[Admiral Sir Phipps Hornby, hero of the Battle of Lissa, Lord of the Admiralty.] Autograph Letter Signed Phipps Hornby, as Superintendent of the Victualling Yard, Plymouth, discussing what to do with the butter and cheese for 'the Ordinary'.

See his entry, and that of his son, in the Oxford DNB. Hornby served as Superintendent of the Royal Naval Hospital and Victualling Yard at Plymouth between 1832 and 1838. This item is 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium with thin mourning border. Fifty lines, neatly and closely written. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with slight damage and a few closed tears around gutter. Folded for postage. Signed ‘Phipps Hornby’, and with recipient (‘My dear Sir’) unnamed. Pencil note giving note by recipient at head of first page, giving prices for butter and cheese ‘for the Year 1834’. A naval hero oversees victualling: ‘I have been giving the best consideration in my power as to the price that should be fixed as a compensation for the Butter and Cheese now served to the Ordinary in the event of its being discontinued and am of opinion that if six pencec Pr. Pound for Butter and five pence for Cheese were allowed it would be as fair a price as could be put upon articles which must necessarily vary so much in value.’ That price ‘would not be opposed by the Ordinary here’, and ‘If there should be any grumbling it will arise from the Prices I have named not putting the Men in the Ordinary quite upon the same footing with the Men in the Dock Yard & Victualling craft, the Three halpence a day allowed to these latter being an excess over what I propse to give to the former.’ He thinks that it is ‘very desireable to get rid of this species of Provisions altogether, it being a Nuisance and a loss in all ways.’ After a reference to ‘Fresh Beef’ he discusses the cheese he ‘proposed to sell at our late sale’, which, ‘tho at present sound and good I should not get 20 shillings per Cat. bid at, so that it remains on hand, but if a private offer is made to this amount I will take upon myself to let it go.’ He ends with a reference to ‘Mr McIntosh’ not ‘settling his accounts: it is truly vexatious’.