Hawkins, John

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Original journal, with an account of travels, etc., as an Army Surgeon, in Belgium and Holland in the Campaigns of 1744-1747: and of a visit to France in 1750-1752. Illustrated with a pen-drawing of the Tower near Osterhout (fol. 39), and of the church at Hoogestraeten (fol. 45v), with an inserted drawing of the same church in greater detail. The author's signature appears inside the upper cover. On the verso of the first leaf a former owner has pasted in a holograph note in pencil, written by John Clephane (Military Surgeon, 1702-1758), addressed to Hawkins. This contains an Order from Lord Albemarle, and is endorsed 'An order when embark'd at Willemstadt to come on Shore to take care of the Brittish Hospital, and also Lord Crawford who was there ill'. Below this Hawkins has added 'After that came home in Lord Albermarle's Baggage Ship 1749, having committed to me the Cure of a Natural Son of his, who came with me to England, aged 5 or 6 years'. Lord Albemarle was the second Earl of Albemarle, Admiral Augustus Keppel also 1st Viscount Keppel [1725-1786]. Lord Crawford was Lieutenant General John Lindsay, twentieth Earl of Crawford [1702-1749]. Willemstadt was evacuated on 16th February, 1749. The 'Catalogue of Sea-Stores when set out in the India Man', inserted loose at fol. 43, probably refers to this voyage back to England. The journal begins in November 1744, continuing his second campaign of 1745, and the battle of Fontenoy (30 April/11 May, 1745). On fol. 23 he mentioned his 'Diploma for Doctor of Physick' at the Marshall [Mariscal] College at Aberdeen, which he obtained in 1746. An account of the campaign and siege of Bergen op Zoom, 1747, follows, with descriptions of the casualties and diseases of the Army, especially as regards fevers. The last section (ff. 80-end) contains an account of a tour in France from Calais to Rheims via Paris in 1750. Besides the descriptions of the various hospitals visited, he attended a Meeting at the Académie des Sciences, under the auspices of 'Mons. Geoffroy the famous Apothecary and one of the Échevins' (probably Claude Joseph Échevin [1685-1752]). He gives a vivid picture of French social life of the time. He left France at the end of 1751, and went on to revisit Belgium. In the final words of the journal he 'came back to London and came to Dorchester, March 2, Old Style, 1752'. According to the 'Medical Register' he was still practising at Dorchester in 1783. On fol. 22v he states that 'the greatest part of my Journal of this [Fontenoy] Campaign was lost by leaving it with my friends'. He also mentions that 'My journal of the Scotch [i.e. the 1745 Rebellion] Campaign I have printed'. On fol. 23v the date of his setting out on the Bergen op Zoom campaign is given as 'Feb. 7, N.S. 1776': this date is written above a '1777' which itself is written over '1767'. Also on fol. 46 the date '1767' is given when it is clearly an error for '1747' on both occasions. It seems probable that in both cases, there has been a lapsus calami, which may point to the real date of writing the Journal-in 1767.

Hawkins, John

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