1804 New London Customs Certificate Signed by General Jedediah Huntington — Martinique Sugar Shipment

An original partly printed customs certificate, completed in manuscript and dated September 20, 1804, signed by Revolutionary War general Jedediah Huntington as collector of customs for New London, Connecticut.

Titled “Certificate for the Transportation coastwise of Goods entitled to drawback,” the document records seventeen hogsheads of white clayed sugar imported from Martinique aboard the brig Nonpareil on September 17, 1804. The cargo was subsequently shipped aboard the sloop Atlas, Samuel Chappell, master, bound for New York.

The certificate specifies a net weight of 17,178 pounds and import duties of $515.34, calculated at three cents per pound. Such documents helped establish the customs status of imported goods transported between American ports and their eligibility for drawback upon qualifying re-export.

Signed at the foot by Jedediah Huntington, a Continental Army general, an early member of the Society of the Cincinnati, and a customs collector appointed by George Washington.

An appealing document connecting a Revolutionary War officer with the maritime commerce, Caribbean sugar trade, and federal revenue system of the early republic.

Condition: Light age toning, scattered spotting, storage folds, and minor edge wear with small nicks and short tears. Printing and manuscript entries remain generally clear; the collector’s signature is lighter. Reverse blank apart from show-through.