Description

1857 (Dec 4) Plain stampless envelope together with letter from Capt. William T. Bate ,, HMS Actaeon datelined Actaeon Off Macao Fort carried ship to ship by Naval means & addressed to Capt (later Admiral) Arthur Cochrane R.N., HMS NIger which was anchored nearby as part of the blockade of the Canton River, the letter being an update on the recent secret survey of the Canton rivers depth as a prelude to the taking of Canton which took place on 29 Dec where sadly Capt. Bate died whilst storming the walls……………Item comes complete with typed transcript of letter & details of the participating Captains of both HMS ships & battle of Canton that provides much historic information See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Opium_War#Second_battle_of_Canton_(1857)