John Jay Papers
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From John Jay to the New York Committee of Safety, 27 April 1776

To the New York Committee of Safety

[Philadelphia, 27 April 1776.]

Gentlemen

The Congress having been informed of a very extraordinary oath ordered by Govr. Tryon to be administered to Passengers in the late packet, whereby they bound themselves not to disclose any thing relative to American affairs except to the Ministry, have appointed a committee (of which I am one) to ascertain this Fact.1

I must therefore request of you gentlemen to appoint proper Persons to examine into this Matter, and if possible ascertain the Truth of the Report, by Affidavits taken before the Mayor or one of the Judges of the Supr: Court—I have the Honor to be Gentlemen, Your most obedt. Servt

John Jay.

The hon’ble the Committee of Safety for the Colony of New York.—

LS, N (EJ: 4388). Printed, JPC description begins Journals of the Provincial Congress, Provincial Convention, Committee of Safety and Council of Safety of the State of New-York (2 vols.; Albany, N.Y., 1842) description ends , 1: 428. Manuscript damaged at edges; missing words supplied from the printed text.

1. On 11 Apr. 1776 Congress had appointed JJ, James Wilson, and George Wythe to investigate this report, which seems to have been unfounded. On 1 May the New York Committee of Safety appointed a committee to investigate the case, but no subsequent report has been found. JCC description begins Worthington C. Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1904–37) description ends , 273; FAA, 4th ser. description begins Peter Force, ed., American Archives: Fourth Series, Containing a Documentary History of the English Colonies in North America, from the King’s Message to Parliament, of March 7, 1774, to the Declaration of Independence by the United States (6 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1837–46) description ends , 5: 1482.

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    Jay Papers
    Title
    From John Jay to the New York Committee of Safety, 27 April 1776
    Author
    Jay, John
    Recipient
    New York Committee of Safety
    Date
    27 April 1776

    Reference

    Cite as
    “From John Jay to the New York Committee of Safety, 27 April 1776,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jay/01-01-02-0142. [Original source: The Selected Papers of John Jay, vol. 1, 1760–1779, ed. Elizabeth M. Nuxoll. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010, pp. 236–237.]