John Hamilton letter to Henry Dundas(1795 June 21)
- MS 2014.4
- Ink on paper
Letter of John Hamilton, British Consul at Norfolk, Virginia to Henry Dundas concerning efforts to recover “British Debts contracted previous to the War.” Hamilton informs Dundas of the recent establishment of the Circuit Courts of the United States for the Southern district and the small successes made in recovering debts owed the British by American citizens. He notes that the U.S. Senate is “deliberating on the lately concluded Treaty of Amity &c. between Great Britain, and America …” Hamilton doubts much will come of efforts to collect on the debts due to what he views as “the present System of Procrastination.”
John Hamilton was British Consul at Norfolk, Virginia from 1790 until the outbreak of the War of 1812. Born in Scotland, Hamilton emigrated to Virginia and then North Carolina where he worked in his family’s mercantile firm. A loyalist, Hamilton suffered great financial losses as a result of the American Revolution. During the war, he left North Carolina for British controlled New York City. He raised a regiment of North Carolina loyalists for the British military campagin in the South. Hamilton was transferred to East Florida with his regiment, the Royal North Carolina Regiment, after the British evacuated Charles Town. From there he travelled to Nova Scotia and then to London where he lobbied the government on behalf of former southern merchants. After serving as British Consul in Norfolk, Virginia, Hamilton returned to England. He died there on December 12, 1816.