Letters from V. Barsalou to Otard Dupuy & Co, 1856-09-02 and 1856-09-09
V. Barsalou discusses shipments of brandy, invoices, customs charges, the ships Darien, Jehossee and Carver, market conditions in New York, and the relative standing of the Otard Dupuy and Hennessy brands. The file includes a letter of 9 September and a duplicate of the letter of 2 September 1856.
New York 9. Septre 1856; duplicate dated New York 2 Sept.re 1856
Commercial correspondence
French
V. Barsalou
Otard Dupuy & Co
New York
Cognac
New York–Cognac
Cognac trade
Hennessy
Eau-de-vie
Shipping
Customs duties
United States
Steamer Niagara
[[label: Address panel]] Steamer Niagara for Liverpool via Boston Messrs. Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac France.
[[label: Letter text page 2]] Steamer Niagara New York 9. Septre 1856. Messieurs Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac. Messieurs J'ai l'honneur de vous confirmer ma lettre du 2. Septre dont ci-contre la copie & d'accuser réception de la vôtre du 19. Août. Je vois avec plaisir que le temps était tout à fait favorable à vos vignes & que la qualité alcoolique des vins en serait grandement améliorée. — Quant aux E de vie vieilles, elles devenaient de plus en plus rares & vous prévoyiez même le moment où vous seriez obligés de refuser des ordres. L'observation de ma lettre du 29. Juillet, que votre marque était tombée en discrédit, provenait de ce que vos Eaux de vie étaient offertes de tous côtés à des prix bien inférieurs à ceux tenus & obtenus pour d'autres marques de Cognac, entr'autres pour celle d'Hennessy, ce que je ne me souviens pas avoir jamais vu précédemment. A propos des factures que vous aurez à m'envoyer pour le chargement du Darien, je viens vous prier d'en changer un peu la teneur, & si vous me les aviez déjà adressées, ce qui est probable, de m'en envoyer de nouvelles avec le changement que je désire. Comme on a quelqu'espoir d'arrêter le prélèvement des droits de douane sur les frais de Cognac au lieu
[[label: Letter text page 3]] du chargement, frais que je suis induit à croire de 35. centimes par velte, je vous prierai de déduire ces 35. centimes du prix de la velte, & de les ajouter ensuite pour frais de transport au bas de la facture, comme du reste vous le faites, je pense, pour d'autres maisons. — C'est une formalité que je vous prie d'observer pour tous les envois que vous me ferez à l'avenir. J'ai l'honneur de vous saluer. V. Barsalou
[[label: Letter text page 4]] Duplicata Steamer Africa New York 2 Sept.re 1856. Messieurs Otard Dupuy & Co. Cognac. Messieurs. Depuis ma lettre du 6 Août, j'ai eu l'honneur de recevoir les vôtres des 23 & 30 Juillet, 5 & 12 Août, et vous remercie des renseignements que vous me donnez sur l'état de vos récoltes et la situation de votre marché. Vous me remettez facture et connaissement à 38 demi-pipes chargés à bord du Jehossee en fcs. 28,454.86 et vous m'annoncez devoir charger sur le navire Darien mon ordre du 25 Juillet de 16/2 et 4/4. Vous pensiez que ce navire partirait de La Rochelle le 25 Août mais j'ai appris au contraire qu'il avait grand'peine à trouver son frêt, et que selon toutes probabilités, son départ serait beaucoup retardé; vous aurez donc été sans doute à temps pour y ajouter mon second ordre du 6 Août de 26/2 et 2/4. Veuillez prendre note que j'ai remis à Mr Lewis pour votre compte: fcs. 20,000. — le 26 Août dont vous m'aurez crédité. Je vous remercie des explications que vous avez bien voulu me donner au sujet des E. de Vie chargées sur le Damon. Je regrette seulement qu'elles n'aient pas été données plus tôt, ce qui aurait évité à vos agents la position équivoque où ils étaient en offrant vos Eaux de Vie avec des rapports incorrects, et à moi le risque que j'ai couru de me charger non seulement de celles offertes par vos agents, mais aussi de celles offertes par la maison anglaise. Les affaires continuent sans activité sur notre place il y a encore q.ques demandes pour les E. de Vie de la Rochelle, celles de Cognac sont entièrement délaissées. Veuillez prendre note, Messieurs, que d'après votre lettre du 8 Avril, je vous ai débités du coulage par le Carver de la manière suivante: Montant du coulage $326.90 Paiemts. de la Cie d'Ass. 150.— suivant ma lettre 18 Mars. $176.90 @ 5.18 3/4 = fcs. 917.66
[[label: Letter text page 2]] Steamer Niagara New York September 9, 1856. Messrs. Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac. Gentlemen I have the honor to confirm my letter of September 2, a copy of which is opposite, and to acknowledge receipt of yours of August 19. I see with pleasure that the weather was entirely favorable to your vines and that the alcoholic quality of the wines would be greatly improved by it. — As for old brandies, they were becoming more and more rare and you even foresaw the moment when you would be obliged to refuse orders. The observation in my letter of July 29, that your brand had fallen into disrepute, arose from the fact that your brandies were offered on all sides at prices much lower than those held and obtained for other brands of Cognac, among others for that of Hennessy, which I do not remember ever having seen previously. Regarding the invoices that you will have to send me for the loading of the Darien, I come to ask you to change their wording a little, and if you have already addressed them to me, which is probable, to send me new ones with the change that I desire. As there is some hope of stopping the levying of customs duties on the Cognac charges instead
[[label: Letter text page 3]] of the loading, charges which I am led to believe are 35 centimes per velte, I will ask you to deduct these 35 centimes from the price of the velte, and to add them afterwards for transport charges at the bottom of the invoice, as moreover you do, I think, for other houses. — It is a formality that I ask you to observe for all the shipments that you will make to me in the future. I have the honor to salute you. V. Barsalou
[[label: Letter text page 4]] Duplicate Steamer Africa New York September 2, 1856. Messrs. Otard Dupuy & Co. Cognac. Gentlemen. Since my letter of August 6, I have had the honor of receiving yours of July 23 & 30, August 5 & 12, and thank you for the information you give me on the state of your harvests and the situation of your market. You remit to me invoice and bill of lading for 38 half-pipes loaded on board the Jehossee in fcs. 28,454.86 and you announce to me that you are to load on the ship Darien my order of July 25 of 16/2 and 4/4. You thought that this ship would leave La Rochelle on August 25 but I learned on the contrary that it had great difficulty in finding its freight, and that in all probability, its departure would be much delayed; you will therefore doubtless have been in time to add to it my second order of August 6 of 26/2 and 2/4. Please take note that I have remitted to Mr. Lewis for your account: fcs. 20,000. — on August 26 for which you will have credited me. I thank you for the explanations that you were kind enough to give me regarding the brandies loaded on the Damon. I only regret that they were not given earlier, which would have spared your agents the equivocal position in which they were by offering your brandies with incorrect reports, and me the risk that I ran of taking charge not only of those offered by your agents, but also of those offered by the English house. Business continues without activity on our market there are still a few requests for La Rochelle brandies those of Cognac are entirely neglected. Please take note, Gentlemen, that according to your letter of April 8, I have debited you for the leakage by the Carver in the following manner: Amount of the leakage $326.90 Payments from the Ins. Co. 150.— according to my letter March 18. $176.90 @ 5.18 3/4 = fcs. 917.66
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4 documentary sides: Address panel; Letter text page 2; Letter text page 3; Letter text page 4; 4 digital images.