HANDWRITTEN/MANUSCRIPT LETTER ON WARTIME INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING/TRADE

[WAR OF 1812, LETTER DATED 1813; US TRADE MEASURES/LAWS; HANDWRITTEN BUSINESS/COMMERCIAL LETTER NEW YORK TO HAVANA; POSTAL/STAMP HISTORY] HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED/ALS FROM NEW YORK CITY MERCHANT WILLIAM STEVENS TO DOCTOR WILLIAM FROST IN HAVANA, CUBA, dated New York, 4th March 1813, 8" x 10"/about 375 words, in the lower part of the letter after telling Frost a shipment of fruit was received spoiled because of the "length of passage" on board the ship, Stevens informs Frost of three new laws likely to be passed by the U. S. Congress in an effort to alleviate stresses on trade caused by the War of 1812, then tells Frost how each law would adversely affect U. S. shipping including Steven's and Frost's trade between the U. S. and Cuba they are engaged in; Stevens writes, "By our news from Washington [D.C.] of today it appears that the following bills will become laws, they are calculated to have important bearings on commercial operations from your quarter [i. e., Cuba and throughout the West Indies]…No. 1 – To prevent the use by Am[erican] vessels of Foreign Licenses…No 2 – To prevent the exportation in Foreign Bottoms [two words underlined, referring to cargo holds in ships], all kinds of Lumber and Provisions…No. 3 – To impose additional tonnage money on Foreign Bottoms [two words underlined]…[briefly noting adverse effects] No. 1 – Calculated in present circumstances [War of 1812 going on with Britain] to prevent the trade to France [also interfering with American shipping and trade], of course to put a stop to the exportation of Colonial produce [from French colonies in the West Indies]…No 2 + 3 – will operate to diminish the value of Foreign Bottoms…Articles for our own consumption are likely to succeed best [in avoiding the worst of the adverse effects of the coming laws]…Molasses, Hides [continues with mention of other goods with prices of these noted and also other goods and respective current prices in the lower right corner of the letter]; letter opens, "Capt. Anasduco [?, blurred] of the Spanish Schooner Talesfora on his arrival called on me [reporting the cargo of fruit had spoiled]; stampless ship letter with usual folds for mailing addressed to Dr. William Frost, Havanna [sic], red stamp "Havana" above Frost's name, [via] Brig Anita [Anita Owen, presumably as recorded in online references for ships of the era], Capt. Ones [?]", remains of red seals, notes added by Frost or a secretary in different parts of the address side of the folded sheet, "Letter from Mr. Stevens 4th March 1813" and "Rcvd. 22nd and answered the same day — by Prince"; ONE-OF-A-KIND ITEM WITH RARE CONTENT AND RARE POSTAL HISTORY STAMPING "HAVANA" /// CONDITION: generally well-preserved with nearly all words legible, loss of paper where seal was broken with no loss of text, a few limited spots of age-browning in a couple of cases blurring some letters, two small holes at one of the folds.