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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.

Harwood, Jacob, fl. 1686-1695 to Robert Livingston re: Harwood's business dealings with Thomas Dongan

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03107.00235 Author/Creator: Harwood, Jacob, fl. 1686-1695 Place Written: London, England Type: Autograph letter Date: 1693/08/22 Pagination: 4 p. : Height: 30.6 cm, Width: 19 cm Order a Copy

Harwood recounts the difficulties in causing former Governor Dongan to pay his debts. Dongan was indebted to Harwood, and when Harwood decided to take legal action, Dongan bribed two clerks to withhold Harwood's petition from the council of the treasury for five weeks, after which time the council ruled in Harwood's favor. Furthermore, Harwood discusses the loss of confidence in shipping due to King William's "ill success" in Flanders and the loss of the Turkish fleet, which caused investors to be wary of such potentially risky investments. Docketed on verso.

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