2nd class Order of the Lion and Sun awarded in 1826 to Major General Sir James Edward Alexander

Exceptionally early set.

 

Major-General Sir James Edward Alexander of Westerton C.B. K.St.J. FRSE FRGS was a Scottish soldier, traveller and author and was the driving force behind the placement of Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames Embankment.​

He was born in Stirling on the 16th October 1803, he was the eldest son of Edward Alexander of Powis, Lackmannanshire, and his second wife Catherine Glas, daughter of John Glas. He received his training in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

In 1820, he joined the British East India Company's army, one of his relatives was Sir Thomas Munro, being at the time the Governor of Madras. He served in the Madras Light Cavalry, and after passing an examination in oriental languages, was appointed Adjutant of the Governor's Body Guard.

He transferred into the British Army, serving with the 13th Light Dragoons and volunteered for and proceeded to the Burma War in 1825. When peace came he became an attache of the Persian Mission of Sir John MacDonald Kinneir, was with the Persian Army in the field engaged with the Russians, and, rendering some service to the Persians, he received the Order of the Lion and Sun.

He was next offered a Professorship at the College of Heylebury, which he declined, and joining the Senior Department of the Military College, he received a Certificate or Diploma of the First Class, and was gazetted to a Lieutenancy in the 16th Lancers on 26th October 1827. With a year's leave to finish his military studies, he joined the Royal Engineers at Chatham, under Sir Charles Paisley, and then went to Russia to join the army of Field Marshal Diebitch, engaged with the Turks.

He went to the Balkans during the Russo-Turkish war of 1829 and received the Turkish Order of the Crescent (2nd Class).

On his return to the Crimea in a Russian frigate in which the plague appeared, he was placed in quarantine at Sebastopol. Whilst there H.M.S. Blonde, Captain Lyons, on a cruise round the Black Sea, came to Sebastopol, when Captain Lyons was only allowed to land at the quarantine, Lieutenant Alexander communicated with him there, and thus became suspected (unjustly) of being an emissary of the British Government, was confined two months in Sebastopol along with ther prisoners, and finally sent to St.Petersburg, under a guard, on a sleigh in winter. He was then liberated, returned to England by Sweden and Denmark, and, on giving to Lord Hill his reports and plans of what he had observed in the late seat of war in Turkey, he was promoted to Captain unattached.

He was promoted Captain on half-pay on 18 June 1830, and exchanged to the 42nd Highlanders on 9 March 1832. Awarded Knight of Justice in January 1832. He went to Portugal and joined the army in the field against Don Miguel (The Miguelite War of 1832-34), and was made a Lieutenant Colonel by the Emperor Dom Pedro. He then proceeded around the West Coast of Africa in H.M.S. Thelia and visited nine settlements.

On arrival at the Cape war had started and it was therefore unfavourable for an exploration, he joined the troops of Sir Benjamin D'Urban in the field and became his Aide-de-Camp.

Afterwards he led an exploring party into Namaqualand and Damaraland, for which he was Knighted in 1838 by Queen Victoria "for his services in Africa" at the instance of Lord Glenelg, the Colonial Minister.

On behalf of the Royal Geographical Society, he conducted an exploring expedition into Namaqualand and Damaraland, lasting from 8 September 1836 to 21 September 1837, in the course of which he collected rock specimens, pelts of rare animals, birdskins, weapons and implements from the Herero and Nama, as well as drawing maps of the region and making a first list of Herero words. Subsequently Arrowsmith made use of his data to draw a map accompanying his book on the expedition. Alexander Bay on the Orange River mouth, is named after him.

He went on half-pay on 24 April 1838, but returned to full pay as a Captain in the 14th Foot on 11 Sept. 1840, serving in America. There he was asked to undertake the arduous duty of exploring and surveying for a military road through the forests of New Brunswick and Canada, from Quebec to Halifax. He was engaged as an assistant Royal Engineer on this ervice in 1844-45, the work was very trying and he got no promotion or reward for this beyond 10s. a day when in the bush, 7s. when working at plans and reports.

Sir Benjamin D'Urban became Commander-in-Chief in British North America, again appointed him his aide-de-camp, and he was with this distinguished officer till his death in Montreal. General Sir William Rowan succeeded to the command of the forces and invited Sir James to be his Aide-de-camp. He served with him for five and a half years.

He became Major in the Army on 9 Nov. 1846, Lieutenant-Colonel on 20 June 1854, and Regimental Major on 29 Dec. 1854.

His regiment having been ordered to the Crimea, Sir James Alexander rejoined it there in May 1854. He served in the trenches at the seige of Sebastopol, including the assault on the 18th June, was also present at the battle of the Tehernaya, and commanded the 14th Regiment at the fall of the city and received the standard medals and the 5th Class of the Turkish Order of Medjidie.

On his return to England he was appointed to a Depot Battalion in Ireland, and the Duke of Cambridge honoured him by directing him to raise the 2nd Battalion of the 14th Regiment, which was the first of the new 2nd Battalions to proceed on service in the field. He took the 2nd Battalion to New Zealand in 1860, and commanded the troops at Auckland during the Maori war till 1862, and also served at Taranaki, and commanded under Sir Duncan Cameron the outposts of the Waikato.

