Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. To John Townsend(?), Albany. Washington, D.C. ALS., 1821, March 26

Explanation of the suspending of conveyance of mail by boat until the legal right to navigate the Hudson has been established, with reference to the law granting an exclusive right to navigate the Hudson by vessel propelled by steam still in force and that a question of the validity of that grant is before the Supreme Court of the United States, with statement that addressee has no right to run such a vessel on that run. Statement to effect that this was not properly understood or considered when the arrangement was made for carrying mail in a steam boat, but there is no intention of counteracting a grant of the state of New York or interfering with a legal question, thus the contract is suspended for the time being. Letter simply addressed, "Dear Sir" with no means of determining that addressee was John Townsend other than its association and existence in the files of the North River Steam Boat Company papers.