January 6, 1863 letter signed by Assistant Secretary of State Frederick W. Seward and addressed to noted genealogist William Henry Whitmore of Boston. Seward was the son of Secretary of State William H. Seward and was wounded in the assassination plot against his father and President Lincoln. This letter was signed two years before the assassination attempt on his father.

The letter on Department of State stationery references "important information concerning the island of Madagascar."

7.75” x 9.75”