Business and Transportation

The Inman Line: A scarce shipboard menu for Transantlantic passengers in steerage

A scarce shipboard menu catering to ‘the other half.’

(Food and Maritime History) Broadside, “‘INMAN’ LINE INTERMEDIATE BILL OF FARE“, 1 page, 265 x 124 mm. (10 1/2 x 4 7/8 in.), c. 1875, a menu for the passengers classified as Intermediate, which is similar to Steerage Class: “Intermediate Passengers are not allowed in the Cabins or on the Saloon Deck, and are subject to the same General Rules and Regulations as Steerage Passengers, but they are landed at New York with the Saloon Passengers.” Meals included an 8 A.M. Breakfast consisting mostly of coffee, bread, porridge and a meat; a 12:30 P.M. Dinner consisting of soup, potatoes, meat, and pudding or cheese; and a 5:30 P.M. Tea consisting of tea, bread and butter, cold meat or jams and gruel. A note informs the Passengers that “The Bill of Fare might be slightly altered according to circumstances.”

The Inman Line Steamship Company was established in 1850, founded originally as the Liverpool and Philadelphia Steam Ship Company. The Line provided transatlantic travel until the company’s liquidation in 1885, when the company’s assets were purchased by the Red Star Line and the American Line.

Usual folds, light creasing, light edge wear (moderate edge wear to bottom margin not affecting content), overall fine condition.

(EXA 5646) $150

An impassioned plea to John Quincy Adams to preserve tariffs on American Piano manufacturers during the Nullification Crisis

(Protection and American piano manufacturing) John MACKAY (1774-1841) Prominent and early industrialist in Boston, he entered the shipping industry in 1796 at age 22 under the direction of his uncle, shipping magnate Mungo MacKay (1740-1811), who was already well established in the trade. By 1798, he was ship’s master conducting international voyages, returning with goods from far afield for the Boston market. In 1815, Mackay and two partners began manufacturing church organs. By 1820, several members of the Mackay family were in partnership with Alpheus Babcock, manufacturing pianos in Boston’s West End. MacKay and Jonas Chickering began manufacturing pianos in Boston in 1830. They constructed a modern factory in 1837 on Washington Street. MacKay died at sea in 1841, en route to South America to procure wood for his piano cases.

Autograph Letter Signed “John MacKay” on recto and verso, 2pp., 188 x 200 mm. (7 1/2 x 7 3/4 in.), [Boston, c. 1832-1833], to John Quincy Adams, imploring the Massachusetts congressman to ensure tariffs high enough to protect American industry, and in particular, American piano manufacturers, from European competition.

MacKay’s plea to Adams, likely written as South Carolina’s nullifiers raged against Clay’s protective tariffs as embodied in the “American System,” reads in large part [with original spellings retained throughout]: “… this is a manufactory where the principal part of the cost is labour and Labour in this Country is so much higher than in any other, without the protection of our Country we Cannot Subsist, we have had to combat against the prejudices of our own Country Saying this was a business or Since that cannot be brought to perfection here but under the aid of a fostering government we have convinced a great portion of the people that we not only make them as good but better but the English & Germans who formerly supplied this Country with that article still continues to import a great number. & as they invoice them at a very low price, owing to the low price of labour they are enabled to sell a great many & if the duties are put so low our Country will be innundated with them to the great detrement of our own Manufacturers, as this is an article which does not interfere with the South… none but the most skilfull… workmen are employed we are compelled to pay a high price for their labour. As your bill had so many Articles it was no wonder it was passed over, I have taken the liberty to suggest my ideas to you & if you think an Amendment to the Bill in favour of the Manufacturer of Piano Fortes should be augmented to thirty five pr. Cent. or if you think that too much, you will please put it as high as your Superior judgment may think best…”

The verso bears what appears to be small portion of another Autograph Letter Signed “John MacKay“, [n.p., n.d.] and reads, in full: “…we employ forty men, and pay upwards of five hundred dollars p. Week, for labour only which Money is Calculated for all the Necessarys of life, we manufacture three hundred piano Fortes p. Year or Business is increasing for we manufacture them well and as the Prosperity of our Country increases so we shall increase the manufacture of Piano Fortes.”

