John Jay Papers
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To John Jay from Robert R. Livingston, 22 December 1779

From Robert R. Livingston

Philadelphia 22d Decr 1779

Dear John

I am told there will be an opportunity of sendg. this to you, I wish therefore to imbrace it tho as I know not how safe the conveyance may be, I shall only deal in generals— You who know the share that you have in a heart too susceptible of tender emotions will easily believe the pain it gave me to find no token of your friendship, no farewell line at this place, where I hastened immediately after my election with the pleasing, tho distant prospect of seeing ^you^1 here I discovered that a letter that I had entrusted to Duer’s care, did not reach you till after your embarkation, & took up another Letter which I had given to the Govr. to forward to you, written immediately after the recd. of yours Letter, which by a strange blunder of your brother, & the negligence of Benson was not till delivered in a week after it came to Kingston tho’ I was there every day—2 By this time I flatter myself that in conformity to the wishes of your friends, you & yours are arrived, settled, & recovered from the fatigues of your voyage. A new world is opened to you, & how gay & pleasing soever the prospects may be which ^it^ affords, you will meet with no mercy if you do not look back upon the friends you left in this, they have participated in the pains & dangers of your voyage, it is but just ^that^ they shd. share your pleasures—

Things here remain much in the state in which they were when you left us— The campaign has ended without any thing decisive, & our Army is at present in a better state as to numbers & discipline than it has been at any period during the war, And upon the whole the ballance has been greatly in our favor, if we except the unfortunate attempt upon Savannah of which I dare say you have particular accts. by the brave, but unfortunate, Count De Estang who has I arrived before this time if his evil genious has not continued to persecute him.3

The enemy seem desirous of availing themselves of their success, & as we are informed, are about detatching from 8, to 10,000 troops which are already embarked as is supposed for that quarter— They have not yet sailed owing to their ignorance of the station of Count De Grass, who was said to be in Chesapeek bay tho’ he has as the Chevalier informs me, arrived at Domenique, & the rest of his squadron at Martinique, some what injured by a Storm—4 We have a report in town, that Pesecala is taken by the Spanish Troops,5 I have not had leisure to inquire in to the truth of it tho from circumstances with which you are acquainted I give some credit to it— This is a wandring letter, but I wish to croud every thing in it which I can trust to paper that may serve to amuse you—

Coll. Lawrance has resigned his secretaryship & tomorrow we are to have a new election, tho as I beleive none of the persons in nomination will be elected, at least not yet. They are Lovel Morris—Coll. Steward put in nomination by Mr. Plater & Coll. Hamilton.6 Floyd had very improperly put namd me, agt. my express declarations, both in publick & private that I wd. not accept it, & has obstinately refused to with draw his nomination. I mention this that you may not be surprized if you see me stand upon the list without a vote (for I think I shall be able to carry the State against myself) nor argue from it, that I wish to have the place, or that I want interest to obtain it, one of which I know, & the other believe to be untrue— Duer is likewise a candidate tho he has not yet been named—nor will he venture upon it till he sees whether Morris fails which I believe he will— I shall endeavour to support him, but at present Lovels interest is the best, tho’ I imagine not sufficient to bring him thro’— My plan wd be considering all things & the characters of the two ministers to send Mr. Carmichael to France & Morris to you, who best know his [turn?] how far this will succeed I know not— I could wish to settle a cypher with you that I might for the future write with more freedom than I can now dare to do— For want of which I must now close after desiring you to remember me most affectionately to Mrs. Jay, the Coll. & Mr. Carmichael— I write nothing about your friends, as Caty will tell you by this conveyance that they are all well— I wd. copy this but for two reasons—1st: Because I am too Lazy—2d Because finding me unchanged in my negligence, you may argue from thence that I am equally unchanged, in the sentiments of affection, with which I always have, & hope ever to continue to subscribe myself Dear John Your friend

Robt R Livingston

ALS, NNC (EJ: 6864). Endorsed: “. . . Recd. 16 May 1780.”

1Named a special delegate to Congress by the New York State legislature, Livingston reached Philadelphia and took his seat 20 Nov. 1779. 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 , 15: 1293–94.

2The only letter from Livingston to JJ during the period of JJ’s embarkation for Europe that has been located is one dated 6 Oct. 1779, printed above.

3Comte d’Estaing did not reach Europe until early in 1780.

4Admiral François Joseph Paul, comte de Grasse (1722–88), had commanded a squadron under d’Estaing during the siege of Savannah.

5The Spanish did not take Pensacola until 9 July 1781.

6Livingston’s prophecy proved correct. John Laurens, who had been elected secretary to the minister to France in September, declined the office in a letter received by Congress on 10 Dec. 1779. On 17 Dec., James Lovell; Gouverneur Morris; Walter Stewart (c. 1756–96), colonel of a Continental regiment from Pennsylvania; and Alexander Hamilton were nominated to succeed him. Stewart was proposed by George Plater (1735–92), a Maryland delegate, 1778–80. William Floyd later proposed Livingston, who declined. The letter mentions William Duer as another candidate, but his name was never put in nomination. The twenty-seventh of December was assigned as the day for the election, but, Congress being deadlocked, agreement could not be reached on a candidate. 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 , 15: 1366, 1391, 1402–3; Mintz, Gouverneur Morris description begins Max M. Mintz, Gouverneur Morris and the American Revolution (Norman, Okla., 1970) description ends , 138.

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