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John Jay Autograph Letter Signed. ...
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Description
John Jay Autograph Letter Signed. One page, 7.5" x 9.5" (sight), "near the watering place;" May 13, [17]94. A touching familial letter addressed to Jay's wife Sally [Sarah Livingston Jay] penned while the eminent statesman was sailing to Britain to negotiate the Jay Treaty. He writes, in part:"The wind changing suddenly yesterday obliged us to call anchor here. it was fortunate for our fellow passengers from Phil., who might otherwise have been left behind. This morng. we weighed anchor, but the wind continuing... we have again cast near the former place. We are as well circumstanced as we expected. Altho I have nothing more to tell you, yet I am certain a letter from me will be welcome. As soon as the wind will permit we shall proceed, and it is not probable that I shall have another opportunity of writing to you before our arrival in England. Remember me most affecty. [affectionately] to the children, to Peter & Polly... God bless & preserve you my dear Sally -" Boldly signed, "John Jay."
By 1794, trade restrictions, tariffs, and impressment of American sailors had destroyed relations between Britain and the United States, and the two nations were heading toward war. To avoid another armed conflict with Britain, President Washington sent Jay to London in the spring of 1794, as evidenced here, to negotiate a new treaty. The letter looks to be unpublished as it does not appear in The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay. It is attractively matted and framed with a portrait of Jay to the overall size of 20.75" x 16.25". Not examined outside of the frame.
The Jay Treaty, more officially known as the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, was signed on November 19, 1794 and proved deeply contentious. The controversial agreement temporarily smoothed over tensions remaining between the nations after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War and facilitated a decade of peaceful trade between the two; however, the treaty angered both the French, who were embroiled in the French Revolutionary Wars against Britain and the American public, who felt Jay had handed over what amounted to an affront to the national dignity. The public uproar was deafening; Jay was burned in effigy and Alexander Hamilton (who designed the treaty) was pelted with stones when he tried to speak in favor of the treaty outside of City Hall in New York. Although it bought a few years of peaceful trade, the Federalist party struggled to recover from the national backlash and tensions continued to escalate with Europe, setting America on the path to the War of 1812. From the Joel Levin Collection.
Condition: Smoothed folds.
Auction Info
2023 February 22 Historical Manuscripts Signature® Auction #6260 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
February, 2023
22nd
Wednesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 5
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