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Catalogue 255 The |
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Section IV: Garden to Intolerable Acts |
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Papers
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83. Garden, Alexander: ANECDOTES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE TALENTS AND VIRTUES OF THE HEROES AND PATRIOTS, WHO ACTED THE MOST CONSPICUOUS PARTS THEREIN. Charleston. 1828. [12], 240pp. Contemporary cloth backed boards. Free endpaper excised. Lower margin of final leaf torn with some loss. Some dampstaining. Just about very good, untrimmed. A presentation copy, inscribed on the front pastedown: "Alister Garden to Mrs. G. Richardson 20 July 1835." The second series, much more uncommon than the first, which was published in 1822. An important source for the Revolution in the South. Garden interviewed many participants in events. HOWES G61. SABIN G26598. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 33320. $1250.With an Account of 84. George, Daniel: GEORGE’S CAMBRIDGE ALMANACK OR, THE ESSEX CALENDAR, FOR THE YEAR OF OUR REDEMPTION, 1776...CALCULATED ACCORDING TO ART, AND FITTED FOR THE MERIDIAN OF CAMBRIDGE, NEW-ENGLAND, LAT. 42' 25° N. BUT MAY, WITHOUT ANY SENSIBLE ERROR, SERVE FOR MOST OF THE OTHER COLONIES ON THE CONTINENT OF AMERICA. Salem: Printed and sold by E. Russell, [1775]. [16]pp. Later stitching. Contemporary inscriptions on titlepage and four additional pages. Moderate age-toning and soiling. A good copy. A Revolutionary-era Massachusetts almanac with an account of the Battle of Concord, "a narrative of the excursion and ravages of the King’s troops, under the command of Gen. Gage, on the 19th of April, 1775; taken with 104 depositions to support the truth of it, and published by order of Congress...Together with an accurate list of all the provincials, who were killed, wounded, and missing in the actions. Including all that was lost on that day." The account and list of colonials who died or were injured or missing begins on p.[4] and continues, a few lines per page, underneath each monthly calendar of the almanac. In his prefatory remarks, Daniel George remarks on the use of space in this publication: "In order to make room for a concise and authentic narrative of the Concord Battle, with an exact list of those of our worthy relatives and friends who were killed, wounded, and missing on that important day, which is here inserted by request and for the benefit of the gentlemen officers and soldiers belonging to the American Continental Army, to perpetuate the same, I have omitted inserting the roads and public houses of entertainment." George, according to the titlepage, was "a student in astronomy at Haverhill, in the County of Essex, who is now in the seventeenth year of his age, and has been a cripple from his infancy." An introductory letter from the Reverend Samuel Williams to the printer on the second page also mentions George’s afflictions, while also commending the accuracy of the almanac. This printing is one of two editions of George’s first almanac, both printed by E. Russell in Salem, Massachusetts in 1776. This 16-page edition has the titlepage variant which reads "Friends yearly meetings, an important prediction, remarkable days...." George continued to issue New England almanacs printed in various Massachusetts towns between 1776 and 1787, with later editions identifying the compiler as a philomath. EVANS 14062. DRAKE 3255. NAIP w036453. $3750.The Perilous Western Frontier 85. Gibson, John: [CONTEMPORARY MANUSCRIPT COPY OF LETTER BY COL. JOHN GIBSON, COMMANDER OF FORT LAURENS ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER, TO GEN. LACHLAN McINTOSH, FOUNDER AND PREVIOUS COMMANDER OF THE FORT, CONCERNING RELATIONS WITH THE INDIANS, SUPPLIES AND TROOP MORALE IN LATE DECEMBER 1778]. Fort Laurens. Dec. 21, 1778. [4]pp. Folio. Old folds, with two small clean tears along one fold (no loss). One line of text slightly smudged due to old fold, a few extremely minor spots. Very good. In the early stages of the American Revolution the military situation of the western frontier was in perilous disorder. A relative handful of American troops, including a regular Virginia regiment, had the task of defending a string of frontier forts in far western Pennsylvania from the British, allied with most of the Indian tribes of the region. Surviving evidence of these frontier activities is quite scarce, and manuscripts regarding the military situation west of the Alleghenies are particularly rare. This letter, from Col. John Gibson to Gen. Lachlan McIntosh, describes the crucial defense of one of these forts, Fort Laurens, and further discusses relations with the Indians, supplies at the fort, and the morale of his troops. Given the few officers at this frontier outpost, it is likely this retained copy is the autograph of Gibson himself. In the fall of 1778, Lachlan McIntosh (most famous today as the man who killed the Signer Button Gwinnett in a duel) served as the commander of the American Army sent to the Ohio region to defeat the Wyandot Indians, allies of the British, and to attack the British garrison at Detroit. In order to billet his troops for the winter, McIntosh ordered the construction of a fort along the Tuscarawas River, between Fort Pitt (present-day Pittsburgh) and Lake Erie. Named after Henry Laurens, the president of the Continental Congress, the fort was completed by early December 1778. Many of McIntosh’s men resisted staying in such a hostile environment for the winter and to avoid a mutiny the commander took the vast majority of his troops to Fort Pitt in Western Pennsylvania, leaving approximately 150 at Fort Laurens, under the command of Col. John Gibson. A brief rebellion against Gibson soon occurred, but the new commander of the fort was able to restore and maintain order despite severe cold, limited supplies, and a siege by combined British and Indian forces from Feb. 22 through March 20, 1779. This Dec. 21, 1778 letter from Gibson to McIntosh reports on the situation. His only mention of the brief rebellion indicates the situation is much improved: "Since my last the men who formerly attempted to mutiny behave extremely well and unanimity prevails amongst us." Gibson notes that various goods in short supply, including cattle, meat, corn, flour, padlocks for the stores, and proper clothing for the weather. He awaits the arrival from another settlement of a blacksmith, whose skills would contribute in various ways to the security of the fort, and a quantity of whiskey, for which "a number of things might be procured from the Indians." As important as the supply situation is the relationship between the Americans at the Fort and the local American Indian tribes. Gibson mentions these relations several times in the letter, and the final two pages of the document consist primarily of English translations of speeches by local Indian leaders. "This day