GORDON CHARLES GEORGE: (1833-1885) British Army officer, known as Chinese Gordon. A good, interesting series of sixteen A.Ls.S., C G Gordon, thirty one pages (total), mainly 8vo, various places (Mauritius, Jerusalem, Cape Town, Southampton etc.), November 1881 - November 1882, all to Charles Button in the Seychelles. The letters relate to the botany of the Seychelles, in particular the Coco de Mer and tortoises, and state, in part, ‘I got your paper on the Coco de Mer…if it was you who sent me the little tortoise, many thanks for it’ (20th November 1881), ‘I sent your remarks on to Mr. Broome about the Coco de Mer, and he writes that he takes the greatest interest in them. The great officials at Kew are also very much interested in the subject and you may expect that orders will come out, for a much more careful surveillance over there….I have asked Mr. Brodie to do some commissions for me, and feel sure you will help him’ (20th December 1881), ‘I am also glad that you are looking after the Coco de Mer….Glad to hear of your success in curing Cocoa Nut tree disease by the tests. Get the case or any you have given Brodie, for me, for he is too busy to attend to anything. Look after the two tortoises in the Govt. Plot…’ (5th February 1882), ‘I want the four little tortoises alive not dead. You may have to pay more for them than I put down however I will repay you. I send you a little box enclosing two brooches (neither the box or brooches still present) for Mrs. Button, one is the arms of the Seychelles when it gets free of the Mauritius, the other is the Hindoo representation of Universe. The Hindoos think that Curuman one of the incarnations of Bhudda, and which name signifies Tortoise when the flood came took the form of a tortoise and placed the Ark on his back & took it to Ararat with Noah. The tortoise eggs take six months to hatch. The flood lasted four months so that I think the flood covered them and that when it subsided, the eggs were hatched, they never could have walked down from Ararat. You see none of these isles have much animal life on them. NB. I forgot to ask you to get me in a bottle of spirits one of the little snakes, which are found on Praslin’ (10th February 1882), ‘I want the two or four Tortoises to be little ones and alive’ (16th February 1882), ‘Your letter was very interesting and I hope you will keep an eye on everything connected with the Coco de Mer, especially its mode of germination….this will be closely looked into….’ and ‘I would like a short bit of Common Cocoa nut wood, as well as of the Coco de Mer wood’ (both 7th March 1882), ‘If I do not come, keep the little tortoises for me. I may send for them at some future time’ (15th March 1882), ‘The vessel for Zanzibar which I had hoped to catch has not been able to await the coming in of mail, so that I may after all, have to come by the April mail. Please have everything ready….’ (19th March 1882), ‘I hear all the first class passages are taken for the mail leaving here on 18th April, so I may consider it almost certain I cannot come through Seychelles, so kindly see the things packed safely and ready to go….Mr. Broome….has no objection to you making the collection of things I want, and of taking specimens from the Govt. lands. I fear you will have trouble to get the two roots. If you have enough money, get a double set of each….’ (21st March 1882), ‘Many thanks for all you have done for me….Let me know how you go on at Seychelles in which place I take a great interest….This colony is a smart one & there is plenty of vigour in it’ (Cape Town, 17th June 1882), ‘Tell me about the Coco de Mer and anything you can think of in the way of curious things, for I shall take a great interest in Seychelles & Praslin….How is the Coco de Mer in the Govt. garden….and how are the Tortoises. I hope that they are looked after. Remember you are to keep two little ones for me of the Brood which came out last October. I wish I could come and settle out at Seychelles but it is too far off and I am thinking of settling down in Palestine’ (22nd October 1882), ‘Here is a letter (no longer present) from Mr. Dyer who evidently considers you to be what I know you are, a most valuable botanical ally….You know the buds sprout [here Gordon has illustrated his letter with two small ink drawings of clusters of buds]…put some of these up for me, but do not send them…for fear they should be stolen. I am sorry I lost the small cooped backed tortoise, in fact all the small things were stolen….Write me how the two big Tortoises are, also anything new about Coco de Mer’ (25th November 1882), ‘Thanks for your kind offer of the small Tortoises. I hope you will not give any away at all. A time will come when they will be very valuable and it is a great pity to give any of them away, they are only neglected’ (n.d.). Also including an autograph manuscript, unsigned, in Gordon’s hand, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d. The manuscript is a list of seven numbered repairs which Gordon wishes to be carried out, including fixing roofs to outbuildings, repairing water pipes, placing double sashes in the windows, fixing an iron stove and slightly expanding a stable for three horses etc. A small original ink drawing in Gordon’s hand appears to the verso, detailing the rooms of the buildings and identifying the kitchen and stables. With some further pencil calculations and a small diagram in an unidentified hand. A fascinating archive of letters. Some of the letters have small, neat splits at the folds (a few slightly more extensive, and with contemporary repairs with small pieces of tape) slightly affecting some words of text, a few letters with small holes just affecting a few words of text etc. FR to generally G, 17