LS signed “A. Hamilton,” one page, 7.25 x 9, April 29, 1790. Letter to O. H. Williams, collector for the port of Baltimore. In full: "I have received a Letter from the naval officer of your port (copy of which you have here enclosed) respecting the case of the Snow St. Martin. I request you to furnish me with a statement of facts which relate to the subject, together with the reasons by which you were guided in exempting the said vessel from paying Tonnage & fees." Removably encapsulated in a mylar sleeve. In fine condition, with toning to edges from previous display.
As secretary of the treasury, Hamilton wrote to find out why the Snow St. Martin had not been charged with fees upon entering an American port. The vessel had left the Portuguese port of St. Ubes, bound for Charleston, South Carolina, but encountered trouble along the way and was forced to land at Baltimore. Upon examination the ship was deemed ‘insufficient to be repaired,’ and the vessel and cargo were sold off; the collectors of the port considered Snow St. Martin exempt from tonnage and fees under legislation concerning distressed ships. Hamilton’s autograph is relatively scarce and increasingly desirable, with this being a particularly crisp, well-preserved example.
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