Lot 93
Slavery Abolished in British Guiana. Peter M. Watson. Autograph letter signed, 4 pages, recto & verso, 9¾ x 8", for McInroy Sandbach & Co. "Demerary", British Guiana, June 20, 1838. To Sandbach Tinne & Company [Liverpool, England]. Folded to fit an envelope, else very good to fine. This detailed newsletter reads in part: "…We refer you particularly to a notice of a motion made yesterday by Dr. McTurk for the abolition of the apprenticeship on the 1st August." Slavery was formally abolished in most of the British Empire in 1834, but slaves, renamed "apprentices," were not to be completely free for four more years. When this letter was written, the expectations of apprenticed ex-slaves for complete and immediate freedom was boosted by support of Dr. Michael McTurk, the colony's principal medical officer. These events were watched with keen interest by American anti-slavery crusaders who believed that emancipation in the British Caribbean colonies gave impetus to their moral cause. Estimated Value $200 - 300
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| Realized $360 |
