CUBA Your Excellency

Sale 2377 - Lot 41

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Estimate: $ 2,500 - $ 3,500

CUBA. Your Excellency. . . 12 page document, written in a neat cursive hand, dated Habana. Signed by the Spanish representative, Francisco (?) Mendoza and the English representative Rafael O'Farrill. 15 November, 1820

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a very important document, relating to an agreement between his catholic majesty and the king of england prohibiting the removal of "laborers" (slaves) from the west african coast. The Spanish envoy, on behalf of King Phillip, takes issue with the terms of the ban, as agreed on between the two nations. "Between two parties, there is nothing more intolerable than trickery and bad faith." He proceeds to expand on certain aspects of the treaty between the two nations prohibiting the seizure of Africans from African soil--"expediciones negreras." The devil is in the details, as the saying goes, and here the Spanish are taking issue over those expeditions that were already in progress before 23 September 1817 and a grace period of five months thereafter. The Spanish are asking instead for a period of ten months to conclude the voyage from Africa to Cuba. The British ban was agreed to by most nations, however not all, in 1807. The agreement referred to in this document came 10 years later and was still being argued over.