COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, Boston, Aug. 4, 1790

• President George Washington
• Act of Congress script signed
• Tonnage Act of 1790 - shipping

Almost a full column is taken up with an Act of Congress, headed with an engraving of a heraldic eagle, this is: "An Act Imposing Duties on the Tonnage of Ships or Vessels" which is signed in script type (desired) by the President: George Washington. Rarely is his full name spelled out in such documents.
Four pages, some some foxing and damp stain to the upper right, good condition.

Background: This four-page issue of the Columbian Centinel (August 4, 1790) stands out as an exceptional historical document, containing nearly an entire column dedicated to the official printing of the Tonnage Act of 1790—a landmark piece of Early Republic legislation designed to protectionistly bolster American shipping against foreign fleets. To signal official government authority under the First U.S. Congress, publisher Benjamin Russell topped the text with a distinctive woodcut engraving of a heraldic eagle and the "Published By Authority" header. What makes this specific printing particularly rare and desirable to collectors is the signature line: while most newspaper printings of Congressional acts abbreviated the executive sign-off as "G. Washington," this issue renders his name fully spelled out as "George Washington" in elegant script typeface, a rare typographical choice that closely mimics the original hand-signed manuscript bill. Combined with its complete four-page format, this rare typographical nuance and prominent federal branding elevate it above standard 18th-century newspaper issues, serving as a vital artifact of early American legislative publishing and presidential authority.