Cap. John Kilbuck and seven Delawares came here; by the enclosed speeches you will be able to judge of their disposition toward us, by what I can learn from Kilbuck they are heartily sorry for the part they have taken, and are inclined, for Peace." Still, he adds, "I have almost finished the setting up & ramming the pickets, and in a few days I think I can bid them defiance." The translations of the two speeches addressed to Gen. McIntosh, assumed to be produced by Kilbuck, provide some insight into the state of American Indian affairs on the frontier. Both native leaders are "greatly rejoiced" to have received messages from the general. The Wyandot Half King adds the following details: "...and that you desire me if I am inclined for Peace to come & treat for it. Brother, I now inform you that I shall acquaint my chiefs of it who are over the Lakes, and what they bid me, that I shall do. Brother, I desire in the meanwhile you would remain where you are until I received their answers, but if you are determined to proceed on you road to Detroit, I desire you will keep some distance from my towns, then I shall be able to prevent my foolish young men from doing any harm, which probably I would not be able to do, should you march thro’ my towns. Should my chiefs send no answer, you may expect to see me in a few days." After both speeches, the phrase "A String. White Wampuam" is indicated in the text. Gibson concludes his letter to McIntosh by mentioning the Indian situation once more, indicating that he would be "happy receiving any commands from the General; particularly relative to the Indians when they arrive here, which you may depend upon I shall implicitly obey – you will infinitely oblige me in sending me the News Papers, and any intelligence you may have rec[eive]d from the Army." A rare example of a Revolutionary War manuscript concerned with Indian relations and the military situation on the western frontier. $3500. Merchants Against the War 86. [Glover, Richard]: THE EVIDENCE DELIVERED ON THE PETITION PRESENTED BY THE WEST-INDIA PLANTERS AND MERCHANTS TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, AS IT WAS INTRODUCED AT THE BAR, AND SUMM’D UP BY MR. GLOVER. [London. 1775]. [2],95pp. Early marbled wrappers. Spine worn. A very good copy. "Grave concern over the dire effects to be suffered if the Colonies should effectuate their threatened embargo of the West Indian trade: ‘The islands which are supplied with most of their subsistence from thence will be reduced to utmost distress, the trade between the islands and the Kingdom will be obstructed, and both the Planters and the Merchants will face ruin’" – Eberstadt. SABIN 23302, 27606. EBERSTADT 135:19, 138:728, 168:507. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 75-54a. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 166a. $1500.87. [Gordon, Patrick]: THE HISTORY OF THE WAR IN AMERICA, BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND HER COLONIES. Dublin. 1779-85. Three volumes. [2],vi,[v]-vii,[1],9-41,[2],2-399; 427,[5]; [4],xii, 432pp. Lacks the large folding map and folding table, which are seldom found. Contemporary tree calf boards, rebacked with modern calf, gilt leather labels. Corners worn. Very good. One of the rarest histories of the Revolution, attributed to Patrick Gordon. Complete sets are very rare, as the third volume, which is present here, is usually lacking. This set lacks the large folding map of America, called for by Sabin and Howes, and the folding table listing those killed or wounded in the Battle of Bunker Hill, which are seldom found with the set. The first volume provides a history of conflicts from 1774 to 1778, the second volume prints political papers from the Stamp Act on, and the third brings the history up to 1783. "The third volume, which continues the history to 1783, was a subsequent publication, and is seldom found with the other two" – Sabin. GEPHART 1001. HOWES G254, "b." SABIN 32226. STEVENS 1927 AMERICANA, 105. $2500.88. [Gray, Harrison]: A FEW REMARKS UPON SOME OF THE VOTES AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, HELD AT PHILADELPHIA IN SEPTEMBER, AND THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, HELD AT CAMBRIDGE IN NOVEMBER 1774. By a Friend to Peace and Good Order. [Boston]. 1775. 20pp. Later plain wrappers. Tear in titlepage carefully repaired. Good. A Tory tract, with an account of the Boston Tea Party, "an action of such a malignant atrocious nature...," with remarks about the proceedings of the Continental Congress. "Observations on this were made in an ‘Address to all free born Americans,’ inserted in the Salem Gazette for March 3, 1775" – Evans. EVANS 14074. SABIN 28391. AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 170a. $1250.With a Wealth of Information 89. [Great Britain – Parliament. House of Commons]: REPORT FROM THE SELECT COMMITTEE, TO WHOM IT WAS REFERRED TO CONSIDER AND EXAMINE THE ACCOUNTS OF EXTRAORDINARY SERVICES INCURRED AND PAID, AND NOT PROVIDED FOR BY PARLIAMENT, WHICH HAVE BEEN LAID BEFORE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN THE YEARS 1776, 1777, AND 1778. London: Printed for J. Almon, 1778. 81, [87]pp. Contemporary calf, rebacked. Front and rear covers scuffed and abraded, corners chipped. Inscription, "Annaly," stamped in black on front cover, bookplate of Sir R. St. George on front pastedown. Text block beginning to open at titlepage, internal binding still solid. Titlepage lightly dampstained, light tanning internally at edges. A good copy. A report to the committee of the British House of Commons responsible for reviewing accounts paid for services and goods not originally budgeted by Parliament. This particular report’s focus is rum supplied to the British military in 1776 through 1778. It includes requisitions made by commanders overseas; agreements, proposals, contracts, prices, and payments for acquiring rum for the troops; and correspondence between the British Secretary of State and the governors of islands in the West Indies. The appendix, which is slightly longer than the report, consists of eighty documents. These include correspondence and contracts concerning shipping rum and many other supplies to British troops, as well as transcriptions of "tenders for victualizing his majesty’s ships." A fascinating look into the process and difficulties of supplying British troops during the early years of the Revolutionary War. A significant part of the rum supplied was for forces in America, and it all came from the Caribbean. Not in Sabin, who records a folio edition published the same year. GOLDSMITH 11734. OCLC 28279821. $850.Unique Broadside Announcing 90. [Great Britain-Spain Relations]: BY HIS EXCELLENCY WILLIAM TRYON, ESQ; GOVERNOR AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE PROVINCE OF NEW-YORK, AND THE TERRITORIES DEPENDING THEREON IN AMERICA...A PROCLAMATION. THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR HAVING LATELY BY ORDER OF HIS COURT PRESENTED