52 résultats
18455307Havana: Imprenta del Gobierno y Capitania General por S.M. 1845. Good. 684pp. Disbound. Some insect damage to gutter of title page ample staining throughout mostly minor foxing. A very rare mid-19th century Cuban imprint translating into Spanish a work by German philosophical historian Wilhelm Gottlieb Tennemann entitled Manual of the History of Philosophy. Tennemann originally published the work in 1812 as a much-abridged history of philosophy after authoring a massive multi-volume work on the subject. According to the translator's note at the beginning of the text the present work was produced in order to provide a text in Spanish for those studying the history of philosophy "at the Royal Academy and in the private schools of the island of Puerto Rico." The translator also notes that the history of philosophy is "one of the subjects.of the general plan of education that must be taught." The work itself is organized as a series of lectures detailing the history of philosophy chronologically from ancient Eastern and Egyptian times through the Greeks Pythagoras Socrates Plato Aristotle and many others concluding with modern thinkers such as Descartes Espinosa Hume Kant Hegel and others. The work ends with an Index and an Errata page.<br /> <br /> "Wilhelm Gottlieb Tennemann 1761–1819 German historian of philosophy was born at Erfurt. Educated at his native town he became lecturer on the history of philosophy at Jena in 1788. Ten years later he became professor at the same university where he remained till 1804. His great work is an eleven-volume history of philosophy which he began at Jena and finished at Marburg where he was professor of philosophy from 1804 till his death. He was one of the numerous German philosophers who accepted the Kantian theory as a revelation. In 1812 he published a shorter history of philosophy which was translated into English in 1852 under the title Manual of the History of Philosophy" - Encyclopedia Britannica. No copies located in the United States. Three copies found in OCLC -- two in Chile and one in Spain. Imprenta del Gobierno y Capitania General por S.M. unknown
18385957Sancti Spiritus 1838. Good plus. Broadside measuring 12.5 x 17.5 inches. Previously folded. Light wear to edges and along old fold lines with a few small chips at edges. Moderate toning and soiling. An unrecorded broadside that prints statistics relating to agricultural production for the region of Sancti Spiritus in central Cuba during the late 1830s. For each municipality the broadside prints the number of property owners; ranches; land-grant farms; slaves; white employees; animals including mules donkeys cows and sheep; distances to transport and shipping hubs; and several other figures. In the bottom third of the broadside are printed the census figures from 1836 with the population totaling just over 40000 people and split into Black and white groups. Rather pointedly the figures for the white population are divided by gender while the figures for the Black population are divided by status free or slave. A very interesting statistical snapshot of a smaller rural region in colonial Cuba in 1838. Not in OCLC. unknown
18784011Various places in Cuba 1878. Overall good. 29 leaves varying sizes. In contemporary ad hoc selfwrappers loosely stitched. Rear wrap tattered. Varying degrees of toning and wear. Scattered offsetting throughout. Fascinating gathering of documents and letters that present several cases of Cuban slaves applying for their own freedom in 1878. The gradual abolition of slavery on the island was enacted by Spain in 1880 but prior to this there were several bureaucratic mechanisms by which enslaved people could apply for or purchase their own manumission. The most interesting case amongst the present manuscript documents is the claim of a male slave that states he was born free in Puerto Rico but was somehow included in an inheritance as a young boy transported to Cuba and sold into slavery:<br /> <br /> "Un individuo que hoy se encuentran en la Cárcel del Alacranes y que dice nombrase Juhan ó José Julian Quintana y ser esclavo actualmente de Dn. Serapio Hernandez dueño de los ingenios Escorial ubicado en Colon y Sta. Rosa en Limonar y vecino de esa Ciudad calle del Rio ha solicitado se le restituyan un derechos de libertad por haber nacídolibre en Puerto Rico de donde á la edad de 5 ó 6 años le trajeron à esta Ysla y vencieron como esclavo."<br /> <br /> Interesting for the study of manumission in late-colonial Cuba and certainly worthy of further research. unknown
18095958Havana 1809. Good. 1p. on a bifolium. Printed form completed in manuscript. Previously folded. Small portion of upper left corner torn away and some scattered worming neither affecting text. Upper right of blank conjugate leaf clipped. Some scattered staining and offsetting with even tanning. An early 19th-century bill of sale for four slaves in Havana. The form completed in manuscript approves the sale by Doña Dolores Hernandez of "quatros negros" who had been brought from the coast of Africa on the slave ship Juno captained by Jabez Gibbs 1360 reales. It further states that the enslaved men are "Con la calidad de bozal alma en boca huesos en costal à uso de férias sin asegurar de tachas ni enfermedades mal de corazon gota coral de S. Lazaro ni orta qualesquiera que puede paceder la humana naturaleza porque toas corren por cuenta del comprador." The document is signed by the relevant authorities and dated March 26 1809. A good document of the slave trade in Cuba during the early 1800s. unknown
18560006868New York: D. Appleton 1856. First edition. Hardcover. fine. 12mo xii 412 pages original light brown embossed cloth. <br/><br/>These observations are related in a series of 61 letters. These were originally composed in Spanish then translated into English by Joseito. "I have thereby been enabled to impart entirely new data and reliable information instead of merely copying from books already known. . I applied myself to natives who besides an intimate knowledge of affairs in general possessed a sound judgment and an investigating disposition. It has beeen indeed a very happy incident to have found them. . That part of my work which treats on judicial matters and the secrets of the management of the tribunals will especially attract the attention of my readers. - Introductory Letter." Sabin 17816; Treiles BIBLIO. CUBANA vo. 4 p.17. D. Appleton hardcover
