The Caribbean from the William Reese Company

One man who was quite displeased by this turn of events was Don Pedro Nuno Colon de Portugal, the sixth Duke of Veragua and Marquis of Jamaica. The Duke was a descendant of Columbus, whose family was given Jamaica in 1536 as a reward for their ancestor's work. Now, with Jamaica's seizure by England, the Duke's source of income was gone. In this 1671 petition, he asks for some unspecified compensation, pointing out Puerto Rico is of similar value. In arguing his case, the Duke recounts the life of Columbus, making this work one of the earliest biographies of the noted explorer. Item 38. $6,500.

Item 81 is A Picturesque Tour of Jamaica, from Drawings Made in the Years 1820 and 1821... by James Hakewill. Published in 1825, it contains 21 hand-colored images of Jamaica along with 21 accompanying leaves of text. $25,000.

The 1850s was the golden age of filibusters. Many Americans, particularly those with southern leanings, sought to take over countries south of the border, hopeful of either establishing their own personal nations, or joining them to the U.S. as additional slave states. Item 83 is Lieutenant Richardson Hardy's The History and Adventures of the Cuban Expedition... published in 1850. Many Americans, including Mexican War veteran Hardy, joined General Narciso Lopez in his attempt to take Cuba from Spain. Lopez recruited Cuban exiles and Americans in the U.S., with the intention of setting up a slave nation in Cuba, possibly having it join the U.S. as a slave state like Texas before. Lopez recruited some 600 Americans, attempting to secure the support of both Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, who would become famous for another cause a decade later. Both declined. The filibusterers landed briefly in Cuba, but like the Bay of Pigs invasion a century later, obtained little local support and were forced to flee, many losing their lives. Lopez retreated to America where he was arrested for violating the nation's neutrality laws, but was never convicted. The year after this book was published, Lopez made another, and even worse attempt to invade Cuba. He moved inland, only to be captured by Spanish forces and executed. $2,250.

The William Reese Company may be reached at 203-789-8081 or amorder@reeseco.com. Their website is www.reeseco.com.

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The Caribbean from the William Reese Company

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The Caribbean from the William Reese Company

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