VON TEMPSKY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 92, 18 April 1912, Page 2

VON TEMPSKY.

INTERESTING REMINISCENCES. We have to thank Dr. John Drysdale, now of Glasgow, but formerly of .Port Chalmers, for the following interesting communication and enclosures, says the Dunedin Star:— Tc the Editor. • Sir, —Your issue of January 12th contains the following “local” : Referring to the documents belonging to the late Mr Selfern, of -Sow Plymouth, which Mr W. T. Jeiming's is presenting to the Dominion, Mr Jennings states that among the letters is one written ,by the man who was known as “the Bayard of the New Zealand Forces,” Von Tempsky, the long-haired, dashing Prussian; poor “Von,” as the men called him, daring, chivalrous. gallant soldier of fortune—the man who had carried his life in his hand .in Mexico, had sought gold in California, had piloted the-British up rivers in Central Africa, and fought and served in the Waikato and Ea’st Coast of New Zealand. Someone blundered on that fatal 7th September, 1868, when his life, as well as many other brave men, was sacrificed. The letter in question gives an account of the fight at Kakaramea and the operations at Wareroa Pain reading this, when I came to the sentence “the man who carried his life in his hand in Mexico,” 1. was reminded of a paragraph 1 had cut out of tiie “Glasgow Herald” some months ago (and which I enclose herewith).

When 1 first read this paragraph my interest, as an old New Zealander, was aroused, not so much by its main facts regarding Voltaire as by the mention of the historic name of Von Tempsky. Knowing that the New Zealand Von Tempsky had been somewhat of a rolling stone, I thought it; not improbable that he was the \ on Tempsky referred to. As, however, none of my New Zealand .hooks gave Von TVs initials, 1 consulted one of the principal Glasgow libraries, but the only reference to the name which I could find is that contained in the enclosed letter, which 1 sent to the Herald. The facts, however, that G. F. Von Tempsky wrote a book of travels in Mexico, and that the New Zealand Von Tempsky had been in Mexico previous to his arrival in New Zealand, together with the dates, the book being published in 1857 and Von Tempsky’s death occurring in 18G8, seem to render it very likely that they were one and the same man. If Von Tempsky’s name was Gustavns Ferdinand, which I should third: you could easily ascertain, Hie matter would be settled beyond a doubt. Hoping yon will not deem this too trivial a matter for notice, as I fancy it will ho nows to many of your older 'readers who remember Von Tempsky to find that ho was an author.—l am, etc., John Duysdale. Glasgow, March 4th, lt)l2. Interesting Find in Glasgow. At a meeting of the Glasgow Archaeological Society last night in the rooms at 207 Bath Street, Professor Stevenson, of Glasgow University, gave an account of how several .interesting unpublished letters of Voltaire had come into his possession. Tho Rev. Professor Cooper presided. Professor Stevenson stated that •about eighteen months ago a cousin of his, the Rev. Air Stevenson, of Rutherglen, died, and among his papers was found a packet which was handed over to Professor Stevenson 1858 in the possession of G. F. Von Tempsky, who resided at 17 Buckingham Terrace, Glasgow. Neither the directory of 1858 nor those of several years before and after that date contained Tempsky’s name, so it was assumed that he was not a householder. Perhaps he was a lodger. Professor Stevenson did not know how the papers passed from Tempsky into the hands of his cousin, but Tempsky had written on the outside of the packet a note to tho efiect that his grandmother was a daughter of the famous German jurist Cocceji, and the papers had been preserved in the Cocceji family because of their connection with \ oltaire. Voltaire was in Beilin in 1751, and became involved in a lawsuit juith a Jew .named Hirscholi. Cocceji was one of the Judges who tried the case, and he kept the papers, which contained autograph letters of Voltaire. The lawsuit between \ oltaire and Hirscholi created a sensation in its time, and it might be interesting to readers to refer to Carlyle’s “Frederick the Great,” w'iierc tbo case was given at considerable length, although a great deal of additional material regarding tho case bad become, available since Carlyle’s time, tbo whole documents relating to it, which were now in the archives in Cbarlnttenbiirg, having been published recently. The papers in Professor Stevenson’s possession numbered nine, flight of them were directly connected with the famous lawsuit, and very likely threw some fresh light on the matter. Two of thorn were written to Cocceji in the course of the ease, and two other's were of tho .nature of memoirs. One, supposed to have been written by a secretary, showed corrections in Voltaire’s handwriting, altering the French. Tl ic following is a copy of one of the shorter letters contained in tbo packet:— Monseigneur,—Vor’la mrs pieces; (•lies pa'Tent Inert rnietix cpii moi. Jo snis trop vif, main juges-moi suivaut vntre raison ot non pas snivant ' rna vivacico. Je snis avec respect, Mon seigneur, de vnltrc excellence lo tros humble, tres obeissant, ot tres colorc serviteur, , Voltaire.

The documents were inspected with much interest by the members of the society. Professor Ferguson afterwards contributed some notes on books of receipts, mostly belonging to the 17th century, and also referred to “Re Livre tics .Morvcillcs du Monde,” a Kith century book of natural history. Voltaire Letters Find. Sir, —The G. F. Yon Tcmpsky in whose possession these letters were In 1858, and regarding whose identity Profesor -Stevenson appeal's to ho in doubt, is probably the Gnstavus Ferdinand Von Tempsky, who in 1858 published a hook entitled “Milda: A Narrative of Incident and Personal Adventures on a Journey in Mexico, etc.,” and who dates its dedication to the Earl of Westmoreland from “Dunoon, Argyllshire, October 2nd, 1857.”.—1 am, etc., J-!>-