Lot 4950

Description

Domestic Scenes in New Zealand, 1845, published under the direction of The Committee of General Literature and Education appointed by the Society for promoting Christian knowledge, printed by R.Clay, London, 127pp with illustrations and fold-out map, hard cover (9.5x14cm), signed at top of title page by Harriet Brett. Front cover loose, a few bits of loss of material on front and back cover and spine, the map with edge tear and some loss of paper at edges, some pencilled figures on inside of front cover and opposite page, virtually free of foxing from p1-127, very good and very scarce.

Harriet Brett, nee Harriet Baker Harris, married De Renzie James Brett at Limerick, County of Limerick, Ireland on 3 July 1845. De Renzie had been born at Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland in 1809. He became an ensign in the 31st Madras Light Infantry in 1825 and was on active service in India until 1853 when he commanded the 35th Madras Native Infantry in the second Anglo-Burmese War. During the Crimean War he was seconded by the War Office to the service of the Sultan of Turkey. He was subsequently created Leva Pasha with rank of Major General and made a Knight of the Order of Medjidjie. He returned to service in India and was present at the Relief of Delhi and Lucknow. He retired as a Colonel in 1863 and with his wife Harriet Brett and two sons and two daughters, one son remained in England, emigrated to New Zealand arriving at Lyttelton on the Greyhound on 9 May 1865. He went on to become a very prominent farmer and a pioneer figure in the history of Canterbury. He died at Christchurch on 16 June 1889 and Harriet Brett died on 11 September 1901.