THE CONNECTICUT COURANT, DECEMBER 19, 1796 – GEORGE WASHINGTON’S FINAL ANNUAL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS

THE CONNECTICUT COURANT, DECEMBER 19, 1796 – GEORGE WASHINGTON’S FINAL ANNUAL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS

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THE CONNECTICUT COURANT — Hartford: Printed by Hudson & Goodwin, opposite the North Meeting-House. Vol. XXXI, No. 1665. Monday, December 19, 1796. Complete folio issue, four pages on a single folded sheet — together with the original two-page Supplement of the same date (single sheet, printed both sides).

A handsome and historically important issue carrying the full text of George Washington's Eighth and final Annual Message to Congress, delivered to both Houses on December 7, 1796 — his last such address before leaving office. Printed across the front page and continued within, the message reflects the concerns of a departing president: the redemption of American seamen held captive at Algiers; the management of Indian affairs and the Creek conference at Colerain, Georgia; the surrender of the western posts under the Jay Treaty; and the running of the southern boundary line under the recent treaty with Spain (Pinckney's Treaty).

Of particular note, the address contains two of Washington's most forward-looking recommendations to the young republic — the establishment of a national university and a military academy — the latter foreshadowing the founding of West Point in 1802. The message also voices Washington's pointed concern over deteriorating relations with France, including injuries to American commerce in the West Indies at the hands of French cruisers, an early signal of the tensions that would soon erupt into the Quasi-War. The text closes over his name, GO. WASHINGTON, and is followed by the formal replies of the House and Senate, the latter under Vice President John Adams.

The issue carries a second prize for the collector of early American politics: a tabulated statement of the returns for the 1796 presidential and vice-presidential election — the first contested presidential contest in the nation's history — listing votes by state for Adams, Jefferson, Pinckney, and Burr. Additional content includes vivid accounts of the great conflagrations at New York, Savannah, and Baltimore.

Includes the original two-page Supplement to the same issue (a single sheet printed on both sides) — a full complement of period Hartford and Connecticut commercial advertising (dry goods, hardware, drugs and medicines, teas, English stallions standing at stud, and more), along with a U.S. Treasury notice regarding the funded debt over the name of Samuel Meredith, Treasurer of the United States, and a model power-of-attorney form for creditors receiving dividends. Together the sheets offer an exceptionally rich window into late-eighteenth-century New England commerce and federal finance.

Condition: Complete, with all four pages of the main issue present and text fully legible, plus the accompanying two-page supplement. Even period toning and browning throughout; horizontal center-fold separation and edge chipping with minor marginal loss, as expected of paper of this age. Old collector's pencil notations to the masthead noting the contents. A solid, displayable example of a desirable Washington presidential issue, enhanced by the inclusion of the matching supplement. Issue measures approximately 12" x 19".

Ex-Texas Civil War Museum collection.  [ss] [ph:L]

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