NORTH AMERICA - NEW YORK STATE. Very rare and... Lot 549

NORTH AMERICA - NEW YORK STATE. Very rare and important archive on the acquisition of vast tracts of virgin land located in Jefferson County (New York State) along the St. Lawrence River, and the project to build a city there. Comprising over 300 documents covering an 80-year period, from 1797 to 1877. At the end of the 18th century, James Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont (1760-1840), in association with Governor Morris, acquired vast tracts of unsettled land in the states of New York and Pennsylvania. He made a fortune and, following in his father's footsteps, became a major creditor of the American government. The towns of Le Ray and Chaumont, both in New York State, now bear his name. In 3 transactions, in 1811, 1815 and 1816, he ceded to a former general under Napoleon, Edme Étienne Borne Desfourneaux (1767-1849), vast tracts of land bordering the St. Lawrence River, opposite Kingstown, totaling 7270 acres (3000 hectares), located between Cape Saint-Vincent and up to either side of French Creek - a branch of the St. Lawrence, which was then named Baie Desfourneaux; it also included a river named Julie River. It was agreed that Desfourneaux would clear the land, lay out plots and begin construction of a new town to bear his name. On site, he hired John B. Esselstyn as steward. In 1836, Desfourneaux sold most of his American property (3,900 acres in a single block) to Alexandre Guyot de Villeneuve (1804-1878), a "citizen of the United States" and founding director of the journal l'Europe monarchiste, but he remained the creditor for the rest of his life. On site, Louis Peugnet took over, managing the American properties (in particular the sale of plots and the fight against smugglers who stole the most beautiful trees). These American affairs kept Desfourneaux and Guyot de Villeneuve busy until their deaths. This important archive traces the history of this region back to the 18th century. Key documents include - a watercolor plan on double sheet, certified and signed by James Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont (Albany, January 24, 1797, 40 x 25 cm) + another plan in ink: sketch of the town to be built with plots and streets. - a letter and another document, signed by Le Ray de Laumont to Desfourneaux, giving him a costed statement of "clearing, sowing and fencing each field", the construction of barns and stables, 40 sq. ft. one-story houses, their furnishings, the purchase of animals and equipment suitable for farming, with estimates of profitability (1812). - a very interesting manuscript (circa 1812) by a French settler in Jefferson County, describing in detail, based on his experience, everything that needs to be done to make such a project a success: the craftsmen to be brought in and the necessary skills, construction priorities, in particular "a good carpenter and helpers able to build a sawmill on the spot, on one of the falls closest to the river; he will find the saws and various gears in New York; he will need beggars, so useful and, strange thing, unknown in America [...]. He must be accompanied by a good brewer, an essential thing, a man well versed in the distillation of either grain or molasses: this is the foundation of a great agricultural establishment and must always be placed next to a mill, and as an essential basis for the education of livestock. We'll need to take along some Riga flax seed, hemp seed and rapeseed, which is doing wonderfully well on the St Laurent, where I tried it out. We should try alfalfa, which will succeed if sheltered from the north winds and sown in deep, light, fat soil. Clover succeeds admirably [...]. Take all possible plans of all trees and vines (chasselas and Fontainebleau), tree plans pay no duty in New York. A good cook, who knows how to make bread, pastries and cold cuts; something of absolute necessity, not a luxury, in the woods [...]. Take rifles, shotguns and other carbines, shoes [...]. Common but guaranteed watches. Rifles and watches sell well to workers employed on the premises [...]". - Letter from New York (1811) offering his services to clear and cultivate its lands. - Long, fascinating letter from Desfourneaux's steward, written from New York in 1821 (4 pp. in-folio, signature cut out), recounting his trip to his properties, his reception at the home of Le Rey de Chaumon