GRANT, John Frederick George.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Letter book and logbook concerning two years captaining HMS Midge in Malaya and China. A detailed naval record documenting British operations in Malaya during the Klang and Larut wars, anti-piracy patrols in the Malayan straits, and events on the China Station at the moment of imperial transition in 1874-75. The letters describe regional instability around Penang, Malacca, and Singapore, British efforts to protect subjects and shipping, and a serious pirate attack near Larut in which Sub-Lieutenant William Rooke Creswell was badly wounded while displaying conspicuous bravery - an early episode in the career of the future founder of the Royal Australian Navy.HMS Midge, a Beacon-class gun vessel designed for South East Asian waters, was commanded by Grant from February 1873, his first appointment after service during the Second Opium War and the Taiping Rebellion. His correspondence, addressed to senior China Station officers, focuses on patrol duties, intelligence-gathering, and the limits of naval power in shallow, hostile waters. He gives a particularly vivid account of political rivalries behind the Klang and Larut conflicts, the threat posed by Chinese mining factions and Triad leaders, and the prevalence of piracy under such conditions. The accompanying log supplements the letters with operational detail for both Midge and HMS Thalia.In 1874 Grant became senior naval officer in the Malayan straits, pressing colonial officials to deploy steam launches to counter pirates mo

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