Lot 510
Earl of Sandwich, 1779 Autograph Letter Signed "Sandwich" as First Lord of the Admiralty on one letter headed "By the Commission for executing the Office of Lord High Admiralty of Great Britain and Ireland" on appointment of Lieut. on HMS Milford, Very Fine.Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Sandwich was best known as a three-time First Lord of the Admiralty (1748-51, 1763-64, 1771-83). He had a reputation as a notorious womanizer and gambler, and legend has it that today's "sandwich" was invented by him during one of his marathon gambling sessions. During his third term as First Lord, Captain James Cook set out on his famous voyages of discovery and exploration. And while those voyages turned out to be of great importance to England, as well as the world, Cooke nevertheless needed friends in high places to assist him in financing the venture. Sandwich used his influence to assist Cook with his first Voyage, and was a powerful ally of Captain Hugh Pallister, the man who first recognized Cook as a man of genius and destiny. In appreciation, Cook liberally scattered his noble patron's name around the world with his last tribute calling the Hawaiian group the "Sandwich Islands".
Realized: $2,100