Record

HSF - Correspondence of Sir John Frederick William Herschel, and the Herschel family
- 3 - Letters of William James Herschel
  - 1 - Letters from William James Herschel to family members

RefNo	HSF/3/1/5
Level	Item
Title	Letter from William James Herschel, 'The Oriental' near Ceylon, to 'Dearest Lucy', M L [Margaret Louisa] Herschel, 32 Harley Street, London
Creator	Herschel; Sir William James; second baronet (1833-1917); British developer of fingerprinting and judge
Date	23 February 1853
Description	He wrote last from Suez, and has learned to like sea-voyaging, which he describes as monotonous, with 'intolerable heat and stench' below decks. He describes a visit to Aden, and its landscape and heat, where he had an introduction to Lieutenant Playfair at one of the cantonments. William had the urge to 'waylay' an eagle, borrowing a gun from a Mr Wilson. Wilson brought down a black vulture. William missed his eagle, but Wilson eventually succeeded, and there is an extended description of their hunting. Eventually, William had collected four feathers for his cap, from a small swift pigeon, a white vulture, a black vulture, and a hawk. He describes hotels in Aden, 'long, low, and flat roofed' and life on board ship, where he is completing the index to his law and history notebooks. He is now at Point de Galle [Galle, Sri Lanka] but his adventures at Ceylon must wait until he writes from Calcutta [Kolkata].
Extent	4p.
Format	Manuscript
PhysicalDescription	Ink on paper
AccessStatus	Open

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