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Autograph Letter Signed (in Spanish). To his brother Juan, “Puerto de San Francisco” [California] 2pp.+ stampless address leaf.

Loosely translated, Toribio writes that he was engaged in (silver) mining in the Pasco region of the Andes, but his business was in great debt, close to ruin, and, having neither personal capital nor “protection”, he had “no hope” of future success. Had it not been responsible for the care of his old mother and sister, he would have joined the many Peruvian friends who were planning to leave for California. Toribio was happy to hear of his brother’s good fortune: “God grant that you prosper” and not be “touched by the original misfortune which has haunted the family…”  He advised Juan to be wary of all the evil men who would gather (in California), being “suspicious of everyone” and “careful with your life”, seriously considering any proposition put to him, seeing “in every man” a potential enemy so as not to be surprised when “selfishness” replaced “sanity”. Above all, “never forget this advice and make it your daily prayer: Do not surrender to anyone and hide all that you possess.” Juan Malarin (1792-1849), who, unknown to his brother, had died at Mission San Carlos in Monterey two months before this letter was written, was a Peruvian sea Captain who first came to California in 1822, was commissioned in the newly-formed Mexican Navy and married the daughter of a Mexican Army officer whose family had large land grants in present-day Monterey and San Luis Obispo County. Malarin settled in Monterey and received several large land grants of his own for a Rancho of some 9000 acres in what is now the Salinas Valley.  His son retained much of this land after California statehood, but it is unknown whether his unfortunate uncle Toribio ever made the long journey from Peru to the new land where Juan had grown rich.