41From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [15 July 1796] (Hamilton Papers)
The application for a loan from the Bank of New York though powerfully supported by some of the leading directors labours; owing to the jealousy & narrowness of certain ones who see in it a plan to increase the active capital of the Branch Bank & put them in its power. Unluckily the President suddenly went off to R Island with his wife & some sick Children. I pursue the affair & I hope still...
42From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [5 April 1797] (Hamilton Papers)
I have received your letter of March 31. I hope nothing in my last was misunderstood. Could it be necessary I would assure you that no one has a stronger convinction than myself of the purity of the motives which direct your public Conduct or of the good sense and judgment by which it is guided. If I have a fear (you will excuse my frankness), it is lest the strength of your feelings, the...
43From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 22 August 1798 (Hamilton Papers)
No one knows better than yourself how difficult and oppressive is the collection even of taxes very moderate in their amount if there be a defective circulation. According to all the phœnomena which fall under my notice this is our case in the interior parts of the Country. Again Individual Capitals & consequently the faculty of direct loans is not very extensive in the U States. The Banks can...
44From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 18 March 1793 (Hamilton Papers)
The XXXIV Section of the Collection law provides that certain rates per Cent . shall be allowed for the Tares of Coffee Pepper and Sugar, other than loaf Sugar. Upon this provision, a doubt has existed whether the per centage ought not, in certain cases to be computed on the Cwt. or long hundred; or ought in all cases to be computed on the 100 lb or short hundred. The practice at different...
45From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [3 November 1796] (Hamilton Papers)
I have more carefully examined our Treaty with G Britain & I return to the opinion given you from Albany. My hesitation yesterday arose from the terms of the 24th article which were confined to privateers , a word that has an appropriate sense, meaning ships of private persons commissioned to cruise . But the following article contains the equivalent one to that with France, upon which we...
46From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [13 September 1789] (Hamilton Papers)
It is with pleasure I am able to inform you that you have been appointed Auditor in the Department of the Treasury. The salary of this office is 1500 Dollars. Your friends having expressed a doubt of your acceptance, I cannot forbear saying, that I shall be happy to find the doubt has been ill founded; as from the character I have received of you, I am persuaded you will be an acquisition to...
47From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 16 June 1796 (Hamilton Papers)
It appears to me material under our present prospects to complete the three frigates without delay. They may be useful with reference to the Algerines—they may be useful to convoy our vessels out of the reach of pickeroon privateers hovering on our Coast. I know you want money but could not the Merchants by secret movements be put in motion to make you a loan. I think something of this kind...
48From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 27 October 1795 (Hamilton Papers)
I wish the statements requested in my letter of yesterday may contain each particular payment not aggregates for periods. It runs in my mind that once there being no appropriation I procured an informal advance for The President from the bank—if this is so let me know the time & particulars. If the Account has been wound up to an exact adjustment since the period noticed by the calm observer,...
49From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [15 June 1796] (Hamilton Papers)
The post of today brought me a letter from you. From some recent information which I have obtained here, I have scarcely a doubt that the plan of the French is—1 to take all enemy property in our Ships contrary to the Treaty between the two Countries 2 to seize and carry in all our vessels laden with provisions for any English Port. Among this all that they choose to think enemy property will...
50From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 21 March 1799 (Hamilton Papers)
I hope you will have understood that I did not mean by any thing in my late letter to blame the plan pursued with regard to vessels arriving contrary to the Non-Intercourse laws. I mean only to give you testimony of the character of an Individual & to place before you my professional ideas of the defective wording of the law as a kind of caution in the execution. I agree with you that the...
51From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 22 June 1795 (Hamilton Papers)
I have received your letter of the 18th instant. I will reply to one or two points now and to the rest hereafter. With regard to the measure of receiving Dutch bonds here to be exchanged, as is usual, it has different sides. To do it may be in some measure necessary to effectuate the main object; as there may be many individuals who from circumstances might not think themselves safe in...
52From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [9 November 1796] (Hamilton Papers)
I received yesterday your letter of the 6th & immediately wrote some additional letters to the Eastward enforcing what I had before written. Pensylvania does not surprise me. I have reconsidered the opinion given to you on the 3d, & see no reason to change it. The reasoning which leads me to the conclusion has not been sufficiently explained. I will therefore be more particular. The articles...
53From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 26 September 1800 (Hamilton Papers)
As I hinted to you some time since, I have drafted a letter which it is my wish to send to influential individuals in the New England States. I hope from it two advantages the promoting of Mr. Pinckney’s election and the vindication of ourselves. You may depend upon it a very serious impression has been made on the public mind by the partisans of Mr. Adams to our disadvantage; that the facts...
54From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Jr., 10 August 1799 (Hamilton Papers)
I imagine, My Dear Sir, by the letter which the post of yesterday brought me from you, that you have supposed that something not quite satisfactory to me had occurrd in relation to the erection of a Hospital at Rhode Island. This I assure you has not been the case, nor has any thing come under my view, which could lead me to think that there has been cause for blame in any quarter. It happened...
55From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 28 December 1798 (Hamilton Papers)
I have embraced every opportunity since the receipt of yours of the 21st to obtain light on the subject of the loan. But my research has been essentially fruitless. Opinions are as various as they are vague. You must therefore conjecture, and you ought to act on the sure side for selling the loan. For my part, I retain the opinion that the loan ought to be upon eight per Cent Interest, the...
