Mar 26, 2009 - Sale 2174

Sale 2174 - Lot 197

Price Realized: $ 8,400
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
(QUEEN ANNE'S WAR.) Archive of the Earl of Sunderland's correspondence relating to the American colonies. 27 items: 19 manuscript letters signed by various members of the Board of Trade; 7 manuscript copies of letters and reports (most of them enclosures to the letters); and one manuscript table; various sizes and conditions, but most are about 12 x 8 inches folded; no major condition issues. Whitehall [London], 1707-09
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Additional Details

A look at British administration of its colonies during Queen Anne''s War, including interesting documents from the 1708-09 struggles in Newfoundland. Charles Spencer, Earl of Sunderland (1674-1722) served as Great Britain''s Secretary of State of the Southern Department from 1706 to 1710. Most of the letters are from Great Britain''s Board of Trade, and are signed by notable members such as the Earls of Dartmouth and Stamford; diplomat-poet Matthew Prior also co-signed one letter. The Board''s main function was to promote trade with the American colonies. Among the more interesting letters from the Board: A 6-page analysis of the salaries issued to the Crown Governors of Virginia over the years, 16 July 1707 Concerning the departure of naval convoys to Newfoundland, 31 May 1708 and 9 June 1709 Concerning the production of new seals for several of the colonies, 13 July 1708 Concerning an urgent request from New Hampshire for military supplies, 19 July 1708 Concerning "the advantage and facility of expelling the French out of Canada," 9 December 1708.
The collection also includes extracts of 4 interesting reports and letters on the British and French garrisons at Newfoundland, 1708-09 A transcript of an important 20 August 1708 letter concerning French deserters in New York and a 16 x 12-inch table showing governors and form of government in each British American colony.
Provenance: Lawrence M. Lande, as described in his John Law: The Creditability of Land (1987), pages 168-172.