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(ROBERT FULTON FERRY BOAT CONTRACT)

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(ROBERT FULTON FERRY BOAT CONTRACT)
An interesting group of three legal documents from the city of New York concerning the ownership of a lease which allow Robert Fulton to operate a ferry boat line. The first D. S. is a fair copy of the original, 3pp. folio, New York, N.Y., June 8, 1813, between Robert Fulton and his wife's brother-in-law, William Cutting, allowing Cutting a full-partnership in Fulton's ferry boat service, in part: "…Fulton and Robert R. Livingston by virtue of sundry acts [are]...entitled to the exclusive right to navigate the water of ...[New York]...by boats propelled by fire or steam. And…in virtue of certain patents granted by the United States a right to the exclusive use of certain inventions…and said William [Cutting] became bound to pay to the said Livingston and Fulton the sum of One thousand dollars per annum...for the terms of five years…whereas the said Robert Fulton and William Cutting have obtained a lease from the Corporation of New York for the ferry...Fulton hath…transferred unto…Cutting all the right, title, and interest…[of the] ferry lease from the Corporation…and Cutting…agrees to pay Harriet Fulton…one thousand dollars per annum…". Cutting operated the ferry boat service until his death and the second D.S. is the original contract between Widow Gertrude Cutting, David Leavitte, and Silas Butler, 3pp. folio, New York, Apr. 9, 1836, selling the city lease for the sum of twenty-eight thousand five hundred dollars. Butler and Leavitte kept sole proprietorship only for a short period of time and the last document is 3pp. folio, New York, Nov. 1, 1836, forming a large partnership between Butler, Leavitte, and nineteen other men who appear to be investors, in order to operate and seek a new lease for the famous ferry boat line. The last two document have seals affixed with all the documents suffering some seam separations archivally repaired. Minor soiling, otherwise very good.