HUSKISSON WILLIAM: (1770-1830) British statesman & financier, widely known as the world's first railway passenger ...

HUSKISSON WILLIAM: (1770-1830) British statesman & financier, widely known as the world's first railway passenger casualty as he was run over and fatally wounded by Robert Stephenson's pioneering locomotive Rocket. A scarce A.L.S., W Huskisson, two pages, 8vo, Petworth, 24th October 1826, to W[illiam] Ward. Huskisson states that his correspondent's letter 'inclosing fifty pounds in notes of the Bank of England, and 1s 6d in Silver' has safely reached him that morning, further adding 'In respect to the Period up to which the Interest is paid, I cannot speak with the same positive certainty as Mr. Corser; but I understand it is to be paid up to the month of July last'. Slight traces of former mounting to the right edge of the verso, only very slightly affecting a few words of text, otherwise VG William Ward (1787-1849) English financier who was elected as a director of the Bank of England in 1817. In 1819 he gave evidence before the parliamentary committees on the restrictions on payments in cash by the Bank of England. Ward was also a noted cricketer and scored the first ever double century, amassing 278 for the MCC v Norfolk at Lord's in 1820. Ward is also noted for having saved Lord's cricket ground from being sold to builders in 1825 by buying the lease for £5,000 from Thomas Lord, who was on the verge of turning over a large part of it for the erection of houses.