Name/Title
Letter from James Alexander Hamilton to Alexander Hamilton, Jr.Entry/Object ID
HHV 005.2Tags
Accessioned objectDescription
Letter from James Alexander Hamilton to Alexander Hamilton, Jr.Subject
Alexander Hamilton, Jr.'s decision to leave Spain, effect on WI, plan to be back in NY in August, “The Eureka” (steamboat venture), the [winward?] (steamboat) at Bridgeport, The Mutual Safety (steamboat), profits, disappointments, the Garden at Nevis, horses (Lew, Syrius), JAh seeking opportunities for AH Jr, preparing, letters of introduction in London, Texas annexation, treaties, influence on upcoming Presidential election, the Intelligencer (paper), 6 reasons against annexation of TX, slavery, English influence in Texas, health of sister AngelicaSubject Person/Organization
James Alexander Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton, Jr., Washington Irving, General James Pinckney Henderson, Daniel Webster, John Tyler, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, Angelica Hamilton, Mary Morris HamiltonSubject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
England, Pyrenees, TexasCollection
Hamilton CollectionCataloged By
Tara R. IacobellisCategory
Documentary Artifact
Communication Artifacts
Letter Details
Letter Date
Mar 26, 1844Postmark
Date and Time of Postmark
[POSTMARK 1 - red ink] PAID [POSTMARK 2 - red ink, circle] P 16AP16 ?844 [POSTMARK 3 - red ink, circle] NEW YORK MAR 29Sender
Name
From PapaAddress
John Miller Esquire
U.S. Despatch agent No 13 Hen: /
:rietta Street Covent Garden
London
To Alexander Hamilton Esquire
Secty of the Legation of the U.S.
MadridAddressee
Name
John Miller Esquire, To Alexander Hamilton EsquirePrimary Language
EnglishTranscription
Transcription
Nevis
March 26 1844
My dear Son
Your letters addressed to your / sisters were re in Feby were received and read yesterday / we anticipated the pain the announcement of your / [?resolution?] to leave him would afford [?cause] Mr. I and yet / it was necessary and would have been the same if you / had left him at any time hereafter _ you are right / to remain of necefsity to enable him to go to the Pyrennees / and yet [I’ve?] will require that you [??] not the oppor: / tunity to spend some time in England and to return to / us in August _ If I had $1000 to spare I would go out / to [travel?] + return with you but alas I have not _ The / Eureka commenced [?running] to Piermont the day before / yesterday _ The [winward?] is doing our business at Bridgeport / + the Mutual Safety is [??] employed I think I / will receive from them sources not lefs that $5000 a / year However I confess my disappointment in former / calculations destroys my confidence in this area _
I am just now busily engaged in [doing?] up little matters / about the house + grounds The Garden will shortly call for all / our exertions _ [Lew?] is sold to Mifs Cookes for 70 which / is as much as he is worth he is a hard flesh keeper / The other 5 Horses are all well the Colts growing finely / Syrius is I am quite sure a Race Horse of the best / rank and has been all day to day [Drawing?] and / De-[rcy?] He is very endearing _
I hoped to reach an arrangement for you with / Mr Griffin He promises to do all he can for you but / as he has two sons with him his office is full _ Your / Uncle Robert Morris is going back to his Profefs / :ion on the first of May next he will have / much business what his purposes are I know / not.
[END OF PAGE 1]
How would you like such an afsociation write to me / in reply _ I will continue to look more + for that purpose / I intend to go and pafs some time in the Courts By the / way my cause against N–? Y–? +co is entered / for trial Have you not got some copies of letters [ I sent?short?] / You delivered to them some of my letters [are wanting?] _ The Cause will not publicly by [tried?] until i [come?] I / have got a cause for you to try ?? in this County this fall / which will afford you a good chance.
