| Description | Copy letter from Colonel Patrick Duff, Fort William (Bengal) to his brother James, London, regarding rearrangements in the army, hoping for appointment to command the Fort of Chuna Gheer, a good post, but has been told his seniority does not count because he is artillery rather than infantry, defends his case, he has lost some of his allowances recently on Colonel Pearse’s return from the coast, might take a place outside the provinces in order to make more money at less expense, health of brothers William and John, determined to send his boy Kenneth John Duff home this year, ‘I wish him to go home that he may have as little of the notions of this Country as possible, and because I think going home so early will make him stronger and of a better complexion than if he was kept here some years longer … it is my intention should I live to give them the best education England can afford … for tho’ they have the misfortune to be illegitimate and of a half cast they are not to blame, the fault is all my own … I am as fond of them as if they were of a good cast, and had been born according to the rules of Law and Gospel’, cloth to be sent to James’ wife, Madras cloth for their brother Robert for shirts, price of Madeira wine at Madras, ‘I wrote you before that the boots and shoes fitted me exactly, but that the man had forgot that one of my legs was about an inch and a half longer than the other’, asking for claret to be sent out each year, asking for books on fortification and artillery, General Sloper’s reply to his request, he might have to go home to argue his case in London, the uncertainty is distracting him, if he stays in his current position he has no prospect of advancement or of making money, will buy Durn though it is expensive as it can be improved, he has timber and iron to sell which will make some cash, he will also sell his country house but will lose by it, ‘The civil service is now reduced to nothing, and the military is almost as bad as it can be’, thinks General Sloper is greedy, pleased with the newly-arrived wine, almost all of which is sold, hopes it will help James establish business in India, wine merchants have a reputation of sending out good wine for the first order, then declining, hoping for a good decision on his appointment, he has resigned from his current post and hopes his successor will buy all his tools and materials from him, he could have sold the appointment but would never behave so dishonourably, cross that Francis Peregrine Kinloch, whom he helped to a post, has never thanked him but now wants help again, note from James Gordon now calling himself James Cosmo Gordon and pretending acquaintance with the Duke of Gordon, more debates with the authorities about his command, 15 September – 26 October 1785 |