A DECLARATION AVOWING THE HOSTILE INTENTION OF THE CATHOLIC KING AGAINST GREAT-BRITAIN AND HER DOMINIONS.... [New York. 1779]. Broadside, 15½ x 10¼ inches. Old fold marks, minor chips on right edge, otherwise very clean. A very good copy. A previously unrecorded broadside, not listed by Evans, Bristol, or Shipton & Mooney, and unknown to the North American Imprints Program. This proclamation by New York governor William Tryon, dated Sept. 2, 1779, informs the colonists that the Spanish King and Court have declared their hostile intentions against Great Britain and her dominions. Spain had officially declared war against Great Britain on June 21, 1779 after secretly agreeing in April of that year to join with France in waging war on the British. The monarchies of Spain and France were linked by the Bourbon Family Pact and both countries had lost territory to the British in North America following the Seven Years’ War. In this broadside, Tryon states the King’s intention "to commence hostilities against the Catholic King and his subjects" and Parliament’s "support and assistance in the prosecution of such measures as his majesty shall think necessary to adopt on this occasion." Tryon adds that in response to these hostilities, Letters of Marque will be granted. Until these letters are issued, the governor assures "the owners of all ships bearing Letters of Marque against the French King and his subjects, that his Majesty will consider them as having a just claim to the King’s share of all Spanish ships and property which they may make Prize of." A unique Revolutionary-era broadside documenting the international dimensions of Great Britain’s activities during the Revolutionary War. $12,500. Very Early Grenada Printing 91. [Grenada]: [Treaties of Paris]: EXTRACT FROM THE DEFINITIVE TREATY OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP...CONCLUDED AT PARIS THE 10TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 1763...EXTRACT FROM THE DEFINITIVE TREATY OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP...SIGNED AT VERSAILLES THE 3D DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1783...A PROCLAMATION. GEORGE THE THIRD...TO ALL OUR LOVING SUBJECTS...[caption titles]. Grenada: Printed by John Spahn, [1784?]. [4]pp. on a folio sheet folded once to quarto size. Splitting along most of the fold, but the two leaves not detached. Stained along upper edge, lightly tanned. Good. In a half morocco box. A very rare Grenada imprint, printing extracts from the treaties which concluded the French & Indian War and the American Revolution, especially those portions pertaining to Grenada, and to Britain’s guarantee of freedom of religion in her colonies. This proclamation was printed in Grenada by John Spahn, and though undated was likely produced in 1784, following the news of Britain’s re-acquisition of Grenada after the Treaty of Paris concluding the American Revolution. Four articles are reprinted from the Treaty of 1763 ending the French & Indian War: Article 4, passing all of Canada over to the British, and ensuring freedom of religion to the former French subjects; Article 9, ceding Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent, Dominica and Tobago to the British and ensuring the same religious freedoms as those guaranteed to the former French subjects in Canada; and two articles pertaining to administrative matters. Four articles are also reprinted from the 1783 Treaty of Paris which ended the American Revolution: Article VII through which Britain ceded St. Lucia and Tobago to the French, and in which the French guaranteed religious freedom to the Protestant inhabitants of the islands; Article VIII, which gave Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent’s, Dominica, St. Christopher’s, Nevis, and Montserrat, and under which the British guaranteed religious freedom; and two other articles addressing legal and administrative questions. The third item reprinted is a proclamation by George III, "given at Our Town of Fort Royal," in 1764 proclaims the sovereignty of British law on Grenada and the other recently acquired islands: "the laws of Great Britain are in force in this Island, as far as the Nature and Circumstances of the Colony will permit; and that all other Jurisdictions, Offices, Commissions and Proceedings for the future, not founded on those Our Laws of England, are hereby declared to be absolutely determined, utterly void, and totally abolished." The Proclamation authorizes the calling of a General Assembly for the islands, and gives the Governor General the power to institute laws and courts on the island until the legislature convenes. Printing on Grenada began as early as 1765, and continued through the French occupation of 1779-83. OCLC carries only one listing for John Spahn as a printer on Grenada – as publisher of the St. George’s Chronicle And Grenada Gazette in 1800. Though the present extracts are undated, it is most likely that they were printed shortly after the British regained control of Grenada in 1784. This document is not listed on OCLC, nor are any Grenada imprints from the 1780s. A rare collection of treaty extracts carrying important information about the political and religious state of affairs in Grenada and the West Indies. Due to the humid climate in the area, 18th century imprints from the West Indies are virtually unobtainable. $6000. A Rare Grenada Printing 92. [Grenada]: [Treaties of Paris]: A PROCLAMATION. GEORGE THE THIRD...TO ALL OUR LOVING SUBJECTS OF OUR ISLAND OF GRENADA AND ITS DEPENDENCIES, AND TO ALL OTHERS WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL OR MAY CONCERN...[caption title]. [St. George’s, Grenada? 1784]. [3]pp. on a folio sheet folded once to quarto size. Quarto. The two leaves detached from each other. Quite worn and chipped around edges. Tanned. Good. In a half morocco and cloth box. An extremely rare Grenada imprint, this is the royal proclamation by King George III announcing that with the Treaty of Paris ending the war of the American Revolution the islands of Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Montserrat have now become the possessions of Great Britain. Aside from its recognition of the independence of the United States, the Treaty of Paris had far-reaching effects on the Americas, as the status of several islands in the Caribbean and the West Indies were affected as well. In this proclamation, likely printed at St. George’s, Grenada, the British monarch announces that Grenada, which was captured from the British by the French in 1779, has been returned to British control. Lieutenant General Edward Mathew is appointed Captain-General and Governor in Chief of Grenada and the Grenadines, and a General Assembly of the freeholders and planters of the islands is called. British laws in force before the French seizure would be restored and judges would resume their positions. The proclamation further calls on any notaries who recorded legal contracts during the French occupation to report all such agreement to the island’s "Register’s Office" within fifteen days of the proclamation (which is dated January 10, 1784). Though bearing no formal imprint, this proclamation states that it was "given at our town of St. George’s" in Grenada, and is signed in print by Gov. Mathew and Deputy Provost Marshal William Gilloch. It was almost certainly printed at St. George’s, Grenada, most likely by a printer named John Spahn. This supposition is based on a comparison of typefaces and ornaments used by Spahn on a similar document from the same period. Printing on Grenada began as early as 1765, and continued through the French occupation of 1779-83. No copies of this proclamation are located on OCLC, nor are any items with a 1780s Grenada imprint. Due to the humid climate in the area, 18th century imprints from the West Indies are virtually unobtainable. A very rare and desirable item, carrying important news about the shifting balance of power in the West Indies in the wake of the American Revolution. $6000. 