[21 items] to include; 14 letters from Nathaniel Taylor, most 1811-1817, 1 later letter, 1833, the earlier letters from London and Portsmouth, the last from Portsea, earlier letters to his father, David Taylor, Jocks Lodge Gardens, Edinburgh, the later letter to Dougal Maclean in Edinburgh, all substantial letters, together with 3 substantial part letters, as well as 3 letters from his daughter, Mary Hillyer, undated, and one from his father, David Taylor, 1797. The letters chart Nathaniel Taylor's own life, apparently far away from his roots in Edinburgh, without a job for many years, but with some money and regularly sending some back to his father, but also the fortunes of his children and wider family as they move through the world. His daughter, Mary, has married Captain [James] Hillyer (1769-1843), whose progress through the Batavia and the Americas is regularly mentioned - 'Captain Hillyer has arrived at Plymouth in the Phoebe and brought in two tolerably good prizes much better than having been taken by Commodore Rogers and probably carried in to New York or Boston in the Americas', and later that year, 'Capt. Hillyer sailed from this place about three weeks ago under sealed order and it is expected it will be 18 months before the Phoebe arrives again in England as they are said to be going to South America round Cape Horn...'. His son John is also in the navy - 'John...is appointed to a very big fine frigate of 38 guns named the Lacedemonian now sitting at this port & will be ready for sea in a months time. She goes it is said to America.' Later, 'My son John...now on the coast of America...has not been very fortunate in prize money, he still gives me a call for some of the expenses in the clothing line, which is to be expected.' The later letter fleshes out the naval career of John Taylor, who at that point has moved on to become a Commodore in the Brazilian navy - 'thank god he has got over some of his troubles - he was Liet. in the British navy - somehow he made a blunder having been discharged from one Man of War the Blasson to join the flag ship of the Commander in Chief of the Station, he sent back his Commission foolishly thought he was doing right......' John Taylor (1796-1855) was born in Greenwich to Nathanial and Caterina Tylor. he was an officer in the English navy when, on the occasion of the proclamation of the independence of Brazil, he was in the port of Rio de Janeiro. The national squadron having been organized, he preferred to be admitted to the post of frigate captain. When his father learned of this release, indignantly, he disowned him, sending him only a shilling, "to buy a rope and hang himself with it." (This from his Brazilian Wikipedia page). There is a street in Rio de Janeiro named after Taylor. [ He also mentions his son, James, also serving in the Brazilian navy. Thomas Cochrane [1775-1860] the English naval officer, who had been dismissed from the navy in disgrace after a financial scandal was, for a spell in the early 1820's commander of the Chilean and then the Brazilian navy. Possibly, English sailors were tempted to sign up with these foreign navies when Cochrace was heading them up.