| Description | Copy letter from Colonel Patrick Duff, Camp Dum Dum, to his brother James, London, regarding Captain Kerr who has visited their brother Robert in Madeira, bill, Robert Grant who arrived in India full of expectations but has been ignored, Patrick has been looking after him, sorry that the Governor General [Hastings] will probably be leaving soon, he did do Patrick a disservice because his wife owed a favour to someone else, time taken to oversee a court martial, the legality of which was initially disputed, departure of Lt Colonel Elliot, a friend, who served with distinction under Sir Eyre Coote, and others to whom he has given letters of introduction, money is scarce because of the war, pleased that James has become a proprietor (in the East India Company?), ‘every person I think who has friends in India should take every measure to assist them’, it makes him less likely to be overtaken in promotion, ‘the Lord has put an end to all my apprehensions with respect to Colonel Tolley by taking him to himself, and at the same time freed him from a troublesome world and a termagant wife’, regards to Mrs Duff and hopes that James will have an heir soon, health of their brothers William and John, 10 December 1784 – 5 January 1785; copy of same to same, regarding cloth for Mrs Duff, thanks to her for taking care of Patrick’s son, canes for himself from Malacca ‘rather of an uncommon length’, asking if there is anything he can procure for James or his wife, hoping that his acquaintances to whom he has given introductions will be of benefit to the Madeira house, request to send one of the canes on to Robert in Madeira ‘after mounting it with a genteel gold head’, 9 January 1785 |