ALS, one page, 8 x 9.75, August 5, 1796. Handwritten letter to "The Hon'ble Jas. Sullivan," in part: "I fear this Letter will not reach you by the 10 Inst. when you expect to sail—Michel's map was the one used by the Commissioners, and the River St. Croix delineated on it, was the one included by them as part of our Eastern Boundary. Whether an Exparte Aff't will be admitted, or w'd be regarded as of equal weight with one more formally taken, at the instance of both parties you best can judge. I am ready to give the Testimony in this one way or the other as may be thought advisable. In the present moment there is not time for it. Wm. T. Franklin, who was Sect'y to the Commissioners, can prove the same thing." Addressed on the integral leaf in Jay's own hand. Professionally inlaid into a slightly larger sheet and in very good to fine condition, with some creasing to the letter, biographical notations toward the bottom, and professional restoration to seal-related paper loss on the integral address leaf.
The Jay Treaty, signed in 1794, played a role in defining the northern boundary between the United States and British Canada, including the St. Croix River. It established a commission to determine which river was the 'River St. Croix' intended in the Treaty of Paris (1783), which did not precisely define the border. Secretary of State Timothy Pickering appointed James Sullivan to be the United States agent to the binational commission; he was thus tasked with gathering relevant maps and legal documents, and then presenting a legal case for the United States' claim. The commission ultimately identified the Scudiac River (as claimed by the British) as the St. Croix, and the boundary was to run along its east branch.
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