Letter from the British Invasion of Java, 1811, dated 5 October 1811 in “Cantonment of Weltevreden, 3 miles from Batavia, Island of Java”. Written by Assistant Surgeon Robert Badenach, H.M. 59th Regiment, 2nd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment, to his mother in Stonehaven, Scotland, with the complete letter preserved. Oval crowned “SHIP LETTER PORTSMOUTH” on front together with London arrival 22. Jan. and datemark of 25 Jan. 1812; also deleted tariff markings “1/10”, “2/10”, with final tariff “3/2”.
A COMPLETE LETTER FROM THE BRITISH INVASION OF JAVA IN 1811, WRITTEN BY A SURGEON WITH DETAILS OF THE INVASION. AN EXTREMELY RARE HISTORICAL LETTER; FRESH AND WITH FULLY LEGIBLE TEXT.
The letter mentions the siege of Fort Cornelis 26th August with a great number of British wounded; the writer expects to receive "Prize-Money" of £500 for the seizure of "a vast quantity of property". Also mentioned is the difficulty of having reliable mail delivery; the writer mentions the arrival of ships from India which may carry family letters that have been delayed for 2 years. With full transcription included. One of the finest surviving descriptive military letters from the British engagement in Java.
Provenance: Harmers of London, Dec. 1992, lot 117 (1530 GBP).
Please note that we are still working on adding images for the lots. If the lot you are interested in does not have images available yet, we invite you to check again in a few days.
If you still cannot find the images you are looking for in a few days, please send us a message. Important: don't forget to mention the lot number(s).
Thank you for your understanding.
