[Spanish Trade]: Gálvez, Bernardo de:

$3,500 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

DON BERNARDO DE GALVEZ CONDE DE GALVEZ, CABALLERO DE LA REAL Y DISTINGUIDA ORDEN ESPAÑOLA DE CARLOS TERCERO...EN REAL CÉDULA DE 10 DE MARZO DE ESTE AÑO SE HA SERVIDO S.M. ERIGIR Y APROBAR UNA ... A very rare Mexico City printing of the announcement of the creation of the Royal Company of the Philippines by Spanish royal decree in 1785, which regulated (and effectively monopolized) trade with the Philippines. This copy bears the manuscript rubric of Don Bernardo de Gálvez and signature of his secretary, Joseph de Gorraes. Gálvez, then Viceroy of New Spain, ordered this broadside printed for the reason that "An Establishment so important and of such general interest should be understood and known by all" [our translation]. The creation of the Royal Company would be particularly relevant to residents of Mexico, as most if not all of the trade with the Philippines would come through New Spain.Accompanying the announcement, this broadside also prints Articles 1, 2, 14, 21, and 100 of the royal decree, which were considered to effectively summarize the purpose and mechanics of the new Company. The articles printed here proclaim that the Company is to enjoy the protection of the Crown for at least twenty-five years, establish a fund to back its shares, describe how shares and subscriptions could be purchased, and organize a general meeting of shareholders. Notably absent from this broadside is the important article of the decree which closed Manila's ports to foreign vessels, giving

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