1To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 24 February 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
At nine oClock last evening, Mr Lee, a [sincere?] friend of yours & mine, came up from Boston to inform me of your election. The precarious state, in which by the [wiles] of party, the federal executive was suspended, the irritation which would have resulted from your non-election, even if Mr Burr had obtained the vote, the great danger of a collision of parties, whose habits of animosity,...
2To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 26 January 1801 (Adams Papers)
I am honored by your confidential letter of the 30th of Decer, & am sorry that any event should render it uncertain, whether you shall appoint Consuls to France. that Mr Lee, amidst the interfering applications of so many candidates, should be represented to the President as a Jacobin, is not to my mind, in this epoch of intrigue, slander, injustice, unexpected or extraordinary. but I am...
3To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 20 January 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
I now propose to finish my letter of the 15th, which was hastily concluded, to prevent inconvenience to my friend Lincoln. In revising your political faith , I am not clear, that we perfectly agree in regard to a navy. I wish sincerely, with yourself, to avoid the evils pointed out, as the result of a powerful navy. the expence & extensive operation of an imense naval establishment, if our...
4To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 15 January 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
By Judge Lincoln, my dear Sir, I embrace a favorable opportunity of acknowledging your very friendly letter of the 26th of Janry. 1799; but permit me previously to give you some information in regard to this gentleman. Mr. Lincoln is an eminent lawyer in this State, & his professional talents, are accompanied with a humane & benevolent disposition, pure integrity, great liberality, & unsullied...
5To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 18 December 1800 (Adams Papers)
I received yesterday from Mr Lee, the letter enclosed, & being fully convinced, that he is an object of persecution, as well on account of his open & manly disapprobation of the measures of a certain party, as well as of his uniform and warm attachment to your administration, an indispensable requisite in my opinion for every candidate of office, I feel myself under an obligation of justice to...
6To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 11 October 1800 (Adams Papers)
I have the honor to enclose a copy of my letter to the Secretary of state, & your pamphlet, with the paragraph which I mentioned. Mrs Gerry unites with me, in best respects to yourself & Lady, & complimts to Mrs Smith and Your family— I remain dear Sir with sincere / attachment Your most / obedt Sert MHi : Adams Papers.
7To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 14 August 1800 (Adams Papers)
I observe by the news papers, that the meeting of the academy of arts & sciences, is to be at this place on the 20th instant; & Mrs Gerry & myself shall be very happy to have the honor of your company to dine with us on that day, with your Lady & family: a request which we suggested to Mrs Adams, on saturday last, when she honored Mrs Gerry with a visit, & which she was so obliging as to...
8To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 21 July 1800 (Adams Papers)
The bearer of this, Mr. Waldo, is the Gentleman whom I mentioned, in a letter which I had the honor to address you at paris, as an applicant for the office of Consul in some part of France. he is well known & was much respected at Paris, altho he was a zealous advocate for the rights of his Country. his character, in regard to abilities, honor, probity, & politeness, stands high with all who...
9To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 18 July 1800 (Adams Papers)
Mr Gerry presents his best respects to the President of the United States, & sends by the bearer ten pair of squabs, of which he requests his acceptance. They have been learnt to feed in indian dough, & when put into the pigeon House, must be supplyed daily with water & gravel, & confined to the house untill they have young—The house should be locked and under the care of one person, as they...
10To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 4 June 1800 (Adams Papers)
I had the honor, this morning of paying my respects to your Lady, & the pleasure of finding her & the family in excellent health: happy should I be, if this was the case with Mrs Gerry, who is slowly recovering from a long & dangerous illness. being informed that you are by this time in Washington, I take the liberty to suggest, that since your departure, last fall from Quincy, I have received...
11To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 16 December 1799 (Adams Papers)
Whilst the late envoys were in Paris, they recommended Mr William Lee, in a letter to Mr Pickering, as a suitable character for a Consul; & it was expected, he would apply for the consulate of Bourdeaux, which it was then supposed would be vacant: & he now proposes to renew his application. being informed of this circumstance, & having, after the fullest enquiry, & conviction of his merit,...
