we look forward to the necessity of coercion by cruises on their coast,
to be kept up during the whole of their cruising season, you will
be pleased to inform yourself, as minutely as possible, of every
circumstance which may influence or guide us in undertaking and
conducting such an operation, making your communications by safe
opportunities.
I must recommend to your particular notice Captain O’Bryan, one of the
captives, from whom we have received a great deal of useful information.
The zeal which he has displayed under the trying circumstances of
his present situation, has been very distinguished. You will find him
intimately acquainted with the manner in which, and characters with
whom, business is to be done there, and perhaps he may be an useful
instrument to you, especially in the outset of your undertaking, which
will require the utmost caution and the best information. He will be
able to give you the characters of the European Consuls there, though
you will, probably, not think it prudent to repose confidence in any of
them.
Should you be able successfully to accomplish the objects of your
mission in time to convey notice of it to us as early as possible during
the next session of Congress, which meets in the beginning of November
and rises the 4th of March, it would have a very pleasing effect.
I am, with great esteem, Sir, your most obedient and most humble
servant,
Th: Jefferson.
LETTER CXI.--TO MR. PINCKNEY, June 11, 1792
TO MR. PINCKNEY.
Philadelphia, June 11, 1792.
Dear Sir, I have already had the honor of delivering to you your
commission as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States at the court
of London, and have now that of enclosing your letter of credence to the
King, sealed, and a copy of it open for your own information. Mr. Adams,
your predecessor, seemed to understand, on his being presented to
that court, that a letter was expected for the Queen also. You will be
pleased to inform yourself whether the custom of that court requires
this from us; and to enable you to comply with it, if it should, I
enclose a letter sealed for the Queen, and a copy of it open for your
own information. Should its delivery not be requisite you will be so
good as to return it, as we do not wish to set a precedent which may
bind us hereafter to a single unnecessary ceremony. To you, Sir, it will
be unnecessary to undertake a general delineation of the duties of the
office to which you are appointed. I shall therefore only express a
desire that they be constantly exercised in that spirit of sincere
friendship which we bear to the English nation, and that in all
transactions with the minister, his good dispositions be conciliated by
whatever in language or attentions may tend to that effect. With respect
to their government, or policy, as concerning themselves or other
nations, we wish not to intermeddle in word or deed, and that it be not
understood that our government permits itself to entertain either a will
or an opinion on the subject.
I particularly recommend to you, as the most important of your charges,
the patronage of our commerce, and its liberation from embarrassments in
all the British dominions; but most especially in the West Indies. Our
Consuls in Great Britain and Ireland are under general instructions
to correspond with you, as you will perceive by the copy of a circular
letter lately written to them, and now enclosed. From them you may often
receive interesting information. Mr. Joshua Johnson is Consul for us at
London, James Maury, at Liverpool, Elias Vanderhorst, at Bristol, Thomas
Auldjo, Vice-Consul at Pool (resident at Cowes), and William Knox,
Consul at Dublin. The jurisdiction of each is exclusive and independent,
and extends to all places within the same allegiance nearer to him
than to the residence of any other Consul or Vice-Consul of the United
States. The settlement of their accounts from time to time, and the
payment of them, are referred to you, and in this, the act respecting
Consuls and any other laws made, or to be made, are to be your guide.
Charges which these do not authorize, you will be pleased not to allow.
These accounts are to be settled up to the first day of July in every
year and to be transmitted to the Secretary of State.
