Letter from William MacKinnon to Henry Shelton Sanford (December 29, 1879)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from William MacKinnon to Henry Shelton Sanford (December 29, 1879)
Alternative Title
MacKinnon to Sanford (December 29, 1879)
Subject
MacKinnon, William, 1823-1893
Sanford, Henry Shelton, 1823-1891
Description
A letter from Sir William MacKinnon (1823-1893) to Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891) dated December 24, 1879. In this letter, MacKinnon discussed, among other topics, an update regarding a Belgian expedition in the Congo and one of its chief explorers, Carter.
Sir William MacKinnon was a Scottish ship-owner and businessman who established significant trade networks and commercial interests in British India and later in East Africa. Among other business ventures, he founded the British India Steam Navigation Company and the short-lived Imperial British East Africa Company. During his lifetime, he was one of the leading ship-owners in the British Empire. By the 1880s, he controlled more shipping tonnage than any other individual in Britain.
MacKinnon met Henry Shelton Sanford sometime in the late 1870s and the two began corresponding regularly in 1879. MacKinnon's interest in Sanford stemmed from the former American ambassador's close proximity to King Leopold II (1835-1909) of Belgium and the Brussels inner-circle of businessmen, politicians, and diplomats. Sanford, living in a château in Brussels, provided a valuable lifeline for MacKinnon, who sought Belgian business connections to support his expanding commercial ventures, particularly in East Africa. He was a vital factor in the formation of the Florida Land and Colonization Company, going so far as to lend Sanford £8,000 in early January 1880. He also played an essential role in helping Sanford court early participants in the investment plan. Many of the board members of the FLCC, like Edwyn Sandys Dawes (1838-1903), were close associates of MacKinnon. With his business ventures strongly tied to British and Belgian development schemes in Africa, MacKinnon had no ostensible interest in Florida land investment. His participation in Sanford's Florida ambitions was thus directly linked to his interest in maintaining strong relations with Sanford and his valuable connections in Belgium.
Sir William MacKinnon was a Scottish ship-owner and businessman who established significant trade networks and commercial interests in British India and later in East Africa. Among other business ventures, he founded the British India Steam Navigation Company and the short-lived Imperial British East Africa Company. During his lifetime, he was one of the leading ship-owners in the British Empire. By the 1880s, he controlled more shipping tonnage than any other individual in Britain.
MacKinnon met Henry Shelton Sanford sometime in the late 1870s and the two began corresponding regularly in 1879. MacKinnon's interest in Sanford stemmed from the former American ambassador's close proximity to King Leopold II (1835-1909) of Belgium and the Brussels inner-circle of businessmen, politicians, and diplomats. Sanford, living in a château in Brussels, provided a valuable lifeline for MacKinnon, who sought Belgian business connections to support his expanding commercial ventures, particularly in East Africa. He was a vital factor in the formation of the Florida Land and Colonization Company, going so far as to lend Sanford £8,000 in early January 1880. He also played an essential role in helping Sanford court early participants in the investment plan. Many of the board members of the FLCC, like Edwyn Sandys Dawes (1838-1903), were close associates of MacKinnon. With his business ventures strongly tied to British and Belgian development schemes in Africa, MacKinnon had no ostensible interest in Florida land investment. His participation in Sanford's Florida ambitions was thus directly linked to his interest in maintaining strong relations with Sanford and his valuable connections in Belgium.
Creator
MacKinnon, William
Source
Original letter from William MacKinnon to Henry Shelton Sanford, December 24, 1879: box 127, folder 2, subfolder 127.2.25, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Date Created
1879-12-29
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original letter from William MacKinnon to Henry Shelton Sanford, December 24, 1879.
Is Part Of
Box 127, folder 2, Henry Shelton Sanford Papers, General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Requires
Format
application/pdf
Extent
296 KB
Medium
3-page handwritten letter
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Balinakill House, Clachan, Scotland, United Kingdom
Congo
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by William MacKinnon.
Donated to the Connecticut Historical Society after 1901.
Loaned to the Tennessee State Library and Archives for processing until June 1, 1960.
Acquired by the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum in 1960.
Rights Holder
The displayed collection item is housed at the General Henry S. Sanford Memorial Library, Sanford Museum in Sanford, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from the Sanford Museum to display this item for educational purposes only.
Curator
Fedorka, Drew M.
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Fry, Joseph A. Henry S. Sanford: Diplomacy and Business in Nineteenth-Century America. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, 1982.
Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
Munro, J. Forbes. Maritime Enterprise and Empire: Sir William MacKinnon and His Business Network, 1823-1893. Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 2003.
Munro, J. Forbes. “"Shipping Subsidies and Railway Guarantees" The Journal of African History 28, no. 2 (1987): 209-230.
Boulger, Demetrius Charles. The Congo State or, the Growth of Civilization in Central Africa. London: Thacker, 1898.
Transcript
BALINAKILL
CLACHAN
ARGYLESHIRE
December 29. 1879
Dear Mr. Sanford
[?] [?] [?] and I [?] [?] you a [?] to thank you for your [?] notes [?] Saturday [?] [?] afternoon.
I have sent [?] [?] a letter received today from Dr. Kirk giving satisfactory news from Carter up to [?] 3 weeks later than his letter to [?]. I [?] sent him a letter from [?] [?] Mr. Sanderson [?] to the telegram we sent from Brussels and [?] [?] in [?]30,000 [?] [?].
Sanderson [?] [?]1500 for [?] or [?] [?] of [?]5000 a year! I hope we shall get the work done without the large item.I never heard before of Mr. Hastings and [?] nothing about him. I had no idea he had been [?] [?] [?] [?] for two years. So much the letter for your proposal.
Tomorrow I shall [?] to unto you a [?] letter. I wish I could go to [?] to work the [?] [?].
[?] tell [?] if all is well.
Very Sincerely yours,
W. MacKinnon
I felt very much better.
CLACHAN
ARGYLESHIRE
December 29. 1879
Dear Mr. Sanford
[?] [?] [?] and I [?] [?] you a [?] to thank you for your [?] notes [?] Saturday [?] [?] afternoon.
I have sent [?] [?] a letter received today from Dr. Kirk giving satisfactory news from Carter up to [?] 3 weeks later than his letter to [?]. I [?] sent him a letter from [?] [?] Mr. Sanderson [?] to the telegram we sent from Brussels and [?] [?] in [?]30,000 [?] [?].
Sanderson [?] [?]1500 for [?] or [?] [?] of [?]5000 a year! I hope we shall get the work done without the large item.I never heard before of Mr. Hastings and [?] nothing about him. I had no idea he had been [?] [?] [?] [?] for two years. So much the letter for your proposal.
Tomorrow I shall [?] to unto you a [?] letter. I wish I could go to [?] to work the [?] [?].
[?] tell [?] if all is well.
Very Sincerely yours,
W. MacKinnon
I felt very much better.
Document Item Type Metadata
Original Format
3-page handwritten letter
Collection
Citation
MacKinnon, William, “Letter from William MacKinnon to Henry Shelton Sanford (December 29, 1879),” RICHES, accessed April 25, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4060.