Letter from Gilbert Davis to Otard, Dupuy & Co ordering five half-pipes of brandy and discussing quality and reputation, 1841-11-05
Gilbert Davis orders five half-pipes of fuller-flavoured brandy from Otard, Dupuy & Co for shipment from Bordeaux, criticizes the quality of a previous consignment, reports damage to the house's reputation in New York and comments on weak demand during the temperance movement.
Commercial correspondence
English
Gilbert Davis
Otard, Dupuy & Co
New York, New York, United States
Cognac, Charente, France
New York–Cognac; requested shipment Bordeaux–New York
Cognac trade
Brandy orders
Brandy quality
Brand reputation
Temperance movement
New York
Bordeaux
Otard Dupuy
United States
(Duplicate)
[[label: Address panel]] Messrs Otard, Dupuy & Co Cognac France [[notes]] Editorial notes: Address and trade-house wording were verified against the authoritative address-panel image and are preserved as one entity.
[[label: Letter text - page 1]] (Duplicate) Newyork Novr 5' 1841 Messrs Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac Gents I wish you to send me by the first good vessel from Bordeaux Five half pipes of your best Brandy, at Ten francs the velte the last I had cost 9.40 this is not good enough for me I want better Brandy, the article is of dull sale I am sorry to say see much or rather some of your Brandy last Summer sold in this city at low prices and the quality rather common indeed I rather doubted the genuineness of the mark for it had your brand on the cask which I supposed was a counterfeit but was told afterwards it was from yr house, since that time much has been said in regard to yr brandy, Mess Stevens & Son, Mr John Caswell & myself, have permitted to use yr name upon so poor an article I want Five half pipes of good, and not to cost over Ten francs the velte I want a full rich flavoured Brandy, such as I had the first time from you and such as you we usually bought from houses here, Ten years since Brandy is dull sale owing to our Temperance mania and will remain so for a long time no doubt. I cannot pay any commission or higher price Yours Respectfully (Signed) Gilbert Davis
[[label: Letter text - page 1]] (Duplicate) New York November 5, 1841 Messrs Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac Gentlemen I wish you to send me by the first good vessel from Bordeaux Five half pipes of your best Brandy, at Ten francs the velte. The last I had cost 9.40, this is not good enough for me. I want better Brandy, the article is of dull sale. I am sorry to say I see much or rather some of your Brandy last Summer sold in this city at low prices and the quality rather common indeed. I rather doubted the genuineness of the mark for it had your brand on the cask which I supposed was a counterfeit but was told afterwards it was from your house. Since that time much has been said in regard to your brandy, Messrs Stevens & Son, Mr John Caswell & myself, have permitted to use your name upon so poor an article. I want Five half pipes of good, and not to cost over Ten francs the velte. I want a full rich flavoured Brandy, such as I had the first time from you and such as we usually bought from houses here, Ten years since. Brandy is dull sale owing to our Temperance mania and will remain so for a long time no doubt. I cannot pay any commission or higher price. Yours Respectfully (Signed) Gilbert Davis
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Neruda Archives
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Every complete capture, documentary role, address panel, date, names, commercial evidence and postal evidence was directly checked against the authoritative images; unresolved readings remain explicitly marked. Date evidence: The dateline reads Newyork Novr 5' 1841 and the address-side docketing repeats the date. Origin evidence: New York is written in the dateline.
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2 documentary sides: Address panel and postal evidence; Letter text - page 1; 2 digital images.