letters from commanders in the West Indies to ministers in England (ranging from 1771 to 1791).
Folder labelled 'No. 27. Chemistry' containing quires with notes on chemistry paginated pp. 1-62 and pp. 1-27.
Printed list of the members of the Royal Society for 1800 (containing Major John Finlay).
Green mottle boards, brown calf spine, 'Views in the Leeward Islands' on front cover, John Finlay's book plate (coat of arms, 'I'll be wary') inside, bound.
'Views of the Leeward Islands taken in 1790.'
Eight water-colour sketches with description opposite (St. Christophers, Antigua, Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada).
Sketch book, sewn, 14 sheets.
Water-colour, black and white sketches of West Indies and Channel Islands.
7 loose sheets.
Water-colour, black and white sketches of West Indies and Channel Islands +2 coloured drawings of flowers.
Grey mottle boards, brown calf spine, items paginated separately.
Notes from Dr. Hope's Lectures on Botany, No. 2 (in shorthand, part of a series, pp. 175-222).
Mr. Crawford's Observations on Fire (pp. 1-12).
Pencil jottings of accounts; remains of mounted specimens of pressed flowers.
Brown calf notebook with clasp, unpaginated, handwritten, bound. Mainly notes, accounts, and recommendations concerning making of gunpowder 1791-1801.
The King's Commissions of John Finlay Gent. for various positions in the Army
30 January 1770. Lieutenant with Glasgow Regiment of Foot.
28 June 1786. Paymaster of Works at Fort George in Scotland.
28 June 1786. Storekeeper at Fort George in Scotland.
27 April 1787. Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers.
1 January 1789. Inspector of the Royal Manufacturers of Gunpowder.
12 June 1790. First Lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers.
1 May 1794. Captain in the Army.
2 July 1794. Captain Commandant of the Volunteer Companies in the Royal Powder Mills at Faversham and Waltham Abbey.
31 December 1795. Captain Lieutenant in the Royal Corps of Engineers.
5 December 1798. Major Commandant of the Volunteer Companies in the Royal Powder Mills at Faversham and Waltham Abbey.