(CUBA) Manuscript register of Mexican criminals exported to

Sale 2473 - Lot 246

Price Realized: $ 3,250

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 5,000 - $ 7,500

(CUBA.) Manuscript register of Mexican criminals exported to prison in Cuba. [41], 287 manuscript leaves. 4to, 11 1/2 x 8 inches, contemporary vellum with decorative patches on backstrip, closed 3-inch incision on front wrapper, otherwise minor wear, titled in manuscript "Lista de Forzados del Reino de Mexico y otros sentenciados a Presidios en el . . . Puerto de la Habana'; a few leaves coming loose with wear to fore-edge, minor worming. Havana, 1789

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An introductory note explains that sentences will be limited in most cases to 6 years, unless the prisoner attempts to escape or has a life sentence, and that prisoners are to be paid for labor. An alphabetical index of prisoners is provided. The bulk of the volume consists of ledger-style entries for each prisoner, two per page: basic information such as name and date of admission, and also frequently notes on escapes and captures, labor performed, release date, and more. One example is prisoner #204, a soldier named Antonio Evaristo, who was expelled from his regiment and sentenced in 1782 for incorrigible and "vicioso" behavior (possibly homosexuality?), and later had his sentence increased to eight years.