93. Hall, John: THE HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA. London: T. Payne and Son, 1780. [2],413,[7]pp. plus folding map. Contemporary calf, rebacked, gilt-stamped spine. Internally bright and quite clean. Very good. The author was an officer under Gen. Howe, serving around New York and in New Jersey in 1776-77. His account of the war continues to the departure of Gen. Howe in June 1778. Howes lists the work under Capt. John Hall, noting the possibility that Capt. William C. Hall may have been the author. An excellent map of the New York-New Jersey theatre of war accompanies the work. A rare British view on the war. HOWES H84, "aa." SABIN 29740. $2500.Hamilton Borrows Money 94. Hamilton, Alexander: [AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED "A. HAMILTON," TO COLONEL JEREMIAH WADSWORTH, REQUESTING A LOAN OF £100]. Philadelphia. Feb 17, 1782. [1]p. Somewhat faint, address leaf with remains of seal. In an archival chemise, and half morocco and cloth slipcase. A brief but evocative letter, written by cash-strapped Alexander Hamilton at a turning point in his life. Hamilton’s first child had been born a month earlier, he was two weeks away from leaving the military, had just begun studying for his law examinations to join the bar, and was in the process of moving his young family to a new home. Though his wife, Elizabeth, was from the wealthy Schuyler family, Hamilton found himself pressed for money. To alleviate this situation, he turns in this letter to Jeremiah Wadsworth, who had served much of the Revolution as commissary general for the Continental and French armies. Wadsworth, a Connecticut native, would go on to found the Hartford Bank and the Bank of North America, and to serve as president of the Bank of New York and as director of the Bank of the United States. Wadsworth was also a close financial partner of John Barker Church, who was Hamilton’s brother-in-law, being the husband of Elizabeth Hamilton’s sister, Angelica Schuyler Church. Hamilton writes: "Dear Sir, I heard you mention the other day that you had put out some money to interest. Having met with some disappointment in a sum I expected to receive, I should be much obliged to you for the loan of an hundred pounds, for which I will allow the same consideration which you receive from others. I am Your obt servt A Hamilton, Philadelphia, Feb 17th 1782." A short but weighty letter from one of the greatest of the founders, before his rise to political power. HENDRICKSON, HAMILTON I, pp.352-53. DAB XIX, pp.309-10. ANB 22, pp.441-42. $5000.95. [Hamilton, Alexander]: COLONEL HAMILTON’S SECOND LETTER, FROM PHOCION TO THE CONSIDERATE CITIZENS OF NEW-YORK, ON THE POLITICS OF THE TIMES, IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE PEACE: CONTAINING REMARKS ON MENTOR’S REPLY. Philadelphia. 1784. pp.[25]-48. Modern half morocco and cloth. Light scattered foxing. Good. Second edition, after the first New York printing of the same year. An influential tract in which Hamilton responds to Isaac Ledyard’s Mentor’s Reply to Phocion’s Letter, and continues along the Federalist lines of the original Letter to Phocion, which calls for compliance with the 1783 peace treaty with the British and an end to attacks on Tories and Tory property. This letter reminds patriots of the nature of civil liberties, especially with respect to American Tories. Evans notes that this printing was issued as an addendum to Bingham’s Strictures on Lord Sheffield. HOWES H124. SABIN 29965. FORD 16. EVANS 18516 (ref). $850.96. [Hancock, John]: DISCOURS DE SON EXCELLENCE MONSIEUR JEAN HANCOCK, PRESIDENT DU CONGRÈS DE PHILADELPHIE. Philadelphia [but actually Paris?]. 1776. 32pp. Contemporary wrappers. Occasional minor staining. A very good copy. In a half morocco box. An anti-American satire presented in the form of a speech by John Hancock to the Continental Congress. The discourse was not actually written or delivered by Hancock. Adding to the curious nature of this publication, the work was probably printed in Paris, rather than Philadelphia as indicated on the titlepage. "A spurious, anti-U.S. squib, satirizing the ambitions of U.S. leaders and warning of the possible consequences from support of U.S. by France, Holland, or Spain. Contains a very early, if not the first, French use of the word ‘Jankees’ (p.10)" – Echeverria & Wilkie. ECHEVERRIA & WILKIE 776/10. EVANS 14736. SABIN 30176. HILDEBURN 4682. NAIP w030784. OCLC 23916383. $3250.97. [Hancock, John]: [GROUP OF FIVE CONTEMPORARY ENGRAVINGS OF JOHN HANCOCK]. [Various places. [1776-1780]. Five engravings, ranging from 4¾ x 3¼ to 8¾ x 6¼ inches, all inlaid into quarto sheets. Fine. A fine collection of five contemporary engravings of John Hancock, executed in the 1770s or ’80s. The images capture Hancock from the period immediately before the American Revolution to his tenure as president of the Continental Congress. They are as follow: 1) John Hancock, Esq. [Np. nd]. 4¾ x 3¼ inches. Apparently a portrait of Hancock executed in the years immediately before the outbreak of the Revolution. 2) The Honble. John Hancock. [Np. nd]. 5¼ x 3½ inches. Identified as being engraved from a sculpture by Pollard. 3) Le Celebre Hancock President du Congress Anglo-Ameriquain. [Paris. nd, ca. 1776]. 8½ x 6 inches. The most elaborate of the five engravings, with Hancock depicted within an ornate oval border. 4) John Hancock, Esq; President of the American Congress. [London. ca. 1776]. 6¾ x 3½ inches. The most interesting of the representations of Hancock. He is shown in a full-body pose, seated, as the dissenting British politician, John Wilkes, was often depicted. Portraits of Oliver Cromwell and Cromwell’s cousin and fellow anti-monarchical revolutionary, John Hampden, hang on the rear wall. Hancock is seen signing an address "To the People of Ireland," and other documents awaiting or adorned by his famous signature are strewn about, including "Resolutions of the Continental Congress" and "Boston Port Bill." 5) John Hancock. President des Americane Congresses. [Np, Paris? nd, ca. 1780?]