South America - Vicente Rocafuerte (1783-1847) and others
9 letters signed, Lima, Valparaíso and at sea [off Guayaquil], 18 December 1833 - 20 July 1842
Comprising 7 letters signed by Vicente Rocafuerte (‘V. Rocafuerte’), one letter signed by Antonio Gutierrez de la Fuente (‘Antonio G. de la Fuente’) and one letter signed by ‘F. del Valle Riestra’. In Spanish, altogether 11 pages, various sizes (252 x 203mm to 333 x 226mm), with two printed proclamations by Rocafuerte as President of Ecuador. Provenance: Sotheby’s, 12 May 1982, lots 49, 63 and 64.

Statesmen and soldiers’ perspectives on a period of war and revolution in South America. The Peruvian revolutionary general and statesman Antonio Gutierrez de la Fuente writes to his compatriot, the jurist and politician Mariano [Alejo] Álvarez (1781-1855), reporting dispiritedly on the revolutions in South America: there is a lack of energy and unity, and in the north he fears fanaticism is taking hold. The Peruvian seaman Riestra writes on 19 November 1828 to the same correspondent from his ship, ‘the Peruvian frigate the “Presidente”’, in the build up to the Battle of Cruces (22-24 November 1828). He writes that the Peruvian navy has lifted the blockade on Guayaquil and awaits orders to take the city. However, Riestra believes they should negotiate with the besieged before attacking. Vicente Rocafuerte (1783-1847), the former President of Ecuador, writes in seven letters to the Minister of the Interior discussing administrative matters. Rocafuerte’s printed proclamations threaten death to Ecuadorian soldiers in retaliation for any acts of insurrection against his government.

The Peruvian navy captured Guayaquil in January 1829, but it was recaptured following the defeat of President José Lamar at Tarqui on 27 February.