Correspondence with G C Sauvage regarding animals for sale including Sitentunga, Reticulated Giraffes, a Brazza Monkey, Waterbuck, Vultures, Gazelles and Canaries

Letters from Abraham Dee Bartlett to Philip Lutley Sclater regarding the doors to the new elephant house, animal food consumption, the female rhinoceros, the mounted specimen of a young gorilla, authorisation to sell Alice the elephant to Mr Barnum, and the theft of an owl

Letter from William Brown to Philip Lutley Sclater regarding the price of a koala or native bear, and a request for reptiles from Queensland

Letters from Carl Hagenbeck to Philip Lutley Sclater regarding his catalogue of animals for sale to the Zoological Society of London, and an order from the British government for the supply of dromedaries

Letters from William Jamrach to Philip Lutley Sclater regarding the price of animals for sale, including lions

Letters from George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, to Philip Lutley Sclater regarding Japanese deer for sale at the Zoological Society of London, and a deputation of Swazi Chiefs who would like to visit the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London

Letters from Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, to Philip Lutley Sclater regarding an expedition to the Sandwich Islands, papers on birds of the Sandwich Islands, drawings of a Rail, ornithological exhibitions, the sale of a rhinoceros, his drawing of a rhinoceros to be published in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, his Cassowaries at Tring, a transfer of Tragelaphus, Galapagos Tortoises, Eclectus Parrots, Lemurs and Zebras

Correspondence between the Variety of Birds Emporium and George Soper Cansdale regarding the sale of animals to the Zoological Society of London and a pair of Blue Ring-necked Parrakeets collected through the Zoological Society of London for the Duke of Bedford

Correspondence between Otto Wollenweber and George Soper Cansdale regarding the sale of animals to the Zoological Society of London

Manchester

March 14 1845

Sir

There is one Lion with a good and showy mane. he has a defective tail, that is to say the last three inches of it is turned up abruptly; this beast I should not like to give more than three hundred guineas for - the second Lion they say is six years old, I think he is not so old; he has less mane than the one at the Gardens, that belongs to White, he is a large beast, but has what is called a broken nose, that is to say he bears the appearance that a fighting man does - he is a larger animal than the first mentioned - the outside value of this one I should say was two hundred pounds - the first mentioned one is the same sort and looks exactly like the one at the Surrey Gardens the elephant is fine and they expect a long price. I should say he was well worth six hundred pounds - the giraffe is a female, and by far the best animal in the collection, appears in perfect health and condition, she is not as I was informed crooked on the legs, but a beast well worthy of being added to our collection, let her fetch what price she will this animals is well worth three hundred and fifty guineas to the Society - the Leopard is fine, but he lost all four canines and has got a severe cold in one eye - five pounds would be plenty of money for him - The Lion cubs are male and female about 15 inches high, they were cubbed in the collection, the point of interest about them is, that they are living on good terms in the same den with the maned Lion - one of them is what is called [Mooney?] headed they are not worth £20 the two.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your obedient Servant
Louis Prater

If the Society feel inclined to purchase the Elephant, there is a man here I think would buy our large one. The Elephant is full 8ft high