1870231451870. Cuba Chinese Labor Cuban indentured servant contract documenting the state administration of Chinese indenture in western Cuba July 1870 records the municipal enforcement of Cuban contract labor rules for Asian migrants under the post 1860 regulatory system that governed wages discipline illness food and flight. The form cites the Real Decreto of 6 July 1860 and the circular of 27 March 1861 governing the "introduccion y régimen de colonos asiáticos" placing the document within the mature legal framework used to renew and regulate Chinese labor contracts in colonial Cuba. Dated 5 July 1870 it records the continued operation of that system in Matanzas a decade after the initial decree when recontracting rationing medical provision and labor discipline had become standardized through municipal enforcement.<br /> Melchor and Roberto . 5 July 1870. Single sheet. 1 page. Approximately 8" x 11". Printed and manuscript Spanish contract on a form headed "Jurisdiccion de Matanzas." The parties are entered as the colono "Melchor" and "Roberto ." with Melchor identified as a native of a town in China and described as having completed an earlier commitment before agreeing to contract anew with Roberto for "un año." Clause 2 authorizes the patron to assign him to whatever labor his "citado patrono" requires whether in ingenios other fincas or talleres and the wage clause sets compensation at "20 escudos." The maintenance provisions specify daily rations including "12 onzas de carne" and "2 libras de plátanos boniatos ú otras sustancias alimenticias" together with medical attendance medicines during illness and two annual changes of clothing including trousers shirt and blanket. The text concludes with the employer's obligation to pay the twenty-escudo salary by completed months signatures of the parties and witnesses and an official Matanzas stamp.<br /> Contracts of this kind show the process by which Chinese labor in Cuba was renewed after a prior term and folded back into a system that combined wages with coercive control over movement occupation food clothing and bodily maintenance. The references to multiple governing orders the official jurisdictional heading and the stamped validation place the document inside the administrative chain that translated colonial labor law into enforceable local practice. Toning and scattered foxing throughout minor tears to original folds edge wear some minor wormholes and ink offsetting from the manuscript entries; text remains legible and document is in overall very good condition. A strong surviving municipal record of recontracting rationing and wage enforcement within the Chinese indenture system in Matanzas. unknown
18574502Havana 1857. Good plus. Small broadside form approximately 8.5 x 12.5 inches. Previously folded with some separation and minor loss along vertical fold. Completed in manuscript with additional manuscript docketing on blank verso. Ink burn causing additional minor loss in a few small areas. Light edge wear; some staining and offsetting; light tanning. A 19-century Cuban identification form known as a cedula filled out in manuscript to authorize the travel of an Asian indentured servant between plantations in early May 1857. The document was completed for a twenty-six-year-old Asian fieldhand named Chan who had signed a contract to work for one Gallego Toriceo to be transferred to the premises of "P. Soler y Compañia." Printed at the left and right edges are nine articles from an 1855 decree that outline the regulations for issuing and keeping such documents including the following: <br /> <br /> "Estas cédulas servirán de documentos de seguridad y además de licencias de transito para los colonos que se trasladen de un punto á otro de la Isla. Los patronos respectivos cuidarán de que los colonos no emprendan el viage sin licencia expresa suya que haràn constar al pié de la cedula. Si algun colono fuere hallado sin cédula deberá ser detenido y puesto à disposicion del Gobernador ó Capitan del partido mas inmediato e cual dará conocimiento al patrono dentro de segundo dia."<br /> <br /> On the otherwise blank verso is additional contemporary manuscript docketing concerning the transfer of the cedula and therefore the laborer concerned to the receiver located in Matanzas. A very interesting document of the bureaucracy and control of indentured servitude in Cuba during the mid-19th century. unknown
18841574Habana 1884. Good plus. 2496 i.e. 498pp. Quarto. Contemporary calf gilt a.e.g.; rebacked with original spine laid down. Corners repaired with later black buckram; boards scuffed spine chipped. Hinges cracked repaired with later cloth and renewed endpapers. Minor scattered foxing and toning to text. Accomplished in a neat highly legible hand. A very attractive manuscript translation into Spanish of Pierre Larousse's well-known work on eminent and historical personages Fleurs Historiques des Dames et des Gens du Monde in a contemporary Cuban gilt goatskin binding. The manuscript connects three figures in the upper social echelons of Cuban society. José Fernandez Pellon the scribe of this volume is recorded as the Grand Master of Cuba's freemasons lodge the Gran Logia Unida de Colón y la Isla de Cuba. The translator Aurelio Almeida helped to found the organization in 1875 and at this time served as the Lodge Secretary. The initials E.D. gilt at the foot of the spine and the dedicatory inscription "A Eugenia Desvernine" refer to Eugenia Desvernine y Galdós b. 1865 daughter of the famous Cuban pianist Pablo Desvernine and Carolina Galdós y Echániz. She was also the niece of Benito Pérez Galdós the Spanish realist novelist who some authorities consider only second in stature to Cervantes. A contemporary social register remarks that Eugenia was one of the most beautiful women in Cuba perhaps an inspiration for the painstaking production of this manuscript.<br /> <br /> The original work by Larousse was a loose collection of religious parables classical myths biographies of ancient and modern historical figures. The title of the manuscript advises that is an extract and in the brief introduction Almeida explains his selection process writing that "He suprimido algunos artículos sobre cosas muy sabidas de la historia sagrada; y otros sobre la de Francia que mencionan frases ó personas casi ninca citadas ó citades solamente por las escritores francesas." He also notes several alterations and additions more relevant to Spanish history saying "En Cambio he agregado algunos artículos sobre historia de España que no están en el original y he tomado unos pocos de otra obra del mismo Mr. Larousse y de libros diversos." The result is an original amalgam of biographies historical episodes and religious parables. Interestingly we find no recorded printed editions of Larousse's work in Spanish so that the present manuscript is also an entirely original work of translation. A fascinating product of the cultural interests and mores of Cuban high society near the end of the Spanish colonial period. unknown