The peculiar custom in England, of impressing seamen on every appearance
of war, will occasionally expose our seamen to peculiar oppressions and
vexations. These will require your most active exertions and protection,
which we know cannot be effectual without incurring considerable
expense; and as no law has as yet provided for this, we think it
fairer to take the risk of it on the executive than to leave it on your
shoulders. You will, therefore, with all due economy, and on the
best vouchers the nature of the case will admit, meet those expenses,
transmitting an account of them to the Secretary of State, to be
communicated to the legislature. It will be expedient that you take
proper opportunities in the mean time, of conferring with the minister
on this subject, in order to form some arrangement for the protection of
our seamen on those occasions. We entirely reject the mode which was the
subject of a conversation between Mr. Morris and him, which was,
that our seamen should always carry about them certificates of their
citizenship. This is a condition never yet submitted to by any nation,
one with which seamen would never have the precaution to comply;
the casualties of their calling would expose them to the constant
destruction or loss of this paper evidence, and thus, the British
government would be armed with legal authority to impress the whole of
our seamen. The simplest rule will be, that the vessel being American,
shall be evidence that the seamen on board her are such. If they
apprehend that our vessels might thus become asylums for the fugitives
of their own nation from impress-gangs, the number of men to be
protected by a vessel may be limited by her tonnage, and one or two
officers only be permitted to enter the vessel in order to examine the
numbers on board; but no press-gang should be allowed ever to go on
board an American vessel, till after it shall be found that there are
more than their stipulated number on board, nor till after the master
shall have refused to deliver the supernumeraries (to be named by
himself) to the press-officer who has come on board for that purpose;
and, even then, the American Consul should be called in. In order to
urge a settlement of this point, before a new occasion may arise, it may
not be amiss to draw their attention to the peculiar irritation
excited on the last occasion, and the difficulty of avoiding our making
immediate reprisals on their seamen here. You will be so good as to
communicate to me what shall pass on this subject, and it may be made an
article of convention, to be entered into either there or here.
You will receive herewith a copy of the journals of the ancient
Congress, and of the laws, journals, and reports of the present. Those
for the future, with gazettes and other interesting papers, shall be
sent you from time to time; and I shall leave you generally to the
gazettes, for whatever information is in possession of the public, and
shall especially undertake to communicate by letter, such only relative
to the business of your mission as the gazetteers cannot give. From you
I ask, once or twice a month, a communication of interesting occurrences
in England, of the general affairs of Europe, the court gazette,
the best paper in the interest of the ministry, and the best of the
opposition party, most particularly, that one of each which shall
give the best account of the debates of parliament, the parliamentary
register annually, and such other political publications as may be
important enough to be read by one who can spare little time to read any
thing, or which may contain matter proper to be kept and turned to,
on interesting subjects and occasions. The English packet is the most
certain channel for such epistolary communications as are not very
secret, and intermediate occasions by private vessels may be resorted
to for secret communications, and for such as would come too expensively
burthened with postage, by the packets. You are furnished with a cipher
for greater secrecy of communication. To the papers before mentioned,
I must desire you to add the Leyden gazette, paper by paper as it comes
out, by the first vessel sailing after its receipt.
I enclose you the papers in the case of a Mr. Wilson, ruined by the
capture of his vessels after the term limited by the armistice. They
will inform you of the circumstances of his case, and where you may
find him personally, and I recommend his case to your particular
representations to the British court. It is possible that other similar
cases may be transmitted to you. You have already received some letters
of Mr. Adams’s explanations of the principles of the armistice, and of
what had passed between him and the British minister on the subject.
Mr. Greene of Rhode Island will deliver you his papers, and I am to
desire that you may patronize his claims so far as shall be just and
right, leaving to himself and his agent to follow up the minute details
of solicitation, and coming forward yourself only when there shall be
proper occasion for you to do so in the name of your nation.
Mr. Cutting has a claim against the government, vouchers for which he is
to procure from England. As you are acquainted with the circumstances of
it, I have only to desire that you will satisfy yourself as to any facts
relative thereto, the evidence of which cannot be transmitted, and that
you will communicate the same to me, that justice may be done between
the public and the claimant.
We shall have occasion to ask your assistance in procuring a workman
or two for our mint; but this shall be the subject of a separate letter
after I shall have received more particular explanations from the
director of the mint.
I have the honor to be, with great and sincere esteem, Dear sir, your
most obedient and most humble servant,
Th: Jefferson.
