Holograph Letter to James Vaux, Regarding a Lease

Wilmington, 1807. Single sheet, folded in half to approximately 7 7/8" x 9 5/8. Near fine. Old folds, remnants of a wax seal and some associated loss to paper from opening, though no loss of content.. Handwritten letter from Founding Father John Dickinson just months before he died. The letter is to James Vaux, a prominent Philadelphia Quaker, regarding an apparent shared interest in a lease. <br /> <br /> Dickinson writes:<br /> ------<br /> "Esteemed Friend, <br /> <br /> Thy letter of the second is received, with the inclosure. <br /> <br /> A copy of the lease is now sent for W. P.[?]___<br /> <br /> The exorbitant demands for surveying must, I suppose, be paid, as a controversy would only lead from one injury to another--- All that can be done, will be to keep as much as possible out of the Hands of these men in future. <br /> <br /> I am thy sincere friend, <br /> <br /> John Dickinson<br /> <br /> Wilmington<br /> the 7th of the 9th Month<br /> 1807----"<br /> ------<br /> <br /> Docketed on reverse.<br /> <br /> John Dickinson rose to prominence before the American Revolution as author of "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania" in 1767-1768. He helped prepare the first draft of the Articles of Confederation. He did not sign the Declaration of Independence because he held out hope for a reconciliation with Britain, but did serve in the militia once the war came. He served as president of both Delaware and Pennsylvania, and was elected the presiding officer at the 1786 Annapolis Convention.