Description:

An extremely rare printing of a poetic tribute to the prospect of peace between the United States and Great Britain, published only a month after treaty negotiations began in Paris

The Triumph of Liberty, and Peace with America: A Poem Inscribed to General Conway. (London: Printed for J. Walker, Pater-Noster-Row, 1782) 26 pp., 8vo., lacking half-title. Toning toward right margin and bottom right corner, minor loss to first page at bottom right comer, minor binding remnants along left margin, mild dampstains, final page detached.

Our anonymous author notes in the introductory "ADVERTISEMENT." that, "The following little Poem owes its birth to the virtuous efforts of the friends of the constitution of this country. Its Glory as an Empire, and its Interest as a Commercial State; and is intended to commemorate this auspicious moment, and prove, that Unanimity of Sentiment, with steady Perseverance, is sufficient to constitute the Glory of a State, and the Happiness of a People, which are inseparable, and can never be preserved independent of each other."

The anonymously published poem reads, in very small part:

"...Kings are but men; nature will ever reign,

rouse all the husband, father, in his heart,

Pain war before him with its horrid train,

Brunswick shall willing drop the hostile dart...

England can ne'er be conquer'd but at home,

Let princes keep in mind the awful sound;

Her strength, her safety from herself must come,

And if she falls, herself first gave the wound..."

Henry Seymour Conway (1721-1795), to whom the author dedicated this poem, was a career officer and Member of Parliament who opposed the Stamp Act and the efforts of Charles Townshend to enact further taxes on the American colonies. When the ministry of Lord Rockingham came to power in 1782 with a mandate to end the Revolutionary War, Conway became Commander-in-Chief of British forces.

The piece was published in May 1782 "by way of exultation on the prospect of peace...The Author is to be considered rather as a prophet than a poet..." (Griffiths, The Monthly Review, Or, Literary Journal, 1783, 68:185) Negotiations between the United States and Britain began in April 1782, soon after the start of the second Rockingham on March 27, 1782. The preliminary articles were drafted in November 1782 and the final treaty was signed in September 1783. Extremely Rare. Sabin 97008. We have not sourced any example offered for sale in the past fifty years and have been able to source only five copies in institutional holdings including New York Historical Society, Clements Library, Yale, Oxford and the British Library.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE! 

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

October 18, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000