LETTER CXII.--TO THOMAS PINCKNEY, June 11, 1792
TO THOMAS PINCKNEY.
Philadelphia, June 11, 1792.
Sir,
The letter I have addressed to Admiral Jones, of which you have had the
perusal, has informed you of the mission with which the President has
thought proper to charge him at Algiers, and how far your agency is
desired for conveying to him the several papers, for receiving and
paying his drafts to the amount therein permitted, by re-drawing
yourself on our bankers in Amsterdam, who are instructed to honor your
bills, and by acting as a channel of correspondence between us. It has
been some time, however, since we have heard of Admiral Jones. Should
any accident have happened to his life, or should you be unable to
learn where he is, or should distance, refusal to act, or any other
circumstance deprive us of his services on this occasion, or be likely
to produce too great a delay, of which you are to be the judge, you will
then be pleased to send all the papers confided to you for him, to Mr.
Thomas Barclay, our Consul at Morocco, with the letter addressed to him,
which is delivered you open, and by which you will perceive that he is,
in that event, substituted to every intent and purpose in the place
of Admiral Jones. You will be pleased not to pass any of the papers
confided to you on this business, through any post-office.
I have the honor to be, with great and sincere esteem, Sir, your most
obedient, humble servant,
Th: Jefferson.
LETTER CXIII.--TO MR. PINCKNEY, June 14, 1792
TO MR. PINCKNEY.
Philadelphia, June 14, 1792.
Sir,
The United States being now about to establish a mint, it becomes
necessary to ask your assistance in procuring persons to carry on some
parts of it; and to enable you to give it, you must be apprized of some
facts.
Congress, some time ago, authorized the President to take measures for
procuring some artists from any place where they were to be had. It was
known that a Mr. Drost, a Swiss, had made an improvement in the method
of coining, and some specimens of his coinage were exhibited here, which
were superior to any thing we had ever seen. Mr. Short was therefore
authorized to engage Drost to come over, to erect the proper machinery,
and instruct persons to go on with the coinage; and as he supposed this
would require but about a year, we agreed to give him a thousand louis
a year and his expenses. The agreement was made, two coining mills, or
screws, were ordered by him; but in the end he declined coming. We have
reason to believe he was drawn off by the English East India Company,
and that he is now at work for them in England. Mr. Bolton had also made
a proposition to coin for us in England, which was declined. Since this,
the act has been passed for establishing our mint, which authorizes,
among other things, the employment of an assayer at fifteen hundred
dollars a year, a chief coiner at the same, and an engraver at twelve
hundred dollars. But it admits of the employment of one person, both
as engraver and chief coiner; this we expect may be done, as we presume
that any engraver who has been used to work for a coinage, must be well
enough acquainted with all the operations of coinage to direct them; and
it is an economy worth attention, if we can have the services performed
by one officer instead of two, in which case, it is proposed to give him
the salary of the chief coiner, that is to say, fifteen hundred dollars
a year. I have therefore to request that you will endeavor, on your
arrival in Europe, to engage and send us an assayer of approved skill
and well attested integrity, and a chief coiner and engraver, in one
person, if possible, acquainted with all the improvements in coining,
and particularly those of Drost and Bolton. Their salaries may commence
from the day of their sailing for America. If Drost be in England, I
think he will feel himself under some obligation to aid you in procuring
persons. How far Bolton will do it, seems uncertain. You will doubtless
make what you can of the good dispositions of either of these or any
other person. Should you find it impracticable to procure an engraver
capable of performing the functions of chief coiner also, we must be
content that you engage separate characters. Let these persons bring
with them all the implements necessary for carrying on the business,
except such as you shall think too bulky and easily made here. It would
be proper, therefore, that they should consult you as to the necessary
implements and their prices, that they may act under your control.
The method of your paying for these implements and making reasonable
advances to the workmen, shall be the subject of another letter, after
the President shall have decided thereon. It should be a part of the
agreement of these people, that they will faithfully instruct all
persons in their art, whom we shall put under them for that purpose.
