1812 Merchant's Letter

Portland, Maine, 1812. unbound. 1 page, 10 x 8 inches, Portland, Maine, August 6, 1812. Interesting merchant's letter written during the War of 1812 while under British occupation, requesting an accounting based on an unpaid invoice, in part: "...shipped on board the Schooner Eagle...twenty jugs of the extract of the bark of Angostura, which I consigned to the House of Mssrs. Anth, Merchants in Havana...which has arrived out...but I have not received any remittance on account of it yet. My orders were for them to sell it, and remit the proceeds in molasses and sugar..." Two-inch closed tear at the right margin; otherwise very good.<br/><br/> It's possible that this letter is not from a disgruntled merchant but from a smuggler who has been cheated. Smuggling and Piracy, as well as the pursuit of Prizes of War (the capturing of another nation's vessel and cargo for profit), were commonplace during the War of 1812.<br/><br/>