Our Knowledge of your Piety and publick Spirit leads us, without Apology, to recommend to your particular Attention the Edition of the Holy Scriptures publishing by Mr Aitkin.(1) He undertook this expensive work at a time when from the Circumstances of the War an English Edition of the Bible coud not be imported, nor any Opinion formed how long the obstruction might continue. On this Account, particularly, he deserves Applause-and Encouragement. We therefore wish you, reverend Gentlemen, to examine the Execution of the Work, and if approved, to give it the Sanction of your Judgement and the Weight of your Recommendation.
We are with very great Respect, Your most Obedient Huml Servants Jas. Duane, Chair
in behalf of a Committee of
Congress on Mr Aitkin's memorial
FC (DNA: PCC, item 19). Addressed: "Reverend Dr. White & reverend Mr. Duffield Chaplains of the United States in Congress assemd." In the hand of James Duane.
1 The Philadelphia printer Robert Aitken had petitioned Congress on January 21, 1781, to secure authorization for an American edition of the Bible he had undertaken but was fearful of completing "without the sanction of Congress." The scarcity of Bibles had long been of concern, for Congress had been urged to import several thousand from abroad in 1777, and a committee consisting of James Duane, Thomas McKean, and James McLene had been appointed in October 1780 to consider a recommendation for urging the states to regulate the printing of "correct editions of the old and new testament." Aitken's memorial had been referred on January 26, 1781, to this committee (to which John Witherspoon had been added in the place of McLene), which had apparently been consulting with the printer as he proceeded, although no record of its work prior to the writing of this letter has been found. Aitken was obviously now nearing completion of the publication and the committee decided to consult the congressional chaplains before reporting to Congress, which resolved on September 12 to "recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States" and authorize Aitken "to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper." Accordingly, copies of Congress' resolve, along with Duane's committee letter and Duffield's and White's testimonial were printed in Aitken's new edition, which he announced to the public on September 25. See JCC, 18:979-80, 19:91; 23:573-74; and PCC, item 19, 1:59, 63-64, item 78, 1:421-22, 425-28. For Aitken's efforts to secure public support for this undertaking, on which he eventually reported a loss of £4,000 for the 10,000 Bibles he printed, see Thomas C. Pears, "The Story of the Aitken Bible,"Journal of the Presbyterian Historical .Society 18 (June 1939): 225-41; and Margaret T. Hills, "The First American Bible, as Published by Robert Aitken," Bible .Society Record 113 January 1968): 2-5. See also JCC, 8:733-35; and these Letters, 7:311-12, where it is mistakenly asserted that Congress adopted a resolve in September 1777 to direct the Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles, while in fact Congress adjourned to avoid a final vote on a committee report recommending this action.