The
British captured Gibraltar in 1704 and Spain ceded it in 1713. It was heavily
garrisoned and also became home to a growing and ethnically mixed civilian
population serving the everyday needs of the military; but the territory could not feed itself. Food
could be imported locally from Portugal, Spain, and from the independent
kingdom of Morocco just across the Strait of Gibraltar provided Britain was not
in conflict with any of them which was not always true. Maintaining good relations
with the Sultans of Morocco became of strategic importance and placing British consular
officials in Morocco’s ports provided a necessary lubricant to smoothing both
political and trade relationships.
For
much of the 18th century things went well though Morocco sought to
play off both sides during the French and Spanish Great Siege of Gibraltar
(1779-83) - see on this site
https://www.otherpeoplesletters.com/2026/09/the-author-of-these-letters-which-may.html
- things
became difficult again when the violent (quite possibly psychopathic) and mercenary Sultan Yazid succeed his
father in 1789, opposed by his brothers and significant parts of
Morocco’s very mixed community, notably its Sephardic Jews. Yazid’s troops terrorised
Jewish communities and were sent to re-take Ceuta from Spanish control.
Yazid was killed in battle against his brotheres and rivals in 1792 and life returned to something like normal.
Yazid’s
hostile intent towards both Jews and Spain was signalled very early on when he
ordered the gruesome execution of the Spanish vice consul in Tetuan, Solomon
Hazzan, a prominent local Jew. The letter transcribed below includes an
eye-witness depiction of the scene.
It
was written by a man with a past both remarkable and colourful and addressed to
another in the same category; they probably knew each other from shared
pasts. The relaxed tone of his letter
suggests to me that he knew the recipient quite well.
James
Mario Matra (ca 1746-1806), author of the letter and born a British subject
in New York, got himself a place in the history books when he sailed to Botany
Bay with Captain Cook, at the same time cementing a long friendship with the
actual botanist Joseph Banks. Back in England he published his experiences and
lobbied for the creation of a colony in New South Wales which could become a
home for the Black Loyalists who had fought on the British side in the American
War of Independence; the colony was established but it was one designed to
house convicts; the black soldiers were offered Sierra Leone.
There is then a gap in his life story which research by Wendy Moore suggests may have had unsavoury elements . Through his brother Captain Perkins Magra (an amended spelling of the original Corsican name which James Matra had reverted to) and probably directly James Matra knew the fabulously wealthy Mary Eleanor Bowes who as a young widow in London was tricked into marrying an unscrupulous (and, as it turned out, abusive) self-syled "Captain" Andrew Robinson Stoney. The plot to achieve this outcome was extraordinarily devious and involved a cast of bit-part players. Jame Matra could have been one. But it is also the case that James Matra and Mary Eleanor Bowes were connected through a shared acquaintance with the botanist, Joseph Banks.
When James Matra re-surfaces it is as successively consul in
Tenerife, Constantinople and – from 1786 – Tangier where he lived until his
death in 1806.
Charles
O’Hara (ca 1740 – 1802) eventually became Governor of Gibraltar but at the date of this letter was a senior military officer there. He had fought in
America and was one of those who surrendered to Washington (though the sword was handed to Washington's second-in-command) at Yorktown in 1781. At Gibraltar he had children by
two women and both families benefitted very substantially from his will as did
a black servant who had probably stayed with him since his time in America.
I have glossed as much as I can but have not succeeded in clarifying every reference in this long and interesting letter. The letter concludes with an opaque passage which I think may be some kind of encoded message. The status of this letter is itself puzzling. It is probably a duplicate or copy letter and it could be that it is not in Matra’s own hand. Similar letters are known: in 2023 the London auction house Christies sold 99 copy letters from Matra to home secretaries Henry Dundas and the Duke of Portland dated between 1792 - 1801. They achieved a very modest hammer price of £2,250; the foolscap paper, handwriting and organisation of the material on the page appear identical to that of this letter.
