1768]. · [St. Pierre, Martinique
by [Martinique]: [Saint Lucia]
[St. Pierre, Martinique, 1768].. 4pp. plus outer blanks. Quarto. Folded sheets. Faint dampstain at bottom edge. Near fine. Ordonnance signed in type by the Commandant Général Charles-Louis de Mauris and Intendant Louis de Thomassin de Peinier, concerning taxes on the small Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. The people of Saint Lucia (a dependent of the more populous island of Martinique, to its north) were traditionally free of any tax burden. The construction of a new courthouse and jail, however, resulted in the first imposition of taxes on the island. Very rare, with no copies located in OCLC or the CATALOGUE COLLECTIF DE FRANCE. The first recorded printing on the island by Bradford Swan is in 1784, but we have handled a newspaper from 1780 and have seen in commerce an imprint from as early as 1762. As with virtually everything to do with early Caribbean imprints, the story of printing on Martinique remains shrouded in mystery. A significant addition to the canon of very early Caribbean printing. (Inventory #: WRCAM49558)