The following are the latest additions to the Museum’s archives: 
The Museum has recently acquired a collection of documents belonging to the Bilbao-born English banker Fermin Tastet (1793-1863). 

According to Gil Novales, Tastet was born in Bilbao but later became a naturalised British citizen, and by 1820, was banker to the Russian Embassy in London. Juan Antonio Yandiola lived as a lodger in his house, where he would often meet with other exiled liberals, such as Mendizabal and Francisco Xavier Mina, who Tastet financed in his efforts to secure Mexican independence. During the Liberal Triennium (1820-2823), Tastet made a series of large-scale investments, helping to finance the Cadiz resistance, among other ventures, and during the early 1830s, he also financed the Portuguese liberals. This, however, did not stop him from entering negotiations with the Carlists during the 1st Carlist War, and he later helped finance the Texas independence movement and the Uruguayan civil war.

There are 3 folders:

        folder 1:

        - 7 documents: 

1.- ‘NOTE. Créance de Tastet contre Sa Majesté le Roi, L’Auguste Mari de Sa Majesté La Reine Isabelle II d’Espagne. 1863’ (23 pages).             2.-‘Calcul des Avantages que présent aux capitalistes, aux spéculateurs, et Spécialement aux détenteurs de la Dette Active Espagnole, les Certificats de la Premiére Série de L'’mprunt D'ASSURANCE DE DON CARLOS.’ (1 page). 3.-‘Copia por duplicada de la Carta del Sr. De Franchessin à S.E. el Ministro de Hacienda y aprobada por Dn. Fermin de Tastet. París 14 de marzo 1837’ (12 pages).
4.-‘Manifiesto sobre el Derecho de Suceder en el Trono de España’ (4 pages).
5.-‘Loan for H.M. Charles V. Authorized by Decree of the 6 of February, 1836. Scrip-Obligation for the Delivery of FIVE CERTIFICATES. Amounting to a Capital of, Florins 12.000; or  1.000 Sterling....’
6.- ‘SPANISH FIVE PER CENT Perpetual Annuities payable in Madrid...’ (shares).
7.- ‘Emprunt national d’Espagne de Six Millions de Piastres Fortes... 1830.’ (shares).

- 22 documents regarding loans granted to aid the cause of Charles the Pretender (1836-1839). Receipts, correspondence with Mr Ouvrard, Sammuel Roberts and Erro, etc. Of special note is a 24-page manuscript entitled: ‘Exposé des motifs du voyage de Durango et de ce qui s’y est passé.’ The document, which is dated Paris, 04-08-1839, is an account of a journey made by Fermin Tastet and Mr Franchessin to the Carlist court in Durango in the spring of 1839. A number of different themes are discussed, including: finances, international politics (the Quadruple Alliance, mainly Britain’s attitude to the Carlist War and the trade agreement), the situation of the country (economic, political and military, with the distribution of both Carlist and Liberal troops described in great detail), the activities of the court in Durango, the general state of mind of the population ( ‘Les habitants ne se regardent pas comme espagnols castillans, mais comme Biscayens [underlined in the original], comme hommes decidés à defendre leur territoire et leurs droits..’) and the author’s opinion of Maroto’s loyalty and the events surrounding the shootings in Lizarra-Estella. 

- Financial report regarding Spain’s debt in 1844. 4-page manuscript. 

- Correspondence between J.A. Mendizabal and Tastet regarding financial themes and a debt they had between them.  5 letters and a report (1844-1850).

-  Pay warrant for a loan granted to Mr Luis Steiger eta Tastet, Fermin Tastet’s heir, by the Argentinean Vice-Consulate in Paris, dated 06/11/1868. 

 - ‘Daños y perjuicios causados por el ejército inglés desde su llegada a principios de Julio de 1813 hasta  20-II-1814’. Altza. Detailed list of expenses incurred by the different farmhouses in the town (wheat, beans, corn, apples, yams, fodder and wood). The list includes over 170 names of farmhouses in Altza (manu.; 7 pages; sheet). 

