1852 - Enigmatic JW: wealthy enough to travel “home”, adventurous enough to sail to NZ.

34, Upper Eaton Street, Eaton Square,

                                                        16^th October, 1852

My dear Cozens,

                            I have been successful in my mission to a great extent; and I am fully satisfied with the step I took in coming home.  I am to leave thus in May with a large party like the Pollock for Canterbury.

  I am now working in co-operation with Savage, Meryou, and others in urging on the Colonial Office the necessity of letting Sir G Grey make our road at once; and to send him out the necessary tools, a list of which, and all other requisite information, I brought home with me;  and we are sanguine as to our success.

  My breach with E.G.W. is irreparable.  Should we meet at Canterbury, as I shall be there in September, you shall see the document and judge for yourself.

  I am acting with Frederick Young as to emigration and other matters, and he is indeed a gentleman.  He is to take up our ship for us, as he can be relied upon.  My brother sailed in the Minerva , and a pretty exposure the New Zealand Company and the Association are to have: he has just got away in time.  Molesworth and Lowe are going to bring the whole matter before Parliament.

  I think the Diggings emigration is on the decrease, but still the activity of business in the city exceeds belief.  Iron up £ a ton, and every thing in the same way.

  I am going in a week to pass some days at Dereham with a medical man there who is going with me to Canterbury, his two elder sons being there already.  I shall go on from thence to see M^rs. Cozens and M^r. Wodehouse.  I have been a week at Ipswich, and at Canterbury in Kent: all kindness.

  I hope you will write to me so that I may know when we may expect you.  You know how pleased Constance and the whole party will be to see you.  Remember me to all and every.  If it were not fate forbids it, I would die with my children in Tasmania.

              Yours ever sincerely       F/J/T? W

British propaganda postcard, WWI

After the outbreak of World War One, the German military made extensive use of Zeppelins as bombers and scouts.

THE END OF THE 'BABY-KILLER'

Letter from Robert Wood to Richard Phelps in 1765

Stanhope Street 25 May 1765

Dear Phelps

Tho’ I know lord Sandwich wishes to forward my E. India views, & Jones’s desire to carry those wishes into execution, yet it becomes absolutely necessary to have more than a general civil answer from the present Directors to this Question, whether Captain Skottowe is to have leave to build or not? The ship is to be built, owners are to be got by me who can produce about £16,000, & Capt. Skottowe is to be wrote to, that he may regulate his motions from India according to his prospect of building. a Husband for the ship is to be thought of, & one who is Captain Skottowes friend is necessary, tho’ a Secretary of State does not stand in need of many reasons to induce Directors to do a favour & still left to do a piece of common justice yet I will supply you with facts for a letter to the Chairman & Dep. Chairman which I give you as truth upon my honor.

Captain Skottowe is universally esteemed as a man of worth & an able Servant of the Company in his Station, he was strongly recommended to the Directors by their Servant in India for his behaviour in Bengal, Mr Rous and Mr Bolton acknowledge his worth, he has been sent upon a Voyage to the Coast of Africa to take in Slaves & proceed to Bencoolen, his ship to be sold, he accepted of this voyage tho’ dangerous to his life & in every respect distressing in hopes of better times, having had no other success in a three years voyage before than that of getting reputation, he now petitions for leave to build a ship which shall be ready for him September twelve month, Lord Sandwich request that he have such leave has been made verbally, thro’ Mr Jones, & if made in writing, will produce an answer, favourable, no doubt the evasion of a direct answer by general civility is the thing I fear, now my dear Phelps I shall take it as a singular act of friendship if you will pursue this point & prepare a letter for his Lordship’s signing to request this favour which I have so much at heart that I leave town with reluctance before it is done, but I rely upon your goodness in carrying my Lord’s favourable intentions into execution, which with Mr Jones’s management will do, a line sent to my house to tell me the final answer will be forwarded to me to ................ & will much oblige your obed^t

humble Serv^t

Rob^t Wood

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Bencoolan [now Bengkulu City] is on Sumatra. Pepper was available. The East India Company established a trading center and garrison in 1685. In 1714 Fort Marlborough was built in the city.

Richard Phelps was probably secretary to William Pitt. He was also manager of the Kit-Kat Club [a late version of this club.]

Thomas Skottowe [Captain] was the brother of John, Governor of St Helena when James Cook called there. Thomas Skottowe Senior [Lord of the Manor of Ayton] had helped financially in the schooling of young James; he was a benefactor. James Cook and John Skottowe were friends

Robert Wood (1717 – 9 September 1771) was a British traveller [to Palmyra], classical scholar, civil servant and politician. In 1756 he was appointed Under Secretary to the Secretary of State for the Southern Department [which included America and Africa but not Europe], who was initially Pitt the Elder.

Boxer Rebellion

The “Boxers” resented the interference of “western” powers in Chinese affairs. In mid-1900 they killed a number of foreigners and troops of several nations were sent to relieve legations that had been besieged in Beijing.

Postcard - Chinese executed after the rebellion to appease foreign powers.

Afghanistan 1878

The letter below was written at the beginning of the first phase of a two year British campaign in Afghanistan [1878-1880].

England is a great leading “Christian Country”, therefore as we profess to believe, as a people, in the “Gospel of Peace” , we are the readiest to go to war on the least, lowest, and pettiest pretences- last week war was declared & commenced against the Afghan Ameer and People- we deserve to be beaten, & humbled as a people, for our folly, our conceit, and bantam-cock kind of injustice.

Britannia rules the waves

H.M.S Devastation, 9,330 tons

Original PC 8.8cm x 14cm

GOD GIVE US VICTORY!

We've shut the gates by Dover Straits,
And North, where the tides run free,
Cheek by jowl, our watchdogs prowl,
Grey hulks in a greyer sea,
And the prayer that England prays to-night-
O Lord of our destiny!-
As the foam of our plunging prows, is white
We have stood for peace, and we war for right.
God give us victory!

James Bernard Fagan
By Permission of "The Daily Telegraph"