HAWAII, "Care of Thos. O. Larkin Esq., U.S. Consul, who will please forward, if Mr. Davis should have left the coast." Sender's manuscript instructions at top of folded letter datelined "Honolulu Oct. 12th 1844", addressed to "Mr. William H. Davis, Barque Don Quixote, San Francisco California", also with sender's instructions "Pr. Capt. Bonnet, French Ship Lion" at lower left, docketing indicates this was written by R. G. Davis, part of contents reads "I only send you a few lines, doubting if this happens to find you on the coast. I have wrote some 5 or 6 letters without receiving any answers from you... I can say nothing further at present, as I do not know if it is your intention to come down in the Bark this season", other contents note "I have heard you have got more hydes on the coast this year than any supercargo", vertical file folds

VERY FINE. A RARE AND ATTRACTIVE EARLY LETTER FROM HAWAII TO NORTHERN ALTA CALIFORNIA, CARRIED ON THE FRENCH MAN-OF-WAR LION TO MONTEREY.

This letter from R. G. Davis in Hawaii was carried on the French Man-of-War Lion, which departed Honolulu on October 13, 1844. The Lion, under the command of Captain Bonnet, arrived at Sausalito in 1844 and carried a cargo of cattle to the Society and Marquesas islands for breeding purposes. Thomas Larkin was the U.S. Consul at Monterey (Alta California) from 1844 to 1846. His office was a collection point for letters from Hawaii. According to the Gregory book (Vol. I, p. 140), Larkin used a handstamp to indicate his role in forwarding a letter. Four are known; the earliest two are from a May 1844 sailing (one is addressed to R. G. Davis). The other two are from 1846 (one to Davis and another to his uncle, Nathan Spear). Larkin did not apply his handstamp to this letter, possibly because the sender's instructions identified his involvement.

The addressee, William Heath Davis, was born in Hawaii and in 1838 went to work for his uncle, Nathan Spear, in San Francisco. He served aboard the Don Quixote in 1842-43 and worked as an agent for Paty, McKinley & Co. in San Francisco in 1843-45 (see http://www.oac.cdlib.org/view?docId=tf3t1n99cj;query=;style=oac4;doc.view=entire_text ).

In 1846 Davis purchased the brig Euphemia with his new partner, Hiram Grimes, becoming a major San Francisco merchant in his own right.

Ex J. David Baker and Irwin Vogel.

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