To George Washington from Alexander Hamilton, 14 May 1793
From Alexander Hamilton
[Philadelphia] May 14th 1793.
The Secretary of the Treasury presents his respects to the President & sends for his information & direction two letters, one from the Collector of Oxford, the other from mister Murray member from Maryland. The Secretary, if not directed otherwise, will by the post of tomorrow, desire the Collector to detain the prize until further order; lest not receiving early instruction he may surrender her to one or the other party, contrary to the final determination of the Executive.1
LB, DLC:GW.
1. The letter from Jeremiah Banning, the collector of customs and inspector of the port at Oxford, Md., to Hamilton has not been identified. William Vans Murray’s letter to Hamilton of 8 May 1793 is in 14:425–28. Both letters concern a privateering incident near the Maryland coast by the Sans Culotte against the British ship Eunice. Hamilton laid these letters before GW on 16 May ( 141). On this incident, see Thomas Newton, Jr., and William Lindsay to GW, 5 May, and nn.1–2 and Tobias Lear to Thomas Jefferson, 14 May. No instructions from Hamilton have been identified.