Original, unpublished and meaningful letter by British official and Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, Sir Robert William Hay, addressed with urgency to former secret agent in Spain and Portugal, Sir Charles Stuart de Rothesay, Scottish nobleman, and English ambassador to France (1815-1830); alerting Ambassador Charles Stuart of Hay's arrival in Paris and his wish to ask him if he has "anything to communicate to me in regard to that Royal [Baron] Rousseau, The Barbary Consul". Hay is in this letter preparing Stuart in order to investigate the situation around the death of explorer Alexander Gordon Laing in Africa. Under-Secretary for the Colonies, Sir R[obert] W.Hay, who had been informed about the situation around Laing's

Stuart de Rothesay, Charles Stuart, Baron (1779-1845) / Hay, Robert William (1786-1861) / Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (1780 - 1831) [Baron de Rousseau - French Orientalist and French Consul at Tripoli] / Alexander Gordon Laing (1794 - 1826) [Scottish explorer and the first European to reach Timbuktu] / Hanmer Warrington / Foreign Secretary for Prime Minister Wellington, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen [Lord Aberdeen].

Published by [London], [1829]., 1829

5 octavo - pages on 2 sheets, folded. Excellent condition. Signed by Hay and dated probably "Monday, 19 Oct. [1829]". References: I. See "The Quarterly Review - Volume XLI (July & November 1829), page 465 and following pages, in which a report is discussed of a deposition by the British Vice-Consul 'Wood', that in the month of June 1829 the arrival of the lost papers of the murdered Major Alexander Gordon Laing were imminent at Tripoli. It was then reported that the French consul général, Baron Jean-Baptiste de Rousseau was given these valuable papers of Major Alexander Gordon Laing and these then were demanded to be returned to the British in a personal visit to the French consulate at Tripoli by British consul, Hanmer Warrington, who was also the father-in-law of murdered explorer Aexander Laing. According to the report in te Quarterly Review, Baron de Rousseau was appaled to be ccused to have thes epapers or to hold them back and demanded evidence. The consequence of this was a full blown French-British diplomatic conflict and on page 471 of "The Quarterly Review" it is mentioned, that "We understand that our ambassador in Paris was instructed to demand from the French Government an investigation of the conduct imputed to Baron Rousseau; and that a commission was appointed to inquire, accordingly, into the transaction". The here offered letter by Robert William Hay to Baron de Rothesay, is the letter which reflects this report and the action of the British Crown to protest at Paris. Source II: Essay for "The National Archives", on April 5th, 2018, by Dr. Juliette Desplat: "From Tripoli to Timbuktu": In this essay, Dr.Desplat explains: "One hundred and ninety years ago, in April 1828, French explorer René Caillé became the first European to reach Timbuktu, in present-day Mali, and return alive. He was awarded 10,000 francs by the Société de Géographie, the French geographical society, and the book he published was funded by the French government. Caillé, however, had been preceded in Timbuktu Englishman [sic][correct: Scotsman], Major Alexander Gordon Laing. In January 1825, Laing was instructed by Lord Bathurst, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, to proceed from Tripoli to Timbuctoo to gather information on the Niger basin and determine the exact location of this city. Timbuktu s legend was based on the accounts of Arab travellers who had visited the city before the 16th century. Its name alone conjured up wondrous images of wealth and mystery. The roofs, they said, were made of gold… These stories prompted a race to Timbuktu between two old rivals: Britain and France. In the words of the British consul at Tripoli, Hanmer Warrington, the French were making efforts to pluck from England s brow those laurels to which the latter was so justly entitled so time was of the essence. Laing left Britain in February 1825, and reached Tripoli on 9 May. Warrington was quite taken with him, although he feared that the delicate state of his health would prevent him from completing the mission. Laing seemed to get better in Tripoli, however, and started planning. It was agreed that the expedition would go through Ghadames, in what is now North-western Libya. The road from Tripoli to Ghadames was virtually unexplored and travelling along it would provide Laing with an opportunity to fill in a blank space on the map. On 14 July 1825, rather unexpectedly and after a whirlwind romance, Laing married Emma, Warrington s second daughter. The consul wasn t pleased. Sure enough, he found Laing clever and gentlemanly , and thought his talents were conspicuous but, given the circumstances, he tried to block the wedding.[.] A few days after his wedding, Laing set out for Timbuktu under the guidance of Sheikh Babany, a merchant who had lived in Timbuktu and promised he could take Laing there in two and a half months. Having travelled across the Sahara, he reached Ghadames on 13 September, after what he described as a very ted. Seller Inventory # 100099AG

Bibliographic Details

Title: Original, unpublished and meaningful letter ...
Publisher: [London], [1829].
Publication Date: 1829
Signed: Signed by Author(s)