12To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 26 September 1799 (Adams Papers)
If an answer to the letter, which Your Excellency proposed to write to Mr Pickering on my concerns, is received, I will do myself the honor of waiting on You at any time which may best suit your convenience. Mrs Gerry unites with me in best respects to yourself & Lady, & be assured I remain, Dear Sir, with every sentiment / of attachment, Your / most obedt & very / huml Sert. MHi : Adams Papers.
13To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 24 July 1799 (Adams Papers)
I have the honor to enclose a copy of Mr Pickerings letter to me of the 20th of June No 1, of an account of Stores said to have been purchased for the Sophia No 2, & of his statement of my account No 3; the latter of which, as I conceive, is unjust in several particulars. 1st Mr Pickering has considered my salary as terminating the 12th of may; stating, that it was “the day on which I received...
14To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 8 July 1799 (Adams Papers)
In your letter of december 15th, referring to General Marshall’s journal, You are pleased to observe, “that my seperate , & secret conferences with Talleyrand, & my advocating a stipulation for a loan, to be paid after the war, will do no good to me or to the public,” & that “Pinckney & Martial will attest to the correctness of this journal, & will be beleived .” My conferences with Mr....
15To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 24 June 1799 (Adams Papers)
I inclose the remarks, which I proposed to make, when I had the honor of paying my last respects to you. The delay has been owing, in a great measure, to sickness in my family, but it cannot be attended with any ill consequences. I shall wait on you soon, with the information for explaining such parts of the curious Journal of General Martial, relating to myself, as you was pleased to...
In a conference with the President of the U.S. at his house on a visit three days after his arrival he informed me that soon after his speech to Congress at the opening of the last session he required of Mr Pickering a copy of my despatches in order to send them to Congress. That after waiting a proper time he sent again to the Secretary for them. That he applied a third time & pressed their...
17To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 11 February 1799 (Adams Papers)
Agreably to your opinion, advice, & request, of the 15th of december, any one of which was sure on my part of a ready compliance, I have waited for your communications to Congress, and candidly confess, that some parts of them have given me extreme pain. They commence with a letter of instructions to me of the 25th of June, which I never saw or heard of, untill it appeared in the Centinel; &...
18To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 29 December 1798 (Adams Papers)
I was honord, a few days since, by your friendly letter of the 15th. I had previously recd a letter from Mr Pickering inclosing one from General Marshal on the subject of my letter to you of the 20th of october, & in my next will transmit copies of them. I was aware, that controversies between the envoys would produce disagreable effects on the public mind, & no good to themselves, & had...
19To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 10 December 1798 (Adams Papers)
Remarks on General Marshalls letter of the 12th of Nov, & Mr Pickerings of the 10th of December 1798 to Mr Gerry: respectfully submitted by the latter to the President of the United States of America. 1st. In regard to the source of the information (relative to the renewal of one or both the money propositions) which General Marshall thinks, I must have supposed to be him; I had not the means...
20To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 24 November 1798 (Adams Papers)
Having transmitted to Mr Pickering, additional documents, numbered from 36 to 50 inclusively, you will probably peruse them. The first, contained a copy of a motion, I made to the other Envoys; to put an end, as early as the 21st of October 1797, to the disgraceful communications of X & Y. at the bottom of the original, is a note in the handwriting of General Pinckney, which shews, that it was...
21To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 12 November 1798 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr Otis, secretary of the Senate, was kind eno’ to take four letters , of which two were for yourself, & a small box with one or more Watches ; & to promise a delivery of them, into your hands. the box, & some of the letters, were committed to my care by Mr Short; who accompanyed me to Havre, with an intention to embark in the Sophia, for the U States. he had provided every article for the...
