[Sir Thomas Hastings, distinguished Royal Navy officer and gunnery instructor.] Autograph Letter Signed to ‘Sir Charles’, proposing that ‘Mr Stark’ [Charles Stark] give ‘mathematical instruction’ to the Lieutenants of Royal Marine Artillery.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 4to. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. Whatman watermark of 1838. Sixty-nine lines of text, addressed to ‘My dear Sir Charles’ and signed ‘Thomas Hastings’. Begins: ‘I have been thinking that the difficulty of giving mathematics instruction to the Lieuts of R[oyal]. M[arine]. A[rtillery]. who are now preparing themselves in the laboratory course at the F[?] under Captain Stevens, of which Lord Minto spoke yesterday, might be got over easily, by a temporary arrangement until his Lordship’s plans as to the College are matured.’ He continues with reference to ‘Mr Stark the Mathematical Instructor of the Excellent’, ‘a zealous, patient, persevering, teacher of Nautical Astronomy, Navigation & Gunnery’. He ends by stressing that in writing he is ‘only actuated by a desire of shewing how a difficulty may be removed till final arrangements are made’. Among other things he escorted Napoleon to Elba, etc. See Wikipedia.