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Lot 1414
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SAMUEL ADAMS TESTIFIES ON LETTERS BETWEEN THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE AND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
SAMUEL ADAMS TESTIFIES ON LETTERS BETWEEN THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE AND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
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SAMUEL ADAMS TESTIFIES ON LETTERS BETWEEN THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE AND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
Very interesting early American political content and association A.D.S., 4pp. legal folio, [Boston, ca. 1783-84], by NATHANIEL APPLETON (1731-1798), a Boston merchant active in Revolutionary politics and a correspondent of George Washington and Alexander Hancock who served as Commissioner of the Boston Loan Office. The document presented here is a handwritten copy of testimony presented before a committee of the Massachusetts House of Representatives by Appleton and SAMUEL ADAMS (1722-1803), at the time President of the Massachusetts Senate, regarding a delay in transmitting letters between a committee of correspondence, of which Appleton was a member, appointed by the House and the Confederation Congress, the governing body of the United States from 1781 to 1789. In small part: ‘The Committee appointed to enquire into the causes of the delay in communicating to the House the Letters received from the Delegates at Congress by the Committee appointed the 11th July last to correspond with them, reported specially as follows viz. That the following information was made by the Hon'ble Mr Adams to the Committee. That after the appointment of the Committee… he conversed with Mr Appleton upon the business of their appointment, and proposed to him to open a liberal correspondence with the Delegates, that Mr Appleton objected to this proposition arguing his fears that the Committee might communicate sentiments to the delegates repugnant to those of the [Massachusetts] General Court. That he [Adams] in his private capacity wrote to the Delegates and informed them of the appointment of the Committee. That before the receipt of any Letter or Letters from the Delegates, he was confined with a severe indisposition [illness] – that he remained so confined until about the period of the meeting of the last Session of the General Court. – That the Letter of the Delegates of the 11th September 1783 now before the House, addressed to the said Committee of correspondence was received by him, after the return of [Boston merchant and delegate to Congress] Mr [Stephen] Higginson from Congress… That from Mr Higginson's information, probably the first Letter of the delegates above said had less weight upon his mind, and that from the press of Public business, and his feeble Health, the recollection of that letter failed him, & he omitted laying it before the General Court. That he is uneasy upon this omission & requests the same to be communicated by the Committee to the House, & if that mode is not satisfactory to the House, he expresses a willingness of communicating, to them the same sentiment upon the floor of the House of Representatives… That in the last Session of this House Mr Appleton then a member of said Committee of correspondence on the part of this House was possessed of an open letter dated the 11th day of Sept. 1783 from the said Delegates addressed to said Committee, & to be communicated by them to the General Court. That the subject in part of the said Letter was upon the expediency of a Grant of an Impost by this Commonwealth to Congress, that such expediency was a question agitated in this House in the last Session after Mr Appleton was [possessed] of the open letter aforesaid. That Mr Appleton did not at anytime during the last Session of this House give any information to the House relative to said Letter of 11th Sept. 1783…' The document goes on to present Appleton's own account of his conduct, in part: ‘...Mr Appleton agreeable to leave given him offered the following reasons addressed to the Speaker [likely Tristram Dalton or Samuel A. Otis], for not communicating certain Letters therein mentioned, viz. Sir – When I had the honor of being nominated one of the Committee to correspond with the Delegates at Congress, I did not decline the service, not being then aware of the difficulties which afterwards arose in my mind would [pro]bably attend the prosecution of such a measure. I never saw the Commission or Order of Court or knew its contents. The Chairman never did to my knowledge call a meeting of the Committee, he once proposed to me that a Letter should be wrote to the Delegates, but I did not approve of the measure unless the Letter could have the inspection and approbation of the Court. I never saw any Letter that was wrote under that Commission to the Delegates. I never saw but one that came from them, that was sent to me by the Hon'ble Mr Adams without any message, after a cursory reading the same on my seat in the House, I put it into my Pocket; I did not at that time, or at any time afterwards conceive it incumbent on me, or proper for me, as one of a joint Committee, personally to communicate the Letter, to the Hon'ble House, or to any private person. My idea at that time was that the Chairman would take the proper steps, and that I was responsible only to him for the Letter, to whom it was directed & who had negotiated the whole business as I supposed. Just at that time the Hon'ble Mr Higginson had returned from Congress who was as signer to the Letter, and was called on the floor of the Senate and House, to give all necessary information respecting our public affairs at Congress, particularly respecting the old paper money and the propriety of passing an Impost Bill. From this communication I conceived that every matter contained in the Letter was as well known by the Hon'ble House as by myself; this rendered the Letter of so little consequence in my mind, and not seeing Mr Adams or hearing from him that I forgot to return it to him till some time after, when he sent me a Card requesting the return of it, since which I do not recollect that I have ever thought of the Letter, till it became a matter of public enquiry, not have I ever criminated myself myself as having been guilty of a breach of public trust.' he signs ‘Nathl Appleton' at the conclusion of his statement, although the document goes on to relate that the question of whether Appleton's excuses were valid was twice put to a vote and both times ‘determined in the negative', before a third successful vote was held to put the matter aside entirely. The entire document is executed in Appleton's hand, likely drafted by him during the described proceedings for his own records and protection. Including his full signature at the conclusion of his testimony, Appleton executes his surname a total of fifteen times throughout the document. The piece shows folds overall with some splits thereto, some repaired with cello tape, and with a 2 in. tear to the upper left edge of the first page, and a few later pencil notations, but remains in very good, easily legible condition overall, primarily by virtue of Appleton's extraordinarily neat penmanship. Worthy of further research!

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November 14, 2025 10:00 AM EST
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