22To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 20 October 1798 (Adams Papers)
I have the honor to inform you, that there has lately been published in the Boston Gazettes, a letter signed “Timothy Pickering”, addressed “to P Johnston Esqr of Prince Edward County, (Virginia,) dated the 29th of September last; wherein Mr Pickering, speaking of the dispatches of the Envoys, says, “that Mr. Tallyrand affects an utter ignorance of the person, designated in the dispatches, by...
23To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 8 August 1798 (Adams Papers)
I propose to embark for the United States this day, & have only a moment to inform you that Mr Skipwith will transmit you from Paris the letters which passed between the minister of foreign affairs & myself, just before my departure from that city— The aspect of affairs between the two republicks is very pacific at present on this side the Atlantick; God grant it may be so on my arrival the...
24To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 16 April 1798 (Adams Papers)
This I expect you will receive by my collegue General Marshal, who carries with him the last letter of Mr. Tallyrand to the american envoys & their answer. on the day when we sent the latter, I received a letter from the minister, a copy of which & my answer is inclosed. I have not sent these to the Secretary of State, because I have not time to prepare a letter to accompany them. indeed I...
25To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 24 March 1798 (Adams Papers)
I had the honor of addressing you on the 17th by Mr Hopkins; & being informed by Mr. Putnam of Boston, that Mr. Morgue, who has long resided with him, & has his confidence will depart in a day or two for Philadelphia, I embrace this opportunity of informing you that our affairs will be brot to a crisis in a day or two, & that we shall all leave France immediately, unless I should be obliged to...
26To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 17 March 1798 (Adams Papers)
Since my arrival here, I have not had the honor to address you: the want of health part of the time, the particular details of our official letters, the uncertainty of our residence for a week & sometimes for a day, & the painful situation in which I have been, have combined to produce a suspension of my correspondence untill I could communicate to you something agreable, but that period I am...
27To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 23 July 1797 (Adams Papers)
I am honored by your letter of the 17th, & sincerely thank you for the information it contains. Nothing is more essential to a public officer, than to be apprized of the imputations against him; for if well founded, he will thus have a fair opportunity of correcting his errors, & if unfounded, he will by the same means be better prepared for self defence. in addition to the great difficulties...
28To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 23 July 1797 (Adams Papers)
I have the pleasure to inform you, that I have just received, by Capt Eaton, the dispatches from the department of State; containing two large & two Small packets—I have the honor / to be my dear Sir with / perfect respect—your sincere friend / & very huml. serv MHi : Adams Papers.
29Elbridge Gerry to Abigail Adams, 14 July 1797 (Adams Papers)
I am honored by your letter of the 8 th , & am much obliged to you for the kind interest you have manifested in my concerns; & for the communications contained in the letter & documents. Whatever may have been the reasons which induced some of the senators to vote against me, if they were influenced by a due regard to the publick welfare, & their opinions in this instance were even erroneous,...
30To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 14 July 1797 (Adams Papers)
I am honored by your letters of the 7th and 8th instant. The satisfaction which you are pleased to express at my acceptance of the mission, is the most flattering circumstance of my political concerns. I have taken passage in the ship Union for Rotterdam, & expect to sail in ten days; having notified Mr Pinckney by two vessels which are to sail this day & tomorrow, of this circumstance, & of...
31To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 10 July 1797 (Adams Papers)
It was always my sincere intention, but you have made it my indispensible duty, to support your administration. a good disposition is requisite, & so is ability. diplomatic politics I am not much versed in, & my inexperience will demand assiduity. If I should err then, you must not impute it to the want of attachment; for in such a case I would certainly retire: conceiving as I do, that the...
32To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 6 July 1797 (Jefferson Papers)
Your obliging letters of the 12th of may , and 21st of June, I have received; and have taken a step, by accepting the appointment to France, which it is difficult to justify to my family, under existing circumstances. Your information and opinion, which had great influence in this decission; the weighty considerations, that the appointment having been once declined, a second refusal might at...
