RIGBY (CHRISTOPHER PALMER)Manuscript autobiographical journal covering his family history, career in Persia, Zanzibar and India, travels in Europe, and other important family events, INCLUDING A LETTER TO HIM FROM THE SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR, and additional materials relating to Rigby's relations with the explorer Richard Burton, in ink, approximately 400 pages (360 by Rigby, 40 by his son Gerard Christopher), the letter from Majid bin Said of Zanzibar ('written to me by the Sultan Sayid... in his own hand writing, during the rebellion of the tribes', in colloquial Arabic, in highly cursive hand, dated Ramadan 1277/ A.D. 1860-61), a 4-page letter written to Rigby announcing the discovery at the Royal Asiatic Society archives in Bombay of Richard Burton's field and sketch books (dated 6 February 1865), a duplicate of the document signed by H.C.L. Anderson, Chief Secretary of the Bombay Government, authorising Rigby to instigate his plans to suppress the slave trade (10 November 1860), several newspaper cuttings, and two obituaries pasted or tipped-in, front free endpaper loose, contemporary red morocco gilt, g.e., rubbed with a few scuffmarks, small folio; and a small bundle of other materials relating to Christopher Palmer Rigby, and his family (small quantity)Footnotes:'WE RECEIVED NEWS THAT A POWERFUL FLEET WAS BEING EQUIPPED BY SAYID THOWENEE OF SULTAN OF MUSCAT FOR THE INVASION OF ZANZIBAR': vividly written autograph memoir of Christopher Palmer Rigby, produced for the benefit of his children. Born in Hampshire in 1820, Rigby's early years were ones of Dickensian misery, consisting of neglect at home ('I never remember during my whole childhood the slightest caress or affection from her [his mother]... I always dreaded his [father's] return knowing the beating in store for me...'), then from the age of eight three years without a holiday at a school in Yorkshire reminiscent of Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas Nickleby ('each morning the Master went round the boys' bed rooms with a birch rod and severely flogged any of the little boys who had wetted their beds...'). In 1834, aged fourteen, he joined the Military College, and in 1836 he was posted to India, attached to the 5th Regiment Native Infantry at Poona, beginning an extraordinary career in Colonial service. Due to his language skills (he was fluent in Arabic, Persian, Hindustani, Mahratta, Canarese and Guzeratti) he rose quickly, becoming by the 1850s Superintendent of the Revenue Survey in Deccan, then in 1857 Superintendent of Police with the Field Expeditionary Force which captured Bushire [Bushehr, modern-day Iran], which 'I certainly never expected to leave alive'. Forming a police force from local Persians he instigated a ban on alcohol, and freed all slaves. He also undertook to prevent the local Jewish and Armenian women from being abused in the street, by procuring 'the disguise of a Persian lady - high yellow boots, loose trousers, and Yashmuk covering the body - I mixed with a party of Armenian ladies, and followed by two of my police in disguise with a rope and cat'o'nine tails, strolled through the main street. Any Persian using insulting language found himself suddenly seized from behind, tied up the nearest door post, & punished with 2 dozen lashes...'. The core of the narrative relates to his posting, from July 1858 to September 1861, as H.M. Consul to Zanzibar and Muscat, during which time he received the explorers Richard Burton, John Speke and John Grant; he also tried, found guilty and hung the murderers of Dr. Roscher, and suppressed an insurrection undertaken by the Sultan of Zanzibar's brothers, Barghash and Thuwaini, who 'had collected an armed force of fanatical Arabs from Oman and the Persian Gulf' (Royal Geographical Society, obituary of Rigby, June 1885). This force was intercepted at sea and as Rigby succinctly noted 'invited under threat of force to return to Muscat'. Rigby's successful attempts to convince the Sultan to help end the slave trade, not just amongst Arabic traders, but also 'British subjects residing in the Zanzibar dominions... in the habit of buying and selling Africans as slaves', are obviously one of the author's proudest achievements: '...The sight of one of the wealthiest and most influential Hindoo merchants being marched through the town in irons for refusing to emancipate his slaves caused very great excitement... these methods soon began to produce effect...'. Prior to his retirement, Rigby spent three years from 1864 back in India undertaking negotiations of various boundary disputes between neighbouring princely rulers, whilst continuing his fight against slavery, this time at Kutch and Kattiawar. At the end of the album Rigby's son Gerard has pasted in obituaries of his father, and transcribed 'notes and copies of letters from my father's papers referring to the case of Sir R. Burton', this relating to the statements contained in Burton's The Lake Regions of Central Africa in which he maliciously accused Rigby of carelessness in his duties as Consul. Writing in 1923, the centenary of Burton's birth, Gerard is scathing of his 'Celebrity', elaborates on his serious defects of character' and sets the record straight 'for the information of my father's descendants'. Other materials in the lot include: four diary journals written during Rigby's extensive travels through Europe (Hungary, Poland, Russia, as well as more traditional 'Grand Tour' destinations) during his furlough period from service in Persia and Africa; his daily diary for 1883, mentioning regular visits to the Geographical Society, Anti-slavery Society, the Rio Tinto Company, Royal Academy Exhibition ('very poor'), auctions at Bonhams and Phillips, etc.; a group of letters to Rigby, including from his father (7, c.1853-1855), General Outram relating to Persia (1857), Henry Rawlinson on Geographical Society matters (1872); and miscellaneous items relating to family history.Provenance: Christopher Palmer Rigby (1820-1885).This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: •• Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
