1870's Letter About Franco-Prussian War And Malcolm Forbes And Railroads And Horses

Letter from R. A. L. to Henrietta written from Paris circa after 1870 (Franco Prussian War) as there is a reference to the bloodshed in a town that was near the battle where the writer was staying. The letter is toned, with folds, creases and small holes but not affecting writing. There are remains of a red pencil on the page (possibly for highlighting?). The letter discusses the Forbes family and the railroads. Measures 10.625 by 6.75 inches.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
John Murray Forbes (February 23, 1813 – October 12, 1898) was an American railroad magnate, merchant, philanthropist, and abolitionist. He was president of both the Michigan Central railroad and the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad in the 1850s. He kept doing business with Russell & Company. Forbes was a leading Boston businessman and philanthropist. His primary financial interest was the development of railroads across the country, but he built his fortune early in his Perkins uncles' China trade firm and spent several years in Canton, China. He was also active in politics as a Whig and later a Republican. Forbes died on October 12, 1898.
Born on February 23, 1813, John Murray Forbes was the son of Ralph Bennet Forbes and Margaret Perkins Forbes. He married Sarah Swain Hathaway in 1834, and the couple had six children: Ellen Randolph Forbes, Alice Hathaway Forbes, William Hathaway Forbes, Mary Hathaway Forbes, John Malcolm Forbes, and Sarah Forbes.
Malcom Forbes, referenced in the letter was the son of John M. Forbes. John Malcolm Forbes (1847 – February 19, 1904), was an American businessman and sportsman. He was born in Milton, Massachusetts in 1847 into the wealthy Forbes family of Boston, with his father being John Murray Forbes. He was a prominent yachtsman and breeder of Standardbred horses.
In 1890, Forbes purchased Jack, 2:12, for a speedway horse. As his interest grew, he established Forbes Farm by buying and consolidating the Hunt, Davenport, and Farrington farms. The Farrington farmhouse once stood on the site of the current Prowse residence.
He purchased Nancy Hanks for $41,000 and Arion for $125,000. With Arion, Bingen, Nancy Hanks, Peter The Great, and others, Forbes Farm became the outstanding stud farm in the East. Forbes’ main objective is to improve the quality of the light driving horse, which, before the advent of the automobile, was in great demand throughout the country. Though Forbes never raced a stable, he was an expert on breeding fast horses, until his death in 1904.
Forbes made national headlines by paying Senator Leland Stanford of California the enormous sum, at the time, of $125,000 for the stallion Arion.[2] At the time this was highest price ever paid for a horse anywhere in the world. Adding Bingen and Peter the Great, Forbes owned the three fastest trotting stallions. He added the legendary undefeated mare Nancy Hanks, model for the horse and sulky weathervanes one sees today. These horses were inducted into the Standardbred Hall of Fame.
JMF’s mission to England during the war was to forestall the delivery of naval vessels to the South is recorded elsewhere. Secret plans for the relief of Fort Sumpter were communicated from Washington to Governor Andrew in Massachusetts through JMF & Co. by means of the private cipher. (Many years later JMF grandson William Cameron Forbes made use of the same code for particularly sensitive communications from the Philippines to Washington via JMF & Co.)
With the end of the war, JMF’s son William H. Forbes became involved with the firm. The China trade was only a remnant but there were plenty of other ventures. E.J. Hale, H.S. Russell, Tyson, and Joy continued their participation. At the end of the Franco-Prussian war (1870-71) Paris had been under siege for a long period and starvation was prevalent. Several people subscribed to a relief fund. JMF went to Washington where he obtained from the authorities in President Grant’s administration the assignment of the U.S. Navy steamer Worcester to carry food to Havre under the command of Captain Perkins and a navy crew. In this period, J.M. Forbes & Co. managed the U.S. investments of Alexis de Toqueville and continued to do so for his widow until 1877. The ASI (American Stock Investment) account continued for the son of Houqua.
Captain Robert Bennet Forbes (September 18, 1804 – November 23, 1889), was an American sea captain, China merchant and ship owner. He was active in ship construction, maritime safety, the opium trade, and charitable activities, including food aid to Ireland, which became known as America's first major disaster relief effort. Aboard the Nile he sailed for Manila. He had been ship's master of Levant. He became a full captain in 1825.[3] From Manila Nile went to China, then to California, and from there to Buenos Aires. In 1828 he sailed Danube for Sturgis & Perkins on a trading voyage to Smyrna, Turkey, and other European ports. He later was captain of Niantic.
When Russell & Company were merged with his uncle's Turkish opium trading firm in 1830, Forbes was placed in command of their opium storehouse vessel Lintin which was moored permanently at the Pearl River estuary island after which it was named. His work in supervising the repacking of the opium and negotiating trades with drug smugglers made him his first fortune. From his ample means he made generous provision for his mother and younger brother. He visited China several times and became the American vice-consul at Canton.
In 1834 he married Rose Greene Smith, and they had three children: Robert Bennet Forbes (1837-1891), Edith Forbes who married Charles Eliot Perkins, and James Murray Forbes (1845-1885). In 1841 he witnessed the Battle of Kowloon between the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire from aboard his rowboat. He died on November 23, 1889, in Milton, Massachusetts.

Notes: Toned, creased with pinholes but not affecting text, pencil notations, red pencil lines, folds. See photos.

$25 - $50

10.625" x 0.001" x 6.75"

Militaria, Military Documents & Ephemera

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