. 6 x 3¾ inches. The most crudely executed of the five images, bearing no identifying marks. $1250. Important Early Western Account 98. Haswell, Anthony: MEMOIRS AND ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MATTHEW PHELPS; FORMERLY OF HARWINGTON IN CONNECTICUT. NOW RESIDENT IN NEWHAVEN IN VERMONT. PARTICULARLY IN TWO VOYAGES, FROM CONNECTICUT TO THE RIVER MISSISSIPPI, FROM DECEMBER 1773 TO OCTOBER 1780.... Bennington, Vt. 1802. 210,63, [3],xii pp. Thick 12mo. Contemporary speckled calf, spine gilt, gilt morocco label. Upper and outer margins of title-leaf excised, with no loss of text. Toning and scattered foxing, else very good. Early ink signature of "A.J. Haswell" (possibly from the author or a member of his family) on both pastedowns. A beautiful copy overall. In a cloth chemise bearing the bookplate of the early 20th-century social reformer, John Spargo, and slipcase. One of the only sources for this period and probably the only printed narrative by an eyewitness and participant in the opening campaigns of the American Revolution in Louisiana and the "Natchez Country." Field described the work as "very scarce" in 1875, and Owen dubs it "exceedingly rare." Includes detailed accounts of the battles and travels, with much on the collusion between the British and the Indians, Spanish intrigues, etc. "[T]he Memoirs is one of the most fascinating and harrowing narratives of the early nineteenth century. Phelps and his family were members of a party led by Phineas Lyman to settle on the Yazoo River" – Graff. HOWES H300, "b." GRAFF 1816. STREETER SALE 1528. CLARK I:287. SABIN 30829. OWEN, p.782. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 2887. FIELD 920. McCORISON 643. $3500.99. Hillard, Elias B., Rev.: THE LAST MEN OF THE REVOLUTION. A PHOTOGRAPH OF EACH FROM LIFE, TOGETHER WITH VIEWS OF THEIR HOMES PRINTED IN COLORS. ACCOMPANIED BY BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE MEN. Hartford: Published by N.A. & R.A. Moore, 1864. 64pp. plus six original mounted photographs, six colored lithographs. Contemporary three quarter morocco and patterned cloth boards, rebacked in matching style and corners restored, gilt title on front board. Early ownership signature of "Hattie Norton" on front free endpaper. Scattered light foxing. On the whole, in very good condition. This book is remarkable for its extraordinarily early mounted photographs of actual veterans of the American Revolution. Hillard produced it during the Civil War to inspire patriotic sentiments by providing verbal and visual portraits of the experienced old veterans. The colored lithographs show their homes. The persons photographed are Samuel Downing, Daniel Waldo, Lemuel Cook, Alexander Millener, William Hutchings, and Adam Link. An additional chapter on James Barham is unillustrated as he could not be found, although there was no record of his death. The photographs provide a remarkable reach back into time, showing persons born in the 1760s. "The photographs were made uniformly under makeshift circumstances as would have been required if the photographs were made in situ while Hillard visited each for a personal interview" – Goldschmidt & Naef. A truly wonderful little book. This copy lacks a facsimile of a letter written by Edward Everett, who served as both a congressman and governor of Massachusetts, commenting on the work. The original letter was written within days of Everett’s death on Jan. 15, 1865, and the facsimile is not found in all copies. BENNETT, p.56. HOWES H490. SABIN 31871. TRUTHFUL LENS 86. McGRATH, pp.114-15, 132-33. $6500.100. Holland, Samuel: THE PROVINCES OF NEW YORK, AND NEW JERSEY; WITH PART OF PENSILVANIA [sic], AND THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. DRAWN BY MAJOR HOLLAND, SURVEYOR GENERAL, OF THE NORTHERN DISTRICT IN AMERICA. CORRECTED AND IMPROVED, FROM THE ORIGINAL MATERIALS, BY GOVERN.R POWNALL, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, 1776. London: Printed for Robt. Sayer and John Bennett, August 17, 1776. Engraved map consisting of eight folio sheets backed on linen (54½ x 21¾ inches), with contemporary color outlining and shading of some boundaries and geographic features. Slightly soiled, occasional minor stains, a few old repairs (no loss of text). In a linen slipcase, spine of inner folder torn. A very good copy. This famous map is one of the best for the provinces of New York and New Jersey during the colonial period. It is the fourth state described by McCorkle, following versions published ca. 1768, in 1775, and earlier in 1776. "The map includes western Connecticut and Massachusetts and most of Vermont. In 1775 the title became ‘The Provinces of New York, and New Jersey; with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec’...Three insets were added in this state: A chart of the mouth of the Hudson River; A plan of the City of New York; Plan of Amboy...The following year the date changed to 1776. Later in the same year the title was extended to include ‘Corrected and improved, from the original materials, by Govern.r Pownall’ and Holland’s rank was given as Major" – McCorkle. The present copy is the final version described by McCorkle. The Provinces of New York, and New Jersey is in effect a large-scale map of the Hudson River and its tributaries, including the Mohawk, and settlement in New York is almost entirely confined to the banks of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers. The unexplored Adirondack County is left almost entirely blank, with a lengthy notation that begins, "Beaver Hunting Country of the Confederated Indians." Pennsylvania extends north into western New York state almost as far as the Mohawk, Vermont is shown attached to New York (with each existing township identified), and the map extends north into Quebec beyond Montreal. Interesting notations on the country are scattered across the face of the map. For instance, in Pennsylvania, an area with little detail is simply noted as "endless mountains." The map is beautifully decorated, with a pastoral title cartouche suggestive of the Hudson Palisades in the lower right-hand corner. The map was created by Samuel Holland, Surveyor General for the Northern District of North America. As a result of the French and Indian War (1755-63), Great Britain had acquired a new American Empire, for which there were few adequate maps. Two new offices of surveyor general for the American colonies were established in 1763-64. The colonies were divided at the Potomac River into a northern and southern district and the respective surveyors appointed were Samuel Holland and Gerard De Brahm. Holland conceived of a general survey of North America east of the Mississippi to be based upon geodetic principles, on a scale of one inch to one mile, but work was interrupted in 1775 by the outbreak of the American Revolution. A very good copy of Holland’s