Tristram Charles S. Speedy's letter from the Fleischmann Hotel, Cairo (1897?)
This page is under construction and will be finished shortly
I wish to announce the discovery of an amazing
old letter found recently in New Zealand that relates to the hero Flashman!!!
My name is Allan Speedy and I am the great-great nephew of Captain Charles
Speedy who appears in the latest novel 'Flashman on the March' by George
MacDonald Fraser. Captain Speedy
is described in that adventure by Harry Flashman as ‘a prime specimen, and an
expert to boot’ of being a ‘hero’ and a ‘gentle giant’.
A few months ago I was going through a bag (normally used in New Zealand for
rubbish) filled with family
memorabilia when to my surprise I found a bullet box (lockable, without a key)
that contained pages from an interesting letter.
This letter was written by my g-g-uncle. He signed this letter 'Felika' as was
his title in 'Flashman on the March' ('Fallaka’).
The letter is written on the letterhead of a hotel in Cairo 189_, presumably
where Charles Speedy was staying. To my amazement the name of the hotel
(letterhead) is the 'Fleischmann Hotel, Cairo'.
I do not have all the pages of Charles Speedy's letter written on the letterhead
of the ‘Fleischmann Hotel’, but I have a lot. There is still a chance of
recovering the remainder of the letter.
I think this is a remarkable letter I have recovered as it is the only proven
physical connection between ‘Flashman’ (the legend) and a real-life person
‘Fleischmann’s Hotel’.
I have not yet had the time to decipher Charles Speedy’s letter yet!!!
I have been working on producing the Memoirs of Captain Speedy's mother,
Sarah Speedy (A draft is available at www.speedy.co.nz ) so I haven't had time to
transcribe Charles Speedy's letter from my uncle Charley's handwriting.
I have scanned the pages that I have and offering to all those interested on the
WWW, the opportunity of being the *first in the world* to read and decipher
these rare writings of a Flashman-style hero! (I am busy on other projects)
Please email me your transcription
here. Your name
will be recorded on this site!
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Thanks to: David (FSotUK) for help with pages 2 and 3 Jutta Gardiner for help with pages 10 and 11 |
Click on each image to go to a larger scan.
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is the number of English miles. There was at first some
moonlight, and as I could not sleep, I sat at the window and looked at the
two great huge pyramids built by "Cheops" (Khufu in Egyptian) and 'Khafra'
respectively. The first named lived about 3,800 years before Christ and the
other about 40 years after. I am sending you the portrait of the latter from
a photo I took of his statue in the No 1. |
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museum here. The statue is of alabaster and wonderfully executed. I think it one of the most remarkable pieces of sculpture I ever saw. On the back of the statue is an inscription "The image of the golden Horus, Khufu['s] beautiful god, lord of diadems. Steaming on we pass Bedrashin where you can take either camel or donkey and go and visit the prostrate statue of Ramses the Great - 45 in height. It was discovered in 1820 almost buried in mud. |
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However in 1886 a sum of money was subscribed by people in Cairo to dig it out of its bed, where it had lain since Cambysis the Persian invader in B.C. 527 had overthrown it. It is of a fine hard limestone and probably was one of the statues that stood in front of the Temple of Ptah mentioned by Herodotus the historian the Throne name of this king Ra uses Mat Setep bu[t] Ra is clearly cut on x No 2 |
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waistbelt. In his hand is a roll with the
word in hieroglyphics, "Ramses beloved of Aneu". By his knees are the
figures of a prince, on one side, and princess on the other. question was
she the one who found Moses??? |
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Yet to be deciphered |
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Yet to be deciphered |
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Yet to be deciphered |
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Yet to be deciphered |
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After entering the
great Pylon you are in a square courtyard on the right of which is a row of
these human figured pillars which which you see in n° 29 – |
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Yet to be deciphered |
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Or properly called Halshepsut, sister of Thothimes III – the latter hated his sister, and when he became king, he carefully erased her name, wherever he found it – see n°32- Now dear boy Adieu with best love from Tiny and myself (signed) Felika |
Yet to be deciphered |
