Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Pitkin, William, fl. 1692 to Robert Livingston re: news of events in England

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03107.00221 Author/Creator: Pitkin, William, fl. 1692 Place Written: Hartford, Connecticut Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1692/09/29 Pagination: 1p. + addr. 33 x 20.7 cm Order a Copy

Pitkin sends thanks for all of Livingston's efforts on his behalf in the matter of runaway indentured servant Edward Blake. According to news picked up by Pitkin, the English have captured the French port city of St. Malo, complete with "very much shipping there," and King William's forces have defeated France at the Battle of Flanders. Pitkin claims that the deposed King James led a squadron of ships to Scotland, where they were defeated by a joint Anglo-Dutch fleet. Finally, Pitkin mentions a plan in which Captain Gilbert would lead a force of one thousand men into Canada to invade the French dominion. Docketed on address leaf.

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources