HAZARD'S UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL AND STATISTICAL REGISTER Containing Documents, Facts, and Other Useful Information, Illustrative of the History and Resources of the American Union, and of Each State...

Philadelphia: Wm. F. Geddes, 1840-1842. First Edition. Hardcover. Occasional light to moderate foxing. Near Fine. Contemporary polished calf-backed marbled boards. Five (of six) volumes, lacking volume 5 (July 1841-January 1842). "Containing documents, facts, and other useful information, illustrative of the history and resources of the American union and of each state." Daniel Webster's copy with his bookplate on the front pastedown of the first volume. A wealth of information on legal and financial matters of the United States. One highlight is an early and detailed account of the Amistad affair, which had occurred just days before, published in the 11 September 1839 issue. Webster has two appearances. The first is in the 1 January 1840 issue where Webster gives a lengthy response to a question from the British financial concern Baring, Brothers, & Co. (Founded in 1763 by the Baring family to finance trade with the United States and India and brought to the brink of collapse in 1995 from fraudulent investments): "Has the Legislature of one of the American States legal and constitutional power to contract loans at home and abroad?" The other appearance, 11 May 1842, concerns the Northeast Boundary and is addressed to the Governor of Maine, John Fairfield. A nearly complete set of a rather scarce set with a distinguished provenance.