Report of the Select Committee of the Senate, in Relation to the Proceedings of The Board of Commissioners on the Claims Against Mexico, March 28, 1854

Senate of the United States

Published by Beverly Tucker, Printer to the Senate, Washington, DC, 1854

About this Item

Offering this original piece of Americana, "Report of the Select Committee of the Senate, in Relation to the Proceedings of The Board of Commissioners on the Claims Against Mexico, March 28, 1854 - ordered to be printed." Washington, DC: Beverly Tucker, Printer to the Senate, 1854, 1st edition.

Overall condition is Good. The once-purple cloth has become a greyish-black, due to oxidation of the dye; there's a smallchip in the cloth on the back along the spine and a little bit of loss at the spine head. The cover is blindstamped with decorations and text. The spine once had gilt, but only a faint amount remains. The inside pages are moderately foxed, but still somewhat bright and completely legible, easy to read. The edges are darkened. There are a couple of tree leaves left between pages, creating tan shadows on these pages (see the one picture). The pages are all intact and the binding remains strong and secure.

This report investigated a massive fraud within the Board of Commissioners created by the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe. Historically referred to as the "Gardiner Claim," it involved two Gardiner brothers who concocted a false claim that Mexico had destroyed their profitable silver mines in Mexico (which they never owned) during the war, in order to secure a payout. Mexico fell for the scheme and awarded the Gardners a lot of money. The mines were discovered to be a myth, and so the investigations began in 1851, ultimately ending in convictions in 1854. An interesting and scarce artifact of American history!

Seller Inventory # 103167

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Report of the Select Committee of the Senate, in Relation to the Proceedings of The Board of Commissioners on the Claims Against Mexico, March 28, 1854
• Publisher: Beverly Tucker, Printer to the Senate, Washington, DC
• Publication Date: 1854
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • History: US