Carleton Guy

One page, 7.25” x 10.75”, Quebec; February 28, 1795. A letter to George Rose of the Treasury department, signed “Dorchester.” Written on laid paper, reinforced on verso with heavier stock. The recipient’s name is expertly added at bottom left. Evenly toned with light soiling at margins. With bold ink, ideal for display. The letter is accompanied by an engraving of Carleton.

Carleton writes, in part: “ In my Letters No. 1 and 3 of the 1st March and 5th July last I acquainted you for the information of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury with the directions given Messrs. Munro & Bell agents to Alexander Davison, Esq. for the procuring [of] the necessary Supplies of Flour and Peas for the use of the King’s Forces serving in the Upper & Lower Canada…” Carleton signs as Governor General of the Canadas.

Although the treaty ending the Revolutionary War had been signed more than a decade earlier, Carleton continued to be a burr in the side of the American army. The British continued to support Indian tribes in their battles against American troops. More significantly, the John Jay Treaty had only recently settled matters regarding Canadian-Maine boundary. The maintenance and readiness of their troops in Canada would remain a critical factor for years to come for the British, as suggested by this letter.

Provenance: This item was recently discovered in an extra illustrated volume of “History of the City of New York” by Mary L. Booth, New York W. R. C. Clark, 1867. Originally two volumes, the monumental task of expanding the work to twenty-one volumes done by none other than Emery E. Childs, Esq. of New York City. In volume one of this work exists a lovely india ink drawing of Mary L. Booth, along with a notation”presented by her to E E C,” in pencil. Next to the title page we find an original letter of Booth to Childs dated April 4, 1872, “I am in receipt of your favor of the 4th inst., and am grateful to hear that you are taking the trouble to illustrate my History of the City of New York in the manner you describe. I shall be happy to see you, should you favor me with a call as I am usually in my office during business hours and should be pleased to facilitate your Enterprise by any means in my power.”

It is assumed that the book took several years to assemble, at which point, assumedly through Childs, it made its way to Senator Charles B. Farwell of Chicago, who took the seat of John A. Logan in 1887. Farwell had an extensive library that fortunately survived the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, having been housed in his Lakeside home. In the American Bibliopolist of November 1871, there is an article about the devastation to libraries caused by the tragedy. “Mr C. B. Farwell’s library is also fortunately far out from the city, at his country house, and is safe … The same remark will also apply to the extensive collection of books and curiosities belonging to Mr. E. E. Childs.” This establishes the Chicago connection between Childs and Farwell.

That these letters were preserved for over 140 years and having never been on the market for that period is remarkable on many levels. It is the state of being wedged in these volumes that also accounts for what is mostly the pristine state of preservation.

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