Lot 2002

1853 (June 27), stampless folded letter from Barracas to Marseille, France, via London, endorsed "per steamer Englisch [sic] via Southampton", with bold red boxed Colonies &c Art. 13 handstamp credit handstamp, black Angl. Calais entry datestamp (14 Aug), and manuscript "16" decimes accountancy markings, reverse with partial Buenos Aires departure, partial red London / Paid transit (13 Aug), black Paris transit (14 Aug), and Marseille arrival (16 Aug), horizontal fold and small imperfections, else a fine letter with contents of historical interest.

The letter reports on the volatile atmosphere following the 1852 Battle of Caseros and the fall of the Rosas dictatorship: a "division of the army" is passing through Barracas with "arms and baggage" under a "general alert," with further military defections anticipated. Although the writer suggests the political position is clearing up, he remains wary of "insignificant parties" and a landscape where one must "always be on guard." Local inflation is described with equal unease, the sender noting that "everything is expensive," with high prices for beef, cows, and hides forcing reliance on a pulpería (tavern) established in the countryside to "give drink and sell new things to the gauchos." To ensure these observations reached Europe, duplicates were despatched via the Arago, Gaston, and Pascale.