1816 ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT LETTER FROM PRIVATEER THOMAS TAYLOR, SEEKING ANY INFORMATION TO BRING ABOUT THE CAPTURE OF THE MAN WHO STOLE HIS SHIP AND ROBBED HIM OF HIS TREASURE

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On offer is an fascinating original letter sent from Thomas Taylor, a well known privateer in Baltimore during the Spanish American wars of independence in Spanish America. The let ter was sent to a Mr. Steven Badlam, Esq., of Dorchester, Massachusetts, dated “July 12, 1816” and signed “your humble servant.” It is a short account of three ships that had sunk north of Cape Ann in Massachusetts, containing treasure thought to be his, but instead taken by seemingly one of his men in his own ship. The letter states, in broken and misspelled English, that the “after sunk the vessels the Prize Master Man” has gone and “run away with the prize from me. They were taking by one of my crusers...a schooner of six guns.” Taylor is requesting any information about the man so that he can recapture the prize. This letter is a fascinating relic of a time, and a profession, long forgotten, but one that had a profound impact on the life of those who worked and lived at sea. The stories of such men as Taylor are a vital part of Atlantic history since they demonstrate the complexity of the Atlantic experience and the inability of political borders to constrain the movement of people, goods, and ideas. This letter is a small, but curious document in this fascinating history. The letter is four pages long, with writing on 3 of the pages. The content of the letter is only on one page. The condition of the letter is good. There are a number of tears and rips along the creases and edges of the letter. They do not affect the content. There is also a good deal of discoloration throughout the pages. The handwriting is in black ink that has faded considerably, but reading the handwriting is still a fairly easy task. The author of the letter is not a very adept speller, so that presents some problems, but other than that, reading the letter is fairly easy. Sample text: “Please to Direct your Letter to Philidelphia Care of Capt Sharpe, Lumber Street.”; “Sir, I take the opportunity of dropping these few lines, By a Boston paper. I find there has a Spanish prize come off Cape Ann and landed north of her Largo in three fishing Smacks and after Sunk the Vessels the Prize Master man is Joseph of Sallam [Salem], if you can a-ford me any information...”(Background Note: According to David Head in his article, “Spanish American Privateering from the United States and the Development of Atlantic Relations,” Taylor was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and migrated to South America in his seafaring youth. When Spain's colonies began declaring independence, he had become a naturalized citizen of the United Provinces and an officer in its navy. Taylor's assignment: recruit privateers in North America. Carrying a half dozen commissions, Taylor landed at Annapolis in January 1816, made his way to Baltimore, and began looking for a ship and like minded men to fight the Spanish American revolutions from the United States.) Show more