MacKay’s partner, Jonas Chickering (1798-1853), was one of the great pioneers of piano manufacturing, being the first in the world to use one-piece cast-iron frames — one of the most significant technological contributions to the development of the instrument.

Light soiling at lower left margin, light creases, trimmed at margins, else very good.

(EXA 5895) $450

A North American Land Company Stock Certificate issued by Robert Morris to Benjamin Franklin’s grandson, William Temple Franklin

Robert MORRIS (1734-1806) Partly-printed Document Signed “Robert Morris” as President of the North American Land Company, 1 page, 240 x 300 mm . (9 1/2 x 11 3/4 in.), Philadelphia, 18 April 1795, countersigned by James MARSHALL as company secretary, numbered 997. A certificate for five shares in the land company issued to William Temple Franklin (1760-1823), Benjamin Franklin’s grandson.

William Temple Franklin was the illegitimate son of William Franklin (1730-1814), Benjamin’s son and the last Royal Governor of New Jersey. In 1776, William Temple accompanied his grandfather to France where the latter was serving as the chief American envoy to the Court of Louis XVI. William Temple returned to America in 1786. Unable to secure a diplomatic post, he dove into land speculation at his grandfather’s suggestion.

Some loss from ink burn to signature, some chips, losses and minor tears at margins, else very good condition overall.

(EXA 5643) $1,200

Decoration Day Broadside offering an “EXCURSION TO NEW YORK CITY over the West Shore Railroad”, the same parade where Grover Cleveland publicly revealed his engagement to Frances Folsom

(Grover Cleveland) Broadside, “DECORATION DAY EXCURSION TO NEW YORK CITY over the West Shore Railroad“, 255 x 123 mm. (10 x 4 3/4 in.) and reads, in part: “Decoration Day[^*] will be observed in New York City on Monday, May 31st, 1886, in a manner that will interest every citizen of the Republic. A Grand Military Parade, participated in by the Grand Army Posts, National Guard and Civil Societies, will be an attractive feature of the day. The ceremonies at the TOMB OF GENERAL GRANT, Riverside Park, will be of unusual interest.” The broadside provides instructions for acquiring tickets and information regarding the return trip and proximity to steamships, “…The down-town station at foot of Jay Street is convenient to the Iron Steamboats at Pier One, and to the Steamers of the Bay Ridge Route at Battery Place, for Coney Island & Manhattan Beach.”

The broadside is a fun association piece in that President Grover Cleveland marched in the advertised New York parade and thrilled the scandal-hungry press when he returned the affectionate salutations of parade observer Frances Folsom, a young woman who grew up calling him “Uncle Cleve”, who in that moment revealed herself, with a flirtatious wave of her handkerchief, to be the President’s secret fiancé. Two days later, Frances Folsom married Grover Cleveland in the Blue Room of the White House.

The West Shore Railroad was chartered in 1885 on a 475 year lease to the New York Central Railroad, succeeding the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway. The total trackage of the West Shore Railroad was 495.20 miles, with the main line running between Weehawken, New Jersey and Buffalo, New York, and the branch lines servicing the New York City suburbs, Athens, Syracuse, and the Buffalo suburbs.

Edge wear with moderate chipping at bottom margin, a tiny area of paper loss at top margin not affecting content, light creasing, fragile, overall very good condition.

(EXA 5659) $200
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^* Decoration Day was the original name for Memorial Day. While different accounts of its inception persist, the practice of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers predates the American Civil War. The first organized observance of Decoration Day traces back to 1 May 1865, when 10,000 black citizens of Charleston, South Carolina, in combination with educators, students, abolitionists and missionaries, paraded on the grounds of the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club, a property owned by a slaveholder that had been converted to an outdoor prison by the Confederate Army. Due to deplorable conditions, 257 prisoners died of exposure or disease, and were buried in a mass grave behind the grandstand. After the war, a groups of Charlston citizens took it upon themselves to exhume the deceased soldiers and give them a proper Union burial. The massive parade and gathering commemorating the lives of deceased soldiers is often referred to as the First Decoration Day.^† John A. Logan, the Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, led a campaign in 1868 promoting the recognition of Decoration Day as a national holiday. See Gulla Heritate and Wikipedia

Scarce pre-printed disbursement forms for Bank of the United States securities managed by Baring’s in London, 1800-1802

Sir Francis Baring early American financial document 1801-1802 (1)