1868231331868. Cuba Chinese Labor Cuban indentured servant contract documenting the state administration of Chinese indenture in eastern Cuba in January 1868 with direct evidence of how colonial authorities private employers and local officials formalized the re-contracting of Chinese laborers under the legal framework established after the 1860 royal decree regulating Asian colonos on the island. Printed references within the form cite the Reglamento aprobado por Real decreto de 6 de Junio de 1860 and the Circular del Gobierno Superior Civil de 27 de Marzo de 1861 placing the document squarely within the coercive labor regime that Spanish Cuba built after the suppression of the transatlantic slave trade. The named employer Antonio Gonzalez the identification of the worker as a 37 year old Chinese male "Yuet" and the required signatures and government seal make the sheet a concise administrative record of the contract system through which Cuban planters and officials bound Chinese workers to plantation and rural labor in the final decade before the Ten Years' War.<br /> Tenencia de Gobierno de Holguín. January 1868. One page printed and manuscript contract form approximately 8" x 11". Printed in Spanish with extensive manuscript completion in brown ink. The form opens "Contrata que celebran el colono." and records a renewed labor agreement between a Chinese colono identified in the contract and Don Antonio Gonzalez with manuscript entries identifying the laborer as 37 years of age and supplying the individualized terms of service. The printed clauses set out the structure of the contract in eleven numbered articles including the term of service compulsory labor under the employer's orders days and hours of work subjection to discipline under the Reglamento monthly salary of 14 escudos food and clothing provisions medical attendance and hospital care treatment during illness and the requirement at the end of the contract either to renew service or enter the depósito de cimarrones. The sheet is signed by the patron the colono and the Teniente Gobernador and bears the circular official stamp of the Tenencia de Gobierno at lower left with additional show-through and seal impression visible on the verso.<br /> By 1868 Chinese indenture in Cuba had become one of the island's central labor systems supplying workers to a plantation economy still structured by slavery while giving colonial officials a paper mechanism for disciplining reallocating and surveilling labor. Forms such as this show the overlap between private contracting and state enforcement: the worker's obligations are written into a government template disputes are reserved to local authority and illness wages food clothing and renewal are all treated as administrative matters within a coercive labor order. Very good condition with horizontal fold light toning minor scattered staining and foxing and strong printed text manuscript entries seal and signatures. A compact Holguín government document showing the bureaucratic machinery of Chinese indenture in late colonial Cuba. unknown
1867231471867. Cuba Chinese Labor Cuban indentured servant contract documenting the state administration of Chinese indenture in western Cuba February 1867 records the municipal enforcement of Cuban contract labor rules for Asian migrants under the post 1860 regulatory system that governed wages discipline illness food and flight. Issued on a printed form headed "Jurisdiccion de Matanzas" the document cites the Real Decreto of 6 July 1860 and the circular of 27 March 1861 governing the "introduccion y régimen de colonos asiáticos" then applies that framework to a specific recontracting arrangement between the laborer David and a patron named Juan. Dated 17 February 1867 it shows the continued operation of this municipal contract system after the additional order of 28 March 1866 which is also cited in clause 6 governing illness and compensation.<br /> David and Juan. 17 February 1867. Single sheet. 1 page. Approximately 8" x 11". Printed and manuscript Spanish contract on a form headed "Jurisdiccion de Matanzas." The parties are entered as the colono "David" and "Juan ." with David identified as a native of a town in Asia of "oficio campo" and described as having completed a prior commitment before agreeing to contract anew. Clause 1 fixes the term at "dos años." Clause 2 authorizes the patron to direct him to whatever labor he may assign in ingenios fincas or talleres with work entered with how many hours a day. Clause 4 sets compensation together with daily maintenance including meat and vegetable rations medical assistance and medicines during illness and annual clothing allotments including trousers shirt and blanket. Clause 8 repeats the employer's obligation to pay David punctually by completed months and to fulfill all conditions set out in the contract which bears multiple signatures and an oval district stamp at lower left.<br /> Contracts of this kind show the process by which Chinese workers in Cuba were transferred from one term of service into another through standardized paperwork that joined wages to labor discipline rationing medical provision and restricted mobility. The references to the 1860 decree the 1861 circular and the 1866 order place the sheet within the evolving legal structure that governed Chinese indenture in Matanzas one of the island's major plantation districts. Toning original folds edge wear scattered creasing and light ink offsetting; text clear and overall very good condition. A strong surviving municipal record of recontracting Chinese labor in the sugar zone of nineteenth century Matanzas. unknown
1870231221870. Slavery Cuba Spanish colonial slave sale manuscript recording the transfer of four enslaved individuals in Cuba in 1870. Produced within the official bureaucratic framework of Spanish colonial governance the document reflects the legal normalization of slavery in Cuba even as abolitionist pressures mounted across the Atlantic world. The document records the sale of four enslaved people described as "criollos" and African-born individuals situating the transaction within a labor system that combined locally born and imported enslaved populations. Created at a time when Spain had formally restricted the transatlantic slave trade but continued to permit slavery itself the manuscript demonstrates the persistence of legalized human commodification and the integration of enslaved labor into the island's economic structure sixteen years prior to abolition in 1886.<br /> <br /> Official Cuban slave contract documenting the sale of four enslaved individuals to Don Pedro Catasús by Don Enfemia Ochoa for the sum of 1100 pesos on November 29 1870. Single manuscript leaf written in Spanish cursive in black ink measuring 8.25" x 12". A green "50 cs de escudo" revenue stamp is affixed at the top center with a blind embossed Spanish crest at the upper left and a circular black ink government seal impressed at the lower left. Large vertical docketing appears on the verso. A stylized watermark is visible within the paper. The text organizes the enslaved individuals within a standardized transactional structure while the signatures of Enfemia Ochoa Pedro Catasús and A. Díaz de Rada authenticate the exchange and identify participants within the slaveholding economy.<br /> <br /> By 1870 Cuba remained a central node in the late Atlantic slave system with plantation agriculture especially sugar dependent on enslaved labor despite mounting abolitionist pressure. Although Spain had curtailed official slave imports earlier in the century illegal trafficking persisted into the 1860s and other coerced labor systems including the importation of Chinese indentured workers overlapped with slavery into the 1870s. The presence of both Creole and African individuals in this document reflects the layered composition of the enslaved population during this period. Light toning scattered foxing and edge wear visible. A closed wormhole extends from the upper right margin approximately five inches into the sheet resulting in partial loss of text. Evidence of prior tape reinforcement visible on the verso along with offsetting from previously adjacent material. Overall in very good condition. This document provides named transactional evidence of late-period slavery in Cuba offering concrete material for examining race labor and legal practice within Spanish colonial society. unknown
