CAPTAIN JOHN STEWART (1771 – 1811) ALS to Miss Elphinstone, ...

Estimate

£80 - £120

CAPTAIN JOHN STEWART (1771 – 1811) ALS to Miss Elphinstone, HMS Seahorse, Palermo, 4th July 1809. An interesting letter with reference to the Fifth Coalition War (part of the Napoleonic Wars). " … We have been obliged to come in here sooner than was intended as we ran on shore going 6L miles an hour where we hung for three hours, in shot of an enemy’s battery, I thought myself very fortunate to get off with the loss of our provisions, water & some ammunition, the ship scarcely injured. I was chasing at the time & just going to begin firing on a large ship as we struck. Our cruise has been rather successful, in company with the Halcyon brig, we began by taking two islands, one of them pretty well fortified & we have since taken three prizes, two of them tolerable for this country. I made myself ill in exposing myself to the night air, & day heat in taking the island I have had violent spasms(?) in my stomach but the Doctor tells me that by regular living … I shall soon be well.” [Capt. Stewart would later die prematurely from ‘internal complaints’] “…. Lord Amherst & his family are here, they are very civil & hospitable of course very different from Mr Drummond. We know of some successes of the A.D. Charles & are flattered by hearing of much greater, I wish sincerely it may be true the A.D John is also said to be advancing again into Italy. Our troops are in the bay of Naples & have taken Jochia & ? but that is nothing I wish they will be well received by the Neapolitans for though an amnesty has been published still if the former capitulation of Naples is ? they may well mistrust. --- My station is on the Tuscan & Roman coasts to be ready to open communication with them if the Austrians advancing sets them moving, Lord Collingswood was very civil on my return from winding up Turkish affairs, he would have given me the command in the Adriatic but he was obliged to send four sale of the line there in consequence of the Austrians and Turkish going to war. I don’t expect to the least thanks from home for the sham I had in bringing about Turkish matters, out of sight out of mind …”