Sir Francis Baring early American financial document 1801-1802 (2)

Sir Francis Baring early American financial document 1801-1802 (3)

(Sir Francis BARING) (1740-1810) English merchant banker. In 1762, he, with his brother John, founded the house of John and Francis Baring Company, which by 1807 had become the prominent Baring Brothers, & Co.A group of three unusual partly-printed Documents Signed with the corporate signature “Fran Baring & Co.” (and one, “Agt[?] of Fras Baring & Co Tho Nixson“), 1 page each, 255 x 205 mm.(10 1/2 x 8 in.), “Devonshire-Square, Bishopsgate-Street.” [London], 4 April, 1801 – 17 May 1802, all addressed to “Richard Lloyd, Esqr.” being a series of statements pre-printed for Baring’s clients invested in United States securities at the turn of the nineteenth century. The documents read in most part: “By Order of the Bank of the United States of America, we have the Honor to acquaint you, that we have received from them a Remittance for Interest on American Stock standing in your Name, as particularized in the Foot of this Letter, and which we are ready to pay you… betwixt the Hours of Ten and One any Monday Wednesday, thursday or Saturday, betwixt the Hours of Ten and One.” and completed in manuscript, “any Wednesday Thursday or Saturday“.

Richard Lloyd collected a fair amount of money on his American securities. Based on the present statements, he collected £632-4-9 in interest after commissions. Barings had become a major holder of stock in the Bank of the United States when the U.S. Government sold off its shares in the bank. In 1803, Barings financed the $15 million Louisiana Purchase by the United States. The same year, the U.S. government appointed Barings its London agents for the Bank of the United States.

Folds and creases, some marginal wear including a few minor chips and tears, else very good.

(EXA 5640) $600

The Bank of the United States in Boston carries out Hamilton’s orders that helped stem the Panic of 1792

(Alexander HAMILTON) Important manuscript Document Signed “John Codman“, “John C. Jones“, and “Jona Mason Junr” as Directors of the Office of Discount and Deposit at Boston, 1p., 270 x 190 mm. (10 3/4 x 7 1/2 in.), 4 April 1792, acknowledging receipt of $35,000 collected from the Customs House by the Commissioner of Loans, Nathaniel Appleton, to be used to pay interest on the national debt to relieve pressure on the Bank of the United States during the Panic of 1792.

The document reads in full: “Received of Nathaniel Appleton Esq.r Commissioner of Loans of the United States of America in the State of Massachusetts the Sum of Thirty five Thousand Dollars to be carried to the Credit of the Treasurer of the United States & appropriated to the payment of Interest due to the Creditors of the United States in conformity to the request of the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States in his Letter of 22d March 1792 and the directions of the President of the Bank United States in his letter of 22d March 1792“.

The Panic of 1792 had its roots in the rapid expansion of credit by the newly-formed Bank of the United States, and rampant speculation in government securities led by William Duer and Alexander Macomb. In early March 1792, Duer, greatly overextended, began to default on his obligations. To make matters worse, when Duer left his position as Secretary of the Treasury Board in 1789, he left a shortage of $238,000 on the government books. Hamilton had indulged his friend, allowing him time to settle his accounts, but when news of Duer’s pending insolvency reached him in late March, he was forced to initiate a suit, lest he be accused of laxity and nepotism by his political enemies.

Hamilton’s suit made Duer’s situation public and a panic ensued which placed enormous pressure on the Bank of the United States, and in particular, its ability to pay interest on the national debt in specie. Part of Hamilton’s strategy to alleviate the pressure on the banks was to order that specie received from the customs offices be used to pay the quarterly interest payment due. In his 22 March 1792 instructions to Nathaniel Appleton, Commissioner of Loans, Hamilton ordered him “…to avail yourself of all the specie in the hands of the Collector of Boston, excepting only the sum of 6,000 Dollars, which is to be retained by him, to meet certain bills of the Commissioner of Loans in New Hampshire, which he is authorized to direct to the Collector. The remaining specie the Collector is to deposit in the Boston Branch of the Bank of the United States, for the purpose of paying the interest on the public debt. He is also to pay in all the notes of the Bank of the US to be deposited in such way or form as the said Branch shall determine to receive the paper of the Bank of the United States.” The next week, Appleton deposited $35,000 with the Office of Discount & Deposit at Boston, the Massachusetts branch of the Bank of the United States, for which he received the present receipt.

