Manuscript copy in an unknown hand of a portion of New Survey of the West Indies by Thomas Gage (d. 1656). Gage was an English Dominican who served in Spanish America, later abjuring the Catholic Church and returning to England. In his work he gives insights into the Spanish colonies, whose internal life had theretofore been a mystery to most Englishman: Among other matters, the portion presented in this manuscript discusses the tensions between those colonists born in Spain and those born in the New World, the various religious orders working as missionaries in Spanish America, a description of some of Gage’s travels, and a partial account of Cortés’ conquest.
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On Gage, see: The Dictionary of National Biography, XX, 353–55. Recent marbled paper over light boards. Second and third blank leaves pasted together. Some light soiling, and some chipping and tears without apparent loss of text. Rubber-stamps from a now-defunct library.
The paper here is decidedly blue; the hand is very readable.