Description:

Seward William

William H. Seward Explores the Northeast Coast of Canada

 

WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Autograph Letter Signed, to Francis P. Blair and Eliza Blair, August 21, 1857, Island of Anticosti, Gulf of St. Lawrence. 3 pp., 4.25" x 6.875", with envelope postmarked in Quebec and Montreal. Expected folds; very good.

 

In this interesting letter, U.S. Senator William H. Seward writes to his friend Francis P. Blair and Blair’s wife of the end of his summer voyage to Canada. The Blairs had accompanied Seward and his son and daughter-in-law on the first part of his Canada trip through Niagara, Toronto, and Kingston, to the Thousand Islands and Montreal. The Blairs then returned, while Seward and his son continued on northeast to Labrador and the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. Seward particularly describes his encounters with an agent of the Hudson Bay Company and Native Americans on the coast of Labrador and a visit to Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

 

Excerpts:

“I am moved by the remembrance of your kind solicitude for our party to communicate to you the results of our [?] naval excursion at as early a day as possible.”

“On the 11th day from Quebec we anchored among the Morgan Islands and went ashore on the Coast of Labrador. Head winds detained us thru a week, but we enjoyed trout and salmon fishing vastly and our rambles on the Coast were rewarded with pleasing sights and [?] adventures. We made a useful acquisition of Knowledge there in regard to the [?] government and management of affairs with the Indians there and with the Indians themselves. On our return we encountered gales which blew us back put into the same harbor and next into this port (Ellis’ Bay) on this desolate island, where we are now staying in the house built & kept up for the relief of shipwrecked persons, the only dwelling on an island as large as Long Island in the bay of New York.”

 

William H. Seward (1801-1872) was born in New York and educated as a lawyer. He opened a practice in Auburn, New York, and was elected to the New York Senate in 1830 as an Anti-Mason. In 1834, he was an unsuccessful Whig Party candidate for governor, but he won in 1838 and was re-elected in 1840. Elected to the U.S. Senate as a Whig in 1849 by the legislature, Seward won re-election in 1855 and soon joined the Republican Party. By 1860, he was considered the leading presidential candidate for the Republican Party, but opposition from other parts of the Republican coalition gave the nomination to Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. After Lincoln won the 1860 election, he asked Seward to serve as his Secretary of State. Although he tried to preserve peace and prevent the southern states from seceding, Seward devoted himself to the Union cause and helped keep the United Kingdom and France from intervening in the Civil War or recognizing the Confederacy. In April 1865, a co-conspirator to John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Lincoln nearly killed Seward in his bed, recovering from a carriage accident. After recovering, Seward resumed his post as Secretary of State to President Andrew Johnson. He negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 and supported Johnson during his impeachment trial. He left office at the end of Johnson’s term in March 1869.

 

Francis P. Blair (1791-1876) was born in Virginia, grew up in Frankfort, Kentucky, and graduated from Transylvania University in 1811. After studying the law, he was admitted to the bar in 1817 but did not practice. He took up journalism and contributed to a local newspaper. He strongly supported Andrew Jackson in the 1828 presidential election. In 1830, President Jackson asked Blair to come to Washington to edit The Globe, the official newspaper for the Democratic Party. Blair served as a member of Jackson’s unofficial “Kitchen Cabinet” and wielded considerable influence. Democratic newspapers around the country reprinted Blair’s editorials. In 1836, he acquired a residence just north of the White House in Washington. When James K. Polk became President in 1845, he sought another editor for The Globe, and Blair retired to Maryland. After supporting Franklin Pierce in 1852, Blair helped organize the new Republican Party and served as an advisor to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and engaged in unofficial peace negotiations with Confederate leaders. After the war, he became an ally of President Andrew Johnson against the Radical Republicans and rejoined the Democratic Party.

 

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

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, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

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 5 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 Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

November 5, 2019 10:30 AM EST
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