1870231191870. Slavery Cuba Spanish colonial manuscript documenting the late persistence of slavery in Cuba recording the sale of five enslaved Creole individuals including women and children 1870. Produced within the official bureaucratic framework of Spanish colonial governance the document reflects the legal normalization of slavery in Cuba even as abolitionist pressures mounted across the Atlantic world. The presence of multiple children within the transaction underscores the hereditary nature of enslavement and the commodification of family units offering direct material evidence of how slavery functioned socially and economically in its final decades on the island. Although Spain had formally ended the transatlantic slave trade earlier in the century illegal trafficking and internal slave markets persisted and slavery itself would not be abolished in Cuba until 1886 placing this document within a crucial transitional period marked by reform debates gradual emancipation laws and continued exploitation.<br /> <br /> Official Cuban slave contract recording the sale of five enslaved individuals identified as "criollos" including one adult woman and four children from Santiago Simón Fambi to Don Pedro Catasús for the sum of 1200 pesos on November 21 1870. Single page manuscript leaf measuring 8.25" x 12". The manuscript is written in Spanish cursive hand in black ink. The upper left bears a blind embossed crest of Spain while a circular black ink government seal is impressed at the lower left partially overlapping the text. The text enumerates the enslaved individuals with ages and names embedding human lives within the formulaic language of sale and valuation while the bold signatures of both seller Santiago Simón Fambi and buyer Pedro Catasús anchor the transaction in identifiable actors within the colonial economy.<br /> <br /> By 1870 slavery in Spanish Cuba remained central to the island's plantation economy particularly in sugar production which had expanded rapidly in the mid-19th century with industrialized mills and global demand. Enslaved people were primarily forced into agricultural labor under highly regimented and brutal conditions though others were used in urban domestic service skilled trades or as hired laborers generating income for their owners. This document exhibits light toning edge wear and scattered foxing throughout. A closed wormhole extends approximately two inches from the upper right margin inward not affecting legibility of the text. Minor losses and small tears along the edges. Overall in very good condition. Given that this document records a woman and four children the family was likely intended for a combination of field labor and domestic or auxiliary work with the children gradually incorporated into plantation labor as they aged reflecting the system's reliance on both immediate exploitation and the reproduction of enslaved labor over time. unknown
18806249Habana 1880. About very good. 199xxi3pp. Contemporary quarter red leather with modern marbled boards spine gilt. Light wear to binding. Minor soiling and wear to text. "Ultima edicion" originally published in 1857. This charming Cuban production is divided into three parts -- Sopas; Menestras Salsas Legumbres Frituras y Menudencias; and Pasteleria Reposteria y Dulceria. Each section has an index at the end of the text. The work includes local flavors such as Sopa Cubana; Ajiaco de Puerto-Principe; Lengua a la Criolla; Jigote Cubano; Pargo a la Americana; and more. We locate two copies of the 1857 edition of this work. Though we find a listing in OCLC there are no physical locations attached. unknown
18636222Havana 1863. Good. Two partially printed broadsheets completed in manuscript 13 x 9 inches. Old folds wear at edges; some light worming slightly affecting text. Lightly soiled. A pair of documents recording the indenture of a Chinese national in Havana. The present documents contract the "Asiatico Francisco" as a cook to Don Jose Antonio Battle y Olle; the contract is dated June 28 1861 and is signed by "Francisco" in Chinese characters for a term of two years. At the end it is noted in manuscript that the Asiatico Francisco has completed the two years of his contract. The cedula is dated 1863 and indicates that Francisco is 33 years of age and now indentured for eight years as a "cocinero." An interesting pair of documents showing the continuing servitude of imported Chinese laborers particularly attractive for being signed in Chinese characters. unknown
1898231301898. Spanish-American War stereoview archive circa 1898-1899 documenting how the war was pictured through mass-produced photographic views that followed U.S. mobilization battlefield action occupation and military life across both Cuba and the Philippines. These stereoviews preserves the visual system by which the war was circulated to American audiences showcasing camp organization troop movement burial hospital care naval power and overseas deployment. Particularly notable is the archive's coverage of the Rough Riders the Santiago campaign in Cuba and U.S. presence in Manila and Malate showing how stereoview photography helped normalize the war's expansion from anti-Spanish conflict into a broader American imperial presence.<br /> <br /> Archive of 21 stereoviews Various publishers. Spanish-American War stereoview archive. Cuba the Philippines and the United States circa 1898-1899. each measuring 3" x 7". The views are drawn from multiple phases and theaters of the war including camp and drill scenes in the United States embarkation and troop arrivals at Tampa battlefield and occupation imagery from Cuba and extensive and some grisly scenes from Manila and surrounding areas in the Philippines. Captions and images show soldiers in formation cavalry drill military reviews naval artillery hospital interiors encampments burial grounds and troops in active position. Cuban views include Morro Castle after bombardment dead and wounded on the battlefield of Santiago U.S. soldiers preparing to invade Cuba and troops dining near Cabañas Fortress. Philippine views include a departure for Manila American pickets routing a Filipino reconnoitering party the 18th Infantry engaged by Filipino outposts volunteers awaiting orders under the tropical sun Army Hospital Manila and "Our Boys in Camp at Malate P.I." One stereoview identifies Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the mobilization phase linking the archive to one of the war's most publicly mythologized units.