To James Madison from James Monroe, 14 September 1813
From James Monroe
Sepr 14. 1813.
Dear Sir
I shall set out back for Washington on monday, on which day I shall be with you. The languid state in which I have been, on the edge of indisposition without being actually sick, with much interruption by business, have prevented my executing any of the duties expected of me here of a public nature. I hope however to dispatch the most interesting of it to day. Respectfully & sincerely yours
Jas Monroe
Letters from Mr Wa[r]den, Thos. Barlow & Mr Lee, the Duplicates of which have long since been recd., were brot. by Mr Doolitle. He claims the payment of his expences and perhaps some reward for his services, as appears by Mr Barnetts letter enclosed.1
Latrobe claims also 100 dolrs for services renderd the dept. of State after, his salary ceas’d.2
I suppose both claims must be allowed.
Mr Crawford’s letter is inclosed.3
RC (DLC: Rives Collection, Madison Papers). For enclosures, see nn. 1 and 3.
1. Monroe enclosed Isaac Cox Barnet’s letter to him of 11 Feb. 1813 (2 pp.), which stated that Isaac Doolittle was carrying dispatches from Ruth Barlow, Thomas Barlow, and Barnet, conveying the news of Joel Barlow’s death and “an account of the unpleasant state of the affairs of the legation in this Country.” Barnet added that he had funded Doolittle’s voyage “under the conviction that Government will find it just to indemnify him according to their rule in similar cases” (DNA: RG 59, CD, Paris).
2. In his letter to Monroe of 9 Sept. 1813, Benjamin Henry Latrobe explained that during and after his tenure as surveyor of the public buildings at Washington, he had at the request of Robert Smith remodeled several of the State Department offices but had received no compensation, “having neglected to apply for any.” He enclosed an account for the work (DNA: RG 59, ML).
3. Monroe probably enclosed William Harris Crawford’s letter to him of 12 July 1813 (3 pp.) reporting Crawford’s arrival in France, the Argus’s encounters with British ships during its voyage, the expectation of local French officials that the European armistice would “terminate in a general peace,” and news that Lord Wellington’s army was advancing unopposed in Spain (DNA: RG 59, DD, France).