Hello, There are 5 lots relating to the Moodies of Melsetter, a prominent settler family, and one item relating to the Anglo-Boer War.
Benjamin Moodie of Melsetter in the Orkneys had been forced to sell the family estate. This was finalised in 1818 fetching only slightly more than half of the trustee's valuation. In 1817 he left for the Cape Colony with three ships and 190 "mechanics and artisans" (Burrows). The men were indentured to him but he recovered little of the costs that he covered them for. He settled to farm near Swellendam on the farm Grootvadersbosch (which is still there by that name). He was a member of the Legislative Council of the Colony, and was generally an active and successful member of the community. There are five lots, as follows. Lot 25. Letters and documents relating to Benjamin Moodie from 1817 or earlier. There are 5 documents in this lot. Of particular note is a letter from the Colonial office, refusing to provide special assistance to a party he proposed to settle in the Suurveld. There is also a letter to the Captain of the "Clyde" at Gravesend dd. 1817 and giving passage rates for different classes of passengers. Lot 26. Letters and documents relating to Benjamin Moodie 1821-1840 There are 10 items in this lot. Of particular note is one original letter from Sir Rufane Donkin to Moodie. Also a "Memorandum of Agreement Respecting The Intended Purchase Of Grain At Port Beaufort Between Benjamin Moodie Esq Of Grootvaders Bosch And S.B. Venning of Cape Town, Merchant", and a printed memorial "Proposal For A General Association Of Persons Who Are Desirous To Promote The Prosperity Of The Colony By Encouraging The Introduction Of Labour From Europe".The other item of note are lists of some of his party reflecting amounts owed. Lot 27. Documents to do with the liquidation of the Moodie estate of Melsetter in Orkney, 1816. There are two documents in this lot. The first document is a letter to Moodie written along with the printed notice published to creditors advising a sale without reserve. The second is a handwritten Memorandum of the Melsetter estate giving general details, prospects, income and expenditure. Lot28. Letters and documents relating to Captain James Moodie, 9th & last Laird of Melsetter, Orkney. There are 4 letters and one document in this lot. There is one letter from his book keeper, one from a tenant, one from his son Benjamin, and one written in Dutch on naval matters. The document is entitled "Copy of the Original Paper once in the possession of the late James Moodie Esq of Melsetter entitled "A real and true information of the most horrid and barbarous murder of Captain James Moodie of Melsetter upon the twenty sixth of October last (1725), betwixt twelve and two afternoon, at Kirkwater; Given in by Christiana Crawford, spouse to the said Captain"". A fairly contemporaneous copy this was probably written not long after 1820. Lot 29. T.L.S. CLEARING THE DISTRICT OF ANIMALS AND FOODSTUFFS Dated Piquetberg 21st March 1902, very late in the Boer War, this was a requisition for material to be brought in, limiting the amount of food and animals that could be retained by the citizenry, chiefly of course the amount of horses allowed. Lot 30. ALS to Benjamin Moodie from John Fairbairn. There are three letters in this lot. The first concerns problems surrounding Moodie's son James at school in Cape Town in 1833. The second is dated October 22 1816 and concerns business and personal matters. The third is undated but is earlier than 1817 and places him in London at the time. He discusses his prospects in New South Wales and the West Indies. Detailed descriptions are provided on the auction site complete with images. We can provide transcriptions of many of the letters and documents on request. The auction is now open for preview. It opens for bidding on 23rd January 2014 at 16.30 GMT, closing one week later. http://www.antiquarianauctions.co.za If you need help with registering or the bidding process, please contact us. Regards Ian Balchin -- Fables Bookshop (Proprietor: Ian Balchin) Est. 1990 119 High Street, Grahamstown, 6139, South Africa. Tel/Fax: Shop +27-(0)46-636-1525 cell: none Our web site: http://www.fables.co.za/ Email us to subscribe to our email africana catalogue: For secure credit card transmission: http://www.sabda.co.za/fables.htm email: ae...@fables.co.za ici on parle francais Founder member Southern African Book Dealers Association Lat. 33.31126 S (33° 18' 40.5") Long. 26.52428 E (26° 31' 27.4") _______________________________________________ fables-list mailing list fables-list-own...@fables.co.za http://inksi.dyndns-remote.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fables-list
