This letter book contains letters written by representatives of the Warrnambool Lance Patent Pan Company to agents in Western Australia during the period 1896 to 1913. This company was formed to market the Lance Patent Cess Pan produced by George Lance in Warrnambool. The Western Australian venture did not prove profitable for the company. George Lance was a Warrnambool plumber and gasfitter who produced the Eureka Pump and the Lance Patent Cess Pan. The latter sold widely in Victoria with the Warrnambool Council owning 1700 of these pans in 1896. George Lance was also prominent in Warrnambool as a musician, artist (eleven of his works are in the Warrnambool Art Gallery)and local history writer. He was also involved in the development of the Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and the establishment of the Warrnambool School of Art and Design and the Warrnambool Art Gallery. This letter book is of considerable interest as it gives details on one aspect of the George Lance invention of the Patent Cess Pan (its marketing) and George Lance played an important role in Warrnambool's late 19th century history.This is a letter book of 506 pages. It has a hardboard cover with a mottled red pattern and red binding on the spine. The pages contain an alphabetical index and copies of letters handwritten in black ink. There are many blank pages. The letter book cover is torn at the edges.george lance patent cess pan, george lance warrnambool, warrnambool plumbers, cess pan patents

These folders contain the historical notes written by Bruce Morris in regard to the life story and achievements of George Lance. These notes were used by Bruce Morris to write a great number of historical articles on George Lance and these were mostly published in the Warrnambool Standard. Bruce Morris (1903-1986) was the editor of the Warrnambool Standard from 1946 to 1968. During that time he was prominent in community activities in Warrnambool and was well-known for the great number of historical articles he published in his paper, making him one of Warrnambool’s most important historians. George Lance, the subject of the notes in these folders, was Bruce Morris’ grandfather. George Lance (1933-1901) was a plumber particularly associated with the development and use of gas power in Warrnambool and the inventor of the Eureka Pump and the Lance Patent Cess Pan. He was also a writer of historical articles, a musician with the Warrnambool Artillery Band and an important artist in the town, with some of his works of art in the Warrnambool Art Gallery today. He is regarded as the person most responsible for the establishment of the Warrnambool Art Gallery in the 1880s. Bruce Morris’ notes include material on George Lance’s involvement with the Warrnambool Bowls Club, the School of Arts, the Mechanics’ Institute, the Baptist Church and the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows.These folders are of considerable importance as they contain the historical notes of Bruce Morris regarding his grandfather, George Lance. Both Bruce Morris and George Lance are significant in Warrnambool’s history, the former as an important historian and newspaper editor and the latter as an inventor, writer, artist, musician and a person regarded as the 19th century founder of the Warrnambool Art Gallery .1 This is a lime-green rectangular-shaped folder made of stiffened cardboard with a black plastic handle on the top with a black plastic catch on the side. Inside the folder are paper inserts that fold up in concertina fashion. In the inserts are twelve blue plastic folders that contain handwritten and typed material. .2 This is a purple rectangular-shaped folder made of stiffened cardboard similar to .1 above. It has a black plastic handle on the top and a black plastic catch on the side. Inside the folder are paper inserts that fold up in concertina fashion. In the inserts are twelve blue plastic folders that contain handwritten and typed material. George Lance Folders. Bruce Morrisbruce morris, warrnambool, george lance, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

