Beschreibung:

BALL, CAPTAIN ALEXANDER JOHN PLANS OF THE BATTLE OF THE NILE in a series of four diagrams, each depicting the positions of the French and British ships and giving a clear chronological outline of the battle, with headings and ships' names in the hand of Ball's secretary, as follows:i) untitled drawing of the bay of Aboukir showing the position of coastal fortifications and batteries, the position of the French at anchor and the approach of the British line;ii) "First Position of the English and French fleets until 1/2 past ten O Clock when the L'Orient caught fire and blew up";iii) "Second position. From half past Ten PM until 3am at which time the Guelliaume Telle, Tonnant and Genereux cut their Cables and Anchored as Placed in the Third Position", showing British victory now certain as a group of French ships move out of battle, some regrouping and others running on shore (these ships were later burnt);iv) "Third Position. At half Past Eleven am The Guelliaume Telle, Genereux and La Justice got under way and Escaped. The Timoleon attempted but cast the wrong way and went on shore", depicting the surviving ships on the morning of 2 August, with six French ships of the line taken as prizes in addition to those destroyed or run on shore;black, blue and red ink, coastal outline in grey wash, 4 pages, 4to (using two half-sheets of laid paper with C&I Honig posthorn watermark), [?1798-9] A SIGNIFICANT FIRST-HAND DEPICTION OF ONE OF THE GREATEST NAVAL VICTORIES OF THE AGE OF SAIL. Captain Alexander Ball (1756-1809) was one of Nelson's "Band of Brothers" from the Nile campaign. He was also described by S.T. Coleridge as "a truly great man, the best and greatest public character that I ever had the opportunity of making myself acquainted with". Ball was Captain of HMS Alexander and so in the thick of the action at Aboukir Bay: his ship was positioned closest to L'Orient on the inside of the enemy line (as is shown on the second plan). The Alexander was showered with burning debris when L'Orient exploded, wounding Ball and setting the ship's sails on fire. It was later rumoured that the explosion was caused by Ball's illicit use of red-hot shot. Ball was stationed at Malta soon after the Battle of the Nile, and he was then closely associated with Malta until his death. The annotations on these plans are in the same hand as that employed in a number of letters sent by Ball to Nelson in 1798/9 while still on board the Alexander (see, for example, British Library Add. MSS 34909 passim). The plans are undated, but it is possible that they were drawn up soon after the battle as part of an official report prepared for Captain James Saumarez, Nelson's second-in-command in the Nile campaign. PROVENANCE:Sir James de Saumarez, thence by descent; Trafalgar: Nelson and the Napoleonic Wars, Sotheby's, London, 5 October 2005, lot 62 To view shipping calculator, please hereCondition ReportSome browning and spotting. Each leaf professionally removed from previous mount The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The