Autograph letter written on board of the slave ship "Lovely Lass" and sent from Anomabu (town in the area of the Gold Coast, present day Ghana) to Ayr, Scotland, in April 1793. English.
A personal letter sent to a woman named Annie by a passenger on board of the slave ship "Lovely Lass" when it anchored in Anomabu. He opens the letter with the words:
"I am confident my dearest Annie will not think the less tenderly of this letter that it is wrote in a remote and distant part of this world, may that circumstance add to its value, I say value for well am I conscious of the esteem in which she holds me, and I flatter myself she shall never have cause to alter it… When I left home I did not think I should be long upon this voyage, however, things are different from what was at first proposed, and the high price of slaves in the West Indies has induced Mr Jones (our owner) to send out two vessels, the Queen Charlotte and Hester… and the former is returned for another cargo…".
"Lovely Lass" sailed from Bristol (England) to Africa and Jamaica late in the 18th century. According to several testimonies 400 slaves were transferred on board of this ship to Jamaica. This letter constitutes a rare indication about the operations of this ship and the slave trade in the 18th century. This letter is of importance as far as the postal history is concerned in view of the geographic location from which it was sent.
[1] folded leaf (three written pages. On the fourth page appear the name and address of the receiver). 32 cm. Fair condition. Folding marks and creases. Tears at margins and folding lines (some repaired with adhesive tape). Large open tears to third page of this letter, with significant dmage to text (a piece of 15X4 cm is lacking from right margin). Stains.