[ James Forbes; India ] Autograph Letter Signed "Jam Forbes" to [ Claudius Rich ], traveller and antiquarian (Babylon etc).

Four pages, 12mo, very good condition. His correspondent's letter eventually reached him in Paris where he'd resided since the last August "in coinsequence of my son-in-law the Baron de Montalembert being appointed by the French Government Minister at the Court of Wurtemberg [...] but political reasons, and the difficulty of procuring a suitable house in that small capital have hitherto prevented our joining him." His daughter has to go through a "Municipal marriage" under the Napoleonic Code to establish her children's legitimacy. They plan to return to Stuttgart for a time then return down the Rhine with his grandson to Brussels, and then to England. "I shall then make you one of my earliest calls at the [British] Museum when I trust I shall find you well - illness and the sad state of my daughter's health [...] prevented my visiting any of my friends, except the day that I did [underlined twice] call on Mr Planta, yourself & Mr Combe [...] In the meantime have the goodness to add my name to the list of your subscribers for 2 copies of your interesting work of [sic] the ruins of Babylon - I fear I have no way of sending the amount from here - I assure you I am always happy to have the pleasure of seeing or hearing from you - & particularly wished it during the publication of the Oriental Memoirs - but you were tehn generally out of town, & I believe not in good health [...]" Note: Claudius Rich, Author of: 'Memoir on the Ruins of Babylon' ('Mines de l'Orient', reprinted London 1815); 'Second memoir on the ruins' (London 1818)