In this letter to the viceroy of New Spain, Juan Vicente Güémez Pacheco de Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, Conde de Revillagigedo, Alejandro Malaspina details the route of his voyage to that point, its scientific and mapping work, and future plans. Specific subjects in the letter include: José Bustamante y Guerra; Francisco Gil de Taboada; the route of the voyage to the port of Callao, Peru; approaches to navigating Cape Horn; places for obtaining ship's rigging; major ports in Spanish Colonial America; scientific and astronomical work done at Santiago, Chile; and the hostility of the Conde de Revillagigedo to the Russians. Malaspina also states that he will not be making a visit to Mexico City. An Italian aristocrat and commander in the Spanish navy, Alejandro Malaspina received permission from the Spanish king, Charles III, for a scientific expedition to the Americas and to the Pacific. Malaspina modeled the expedition on the voyages of the British naval explorer James Cooke and the French explorer the Comte de La Pérouse. Malaspina and his co-commander José de Bustamante y Guerra were charged with conducting scientific investigations and reporting on the state of Spain's overseas colonies. The world-wide voyage launched from Spain in 1789 and returned there in 1794. The expedition of two ships explored the California coast and the Pacific Northwest before moving on to the broader Pacific. Malaspina's expedition gathered 10,000 specimens of flora and fauna and reported on the indigenous peoples already living there. HM 83437. The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.
Bustamante y Guerra, José de, 1759-1825 Gil de Taboada y Lemos, Francisco, -1809 Malaspina, Alessandro, 1754-1809 Explorers--New Spain--History--18th century Horn, Cape (Chile)--Description and travel Mexico--History--18th century--Sources New Spain--History--18th century--Sources Spain--Colonies--Administration--History--18th century--Sources Letters (correspondence) Peru 18th century
Source
Hispanic History and Culture, Huntington Digital Library
Provenance
Purchased by the Library Collectors' Council from William Reese Company, January 20, 2018.
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