Ralph J. Bunche Library to begin a collection of laws of the states, and $25 for the purchase of foreign gazettes and subscriptions to American newspapers that would be sent to American representatives overseas. In that same year, the Library also became, by law, the office of record to receive laws, public documents, and copyrights. During the War of 1812, the invading British burned the Capital, the White House, and other government buildings including that which housed the State Department and its library on August 24, 1814. While Dolley Madison famously saved the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington hanging in the White House,
Hercules (1814 ship) belli" for Great Britain to declare war on Qing China in what is now known as the First Opium War, a conflict that initiated China's opening for trade with foreign nations under a series of treaties with the western powers. In 1839, with the Chinese blocking of opium imports, the opium receiving ships sailed, were sold, or broken up. Reportedly, Jardine Matheson sold "Hercules" to Americans. Notes Citations References Hercules (1814 ship) Hercules was built at Calcutta in 1814. She acquired British registry and traded between Britain and India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC), before