Click to Enlarge
For a continuation of this story see the next Post:
https://www.otherpeoplesletters.com/2026/09/yesterday-i-had-sealed-letter-from.html
Transcription
Addressed
to: Genl. O’Hara [annotation at bottom left of first page]
Datelined:
Tangier 24 April 1790
No
outer address wrapper and probably a second copy, but folded into filing format
and docketed 1790 24 Apr Tangier
My
dear Sir
I
left Tetuan this morning & what with the confusion we were in there &
the journey I am quite stupid. One of Andersons boats goes in the morning early
[to Gibraltar] when certainly I shall not be up, there fore however dull
I be I shall say something to You before I lay down. I left a Letter for You to
go by Checardo [alternatively Chicardo ] who tho the communication be
open there [Tetuan], I fancy will go with a few fowls [?]. For such is the
state of things there, that the Moorish merchants will not allow they have any
money – Here the communicatn [with Gibraltar] is not yet opend, tho the
order of Tarif [ ?] be signed. Our Governor [of Tangier] has them, &
he will be here with his Master [Moulay Yazid, the new Sultan of
Morocco] tomorrow or next day. In short none of us have our Papers &
that is one reason why you get no official letter from me – what I have done is
– confirmation & renewal of old Treaties – new Tarif – order for our
shipwrecked Seamen – letter to the King [in England?]; & the usual
Papers – As the Empr [Emperor- meaning the Sultan] has requested his
letter to the King may be sent home in a Frigate I take it for granted one must
go – but lest I forget – I now send a Letter to the Admiral [probably
Rear-Admiral Joseph Peyton in command of the Mediterranean fleet] –
if he be gone to Algiers, it may cool [uncertain, could be he may call?]
but if he be cruizing with intention to come to me I wish above all
things it may be forwarded to him – in fact I must stop his coming here
– not knowing if a single ship is at Gibraltr I write not to any of them but if you should have a friend in, I wish
you would prevail on him to set off immey [immediately]
to the Admiral if he be cruizing –
Atall
[Jacob Attal , Jewish secretary and adviser to Sultan Mohammed III of
Morocco who died in 1789 and succeeded by Yazid] was cut into pieces and
burnt – his head fixed here on the market – the Spanish Vice Consul at Tetuan [Solomon
Hazzan] had a hole through the heels & hung up naked. I saw him alive
20 hours after, left on purpose for the Spanish Consul [González Salmón]
after which he was burnt – my old acquaintance Gl [General] Abbas,
Commander in Chief of the black Army [an army of technically enslaved
African men] & his Deputy – killed, for attempting to debauch [detach?]
the [?] Ulemma [the religious scholars] from his brother. Heavens how I
shall shock you when we meet – when the Emr. goes away from this [place]
I mean if possible to go over to Gibr to finish my [diplomatic] letters
& have a little holiday. I shall give you the substance.
At
our first publick audience I was particularly distinguished. The Empr. declared
his friendship for our nation, with whom he would preserve a good peace &
grant what we asked for, & with the Ragusians [from the city state of
Ragusa, now Dubrovnik] – to the other nations he gave 4 months at the
end of which time he would be at war with them – the next day he recollected
that the Swedish Consul had joined with me once, in privately sending him a
Present at Abslem [Moulay Abdesalam]
– H.M. immediately sent for him, promised to renew the Treaties, &
made him a present of a Horse. In time all got on good terms. How the Spanish
Affairs are I know not, but I believe their arrangement will prove very
temporary – It is hinted that a very considerable annual sum is demanded – what
they spent at Tetuan I assure you was very considerable.
Now
we are in high favour; I may say thanks to me, for to obtain it, I have truly
risked roasting for many months past – had I been detected it would have
certainly happened. Will they do anything at home to preserve it. No.
Hadge
Hassen el Huash [?] is appointed Vice Consul at Tetuan.
Nothing
yet, that I know of from Morocco [used to designate the southern part of the
kngdom] but the Prince there Hesheim [Hisham, Yazid’s brother and rival]
has neither party not abilities & as far as our intelligence extends the
Empr. is acknowledged, & he has given me a Horse.
His
favourites are: Capt of Cruizers & the Cheriffs of Muly Abslem [Moulay
Abdesalam]– Would to God our Army such!!! were come & gone for I dread
a general plunder – the following is an extract from one of my private letters
– I formerly mentioned a friend of mine to you I cannot tell what to make of
him. When he lived alone & had but one adviser he adhered steadily to his
plans; but I am told since he has come into company, he listens to everybody,
is of opinion with the last speaker, does whatever is required of him & of
course must be doing wrong a dozen times
a day – beside which he trifles away his time most egregiously, so that if
anyone wished to set up in business they have all possible opportunity instead
of playing the great man in a pretty villa
he should be exercising in London but they say every hour produces new
Schemes. I hope this want of steadiness may mend, if not the House rich as it
is may be ruined, for he has a determined and active Enemy away down in
Cornwall.
A
confidential letter cannot be sent to me by way of Tetuan.
I
have the honour to be Dear Sir Your
most faithful Hum. Servt. J.M. Matra
References
Wikipedia:
James Matra
Wikisource:
Dictionary of National Biography Charles O’Hara ca. 1740-1802
Wikipedia:
Black Army
Wikipedia:
Muhammad_III_of_Morocco
Wikipedia:
Yazid of Morocco
Wendy Moore, Wedlock (2010)
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