LS signed “A. Hamilton,” one page, 7.25 x 8.5, June 8, 1792. Treasury Department circular letter, in part: "I herewith send you a copy of a Circular letter which I have this day written to the Collectors of the Customs. The arrangement therein suggested will conduce very much to the order of the business of the Treasury and is presumed to be conformable with law. I feel a confidence that it will meet with the cheerful co-operation of the several Courts and their respective Officers, & that the arrangement itself, will be found well adapted to the security of all parties." Handsomely cloth-matted and framed with a portrait to an overall size of 19.5 x 15.5. In very good to fine condition, with light creasing, a short split to a lower fold, and a small stain to the right side.



As the nation's first Treasury Secretary, Hamilton enacted economic reforms aimed at promoting American industry. A key plank of his platform was an elaborate system of duties, tariffs, and excise taxes on goods from abroad, designed to make imports more expensive than domestic products. On June 8, 1792, Hamilton published a circular letter to the collectors of the customs, clarifying sections of the ‘Collection Law.’ The circular explained: ‘The proceeds of forfeited vessels and goods, and the sums recovered, as for pecuniary fines and penalties, will naturally come, in the first instance, into the hands of the Marshals. These, they will pay over to the respective Collectors, who will pay the charges and distribute the net remainder.’