Hamilton’s rapid and decisive actions during the panic prevented a larger financial disaster and by May the panic had largely subsided. However, Hamilton was unable to do much for his friend Duer. The disgraced speculator spent the remainder of his life in debtor’s prison for fear of his personal safety. Because so many had given their life’s savings to Duer to invest, a guard had to be posted at his cell to prevent a mob from hanging him in the street.

The Directors of the Boston branch who signed this document include John CODMAN (c. 1755-1803) a prominent Boston merchant and member of the Massachusetts Senate; John C. JONES (?-?) a Boston merchant; and Jonathan MASON Jr. (1756-1831) a prominent Federalist attorney and member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who served two terms in the United States Senate (1800-1803, 1817-1820).

Toned at margins from previous mounting, minor marginal tears as shown, else very good.

(EXA 3504) SOLD.

Gilbert Dench on his long appeal for $20,000 in depreciated notes from the Continental Congress.

(Revolutionary War Finance) Gilbert DENCH (1742-1807) Autograph Letter Signed, “G. Dench“, 2pp., 240 x 188 mm. (9 1/2 x 7 3/8 in.), Philadelphia, 31 January 1795, likely to a member of the House of Representatives which had just denied his petition for reimbursement for an army supply contract he fulfilled in 1782 in which he was paid in depreciated paper rather than in specie as the contract specified.

Dench, whose petition had been rejected by the House of Representatives the day before, writes in full: “Please Except of my acknowledgement for your attention to my Case, and bel[i]eve me that Ingratitude has no Place in my mind as to the Term of my Case had in Congress the other day, was as unfor[e]seen and as uncontrived by me, on my, Death Day— the facts, are these, the day I was with ye Com[mitt]ee there was but two or three Papers read, when Dr. Hotlon¹ [sic] to two other Gen[tl]eman told me, those Gentlem[en] was before me, & that I had better le[a]ve all my Papers I handed to Mr. Forster² who had read Sum & left the Chamber, and never have I been with s[ai]d Com[mitt]ee more then five moments Since,— as I had a hint what the report would be, Concluded, it was the only one that would Pass the House, and as I thought most of you Gentlemen was of opinion that this was the only best way for me to obtain Something— Concluded there would be no objection to the acceptance of it, as to it being accepted or not was not for me to Determine nor did I ever Desire any one Gentleman to op[p]ose the Acceptance of it, or have the Papers read, although my Claim was on Congress, as I thought to nowhere else. I don’t say I have not said hard things of some Legeslatins [sic] of Massachusetts, and of the Present one, as to there Ingratitude towards you & me, feeling sore in this Pursuit, having road [sic] more then 40000 miles hope to meet with your Pardon, for any Inadvertence in me, for any Int[e]rest Dictated no such Process— so that on all occasions [sic], I shall, acknowledge your Friendship to me, as well as your Great Concern for The Publick Good, as to your Letters they went before the Com[mitt]ee with my other Papers, without any thought of mine, that such a use would be made of them, as was, nor did I ever think they would be read, nor ever did I mention it to any Person to have them read,— this is my Evidence that if the Should be read it must af[f]ront, those, whose favors I ever wished to Secure.”

In 1781 and 1782, Gilbert Dench transported clothing and other supplies for the Continental Army as a contactor. While Dench’s 1781 contract specified payment in certificates from Congress, his 1782 contract was to be paid in $20,000 of specie. However Jabez Hatch, the quartermaster responsible for paying the contract, did not have hard money available when payment came due. Instead, Hatch obtained a loan from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and paid Dench with certificates. When Robert Morris reimbursed Massachusetts for the loan in specie, those notes rapidly depreciated in value.

