Oil in Peru at the end of the 19th century. Industrial espionage. Lot of 2 manuscripts.
Late 19th century.
“L’Exploitation du pétrole du Pérou”.
[Paris], post 1898
Folio; 310 x 205 mm. Text on 10 pages on lined foolscap sheets. 2 blank pages. Black ink. Clear handwriting in final draft.
A very rare official document concerning oil in Peru, regarding its exploitation by a competitor of the ‘Compagnie française des pétroles de l'Amérique du sud.’ A detailed report with precise references to the deposits and their potential, updated to 1898; it focuses in particular on the Zorritos district, in the northernmost region of the country, whose oil is considered to be of superior quality to that extracted in North America and Russia. At the beginning of page 2, the concession purchased two years earlier by the "Compagnie française de l'Amérique du sud" is mentioned.
The incipit of the document “Le Perou est destiné à devenir un des plus grands Centers de prodution de pètrole du Monde”, refers directly to the end of the report by the Engineer de Clercy published in 1895 in Paris “Un jour peut-etre , le gisement d’huile mineral du Pérou devietront une des principals source de ce produit dans le monde”. The Engineer de Clercy appears as 'Director' on the Board of Directors of the Company, as can be read in the Statutes published at the end of his study on the Peruvian deposits of 1895.
See Étude sur les gisements pétrolifères du Pérou, par M. de Clercy, ingénieur. Paris, 1895.
Archive nationale su monde du travail, ‘Compagnie française des pétroles de l’Amérique du sud’, in: https://recherche-anmt.culture.gouv.fr/ark:/60879/574777.1453185#
With:
"Note sur la zone pétrolifère du Pérou".
Late 19th century [1895-96]
Folio. 330x207 mm. Text on 4 pages. Brown ink.
Information note on oil in Peru, with precise information on the quality and its chemical-physical characteristics. Important document on the initial phase of the exploitation of oil in Peru by the "Compagnie française des pétroles de l'Amérique du sud", founded in Paris in 1895.
In fact, at the end of the first page it is declared "... a Societé au Capital de Deux Millions de francs is going to create to begin the exploitation of the assets [...] The Engineer of this Societé will start on 16th February ... to start the Travaux immediately". This is J. De Crechy, Chief Engineer of the 'Compagnie'.
The Art. 7 of the Statutes of the “Compagnie française des pétroles de l’Amérique du sud” declares “Le capital social est fixè à deux millions de francs”.
See Étude sur les gisements pétrolifères du Pérou, par M. de Clercy, ingénieur. Paris, 1895.