He had become Colonel in the Army on 26 Oct. 1858, and was granted a pension for distinguished service in February 1864. He was promoted Major-General on 6 March 1868, and was made C.B. on 24 May 1873.

On 1 Oct. 1877 he became Lieutenant-General and was placed on the retired list, and on 1 July 1881 he was given the honorary rank of General. He inherited the estate of Westerton, near Bridge of Allan, was a Magistrate, and Deputy-Lieutenant for Stirlingshire, and a fellow of the geographical and other societies.

He saved Cleopatra's needle from destruction, and had much to do with its transfer to England in 1877, the 'needle' having been gifted to the United Kingdom in 1819. At its base he buried, among other artefacts, photographs of the twelve best looking English women of the day. His extensive travels provided material for his varied publications, which included Travels from India to England (1827) and Cleopatra's Needle (1879).

He died at Surrey Lodge, Barfield, Ryde, Isle of Wight, on 2 April 1885, from chronic cystitis and bronchitis.​

 

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Companion's neck badge in gold and enamel, hallmarked for 1873 by Garrard's;

Order of St.John, Knight of Justice breast star, in silver and enamel, the reverse of the star additionally engraved (Sir J.E.Alexander 1842) with Knight of Justice breast badge, in silver-gilt and enamel;

Army of India 1799-1826, short hyphen reverse, one bar, Ava (Cornet J.E.Alexander, 13th Lt Drags);

South Africa 1834-53 (Capt. & A.D.C. Sir Jas E.Alexander.);

Crimea 1854-56, one bar, Sebastopol, impressed (Lieut. Colonel Sir J.E.Alexander Comg 14th Regt.);

New Zealand 1860-66, reverse undated (Col.Sir Jas E.Alexander. 2nd Bn 14th Foot);

Persia, Order of the Lion and Sun, 2nd Class, comprising breast star and breast badge in silver, silver-gilt and enamel, the breast badge engraved on the reverse (Sir J.E.Alexander A.D.C. 1847.), the breast badge engraved J.E.Alexander 16th Lancers 1828);

Turkey, Order of Medjidie, fifth class breast badge, in gold, silver and enamel, engraved on reverse (Colonel Sir J E Alexander C.B. XIV Regt 1858);

Italy, Al Valore Militare, engraved on reverse (Bt Lt Coll Sir James Edd Alexander 14th Regt);

Russo-Turkish War Medal for 1828-29, engraved (J.E.Alexander 16th Lancers);

Turkish Crimea, Sardinian issue, engraved (Colonel. Sir.J.E.Alexander. 14th. Regt.).

 

"... Следует добавить еще одно сообщение о встречах с Пушкиным, ранее в пушкинской литературе не отмечавшееся: оно принадлежит английскому офицеру Джеймсу Эдварду Александеру, находившемуся в России с мая 1829 по февраль 1830 г. и тогда же описавшему свою поездку в книге «Путешествие к театру военных действий на Востоке через Россию и Крым».
Касаясь в своих заметках состояния русской литературы, Александер, в частности, пишет: «Причина, по которой мы так мало знаем об огромных успехах русской литературы, заключается в том, что русский язык распространен лишь внутри страны. Известность русских авторов поэтому ограничена, хотя все они, как правило, принадлежат к привилегированному социальному слою. Многие писатели занимаются здесь переводами, но и оригинальные произведения русских авторов многочисленны и по большей части отличаются высокими литературными достоинствами. Карамзин — великий историограф Севера: его главный труд переведен на французский язык. Я имел удовольствие часто встречаться с поэтами Жуковским и Пушкиным (I had the pleasure of frequently seing the poets Joukoffsky and Pouskin). Первому доверено обучение наследника престола, которому сейчас 12 лет. Оригинальные произведения Жуковского поражают живостью воображения и глубиной чувств. Ему же принадлежат восхитительные (admirable) переводы „Элегии“ Грея и некоторых произведений Мура и Шиллера. Пушкин столь же успешно владеет могучей лирой Байрона; многие из его оригинальных произведений имеют сатирический оттенок (Pouskin has been equally successful with Lord Byron’s vigorous strains, and many of his original pieces have a satirical vein pervading them)»

Автор сообщает далее о характере творчества других русских писателей, упоминая, в частности, Батюшкова, Крылова, Дмитриева, Княжнина, Озерова. К сожалению, это первое по времени английское сообщение о личной встрече с Пушкиным5 не содержит уточнений относительно того, где, когда и при каких обстоятельствах Дж. Александер встречался с Жуковским и Пушкиным, сколько таких встреч было и т. п. Впрочем, тщательное изучение записок и знакомство с личностью их автора в какой-то мере проясняют некоторые из этих вопросов."​

Аринштейн Л. М. Английский путешественник о встрече с Пушкиным // Временник Пушкинской комиссии, 1976 /
АН СССР. ОЛЯ. Пушкин. комис. — Л.: Наука. Ленингр. отд-ние, 1979. — С. 139—144.​

Silver medal for Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829.