One of these items is an 1894 letter written by the artist Tudor St George Tucker regarding one of his artworks in the Warrnambool Art Gallery collection. The other eight letters were written between 1889 and 1897 and document the controversy of the time when the authenticity of the art work by Louis Buvelot, The Waterhole at Coleraine, in the Warrnambool Art Gallery collection, was questioned. The Warrnambool photographer Daniel Clarke was querying the authenticity of the art work in the Art Gallery but evidence in the form of letters from George Folingsby of the National Gallery in Melbourne and from Louis Buvelot’s widow, Caroline-Julie, confirmed that there was confusion over the number of art works that Buvelot had executed with a similar theme. It was eventually proven that the Buvelot art work was genuine. The public spat was largely played out in the Warrnambool Standard but these original letters fill in the gaps of our knowledge on the subject. The letters came into the possession of George Lance who was involved with the Warrnambool Mechanics Institute /Art Gallery in the 1880s and 1890s and was the secretary of these institutions from 1892 to 1901. The letters were then handed on George Lance’s grandson, Bruce Morris, a well-known Warrnambool historian who was the editor of the Warrnambool Standard from 1946 to 1968. These letters are of great significance as eight of them are the original letters written in connection with the 19th century controversy in Warrnambool over the authenticity of a Louis Buvelot art work owned by the Warrnambool Art gallery. .1 A sheet of paper folded in two containing three pages of writing handwritten in black ink and pasted on paper. .2 A sheet of paper folded in two containing one page of writing handwritten in black ink and pasted on a sheet of paper. .3 A sheet of paper with handwriting in black ink pasted on a piece of paper. .4 One sheet of paper folded in two to make four pages of writing, handwritten in black ink. .5 .6 .7 A sheet of paper with handwritten material in black ink pasted onto another sheet of paper .8 A sheet of paper folded in two with three pages of handwritten material pasted onto another sheet of paper. .9 A sheet of paper folded in two with one page of handwritten material pasted onto another sheet of paper. tudor st. george tucker, artist, louis buvelot, artist, george lance, warrnambool, daniel clarke, warrnambool, george folinsby, melbourne, history of warrnambool

This card was presented to Bruce Morris on his retirement as editor of the Warrnambool Standard newspaper in 1968. The signatures on the card are those people who worked closely with him (the editorial staff?) on the newspaper. Bruce Morris (1903-1986) was the grandson of George Lance, well-known in Warrnambool in the 19th century as an artist, writer and musician who was deeply involved in the establishment of the Warrnambool Art Gallery. Bruce Morris was the staff training superintendent at Myer in Melbourne during the 30s and 40s. In 1946 he became the editor of the Warrnambool Standard and remained there until 1968. For 22 years he observed and recorded the events that affected the lives of the local people. He was noted for his historical articles (mostly with the initials BBM) and continued to write these articles for the Standard until the year he died. This card is of interest as a memento of Bruce Morris, one of Warrnambool’s important historians. This is a buff-colured card folded over to make a leaflet with a sheet of white paper folded over in the middle of the leaflet. The front cover has gold ornamentation and gold printing. There are a printing of a verse and eleven signatures in blue on the inside paper. ‘Ron Oakley, E. Fitzhenry, Eileen T, Horne, Don Burnett, Mac Jeffers, Peter Robertson, Terry Daffy, David Ferguson, Bruce Johnson, Ron Armstrong, Jim Ewing.’brue morris, warrnambool, warrnambool standard editors, history of warrnambool

This is an early school reader and the name, ‘B. Morris’, suggests that it belonged to Bruce Morris, the editor of the Warrnambool Standard newspaper from 1946 to 1968. Bruce Morris was prominent in Warrnambool as the writer of a great number of historical articles in the Warrnambool Standard and as a passionate supporter of regional Victoria. He was the son of Frederick and Sarah Morris and the grandson of George Lance, prominent in 19th century Warrnambool as a plumber, inventor, musician, artist and writer. Lance is regarded as the founder of the Warrnambool Art Gallery. Bruce Morris helped to establish the Warrnambool Rostrum Club. This book is of interest because it is an early 20th century example of a school reading book. If it belonged to Bruce Morris then it is of greater interest. Bruce Morris rates with Richard Osburne, Edward Vidler and Henri Worland as a significant promoter of, and writer on, Warrnambool’s history. This is a soft cover book of 16 pages. It has a pinkish-red cover with a black and white illustration of The Three Bears story on the front cover and the titles in black print. The back cover has advertisements for other books by the same publisher (Macmillan and Co.). The inscription and some other writing on the front cover are handwritten in blue ink. The cover is a little faded and has partly come away from the pages. ‘B.Morris’ bruce morris, history of warrnambool

