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.
Correspondence and newspaper clippings from Hugh Ferguson on George Finlay, Kirkman Finlay, their family and the family's connection to Glasgow.
'Cairo to Jerusalem. Jerusalem to Dead Sea and Beyrout', unpaginated, 136 pp.+ some loose.
Memoranda of visits to the Wadi Tomlah and Canal of Suez and to the Fyoum [sic] and Lake Moeris [sic]', January, February 1846, pp. 1-12 and pp. 11 [Fayoum visit]. Loose pages at the end regarding a trip between Smyrna, Cairo and Alexandria in October 1845 as well as 2 pages (undated but possibly 1840) which appear to be written at a separate time and contain notes on Mr D.J. Mc Cauley American Consul at Tripoli which discuss the slave trade from Benghazi which includes Greek vessels which take slaves to Scios (Chios) and Smyrna.
'Memoranda' [random lists of travel requirements and notes on Egypt and Palestine+relevant bibliography] as well as notes on Syria
'Egypt. The social and political conditions of its inhabitants', pp. 1-41 + pp. 1-4 on the pyramids.
'Topography of Jerusalem', unpaginated, 46 pp.+some blanks; this also contains historical notes on Jerusalem and a hand drawn plan of the city
Two portrait photographs of George Finlay later in life
For Greece-to Mr. and Mrs. George Finlay etc. from Sir Edmund Lyons (11 September 1841).
George Finlay elected as member of the Provincial Council of Attica by the Demarch of Athens (7 December 1841).
Invitation to a lecture at the Archaeological Society, 28 May 1869
Miscellaneous Photographs (in envelope)
Resources of Syria'. Notes and observations and George Finlay's comments, unpaginated, 16 pp.
2 loose foolscap sheets in George Finlay's hand (with later notes locating Antiquities in British School at Athens: the last check and annotation of these Antiquities appears to have been made on 13 March 1948 by either Clarke or Cook). Some items have since been incorporated into the School collection, and can be traced by working through the card index to the Museum, in which they are noted as being 'From Finlay's collection'.
List of Antiquities (2 foolscap sheets).
Red mottle notebook, handwritten, paginated, pp. 1-47+ 1-3. 17 June 1859 left Athens for Marseilles.
Account of expenditure at Vichy 25 June-4 August, thence to Switzerland until 23 September 1859. Then return to Athens via Lyons and Marseilles arriving 6 October 1859.
1860 Expenses of residence at Kephissia 9 March 1860-3 November 1860.
Hastings's orders to command the sloop Elk. 21 April 1816.
Red leather with clasp, (106 pp.). H's night order book of the Perseverance steam vessel containing (1) general orders, (2) detailed orders for 27 May 1827 to 24 April/6 May 1828 (mostly in English, some French and Greek).
Red leather with clasp (pp. 26, of which 24 are blank).
T. P. Konstantinides, "Τὸ Ἀρχεῖον Ἄστιγγος παρὰ τῇ ἐν Ἀθήναις Ἀγγλικῇ Ἀρχαιολογικῇ Σχολῇ", Ναυτικὴ Ἐπιθεώρησις, pt. 216 (1949), offprint (in Greek).
Long black circular tin case. Black tin case containing diploma conferring LL.D. Edinburgh on George Finlay 6 May 1854. In the cap of the cylinder is a red seal, that has subsequently broken into fragments. Around the edges of the seal reads "sigillum com.universit.edinb.sive coll.jac.vi.scot.reg". The diploma has blue ribbon attached to the bottom of it, part of which has torn off.
Christopher Wordsworth to George Finlay. Harvard, 17 August 1840.
Thanks for gift of George Finlay's work on topography of Oropia and Diacria (stuck on front flyleaf of C. W., Athens and Attica, London, 1836). Glued inside front of book.
Christopher Wordsworth, Athens and Attica, London, 1836
Population, Statistics, Taxation in G. Britain and Ireland
Red leather, 'Letters' pasted on spine, bound, unpaginated +5 loose sheets: handwritten, printed cuttings giving postal rates pasted in, bound.
Letter Book 27 January 1850-27 December 1866.
List of letters dispatched by George Finlay with occasional brief note of contents (only drafts noted here).
Meteorological notes 2 December 1827-23 June 1869.
(1) George Finlay to Printer of Medieval Greece and Trebizond. Athens, [20 February 1851]. Instructions re printing of work.
(2) George Finlay to Messrs. Blackwood and Sons. Athens, 20 February 1851.
Wishes to keep cost of Medieval Greece and Trebizond to not more than 12s.
(3) George Finlay to G. Muir, 247 Strada Reale, Booking and Superintending Agent to H.M. Packets in the Mediterranean, Malta. 8 February 1851.
Re dispatch and payment for MSS. and books sent to James MacGregor.
(4) George Finlay to John Grant Esq., or Messrs. Peter Stuart and Co., Malta. Athens, 28 Feb ruary 1851.
Re dispatch of manuscripts and books to England.
(5) George Finlay to Messrs. Blackwood and Sons. 28 February 1851.
Re dispatch of MS. of Medieval Greece and Trebizond via Malta. Desires speedy publication.
(6) George Finlay to A. Maresecq, Paris. Athens, 22 February 1851. Refusal to pay sum demanded (in French).
(7) George Finlay to the Revd. R. Cattermole, Secretary of the Royal Society of Literature. Athens, 22 March 1851.
Expresses gratitude for his election as Honorary Member of the R.S. of Literature.
(8) George Finlay to Lord Palmerston, 4 Gloucester Square. 24 July 1851.
Expresses gratitude for P's support in his attempt to obtain justice from King of Greece.
(9) George Finlay to Clark. Athens, 27 September 1861.
Re terms of admission of English printed papers into Greece (loose).