Dench began petitioning Congress for redress in 1791 with the support of Elbridge Gerry.³ That petition was rejected, but Dench approached Congress again in 1795 but was again rejected. According to a separately published report issued the same year on Dench’s petition: “The Committee are of opinion, that there is no existing obligation on the United States, to make up depreciation in the present case; more especially, as the United States have paid for the services rendered by the petitioner in specie; and if there exists an obligation on any body of men, to make up to the petitioner his depreciation, it certainly must rest upon the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”⁴

Undeterred, Dench petitioned the House again in 1797, which prompted a lively debate on the floor that, unlike the deliberations in 1795, were published (together with a formal report). While many of the Representatives, including Henry Dearborn, James Madison, Joseph Varnum, George Thatcher, and William Livingston sympathized with Dench’s plight, they could find no means to assist him. Jeremiah Smith of New Hampshire noted that although “Dench had been badly used… innumerable other cases were much worse. Mr. Dench suffered no more than others who took depreciated paper instead of specie. He was obliged to sell his certificates before they were due; but the citizens of Massachusetts actually paid in real specie the tax of which these certificates were partly in anticipation…the House was every day rejecting claims more equitable than this one.” Robert Williams of North Carolina feared “complying with this demand would open the door to numbers with this principle in their view.” Jonathan Dayton concurred, warning that granting Dench’s petition “would be letting in a flood of claims.”⁵ Still Dench persisted, petitioning Congress again in 1800 with the same response. The report issued by the House of Representatives denying Dench’s claim was worded exactly as the one they issued in 1797.⁶ Undaunted, Dench again approached Congress in 1800 and 1804, and was denied again.⁷

Dench died insolvent in 1807 and his estate was auctioned in 1811.⁸ Thirty years later, Dench’s heirs revived the campaign, submitting petitions to Congress in 1837, 1840, 1843, and 1846. The last time Dench’s heirs petitioned the Committee of Revolutionary Claims, it does not appear to have ever been considered as Congress’ records are silent on the matter after this point. ⁹ It appears that the family finally abandoned their Revolutionary ancestor’s quixotic battle for justice nearly 60 years after the first attempt.

Toning, minor creasing and edge wear, slight water damping at bottom left margin just barely affecting content, usual folds, overall very good condition.

(EXA 3506) $650
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¹ Samuel Holten (1738-1818). Massachusetts physician and politician, member of the Third Congress, 1793-1795.
² Dwight Foster (1757-1823) Massachusetts attorney and politician who served in Congress form 1793 to 1800, and in the Senate until 1803.
³ Maryland Journal (Baltimore), 16 Dec. 1791, 2: Elbridge Gerry presented one on Dench’s behalf, “praying compensation for damage and loss by him sustained, in contracts for transporting cloathing [sic] and military stores.”
⁴ Report of the Committee of Claims on the Petition of Gilbert Dench. Made the 29th of January, 1795. ([Washington: United States Congress, [1795]), 3.
⁵ The Debates and Proceedings of the Congress of the United States (1849), 1835-1839.
⁶ Report of the Committee of Claims, on the Petition of Gilbert Dench. 4th January 1797 (Evans 32995); Report of the Committee of Claims, on the Petition of Gilbert Dench. 21st March 1800 (Evans 38843).
⁷ United States House of Representatives, Journal, 31 March 1800; Ibid, 21 December 1804.
⁸ “Mansfield-Perkins Ancestry” Rootsweb. (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jim_stevens&id=I149): Mathew Metcalf Esqr and John Jones, yeoman, both of Hopkinton and John Fisk, gentleman of Framingham were appointed on 14 October 1807 to take inventory of Gilbert Dench’s estate. The real estate included the homestead and 70 acres in Hopkinton, an acre of land with a small house also in Hopkinton, 54 acres in Holliston, one half of 25 acres in Framingham with half of a small house & barn & half of the mills thereon, owned in common with Isaac Dench, and a pew in Hopkinton meeting house, totaling $5,630.00. With the personal estate, the estate was valued at $6,136.18. However, the debts due from the estate were also considerable, totaling $5,280.00, more than half due on mortgages, so that on 10 November 1807, John Fairbanks as executor asked that the estate be declared insolvent. Matthew Metcalf Esqr and Jeremy Stimpson, physician, both of Hopkinton, were then appointed commissioners to examine the claims. The personal estate was sold 30 November 1807, with many of the items purchased by his son Isaac Dench, his daughters’ husbands and by other relatives, including Samuel and Thomas Valentine, John Jones, Dr. Stimpson, and Peletiah Bixby. The real estate was to be auctioned Monday 1 April 1811, however, that day being very stormy, the sale was adjourned to the next Monday. The homeplace was sold to Elijah Haven, the mill to Isaac Dench, the wood lot to Dr. John O. Wilson, and the one acre in Hopkinton to Elijah Pike. The auction raised only $1579.50, so that the court ordered that the creditors be paid 22 cents for each dollar of their claim”.
⁹ House, Journal, 30 January 1837, 29 December 1837; 27 June 1838; 5 February 1840; 8 March 1842; 22 December 1843; Senate, Journal, 7 January 1846.

