The letter through which Napoleon Bonaparte sent three kisses to the woman he was to marry fetched $556,000, the highest price in an auction of several manuscripts in London.

The French emperor, shortly after he had row a with his future wife Josephine, wrote to her, "I send you three kisses - one on your heart, one on your mouth and one on your eyes."

The rare letter was one of the known three letters written by Napoleon to his bride before their marriage.

The other letters on auction included manuscripts by Lord Byron, Elizabeth I, and Sir Isaac Newton. Mahatma Gandhi's letter urging for greater harmony between Hindus and Muslims after Independence was put on hold after Indian government expressed its intention to buy the letter.

Newton's manuscript also fetched a lot more than auctioneers had predicted, selling for $411,000. Literary giant Ernest Hemingway's letter also fetched $157,026, more than double the amount expected.

A total of $7.6 million was collected from the sale of 570 manuscripts written by famous people.