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.

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.