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Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 8 x 10, July 14, 1855. President Pierce authorizes and directs the Secretary of State to affix the Seal of the United States to “the envelope of a letter addressed to Kamehameha IV.” Signed neatly at the conclusion in ink by Franklin Pierce. In fine condition, with light toning to the folds and edges.
Pierce’s letter was ostensibly a reply to a letter sent by Kamehameha IV on February 15, 1855, which relayed news of the death of Kamehameha III and his own subsequent ascension to the Hawaiian throne on January 11, 1855. The same letter, mutatis mutandis, was sent to the Queen of the United Kingdom, the Emperors of the French and Russia, the Kings of Denmark, Prussia, Sweden, and Norway, and the Presidents of Hamburg, Bremen, Chile, and Peru.
It reads, in part: ‘I doubt not but that You will partake in my sorrow for the loss of my Predecessor, Kamehameha III., who died on the 15th of December last. In accordance with the will of the late King, and the Constitution of my Realm, I have succeeded to the throne of my forefathers. My anxious endeavor will be to rule for the good of my subjects, and of all foreigners residing within my jurisdiction.’
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