Very little research has been published on these late small movements.
They were made in the thousands and although quite a lot survived they
should still be treasured.  Unless there is a logo or maker's name
somewhere on the tune sheet or movement the maker is usually guesswork.
The number is the serial number, applied by each manufacturer in
sequence as musical movements were made.

Sometimes the number can be a guide to a possible maker; there were
quite a few in Switzerland but only a few in France.  The biggest
French maker of this type was L'Epée but most were bought and then sold
by Thibouville Lamy.  I have no idea if they were the maker, so look
forward to other collector's opinions.

H.A.V. Bulleid produced many dating charts but they are unreliable for
late small movements for which he had little interest.  His charts are
mainly for larger cylinder musical boxes.  Even so, he produced charts
for L'Epée right up to about 1910 when they reached serial numbers of
80,000.  If the movement fitted his date line it would be about 1887.

Similarly, Paillard of Saint Croix, Switzerland, made thousands of
small movements.  I think Bulleid was uncertain if their small and large
movements were in the same set of serial numbers.  If they were and if
made by Paillard, it would be a bit earlier, say mid 1880s.  The same
comments apply to another Saint Croix maker, Mermod, and the same date
would apply, mid 1880s.  The fact that the tune sheet is stamped
"France" may have little bearing on the actual maker, who could well be
Swiss.  The musical box could be later than possible date lines suggest.

It is worth preserving the tune sheet by gluing onto a backing.  "What's
a the Steer" is a Scottish Jacobite traditional tune that goes right
back to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.  You need an expert in the
Scottish tongue to understand the actual meaning of the word Steer.
A steer is a bull, so perhaps the bullish characteristics were applied
to the men of the Jacobite rebellion.

"Bonnie Dundee" was a poem written in 1825 by the Master of the Scots
tongue, Sir Walter Scott.  It was written in honour of another Jacobite
leader and hero, John Claverhouse.  The tune is also traditional and
earlier, often used as a military march but several other Scottish songs
were sung to the same tune.  Claverhouse was created the 1st Viscount
(Lord) of Dundee.  So your little musical box has some interesting
musical history.

The male Geneva stop work has a broken tooth, easy to repair but
probably not worth it.  The inner case had a glass lid that slid in
from the right hand side.  Easy to have one cut but needs very thin
glass. The right hand end should have a thin beech wood panel that
slides down the vertical slots in the sides at that end to hold the
glass in place.

Paul Bellamy

 [ "What's a' the Steer, Kimmer?"  A modern translation
 [ to/from French is "What's [about] this noise, gossiper?"
 [ Ref. http://chrsouchon.free.fr/steerkim.htm  -- Robbie