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Letter from Charles James Blomfield to Nicholas Aylward Vigors regarding a letter to be presented to the council or managing committee of the Zoological Society of London

Letter from R Gouldsmith to Nicholas Aylward Vigors regarding the elephant at the gardens of the Zoological Society of London

Monsieur Telfair

Celle ci est pour repondre a la lettre que vous m'avez fair l'honneur de m'ecrire. Je suis flatté de la preference que vous m'accorder. Vous pouvez etre persuade qu'a la premiere occasion. Je ferai tous mes efforts pour vous envoyer Vivans un ou plusieurs de ces oiseaux que vous desirez. Je ferai aussi toutes les recherches & [fouills?] dans les environs pour les [?] que l'on pouvais y trouver. S'il y a quelques autres [?] a [?] que vous desirez ne [?] pas de me commander ou sera toujours un vrai [?] pour moi de vous etre utile. Cet oiseau est nomme dans le pays Oiseau Boeuf nom qui l'on a tire de son cri qui est absolument celui du veau. Je me souviens qu'un jour l'avons entendre crier moi & des [?] nous avons ete a la recherche d'un veau & nous avons trouve cet oiseau dans un arbre. Je suis [?] [?] de m'avais [?] [?] pendant le sejour de la fregate [?] i'le constamment avec [?] Messieurs les accompayons dance leur recherche & avec la plus grand partir de mes [?] M. G[?]y n'avons pas ete dans la meme [?] [?] plus heureaux ces [?] [?] pres deux de ces oiseau Je le repete Monsieur Je ferai tous a qui repondre de mois pour vous etre utile & agreable - vous pouvez compter sur moi.

J'ai le honneur d'etre avec un profond respect Monsieur votre tres humble & tres obeissant serviteur

Rodriguez 20 Aout 1832

Port Louis, Mauritius
Feby 25/26 1833

My dear Sir,

I send you under charge of Dr. Wallace of the Royal George - two tortoises from the islands of the Amirantes to the Eastwards of Seychelles - and one of a different description from the Harbour of Mombaza on the East coast of Africa. He will also present you in the name of the Honourable Lady Colville - a Chameleon from the North of Madagascar. I beg you to recommend Dr [Wallace?] to any kind attention you can show him regarding your garden Menagerie in return for the care & trouble he takes in conducting these animals to you. I have requested that in case of death they may be put in spirits & presented for your dissection. I send you in a flacon, preserved in spirits - an animal which you will find undescribed. I hope I have already written to you about it. - it comes from the [interior?] of Madagascar where it is called the "Sokinoh" A pair of the animals was sent to me from the Queen in charge of one of the members of her deputation which lately visited the Mauritians - this couple escaped our of their cage - they appear of the genus of Tandrek but differ in many [?] points - they left the little one I now send you - it was dropt by the mother the night she escaped & I fed it on milk for seventeen days when it died - I put it in the flacon with spirits & afterwards put in the same flacon a chameleon which died in my Court being hurt by a bittern of Madagascar who wished to swallow it. I have written to you by Sir Charles Colville today

believe me very sincerely
your obliged friend and servant

C. Telfair

Sir John Walsh presents his compliments to Mr Vigors & begs to represent to him the impertinence which he experienced from a Gate Keeper of the name of Parker at the Zoological Gardens this afternoon. This person in demanding Sir John's umbrella & in reply to an observation that as shown was threatening, he was unwilling to relinquish it and with great insolence that it was no use taking, he must have it, & his behaviour was the more improper as Sir John was accompanied by Lady Jane & his children. If the Society find it necessary to adopt a regulation, which in a large garden, & in a showery season must be admitted to be an inconvenient & annoying one to the visitors, it must be their wish that it should be enforced with the greatest civility and they cannot desire to licence their Servants to accost persons of respectability with the manners and tone of a police officer to a pickpocket

28 Berkeley Square
Wednesday

Complaint against Gate Keeper
24 June [1830]