https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/items/1757
type: Item
type: Letter
id: 1757
is public: true
owner: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/users/1
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resource template: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/resource_templates/2
title: Letter from Victor Barsalou to Otard Dupuy & Co ordering old brandies and discussing the New York market, 1855-08-28
created: 2026-08-10T01:22:59+00:00
modified: 2026-08-10T04:35:37+00:00
primary media: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/1758
media: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/1758
media: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/media/1759
item set: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/item_sets/1509
site: https://archive.neruda-archives.org/api/sites/1
identifier: NRA-L-000454
description: Victor Barsalou confirms orders and shipping instructions for Otard Dupuy & Co brandies of several vintages, including V.O.P. and pale and dark qualities, and reports scarcity, active trade and high European exchange in New York.
date: 1855-08-28
temporal: New York 28 Aout 1855
sort date: 1855-08-28
item sequence: 000454
type: Commercial correspondence
language: French
language: fr
creator: Victor Barsalou
recipient: Otard Dupuy & Co
place sent: New York, New York, United States
spatial: New York, New York, United States
spatial: Cognac, Charente, France
spatial: New York–Cognac; correspondence via Boston and Liverpool; shipment from La Rochelle
subject: Cognac trade
subject: Commercial correspondence
subject: Brandy orders
subject: Old brandies
subject: Vintages
subject: V.O.P.
subject: Shipping
subject: Exchange rates
subject: New York
subject: Otard Dupuy & Co
subject: Victor Barsalou
subject: John A. F. Rachau
subject: United States
incipit: New York 28. Aout 1855. @fr
public transcript: [[label: Address panel]] Messrs. Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac. France @fr
public transcript: [[label: Documentary page 2]] New York 28. Aout 1855. Steamer America, Messrs. Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac. Messieurs J'ai l'honneur de vous confirmer ma lettre du 21. Ct & d'accuser réception de la votre du 8. dito. Je vois avec plaisir que vous vous disposiez à charger sur l'Angelo Brewer attendu à La Rochelle, mon ordre du 17. Juillet de 32 p & 4/4 pipes, augmenté des 30. 1/2 pipes que vous m'annonciez avoir mises de côté pour moi. Je pense qu'au lieu de m'appliquer ces 30. demi pipes en 1854, 51 & 50 comme l'annonçait votre lettre du 31. Juillet vous les aurez réparties sur les années 1854, 51, 48 & 46 dans la proportion de mon petit ordre supplémentaire du 19. Juin S'il en était autrement, comme je prévois avoir besoin d'une petite quantité de ces Eaux de Vie Vieilles, vous pourriez en composer encore un petit envoi comme suit. VB. 5. 1/2 pipes 1854. } 5. 1/2 " 1848. } edvie pale. { Si, comme je le suppose, les 30. 1/2 pipes ont { été expédiées pales, vous composeriez cet { envoi-ci de 2. 1/2 foncées. 3 1/2 pales pour 5. 1/2 " 1846. } { chaque qualité séparément. 3. p & 6. 1/4 pipes V.O.P, en doubles futailles, factures comme par le passé. 18. p 6 1/4. pipes Eaux de vie de votre marque - Je me trouve avoir particulièrement besoin des 3. 1/2 & 6. 1/4 VOP et quelle que chose qu'il en soit vous les ajouteriez au premier chargement que vous ferez pour moi, Les affaires ont beaucoup d'animation & la rareté des Eaux de vie sur notre place se fait sentir tous les jours plus. L'argent est abondant & le change sur l'Europe reste très-élevé. - J'ai l'honneur de vous saluer V Barsalou Mr Rachau n'est pas encore de retour de la campagne. - [[notes]] Editorial notes: The terminal signature reads V. Barsalou, matching the established Victor Barsalou authority; the final reference is to Mr Rachau. @fr
public translation: [[label: Address panel]] Messrs. Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac. France
