The Philippine National Hero José Protacio Rizal needs no further introduction; Don Alejandro S. Macleod will require one. The founder of the ‘Manila Macleods’, Don Alejandro as he was known in Manila (although he was born “Alexander”) was a beloved business figure who first arrived on these shores in 1864. “Enthralled” by the stories of his older brother Neil who had ventured to the Philippines a few years before and worked for the venerable Smith Bell Company. He would found the Macleod Company which would trade in hemp and sugar as well as become involved in shipping and insurance. Don Alejandro would be joined by more of his clan from Scotland. (The Macleods are originally from the Isle of Skye, with its home, the centuries-old Dunvegan castle.) In the letter, Rizal thanks Don Alejandro profusely for putting his sisters Lucia Rizal (1857 - 1919) and Trinidad (1868 - 1951) under his protection and having them even shelter in his magnificent home for several weeks before fleeing to Hongkong. That departure was almost certainly arranged by Don Alejandro who had several ships at his disposal. The letter, in fact, refers to Lucia’s arrival on “that island.” Lucia was the fifth Rizal child — José was the seventh — and was married to Mariano Herbosa of Calamba. Herbosa died of cholera in 1887 but “was denied Christian burial for the simple reason that he was the brother-in-law of José Rizal.” Macleod’s kindnesses, in dangerous defiance of the powers-that-be, were a valuable gesture from an important member of the Philippine establishment. The letter thus features a trifecta of important persons: National hero José Rizal, his sister Lucia, a patriot in her own right, and the well-known fixture of turn-of-the-century Manila, Don Alejandro Macleod. — Lisa Guerrero Nakpil
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An Extremely Rare and Important Letter of José Rizal to Don Alejandro S. Macleod, a Scottish millionaire who thrived in Manila in the late 1880s
Dated from Rizal’s stay in HongKong, 1891
Ink on linen paper
Single sheet, one page
photograph: 5 3/4” x 3 3/4” (15 cm x 10 cm)
letter: 11” x 8” (28 cm x 20 cm)
SOLD: PHP 1,401,600
This lot is accompanied by a rare photograph of José Rizal, printed from the collection of Don Alfonso Ongpin. Dedicated on the reverse to Dr. Pablo de Jesus.
Provenance: From Mrs. Mercedes Macleod Knowles to the family of Dr. Leoncio Lopez, Rizal’s nephew, and thence to its present owner.
Literature: Philippine Herald Magazine, 21 April 1962, reproduced in full as a photograph, with an account of the letter and an interview of Mrs. Mercedes Macleod Knowles and her gift of the letter to Dr. Lopez.