- Similar list for the town of Hernani. Instead of the farmhouses, the list features the names of the owners (around 250). Hernani, 10-01-1814. (manu.; 6 pages; sheet).

- List of expenses incurred by Ricardo Bermingham for work carried out on his house, located just outside San Sebastián-Donostia Castle, in order to make it habitable once again and repair the damage caused by the British troops during their occupation of the property from October 1813 to June 1814. (manu.; 4 pages; sheet). 

- 9 letters to Fermin Tastet from Juan Antonio Yandiola, Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer, from Seville (06-05-1823), through Cádiz (26-06-1823/06-08-1823) and Gibraltar (02-11-1823). The letters recommend certain exiled friends (Toreno) and give financial instructions and information about the current situation (the advance of Angulema’s troops, etc.).

- Letter from Ramón Llano, Cádiz 01-09-1823. Financial issues.

- Accountancy report (1822-1823) by Juan Antonio Yandiola and Fermin Tastet. (manu.; 3 pages, incomplete).

- Copy of a collection of letters exchanged by Fermin Tastet and M. Michel, regarding a claim on a loan granted to Charles IV in 1806. The collection includes 11 letters exchanged between 1815 and 1829 (manu.; 16 pages; sheet).

- Report on the capture of three Spanish ships. 30-09-1824. (manu.; 4 pages; sheet).

- Treaty with the Count of Ofalia regarding British and Spanish claims. 30-10-1828. (manu.; 1 page; sheet).

- 9 documents regarding claims lodged by the Antoine Tastet trading company, based in Donostia-San Sebastián, as the result of the seizure by Napoleon’s troops of the merchandise aboard the ship ‘the Wilkinson’. Reports and correspondence between Richard Hanon, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Count Walinski and Mr Brenier, 1844-1863. (manu.; 24 pages; sheet).

- 4 documents regarding various treaties signed between Austria, Great Britain, Prussia and Russia for claims against France. (1818, 1822, 1854).:
          -  Treaty of 1818 (manu.; 14 pages; half-sheet).
          -  Treaty of 1822 (manu.; 7 pages; sheet).
          - 1854 (manu.; 1 page; sheet).

- 2 unclassified documents: manuscript dated Madrid 27-04-1855, and an undated manuscript. 

-  Calculation of interest owed on Spanish loans in 1864. (manu.; 2 pages; sheet).

        folder 3:
 

 - Receipt for 25 pounds sterling, issued to Fermin Tastet by V. Bertran de Lis. London, 08-09-1822.
- Correspondence between Fermin Tastet and various traders:

- Regarding support for Michael of Portugal (manu.; 2 pages; sheet) 1832.
- Affaire Michel. Paris 11-06-1833 (manu.; 2 pages; sheet).
- Texan independence. London 19-11-1839. (manu.; 4 pages).
- J. Alvarez. Madrid, 01-08-1849. (manu.; 1 page).
- Loan granted to the Uruguayan Government. Paris 05-08-1853. (manu.; 4 pages).
- Canal du Midi. Brussels, 21-12-1853. (manu.; 2 pages).
- Mallorca Albufera de Alcudia. Madrid, 12-02-1860. (manu.; 4 pages).
- Fermin Tastet’s passport for entry into England. Paris, 24-02-1856.
- Fermin Tastet’s will in favour of  Louis de Steiger Tastet. Paris, December, 1863.
- Copy of the above manuscript and translation into French (original in English).  - Copy of Fermin Tastet’s official birth certificate. London, December 1863.     - 25 documents regarding the debt owed by Antoine Chollet (1785-1866) to Fermin Tastet. Receipts, correspondence (21 letters dated between 1854 and 1860) and reports.
- 2 letters about financial issues sent by J. De Mesa y Cordero to Luis de Steiger. Madrid, 1866.
4 unclassified and undated documents. One in German.

The Zumalakarregi Museum is pleased to present this fascinating collection, which tells us much about the political evolution of the early 19th century through an analysis of its finances.