1801 Portland Gazette Maine Newspaper Thomas Jefferson Napoleon Peace Amiens War For Sale

Up for sale is an original, complete 4-page issue of the Jenks' Portland Gazette, published in Portland, Maine (then a district of Massachusetts) on December 14, 1801 by Elezer Alley Jenks ("Publisher of the Laws of the United States, for the District of Maine").

Key Historical Highlights Included in This Issue:

• Thomas Jefferson Political Debate: Front-page essay ("To the President of the United States") written during Jefferson's first year in office, intensely debating executive appointments, political party loyalty vs. merit, and patronage following the Election of 1800.

• Napoleonic Wars & Peace of Amiens: Extensive dispatches from London (October 1801) reporting on the arrival of French Envoy Citizen Lauriston (Napoleon Bonaparte's aide-de-camp) bringing the ratification of peace preliminaries between Britain and France, complete with vivid descriptions of London crowds celebrating in the streets.

• Early Maine Local & Tax History: Features extensive Federal Direct Tax lists detailing property owners, acreage, and land tracts across Maine towns (Freeport, Windham, North Yarmouth), alongside local shipping intelligence from Portland Harbor and merchant advertisements.

Item Details & Physical Description:

• Date: Monday, December 14, 1801

• Format: 4 Pages (Single folded folio sheet, standard early American newspaper format)

• Dimensions: Period standard folio size

• Paper Stock: 100% rag linen/cotton paper of the era (resilient and well-preserved)

• Condition: Very Good for an 1801 newspaper. Complete and fully legible text throughout. Shows expected age-related toning, historic fold lines, minor handling edge wear, and light foxing appropriate for early 19th-century newsprint. No major text loss. Please review all high-resolution photos for exact cosmetic condition.

Historical Context:Printed during a pivotal transition in early American political history, this issue captures the fierce public debates surrounding Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican administration as it took control of federal patronage. Internationally, it documents a rare moment of celebration across Europe as Britain and Napoleonic France agreed to temporary peace terms ending the War of the Second Coalition.