Your contract with them may be made for any term not exceeding four
years.
I have the honor to be, with great respect and much esteem, Dear Sir,
your most obedient and most humble servant,
Th: Jefferson.
P. S. Should you not be able to procure persons of eminent
qualifications for their business, in England, it will be proper to
open a correspondence with Mr. Morris on the subject, and see whether he
cannot get such from France. Next to the obtaining the ablest artists,
a very important circumstance is to send them to us as soon as possible.
T. J.
LETTER CXIV.--TO GOUVERNEUR MORRIS, June 16, 1792
TO GOUVERNEUR MORRIS.
Philadelphia, June 16, 1792.
Dear Sir,
My last to you was of March the 28th. Yours of April the 6th and 10th
came to hand three days ago.
With respect to the particular objects of commerce susceptible of being
placed on a better footing, on which you ask my ideas, they will show
themselves by the enclosed table of the situation of our commerce with
France and England. That with France is stated as it stood at the time
I left that country, when the only objects whereon change was still
desirable, were those of salted provisions, tobacco and tar, pitch
and turpentine. The first was in negotiation when I came away, and
was pursued by Mr. Short with prospects of success, till their general
tariff so unexpectedly deranged our commerce with them as to other
articles. Our commerce with their West Indies had never admitted
amelioration during my stay in France. The temper of that period did
not allow even the essay, and it was as much as we could do to hold the
ground given us by the Marshal de Castries’ _Arrêt_, admitting us to
their colonies with salted provisions, &c. As to both these branches of
commerce, to wit, with France and her colonies, we have hoped they would
pursue their own proposition of arranging them by treaty, and that
we could draw that treaty to this place. There is no other where the
dependence of their colonies on our States for their prosperity is so
obvious as here, nor where their negotiator would feel it so much. But
it would be imprudent to leave to the uncertain issue of such a treaty,
the re-establishment of our commerce with France on the footing on which
it was in the beginning of their revolution. That treaty may be long on
the anvil; in the mean time, we cannot consent to the late innovations,
without taking measures to do justice to our own navigation. This
object, therefore, is particularly recommended to you, while you will
also be availing yourself of every opportunity which may arise, of
benefiting our commerce in any other part. I am in hopes you will have
found the moment favorable on your arrival in France, when Monsieur
Claviere was in the ministry, and the dispositions of the National
Assembly favorable to the ministers. Your cipher has not been sent
hitherto, because it required a most confidential channel of conveyance.
It is now committed to Mr. Pinckney, who also carries the gazettes,
laws, and other public papers for you. We have been long without any
vessel going to Havre. Some of the Indian tribes have acceded to terms
of peace. The greater part, however, still hold off, and oblige us to
pursue more vigorous measures for war. I enclose you an extract from a
circular letter to our Consuls, by which you will perceive, that those
in countries where we have no diplomatic representative, are desired to
settle their accounts annually with the Minister of the United States at
Paris. This business I must desire you to undertake. The act concerning
Consuls will be your guide, and I shall be glad that the 1st of July be
the day to which their accounts shall be annually settled and paid, and
that they may be forwarded as soon after that as possible to the office
of the Secretary of State, to enter into the general account of his
department, which it is necessary he should make up always before the
meeting of Congress.
I am with great sincere esteem Dear Sir, your most obedient and most
humble servant,
Th: Jefferson.
P.S. I have said nothing of our whale-oil, because I believe it is on a
better footing since the tariff than before. T. J.
LETTER CXV.--TO MR. VAN BERCKEL, July 2,1792
TO MR. VAN BERCKEL.
Philadelphia, July 2,1792.