A richly detailed description of stage coach journey across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, 1832.

(Nineteenth Century Travel) A lengthy Autograph Letter Signed “C. G. S.” 4pp., 250 x 200 mm. (9 7/8 x 8 on.), Pittsburgh, 17 January 1832, with integral address leaf bearing black “PITTSBURGH Pa JAN 19” cancellation. The correspondent relates to his Uncle, Dr. Charles Smith of New Brunswick, New Jersey, a detailed description of his overland journey from Princeton, New Jersey to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, together with his impressions of the town upon his arrival. While recovering from his arduous stage coach trip across the Alleghenies, our correspondent set down to describe it to his uncle: “…My journey was upon the whole as pleasant as such a journey could well be at this season of the year – Few very respectable people are to be found going over the whole road between this and Phila [sic] at this time – & he may think himself fortunate – who, like I – can say he had decent companions. But to begin – I succeeded in getting in the Stage at Princeton on Tuesday a little after 12 – with a number of gentleman and one lady – the gents appeared to be all citizens of Phila. One was called Col. Prevost & had just returned from Europe. Certainly very much of a gentleman – a Mr. Richards – Mr. Biddle & a Mr. Newkirk (I suppose Charles G’s partner for he talked of having been at New Orleans & was evidently a merchant) – and two others who were like myself in cog [sic] – We arrived at Phila. about 7 – I took lodgings at Head’s Mansion House Hotel & went as soon after as I could find any one to show the way to the Pittsburgh stage office – The 2 o’clock stage was full and I took a seat in the other which start as 1/2 past 6 – We left the city in the Morng [sic] with a state full of passengers & came ten miles to breakfast – During the first days ride we had a very agreeable set until we came near Lancaster about dark, when they began to drop off one by one – First the ladies left us – and we regressed our loss exceedingly – one of the beautiful, good tempered, sensible & well educated girl from Lancaster – a Miss Elizabeth Humes had been the life and should of the whole party & every face looked grave at least if not sad when dropping a most graceful courtesy she gave us her ‘Good bye – Gentlemen’ & tripped away – I had little opportunity of seeing the city of L – it was dark when we passed through – A part of it is composed of old fashioned frame houses one story & a half high with roofs almost perpendicular but the better part of the town has fine laye [sic] brick buildings & quite a modern appearance – We entered Harrisburgh at one o’clock in the morng & after being detained an hour at the Stage office rode on towards Chambersburgh – From thence we continued our journey after a short delay – with great anxiety to arrive at our sleeping place a most excellent house at the Eastern foot of Sideling hill – In our way we crossed the Tuscarora Mtn. ascending by one Winding road 4 or 5 miles into the very regions of frost, sleet, snow & ice – & descending the same distance on the other side – In descending this Mtn I felt serious apprehension for my neck & limbs – We can down the whole way with the horses on the gallop – the coach now bounding over a cradle – jolt – now staggering within a few feet of a precipice over which we might have fallen hundreds of feet before we could have reach the bottom ground – The reasons they give for this furious driving are – that in going slow with the hills covered as they now are with sheets of ice there is great danger that the weight of the coach should cause it to slide off the road – & that with careful drivers & good horses they find it both easier and safer to run down the mountains – At this pace we came over all of the Coachmen began to use whips to horses more after the fashion of Eastern men – When we had gone over a few of the hills in this mad way – my fears vanished & I felt quite as secure as I could have done in riding over Jersey roads – Generally speaking the coaches are good and strong & comfortable too – the horses sure footed & the drivers careful & obliging – & when a person has all these requisites for traveling over the mountains he is as safe as the foresight & power of man can make him – A tree laden with ice may fall & crush him – a piece of rock might roll into the road & the coach be dashed in pieces against it or thrown over the ledge beneath – but unless some such (hardly probable but) possible occurrence should happen his is safe – But I am out of the road – To return – We reached our halting place before eight with a greater disposition to sleep than sup – though we had eaten nothing since daybreak. The night seems by two minutes long and we were off at four again – In this days ride and the next we crossed Sideling hill and Tusseys Mountain – passed through Bedford near which are the famous Springs surmounted the Allegheny. Laurel Hill & Chestnut Ridge – three famous obstacles, and having left behind us a number of Knolls beside, we reached here as before without javg met with any remarkable adventures or having been exposed to any imminent peril – through we were occasionally in danger.” Not only does the traveller describe in great detail his harrowing trip to the west of Pennsylvania, he also gives his impressions of early Pittsburgh: “I was agreeably disappointed in Pittsburgh & its appendages had been making up my mind to find it so vile a place, that upon reaching here I found imagination had overshot the M[ark] & was surprised to find it so tolerable – It is black – it is In rainy weather it is very wet (as I discovered to my infinite satisfaction yesterday) and in damp weather & when there is little wind it is so smoky everywhere that you that you can hardly see your next neighbor [sic] – but it makes up for these disadvantages by the industry honesty and enterprise [sic] of its inhabitants – by the meanings it affords of gathering up this worlds goods – by its situation in the Valley of the Mississippi which all allow is on day to hold the balance of power and wealth in North America – in the inexhaustible stores of bituminous coal which are to be found everywhere about this region – Easily obtained at five cents the bushel or one dollar eighty cents per children [sic] – & serving the poor both for light and fuel – & in many other things I dare say which I know nothing about yet – Allegheny town is very well situated on the West bank of the Allegheny River – is connected with the city by a fine bridge of Eleven hundred feet in length – I do not recollect the number of inhabitants – but it has increased & is increasing rapidly – & from all I can hear or see or judge from, will one day surpass its neighbor in size &c &c…”

