Corporate entry: Towns, R. and Company
Summary
Papers, 1829-1940, including personal papers of Sir Alexander Stuart and W.E. Wilson. Contents:
Guide to the collection, with family tree compiled in the Mitchell Library. MITCHELL VOL.ML.MSS.1279/1.
I. Papers of Robert Towns, and of Robert Towns & Co., 1829-1887.
A. Correspondence, 1842-1886.
i. Letters, 1844-1886.
(a) Letters by Robert Towns, 1844-1860,
Letters by Robert Towns, 1862-1867.
(b) Letters by Sir Alexander Stuart, 1852-1886, including letters to Robert Towns.
ii. Letters received, 1842-1885 consisting of letters to both Robert Towns and Sir Alexander Stuart.
(a) 1842-1859.
(b) 1860-1865.
(c) 1867-1885. MITCHELL: VOL.ML.MSS.1279/2-7.
B. Papers, 1829-1887, including related and incidental correspondence.
i. Papers, 1829-1887.
(a) Papers concerning Captain Ranulph Dacre, chiefly in relation to New Zealand trading, 1829-1873.
(b) Papers concerning the transport of troops to Calcutta on board the Royal Saxon and the Enmore, 1844.
(c) Correspondence of A.S. Hallidie with Towns & Co. 1885-1887 regarding purchase of Government railway system in Sydney and introduction of cable tramway.
ii. Log book of the Barque Antagonist, 13 February 1863-28 May 1863. The Antagonist, bound from Sydney to Calcutta via Torres Straits ran onto a reef near Lizard Island on 14 May. The remainder of the log book after this date is the log book of the quarter boat.
iii. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1837-1885, including i.a. the following:
(a) Report regarding copper mining in Queensland, 1872.
(b) Report regarding tin mining in Malaya, 1885.
(c) Report on tin mining in Queensland, 1875-1877.
iv. Miscellaneous papers and incidental correspondence, 1832-ca.l879, including agreements concerning the employment of Chinese labourers, 1851-1853, by Robert Towns, Robert Campbell and Frederick Rosten.
v. Papers of Sir Alexander Stuart, Richard Harnett and the A.M.P. Society, 1875-1882 concerning land on Sydney's north shore. MITCHELL: VOLS.ML.MSS.1279/8-11.
C. Legal documents, 1839-1903, with miscellaneous financial papers, 1866-1881. MITCHELL: BOX.ML.MSS.1279/12.
II. Papers of Sir Alexander Stuart, 1845-1888.
A. Family correspondence, 1845-1888.
i. Letters from Alexander Stuart the elder to various members of the family, 1846-1869.
ii. Letters from Mrs Alexander Stuart, mother of Sir Alexander Stuart, and from James Stuart to various members of the Stuart family, 1846-1885.
iii. Letters to other members of the Stuart family, 1845-1888. MITCHELL: VOL.ML.MSS.1279/13-15.
B. Private correspondence, 1849-1886, chiefly concerning political matters.
i. Letters by Sir Alexander Stuart, 1870-1885.
ii. Letters received, 1849-1883, including i.a. letters of the following: Zachary Barry, 1875, Sir Somerset Richard Lowry-Corry, Earl of Belmore, 1871, John Campbell, 1866, Daniel Cooper, 1871, 1873, Sir Charles Cowper, 1861-1874, Reverend W.M. Cowper, 1865, 1881, Edward Cunningham, 1875, Katherine Dalley, 1867, 1874, W.B. Dalley, 1881-1882, James Erskine, 1883, Lord Loftus, 1883-1885, Sir George Macleay, 1883, Sir Henry Parkes, 1877-1880, Sir Hercules Robinson, 1876-1877, Roger William Bede Vaughan, 1874-1875.
iii. Letters received 1884-1886, including letters from: Sir J.P. Abbott, 1884, Sir Charles Cowper, 18--, Reverend W.M. Cowper, 1885, W.B. Dalley, 1884-1886, 18--, Henry Brougham Loch, 1885, Lord Loftus, 1885, Sir George Macleay, 1885, Sir Henry Parkes, 1884-1885, Sir Hercules Robinson, 18--, Sir Saul Samuel, 1884-1885, Sir P.H. Scratchley, 1885, Sir Alfred Stephen, 18--. MITCHELL: VOL.ML.MSS.1279/16-17.
C. Papers, 1881-1886, chiefly cuttings. MITCHELL: VOL.ML.MSS.1279/18.
III. Papers of William Edward Wilson, 18--, 1940.
A. Family correspondence, 18--, 1928. MITCHELL: VOL.ML.MSS.1279/19.
B. Private correspondence, 18--, 1934, consisting chiefly of letters concerning his Mosman property.
i. Letters received, 18--, 1901.
ii. Letters received, 1902-1913.
iii. Letters received, 1914-1934.
iv. Letters by, 1871-1933. MITCHELL: VOL.ML.MSS.1279/20-21.
C. Papers, 1870-1933.
i Sobraon Times, 26 October 1870, 16 November 1870, with letter to Captain Elmslie, 31 October 1870.
ii. Papers concerning Kenneth Robison Stuart and the estates of Sir Alexander and Lady Stuart, 1886-1915, including articles of association of the Coal Cliff Land and Coal Mining Company Limited.
iii. Taxation and rate papers, 1918-1933. MITCHELL: VOL.ML.MSS.1279/22.
D. Miscellaneous papers, 1883-ca.1840, chiefly papers regarding his Mosman property. MITCHELL: ML.MSS.1279/23.
E. Papers resulting from Wilson's researches into the history of Towns & Co., being chiefly typescript copies of original documents in this collection. MITCHELL: BOX.ML.MSS.1279/24. 22 volumes, two boxes. Maps at M.SER.4 000/1 ML.MSS.1279 MAPS 1-19.
This collection includes pictorial material. For location and description see PIC.ACC.1050 in Pic. Source file. MITCHELL: ML.MSS.1279. Further material relating to Robert Towns held in the Mitchell Library is contained in the following:
R. Brooks and Co. Papers, microfilm FM.4/2347-2348.
Hall, John Vine, Captain, A.4458-4461. ML.UNCAT.MS.307. Microfilm under Misc. Documents ML.