SICILIAN

An excellent letter, describing the state of affairs in Sicily during the period of British occupation, 1806-1814. The recipient Sir Sidney Smith (see Oxford DNB) was second in command to Sir Edward Pellew, head of the Mediterranean squadron which included Bromley’s ship HMS America, a 76-gun third-rater, launched only three years before, in 1810. The present letter is written with the ship on the verge of a notable engagement (described in the European Magazine, March 1814, pp.245-247, quoting from the London Gazette). From Bromley’s entry by P. R.

Small octavo. Pages: xx + 257. Original black cloth decorated in orange. Orange dustwrapper. Eight illustrations in colour, sixty-five in half-tone, and map. Good copy, though foxed throughout, in good binding lightly worn at head and tale of spine and with a little spotting. Dustwrapper discoloured and with wear and loss at corners and head and tail of spine.

Both items in good condition, lightly-aged and worn. Both scarce: no copy of either traced, either on OCLC WorldCat or on COPAC, and no copies in the Imperial War Museum collection. From the papers of military historian Barrie Pitt, author of 'Crucible of War'. ONE: ' 'Lecture by Maj-Gen V. Evelegh, C.B., O.B.E. on 78 Div's Part in the Sicilian Campaign'. Two pages each on a separate leaf, the first 8vo and the second half an 8vo page. Stapled together.

Printed in black on one side of 13.5 x 18.5 cm card. Plate dimensions 11.5 x 16 cm. Aged and spotted. An attractive and elegant production with both illustration and text engraved. The illustration, with engraved signature of 'E Marolda' shows six putti playing with a string of foliage, with one in the bottom left-hand corner swathed in ribbon and standing beside an architectural feature. The text reads: 'Les Muses réunies prient ['Mr. George Bodleys' inserted in mansucript] de vouloir bien honorer de ['sa' inserted] presence le nouvel atelier de Sigr.