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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.

Bourne, Sylvanus, 1761-1817 to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.10224 Author/Creator: Bourne, Sylvanus, 1761-1817 Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: January 16, 1790 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 37.6 cm, Width: 20.2 cm Order a Copy

Asks Knox to assist in furthering his cause in application for a consul or secretary position dealing with commerce and foreign affairs. Believes that the greatness of the nation is "intimately connected with the extension of her Commerce with other Powers, & having guaranteed by explicit Contract & no longer subject to the precarious tenure of legislative decrees." Goes on to state that he trusts Knox with handling this business and encloses references. Watermarked with a hunting horn inside a crest and the letters "G R" underneath.

Bourne, Sylvanus, 1761-1817
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

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