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William Burn Letters

An inventory of his letters at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: LDC
Date: 09 Sep 2008

Biographical History

Captain (later Lt. Colonel) William Burn was a British Army officer stationed in India during the late 18th century.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The William Burn Letters contains correspondence between William Burn in India and his stockbroker and friend, James Miller, in Calcutta, painting an interesting picture of an army officer's life during the British conquest of India. Burn describes the bloody battles between the Moslem followers of the Tartar and the Sikhs, the pomp and the parades, the diplomatic maneuverings between the British and the Indian princes, and the method of raising money by the British Government and British East India Company for the Indian campaign by public subscription. Burn also tells of his efforts to support his children and himself on an officer's pay, his desire for promotion, his worries about his future retirement on half-pay, and his attempts to supplement his income by buying Lottery tickets and trying to make shrewd investments.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Burn, William.
Miller, James.

Corporate Bodies

Great Britain. -- Army -- Officers -- Correspondence.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

William Burn Letters
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Inventory