Malaspina, Alessandro

describing the year he has spent since parting from the viceroy in Cadíz, around the coast from Buenos Aires to Lima, making many astronomical and scientific observations ("agregandole muchos conocimientos astronomicos, y fisicos"), mentioning many of the places they saw or called at, including Puerte Deseado in Patagonia, Port Egmont on the Falklands Islands, Cape Horn and the coast of Chile, and that in September they will continue up the coast to Santa Fe and Mexico, and visit the Galapagos Islands, following their new orders to sail north, and how the viceroy is distrustful of the Russians; he states how pleased he is that the abuses of the previous minister have been remedied, though he thinks it will be too difficult to reach the capital [Mexico City], as it would take too much time away from the expedition, and the only delay in Acapulco will be to reprovision the ships

3pp., 4to (228 x 188mm.), watermarked "D. & C. Blauw", dated Lima, 12 June 1790, integral address panel, traces of small red wax seal, small tear at foot of fold affecting one word

Received by the Conde de Revillagigedo, thence by family descent

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
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RARE. We have not been able to trace another letter by Malaspina offered at auction.

UNPUBLISHED. Malaspina's voyage around the world (1789-1794) was modelled on those of Captain James Cook and La Pérouse and had a substantial scientific party on board; however, Malaspina was also planning to assess the commercial, industrial and political situations in the places they visited. The expedition accumulated vast amounts of data but failed to live up to its predecessors; after Malaspina's return to Spain, he fell foul of the political situation (together with the Conde de Revillagigedo, he was involved in a plan to overthrow the government), was imprisoned, and his voyage's findings were suppressed.

Malaspina's two ships set sail from Cadíz on 30 July 1789, making their first landing in Montevideo, and this letter describes the route they took over the subsequent eleven months. They arrived in Lima on 20 May and stayed there for three months. Malaspina sent regular reports from his voyage to the Conde de Revillagigedo (1740-1799), the viceroy of New Spain (Mexico) from 1789 to 1794. Revillagigedo was reputed to have been the most competent and effective viceroy of a Spanish colony, and therefore was particularly interested in Malaspina's comments on the political situation in the cities and colonies he visited. He compiled a lengthy "Instruccion" for his successor as viceroy in Mexico, detailing the minutiae of his administration, which also included information about Malaspina's voyage.