Letter from Thomas Manning to William Manning from Chateau de Serrant, Loire Valley . He writes about his days at Serrant teaching English to Madame de Serrant and her sister, Caroline, playing billiards with her brother, talking politics with Monsieur de Serrant, playing with the children and sitting by the fire. They have offered for him to stay until the end of the year but he thinks he will only stay for a month or two. His brother William has written of a possible companion in his Asiatic research and Thomas is contemplating engaging a pupil and travelling overland to Petersburgh that winter or early spring. He concludes by writing that he was to escort Lady [Clavering] to Serrant but her husband, Sir James, had deranged the plan they concocted. Handwritten, 3 sides. Dated 22 April, 1803
Letter from Thomas Manning to William Manning from Chateau de Serrant. He writes that he is prisoner in Serrant as the order has been sent for him to be detained. But he would rather be detained with his friends than a prisoner in Paris. He states: "Everybody in French detests the war". Handwritten, 2 sides. Dated 7th June, 1803
Letter from William Manning to Thomas Manning asking him to consider carefully his plan of going to China and the friends in England that he will leave behind. He gives family news, writes that he has harvested and is thinking of taking a fishing licence. Handwritten, 3 sides. Dated in a different hand 24 August 1803
Letter from Thomas Manning to William Manning from Paris. He is being detained in Paris and is cross as the "old Kitchen tongs", but hoping to be able to go back to Serrant. The weather is very dry and the Seine low. There are few English in Paris "We are exceedingly well off as prisoners... Let us hope there will shortly be a peace". Building works are being carried out in Paris and other parts of the Empire; the Venus de Medicis has arrived. Handwritten, 3 sides. Dated 14th September, 1803
Letter from Thomas Manning to William Manning from Chateau de Serrant. He writes that he has been given permission to return to Serrant but not to leave the country, suggesting that English men are detained in France so they may not join the military. He will try to leave France, some people are given permission to travel in other parts of the Empire. He mentions a letter from his brother, William, with praise of one of Thomas' friends. Handwritten,3 sides. Dated 21 October, 1803
Letter from Thomas Manning to William Manning from Paris. He has not received any letters for 6 months, nor written any except to his father. He gained permission to return to Paris and is one of the few English who have not been made prisoner of war in Verdun. He asks for his father to write as soon as he receives this letter. Handwritten, 1 side. Dated 12th January 1804
Letter from Thomas Manning to William Manning from Paris. He is sending the note by private hand; he still hasn't heard from his father. He is in good health and permitted to remain in Paris. Handwritten, 1 side. Dated 28 February 1804
Letters from Thomas Manning to William Manning (father) and William Manning (brother) on same piece of paper. To his father he writes about finally getting a letter from his father; of cold weather in Paris for April; that he is "perfectly well & unmolested"; that Paris is calm but the trials for high treason will commence soon; not to believe surmises and conjectures in the papers pretending to come from high authority. To his brother he bemoans that he doesn't write; asks how he and his brother Edward are; how the college (Cambridge) is getting on now Dr Davy is Master. He remarks he has opportunity for studying the French character and muses on France and England and impossibility of really comparing places. Handwritten, 3 sides. Date 19th April, 1804
Letter from Thomas Manning to William Manning from Paris. He writes that another autumn has come and he is still in France but he has put to good use, learning not our of books but "out of crawling things called men. - when I have seen the interior of China, I shall be a consummate politician". He is well treated by the Government but is not pleased by Dr James Crawford running away and writing an impertinent letter to the Minister of War - it caused anxiety amongst the Englishmen still in France. The grapes have ripened and are cheap; preparations for the coronation are underway for 18 brumaire (9 November). He asks his father about shooting and jokes that he should ask to go to England to shoot with him but since game is abundant in France he doesn't think that the promise of a leash of partridge would be sufficient to let the Minister of War give him a passport. Handwritten, 3 sides. Dated 27 September 1804
Letter from Thomas Manning to William Manning from White horse fetter Lane (London). He writes that he has been hunting for the Captain of the Thames, East Indian Company boat, on which he will go to Canton. Captain Riches is a Suffolk man and he wonders if he is related to his friend, Mrs Riches. If his father finds that she is, would he ask for a letter of recommendation for him. He has laid in supplies of medicines and will take good care of himself, though he writes his legs are rather swollen after much walking. Handwritten, 3 sides. Dated 21 [April 1806]