To Alexander Hamilton from Tench Coxe, 24 September 1794
From Tench Coxe1
Treasury Department, Revenue Office, September 24, 1794. “I have the honor to enclose proposals from Mr. John McCauley for the Copper work of the Tybee Lantern.… No 1 was his first proposal … which induced me to make a second endeavour to procure propositions … Mr McCauley reconsidering the matter, sent in No 2, which was lower than any other that was offered. The War in Europe and other circumstances, have greatly advanced the prices of Metal, & Workmanship is constantly rising here from the increase of the expences of living and the prodigious increase of the capital employed in manufactures & other domestic operations. I am satisfied it will be difficult to procure as low a proposal from any other person. I therefore transmit this for the decision of the President.”2
LC, RG 26, Lighthouse Letters, Vol. I, National Archives; LC, RG 75, Letters of Tench Coxe, Commissioner of the Revenue, Relating to the Procurement of Military, Naval, and Indian Supplies, National Archives.
1. For background to this letter, see Coxe to H, August 19, September 17, 1794.
2. On May 12, 1794, McCauley sent a revised proposal to Coxe. On July 23, 1794, he submitted another revised proposal to Coxe. The President approved the second revised proposal on September 29, 1794 (copies, RG 26, Lighthouse Deeds and Contracts, National Archives).