Address panel with seal and addressed to "To my Honorabl. brother Sr Edward Altham at Marke Hall in Essex. I pray leave this with one Mr. Hawtry a draper in Pauls Church yard against ye south doore, at ye signe of the starr, to be sent as directed."
Docketed "Emanuel to his brother Sr Edward Altham, East India 1632" and "East india 1632. Armagon, Coast of Cormandel."
Part of a collection of nine letters from Emmanuel Altham to his brother Sir Edward Altham and two related documents; items in the collection have been described separately in eleven catalog records (MA 3200.1-11); see related records for more information.
Sir Edward Altham died five months before this letter was written.
Written from "ye Ffort of Armagon ... by ye way of Surrat." Fort Armagon (or Armagaon) was the second colony (established 1625 or 1626) of the English East India Company in Southern India, just north of Pulicat Lake. Its original name was Durgarazpatnam (Dugarazpatam). Altham was appointed Captain of that fort in 1630.
Acknowledging his letter of August 26, 1631 and thanking him for news of the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson in New England. Reporting that "ye greate kinge of this country comonly called ye Barter king is lately overthrowne in a most mortall battell by his own nobles, with ye loss of 30 or 40,000 men" and that "ye Portingalls in Zealon, attempting to take ye greate citty of Candy with 20,000 men approached it and being possessed of it, were presently beseged by ye king thereof and slaine almost every man."