56From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 8 April 1799 (Hamilton Papers)
I send you in confidence the copy of a letter of this date to the Secretary of War and of the plan to which it refers. Consider it well. Make the Secretary of War talk to you about it, without letting him know that I have sent it to you—And urge the establishment of some plan which will effectually organise this important branch of our Military service. The proper course in the interior of the...
57From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [30 March 1797] (Hamilton Papers)
Every one who can properly appreciate the situation of our Affairs at this moment, in all the extent of possible circumstances, must be extremely anxious for such a course of conduct in our Government which will unite the utmost prudence with energy. It has been a considerable time my wish that a Commission extraordinary Madison Pinkney Cabot should be constituted to go to France to explain...
58From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [23 December 1796] (Hamilton Papers)
I wrote to you two days ago on the subject of obtaining an instruction from the Bank of the U States to the Direction of the Office here to prevent a speedy repetition of their call on the Bank of New York. This Bank has so large a proportion of its whole Capital in the power of the Office that if it be not tranquillized on the subject of demands from that quarter, it will be driven to such...
59From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 7 October 1794 (Hamilton Papers)
[ Carlisle, Pennsylvania, October 7, 1794. On October 11, 1794, Wolcott wrote to Hamilton : “I have recd. your favour dated 7: & 8: inst.” Letter of October 7 not found. ]
60From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [13 April 1797] (Hamilton Papers)
The post of today brought me a letter from you. I am just informed that an order is come to the Custom House not to clear out any Vessel if armed , unless destined for the East Indies. Under the present circumstances I very much doubt the expediency of this measure. The excesses of France justify passiveness in the Government and its inability to protect the Merchants required that it should...
61From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [3 August 1796] (Hamilton Papers)
I have received your letter of the 1st. I deplore the picture it gives and henceforth wish to forget there is a Bank or a Treasury in the U States, though I shall not forget my regard to individuals. I do not see one argument in any possible shape of the thing for the sale of Bank Stock or against that of the other stock, which does not apply vice versa & I shall consider it as one of the most...
62From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 14 August 1802 (Hamilton Papers)
When you were last in Town I promised to communicate to you the outline of a project by which I think you may enter upon a career of business beneficial to yourself and friends. My almost constant attendance at Court ever since you were here has retarded its communication, which I shall now make. Let a commercial Capital be formed to consist of 100 000 Dollars divided into shares of 1000...
63From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 16 December 1800 (Hamilton Papers)
It is now, my Dear Sir, ascertained that Jefferson or Burr will be President and it seems probable that they will come with equal votes to the House of Representatives. It is also circulated here that in this event the Fœderalists in Congress or some of them talk of preferring Burr. I trust New England at least will not so far lose its head as to fall into this snare. There is no doubt but...
64From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [26 June 1796] (Hamilton Papers)
I learn from a Gentleman of character that a prize brought into Boston by a French Privateer is about to be sold. This being in direct breach of our Treaty with G Britain how does it happen? Though no particular law passed, the Treaty being the law of the land, Our custom houses can & ought to prevent the entry & sale of prizes, upon Executive instruction. If any thing is wanting to this end...
65From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 2 July 1795 (Hamilton Papers)
[ New York, July 2, 1795. On July 10, 1795, Wolcott wrote to Hamilton : “I have recd. your several Letters dated June 22d. 26th. 30th. & the 2nd. current.” Letter of July 2 not found. ]
66From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [17 February 1797] (Hamilton Papers)
I groan My Dr. Sir at the disgraceful course of our affairs. I pity all those who are officially in their vortex. The behaviour of Congress in the present crisis is a new political phœnomenon. They must be severally arraigned before the Bar of the Public. How unfortunate that our friends suffer themselves by their passiveness to be confounded in the guilt. Yrs. truly ALS , Connecticut...
67From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 20 September 1795 (Hamilton Papers)
A slight indisposition prevented my meeting you at E Town which I should otherwise have done with great pleasure. It is wished for a particular purpose to know who are the Writers of Valerius Hancock Bellisarius Atticus . If any thing about them is known in a manner that can be depended upon I will thank you for it in confidence. The fever in this Town has become serious. The alarm however...
68From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [22 April 1797] (Hamilton Papers)
The consideration for the candidates in the better part of the community stands nearly thus. Clarkeson , ver Plank , Fish = Walker , Burrall , Giles ,
69From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, 22 April 1797 (Hamilton Papers)
My absence from New York to attend the Court here has put it out of my power to answer sooner your letter of the 13th instant. The characters which occur to me as proper to be considered for Collector are these— Benjamin Walker —This Gentleman you know as well as I do. He is every way qualified and fit, and had he remained in the place of naval officer he might, qualified as he is, have looked...
70From Alexander Hamilton to Oliver Wolcott, Junior, [11 November 1795] (Hamilton Papers)
At length I am able to send you the explanation I mentioned to you. The papers upon which it is founded are returned that you may compare & if necessary correct. You may by altering the body or by a note rectify any inaccuracy . You will observe marks in the margin which will require particular attention. A Let the distance if not so now be rightly stated. B insert the most usual sum or sums....