Description:

Gordon Charles G. "Chinese"
Archive of 17 Autograph Letters Signed "C.E. Gordon," mostly 4.5" x 7", 33 pages in all, front and verso. Each to Charles Button of Mahé, Seychelles (north of Madagascar). With an unsigned pictorial listing of repairs to Gordon's headquarters in his hand.

In an undated letter on stationery embossed with the British coat of arms, Gordon thanks Button "for your kind offer of the small Tortoises. I hope you will not give any away at all. A time will come, when they will be very valuable and it is a great pity to give any of them away, they are only neglected..." Mouse-eaten at folds and upper edge, not near signature.

In 1881, Gordon published a report, original in the British Museum, entitled "Gigantic land tortoises of Seychelles," crediting the information to "a very intelligent gentleman Mr Charles Button of Providence Mahé." In another undated two page signed letter, the conclusion of an ALS, Gordon asks Button to "tell me about the Coco de Mers, for I am much interested ‾ do you think they will die out. Have you got a serpent for me. If so cork the bottle well..." Coco de Mer is a palm tree native to the Seychelles. They grow up to 100 feet tall. In 1881, Gordon proclaimed the Vallée de Mai on Praslin Island in the Seychelles as the biblical Garden of Eden, and the coco de mer, the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Ironically, in the next sentence of his letter, Gordon asks for a serpent. Both letters bear repairs, not affecting the text. On another sheet, unsigned, Gordon has listed repairs and costs of his headquarters, with sketches on verso. In April 1881, he left England for Mauritius as Commanding Royal Engineer, remaining there until March 1882 when he was promoted to Major General. He was sent to the Cape Colony to aid in settling affairs in Basutoland. By October, he was back in England. Two letters are dated 1881, each mentioning the Coco de Mer. Excerpts: (1) "I got your paper on the Coco de Mer..." (lightly penned). (2) "I sent your remarks on to Mr Broome about the Coco de Mer, and he writes that he takes the greatest interest in them...

"Thirteen letters are dated 1882. Excerpts: (1) "I am also glad you are looking after the Coco de Mers...Glad to hear of your success in curing Cocoa Nut tree disease...Look after the two Tortoises in the Govt Plot. Have the fruit on that tree in Govt plot..." For many years, European leaders imported and ate the fruit's jelly, which they believed was an aphrodisiac. Today, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is a protected forest of 4,000 Coco de Mer trees. (2) "I want the two or four Tortoises to be little ones and alive..." (3) "I asked Mr Brodie to execute some commissions for me, but I am much afraid that he is too busy..." Hole from removal of wax seal removes "ieve/Your" from "Believe me/Yours sincerely" in the closing. (4) "I want the four little Tortoises alive not dead. You may have to pay more for them than I put down however I will repay you...I send you a little box enclosing two Brooches for Mrs. Button. One is the arms of Seychelles when it gets free of the Mauritius. [The coat of arms of the present Republic of Seychelles, with a turtle and a palm tree, is based on a design by Gordon.] The other is the Hindoo representation of Universe. The Hindoos think that Curuman one of the incarnations of Bhudda, and which name signifies Tortoise when the flood came took the form of a Tortoise and placed the Ark on his back took it to Ararat with Noah. The Tortoise eggs take six months to hatch. The flood lasted four months so that I think the flood covered them and that when it subsided, the eggs were hatched, they never could have walked down from Ararat. You see none of these isles have much animal life on them. N.B. I forgot to ask you to get me in a bottle of Spirits one of the little snakes which are found on Praslin..." Praslin Island was the location of the Garden of Eden, according to Gordon. Minor repairs, not affecting text, (5) "Your letter was very interesting and I hope you will keep an eye on everything connected with the Coco de Mer, especially its mode of germination..." (6) "I would like a short bit of Common Cocoa nut wood, as well as of the Coco de Mer wood..." (7) "If I do not come, keep the little Tortoises for me. I may send for them at some future time..." (8) "The vessel for Zanzibar which I had hoped to catch has not been able to await the coming in of mail, so that I may after all, have to come by the April mail..." Gordon, now Major General, was on his way to the Cape Colony. (9) "I cannot come through Seychelles, so kindly see the things packed safely and ready to go to Adm. by the April mail.." (10) "You will be sick of my notes, but this will be the last...the address Col. Gordon care of Agent British India...Co. Adm..." The last four letters were written by Gordon from March 15-21, 1882, as he prepared to leave Mauritius. (11) From Cape Town, June 17, 1882. "Let me know how you go on at Seychelles in which place I take a great interest. Better address me General Gordon RE 5 Rochester Place Southampton for there is no direct route to Cape from Seychelles...This Colony is a smart one &; there is plenty of vigour in it..." (12) "I am now on my way home and shall be better able to write to you than when at the Cape where the communications took such time. When you write, tell me about the Coco de Mer and anything you can think of in the way of curious things...How is the Coco de Mer in the Govt Garden at Mahé and how are the Tortoises. I hope that they are looked after. Remember you are to keep the little ones for me of the Brood which came out last October. I wish I could come and settle out at Seychelles but it is too far off and I am thinking of settling down in Palestine..." Repairs in blank areas not affecting text. (13) From Southampton, November 25, 1882. "Here is a letter from Mr. Dyer who evidently considers you to be what I know you are a most valuable botanical ally..." Drawing two clusters of buds, Gordon tells Button to "put some of these up for me but do not send them till I write for fear they should be stolen. I am sorry I lost the small cooped backed tortoise, in fact all the small things were stolen...Write me how the two big Tortoises are, also anything new about Coco de Mer." Of the 17 ALSs, 12 mention the Coco de Mer and/or tortoise!

A truly remarkable archive in generally fine condition.

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