Inventarnummer
4201.68.4
Titel
Letter to Burgoyne from Wellington
Beschreibung
This is a twenty-four page handwritten letter from Wellington to Burgyone, dated 9th January 1947. The letter discusses the current state of the stores and arsenals and the reccomended defence systems. It starts off by discussing the state of the country and the state of the Dockyards. He then details the strength of the 'Home Garrisons' such as the number of soldiers in Plymouth, Milford Haven, Cork, Portsmouth, Dover, Sheerness, Chatham and the Thames. He concludes that there are not enough soldiers in these places to defend the Dockyards and naval arsenals in the event of war and provides recommendations on how many soldiers are required to adequately defend the country. He then notes the state of the coasts of England and how easily an infantry could invade these coasts. He notes that there are harbours and rivers that an enemy could land an infantry and mentions the annual cost of a force to defend the country. He mentions how well supplied the magazines and arsenals are. He notes that there is a deficiency and details the causes of this. He recommends comparing the magazines to the state they were in 1804 and bringing them back to that standard. He then offers to further discuss the subject of defence of stores and arsenals and defence systems with the Master General of the Ordnance and the recipient of the letter, Burgoyne. Discussing the cost of these defence measures, he implores Burgoyne to consider the how other armies in Europe raised contributions to the upkeep of the army. Then he says that Britain can’t use these same means. Finally, he asks Burgoyne to look at the peace treaties in 1814 and 1815. He details how much territory France has lost under the Treaties of Peace of 1814 and then ends the letter by saying how much he hopes that no successful invasion will happen for the rest of his life.
Datum
1847 - 1847
Entstehungszeitraum
Early Victorian, 1837-1850
Format
- Height: 223 mm
- Width: 188 mm