Lot
876 
"off the coast of California 27 Jany 1830", dateline on folded letter from Scottish trader Stephen Anderson to Messrs. Fredk. Huth & Co. at London, England, carried around Cape Horn by the Funchal, ship's captain John Hart added a note upon his June 4 arrival at Rio de Janeiro: "I have to inform you of the Funchal putting into this port after a fine passage of 121 days from California. The hides are in excellent condition as far as can be seen under the deck where they have settled. We shall leave this in 8 days for London and hope to have a quick passage.", letter then sent by Falmouth packet Calypso from Rio de Janeiro that departed Jun. 18th 1830 to Falmouth so that it would arrive before the Funchal, London F.P.O. (8.5) arrival backstamp and manuscript "3/6" rating for 2s7d packet rate plus 11d inland postage; fold wear and large tear, light staining, Fine. Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE EARLY MEXICAN CALIFORNIA LETTER TO ENGLAND.
Stephen Anderson, who remained in California from 1828 to 1832, was writing about a shipment of 16,400 hides that he was sending to London on the "Funchal", and asked Huth & Co. to obtain insurance for the shipment.
Illustrated: "Mails of the Westward Expansion, 1803 to 1861" by Walske and Frajola as fig. 4-9 on p. 58.
Realized: $1,300