Our Collection

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.

Mercer, John F., 1759-1821 to George Weedon and William Fitzhugh

Order a pdf of this item here.

A high-resolution version of this object is available for registered users. LOG IN

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06491.02 Author/Creator: Mercer, John F., 1759-1821 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 18 March 1783 Pagination: 1 p. : address : docket : free frank Height: 23.5 cm, Width: 19 cm Order a Copy

Relays information related to the negotiation of the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution. Discusses a dispatch from Henry Laurens, one the American delegates working on the treaty, that
"conveys...the design of the court of London...to disconnect belligerent Powers" and that "the spirit of the Nation is high for the prosecution of the War agt. France." Laurens recommends that the United States "adhere religiously to our engagements with France." Also encloses (not included) and discusses newspapers with pertinent information.

Mercer, John Francis, 1759-1821
Weedon, George, 1734-1793
Fitzhugh, William, 1721-1798
Meuse, John, fl. 1783

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources