John Jay Papers
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From John Jay to William Carmichael, 2 October 1789

To William Carmichael

New York 2d. October 1789

Sir

I have been favd. with your Letters of the 5. 8. & 28 of Novr. & 2d Decr. in the last year, and of the 6 May in this—1

My two Letters of the 9 Septr. and the 24 Novemr. 17882 covered Papers of Importance, and as yet I am uninformed whether they have come safe to your Hands.

The long period ^Time^ before their Dissolution, during which the late Congress had not a sufficient number of ^nine^ States represented in it, and the other important Matters which necessarily engaged the immediate Attention ^consideration^ of the present Governmt., prevented the Affairs of my ^the foreign^ Department from recieving that Degree of Attention, wh. would otherwise have been the Case.

An opinion prevailed that appointments under the former Government (if not vacated), at least became suspended on the Establishment of the present one; so that and it was not till very lately that the Difficulties occasioned by this Circumstance were removed by new appointments being made— Mr Jefferson is to be Secy for foreign affairs if he should pl that is, if he ^shd.^ think proper to accept that place;3 his arrival here is daily expected. You have been reappointed Chargé des Affaires for Spain,4 and the Necessary Documents will be sent to You. The public papers herewith sent will inform ^you^ of the general State of things here5— we are solicitous to know whether you have done any thing, & what, & with what Success on the Subject of the asylum given to fu in Pensacola—to fugitive Negroes from So Car Georgia &c.— This gives much Uneasiness, & ^it is said^ occasions much Loss to our People in that Quarter. It is to be hoped that your Representations will induce the Court to order their Governors to deliver ^up^ these Fugitives, & to discountenance the Reception of them.6 I have the honor to be Sr Your most obt. & hble Sert

Sent the above by Mr. Gardoqui.

Dft, NNC (EJ: 07729); LbkC, DNA: Foreign Letters description begins Foreign Letters of the Continental Congress and Department of State, 1785–1790, RG 59, item 121, National Archives (M61). Accessed on Fold3.com. description ends , 327–28 (EJ: 02541).

1. See Carmichael to JJ, 5 Nov., LS, DNA: PCC, item 97, 308–10 (EJ: 03671); 8 Nov., LS, DNA: PCC, item 97, 316–18 (EJ: 03672); 28 Nov. 1788, LS, DNA, PCC, item 88, 584–86; 2 Dec. 1788, LS, DNA: PCC, item 88, 588–89; and 6 May 1789, above.

2. See JJ to Carmichael, 9 Sept. 1788, Dft, NNC (EJ: 07723) and LbkC, DNA: PCC, Foreign Letters, 304–5 (EJ: 02531); and 24 Nov. 1788, Dft, NNC (EJ: 07731), and LbkC, DNA: PCC, Foreign Letters, 310–11 (EJ: 02535).

3. GW nominated TJ to be Secretary of State on 25 Sept. 1789. He was confirmed the following day. See PGW: PS description begins Dorothy Twohig et al., eds., The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series (19 vols. to date; Charlottesville, Va., 1987–) description ends , 4: 85; and the Senate Executive Journal description begins United States. Congress. Senate. Journal of the executive proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America. Vol. 1: (1789–1805). (Washington, D.C., 1828). Accessed: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwej.html description ends , 32–33.

4. Carmichael was appointed and confirmed on 29 Sept. 1789. PGW: PS description begins Dorothy Twohig et al., eds., The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series (19 vols. to date; Charlottesville, Va., 1987–) description ends , 4: 116; and the Senate Executive Journal description begins United States. Congress. Senate. Journal of the executive proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America. Vol. 1: (1789–1805). (Washington, D.C., 1828). Accessed: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwej.html description ends , 33–34.

5. The enclosures to this letter are listed in the OFA Journal description begins Daily Journals, Office of Foreign Affairs, 1784–1790, 2 vols., Papers of the Continental Congress, RG 360, item 127, National Archives (M247). Accessed Fold3.com description ends entry for this date, below.

6. On 19 May 1788, Congress had referred to JJ a complaint from the Georgia House of Representatives about the refusal of the Governor of East Florida to return slaves who had fled into Spanish territory from Georgia. See JJ’s report of 14 Aug. 1788, above; JJ to Carmichael, 9 Sept. 1788, cited in note 2, above; and 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 , 34: 188, 430–31, 444.

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    Jay Papers
    Title
    From John Jay to William Carmichael, 2 October 1789
    Author
    Jay, John
    Recipient
    Carmichael, William
    Date
    2 October 1789

    Reference

    Cite as
    “From John Jay to William Carmichael, 2 October 1789,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jay/01-05-02-0100. [Original source: The Selected Papers of John Jay, vol. 5, 1788–1794, ed. Elizabeth M. Nuxoll. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2017, pp. 148–149.]

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