Folio (ca. 31,5x20 cm). 1 p. (bifolium, with a second blank leaf). Brown ink in secretarial hand on J. Green & Son laid paper watermarked "1837"; signed by Barrow at the bottom. Fold marks, otherwise a very good letter. An official letter signed by John Barrow as the second Secretary of the Admiralty informed that "My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having been pleased to advance you from the Pay of a Third Rate to that of the First Class". The letter is addressed to a Royal Navy boatswain James Mayning. He was in the naval service for over 46 years, being stationed in the Caribbean, North America and East Indies, and was slightly wounded "at the reduction of the island of Cheduba" (Burma) while serving on HMS Slaney (The Oriental Herald and Colonial Review. London. Vol. Viii, September-December 1824, p. 576). Mayning served on HMS Talavera, a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, in 1836-1840. John Barrow was a renowned English statesman, traveller and promoter of exploration; a member of the Royal Society (1805), a founding member and a president (1835-1837) of the Royal Geographical Society. He accompanied Lord Macartney's embassy to China (1792-4), and served during the latter's governorship in South Africa (1797-9) "collecting much of the commercial and strategic intelligence about the eastern seas and southern Africa" (Oxford DNB). Barrow was the auditor general to Cape Colony 1798-1803 and the second Secretary of the Admiralty in 1804-1845 (except for the period between 10 February 1806 and 7 April 1807). "In his position at the Admiralty, Barrow was a great promoter of Arctic voyages of discovery, including those of John Ross, William Edward Parry, James Clark Ross, and John Franklin. The Barrow Strait in the Canadian Arctic as well as Point Barrow and the city of Barrow in Alaska are named after him. He is reputed to have been the initial proposer of St Helena as the new place of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815" (Wikipedia). Seller Inventory # MB77

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Barrow, John, Sir, 1st Baronet (1764-1848). ...

Publication Date: 1838

Binding: None

Condition: None

Store Description

Globus Books is an independent San Francisco-based bookshop and a member of the American Booksellers? Association and the Antiquarian Booksellers? Association of America and has been in business since 1971. It was opened originally by Vladimir Azar as a shop for the Russian emigre public of the Bay Area. A small press operated there in the 1970s under the same name in the same building. Now, 50+ years in business, the shop still occupies the same premises with continued success. Globus Rare Books and Archives is the department within Globus Books that specializes in rare travel and exploration related items from around the world with an emphasis on the Americas, the Pacific and Russian explorers and travellers. Our goal is to seek out and offer rare and unique antiquarian items, including rare books, photographs, photo-albums, watercolors, drawings, manuscripts, archives, maps and prints. Our team has many decades of experience helping to build many institutional and private collections across the USA and the world and we have seen and handled many important antiquarian items and collections. We issue monthly catalogues with the newest acquisitions available for our subscribers. We participate in many US and International antiquarian book fairs. Follow us on social media to receive the latest news and offers. You can browse our collections in person during the shop?s opening hours by appointment : Tuesday to Sunday, 11 to 5.

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Globus Books LLC
332 Balboa St., San Francisco, CA, 94118, U.S.A.

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