Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm79015388
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of James L. Cathcart, diplomat, were given to the Library of Congress by Charles F. Cochran in 1921 following a gift by Simon Gratz of a letter in 1919.
Additional collections of James L. Cathcart material may be found at the New York Public Library and in Record Groups 49 and 59 at the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of James L. Cathcart is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The papers of James L. Cathcart are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
A microfilm edition of these papers is available on one reel. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, James L. Cathcart Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of James Leander Cathcart (1767-1843) span the years 1785-1817 and consist of a three-volume narrative account of his years in captivity, a journal, three letterbooks, and a letter dated 7 December 1798 from Cathcart to the firm of Willings and Francis.
The narrative account describes the capture of the schooner
The “Journal of Remarkable Occurrences in the City of Algiers Anno Domine 1792” is a record of Cathcart’s observations for that year except for the months of April and May. It also contains several lists of slaves and ships captured by the Algerians, including Americans captured between 1785 and 1795, indicating what became of them and any pay which they received.
The earliest letterbook relates to Cathcart’s appointment as special diplomatic agent accompanying William Eaton to Tunis and covers the period 5 April 1799 to 17 April 1801, with notes indicating that Cathcart left Tripoli 24 May 1801 following Bashaw’s declaration of war on the United States and arrived at Leghorn, Italy, on 2 June 1801. The volume contains letters and papers relating to negotiations with Tripoli and includes correspondence with Thomas Appleton, William Eaton, John Marshall, Richard O’Brien, Timothy Pickering, and William Loughton Smith. The second letterbook continues the account of the negotiations from 1 June 1801 to 11 May 1803 and consists primarily of diplomatic correspondence between Eaton, then United States consul at Tunis, and Secretary of State James Madison through 18 August 1802. Other items in the volume are letters of 1803 regarding Cathcart’s appointment as Eaton’s successor and a copy of the treaty between the United States and Tunis concluded in August 1797 acknowledging the alterations in Articles 11, 12, and 14 negotiated by Cathcart and Eaton in March 1799. The third letterbook spans the period 29 January 1816 to 7 March 1817 while Cathcart was United States consul at Cádiz and mainly contains his diplomatic correspondence with Francisco Javier de Oms (Marques de Castelldorius), George William Erving, and James Monroe. Receipts and accounts of funds dispersed by Cathcart on behalf of American sailors are also included.
The first letterbook and letters in the second volume through 28 March 1802 were compiled and published by Cathcart’s daughter, Jane Bancker (Cathcart) Newkirk, as
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material and topic.
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm79015388
Available on microfilm. Shelf no. 19,571