Ten Pound Island Book Company

Old, Rare And Out of Print Books, Manuscripts And Charts Pertaining To The Sea

Autograph Letter, Signed. Thomas Truxtun to William Lewis, esq. Philadelphia, 11th January, 1795.

By

Item #43817
Autograph Letter, Signed. Thomas Truxtun to William Lewis, esq. Philadelphia, 11th January, 1795.
Manuscript.

Two folio sheets, folded, to make four 7 ¾ x 9 ½ inch pages. Entirely in Truxtun’s hand, and signed by him. About 1300 words.
Price: $5500

Thomas Truxtun, 1755-1822, was one of the first great American Naval heroes. During the Revolutionary War, he served – quite successfully – as a privateersman. Following the truce, he engaged as a merchant in the China and India trades with similar good results. His reputation as an excellent mariner, leader of men, and authority on maritime matters (he wrote important books on navigation and naval architecture), resulted in his selection as one of the first six commanders appointed to the new American Navy by President Washington. This second part of his naval career lasted through the Quasi War with France, during which time he commanded USS Constellation and USS President. After 1801 he retired to civilian life and became involved in politics. He also served as Sheriff of Philadelphia county. In this letter, which pertains to an undocumented chapter in his career as a merchant, Truxtun writes his lawyer about a business deal that had gone sideways. At the time, Captain Truxtun was just beginning the second phase of his naval career, having been appointed by President Washington only six months earlier. As part of his new assignment, he was tasked with overseeing the construction of USS Constellation. Given his new duties, it is apparent that he had little time or energy to deal with what he refers to as the “case of Hazelhurst & Co.” He gives his lawyer the best description of the case that he can muster, “having no papers concerning the business with me at present,” in hopes that the “business in dispute should be decided by Mr. Morris” or some other respected neutral party. In other words, he is telling his lawyer that wants the mess cleaned up, and that he wishes to delegate the matter. He closes his letter by saying, “I have been very minute in this relation because I think it proper to state every circumstance of a case candidly to a lawyer before he proceeds to act.” The “circumstances” of this case are somewhat tangled. Following his second successful China trading voyage, Truxtun and his partners Isaac Hazelhurst and William Constable sought to undertake a trading voyage to India. (Hazelhurst was a prosperous Philadelphia merchant. Constable had been born in Dublin but fought for America in the Revolution. After the war, he joined with Robert and Gouverneur Morris in a trading firm involved in China, India, and the West Indies. He was also a land speculator and, at the time of his partnership with Truxtun, he was on his way to becoming one of the richest men in America.) In the spring of 1792, pursuant to their plans, Truxtun sailed the merchant ship Delaware, which had recently been constructed to his specifications, to Madras, where he arrived in July, 1792. He disposed of his cargo and loaded the Delaware with trade goods for the return trip, “but finding I had a surplus of funds… to amount at least 13 or 14 thousand pounds sterling… (which I could not lade on board the Delaware for want of room),” he agreed to ship “this surplus property,” which he converted to 100 tons of pepper and piece goods for export, aboard a French ship, the St. Jean De Lone, bound for Lorient and Ostend. He put his purser aboard the French ship in order to deal with the goods on the ship’s arrival in Europe – “or claim the same in case of capture: for although there was no war at this time (October 1792) between France and any of the maritime powers of Europe: I considered that event not unlikely.” Clearly, Truxtun’s military and mercantile experience gave him the sense that the so-called “Quasi War” with France was looming. In the event, the St. Jean De Lone was indeed captured by the British. Meanwhile, in February 1793, Truxtun sailed with a cargo from America back to England in the Delaware “and immediately went up to London,” where he met his partner Constable. The two of them agreed that, considering the threat of war, “Hamburg was the most proper place to proceed to with the Delaware” and his cargo, which he sold. On his return to London, he learned that Constable and Hazelwood had fallen out. Constable thought he had been ill-treated by Hazelwood, and insisted that they should sell the Delaware and settle all accounts with their former partner. Truxtun, though he initially opposed the idea, ultimately yielded and, after advertising the sale in all the proper outlets, put the Delaware up for auction. “I did everything in my power to run the [bids on] the ship up, by… requesting several of my friends to give a bid… I am convinced the ship would have struck off at £23 or £2500… at most, whereas she was sold at £3100 to Mr. Constable and myself.” Back home, Hazelwood thought he’d been cheated out of the ship and its profits, and sought to bring action against his two former partners. Truxtun twice responded by offering to let Hazelwood have the Delaware for the £3100 he’d paid for it, but Hazelwood refused all conciliatory gestures. At something of a loss, and obviously beset by his new naval responsibilities, Truxtun closes his letter by suggesting to his lawyer, that it might be possible have the matter settled by some respected neutral party such as their sometime partner Robert Morris. Finally, he cautions that other people are financially involved in various aspects of this deal. “On this account I wish’d to avoid an open rupture, otherwise I should not have rested so easy under Mr. Hazelhurst’s very singular behavior.” It’s possible, too, that Truxtun wanted to avoid any bad publicity that might result from news of this unhappy business deal. Correspondence by Truxtun is quite scarce in the trade, and this particular aspect of his career – the mercantile activities that occupied him between his naval engagements – are much less documented than his naval heroics. Consequently, comparative sales figures for Truxtun letters are scarce. In 2005, a China trade ship’s manifest signed by Truxtun sold for $2760. In 2004 a 2-page letter from Truxtun to Constable sold for $1242, and in 1989 a 1-page letter from Truxtun to Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins of New York sold for $825. At present, an ABAA dealer is offering a 1-page letter of about 180 words from Truxtun to Aaron Burr regarding French spoliation claims for $3125. The letter on offer here is by far the longest and most detailed Truxtun ALs to have appeared on the market. It also sheds light on one of Truxtun’s more obscure commercial adventures. The letter is in excellent condition, clean and legible, on evenly tanned paper. Offered with a complete transcript.