To Thomas Jefferson from Murray & Mumford, 21 December 1793
From Murray & Mumford
New York Decr. 21st. 1793
Sir
We are authorised by Messrs. Marshal Jenkins & Son of Hudson, to acquaint you, that if our government intend building vessels of War to defend the commerce of the United States, that they will contract to build a frigate; and will transmit the terms, on our receiving information officially at any time hereafter, that such a measure is necessary. We are very respectfully sir Yr. most obedt: servts
Murray & Mumford
RC (DNA: RG 59, MLR); at head of text: “Thomas Jefferson Esqr.”; endorsed by TJ as received 24 Dec. 1793 and so recorded in SJL.
Murray & Mumford was a New York mercantile firm located at 94 Wall Street that specialized in East Indian tea. The partners, who lived at 162 William Street and 399 Pearl Street respectively, were John B. Murray, an English immigrant, and John P. Mumford (d. 1821), who came from Newport, Rhode Island, and subsequently headed several insurance companies (William Duncan, The New-York Directory, and Register, for the year 1794 … [New York, 1794], 134, 135; [Joseph A. Scoville], The Old Merchants of New York City, 5 vols. [New York, 1864–70], ii, 107, v, 190–4).