two pages of a letter written in black ink on a white background
Maître Paul PASTAUD

286 - South America – [Chile / Peru] – DARLUC (M.H.). Two autograp…
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Estimate €250 - €300
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Description
South America – [Chile / Peru] – DARLUC (M.H.). Two autograph letters signed to Toussaint Joseph Borély, in Marseille. Valparaíso, Lima, 21 March and 18 May 1827. In-4 (25 x 20 cm), comprising 3 pp. for the first letter and 5 pp. for the second; addresses, postmarks (Colonies via Bordeaux or La Rochelle). An account of a commercial voyage along the Chilean and Peruvian coasts. In the first letter, written from Valparaiso (Chile), Darluc discusses the sale of the goods he is carrying on board his ship, the duties to be paid, a negotiation with a client, and the upcoming stops he plans to make on his way to Lima (Arica, Tacna, Quilea, Arequipa) and beyond (the Sandwich Islands, India). He also reports on the discovery of the remains of La Pérouse’s expedition and gives his impressions of the local women’s dress. The second letter describes the difficulties of doing business in Lima (Peru), the dishonesty of local traders, excessively long payment terms, the return of goods by certain traders who claim to have sold nothing, the distance of the major cities from the unloading point, the journey from Valparaíso to Lima via Arica (Chile) and, from there, on to Tacna (Peru), where his consignee was based; the local dwellings; the climatic conditions; bouts of fever; foreigners settled in Tacna; relations between the Peruvian Republic and the Republic of Bolivia; recent sales of goods; and so on. The recipient of this correspondence, Toussaint Joseph Borély (Sisteron, 1788 – Aix-en-Provence, 1875), was vice-president of the civil court of first instance in Marseille. An advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, he was one of the leading figures in the Liberal Party during the Restoration and helped to establish opposition newspapers such as *Le Sémaphore*. As for Darluc, he may have been related to Honoré François Darluc, born in 1752 in Cannes, a judge at the Court of First Instance in Marseille and therefore a colleague of Borély’s. A fine collection.
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About the sale MONTIGNAC – 31st BOOK SALE – Day 1 of 4 – Nos. 1 to 549
Auction location
Auction time 08/19/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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