XXV1 
years since, the entire MS. of Drew and Hitchins’s History of 
Cornwall was offered to him for eight or ten pounds. This too 
would be an important part of any general collection of County 
Manuscripts.—He might further mention that he had a couple of 
curious Diaries, in 1671 and 1675, written by John Allen, a Ply- 
mouth merchant ; they contained records of very interesting 
circumstances, of both general and local importance; and copious 
extracts had been taken from them by Mr. Worth, for the Second 
Edition of his history of Plymouth. Mr. CoLuins added that 
his attention had been first directed to the subject by a letter 
written by his great-grandfather, Mr. George Browne, of Bodmin 
and Trewardale, in which the Manuscripts he had spoken of, and 
several others, were mentioned. 
Dr. JAGo, after remarking that he was a descendant of the 
Tonkin Family, and that at the present time his brother held 
property which had been possessed by the historian, stated that 
an important MS. by Tonkin—a kind of day-book, from which, it 
would seem, he compiled portions of his history—was now in 
the possession of Mr. Freeth of Duporth. 
Mr. RecinaLD RoGers believed that there were now Tonkin 
Manuscripts at Tehidy.* His great-uncle—Lord de Dunstanville 
—used them in the preparation of his “Carew.” He had seen 
them at Tehidy within thirty years. 
Mr. Couuins said there was a MS. concerning the Killigrew 
Family, with Mr. Walker of St. Winnow; and Mr. WortTH spoke 
of the MS. history, by Martin Killigrew, of which he published 
an abstract in the Journal of this Institution.t} 
Dr. BARHAM said the Institution would be glad to receive the 
Manuscripts promised by Mr. Collins; and he hoped the presen- 
tation would be accepted by other gentlemen as a precedent; so 
that the Institution Library might serve as a kind of Record 
Office, where important historical documents might be consulted. 
It had been suggested that copies of the various public documents 
issued in the County might be preserved by the Institution, with 
a view to public utility. Again, the notion had been broached 
that it was very desirable to form a Collection of Autographs of 
persons of note in the county, and with these to associate their 
portraits and some illustrative views. Possibly a good beginning 
# Davies Gilbert states that Mr. Tonkin’s papers were preserved by his 
niece, Miss Fosse; and that the MS. of the Parochial History, complete as 
Mr. Tonkia left it, got into the possession of Lord de Dunstanville, by whom 
it was instantly offered to him (Davies Gilbert) on his preparing to edit the 
Parochial History of Mr. Hals. 
+ See No. XII, p. 269. 
