[Embargo Act of 1807?;] Substantial copy letter, John Holmes, lawyer & politician in Maine/Massachusetts, to William Sabatier, merchant, about land in Maine/MA. Annotated & Copied by Sabatier,and forwarded to Thomas Hutchinson, Jr (see notes below)

Author: 
William Sabatier, "office holder, merchant, jp, and lobbyist (Canadian DNB) [John Holmes, US Senator, etc. (Wikipedia)]
Publication details: 
[Holmes letter] Alfred, Mass., 24 March 1809; [Wm Sabatier note], 5 May 1809.
£280.00
SKU: 16486

Four-pages bifolium, fold marks, good condition. Holmes letter copied by Sabatier to Hutchinson, and with substantial added material also by Sabatier, 2pp., folio; Sabatier added the note to Hutchinson, p.3, "A cross grained business has happened in the appointment which will occasion a temporary delay; Hutchinson's address appears on page four with a note (presumably in Hutchinson's hand), "Willm Sabatier Esq. April & May 09 - Correspondence with Mr Holmes & Amory respecting eastern Lands - Mode of dividing the produce &c." Holmes explains that he was unable to make contact with Hutchinson via Halifax "in season". He had tried a channel through Amory "last fall" but it obviously didn't arrive. A suit/trial had a favourable result, but led to settlers making different arrangements for purchase (of land), some through the "Coxhall proprietors" [phrase crops up on Googlebooks, without further illumination]. Holmes has commenced legal action like the former suit against them, but as plaintiffs not as was, defendants. When the "Coxhall Proprietors" have finished, he will send their money. He has "$2000 in notes on interest for lands sold" and more. But "The [additional] notes I have omitted to collect because the situation between the two countries are such that collections and remittances are equally difficult. [Here Sabatier adds a four-line note saying how the business hangs by a thread and might be lost. " Speaking obviously of Americans, he says, "With a few exceptions, it is a nation of ______[expletive deleted, I should think] and Mr H. seems to think as much. If you write be cautious. - WS." The Holmes letter continues. warning how unsafe it would be to transmit the proceeds, making suggestions about discussions with the Coxhall Proprietors to avoid expense etc. He reveals that he intends to "proceed to claim all the land to which the heirs of Peleg Sandford [Governor of Rhode Island, d.1701; Thomas Hutchinson married his daughter, hence inherited estate] are entitled, taking care not to lose more than he gains." He suggests they meet in Boston in spring "provided the contemptible disputes of the two countries should not interfere." Sabatier adds a long note at this point referring to the "hornet's nest" and outlining what he will write to Holmes. Holmes adds material about his agency and the situation of the settlers vs. heirs, asking Sabatier to send a copy of the letter to Hutchinson. Notes: a. 'In 1817 Lord Dalhousie [Ramsay*], then lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, said of William Sabatier: "I think him very intelligent, inquisitive, and instructing on the history and commerce of this part of the New World. Here [in Halifax] he is considered a meddling 'Busy Body' in all concerns whether public or private." ' (Dictionary of Canadian Biography); b. Thomas Hutchinson, Jr, (1772-1837), barrister, grandson of Loyalist Governor being kept in touch of American affairs; c. John Holmes "In 1816, Holmes was one of the commissioners under the Treaty of Ghent to divide the islands of Passamaquoddy Bay between the United States and Great Britain. He was also appointed by the legislature to organize state prisons and revise the Massachusetts criminal code." (see Wikipedia for more of his distinguished career).