Worldwide Stamps and Postal History

1843 Entire letters (2) from the British diplomat Lord Napier to his mother in Scotland, one disinfected with rastel holes, both carried by diplomatic bag and posted as inland letters in London. Exceptional content includes "I allude to the execution of a christian subject of the Porte for refusing to become a Musselman. He was a young lad who got into a squabble with the guard, was sentenced to 500 lashes on the feet. To save himself in a moment of weakness he declared he would become a Turk, repeated the declaration before a magistrate & received the name of Mehemet. Having immediately repented he absconded & hid himself at Syra & believing the occurrance to be forgotten returned to Pera, resumed the Frank dress and practiced the duties of an Armenian Christian. Accident betrayed him to the Turkish guard. He was accused of having become a christian, was convicted & was sentenced to death if he would not abjure his faith a 2nd time .... he was beheaded with many horrid circumstances of indignity last week". The second letter details the visit of Joseph Wolff, on his way to Persia and Bokhara to ascertain the fate of Charles Stoddart and Captain Arthur Conolly, and includes "I do not altogether despair of welcoming at least one of the captives who are supposed to be dead. Various and conflicting are the accounts which reach us but several agree in stating that Stoddart is alive and serving as a slave in one of the mosques of Bokhara. There are also two Officers, Lieutenants Balfour and Street in slavery among the Tartar hordes, they were made prisoners during the Affghan war." (2).
Suggested price: £ 600-800