large and important map which includes western New England and portions of Quebec. PRITCHARD & TALIAFERRO, DEGREES OF LATITUDE, fig. 21. PHILLIPS ATLASES 1166, number 17. McCORKLE 768.3, 775.6, 776.13. $7500.101. Hopkinson, Francis: THE MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS AND OCCASIONAL WRITINGS OF FRANCIS HOPKINSON, ESQ. Philadelphia: Printed by T. Dobson, 1792. Three volumes. vi,384; iv,422; vi, 215,204pp. Modern half morocco. Tanned, old library stamps and ink numbers on titlepages. Overall a sound set. A posthumous publication of various political and literary writings, including poetry. Hopkinson was a member of the Continental Congress. Among the writings contained herein is A Pretty Story, an important political satire of the American Revolution. The DAB states that "it presents the grievances of America without exaggeration, and it has a style that is vigorous without being ill-natured." Other writings relating to the Revolution contained here are "A letter to Lord Howe," "Two letters by a tory," "A letter to Joseph Galloway, Esq.," "A prophecy written 1776," and several others. Hopkinson wrote many other political and literary works, and is considered an important early American writer. EVANS 24407. WRIGHT I:1229. SABIN 32979. DAB IX, pp.221-22. $1000.102. Horry, Peter [and Mason Locke Weems]: THE LIFE OF GEN. FRANCIS MARION, A CELEBRATED PARTIZAN OFFICER, IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, AGAINST THE BRITISH AND TORIES, IN SOUTH-CAROLINA AND GEORGIA. By Brigadier General P. Horry. Baltimore: Printed for the Rev. M.L. Weems, by W.D. Bell & J.F. Cook, 1814. 270pp. Contemporary calf, neatly rebacked with original endpapers preserved, corners repaired. Tiny illegible gift inscription and note of authorship on titlepage, erasure of ownership signature (?) at top of titlepage resulting in tiny hole and loss of most of the print in the "f" and "e" in "life." Foxing and spotting. A good, sound copy. The second edition, almost as hard to come by as the
first edition of 1809, of one of the rarest of all southern military books
and Revolutionary War accounts, compiled from information supplied by Gen.
Peter Horry and written by the famed Parson Mason Weems. General Francis
Marion, "The Swamp Fox," was one of the leading American
commanders of the Revolution in the South. His brilliant operations in the
Carolinas kept thousands of British troops tied down and contributed
immensely to an ultimate American victory. Plain and unassuming, he was
widely beloved by his contemporaries, and after his death this book
instigated his ascent to legendary status. Horry, Marion’s second in
command for part of the war, supplied many of the facts for the book,
although he was allegedly disgusted by Weems’ flowery passages and
disclaimed any connection with the book. What he disliked, others
embraced, and the book went through many editions. All of the early
editions are rare. An Historical Hoax and Work 103. Howe, John: [Roby, Luther] (attributed to): A JOURNAL KEPT BY MR. JOHN HOWE, WHILE HE WAS EMPLOYED AS A BRITISH SPY, DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR; ALSO, WHILE HE WAS ENGAGED IN THE SMUGGLING BUSINESS, DURING THE LATER WAR. Concord, N.H.: Luther Roby, Printer, 1827. 44pp. 12mo. Original printed yellow wrappers, stitched. Wrappers soiled and edgeworn, spine chipped with loss of about half the paper. Scattered foxing, evenly tanned. Good, in original, unsophisticated condition. In a half morocco box. A fascinating work of early American historical fiction, and a grand literary hoax. This scarce work purports to be the memoir of one John Howe, a British spy during the American Revolution engaged in espionage in the northeast on behalf of General Gage. The text relates Howe’s experiences reconnoitering the roads from Boston to Worcester and Concord, with an emphasis on his activities in the days before the battles of Lexington and Concord. Included are the names of Tory agents, conversations with British officers, deceptions made toward American patriots, and more. According to Howe, he explored the road in advance of Percy’s expedition to Concord and Lexington and, joining the British at the former town on the day of the battle there, he was sent to Salem to carry letters to Tories. Eventually, Howe writes, he deserted the British and after the war went out to the Old Northwest to trade preach to the Indians and trade with them in furs. In the War of 1812 he attached himself to Hull’s army as a spy. Afterwards he became a smuggler, a career of which he gives a considerable account. Wright Howes was the most prominent bibliographer to cast doubt on the veracity of the memoir of "John Howe," calling it a "thinly disguised plagiarism of the genuine spy narrative of Engign de Berniere found in General Gage’s Instructions," published in Boston in 1779. Recent research by the literary scholar Daniel Williams shows that the Howe memoir is indeed a fiction, likely invented by the printer/publisher Luther Roby and partially lifted from de Berniere’s experiences and modified to appeal to the American reading public. British regulars are depicted in a negative light, while the colonists are depicted as zealous patriots. The post-Revolutionary material appears to have been invented from whole cloth, again designed to appeal to the sensibilities of the New England reading public. But while of little use as primary evidence of historical events, the "John Howe" memoir is an important work in studying the development of a literary culture in the early United States, and how printers and publishers sought to satisfy the cravings of their readers. Not in Sabin and quite rare on the market. We can locate no copy at auction since the Streeter copy in 1967. The NUC, OCLC, and American Imprints together locate only eleven copies. Rare, interesting, and worthy of study. HOWES H725, "aa." STREETER SALE 811. OCLC 33330890. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 29262. Daniel E. Williams, "Specious Spy: The Narrative Lives – and Lies – of Mr. John Howe" in The Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation (Lubbock, Tx. 1993), Vol. 34, No. 3, pp.264-86. $5000.104. [Howe, William]: Corbutt, Charles: THE HONBLE. SR. WM. HOWE. KNIGHT OF THE BATH & COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF HIS MAJESTY’S FORCES IN AMERICA. London: John Morris, 1777. Mezzotint portrait, 7½ x 10 inches. Slight edge wear, minor tape repair in upper corners. Brief biography in pencil on verso. Image quite clean. Very good. An attractive mezzotint portrait of Sir William Howe, executed while he was serving as commander of the British forces in America. Howe is shown in a half-length standing pose, wearing the star and sash of the Order of the Bath. Howe succeeded Gage as commander of the British forces in the colonies during the Revolution, serving in this capacity from 1775 to 1778. He was quite popular with his troops, and the casual pose struck here