From James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, 24 November 1793
To Thomas Jefferson
Fredg. Novr. 24. 93.
Dear Sir
I have your 3 letters. The last of the 17th. fell into my hands here when I arrived on friday night. Col. Monroe was a day before me. Accept our thanks for your provision in our behalf at Germanto[w]n. We set off in 5 Minutes in a machine we have procured here, & which we shall keep on with till it fails us, or we can do better. I hope we shall be with you by sunday evening, or monday morning. Giles & Venable being before us, they will give you the intelligence from Richmond. The inclosed paper contains a scrap which may be of later date. If the Senate rejected as we understand, the vote relating to the procln., the answer of the Govr. jointly to the Come. of the two houses1 is a curious one. Yrs. affly.
J. M. Jr
RC (DLC: Jefferson Papers). Addressed by JM. Docketed by Jefferson, “recd. Dec. 2.”
1. On 1 Nov. the House of Delegates passed resolutions endorsing Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation and Gov. Henry Lee’s actions to carry the proclamation into effect, but the Senate rejected the resolutions on 8 Nov. When a committee from both chambers on 15 Nov. notified Lee of his reelection, the House message again complimented the governor’s advocacy of the Neutrality Proclamation, while the Senate remained silent on the issue. Lee nevertheless thanked both houses for “your commendation of my prompt and decided support of the President’s Proclamation” (Richmond Va. Gazette, and General Advertiser, 6 and 20 Nov. 1793; Journal of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Oct. 1793 [Richmond, 1794; 28003], p. 11; see also Risjord, Chesapeake Politics, pp. 431–32).