Introducing Peto the Elephant

If all the suppositions are correct then, some time in the 1890s, George Wombwell junior sat down with one of the Bradley daughters or grand-daughters of Harriett Wombwell to test-drive one of his many elephant stories. It seems quite likely that having used one of his relatives as a transcriber,  he might just also, having enjoyed their hospitality, delegated to her the business of tracking down a publisher. At a guess, no great efforts would have been made in this regard, and this would explain why the letter remained in the family possession. 

To return to the story. The year was 1866, and George Wombwell junior was now entrusted by one of his Wombwell relatives to oversee the purchase of an elephant for one of the two surviving menageries. The story begins:

Sir, 

Thinking it might be interesting I forward the following particulars regarding an old companion of “Jumbo”.

About the year 1866 while the collection was in North Wales, the late Mrs Wombwell lost her large elephant named “Tom”. In order to replace him, she arranged to purchase another from Paris.

Photo copied from Annone the Elephant site, giving some
indication of the practicalities involved in
transporting elephants.

At that time there were five elephants at the Jardin de Plants Paris - two of these were to be parted with -one the giant Indian elephant “Peto” – which was over ten feet high and weighed five tons – the other, the now celebrated African Elephant “Jumbo” then about four feet high was sent to the zoological gardens London in exchange for a rhinoceros.

The means of conveying large animals were not so easy then as at present as the following narrative will explain.

The Elephant “Peto” was bought by Mrs Wombwell. I went to Paris and brought him to London. “Peto” had a very bad temper and the authorities of Paris would not allow him to walk through the streets.

Even at the outset of the story, the signs look ominous, as George starts to lay out his excuses in advance. This, it would seem, is not to be a story with a happy ending.