An autograph letter written and signed by Queen Victoria (1819–1901) to Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, conveying the Queen’s approval of the appointment of Major-General Henry Godwin. An historically interesting autograph letter by Queen Victoria (1819–1901) to Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge (1785–1856), then Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. Written from Windsor Castle on 24 October 1853, the letter is on royal stationery headed with an attractive gilt and coloured British Royal Arms, incorporating the lion, unicorn and royal shield. Writing in the formal royal third-person style, Victoria indicates her approval of the appointment of Major-General Henry Thomas Godwin (1784–1853) as Colonel of the 20th Regiment of Foot, following Lord Hardinge’s recommendation. Godwin was a distinguished British officer who had served during the Napoleonic period and the First Anglo-Burmese War, and later commanded the British and Indian expeditionary forces during the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852–1853, including the operations resulting in the capture of Rangoon and Pegu. The date of the present letter gives it particular historical poignancy. Queen Victoria approved the appointment on 24 October 1853; Godwin died at Simla only two days later, on 26 October 1853, following a brief illness. News from London of his appointment as Colonel of the 20th Foot and his advancement to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath reached India only after his death. The letter therefore records royal approval of a military appointment that Godwin did not live to enjoy. The reverse bears an old manuscript docket identifying “The Queen, ” “24 Oct. 1853,” and “M. Genl. Godwin.” An appealing piece of Victorian royal and military history combining Queen Victoria’s autograph handwriting, Lord Hardinge as Commander-in-Chief, Major-General Henry Godwin, the 20th Regiment of Foot, the Second Anglo-Burmese War, and the remarkable circumstance that it was written only two days before Godwin’s death. Dimensions of each page: 11.5 × 17.3 cm. The letter is written on a folded double sheet forming four pages, with two pages written in Queen Victoria’s hand and the remaining two pages blank.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art