BOWRING (Sir John, 1792-1872, M.P., F.R.S., Linguist, Governor and Ambassador, opened up trade with King Mongkut of Siam, favourite pupil of Jeremy Bentham)

Autograph Letter Signed to the Revd. Burford Waring Gibsone, (1828-1896, Headmaster of Grosvenor College, Bath, and of St. Peter's College, Eaton Square), saying he believes "I am to give a lecture at your Athenaeum on the 29th & at some time in the coming year ... I shall cheerfully place my services at your disposal", 1 side 8vo., 3 Windsor Terrace, Clifton, 6th October slight traces of laying down on blank verso

Sir John's bent for languages was nurtured in a mercantile house in Exeter. At 19 he was in the Peninsula and then studied the public accounts of many European countries. The Government sent him on many commercial missions in the Middle East, and later the Far East, where he was Plenipotentiary to China (1854) and Governor of Hong Kong, and established diplomatic and commercial relations with Siam (1855). He was also responsible for introducing the florin, our first decimal coin.
At the time of this letter Sir John was investigating relations with the new Kingdom of Italy. Gibsone had been Professor of Mathematics at Queen's College, Birmingham, 1855-1857.

Item Date:  1860

Stock No:  53468      £145

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