[Small Archive of Correspondence by Austrian Consul Edward William De Voss, Including a Manuscript Petition to the Confederate Government Regarding Taxes Owed on Tobacco in Richmond Owned by the Austrian Government]

Richmond, Va: February 2, 1864. Very good.. Autograph document, signed, [1]p., folio, on blue paper. Old folds, minor wear. [with:] Two autograph letters, signed, by De Voss, Richmond, Va., totaling [6]pp. [and with:] Autograph letter, signed, by William Bradley, Assessor, Richmond, Va., [2]pp. Mailing folds, minor wear. A collection of manuscript documents and letters pertaining to an interesting diplomatic moment between the Austrian government and the Confederacy in Richmond during the Civil War. Austrian consul Edward William De Voss was based in Richmond during the Civil War. While in Virginia, he purchased 612 hogshead of tobacco right at the outbreak of the war in 1861, but was then forbidden to remove it to Austria due to the Union naval blockade. Appeals for relief to Secretary of State William Seward were denied. For a long while, the Austrian government, in an effort to preserve good relations with the United States, accepted Seward's decision without complaint. As a result, the Austrian-owned tobacco, valued at $252,331, sat in storage in Richmond and other locations in Virginia until at least 1864.

The present manuscript petition, dated February 2, 1864, is a protest from the Austrian government, triggered after the Confederate government apparently forced the Austrian government to pay 8% in taxes on De Voss's tobacco. Here, De Voss, as an agent for the Austrian government, states that they are paying the tax bill, "Solemnly protesting against the payment of said tax", and reserve the right to request "repayment or restitution from the said Government of the Confederate States of America of the said tax so paid by us." The sum was not small. At a total value of $252,331, the 8% tax totaled $20,186.48. The bottom twelve lines of manuscript following De Voss's petition is a statement by a Virginia notary, and the bottom of the document is signed by him.

In addition to the manuscript petition, the present group includes two related letters by De Voss and another letter by a tax assessor in Richmond, all pertaining to a specific portion of De Voss's tobacco horde. In his first letter, dated February 20, 1864, De Voss writes to Confederate Treasury Collector William Green about the appraised value of fifty-six hogshead of the aforementioned tobacco "stored near a Rice depot in Prince Edward County." Apparently the Confederate tax assessor had changed the value of this tobacco from just under $10,000 to a whopping $24,500. De Voss discusses the background of the tobacco's purchase ("inspected here in Richmond and purchased by us in the year 1861 during the months of May and August for the account of friends in Europe"), the movement of the tobacco to Petersburg for storage, and other difficulties and issues relating to the tobacco since then. De Voss informs Green that he also has additional tobacco stored in Richmond, Petersburg, Dinwiddie County, Buckingham County and Nelson County," and expresses surprise at the re-valuation of the tobacco stored in Price Edward County, writing that "any dealer or Tobacco shipper will readily testify" in their favor.

De Voss's second letter was also written to William Green, a few weeks later. Here, De Voss provides further details about the tobacco stored in Price Edward County, stating that it is located "in barns on a plantation near Rice depot under the care of Mr. W.E. Bradshaw." He then provides a detailed breakdown on how much tobacco was stored in each of four warehouses, and the value of each portion of each type of "leaf." De Voss then discusses the prospect of moving this tobacco to Richmond, commenting that "Tobacco does not improve by keeping and particularly the lower grades, which are never judged with the same care as the better descriptions." The letter is followed by a manuscript forwarding note by Green to Confederate tax assessor William Bradley regarding the Austrian tobacco. Green writes that "The Tobacco having been in Price Edward County before the tax act was passed (if such was the fact), I concur that in applying the Richmond standard of prices, allowance should be made for the expense of bringing it again to Richmond."

The final letter in the present group is Bradley's reply to Green regarding De Voss's tobacco in the "log barns" in Prince Edward County. Bradley confirms some of the information in De Voss's communication regarding the type and quantity of the tobacco, and then provides his own "fair evaluation" of the tobacco.

A fascinating group of manuscripts illustrating the complexity of diplomatic and economic relations during the Civil War, with notable information on the value of southern tobacco during the latter period of the conflict.