Eat your heart out Stephen Maturin!

[anteros_lmc]

Over the weekend, while looking for a reference to something completely unrelated, I came across this fabulous snippet in the 1809 Sporting Magazine.

A beautiful male tiger, a tigercat, several sheep from the Cape of Good Hope, a land and sea tortoise, together with many other oriental quadrupeds, brought home by Sir Edward Pellew, were landed lately, at the Custom-house Quay, Plymouth.

A tiger??! nodbear reliably informed me that the tiger was a white one and a gift for George III and pointed me towards a letter from Lord Mulgrave at the Admiralty which reads as follows

Lord Mulgrave has been desired by Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew to mention at a proper opportunity to your Majesty that the Vice Admiral has brought from India, a Royal tiger, perfectly white (the second of that description that has ever been seen in India) in the humble hope that your majesty, in consideration of the extraordinary rarity of the animals, may graciously condescend to receive him as a humble tribute of duty from Sir Edward Pellew.

His Majesty graciously accepted the "tyger" and sent it to the Tower. Poor beast.

The tortoise was more fortunate. esmerelda_t informs me, possibly somewhat less reliably, that it was presented to Mr Kennedy as a gift from Lord Hornblower when the latter was a humble captain. Mr Kennedy was delighted by such an exotic gift. Unfortunately he let Horatio name it, and therefore the poor creature is saddled with the name Indefatigable. The tortoise now spends its time infuriating Bartholomew because it knows lots of incriminating stories about Lord Hornblower's navy days but refuses to tell.

Sadly we have no idea what happened to the several sheep. I suspect Bartholomew knows but he's not telling!

References

1. Aspinall, A. ed. (1970) The Later Correspondence of George III, Volume Five. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
2. Sporting Magazine, Vol 34, (1809), Rogerson & Tuxford.

Cross posted to following_sea

Comments

[ioanite.livejournal.com]

It's impressive that Pellew managed to get the Tortoise back to England alive, considering...well, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wapX3uz-dtI&feature=related

[xandri.livejournal.com]

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME, and I totally LOL'd at the last bit.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Agreed. AWESOME :) Look out for Indy appearing in an esmerelda_t crackfic near you in the new year!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Sloth icon! <3

IT IS TRUE. esmerelda_t unreliably informs me that Indy will be making his crack fic debut in the spring once he wakens up from hibernation.

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

The sheep? Easy. The tiger ate them.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

*gasp* Bartholomew will not be pleased! He is very partial to lamb chops.

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

I have a wonderful book about the Menagerie at the Tower. It mentions a tiger being there in 1821 - I wonder if it's the same one?

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Ooh it might be! Does it say if it's a white tiger?

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

No, just says tiger. The menagerie dwindled a lot in the early years of the nineteenth century.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Awww what a shame. I hope the tiger didn't get lonely. Perhaps Lord H and Mr K took Indy the tortoise to visit him during the holidays :)

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

less reliably?! Madame I protest! :P

Indy knows Bartholomew is far too young to hear tales of Lord H's Navy days, perhaps when he's older.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Madame I protest!
You can protest all you want missy!

Indy knows Bartholomew is far too young to hear tales of Lord H's Navy days, perhaps when he's older.
Which is exactly why Indy infuriates Bartholomew. Bartholomew suspects he will have to wait until he's 199 to hear these infamous escapades!

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

It is only then he will be mature enough to hear them! Indy is older and wiser and insists Batholomew should trust that his Uncle Indy knows best!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Bartholomew however doesn't trust Indy as far as he could throw him. Which is not very far given that Indy is a very large tortoise and Bartholomew is a very lazy dog.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Isn't it?! I expect to see a tiger and a tortoise appearing in your next video ;)

[nodbear.livejournal.com]

Sir Edward writes :
Dear Madam Anteros

Speaking of menageries while accompanying Madam nodbear here in Gibraltar at present one is only too well aware of those wretched creatures the apes . We ( that is my honoured and virtual fellow Admiral Lord Collingwood and I )have witnessed them this very day rioting about in refuse and pulling antennae ( if that is the word?) off cars and are reminded of the fact that they were ever the least attractive aspect of this otherwise relatively charming spot.
I have understood that in the recent days it has become widely held that shipping such animals is to be frowned on - ALl I can say in mitigation is that it was not so in our day and you can't blame an admiral for trying to put on the style just a little - at least I trust not,

ever yours dear ma'am
EP

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Dearest Sir Edward,

How Delightful to hear from you! I am most gratified that you have seen fit to break off your sojourn to Gibraltar to respond. I do hope that you are enjoying your vacation with your inestimable acquaintance Lord Collingwood. I trust you have been escorting Madam Nodbear around the rock in fine style!

Regarding the matter of the tiger you are indeed to be applauded for your panache. I do hope the poor beast didn't find its residency at the tower too tedious. I feel sure that Hampton Court would have been more to its taste.

I trust the lieutenants have arrived in good time and are not still cruising off Cape Ortegal.

Do give my regards to Lord Collingwood and Madam Nodbear.

I remains as ever, your most esteemed, etc.

Madam A


tha y shou

[aletheiafelinea.livejournal.com]

Hmm, oriental quadrupeds sound intriguing.

And considering that there's not a word about the tigercat's fate, can I assume he/she was not given to any Majesty and was leading his/her days by Pellew's fireplace? Or flew and had many kittens. ;)

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

That's a very good point!! Perhaps the tigercat kept Susan Pellew and the kids company while Sir Edward was at sea! :)