Beschreibung:

WASHINGTON, GEORGE, President . Autograph letter signed ("G:Washington") AS PRESIDENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, to [Michel-Guillaume Saint Jean de Crèvecoeur], Philadelphia, 9 July 1787. 1 page, 4to, 221 x 200mm. (9 x 8 in.), left margin worn with several punctures (not affecting text) , otherwise in very good condition. WASHINGTON TO THE AUTHOR OF Letters from an American Farmer Washington acknowledges the receipt of a letter and a copy of Crèvecoeur's celebrated Letters from an American Farmer , and thanks him for offering to transmit letters to the Marquis de Lafayette, whom he praises in affectionate terms: "The letter you did me the honor of writing to me by Commodore Paul Jones came safe; as did the 3 volumes of the Farmers letters. For both, particularly the compliment of the latter, I pray you to accept my best thanks. Let me express my gratitude to you at the same time, Sir, for the obliging offer of transmitting any communications I may have occasion to make to my good and much esteemed friend the Marq[ui]s de la Fayette whose services & zeal in the cause of his Country, merits as much applause from his fellow Citizens, as it meets admiration from the rest of mankind. I congratulate you on your safe arrival in this Country..." Fitzpatrick, 29:245. Crèvecoeur (1735-1813) led a remarkable life as a French settler in America prior to and following the American Revolution. His major work, the Letters from an American Farmer , first published in London in 1782 and issued in French the same year as this letter, contained essays vividly depicting the physical, social and economic realities of American life; the work is often considered to rank with Franklin's autobiography. Returning to America after the Revolution, Crèvecoeur became French Consul in New York. He corresponded with Washington, Jefferson and a host of eminent Americans after his return to France in 1790. Provenance : The Crèvecoeur Papers, Property of a Swiss Gentleman (sale, Christie's, New York, 20 April 1979, lot 169).