Correspondence of Thomas Best Esq. from 1777 to 1802, 1855 Jan.

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Correspondence of Thomas Best Esq. from 1777 to 1802, 1855 Jan.

Letterbook containing copies of 52 letters from the solicitor Thomas Best to George Horsley Robinson, a young man attempting to make his fortune in Bengal, originally written between 1777 and 1800. The letters contain news of relatives and friends over the years, both in England and the colonies; business and financial matters; and personal and career advice. The volume documents Horsley Robinson's disappointment in his father and Best's unsuccessful efforts to secure him a position as writer with the East India Company; and "the cruel necessity of going into the Army" as a result. Best frequently comments on Horsley Robinson's extravagance and his relative lack of success on the staff of Lord Cornwallis, urging him to "aim for mediocrity." He also sends news of current events in England, including the trial and execution of Dr. William Dodd; the course of the American Revolution; the Gordon Riots; and fears of French invasion in the late 1790s. The final letters send news of Horsley Robinson's son and wife, apparently living in England.

1 v. (263 p.) ; 34 x 22 cm.

Related Entities

There are 6 Entities related to this resource.

Great Britain. Army

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6p884pf (corporateBody)

Whitmore was govenor of Cape Breton Island and the Island of St. John (Prince Edward Island). From the description of Receipt for wages paid for labor in the Cape Breton colliery : manuscript, 1760. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 612812416 Administrative history unavailable. The University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections has a mandate to acquire military papers. From the description of Great Britain Army collection. [1800-1941]. (University o...

Best, Thomas, of Brook Green.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fj334j (person)

Robinson, Francis Horsley.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63j3zwn (person)

Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, Marquis, 1738-1805

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60v8jtv (person)

Governor General of India and British army officer. From the description of Papers of Charles Cornwallis, Marquis Cornwallis, 1614-1854. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71068310 British general; second in command in North America during Revolution, surrendered to Washington at Yorktown. Later governor-general of India. From the description of Proclamation, 1781 March 18, North Carolina. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 86156104 Charle...

Robinson, George Horsley.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68w3zm2 (person)

Dodd, William, 1729-1777

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6wq089g (person)

William Dodd (1729-1777) attended the University of Cambridge, and was ordained as a minister in 1752. He published a wide variety of works from 1747 onward, including poetry, a novel, theological writings, and his most successful work, The Beauties of Shakespeare (1752). In 1767, he founded Pimlico Chapel in London behind Buckingham House, in an effort to attract royal patronage. Dodd grew increasingly desperate for money to pay debts. On 1777 Feb. 1, he forged the name of a former pupil on a b...