I hope you will make your arrangements to spend / some time say 2 months in England I will send letters / by the Packets of May the first to Miller to be / Kept for you They will be enveloped + in case / which is very probably that they are not properly / addrefsed you must change the envelope and correct them _
You will see by the papers that the Texas / question has come upon us in the next session f-[??] _ It is quite certain that a Treaty is formed altho / not actually signed but that it will be on the / arrival of Genl. Henderson who it is understood comes with full [plans?forces? Pains?] to form such a treaty of annexation / with this country and to to go to England to form a / Treaty of close alliance and to give to her every / advantage short of absolute Pofsefsion of the Country / [I’m?] ever led to fear that the Senate would / compose such a Treaty Indeed Mr Webster wrote / that he [???] it And Mr. Law told me / it was quite certain What he got as well / as saw of the details of the Traty from the Presi: / :dent The opinion now seems to be that there / will not be the Constitutional Majority and / probably that may deter Mr Henderson from sign / :ing as it is said that Houston alone consented / to offer annexation under an exprefs engage: / :ment that 2/3d of the Senators were ascertained /
[END OF PAGE 2]
To be in favor of it _ Calhoun is probably in Washington by this time / He will do all he can to end it But whether s-[??] / or not by the Senate it must have [^ an] important influence / upon the Presidential Election as Al nearly the whole / South are in favour of it and if it not advised / by the Senate it will fail by the votes of Mr Clays friends / Van Buren will be noncommittal if he can he / altho you will see by the Intelligencer that while / President he took high ground against the annexation / Calhoun + Tylers friends will endeavor to call him out / upon the Subject But for this new crossed out [^ turn] the pl-??[plan? page torn] / was [desided?] by with Clay upon the Tariff [we can] / [beat] Van Buren altogether P[—?Pennsylvania?] has come out / unanimously (in Legislation) against any change in the Tariff / of 1842 __ I confefs I was alarmed at the Prospect of / the annexation and am not yet without / fear that it will be accomplished. The / objections are 1st too great [inclusion?] of [Treaty] / 2 exclusion of slavery 3 [predominately influence] / for a long time to cause of southern influence / 4 There is never no power in the Constitution / 5 It is a declaration of war against Mexico and / 6. It endangers our Union _ It will be attempted to bring the / People into it by [representing?] that if we do not take the treaty En: / :gland will + that this will be dangerous to us in many / parts of [??]. I advised it would be an evil to the South / but not to the whole nation But I do not believe England / would take it - She may advance money + make / great efforts to send out great numbers of her people / to settle the Country + this by [obtaining?] a majority to do / away with Slavery + [content?] the Councils of that / country If they do the latter They will very [re–lent?-] / -ally fall into Democratic opinions by [strict?short?] the Policy / of the Country [??] as well as [Democratic] will be / [??]-led English or Irish men in Texas will be / as freemen in Texas as they are here
Your sister Angelica is better but far from well / all the other members of the family are in good health / Your mother was [??] better _ God bless you dear son / Remember me inthe kindest manner to Mr Irving JAH
[END OF PAGE 3]
[ADDRESS]
John Miller Esquire
U.S. Despatch agent No 13 Hen: /
:rietta Street Covent Garden
London
To Alexander Hamilton Esquire
Secty of the Legation of the U.S.
Madrid
[REVERSE OF ADDRESS]
From Papa
March 26th. 1844.
Red’d April 24’ -
[POSTMARK 1 - red ink]
PAID
[POSTMARK 2 - red ink, circle]
P
16AP16
[1]844
[POSTMARK 3 - red ink, circle]
NEW YORK
MAR
29Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
EnglishOther Names and Numbers
Other Numbers
Number Type
Former NumberOther Number
H 3016General Notes
Note Type
Curatorial RemarksNote
Condition: Fair, several tears along the edges.Created By
tiacobellis@hudsonvalley.orgCreate Date
July 31, 2024Updated By
cmonaco@hudsonvalley.orgUpdate Date
September 29, 2025