<br /> <br /> As a group the stereoviews demonstrate the process by which the Spanish-American War was framed not simply as a short military victory over Spain but as a sustained structure of U.S. troop deployment and occupation extending from Cuba into the Philippines. The Manila and Malate scenes are especially important in this regard since they place American soldiers within the opening phase of the Philippine conflict where U.S. military presence quickly moved beyond liberation rhetoric into imperial control. The archive's mixture of battlefield casualties camp routine naval spectacle and celebratory review scenes shows how stereoscopic publishing converted war into a domestic viewing experience while reinforcing the legitimacy of American expansion abroad. Wear to mounts some toning; overall very good condition. A strong cross-theater visual archive of the Spanish-American War and the emergence of U.S. imperial power in Cuba and the Philippines. unknown
18183189Havana 1818. Good. Broadside 11.75 x 8 inches. Heavily tanned. An apparently unrecorded Havana imprint comprising a broadside authorization for increased funding to be extended to the superintendent of Havana so that he can maximize the potential of the island's tobacco plantations. This credit is matched by the superintendent’s promise to use the money "con el preciso destino de comprar y remitir á España las mayores cantidades posibles de este género." The superintendent must also swear to be vigilant and honest in his account-taking reports to Spain and "Avise con toda la anticipacion posible los acopios y compras que verifique à proporcion que tenga de hacerlos y probabilidad en las remesas con seguridad aprovechándo todas las ocasiones que se le presenten para remitir cigarros y hoja de buena calidad á la Peninsula aunque sea con bandera extrangera." Signed in print and rubricated in manuscript by Pedro Carambot a Cuban official of the late 1810s. Not in OCLC. unknown
18223190Havana: January 5 1822. Good. Broadside 11.5 x 8 inches. Foxed faint signs of folding a few small wormholes not affecting text. An apparently unrecorded broadside order from the captain general of Cuba Nicolas Mahy directing all able-bodied men under the age of fifty to join up with their local militias in order to keep the peace. The local militias are directed to go out on nightly forays "en nùmero capaz de evitar las incursiones de los salteadores por los caminos y la desercion que pueda acontecer de los negros de los ingenios cafetales y demas haciendas." Additionally all men between the ages of fifty and seventy are told to report to “las casas mas fuertes de los pueblos" to form a garrison that can protect women children and the elderly in case of insurrection. By the formation of these militias and the establishment of "el uso de los pasaportes" it was hoped to identify and arrest "los vagos y mal entretenidos." All mayors within ten days of receipt of this regulation were to report the number of men they had enlisted along with their particulars. In the early 1820s much of Spanish colonial America was gripped by revolution and with these orders the Cuban government likely hoped to avoid similar unrest on the island. Several independence groups had been formed in Cuba as of the promulgation of this decree the largest of which was the Soles y Rayos de Bolívar established in 1821. Signed in print by Mahy; not in OCLC. January 5 unknown
1875231241875. Slavery Cuba Spanish colonial slave sale manuscript recording the transfer of thirty-eight enslaved individuals in Cuba in 1875 materializing the sheer scale and organization of enslaved labor within the island's plantation economy during the final decade before abolition. The document enumerates a large group of enslaved people including multiple family units with young children demonstrating how slavery functioned as both an economic system and a hereditary condition sustained through the sale and reproduction of enslaved populations. Created eleven years prior to the abolition of slavery in Cuba in 1886 the manuscript documents the continued legality and normalization of large-scale slave transactions despite decades of international pressure and earlier prohibitions on the transatlantic trade offering concrete evidence of how internal markets sustained the institution in its final phase.<br /> <br /> Official Cuban slave contract documenting the sale of thirty-eight enslaved individuals for the sum of 126000 pesetas formalized before a public notary or legal authority. Single manuscript leaf written in Spanish cursive in black ink on both recto and verso densely filled with names ages and relational identifiers. Measures 8.5" x 12.25". The text lists individuals sequentially including men women and children with repeated references to kinship structures such as mothers with multiple children indicating the sale of family groupings rather than isolated individuals. The script reflects extended passages detailing ownership exclusions and conditions of transfer. A partial watermark of the official coat of arms of Cuba is visible. <br /> By 1875 Cuba remained one of the last major slave societies in the Atlantic world with sugar production driving demand for large controlled labor forces. Even after Spain curtailed the official slave trade earlier in the century illegal importation persisted into the 1860s and alternative systems of coerced labor including Chinese indenture supplemented plantation workforces. The scale of this transaction demonstrates the consolidation and redistribution of enslaved labor within domestic markets while the inclusion of children underscores the long-term economic logic of slavery as a self-reproducing system. Moderate toning and foxing concentrated along the edges with numerous small closed wormholes a few affecting portions of the text. Light edge wear present. Overall in good condition. This document provides unusually extensive nominal data on a large enslaved population encompassing the roles of kinship valuation and labor organization in late Spanish colonial Cuba. unknown
