DUPIN, J.-M. - Lot 105

DUPIN, J.-M. [SAINT-DOMINGUE] — DUPIN, J.-M. Letter signed “JM Dupin,” with a handwritten note signed “JMD,” Cap Français, January 1 and 12, 1792. 2 pages in-4 on laid paper, address on the reverse with a postmark reading “BAYONNE COLONIE” and remnants of a red wax seal. A very interesting piece of business correspondence sent from Cap Français, then the main economic center of Saint-Domingue, a few months before the major revolutionary upheavals in the colony. The document deals with commercial and financial transactions between Dupin and his correspondent in metropolitan France. It discusses bills of exchange, rent collected in cash from the colonies, as well as commercial speculation and marine insurance. The text specifically mentions: “the sum of fourteen hundred thirty livres tournois” followed by a second sum of “two thousand seven hundred fifty livres tournois” The correspondent then refers to his cash flow difficulties, unpaid rent, and a speculative transaction: “I made a speculative investment in this” Particularly noteworthy is the mention of the shipment of coffee and maritime freight: “on the ship *L’Aimable Catherine de Bordeaux*” with a cargo specification: “40 quarts on board” Taken as a whole, this provides a particularly vivid account of the trade routes between Saint-Domingue and France on the eve of the Haitian Revolution. The reverse side bears a very fine postmark: BAYONNE COLONIE a highly sought-after item in colonial postal history. Condition: satisfactory—normal creases, slight wear, a small tear from opening the letter, and traces of red wax. An item of great historical and economic interest.