(10) George Finlay to the Revd. G. Phillips, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, President of Queens' College. Athens, 17 May 1862.
Expresses gratitude for the honorary degree of LL.D. conferred by University; regrets impossibility of receiving this in person.
Red leather with clasp, unpaginated (132 pp.), handwritten, bound. H's notebook with random jottings mainly on nautical matters.
Grey board, black leather spine, 'COLLECTIO' on spine, 'COLLECTANEA GRAECA' on front cover, unpaginated, bound.
Greek inscriptions. Some letters pasted in. A few loose sheets and cuttings. Also a loose letter from George Finlay to ?, South Lawn Southport, 16 Jul 1857. See also FIN/GF/E/30 (6), p. 162.
Faded black cloth, bound, handwritten, '1868 Journal and accounts' (in George Finlay's hand) pasted on spine, paginated by George Finlay pp. 1-202.
Contents listed by George Finlay thus:
Journal: visit to Switzerland 4 April to 28 October 1868
Memoranda
Extracts
Expenses of Journey Summary [of expenses]
Clothes purchases
Letters written [July, August, September 1868; copied into Letter Book]
Addresses
Green cloth, 'Journal 1869' pasted on spine, paginated in part by George Finlay pp. 1-93, handwritten, bound. Includes loose and pasted newspaper clippings.
Contents:
(1) Journey from Athens to Switzerland and back, 9 July 1869-6 October 1869 (pp. 1-48, each side paginated).
(2) Notes (pp. 49-80).
Letters written 10 July 1869-30 September 1869 (list of names with occasional note of contents).
(3) Expenses of the visit detailed with some jottings after p. 93 and not paginated (pp. 81-93 and thereafter unpaginated) .
Brown mottle, dark-brown calf spine, 'Journal' pasted on spine, hand-written, usually one side only, pp. 1-188, bound.
Journal, 27 May 1850-29 June 1868. Portrait of George Finlay inside the front flyleaf. Contents listed by George Finlay on pp. 1-2 as follows:
Memoranda during a tour to Thessalonika, Constantinople, Brusa, Nicrea, Nicomedia, Sinope, Trebizond and Samsoun (Amisos) in 1850
Itinerary of a visit to England to see the Great exposition by way of Germany and return to Athens by Italy 1851
Visit to Rhodes, Kos, Samos and Chios in the spring of 1853
Correspondence concerning the loss of my passport [with F. Ivich, Director of Austrian Lloyds, Piraes, 23 June and 6 July 1853; Director of Trieste police, 6 July 1853; Editor of The Times, 7 July 1853]
Visit to England in 1854
Visit to Andros in 1858
Excursion to Stelidha, Amaliapolis, Volo, Skiathos and Skopelos in 1858
Visit to Vichy June 17 1859
Tour in Switzerland August
Summer at Cephisia 1860, at Lamira in Andros 1861
Observations on civil war in N. America
Notes concerning disturbances at Athens which commenced 30 June 1863
Mottle board, spine and corners black calf, gilt lettering on spine 'CATALOGUE', bound, unpaginated, handwritten.
(1) Lists of engraved gems and date and place of purchase [pp. 1-2].
(2) Inscriptions [pp. 3-27].
(3) At end of book lists [pp. 1-4]
(i) watches
(ii) old silver plate 1829
(iii) household furniture, plate, etc. purchased 1832
(iv) April 1842, fossil bones, antiquities, and newspapers.
Hastings (late of H.M.B. Pelican) to the Rt. Hon. Viscount Melville, 8 Suffolk Street, Charing Cross. December 1818.
Asks for preferment.
Admiralty Commission of Hastings as Lieut. Commander of the surveying vessel Kangaroo. 23 January 1819.
Admiralty Commission ordering Hastings to proceed to Port Royal in the Kangaroo under orders of Rear-Admiral Sir Home Popham. 20 April 1819.
Rear-Admiral Sir Home Popham to Hastings. Admiral's Office, Pen, 20 June 1819. Requests H to present an account of his conduct towards Captain Parker of the Iphigeneia. 1 p.
[In the harbour of Port Royal, Jamaica, the Commander of the Flagship alleged that H (then in command of the Kangaroo) had overlaid his anchor, and shouted at him that he was 'a damned lubber'. H then challenged him to a duel, and was subsequently dismissed the service.]
J. A. Letheridge to Hastings. Admirals Pen, 21 June 1819.
Instructs H to present himself to Commodore Sir George Collier on board the Tartar.
Rear-Admiral Sir Home Popham to Hastings, Port Royal. H.M.S. Sybille, Port Royal, 21 June 1819.
Re Hastings's refusal to answer questions at the Court of Inquiry.
Hastings to Sir George Collier. n.d.
Asks for passage home on board the Tartar (incomplete draft).
Sir George Collier to Hastings. Kingston, 24 June 1819. Refuses passage.
Hastings to Sir Home Popham. n.d. Incomplete draft.
Hastings to Sir Home Popham. n.d. Incomplete draft.
Hastings to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Port Royal, 24 June 1819. Gives full account of the incident and reasons for his conduct.
Sir Home Popham to H. 27 June 1819. Reproves H.
Hastings to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. 16 Chapel Place, Cavendish Square, 7 September 1819.
Announces his arrival in England and gives full account of the incident at Port Royal.
Hastings to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. 16 Chapel Place, Cavendish Square, 7 September 1819.
Announces his arrival in England and gives full account of the incident at Port Royal.
J. W. Croker to Hastings. Admiralty Office, 9 September 1819.
Acknowledges H's statement; announces his removal from the List of Officers of H.M.'s Navy.
Hastings to the Rt. Hon. Viscount Melville. 16 Chapel Place, Cavendish Square, 10 September 1819.
Offers an explanation of the incident.