All but two of these letters came from the office of the Chief Secretary of the Government of Victoria and concern the grants allocated to the Warrnambool Art Gallery from 1886 to 1911. At that time the Art Gallery was under the control of the Warrnambool Mechanics Institute Committee and managed by the Secretary/Treasurer of that group. The Government funding for the Art Gallery at the time represented a sum of money equal to the value of the works of art donated locally to the Art Gallery in any given year and frequently the estimated value of these art works were queried by the Warrnambool Secretary of the time. Two notable Secretaries of the Mechanics Institutes during this time were Walter Cockman (1880-1892) and George Lance (1892-1901). The correspondence under review here was retained by George Lance and his family and came into the possession of Lance’s grandson, Bruce Morris who was the editor of the Warrnambool Standard newspaper from 1946 to 1968 and was a well-known local historian. These letters are of considerable importance as they are original and document the struggle of the Warrnambool Art Gallery over the years 1886 to 1911 to secure funding from the Victorian Government.These are 19 pieces of correspondence relating to Warrnmbool Art Gallery grants and purchases from 1886 to 1911. The letters are written on different size pieces of paper (mostly foolscap size), with thirteen of them being handwritten and six being typed. All letters have original signatures. The earliest letter (1886) is very tattered. warrnambool art gallery, history of warrnambool

Original Ships History: Aréthuse was a French frigate, launched in 1757 during the Seven Years War between England and France. She was captured by the Royal Navy in 1759 and became the fifth-rate HMS Arethusa. She remained in Royal Navy service for twenty years until she was wrecked after being badly damaged in battle. The ship was constructed at Le Havre for privateer warfare as ”Pélerine” and soon after her launch, she was purchased by King Louis XV (1710-1774) and commissioned as Aréthuse on 21 January 1758. In June, under captain Vauquelin, she sailed through the British blockade of Louisbourg helping to defend the site before departing, again forcing the blockade. On 18 May 1759, she was in transit from Rochefort to Brest, under the command of Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis of Vaudreuil, when she was intercepted near Audierne Bay (Baie d'Audierne) by three Royal Navy ships the Thames, Venus and Chatham. She attempted to escape but after two hours, lost her topmasts and was overtaken by her pursuers. Thames and Venus engaged her with heavy fire, causing 60 casualties before the vessel surrendered. She entered service with the Royal Navy for the rest of the war, and was in service in British home waters and became responsible for the capture of several French privateer cutters. In 1777, a Scotsman James Aitken, widely known as John the Painter, was hanged from her mizzenmast for burning the Rope House at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard on 7 December 1776, to aid the struggle of American independence. The mast was struck from the ship and re-erected at the dockyard entrance so as many people as possible could watch the execution. On 17 June 1778, she fought a famous duel against the French 36-gun frigate, Belle Poule. Belle Poule was on a reconnaissance mission, along with the 26-gun Licorne, the corvette Hirondelle and the smaller Coureur when she encountered a large British squadron that included Arethusa at a point 37 km south of The Lizard. Admiral Keppel, commanding the British fleet ordered that the French ships be pursued. The captain of Belle Poule refused the order to sail back to the British fleet. The British fired a warning shot across his ship's bow, to which he responded with a full broadside. This action began a furious, two-hour battle between the two ships that resulted in the deaths of the French second captain and 30 of the crew. However, Arethusa was crippled by the loss of a mast and withdrew, allowing Belle Poule to escape. This battle was the first between British and French naval forces during the American Revolutionary War and took place around three weeks before France had made a formal declaration of war. The battle was widely celebrated in France as a victory, even inspiring a hair-style in court circles that included a model of Belle Poule. It was also viewed as a victory in Britain and became the subject of a traditional Sea shanty, The Saucy Arethusa. On 18 March 1779, under captain Charles Holmes Everitt, Arethusa engaged the French Aigrette, under Lieutenant Mortemart, sustaining considerable damage in the fight. Arethusa was wrecked the next day off Ushant, It was the fame of this Arethusa which induced the Royal Navy, during the following two centuries, to bestow the name on a further seven consecutive individual ships and two consecutive classes of cruisers. (See Provenance Sec this document for information on the makers of this model). Model ship of the 3 masted frigate the “Arethusa”, model is painted black and white with varnished deck and masts. A British flag is flown at the stern. The ship is displayed in a glass case with timber frame and 4 legged stand.Label at bottom of glass case, printed in black script on a gold strip “Model of the “Arethusa" "A famous frigate, taken from the French by the British, on the 18th of May 1759 and lost on the French coast in 1779. – Made and presented by G. Lance & P. Diggins, October 1894” flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, arethusa ship model, george lance, peter diggins, len asling, warrnambool art gallery, warrnambool exhibition, message in a bottle