Beschreibung:

Series of twenty six autograph letters signed from Christopher Palmer Rigby ("C.P. Rigby") to his friend Joseph Miles, Quartermaster of Marines at Bombay ("My dear Miles"), comprising: (i) seventeen letters written from Bushire during the Anglo-Persian war of 1856-7, in his position as Superintendent of Police and Assistant Civil Commissioner, reporting on life in the town ("...supplies coming in from all parts, fruit, vegetables, fish etc in abundance, and the meat as good as English..."), troop movements ("...The Persians are still encamped 2 marches off and are trying to cut off our supplies... the Russians have occupied Asterabad and have a large army on the Persian frontier..."), reporting "...you will hear of the defeat of the Persian Army... Outram arrived looking remarkably well... [The Highlanders] caused an immense sensation marching through the town in their kilts. The Persians think they are our great warriors... their force amounted to eight regiments of infantry, 18 guns and four or five thousand irregular horse... They [the Persians] evacuated their camp before our arrival... finding we did not follow them came back to make a night attack on us in their entrenched camp... our Artillery blazed at them with grape and cannister... the Persians fled in confusion... we might march through their country with moderate force..."), General Jacob ("...detested by nearly everyone in camp... he is doing everything he can to embroil us with the Persians and the tribes around... a wretched stick, pig headed as a mule... it is a wretched patched up peace, we gain nothing..."), visit from a Persian Colonel ("...looks as if he had just been figged out in Paris... The Persians seem really anxious to cultivate friendship with us..."), news of mutual friends ("...what a 1000 pities all our fellows are marrying, it hampers a Regiment in every way..."), complaints of the Bombay postal system ("...a disgrace to any Christian country, a foul blot upon the 19th century..."), reports of mutinies in India ("...most exaggerated..."), and withdrawal (..."I suppose I shall be the last to embark from here..."); (ii) one letter from aboard the Falkland giving a description of the Seychelle Islands ("...every species of tropical fruit...The roads are lined with roses, myrtles & oleander... the whole island almost is in a state of nature... the root of the manioc which grows like a weed makes excellent white bread... people are too lazy... no money is ever spent on improvements... the style of living is very different... I don't think they even have tiffin or dinner, breakfast seems to be the meal... turkey, ham, curries, fish, salads, ducks stewed in olives... with claret... fancy eating all this at 10 in the morning..."); (iii) eight letters from Zanzibar as British Consul, describing being greeted by the Sultan on arrival ("...he gave a capital dinner in the European style but only sherbet to drink... the English Consul is the only person here the Sultan calls on..."), hospitality ("...the French Consul... has a French cook... would have done credit to the Café de Paris... The American Consul... can't speak a word of French... only language in which he can make himself understood is the Sowahili or negro language... I laughed when I heard them salute each other with "Jambo Monsieur"..."), scenery and abundant produce ("...like a fine park... huge mango trees, groves of oranges etc..."), arrival of slaves ("...they all wear a wooden ticket round the neck...") and slave ships ("...they come to try to bully the Sultan into consenting to a slave trade, but they find it no go... they pretend it is not a slave trade that the negroes are only "engaged" to serve for a term of years and go willingly..."), cholera ("...raging here... carried off thousands of people..."), threat of attack from Muscat ("...there will most likely be a good deal of fighting... There are 25000 wild Africans here & a firing & yelling is kept up all day... & kill 2 or 3 peopl