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Auction: 18038 - Autographs, Historical Documents, Ephemera and Postal History
Lot: 3058

Autographs
The Wreck of the 'Bengal'
1815 (18 January) a manuscript book of copies of letters submitted by captain George Nicholls in relation to the wreck of the East India Company ship 'Bengal' in Ceylon. In contemporary calf binding with label which reads, "Copies of Letters January 18th 1815, October 13th".

The shipwreck was due to human error. Some barrels of rum were stored in the spirit room of the ship and, because they were leaking, were transferred to the gun room. The gunner was sent to inspect them and, noticing one lid was partially open, he hit it to put it well. In doing so some rum was splashed out and on reaching the latern, caused a fire. The fire quickly spread and, despite help from neighbouring ships, could not be extinguished. All of the passengers escaped but the incident cost the lives of 23 sailors and one officer. On his return to England, Nicholls was exonerated and was offered the command of another ship. However, he decided to leave the sea and engage in administrative work.

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Sold for
£800