public translation: [[label: Documentary page 2]] New York 28 August 1855. Steamer America, Messrs. Otard Dupuy & Co Cognac. Gentlemen I have the honor to confirm my letter of the 21st instant & to acknowledge receipt of yours of the 8th ditto. I see with pleasure that you were preparing to load on the Angelo Brewer expected at La Rochelle, my order of 17 July of 32 p & 4/4 pipes, increased by the 30 1/2 pipes that you announced having set aside for me. I think that instead of applying these 30 half pipes in 1854, 51 & 50 as your letter of 31 July announced you will have distributed them over the years 1854, 51, 48 & 46 in the proportion of my small supplementary order of 19 June If it were otherwise, as I foresee needing a small quantity of these Old Brandies, you could make up another small shipment of them as follows. VB. 5. 1/2 pipes 1854. } 5. 1/2 " 1848. } pale brandy. { If, as I suppose, the 30 1/2 pipes have { been shipped pale, you would make up this { shipment of 2 1/2 dark. 3 1/2 pale for 5. 1/2 " 1846. } { each quality separately. 3. p & 6. 1/4 pipes V.O.P, in double casks, invoices as in the past. 18. p 6 1/4. pipes Brandies of your brand - I find myself in particular need of the 3 1/2 & 6 1/4 VOP and whatever the case may be you would add them to the first shipment that you will make for me, Business has a lot of animation & the scarcity of Brandies in our market is felt more every day. Money is abundant & the exchange on Europe remains very high. - I have the honor to salute you V Barsalou Mr Rachau is not yet back from the country. - [[notes]] Editorial notes: The terminal signature reads V. Barsalou, matching the established Victor Barsalou authority; the final reference is to Mr Rachau.
source: Original item in Neruda Archives.
provenance: Private collection, Neruda Archives.
rights: Publicly available images, transcriptions, translations, metadata and descriptions may be copied, shared, reproduced and republished, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes, provided that Neruda Archives is clearly credited and the relevant item identifier and stable URL are preserved. This permission includes non-commercial scholarly, educational, editorial, exhibition, website and social-media use. Automated machine use, including crawling, indexing, text and data mining, retrieval, embeddings and AI training by commercial and non-commercial systems, is permitted, provided provenance is retained where technically feasible and the item identifier and stable URL are preserved in source records or associated documentation. Commercial publication, commercial reproduction, resale, advertising use, paid access to a database or dataset and bulk redistribution of images require prior written permission. For the avoidance of doubt, permission is not required merely because an AI system or its operator is commercial. The images displayed and downloadable on this page are public access copies, and the permissions above apply to those files. Access to non-public source scans (preservation masters) or files specially prepared for print, where available, requires prior written agreement. Attribution may not be removed or replaced by false or misleading attribution.
access rights: Open public access. The images displayed and downloadable on each item page are public access copies. Non-commercial reuse of those images and of public transcriptions, translations, metadata and descriptions is permitted with clear credit to Neruda Archives and preservation of the relevant item identifier and stable URL. Automated use and AI training are permitted for commercial and non-commercial systems with provenance retained where technically feasible. Commercial republication, resale, advertising, paid database or dataset access and bulk image redistribution require prior written permission. Access to non-public source scans (preservation masters) or files specially prepared for print, where available, requires prior written agreement.
rights category: Open metadata and AI use; non-commercial public reuse
rights holder: Neruda Archives
bibliographic citation: Neruda Archives, NRA-L-000454.
research status: Every complete capture, documentary role, address panel, date, names, organizations, commercial context and material postal evidence was independently checked against the authoritative images and related Cognac correspondence; unresolved readings remain explicit. Date evidence: The dateline reads New York 28 Aout 1855 and the address-side docket gives the same sender, place and date. Origin evidence: New York is written in the dateline.
transcription status: Image-checked raw transcription
translation status: Image-checked English translation
catalogue period: 1850–1874
date certainty: Exact
extent: 2 documentary sides: Documentary page 1; Documentary page 2; 2 digital images.

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