AUGUSTUS H. GARLAND - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 04/06/1873 - HFSID 321209

AUGUSTUS HILL GARLAND
The future Governor, Senator and Attorney General requests detailed legal information on the Washington Treaty of 1871.
Autograph Letter signed: "Garland", 1 page, 5½x8¼. Little Rock, Arkansas, 1873 April 6. To "Dear Sirs", in full: "Please send me the book referred to in the clips hereto attached. [These clippings, referencing a book on the Treaty of Washington, are included here.] Another thing, I want the arguments of counsel, & the opinions of the court and arbitrators in this case. I have the publication with all the proceedings except these, & they are exactly what I want. I notice from the last Evening Review an article on these arguments - opinions as published in the London Gazette. Get them & send me if you please. Calling your attention to an order since several months of [?] works & some others. I am your friend". Augustus Hill Garland (1832-1899, born in Covington, Tennessee), a member of both the Confederate House and Senate during the Civil War, was elected to the U.S. Senate from Arkansas for the term beginning March 4, 1867, but was not permitted to take his seat as Arkansas had not yet been readmitted to representation. After serving as Governor of Arkansas (1874-1876), he was again elected U.S. Senator from 1877 until 1885, when he was appointed US Attorney General by President Grover Cleveland (1885-1889). He retired from public life after Cleveland's loss to Harrison. The Treaty of Washington (1871) resolved the Alabama Claims, the US claim for compensation for losses inflicted by Confederate raiders built in English ports during the American Civil War. Because Britain recognized (belatedly) that its far-flung empire might be endangered by US-built raiders in a future war, the terms of the settlement were highly favorable to the US: $15.5 million in damages, an apology, and American fishing rights in Canadian waters. Fold down center. Toned. Heavily stained on right half of sheet. Corners slightly worn and creased. Light surface creases. Adhesive residue on verso. Small hole in top left corner. Left edge slightly worn. Otherwise, fine condition.