To Thomas Jefferson from Albert Gallatin, 17 August 1801
From Albert Gallatin
City of Washington 17th August 1801
Dr Sir
Your favor of the 7th instt. was received on the 11th, the day after the mail had closed. It arrives here on Tuesday, departs on Monday. You may answer by same mail, but cannot receive answers in less than fortnight.
You will receive enclosed, as usual, the list of Warrants; & I also enclose a letter from Mr Doyley & one from W. Jones member of Congress for Philada.
The first letter is not written in as explicit a language as might have been wished; but may not this be inferred from his & Mr Pinckney’s letters?—that not only there is some danger of a federal Senator being elected; which indeed I have uniformly apprehended; but that Mr Doyley & his friends fear, in case of a republican succeeding, that he may have personal views different from theirs, & favour appointments of different persons. And is not this the reason why Mr Doyley & friends wish the appointments to take place before the meeting of Congress? I have invited Mr Doyley to a free communication of his sentiments—
You will find by the other letter that the Republicans expect a change in Philada.; this expectation is owing partly to the removal of the collector of New York, & partly to the answer to New Haven which, as I mentioned before, has had a greater, if not a better effect than was expected. Of the four persons he recommends, the name of Bache would be most popular; but he wants industry; Clay is certainly the most capable, unless Conolly, who is highly respected by all who know him, should be supposed to understand that particular business better. Upon the whole, in that also, it is much better to wait the meeting of Congress. Dallas who was here agrees with me. Yet it must be allowed that the warm republicans will be displeased; it is the same in New York in regard to Rogers who, though the most capable, was the most obnoxious to the zealous republicans. Duane has been here, & I have taken an opportunity of showing the impropriety of numerous removals. He may think the reasons good; but his feelings will be at war with any argument on the subject. Clay has also been here; the number of young men of true merit & some scientific knowledge is so small in our middle States, that I cannot help being very desirous that something for which he may be fit might be done for him. His father has, excluding him, placed his younger brother in an eligible commercial situation, & the Bank of N. America will never promote him beyond his 1000 dollars salary. What do you think of the Lisbon or one of the Barbary Consulships? I do not know that either would suit him, but wish only to be acquaintted with your intentions generally.
I had understood that a Commission of Marshal New Jersey had been directed to issue in favour of General John Heard; & I believe he had understood as much. An application has in fact been made for the commission on a supposition that it had been lost. I have told Wagner to send you a blank one that, if it was intended, it may be filled. The present Marshal is Thomas Lowry; he has been in since 26 Sept. 1789; his commission expires 28 Jany. 1802.
Mr Miller has put in my hands the enclosed from Mr Fish. It may be difficult to answer; yet he has been uniformly considered as the mere tool of Hamilton, & was, with Giles & Watson, the most active electioneering officer of Govt. in New York. I must say something to Miller about it. E. Livingston said that the removal of Fish was not expected so long as Rogers was permitted to continue. By the bye it seems to me that Fish intends that letter for publication.
I have heard that Fenwick had received a letter of late date from Bourdeaux stating the ratification of our Convention with France & Dawson being on his way back, but have not been able to ascertain whether true or not.
I am with sincere respect & attachment Dr Sir Your most obt. Servt.
Albert Gallatin
RC (DLC); at foot of text: “President of the United States”; endorsed by TJ as received 20 Aug. and so recorded in SJL. Enclosures: (1) “Weekly List of Warrants issued on Treasurer for the Week ending 15th August 1801,” listing fourteen warrants, Nos. 112 to 125, including five under the civil list, for a total of $895; four under intercourse with foreign nations, including $3,000 for Charles Pinckney’s outfit, for a total of $6,332.87; two for the military establishment, for a total of $2,079.33; one for the naval establishment, for a total of $50,000; and two under the public debt, being a purchase of guilders for the payment of the Dutch debt, for a total of $91,845; for a grand total of $151,152.20, and leaving a balance of specie in the Treasury at the end of the week of $2,716,629.71 (MS in DLC: TJ Papers, 115:19847; entirely in Gallatin’s hand, and endorsed by him on verso). (2) Daniel D’Oyley to Gallatin, Charleston, 29 July 1801, thanking Gallatin for information on banks, which will be useful in establishing a state bank in South Carolina, and for providing political news on events leading to the election of a U.S. senator in November, noting that unless precautionary measures are adopted he fears a split betweeen votes for Thomas Sumter, the favorite of most Republicans, and Judge Aedanus Burke, whose friends’ activities ought to be “particularly known at Washington,” because a Republican division could lead to the victory of John Ward, the Federalist candidate; D’Oyley declaring that the Federalists wanted to “preserve their old influence in all its extent,” while the Republicans felt disappointed that they were neither “cherished” nor supported by the administration after the insults and sufferings they had endured (RC in DNA: RG 59, LAR; endorsed by TJ: “Doyley Danl. to mr Gallatin”). (3) William Jones to Alexander J. Dallas, Philadelphia, 3 Aug. 1801, recommending four candidates for customs collector at Philadelphia—although the mercantile list was “extremely barren of Republicans”—Richard Bache, known as a respectable merchant and highly esteemed as a gentleman, whose “connection with the family of our beloved Franklin” would add weight to the appointment; John Shee, who already has “a handsome state appointment”; Joseph Clay, clerk at the Bank of North America, who, while he may lack weight of character, has “merit, talents and integrity” and has adhered to republicanism “from principle” even though “a contrary course would have gratified his nearest connections and advanced his interest and standing in society”; and John Connelly, “a man of business, of understanding & principle and a steady republican”; Jones observing that the appointment of a collector was of great importance and should not be made hurriedly, but recommending that the “Dunwoody Secretary”—identified by Gallatin as William Jackson—should be dismissed “without delay,” with Major Jonas Simonds appointed as surveyor in his place; Jones concluding that perhaps it would be “expedient to spare” William McPherson, the naval officer, who was undoubtedly a zealous Federalist but “displayed less of the spirit of intolerance than most of them” and was “always a gentleman in his deportment” (RC in NHi: Gallatin Papers; addressed: “A. J. Dallas Esquire Washington”; with a mark in Gallatin’s hand after “Dunwoody Secretary” and a note on verso: “meaning Major Jackson present surveyor AG”; endorsed by TJ: “William Jones recommends Richard Bache, John Shee Joseph Clay & John Connolly for Collector Philada.”). Other enclosure not found.
Gallatin sent Charles Pinckney’s letter on patronage in South Carolina to TJ on 10 Aug., but it has not been found.
Republicans Expect a Change in Philada.: for the political activities of Federalists George Latimer, William McPherson, and William Jackson, the three top customs officials in Philadelphia, see , 85–94. Jonas Simonds, a Republican customs inspector, had refrained from political activities to retain his position at the port (same, 86; Simonds to TJ, 14 Apr. 1801). For the four persons recommended by William Jones, see Enclosure No. 3, above.
For the confusion and delay in the appointment of John Heard as Marshal for New Jersey, see Vol. 33:183–4.
In late June, Samuel Osgood replaced Nicholas Fish as supervisor of the revenue in New York (Vol. 33:673; Notes on a Conversation with Robert R. Livingston, [4 June 1801]).