Sir,
It was with extreme concern that I learned from your letter of June
the 25th, that a violation of the protection, due to you as the
representative of your nation had been committed, by an officer of this
State entering your house and serving therein a process on one of your
servants. There could be no question but that this was a breach of
privilege; the only one was, how it was to be punished. To ascertain
this, I referred your letter to the Attorney General, whose answer I
have the honor to enclose you. By this you will perceive, that from the
circumstance of your servant’s not being registered in the Secretary
of State’s office, we cannot avail ourselves of the more certain and
effectual proceeding which had been provided by an act of Congress for
punishing infractions of the law of nations, that act having thought
proper to confine the benefit of its provisions to such domestics only,
as should have been registered; We are to proceed, therefore, as if that
act had never been made, and the Attorney General’s letter indicates
two modes of proceeding. 1. By a warrant before a single magistrate, to
recover the money paid by the servant under a process declared void
by law. Herein the servant must be the actor, and the government not
intermeddle at all. The smallness of the sum to be redemanded will
place this cause in the class of those in which no appeal to the higher
tribunal is permitted, even in the case of manifest error, so that if
the magistrate should err, the government has no means of correcting the
error. 2. The second mode of proceeding would be, to indict the officer
in the Supreme Court of the United States; with whom it would rest to
punish him at their discretion, in proportion to the injury done and the
malice from which it proceeded; and it would end in punishment alone,
and not in a restitution of the money. In this mode of proceeding, the
government of the United States is actor, taking the management of the
cause into its own hands, and giving you no other trouble than that
of bearing witness to such material facts as may not be otherwise
supported. You will be so good as to decide in which of these two
ways you would choose the proceeding should be; if the latter, I will
immediately take measures for having the offender prosecuted according
to law.
I have the honor to be, with sentiments of respect, Sir, your most
obedient and most humble servant,
Th: Jefferson.
LETTER CXVI.--TO MR. PALESKE, August 19,1792
TO MR. PALESKE.
Monticello, August 19,1792.
Sir,
I have received at this place your favor of the 9th instant, wherein
you request, that agreeably to the treaty of commerce between the United
States and his Prussian Majesty, his Consul General be acknowledged as
belonging to a most favored nation; that the privileges and immunities
due to a Consul General of the most favored nation be granted to his
Consul General, and that commissioners be appointed to regulate, by
particular convention the functions of the Consuls and Vice-Consuls of
the respective nations.
Treaties of the United States duly made and ratified, as is that with
his Prussian Majesty, constitute a part of the law of the land, and need
only promulgation to oblige all persons to obey them, and to entitle all
to those privileges which such treaties confer. That promulgation having
taken place, no other act is necessary or proper on the part of our
government, according to our rules of proceeding, to give effect to
the treaty. This treaty, however, has not specified the privileges or
functions of Consuls; it has only provided that these shall be regulated
by particular agreement. To the proposition to proceed as speedily as
possible to regulate these functions by a convention, my absence from
the seat of government does not allow me to give a definitive answer.
I know, in general, that it would be agreeable to our government, on
account of the recent changes in its form, to suspend for a while the
contracting specific engagements with foreign nations, until something
more shall be seen of the direction it will take, and of its mode of
operation, in order that our engagements may be so moulded to that, as
to insure the exact performance of them, which we are desirous ever to
observe. Should this be the sentiment of our government on the present
occasion, the friendship of his Prussian Majesty is a sufficient
reliance to us for that delay which our affairs might require for the
present: and the rather, as his vessels are not yet in the habit of
seeking our ports, and for the few cases which may occur for some
time, our own laws, copied mostly in this respect from those of a very
commercial nation, have made the most material of those provisions
which could be admitted into a special convention for the protection
of vessels, their crews, and cargoes, coming hither. We shall on this,
however, and every other occasion, do every thing we can to manifest our
friendship to his Prussian Majesty, and our desire to promote commercial
intercourse with his subjects; and of this, we hope, he will be fully
assured.
I have the honor to be, with great respect, Sir, your most obedient and
most humble servant,
Th: Jefferson.
LETTER CXVII.--TO THE PRESIDENT, August 19, 1792
TO THE PRESIDENT.
Monticello, August 19, 1792.
Sir,