18455182Habana: Impresas por D. V. de Torres 1845. Good. 533pp. Contemporary plain blue wrappers separated at spine. Stitched as issued with additional small stabholes at gutter where previously bound into a sammelband. Light foxing and dust soiling. A seemingly unrecorded architectural pamphlet that prints the first comprehensive building code for Havana developed in 1837 by Isidoro Sánchez y Fuentes the city’s Director of Public Works. The text outlines detailed rules for the construction of buildings and related infrastructure to accord to high technical aesthetic and public health standards influenced by such regulations as had been imposed in Madrid Toledo and Seville. Sánchez’s code proved highly consequential and it resulted in significant improvements to the appearance livability and safety of many Havana neighborhoods.<br /> <br /> In the 18th century Madrid Seville and Toledo suffered from many of the same problems of haphazard urban development as Havana. However great efforts were made to develop and enforce building codes which cleaned up most of these city’s formerly slum-like suburbs of great benefit to public health not to mention aesthetics. Teodoro Ardemans Madrid’s Director of Public Works began the reforms in these Spanish cities and his 1720 work on the subject was fantastically influential for generations going through multiple reprints until 1848. Isidoro Sánchez adapted Ardemans’ concepts but updated and improved them to the requirements of the tropical climate and customs of Havana. He thus developed the first comprehensive building code for the Cuban capital which was one of the most progressive and well-considered in the Americas. <br /> <br /> Two preambles begin the work by discussing the importance of taking architectural inspiration from the buildings of classical antiquity and of considering the historical context and significance of reformed Spanish building codes. The bulk of the text takes up a variety of interesting and practical topics -- erecting urban and suburban buildings; respecting neighbors’ rights when building homes shared alleyways building ovens in light of nearby homes; creating ventanas de medianería large windows that can open or close depending the temperature and breeze; how garages should open onto public thoroughfares; where building materials should be manufactured; building basements; building balconies etc. on public streets; drainage systems and sewers; creating wells and other drinking water sources; where to build forges without disturbing neighbors; large windows for basements; building attics; and air circulation.<br /> <br /> Sánchez presented his proposed code to the City Council on June 10 1837 and in 1839 it was approved in full by the Governor but the printing of the text was only approved in April 1845 according to the introduction. We locate no copies of this significant work in OCLC or available auction records. Impresas por D. V. de Torres unknown
187312720Cuba 1873. Twelve manuscript documents on folio sheets approximately 8.5 x 12.5 inches all with official rubber-stamped seal. Small pinholes along left margin light wear occasional chipping to edges some ink bleed and light damp staining. Overall very good. A collection of documents recording the liberation or attempted liberation of numerous men women teenagers and a child from enslavement. The child is but seven years old while the remaining slaves range from fifteen to fifty-seven years old. The slave trade ended in Cuba around 1867 but the practice of owning slaves remained legal until 1880 and then was abolished completely by Spanish decree in 1886. Cuba was the penultimate country to outlaw slavery in the western hemisphere beating Brazil to formal abolishment by two years. Even before the official abolition of slavery in Cuba African or criollo slaves were manumitted by a variety of owners and at various costs as evidenced here especially after the practice of importing Chinese indentured servants began. Each of the present documents names the slaveholder and the slave granted "libertad" along with the cost in escudos or pesetas of that liberty. The slaves liberated here are as follows:<br /> <br /> 1 Luis criollo 7 years old for the sum of 28 pesos<br /> <br /> 2 Maria Antonia part criolla 20 years old for the sum of 2500 pesetas<br /> <br /> 3 Catalina morena de Africa 41 years old for c.200 pesetas<br /> <br /> 4 Lorenzo moreno criollo 21 years old for 2500 pesetas<br /> <br /> 5 Lucia morena criolla 15 years old for 320 pesos or 1600 pesetas<br /> <br /> 6 Frigidae "negro.de Africae" 56 years old<br /> <br /> 7 Augusto criollo 19 years old for 1750 pesetas<br /> <br /> 8 Marta criolla 16 years old for 1621 pesetas<br /> <br /> 9 Gil moreno de Africa 57 years old for 1500 pesos<br /> <br /> 10 Carmita morena criolla 20 years old for 1750 pesetas<br /> <br /> 11 Augustina Prieto morena criolla 30 years old for 1750 pesetas<br /> <br /> 12 Edwigio 39 criolla; Lazara 36 criolla; and Maria Leoncia 15 criolla for 2000 pesetas.<br /> <br /> These Cuban slave manumissions are offered with one 1844 manumission document liberating a slave in Spain totaling two pages and measuring about 8.5 x 13.5 inches. The document also has three rubber-stamped official seals at the head noting Isabella II. This document appears to free slave Nicolas 25 years old for the sum of 400 pesos and is signed November 5 1844. unknown
18673977Havana: August 3 1867. Good. 7pp. on pre-printed folio forms completed in manuscript. Later staple. Moderate tanning and edge wear short separations along some folds. A manuscript manifest listing of 285 Chinese field hands who undoubtedly signed up as indentured laborers in their quest to escape the hardships of China in the vain hope of a better life in Cuba. The document begins "Lista de los colones que fueron embarcados en China." with the name of the French ship on which they were transported "barca francesa nombrada Ephrem" filled in and the captain noted as Boucand. The Chinese name of each "colono" settler is given and also their adopted Christian name as well as age ranging from 18 to 35 sex all men and profession all field laborers "campo". Seven of the listings have an "X" next to them along with "Falleco" passed away written in the column headed "Defuncion." Among those who died on the voyage is a 26-year-old man named Ping Chiong given the Christian name of "Angel."<br /> <br /> Formal slavery persisted in Cuba until 1886 but from the mid-19th century it was accompanied by a significant population working in indentured servitude. Cuba's massive sugar industry had consumed huge imports of African slaves in the 18th century. The abolition of the slave trade in 1808 vigorously enforced by the British Navy meant that a new source of labor was necessary. Indentured servitude became the predominant source for labor in the region. Unlike the earlier waves of European immigrants who travelled to the New World as indentured servants Asia was now the primary source. Between 1848 and 1874 125000 Chinese indentured servants arrived in Cuba alone - a figure outstripped only by the number who indentured themselves in California. A high percentage of these laborers were kidnapped from their homeland with many unable to survive the long passage from China to Cuba as the present document illustrates in sad detail. If these Chinese indentured laborers were fortunate enough to survive the voyage to Cuba these men quickly found out that their working life in the coffee and sugar fields was tantamount to slavery. August 3 unknown