communicates a sense of his pleasant demeanor. This print is an ample demonstration of the demand in England at the time for images of British war heroes. Howe had distinguished himself as early as the French and Indian War, and his stature as commander of British forces in North America helped create a market for his image, along with those of other key military leaders. British printers responded by creating several portraits, most of them bearing little resemblance to their subject. These portraits were instead created from a basic visual template. The present portrait of Howe is one such example of this trend, as it bears little resemblance to other contemporary portraits of him, and there is no record of the General having sat for a portrait by a Charles Corbutt. To further complicate matters, "Charles Corbutt" was a pseudonym used by a Dublin-born engraver named Richard Purcell. A fine example of Revolutionary iconography. CRESSWELL, pp.40-41 (ref). ANB 11, p.345. $2000.105. Hubley, Benrard [sic]: THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, INCLUDING THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE HONOURABLE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS DURING THAT PERIOD AND ALSO, THE MOST INTERESTING LETTERS AND ORDERS OF HIS EXCELLENCY GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON, COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE AMERICAN FORCES...VOLUME I [all published]. Northumberland, Pa.: Printed for the author, by Andrew Kennedy, 1805. iv,606pp. plus eight extra pages numbered 192 inserted between pages 192 and 193, plus errata leaf. Modern half morocco and marbled boards. Ex.-lib with ink stamp on titlepage, bookplate on rear pastedown. Two front free endpapers chipped and torn. Bottom foredge of all leaves through page 92 chipped, with no loss of text. Errata leaf backed on tissue. Light, even tanning and some foxing. Good, untrimmed. An important early history of the American Revolution, and the first American history of the Revolution based on documentary sources. Bernard Hubley served as a first lieutenant and as a captain in the German Battalion during the American Revolution. He wrote this history based on his own papers, the journals and papers of other officers, and on material supplied him by Gen. Edward Hand, adjutant general of the army. Hubley interweaves his narrative with excerpts from his multifarious sources. Doubtless planned as a multi-volume work, this first volume takes the story from 1774 through October 1775. Hubley died in 1808. The present copy is likely an early issue of the work, with Hubley’s first name incorrectly spelled "Benrard" on the titlepage, and "honourable" on the titlepage spelled with a "u." "A scarce and important history" – Sabin. HOWES B759, "b." SABIN 33473. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 8659. HEITMAN, p.306. $800.106. Humphreys, David: AN ESSAY ON THE LIFE OF THE HONORABLE MAJOR-GENERAL ISRAEL PUTNAM: ADDRESSED TO THE STATE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI IN CONNECTICUT. Hartford: Printed by Hudson and Goodwin, 1788. 187pp. 12mo. Half antique calf and marbled boards, red leather spine labels, raised bands. Ink institutional stamp on verso of titlepage. Slightly tanned and foxed. Very good. This copy bears the contemporary ownership signature of "Chloe Ross" on the final text page. The scarce first edition of David Humphreys’ celebrated and lasting biography of Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam. Humphreys himself performed heroically during the Revolution, and was much beloved by George Washington. The book is still a useful source, containing a storehouse of firsthand anecdotes regarding Putnam’s wartime exploits. Humphreys "had a natural talent for military science, and there are few more intelligent contemporary pictures of certain important campaigns, notably the battle of Long Island and the retreat from Harlem, than those contained in his [essay on the life of Putnam]. In this he wrote as he fought, coolly and vigorously, and the book remains a testimonial to Putnam, to the effort and sacrifice of those stirring days, and to Humphreys’ own victorious good sense" (DAB). Printed several times well into the 19th century and still in print, this first printing is scarce on the market. A bedrock Revolutionary history. EVANS 21160. TRUMBULL 870. HOWES D794. SABIN 33804. LARNED 1465. DAB IX, pp.373-75. $2250.107. [Huntington, Jabez]: A DISCOURSE ON THE TIMES...The Third Edition with an Addition. Norwich: Printed by J. Trumbull, 1777. 22pp. Stitched as issued. Corners rounded. Tanned, some old light dampstaining. Overall good original condition. In a half morocco box. Third edition, after the first and second of 1776. A rare Revolutionary political tract, incorporating the argument that "if God be for us, who can be against us?" This pamphlet, which is by "a Hearty Friend to all the Colonies," is usually attributed to Jabez Huntington, a wealthy merchant from Norwich who served as major-general in charge of the Connecticut militia during the Revolution. "Methinks the wonderful interposition of heaven in our favour, makes it evident, to speak after the manner of men, that the most high favours our cause." BRISTOL B4458. SABIN 20244. $1500.The Earliest General Map 108. Hutchins, Thomas: A NEW MAP OF THE WESTERN PARTS OF VIRGINIA, PENNSYLVANIA, MARYLAND AND NORTH CAROLINA; COMPREHENDING THE RIVER OHIO, AND THE RIVERS, WHICH FALL INTO IT; PART OF THE RIVER MISSISSIPPI, THE WHOLE OF THE ILLINOIS, LAKE ERIE; PART OF LAKE HURON, MICHIGAN &c. AND ALL THE COUNTRY BORDERING ON THESE LAKES AND RIVERS. London: Published according to Act of Parliament by T. Hutchins, 1778. Folding map, 36¼ x 44 inches, on four joined sheets, with bright period outline wash color. A little browning at joints. Library stamp of "Depot de la Marine" at lower right. Docketed on verso: "N° 128. de la boite / n° 29." / "Virginie, Pennsylvanie / &c. / Par Thos. Hutchins. / 1778. (En Anglais.)