59 ALS to Richard Phelps; Brussels, 1763-1765.

1 v. (136 p.) ; 23 x 19 cm.

English

In English.

For information on the source of acquisition, consult the appropriate curator.

Sir James Porter (1710-1776) was a British diplomat. In 1741, he joined the staff of the English embassy to Austria, in Vienna, and in 1747 became British ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, a position he held till 1762. Porter then became British minister in Brussels in 1763, and was knighted several months later. In 1765, he resigned his post and, retiring to England, became a fellow of the Royal Society and published three papers on astronomy and earthquakes. His journals, correspondence, and a memoir were published by his grandson Sir George Gerard Larpent as Turkey: Its History and Progress.

Manuscript, in a single hand, of 59 letters from Sir James Porter to Richard Phelps while Porter was British minister in Brussels. The letters chiefly contain discussions of European politics, especially concerning France, as well as news of social visits by Porter's acquaintances in Brussels. Other topics include the health of members of European royalty; an account of a duel between John Wilkes and Samuel Martin in a letter dated November 25, 1763; and other disparaging references to Wilkes in subsequent letters. The letters also frequently mention Porter's services and well-wishes towards John Montagu, 4th earl of Sandwich, as well as the diplomatic activities of Thomas Mortimer, English vice-consul for the Austrian Netherlands, and Sir William Gordon, another English minister at Brussels.

August 08, 2005

Sir James Porter, 59 ALS to Richard Phelps. James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Sir James Porter, 59 ALS to Richard Phelps. James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Correspondence.