1852List2521London 1852. Five groups of documents measuring 13 x 8 inches various paginations see full description below. Fine condition. A scarce set of primary source documents relating to the protection of British territory in the Caribbean in particular along the Mosquito Coast during the period of varied interests in the area in the period following the Anglo-Spanish agreement on the slave trade. Consisting of a series of secretarial copies of reports delivered to Peter McQuhae Commodore of H.M.S. Imauam stationed in Jamaica these dispatches offer an overview of the issues confronting the British Navy in Jamaica during the period and in the Caribbean more broadly. Most of the documents refer to issues with Cuba the most interesting perhaps being a letter warning of an impending filibustering expedition against Cuba by a pro-slavery faction in the American South. <br /> <br /> The group consists of five groups of bound documents some bound out of order and likely bound later. Contents are as follows: <br /> <br /> 1. Addington A.M. Four Page Report Concerning Placing a Ship of War at Grey Town to Discourage Invasions on the Mosquito Coast March 13 1851. <br /> <br /> Henry Addington writes McQuhae to recommend stationing a warship at Grey Town:<br /> <br /> “.it would be sufficient that a Ship of War should from time to time look in grey Town without remaining there at any time long enough to endanger the health of the crew… to provide for the case which is possiblee tho’ not at all likely that during the interval between the visits of a Ship of War some expedition of Nicaraguan or some of the North Americans returning from California might take advantage of the comparatively unprotected state of the lace to take possession of it and that the cruiser on its return to Grey Town might find the place so occupied Lord Palmerston concieves taht in such an event it would seem to be inconsistent with the Honor of this Country that a British Ship of War should acquiesce in such an aggression and it would be right that the intruder should be expelled if the Commander of the Ship of War should find as he probably would that he had the means of doing so without much difficulty and that in case he should repel the intruders and re-establish the authorities of the Mosquito Government demanding the liberation of any British or Mosquito subjects who might have been made Prisoners and holding hostages for their relief if they should have been removed up into the interior of the Country.<br /> <br /> It It is to be hoped however that all questions of dispute in regard to Grey Town will beoon be settled because Her Majesty’s government has through Her Majesty’s Minister at Washington proposed to the Government of the United States that an arrangement should be made by which the Sovereignty of Grey Town… should be transferred to the State of Costa Rica… Lord Palmerston desires me to add that there are at present at Washington a plenipotentiaries both from Nicaragua and Costa Rica for the purpose of conducting this negotiation…â€<br /> <br /> 2. Addington G.M. Single Page Letter in Secretarial Hand Warning of Incoming Ships to Cuba Carrying Enslaved Individuals January 24 1852. <br /> <br /> Addington writes to McQuhae about two incoming vessels carrying enslaved Africans passing on information received at Rio De janeiro by another British vessel:<br /> <br /> “I am directed by Earl GraH.M. Minister at Rio reporting that he had recieved information that two Slavers had sailed from Havana to… the coast of Africa… with the intention of returning with Cargoes of slaves which are to be landed at the Entrade de Cuchillo in Cuba.â€<br /> <br /> 3. Seymour G.F. et al. Four Reports Bound Together on Varied Subjects including the Case of the Creole British Fishing Rights in Spanish Waters off of Cuba and Porto Rico and the Case of a Detained British Vessel in Cuba 1852. <br /> <br /> A series of four reports addressed to McQuhae on various subject as follows:<br /> <br /> A. Report dated May 17 1852 from Seymour discussing the case of the Creole detained in 1851:<br /> <br /> “.enclosing copies of a letter from the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs approving of the course I had pursued with regard to the Creole and of a despatch from the Earl of Malmesbury to Her Majesty’s Minister at Madrid relative to the rights of British Subjects to fish on the coast of Cuba…â€<br /> <br /> B. Letter from Augustus Stafford Apriul 23 1852 discussing the Creole mostly discussing the enclosure of varied reports on the subjects but with little specific information. <br /> <br /> C. Addington A.M. April 21 1852 letter discussing the Creole case and the enclosure of documents. <br /> <br /> D. Earl of Malmesbury April 14 1852 letter discussing the Creole case in more detail:<br /> <br /> “ The Right thus claimed rests on this universally admitted precept of international Law “dominium finitur ubi finitur armorum vis†which in modern practice has been construed to mean “about one marine league from the mainland†and H.M.’s Govt are clearly justified in demanding that the Spanish authorities shall be ordered not to meddle or interfere with British fishermen outside that three mile boundary…â€<br /> <br /> 4. Earl of Malmesbury et al. Series of Three Secretarial Copies of Reports Concerning Impending Filibuster Raids on Cuba Giving Instructions for Assisting Spanish Forces. <br /> <br /> A very interesting series of reports detailing the planned response to pending “Piratical Attacks†showing the extent to which British forces were prepared for an American filibuster attack on the island and the degree to which they intended on assisting the Spanish forces. As follows:<br /> <br /> A. Seymour G.F. Secretarial Copy of Letter Written on May 5 1852 from Cumberland at Bermuda relaying the transmission of a full report of instructions to the British forces regarding an impending filibuster raid:<br /> <br /> “ I hereby enclose for your guidance… orders… relative to the assistance which is to be afforded by Her Majesty’s Ships on the application of the Captain General of Cuba in the Transport of Troops in the event of a Piratical attack being again made on that island by which you will govern your conduct…â€<br /> <br /> B. Earl of Malmesbury. Secretarial Copy of a Letter Dated April 10 1862 discussing piratical attacks:<br /> <br /> “.that in the event of a Piratical Attach being made upon that island… HM’s ships might assist in conveying troops to any poiunt of the Coast of Cuba at which the invading Party might effect a landing…â€<br /> <br /> C. Honley P. Secretarial Copy of an Undated Letter c. 1852 regarding piratical attacks:<br /> <br /> “Her Majesty’s ships might assist in coveying Troops to any point off the Coast of Cubat at which the invading Party might effect a landing… you should be instructed until further ORders that if the Captain General of Cuba should require your assistance for the transport of troops in the manner pointed out in your abovementioned dispatch you should comply with that demand…â€<br /> <br /> 5. Crampton Sir John. Copy of a Letter in Secretarial Hand Relaying the Impending Danger of a Pro-Slavery Filibuster Mission from Florida May 17 1852. <br /> <br /> A fascinating letter relaying information received from M. Calderon de la Barca concerning an impending filibuster mission against Cuba led by a Dr. Wren part of an organization called “The Lone