1843 John Jay II Signed Letter Gerrit Smith Abolitionist Patriot Newspaper Aplgy for Sale

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1843 John Jay II Signed Letter Gerrit Smith Abolitionist Patriot Newspaper Aplgy For Sale

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1843 John Jay II Signed Letter Gerrit Smith Abolitionist Patriot Newspaper Aplgy:
$995.95

Original 1843 manuscript letter signed by John Jay II, addressed to fellow abolitionist Gerrit Smith, with a related manuscript correction headed “Copy” and addressed to the editor of the Patriot.

The signed personal letter is dated New York, December 15, 1843. The correction copy is dated December 13, 1843.

Jay writes to apologize for an error in a published quotation from Smith’s correspondence. The accidental addition of the words “but myself” changed the apparent meaning of Smith’s statement concerning the truthfulness of an account given by “Mr Dresser” at a convention.

In the personal letter, Jay explains that his communication was “written, copied & compared amid the bustle & confusion of business in my office,” but acknowledges that these circumstances “afford no sufficient apology for carelessness in such a matter.” He expresses his sincere regret and closes as Smith’s “friend & servant,” signing “John Jay.”

The related correction explains how “but myself” was mistakenly inserted near the similar phrase “by myself.” It contains the statement:

“Too great accuracy in quoting the words of another can never be observed…”

Jay also expresses his sincere regard for Smith, his appreciation of their friendship, and his apologies for overlooking the error.

John Jay II (1817–1894) was an abolitionist attorney and grandson of the first chief justice of the United States. He participated in freedom litigation, including the Lemmon case, and later served as U.S. minister to Austria. This is the younger John Jay, not the Founding Father.

Gerrit Smith was an abolitionist and philanthropist who later became a financial supporter of John Brown. Smith is the recipient of this letter, not its signer. John Brown and Harpers Ferry are not discussed in the visible text.

An associated group of interest to collectors of abolitionist correspondence, the Jay family, Gerrit Smith, nineteenth-century newspapers, and manuscript accounts of public disputes and personal relationships.

Condition: Age toning, scattered spotting and staining, multiple old folds and creases, small edge tears/nicks, and ink show-through. A later pencil notation is present on the signed letter. Please examine the photographs for condition and extent.

The photographed correction page ends mid-sentence with “Your paper makes…”; no additional continuation is represented in the photographs. Completeness of that text is not claimed.

Photographs include repeated close-up views of the same manuscript material. Only the manuscript material shown is included; the measuring ruler is not included.

Type: Signed manuscript letter with related manuscript correction

Author / Signer: John Jay II (1817–1894)

Recipient: Gerrit Smith (1797–1874)

Signed Letter Date: December 15, 1843

Correction Copy Date: December 13, 1843

Place Written: New York

Time Period: 1800–1849

Original / Reproduction: Original

Language: English

Material: Paper

Writing Medium: Ink

Subject: Abolitionist correspondence; newspaper correction; personal apology