Description:

General Charles Gordon ALS While Building the Forts That Guard the Thames

Written from Gravesend addressed to Nugent dated January 14, 1866. 3 pp bifold in very good condition with expected folds and chips to edges. 5.25" x 8"

In part:

"Since I wrote, the foreign officer applied for an officer to build the Consulates in China and Japan and Corpsman has taken it. The berth will be for about two or three years. No one is around to succeed him at W. office. Division comes back next month and I expect he will succeed in J.B. - which case I do not think Jervois will stay at W. Office for he has involved himself with granite too much as to render it difficult to retract. Ward has come back, but only to complete a certain term when he will leave & go back to Australia . . . Very bad news from Olivia, although not confirmed positively, it appears they have dismissed Hart! This and other indications look as if they were indeed to give trouble to us. There are two parties in China as in Japan. The one favorable to . . . and which is the weakest, and the other unfavourable to . . . which is the strongest . . . I know no details of Hart's dismissal, it has evidently been very sudden. I did not understand his . . . paragraph unless he had some . . . The forts are in status quo and not likely to be touched. I will conclude this . . . with and will write Dr. whenever I have any news. Believe my dear Nugent Yours very sincerely, C. Gordon."

The Hart mentioned could be Sir Robert Hart who was appointed Inspector General of China's Imperial Maritime Custom Service to collect customs duties for the Chinese Government. General Gordon lived in Gravesend during the construction of the Thames forts. For six years he devoted himself to the welfare of the town's poor boys, establishing a Sunday school and providing food and clothes for them from his Army wage. In command of the Royal Engineers from 1865-71, he was responsible for the forts that guard the Thames downstream from Gravesend, New Tavern Fort in the town, Shornemead Fort on the south bank, and Coalhouse Fort on the north. Lt. Col. William Drummond Jervois R.E Jervois joined the army in 1839 and was educated and commissioned as a Royal Engineer. After service in South Africa, he became an expert on land-based fortifications of cities against naval attack, and proposed several options for a ring of defenses around London. In 1864-1865, he reviewed fortifications in Canada, submitting what became a politically controversial report that stated that the Great Lakes and Upper Canada were not defensible. Later in his career, he became governor of several colonies-the Straits Settlements (Penang, Singapore and Malacca), South Australia, and then New Zealand. The letter is most likely addressed to Lt. C. Nugent who led the 7th Company of Sappers and Miners.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

February 16, 2022 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000