Sir Thomas Byam Martin Autograph Letter Signed
Autograph letter signed from Sir Thomas Byam Martin (1773-1854), Vice Admiral and influential British naval administrator, to Edward A. Hatfield Esq. One page with integral address leaf, dated Plymouth, December 13, 1808. A concise naval letter written during the Napoleonic Wars, in which Martin—then a young post-captain—notes:
"By desire of Mr. ____ [?], Implacable, I have sent you the Prize List for the Russian Ship Sewolod."
The Sewolod (also rendered Sviatoslav or Sviatoslav) was a 74-gun Russian ship of the line captured in August 1808 during the Anglo-Russian War, and this letter likely concerns the allocation of prize funds for her capture or engagement. The reference to the Mr. [?] aboard Implacable—a British ship formerly the French Duguay-Trouin—helps contextualize Martin’s administrative involvement.
With address panel to Messrs. Hatfield & Co., Craven Buildings, London, bearing a red circular postal date stamp for 1808. Measuring approx. 14" x 9". Wax seal present, with minor loss where opened, original creasing, additional contemporary notations to address side. A crisp and early letter from a future Comptroller of the Navy, touching on the inner workings of wartime prize distribution. Protected in a removable archival sleeve.
