Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Hyderabad 1843 (C. W. Richardson A.D.C. to H.E. Maj Genl. Sir Charles Napier G.C.B.) fitted with contemporary replacement silver bar suspension, contemporary engraved naming in heavy running script, minor edge bruising, otherwise good very fine and rare £600-£800

Mr C. W. Richardson was an Uncovenanted Civil Servant appointed as Second Extra Aide-de-Camp to Sir Charles Napier. In a letter dated 29 November 1842, Napier writes to Sir T. McMahone in the following terms:

‘On receiving orders to reform the Political Department I struck off the whole establishment of Officers and Private Gentlemen. Then I took from the list of sufferers two aides-de-camp, Lieut. Brown and Mr Richardson, a civil Uncovenanted servant; and with them a certain number of clerks, peons, and others, being therein guided entirely by a sense of justice; the salaries are very high and you may conceive I should have liked to bestow some of my own numerous relations, or rather connections and friends in the East India Service. For example I might have made my own step-son John Alcock, one of my aide-de-camp instead of Mr Richardson he having just as much right, or my grand nephew Mr Curling, or either of his two brothers all being heavily on my hands. To any one of these £600 a year would have been a fortune, but I thought of those who had served honestly through war, and being dismissed, had claims before others, and I gave nothing away save to them. You see how difficult it would be for me to employ Captain Morse proposed by Sir Thomas. I arraigned the whole thing the very day his Lordship’s commands arrived for the press of business was very great. He has approved of my arraignments, by which, with forty-two men I do what before employed 160 to 170, and this with a saving of 168,000 rupees annually to the public.’

Sold with further research.