[French Legal Manuscript Concerning Monetary Claims Against the Estate of Joseph John Miller, a Philadelphian in Paris]

[Paris, 1809. Very good.. [12]pp. Small folio; loose sheets. Light foxing and toning. Accomplished in multiple, mostly legible hands. A very interesting French legal manuscript, bearing details of an 1809 dispute over the estate of Joseph John Miller, an American businessman from Philadelphia living in Paris until his death in 1806. The extent of Miller's business in Paris is opaque, but it seems at least to have involved the production and shipment of salt peter, which is mentioned here. His business must also have been extensive, since the amount being sought by his creditors came to "Cent vingt-cinq mille neuf cent cinquante quatre francs soicante-six centimes, égale à celle de vingt-trois mille six cent seize piastres et demie, à raison de cinq francs trente trois centimes [un tier?] par piastre, suivant le court établie par la convention pour la cession de la Lousiane." The issue was significant enough that it required the involvement of John Armstrong, the American Minister to France appointed by Jefferson, former General in the Revolutionary Army and future Secretary of War during the War of 1812, who represented the interest of the U.S. government and American creditors. Ultimately, the court awards about half the sum, "soixante-deux mille neuf cent soixante-dix-sept francs quatre-vingt-trois centimes," to the creditors. Accompanying this is a legal opinion commissioned by Armstrong in 1808 pursuant to the case, regarding the rights of the American government and creditors to force the sale of assets in France to satisfy Miller's debts. An interesting record of international legal matters and financial issues during a fraught time for transatlantic diplomatic relations.