." Overall a fine copy. Accompanied by the text of Hutchins’ work (see description below). A remarkable work of American cartography, being both the first true general map of the American Midwest and the first meaningful large-scale depiction of the trans-Appalachian Country. This great map extends from western New York in the northeast, Cape Fear in the southeast, the Wisconsin River in the northwest, to the Arkansas River in the southwest. Thomas Hutchins was a seminal figure in the surveying and mapping of the United States. He began his career as a topographical engineer for the British Army during the French and Indian War. From 1758 to 1777 he served in the newly acquired Ohio Valley, designing the fortifications at Fort Pitt in 1763. In the following year he accompanied Bouquet on his expedition against the western Indians. The result was his map of the country on the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, published in London in 1766. Hutchins was a member of the exploring party sent down the Ohio Valley in 1766 to investigate the territory recently acquired from France, and on this occasion he conducted "the first accurate map, or more properly, hydrographic survey [of the Ohio River]" (Brown). Hutchins was stationed at Fort Chartres on the Illinois bank of the Mississippi from 1768 to 1770. He subsequently went to England, where he compiled this great map from his exhaustive personal surveys, and information gathered from many sources. The depiction of the Ohio immediately below Fort Pitt, for example, seems to be based on a manuscript by John Montresor. Brown notes that its publication in 1778 represented "the culmination of a long career as an engineer and mapmaker in the wilderness of North America." Hutchins returned to America in 1781 and was appointed "Geographer to the United States" by Congress. In 1783 he was a member of the commission that surveyed the Mason-Dixon Line, and in 1785 was appointed by Congress to the commission that surveyed the New York-Massachusetts boundary. Under the Ordinance of 1785 he was placed in charge of the surveying of the public lands in the Northwest Territory. He died in 1789, shortly after completing the survey of the "Seven Ranges" in Ohio. Hutchins is frequently credited with establishing the excellent system under which all of the public lands of the United States were subsequently surveyed and divided into townships, ranges, and sections. His 1778 map was the foundation document for the mapping of the Ohio Valley in the late 18th century. The depiction of the trans-Appalachian region on Thomas Jefferson’s famous map in his Notes on the State of Virginia (1787), for example, was taken directly from Hutchins. The map shows the western claims of Virginia and North Carolina based upon their 17th-century royal charters. It is filled with exhaustive data throughout, with a fascinating series of notes or "legends" interspersed among the geographical details. "Illinois Country" is shown between the Illinois and Wabash rivers. Among its other important details, Hutchins’ map is one of the only printed maps of the period to show the proposed new colony of Vandalia (here "Indiana"), which was projected to occupy a large portion of the present state of West Virginia. This copy of the map is accompanied by Hutchins’ text: A Topographical Description of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina, Comprehending the Rivers Ohio, Kenhawa, Sioto, Cherokee, Wabash, Illinois, Mississippi, &c.... London. 1778. [2],ii,67pp. plus two folding maps and folding table. Bound in half calf and marbled paper boards. Ex-lib. with perforated stamp on titlepage and a few other minor library marks. The text is here in the first edition, second state, with errors corrected on the titlepage and in the text, and no errata leaf. Of the text Streeter writes: "Hutchins’ work is one of the most valuable sources on the West during the British period. It is of particular interest for the Illinois country. The appended journal by Captain Kennedy describes his voyage up the Illinois River to its headwaters during July and August of 1773." Hutchins was the most accomplished geographer in America at the time, and his exact description of the regions west of the Alleghenies was the best available at the time of the Revolution. "[B]y far the best map of the west printed to that time" – Streeter. "The best [colonial] map of the region south of the Great Lakes" – Cumming. A vital American map, and exceptionally rare. Map: STREETER SALE 1300. PHILLIPS MAPS, p.983. CUMMING, BRITISH MAPS OF COLONIAL AMERICA, p.36. BROWN, EARLY MAPS OF THE OHIO VALLEY, plate 51. SIEBERT SALE 289. Text: VAIL 655. FIELD 744. STREETER SALE 1299. SABIN 34054. HOWES H846, "d." GRAFF 2029. THOMSON 625. CLARK I:258. $90,000.The Famous Hutchinson Letters 109. [Hutchinson, Thomas]: THE LETTERS OF GOVERNOR HUTCHINSON, AND LIEUT. GOVERNOR OLIVER, &c. PRINTED AT BOSTON. AND REMARKS THEREON. WITH THE ASSEMBLY’S ADDRESS, AND THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE LORDS COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL. TOGETHER WITH THE SUBSTANCE OF MR. WEDDERBURN’S SPEECH RELATING TO THOSE LETTERS. AND THE REPORT OF THE LORDS COMMITTEE TO HIS MAJESTY IN COUNCIL. London. 1774. [4],142pp. Half title. Modern three-quarter morocco and marbled boards, spine gilt. Some light dampstaining on half title, else very good. Second edition. This edition was edited by Israel Mauduit and printed to defend his friend, Gov. Hutchinson. These letters by Hutchinson were leaked by a party unknown, but probably Benjamin Franklin, who was then still in London as agent for Pennsylvania and assistant postmaster for the American colonies. The mistrust of colonial intentions revealed in the letters created a firestorm of criticism in Boston and led to Hutchinson’s literally fleeing the colony. "Publication of these letters – copies of which Franklin had secured in London – fanned revolutionary sentiment in America more than any other book of the period" – Howes. This volume also prints the proceedings of Franklin’s grilling before the Privy Council. After Franklin’s appearance and the famed assault on his character by Wedderburn, he was stripped of his post office sinecure, and his position in London was made difficult. The whole incident was a major escalation of the Revolutionary tensions in the American colonies, and the cause of Franklin’s final disillusionment with the British ministry. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY 73-5e. SABIN 34072. HOWES H851. $1750.New York Protests 110. [Intolerable Acts]: NEW-YORK. THE FOLLOWING DIALOGUE BEING CONCEIVED, IN SOME MEASURE, CALCULATED TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM, IN THE PRESENT CRITICAL SITUATION OF AFFAIRS, IS FOR THAT PURPOSE PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC. [New York: Printed by John Holt, May 20, 1774]. Broadsheet, printed in two columns. Approximately 10½ x 8¼ inches. Inscribed in later ink in lower margin of p.[2]: "Printed by John Holt." Very good. A protest of the Boston Port Act, passed by Parliament on March 31, 1774. The act, designed to punish Boston for the Tea Party, ordered the port of Boston closed until the inhabitants reimbursed the East India Company and King’s treasury for the tea destroyed and customs duty lost on Dec. 13, 1773. "Because Boston alone was punished, Lord North believed the colonies would not ‘take fire.’ It was a costly mistake: the cry was raised in America that the Port Act was merely a prelude to a ‘Massacre of American Liberty’; the colonies rallied to Boston’s aid; and the Continental Congress was called to concert opposition to the mother country" – DAH. The present copy is apparently a variant of the broadsheet recorded by Evans, in which "Affairs" is spelled "Affaires." Evans ascribes printing to the press of John Holt. EVANS 13489. DAH I, p.224. $17,500. |
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