LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 Oct. Marketplace Auction #87101  / 

90041

1842 Richard Rush Letter With Smithson Content

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:50.00 - 75.00 USD
1842 Richard Rush Letter With Smithson Content
<B>1842 Richard Rush Letter to Thomas Aspinall Regarding the “Smithson Bequest”.</B></I> Two pages, 8” x 10”, Philadelphia, January 20, 1842, to Colonel Thomas Aspinall, U. S. Consul, London. In 1836 President Andrew Jackson send Rush to England to secure for the United States the legacy left the government by James Smithson. Rush's efforts were successful and netted the government over $500,000 which was ultimately used to establish the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C. In this important letter Richard Rush seeks compensation for his part in securing the Smithson bequest. He writes in part: “<I>may I request of you to say what you know or believe of the value of these services that I so performed and which were extra, as I believe, to the public and official duties I was charged with and whether in your opinion I did not, by performing them in this manner, save expenses to the United States, which would have been incurred…I will ask the favor of an answer when your convenience will allow, and with apologies for the trouble I am giving you.</B></I>” A fabulous letter, retaining the original wax seal on the integral address leaf, with the usual folds, else near fine. <I>Ex. Henry E. Luhrs Collection.</B></I> <BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Flat Material, Small (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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