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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Clarkson, Matthew, 1733-1800 to John Nicholson

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01221.03 Author/Creator: Clarkson, Matthew, 1733-1800 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: December 31, 1793 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket Height: 23.9 cm, Width: 18.8 cm Order a Copy

Letter written by Clarkson, the mayor of Philadelphia, to Nicholson, a famous land speculator, as comptroller general of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He references Nicholson's letter from December 26, 1793. Says he has passed its contents on to the "Committee for the relief of the poor & distressed Citizens" who have been suffering from the "malignant disorder" - yellow fever. They accepted it with thanks and "will cheerfully undertake the distribution thereof as comfortably to your wishes as possible." Small hole where seal was removed. Paper has a watermark.

Clarkson, Matthew, 1733-1800
Nicholson, John, 1757-1800

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