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Lot 244
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British Admiral W. S. Smith, Was at Waterloo and Rev War, 1810
British Admiral W. S. Smith, Was at Waterloo and Rev War, 1810
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Description:

British Admiral W. S. Smith, Was at Waterloo and Rev War, 1810

This letter by Vice Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith inquires about the settlement of his mother's estate and specifically the sale of lands in which she owned an interest in the Norfolk Burnhams. He writes to Richard Wilson, likely an attorney who had been involved in the distribution of the estate.

The second letter, written in French, is to Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville, who had been Naval Minister in the administration of Jean Baptiste Gay de Martignac from 1828 to 1829. As naval minister, de Neuville had prohibited the slave trade in French possessions in the Americas. Smith writes that he has just returned from visiting the baths at Mer-de-Boulogne, where he saw a vessel at anchor that was awaiting troops bound for Oporto in Portugal. He also writes that the force was small and that the Regency of Queen Dona Maria II (1819-1853) lacked money, having failed to obtain a loan in London. He speculates that the capitalists of Paris might offer Emperor Don Pedro I (1798-1834) of Brazil some credit. Monsieur [Heurthult?], one of the most zealous and active members of the anti-piratical society was going to help, and Smith promised to give him some letters of introduction.

[REVOLUTIONARY WAR.] William Sidney Smith, Autograph Letter Signed, to Richard Wilson, March 21, 1810, Cleveland Row, London, England. 3 pp., 8" x 9.875". General toning; expected folds; small loss at top corner of third page, not affecting text; very good.
With: William Sidney Smith, Autograph Letter Signed, to Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville, June 14, 1833, Paris, France. In French. 2 pp., 7.5" x 9.25". Some edge tears, including one affecting signature; residue on verso of integral leaf from prior mounting.

Complete Transcript
Cleveland Row / March 21 1810
My dear Sir,
Having an opportunity for the first time of paying due attention to my private affairs now that I am in England without any public employment, and feeling it incumbent on me in my present situation as a married man so to do, I am desirous of informing myself how the sale of my mothers moiety of the Burnham estate which my Brothers & myself inherited on the demise of our Father who had a life interest therein was finally settled & completed. I find it impossible to have direct intercourse with my Brother Spencer who being resident in town was I apprehend the one of my Brothers who had to signify our view of our joint interests in the case as settled by us all three at the chambers of McLambert in Hatton garden; I therefore beg the favour of your answer for my information to the following Queries as stated on the other half sheet which will much oblige
Yours sincerely
W Sidney Smith
Richd Wilson Esqr
Lady Smith unites with me in best compt to Mrs & Miss Wilson hoping they are well.

Has Mrs Smiths (coheiress with Lady Camelford) moiety of the Burnham estate purchased by Lord Grenville been paid for by his Lordship & if so in what mode at what time or times & to whom was the payment made?
Has the entire estate been sold by Lord Grenville since and in what mode was a satisfactory title made by his Lordship for the completion of the sale.

Historical Background
Admiral Smith's mother, Mary Wilkinson Smith, was the daughter of wealthy merchant Pinckney Wilkinson. She married Captain John Smith of the Guards without her parents' consent. Her only sibling who survived to adulthood was Ann Wilkinson, who married Thomas Pitt, Lord Camelford. Pinckney Wilkinson died in 1784, and a complicated lawsuit arose over the division of his estate and lands his wife had brought to the marriage, including land in the Norfolk Burnhams, a group of villages on the northern coast of Norfolk. In 1786, the High Court of Chancery ruled that Mary Smith and her heirs should receive lands in trust of nearly £21,000.

Mary Wilkinson Smith died in 1800, leaving three sons, William Sidney Smith, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Douglas Smith (1761-1855), and John Spencer Smith (1769-1840). John Spencer Smith was a British army officer and a diplomat with the British legation in Constantinople from 1795 to 1801. He also served in Parliament from 1802 to 1806. He settled in Normandy, wrote several scholarly books, and died at Caen.

Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith (1764-1840) was born at Westminster in London and attended Tonbridge School until 1772. He joined the Royal Navy in 1777 and fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was promoted for bravery to lieutenant in 1780, though being under the required age of nineteen. He distinguished himself under Admiral Thomas Graves at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 and under Admiral George Rodney at the Battle of the Saintes in the Caribbean in 1782. He received his first command, the sloop Fury, but with peace was put ashore with half pay. He traveled in continental Europe and began spying on potential British enemies. In 1790, he served in the Royal Swedish Navy in the war between Sweden and Russia, leading the Swedish fleet to a great victory and receiving a knighthood from the Swedish king. At the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars, Smith destroyed half of the French fleet in Toulon before the French could recapture the port and he returned to command in the British Navy. He and his secretary were captured at Le Havre in 1796 and imprisoned in Paris for two years before Royalists aided their escape. During his service in the Mediterranean, he is most well-known for his defense of Acre in modern Israel against a siege by Napoleon's army. Napoleon later wrote of Smith at Acre, “That man made me miss my destiny." The jealousy and opposition of Admiral Horatio Nelson undermined Smith's naval career and reputation, but he returned to Great Britain and was elected to Parliament from Kent. Promoted to rear admiral in 1805, he returned to the Mediterranean for service against the French and their allies. In 1810, he was promoted to vice admiral and later that year married Caroline Rumbold. From 1812 to 1814, he commanded a fleet blockading Toulon. He was in Belgium during the Battle of Waterloo and made arrangements for aiding wounded soldiers and to arrange for the surrender of French garrisons near Paris. For these services, he received a British knighthood. After the war, he became active in the anti-slavery cause, especially the practice of enslaving captured sailors in North Africa. He died and was buried in Paris.

Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville (1776-1857) was born in France to an English family who had emigrated with the Stuarts in the mid-1740s. He studied at the College Cardinal Lemoine in Paris. From 1793 he was an activist agent of the Royalists and tried to persuade Napoleon Bonaparte to recall the traditional monarchy. During the consulate and empire, de Neuville practiced medicine in Lyons, and in 1806, Napoleon agreed to return his confiscated estate if he would emigrate to the United States. He lived in New Jersey until the 1814 Bourbon Restoration, when he returned to France. From 1816 to 1821, he served as the French ambassador to the United States, but his behavior offended President James Monroe and other politicians. King Louis XVIII created him a baron in 1821 for his services, and he served as French ambassador to Portugal. He served as Naval Minister in 1828 and 1829, then served in the Chamber of Deputies until resigning in 1830. He died in Paris.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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