270
MANUSCRIPT LETTERS RELATING TO H.M.S. BEAGLE. - A series of six letters from Thomas Burgess, Royal Marine, to his father Israel Burgess
Starting Bid: $15,000
Reserve not met
Estimate:
$25,000 - $35,000
Ended
Timed Auction
167: Rare Books
Category
Description
MANUSCRIPT LETTERS RELATING TO H.M.S. BEAGLE.
A series of six letters from Thomas Burgess, Royal Marine, to his father Israel Burgess
at Lancashire Hill, near Stockport, Cheshire [1831-1835]. Three of the letters are written from HMS Beagle whilst on its historic voyage round the world, with Charles Darwin. The letters are complete and commence in January 1831 from Portsmouth postmarked London; 19 April 1831 from Rio de Janeiro on HMS Warspite, postmarked Falmouth; 16 December from Rio de Janeiro on HMS Adelaide. Three letters from HMS Beagle written on 29 June 1832 in Rio de Janeiro postmarked Portsmouth; 9 May 1833 Montevideo, no postal marking and 24 June 1835 Valparaiso postmarked Portsmouth. With his original Discharge letter dated 15th February 183[?]5 from the Admiralty ‘directions have been given for the discharge of yourself on payment of 20 pounds to the Accountant General of the Navy…’ Transcripts of these letters are included. In March 1875 Charles Darwin received a letter from Burgess written from Rainow a village in Cheshire, asking him Darwin for his photograph and reminded him of some incidents on the voyage. He referred to the expedition up the Rio Santa Cruz in Argentina, which took in 1834, and reminded Darwin that they had walked several miles away from the river, and when they came to turn back, Darwin discovered he had left his compass behind. Although Darwin’s reply is not extant, he obviously wrote back straight away, asking for news of his old comrade. Burgess replied that after the Beagle returned to England he had purchased his discharge and become a constable in the Cheshire constabulary. In another letter to Darwin he explained that he had never read any of Darwin’s books and he would treasure a copy of one. Darwin complied and Burgess sent a third letter expressing his thanks for the book, In this letter Burgess explained that this was the only letter of the three in his own hand – the two earlier letters had been written by a friend ‘who Doubted Some of my Assertions’. Presumably a letter and photograph were not sufficient to convince his friend – only a book by the famous naturalist would do.
A rare opportunity to purchase what is probably the only surviving correspondence in private hands from Charles Darwin’s ‘Voyage round the World’ in HMS Beagle.
Provenance - Gerald Ellott MNZM postal historian.
A series of six letters from Thomas Burgess, Royal Marine, to his father Israel Burgess
at Lancashire Hill, near Stockport, Cheshire [1831-1835]. Three of the letters are written from HMS Beagle whilst on its historic voyage round the world, with Charles Darwin. The letters are complete and commence in January 1831 from Portsmouth postmarked London; 19 April 1831 from Rio de Janeiro on HMS Warspite, postmarked Falmouth; 16 December from Rio de Janeiro on HMS Adelaide. Three letters from HMS Beagle written on 29 June 1832 in Rio de Janeiro postmarked Portsmouth; 9 May 1833 Montevideo, no postal marking and 24 June 1835 Valparaiso postmarked Portsmouth. With his original Discharge letter dated 15th February 183[?]5 from the Admiralty ‘directions have been given for the discharge of yourself on payment of 20 pounds to the Accountant General of the Navy…’ Transcripts of these letters are included. In March 1875 Charles Darwin received a letter from Burgess written from Rainow a village in Cheshire, asking him Darwin for his photograph and reminded him of some incidents on the voyage. He referred to the expedition up the Rio Santa Cruz in Argentina, which took in 1834, and reminded Darwin that they had walked several miles away from the river, and when they came to turn back, Darwin discovered he had left his compass behind. Although Darwin’s reply is not extant, he obviously wrote back straight away, asking for news of his old comrade. Burgess replied that after the Beagle returned to England he had purchased his discharge and become a constable in the Cheshire constabulary. In another letter to Darwin he explained that he had never read any of Darwin’s books and he would treasure a copy of one. Darwin complied and Burgess sent a third letter expressing his thanks for the book, In this letter Burgess explained that this was the only letter of the three in his own hand – the two earlier letters had been written by a friend ‘who Doubted Some of my Assertions’. Presumably a letter and photograph were not sufficient to convince his friend – only a book by the famous naturalist would do.
A rare opportunity to purchase what is probably the only surviving correspondence in private hands from Charles Darwin’s ‘Voyage round the World’ in HMS Beagle.
Provenance - Gerald Ellott MNZM postal historian.
