![[BRITAIN AND THE KINGDOM OF THE TWO SICILIES] – Twenty-two letters, the majority written by members of the British Navy and diplomatic corps relating to their operations in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1742-1850.](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2015/CKS/2015_CKS_10457_0033_000(britain_and_the_kingdom_of_the_two_sicilies_twenty-two_letters_the_maj064920).jpg?w=1)
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[BRITAIN AND THE KINGDOM OF THE TWO SICILIES] – Twenty-two letters, the majority written by members of the British Navy and diplomatic corps relating to their operations in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1742-1850.
The correspondents including Sir William Hamilton, Sir John Acton, Admirals Sir Edward Thornborough and Sir George Murray and others, chiefly Palermo and Bay of Naples, in English, French and Italian, c.36 pages in total, 4to & folio.
The present collection covers chiefly the years of the Napoleonic Wars, when the close alliance between Britain and the Bourbon kingdom of Naples and Sicily helped foster a strong united response to the French threat in the Mediterranean. The influence in southern Italy of the British figures who appear in the correspondence – including Sir John Acton, commander of the navy of the two kingdoms and later prime minister of Naples, Sir William Hamilton, British Ambassador to Naples, and Admirals Sir Edward Thornbrough and Sir George Murray – was pronounced, and the responsibilities they bore for maintaining order are clear here: Acton receives requests for his judgement on infringements of maritime and civil law, a series of letters from Thornbrough to the Marchese di Circello (Minister for Foreign Affairs), 1807-8, convey news of military developments, such as the report from Lord Collingwood on ‘the great battle fought in Spain’ and developments in the French feet off Toulon in a letter written from that location on 10 August 1808; and the judgement of John Stuart [Count of Maida], commander of the forces in southern Italy, is sought when an Italian official sequesters a boat laden with oil ‘purchased for the use of His Majesty’s Troops in Sicily’. Other matters discussed involve desertions from Italian regiments, the justification for the British garrison in Syracuse, and the need for better arming of British troops based in Palermo.
The correspondents including Sir William Hamilton, Sir John Acton, Admirals Sir Edward Thornborough and Sir George Murray and others, chiefly Palermo and Bay of Naples, in English, French and Italian, c.36 pages in total, 4to & folio.
The present collection covers chiefly the years of the Napoleonic Wars, when the close alliance between Britain and the Bourbon kingdom of Naples and Sicily helped foster a strong united response to the French threat in the Mediterranean. The influence in southern Italy of the British figures who appear in the correspondence – including Sir John Acton, commander of the navy of the two kingdoms and later prime minister of Naples, Sir William Hamilton, British Ambassador to Naples, and Admirals Sir Edward Thornbrough and Sir George Murray – was pronounced, and the responsibilities they bore for maintaining order are clear here: Acton receives requests for his judgement on infringements of maritime and civil law, a series of letters from Thornbrough to the Marchese di Circello (Minister for Foreign Affairs), 1807-8, convey news of military developments, such as the report from Lord Collingwood on ‘the great battle fought in Spain’ and developments in the French feet off Toulon in a letter written from that location on 10 August 1808; and the judgement of John Stuart [Count of Maida], commander of the forces in southern Italy, is sought when an Italian official sequesters a boat laden with oil ‘purchased for the use of His Majesty’s Troops in Sicily’. Other matters discussed involve desertions from Italian regiments, the justification for the British garrison in Syracuse, and the need for better arming of British troops based in Palermo.
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