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Autographed Letter From Alexander Mcleay, Colonial Secretary,…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
13-Jun-2020
Lot No.
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Description:
Autographed Letter From Alexander Mcleay, Colonial Secretary, June 1829, A letter signed by 'Alex Mcleay' headed Colonial Secretary's Office, Sydney 26th June, 1829 addressed to Private John Hunt, late of the Royal Staff Corps. The rare letter confirms the offer of 'an Allotment of Ground in the Town of Windsor....but you will understand that this order will be null and void if you are not actually residing on the Land alluded to, at the end of Six Months from the present date.' A transfer, dated Sept.1830 has been written, in a different hand, on the reverse. Illustrating a very interesting and little known situation: After the Peninsular War and Waterloo, Britain was at the zenith of its power. It was the strongest military power in the world. For the first time, Britain's power was military, rather than naval and the British Army at the end of the Napoleonic Wars was larger than it had ever been before. Following the British victory at the battle of Waterloo and the subsequent reduction of the army, the British Government had to turn its mind to the extraordinary number of surplus soldiers in Britain. The British Government had planned that when the Royal Veteran Companies were formed in 1825 for service in New South Wales they were to be encouraged to settle there. Sure enough, the Royal Veteran Companies were disbanded in 1829, and grants of land in varying sizes were given to the men in different parts of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. There were also some members of the Royal Staff Corps (as in this case) in both these colonies who were disbanded at the same time, and under the same conditions. The scheme to settle these men in the Australian colonies was a failure. Particular blame can be laid at the feet of Governor Darling, especially as his brothers-in-law were the officers in charge of both the Royal Veteran Companies and the Royal Staff Corps, and he kept them busy with civil duties. Other officers were likewise tempted by the large salaries of civil positions, and virtually ignored their military responsibilities. Thus, the scheme was unsuccessful on various levels, most importantly because the officers did not fulfill their duties, and failed to provide leadership to the rank and file who, in turn, performed disastrously in their various roles. After discharge, most soldiers failed to take up their land grants, or forfeited them through non-residence.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified