Report of the Committee of Foreign Relations on the Petition of Jonathan S. Smith (18th Congress, First Session)

NP, 1824. First Edition. Unknown. Fair/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Soiling, rubbing, browning and/or foxing throughout (chiefly to wrappers and foredges); secretarial ink annotations on lower wrapper; short tear to midsection of lower wrapper; small hole in lower wrapper (obliterating one word of text); wear and browning to lower edges. 3, [1] pages (including wrappers). Upper wrapper title. At head of title: 95 (in brackets). Text of the report; 'That the petitioner alleges that he was compelled, in the year 1812 ... together with all the American citizens, to leave Algiers in three days ... that he left in store, at Algiers, one hundred and thirty-one bags of coffee ... which the committee presume was lost to him ...' and the claim on the Regency '... that a just compensation shall be made by the Dey of Algiers' according to the 4th article of the 1815 treaty with Algiers; and ending upon the resolution that '... the committee cannot see upon what principle the relief sought for ... could be reasonably granted ... therefore ... [be it] Resolved, that the p[etition] of Jonathan S. Smith ought not to be granted' (word 'petition' is a guess; could also be 'prayer'; actual word is the one obliterated by the hole). Dated March 26, 1824 on upper wrapper ('Read: Ordered that it lie upon the table'; upper wrapper). Annotations in unidentified (probably secretarial) holograph hand on rear blank read: 'Jonathan S. Smith / To lie [or perhaps 'be'?] / Set. 14 1824 / customs // Recorded p. 403 vol. 5'; with additional pencil annotation above date (illegible; also unidentified). Fascinating bit of diplomatic history; sold 'as is'.