33To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 3 July 1797 (Adams Papers)
The information communicated by the Secretary of State, of my appointment to the office of an envoy extraordinary & minister plenipotentiary to the French republick, afforded me the highest gratification: inasmuch as it manifested the confidence of that political character, for whom, from my first acquaintance, I have ever had the highest respect. judge then, Sir, of my feelings when I inform...
34To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 28 May 1797 (Adams Papers)
The sailing of the Packet on which we are to go to New Port, being unexpectedly deferred till this afternoon, gives me an opportunity of inclosing a copy of No 3, & of adding a few words. I know that your ideas now are the same which they were in 1776 respecting a vigorous executive: I then & for several years afterwards tho’t the necessity for one so powerful would not exist within half a...
35To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 28 May 1797 (Adams Papers)
Being here on a few days visit with Mrs. Gerry to her aged parents, & having left six small children, the eldest of whom has the care of the rest and of the domesticks, I am deprived of the honor of paying my personal respects to you at this time. When I wrote to Mr. Monroe, I supposed he was in Philadelphia: it being so announced in the news papers, his conduct in making an inmate of Paris...
36To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 28 May 1797 (Jefferson Papers)
On my return last evening from Mrs. Gerrys friends, on the Jersey side of North River, I received your letter of the 25th, and am happy to inform you, that you have received all my letters: it was mine to Mr. Monroe, which was dated the 4th of april. I was mortified to find, that before Mr. Osgood was informed of my intention to be here, he received your letter of the 13th of may and sent it...
37To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 22 May 1797 (Jefferson Papers)
Inclosed is a copy of a letter which I wrote to Mr. Monroe the 4th of april, to the care of yourself; and annexed is the copy of one to yourself of the 27th of march; both of which, I presume from their not being acknowledged, have been intercepted: and if this is the case, I wish to ascertain it. I have the honor to remain with the most perfect esteem & respect yours sincerely RC ( DLC ); at...
38To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 4 May 17[97] (Jefferson Papers)
On the 27th of March I had the pleasure of addressing a letter to yourself, and on the 4th of april another to Mr. Monroe, to your care; but having no information of their being received, and having reason to apprehend that some of our post officers are guilty of mal practice and not to be trusted, I wish to be informed whether the letters have arrived, by a line directed to me at New York,...
39To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 25 April 1797 (Adams Papers)
I am honored with your letter of the 6th, which I took from the cover without breaking the seal. The secret shall not escape me; but, from the circumstance mentioned, I shall not be surprized to find, that it has transpired on it’s passage. If the tho’t of sending Mr. Jefferson proceeded from both parties, it wears the appearance of “a natural one”, otherwise, coming from so many of one party,...
40To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 27 March 1797 (Adams Papers)
A social friend, but not one whose politicks have been much in unison with mine, has suggested to me the policy of your sending Mr Jefferson, at the present crisis, as a minister to France. at first blush, the measure struck me forcibly: Mr Jefferson being much in the confidence of France, & of her officers & adherents in the United States; the antipode of her enemies amongst us; possessed of...
41To Thomas Jefferson from Elbridge Gerry, 27 March 1797 (Jefferson Papers)
Permit me, with great sincerity, to congratulate you on your appointment to the office of Vice-President of the United States. It was in my mind a very desirable object, and a wish which I ardently expressed at the meeting of the electors; but, as we were unanimously of opinion that Mr. Adams’ pretensions to the chair were best, it was impossible to give you any votes without annulling an...
42To John Adams from Elbridge Gerry, 7 March 1797 (Adams Papers)
I am honored with your letters of the 13th & 20th of Feby, the former of which, being an answer to my last, shall be first attended to. After I had sent that letter to the post office, it occurred to me, that what I had viewed as a studied neglect might have been intended as good policy; & being convinced it was so, by reflecting on the subject, I was highly gratified by the explanation with...