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Auction: 21042 - The Opium Wars Collection
Lot: 91

First Opium War
The Eastern Expedition
The Battle of Chinkiang
1842 (30 July) entire letter from Lieut. G.A. Hervey "[HMS] Tavatave, off Tching-Kiang-Foo" to his brother in Palaveram, India; without rate marks and just marked "Pd", the flap with boxed Dinapore paid datestamp (16.10); there is some light ageing but an fine condition.


The long letter gives a graphic, first-hand account of this important battle, "We arrived here on the 20th,landed early in the morning of the 21st, and marched up the country to attack the entrenched camps of Tartars. Hill's 98th was in the centre, a part of the volunteer 1st and 7th companies and 50 men of the 2nd and 60 men of the 8th marched under command of our Major to the left, while the right was formed of the 64th company and 70 men of the volunteer with the flank companies of the 41st Madras Native Infantry ... We lost two guns and 150 killed or wounded and several officers - Colonel Drever of your 14th was killed also Captain Collinson 55th and Lieut Gibbons of 49th, and the fight lasted till 4 in the afternoon ... We proceed to Nanking tomorrow or next day where a very large force is assembled to meet us consisting as they say of cavalry, artillery and foot soldiers. An ambassador came down from Pekin and was to touch a large city half way between this and Nanking and offered to ransom it. They actually brought the money but we would not receive it, and war to the knife has now been determined upon, we have not a sufficient force. We have three regimens at this place, and if they fight so determinedly as they did here, I suspect that we shall be roughly handled. At all events, we shall be obliged to get a reinforcement from India before we can march on Pekin and take it, the Emperor will cut and run to his Tartar Dominions. He never will agree to our terms which are disgraceful to him. The terms are that Amoy, Hong Kong, Chusan and this place Chin-Kiang-Foo are to be made over to us for good. That Nankin and Pekin are to be open for our trade and the latter to receive a resident from us and a full remuneration for all our losses and the expenses of the war to be paid...". An illuminating account which includes a wealth of information

provenance:
Eddie Lawrence, September 2014


1842年8月22日Lieut Kirby從南京經由Falmouth 寄倫敦戰事辦公室工作的父親信函, 遞送費為1s, 蓋"INDIA"㰐圓型戳. 函背面有12月6日倫敦到達戳, 函有些摺痕; 此函精要地描述了《南京條約》的一些條款, 包括賠款2千1百萬銀圓, 開放,厦門, 寧波及上海等港口, 將香港島割讓予英國等. 又亦相信是最早由南京寄往海外的信函.

Sold for
HK$18,000

Starting price
HK$18000