Light folds, a few marginal tears, else fine condition.

(EXA 4276) $550

Advertisement for Savannah’s City Hotel, engraved by Childs & Carpenter of Philadelphia, c. 1822

(Cephas Grier Childs) (1793-1871) Engraver and lithographer listed in the Phildelphia directory from 1818 through 1845. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and in 1822 was instrumental in forming the Washington Grays, serving as its Captain for some time. To the best of our knowledge, Childs’ partnership with J.W. Carpenter was limited to 1822.^* In 1845, Childs abandoned engraving for newspaper work, becoming the editor of the Commercial Herald and the North American before finally publishing his own journal, the Philadelphia Commercial List.

Engraving, 111 x 174 mm. (4 1/8 x 6 7/8 in.), c. 1822, an advertisement for The City Hotel, the first hotel in Savannah, Georgia, built in 1821 by Charleston native Elazer Early, operated by proprietor Oran Byrd. The text on the recto announces that, “This elegant establishment is entirely NEW with all its Furniture and other arrangements is in the center of Business and contiguous to the BANKS & c— The Post Office is attached to the Premises— all the Stages start from the door.” In the border: “Mr. BYRD likewise keeps the CITY HOTEL, 75 East Bay, CHARLESTON, S.C.” Three businesses are advertised on the verso including; R. Newcomb, Choice Wines & C, J. Shelman, Mansion House (both offering private rooms for families),and Joseph Trucheleet, a confectioner. This ad was printed in Shaw’s United States Directory of 1823. The hotel hosted many notable guests and also operated as Savannah’s post office and a bank. It closed in 1864, immediately preceding General Sherman’s invasion of the city. The building survived to become a warehouse, a general storage facility and an office supply store before it was purchased and reopened as the Moon River Brewing Company in 1999. The building is known as a “hot spot” of paranormal activity and draws considerable tourism for its ghost lore.

Slight edge wear, very minor marginal soiling, light, even toning, overall fine condition.

(EXA 4824) $400
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^* Classical Savannah: Fine & Decorative Arts, 1800-1840, by Page Talbott. Published by the Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, 1995 (photo of ad was published courtesy Winterthur Library: Printed Book and Periodical collection).

An early and attractive 1950s Mid Century TWA tourism poster for Rome.

(Travel) A large and attractive promotional poster issued by Trans World Airlines (TWA), 1007 x 636 mm. (40 x 25 in), c. 1955. Printed just before TWA began acquiring jet planes in 1956.

Pin holes and minor tears mostly at margins, else very good to fine condition. Will be shipped rolled.

(EXA 5351) $500

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