John Jay Papers
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From John Jay to Benjamin Franklin, 13 December 1784

To Benjamin Franklin

Trenton 13 Decr 1784

Dr Sr

The Marqs. Dela Fayette is so obliging as to take Charge of this Letter— He has seen much of our Country since his Arrival, & having had many opportunities of knowing our true Situation, he will be able to give you a full and fair State of Information on the Subject. I think he ^is^ (^&^ has Reason to be) convinced that the attachmt. of America to him has not been abated by the Peace, and that our we are ^now^ as little disposed to break Friendship with France, as we were during the War. This is a most favorable occa Season for her to relax her ^the^ severe commercial Restrictions which oppose our Trade to her Islands— Her Liberality would be contrasted by ^to^ British ill Humour, and unavoidably produce correspondt. Impressions—

The present congress promises well— There are many respectable Members in it who entertain ^here^ Foederal Ideas seem to prevail greatly among them, and I may add a Strong Disposition to Conciliation & Unanimity.

Your Letter on the Subject of Leave to return is with a great Variety of foreign Papers referred to a Com[mitte]e. They have as yet made no Report, and therefore I can give you no satisfactory Inform Intelligence on that Head—1

I lately saw Mrs. Bache in good Health and Spirits at Pha. and I am persuaded no less anxious for your Return than you can be. Mrs. Jay & our little Family are at Eliz. Town and by her last Letters inform me they were all well. Be pleased to make my Compts. to your Grandsons— I am Dr Sir Your obliged & obt Servt. His Exy Dr Franklin

Dft, NNC (EJ: 7824). Endorsed: “ . . . by Marqs. Fayette”.

1The letter to which JJ refers was probably BF to Henry Laurens of 12 Mar. 1784. BF had first asked to be allowed to resign and return home in a letter to Congress on 12 Mar.–12 Apr. 1781. He had forwarded this letter unsealed to JJ, then in Spain, under cover of a letter of 12 Apr. 1781 that JJ enclosed in his letter to the President of Congress of 21 Apr. On 19 June 1781 Congress promised BF that he would be allowed to retire at the conclusion of peace negotiations. BF reminded the secretary for foreign affairs in a letter of 5–14 Dec. 1782 that he had been promised permission to return home when peace was concluded. In a letter to Congress of 26 Dec. 1783, BF noted that a year had passed and asked for a decision. On 27 Mar. 1784 Congress considered this request but on 12 May postponed an affirmative reply until the conclusion of negotiations for “numerous and important treaties” still pending. Meanwhile, in a letter to Henry Laurens of 12 Mar., BF complained about Congress’s failure to respond and asked him, when he returned home, to do everything possible to forward his “Dismission”. Laurens arrived in New York in early August but found both Congress and the Committee of the States adjourned. Congress began to reassemble in Trenton in early Nov. but did not achieve a quorum until the end of the month. Laurens, who had been elected a delegate but declined to serve, remarked in a letter to the President of Congress of 16 Nov. that, had he taken his seat he would have moved to give BF permission to return in accordance with an extract from BF’s letter to him of 12 Mar. On 1 Dec. BF’s request was referred to a committee whose report of 23 Dec. recommended approving it, but the report was not debated until 21 Jan. 1785. A resolution permitting BF’s “return to America as soon as convenient” was finally adopted on 7 Mar. 1785. See JJSP, 2 description begins Elizabeth M. Nuxoll et al., eds., The Selected Papers of John Jay, Volume 2, 1780–82 (Charlottesville, Va., 2012) description ends : 425, 426–27n6, 429, 432n8; PBF description begins William B. Willcox et al., eds., The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (40 vols. to date; New Haven, Conn., 1959–) description ends , 34: 446–48; 35: 175; 38: 416–17; PHL description begins Philip M. Hamer et al., eds., The Papers of Henry Laurens (16 vols.; Columbia, S.C., 1968–2003) description ends , 16: 416, 522–23; PJM description begins William T. Hutchinson, William M. E. Rachal, Robert A. Rutland et al., eds., The Papers of James Madison, Congressional Series (17 vols.; Chicago and Charlottesville, Va., 1962–91) description ends , 8: 183; 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 : 26: 171; 27: 377; 28: 13–14, 121–22; LDC description begins Paul H. Smith et al., eds., Letters of Delegates to the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (26 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1976–98) description ends , 22: 157.

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