U.S. CONSUL HOLOGRAPHIC 'TRUE COPY' SEALED WITH THE UNITED STATES CONSULAR SEAL, by [RUSSELL, Samuel]

Valparaiso 1824, U.S. Consulate. A large single sheet letter folded 4 times, pen written by the Consulate, opens to be 39.7 x 24.5 cm., folds down to be 19.8 x 7 cm., very clean bright, no defects, with the Great Seal of United States embossed on the lower right. * This is a lovely document, entirely hand-written by the Consulate, Hon. Michael Hogan. Hogan certifies on March 16, 1824 this to be a "true copy" of a document originally written in Canton, China on Feb. 14, 1823, from Samuel Russell [1789-1862] to Captain Eliphalet Smith, instructing him to pay to the firm of Frost & Jenckes [commission agents] the proceed of his "adventure" shipped on the Brig "Macedonian" to Canton. * The letter is addressed to Capt. Eliphalet Smith, and is red wax sealed with a sheet of paper on top of the hot wax, then embossed with the "United States" Consulate's seal. * Frost & Jenckes in turn paid the money to William Wetmore. Russell was a young Connecticut entrepreneur who had first sailed to China five years before, had just founded his own company to import Chinese silk and tea, and most lucratively, illegally to smuggle Turkish Opium to the Chinese mainland. Within twenty years, Russell's company would become the largest American trading house in the China trade. * Later rivaling Russell was another Connecticut Yankee, William Wetmore, then a 23 year-old ex-sailor who had been stranded in Chile, where he saw the same opportunities for trading tea, silk and spiced. Though he would steadfastly refuse to deal in Opium An equally colorful figure was Captain Smith, who had once been force to pay $100,000 in bribes and ransom to a Spanish commodore in Peru who had arrested his crew and seized his cargo of Cocoa bound for China. * The verso of the letter shows "An attested copy of Samual Russell...on Capt. Eliphalet Smith." ** WHO WAS SAMUEL RUSSELL: Attracted by financial prospects, Russell set out for China, an assured profitable venture. He arrived in Canton, China, in 1819, engaging in trade on behalf of the Providence firm of Edward Carrington & Company in various goods and products including opium, an extremely profitable activity despite being outlawed-yet protected by foreign forces. . The profits made by Russell enabled him to found Russell & Company in Canton, China, in 1824. Dealing mostly in silks, teas and opium, Russell & Company prospered, and by 1842, it had become the largest American trading house in China. It kept its dominance until its closing in 1891. Russell withdrew from the company in 1836. He returned to America, and lived in his mansion in his hometown of Middletown, Connecticut, until his death in 1862. The mansion, now bearing the name of Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, (his son's name, Samuel had no middle name) had an elaborately-decorated interior; Russell had brought back many souvenirs and antiques from China, as well as gifts from his Chinese trade partner, Howqua *** WHO WAS CAPT. ELIPHALET SMITH: Eliphalet Smith fought as a Privateer during the American Revolution. See reference below for a similar letter of the period to Capt. He was also the ship Captain of the commercial Brig "Macedonian" that plied the S. China Seas, and Canton. *** A fascinating original period document, seldom found on the market these days. * REFERENCES: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Russell * Concerning Capt. Eliphalet Smith: An 1818 letter from J.L. Ellery to Capt. Eliphalet Smith was found at: http://www.earlyamerican.com/HistoryStore/pages/item.php?ite mID=95804 * & one in the same ? http://www.edwardshistory.org/tales/esmith/ * .