Star Association:â€<br /> <br /> “.it would appear that the government of the United States has also received an intimation that something of the sort is on foot for the President informed M. Calderon that orders had already been sent to the U.S. Authorities at the different Ports of the Union to be prepared to take vigorous measures for the repression of any such attempts… an expedition is in fact meditated by certain parties in the South and that it is intended that it should leave some Port of Florida. The real object of this expedition however as as I am told not Cuba… but San Domingo for the purpose of acting as auxiliaries to the Dominicans against the Haytians… it is by no means impossible that its ultimate aim would be Cuba… the persons I am given to understand engaged in the expedition are a Dr. Wren who is president of a society called “The Lone Star State Association…â€<br /> <br /> The letter is worthy of further study - we find references to a Dr. Wren in newspaper articles from the period but were unable to pinpoint his identity or the history of his organization. An article from a Loudon Tennessee newspaper describes Dr. Wren as a “representative of New Orleans societies†and described a meeting in Loudon in 1852 trying to recruit for the overthrow of the Spanish colonial government of Cuba through an invasion. unknown
18673978Macau: April 6 1867. Very good. 6pp. on large folio partially-printed forms printed in two columns completed in manuscript. Old folds with minor losses at a few spots along the horizontal fold. Five hundred and fifty Chinese laborers bound for Cuba aboard the Spanish galley "Cervantes" are listed by name with their age and town or city of origin given. The laborers hail from several different cities in China and their ages range from 18 to 36 with the majority of the men in their 20s. The end of the document is signed and dated on the final page by José de Aguilar the Spanish consul at Macau. The left side of the final page contains two separate lists one with five numbers and the other with four numbers keyed to the manifest. The list of five names has an "x" next to each number perhaps noting that these men did not in fact make the trip to Cuba; each "x" could also signal that these men died during the voyage from Macau to Cuba which was a common-enough occurrence that it is often noted on manifests of this kind.<br /> <br /> Chinese indentured servitude in 19th-century Cuba was an insidious practice tantamount to slavery which flourished in Cuba even after the abolition of the peculiar institution in the British West Indies. With their free source of labor no longer available plantation owners in Cuba looked elsewhere; and they looked east. From around 1848 to the mid-1870s over 100000 Chinese indentured servants made their way to Cuba often sailing to Cuba in large groups. Once they arrived Chinese laborers indentured themselves to Cuban masters for terms of at least five years. The treatment of Asian indentured servants in Cuba varied widely with reports of some particularly ill-treated laborers ending their lives by suicide. "Some contemporaries and later historians.have condemned the servitude of the Asians as a thinly disguised revival of slavery. These critics have pointed to a variety of abuses to which the Asians were subjected both legally - with severe laws governing absenteeism vagrancy and insufficient work - and illegally in the form of harassment by vicious masters. Yet other observers have defended the system as a boon to the Asian workers. Voluntary reindenture at the end of their terms was common among the migrants suggesting that many Asians judged the system to be beneficial to them" - Drescher.<br /> Seymour Drescher & Stanley L. Engerman editors A Historical Guide to World Slavery New York 1998 pp.239-42. April 6 unknown
1847LL 559<p><strong><em>"Appointment of Lieutenant General Federico Roncali count of alcoy "as governor and captain general of the island of cuba and president of the courts of the same" in replacement of general leopoldo o'donell. </em><em>Given in the palace on november 30 1847. <u>Begins:</u> Doña Isabel Segunda por la gracia de Dios y por la constitucion de la monarquia española Reina de las Españas.</em></strong> "5750</p><p>Handwritten bifolio on paper with the printed heading of Isabel II. Queen's stamp signature and plate seal with fleur-de-lys shaped paper protection. Signature of Ramón Narváez. On the second page different statements appear in Madrid and Havana signed by the Count of Villanueva also by the Marquis of Selva Alegre.</p><p>Federico Roncali count of Alcoy Cádiz 1800- Madrid 1857 came to generalship at the hands of Espartero. Between December 14 1852 and April 14 1853 he was president of the council of ministers after his time as Captaincy of the island of Cuba a position in which he replaced O'Donell. His mandate in Cuba was characterized by the creation of different infrastructures and the increase in the arrival of Chinese laborers that had begun in the previous period. During his mandate the lighthouse that bears his name Roncali was built of great importance for navigation in the Yucatan Strait "the last place on the island where the sun sets"; it is located at Cape San Antonio which was the last place where the aborigines remained at the time of colonization.</p><p>The document talks about the replacement of Captain General Leopoldo O'Donell the oath that must be taken before taking office and how it should be exercised.</p><p>UNIQUE AND OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE</p>
1896RF 818<p><i><b>Collection of 23 original edicts February 1896-September 1898 by the Captain Generals of Cuba 19 by General Valeriano Weyler 4 by General Ramón Blanco the last Spanish Captain General of Cuba. The edicts concern the attempts by the Spanish authorities to control the insurrection. They range from Weyler's efforts to concentrate the population in fortified encampments a measure often considered the precursor of concentration camps to Blanco´s establishing of a ceasefire in 1898.</b></i></p><p>23 ORIGINAL EDICTS; some manuscript annotations and the stamp of the Army of Cuba on some communiqués. The collection includes three items of related ephemera.</p><p>Notable collection of original edicts from Spanish authorities who participated in the Cuban War of Independence and attempted unsuccessfully to end the insurrection. The Cuban War of Independence the War of 1895 is the name given to the final Cuban war against Spanish domination. It is one of the last American wars against the Kingdom of Spain. The war began on 24 February 1895 with a simultaneous insurrection in 35 Cuban localities known as Grito de Oriente formerly known as Grito de Baire and ended in 1898 with the surrender of the Spanish Colonial army to the U.S. military advance with the assistance and support of <i>mambises</i>members of the Independentist Cuban army in the conflict known as the Spanish-American War. </p><p>Details on each of the edicts available on request. G. 11653/ RF 818. X99X001160 </p>