1. Samuel Livermore and John Langdon, U.S. senators from New Hampshire, transmitted a petition to GW from citizens of Portsmouth, N.H., dated 28 Oct., and signed by James Sheafe and twenty-eight other individuals. The petition, written from Portsmouth, reads: “That your Petitioners have for a number of years past been very considerably concerned and interested in the Trade to the Colony of Essequebo and Demarara on the Coast of Guiana in the West Indies formerly under the Government of the States of Holland, and at present, by a Surrender by Capitulation to the British Forces on the twenty third of April last, under the Government of his Britanic Majesty; with a provision and reserve however that the administration of Justice, and all Laws established there before the surrender of said Colony should remain as before.

“That your Petitioners are very desirous of continuing their commercial business to and with said Colony. And in order to its being beneficial to them as heretofore, they conceive it necessary that the Commanders of Vessels of this Port should on their Arrival there, have information, of such Laws or byelaws that may from time be passed, & become of force there. Otherwise they may find themselves involved in embarassments arising meerly from the want of proper knowledge—and from the want of information, and of a knowledge of the Dutch Langage, with the most upright intentions may unwillingly trangress, and suffer.

“That it is also a melancholy & distressing circumstance, that the American Sailors, on board the Vessels, attacked with the prevalent putrid Fevers, suffer extremely & many perish from the want of proper attendance, not knowing where to make application for assistance and relief.

“That your Petitioners concur in the Statement and observations made and signed, by twelve American Commanders from various & distant Places of the Union, transmitted from said Colony, and published here in the New Hampshire Gazettee on the twenty seventh of August last, from the Original, dated April thirteenth, 1796, now in the possession of Edward Livermore Esqr., to which your Petitioners refer; And beg leave to express their opinion, that the reasons there, and herein before given, shew the necessity, that a Consul from the United States of America should be appointed for the Colony of Essequebo and Demarara, to reside there: and their desire of such Appointment.

“They do not entertain a Doubt that all due encouragement will be given to Navigation and Trade, the Basis of our national prosperity & happiness. And that the American Commerce, however widely diffused, or wherever established, will be supported with Dignity. These Sentiments incourage the present Application.

“And as your Petitioners have been, & are well acquainted with Nicholas Rousselet, a Citizen and freeholder of this Town of Portsmouth, and who has for a number of years, also resided in said Colony, and is as we believe, well acquainted with the Laws and languages of the said Colony, and now about to leave Portsmouth on a Voyage to said Colony, where he proposes to reside for some time—they beg leave to recommend him, as a person, who would, they are persuaded, faithfully execute this Trust; and will answer the intention of Government, and give satisfaction to the Trade, the Merchants and Citizens of the United States, trading to, and conversant at the Colony aforesaid” (LS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters).

Pickering probably also enclosed the draft statement filed with the present document, dated 13 April 1796 and signed by thirteen ship captains and traders from various American ports: “We the subscribers, all Citizens of the American United states, do Certify by these presents, The necessity of having a Person in the Colony of Demerary, to Reside there, in the capacity of a Counsel from the United States, of north America; to assist with his good advice, Those American Captns and Traders, That visit the place, for the purpose, of disposing of there Cargos, & as we have (from The Time of our residing in this Colony) Experienced great Difficultys, for want of advice, & not understanding The Languages and have met, with great Losses by Selling our merchandise to people unknown to us, by which means Some of us have great Sums of money, outstanding, and will be with difficulty collected—That we have frequently been in distress, for want of a place to Deposit our Dead also To provide for Sick Seamen; Lodgings, Convenient for them in There distressed Situation, all which Taken into Consideration, We do think it absolutely necessary, for the Citizens of the American States ⟨as well⟩ as for Commerce of this place, that his Excellency the President of The United States, Should for that purpose appt a Capable Person to Reside in this Colony as a Consul from the United state aforesaid” (DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters). An almost identical version of this statement, but with twelve signatories, appeared in The New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth) for 27 Aug. 1796.

On 26 Dec., GW wrote the U.S. Senate to “nominate Nicholas Rousselet of the State of New Hampshire to be Consul for the United States of America at the Colony of Essequebo and Demarara” (LS, DNA: RG 46, entry 52; LB, DLC:GW). The Senate confirmed the appointment on 27 Dec., and GW signed Rousselet’s commission on 30 Dec. (see Senate Executive Journal description begins Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America: From the commencement of the First, to the termination of the Nineteenth Congress. Vol. 1. Washington, D.C., 1828. description ends , 218, and JPP description begins Dorothy Twohig, ed. The Journal of the Proceedings of the President, 1793–1797. Charlottesville, Va., 1981. description ends , 349).

Nicholas Tysbortus Rousselet (died c.1815), a planter of Demerara, came to the United States in the 1780s and resided in Boston, where he earned his living as a merchant and auctioneer. He became a U.S. citizen by 1785 and married Catherine Elizabeth Moffatt (c.1764–1799) in 1787. The couple lived for a while in Portsmouth, N.H., but Rousselet and his family moved to Demerara in 1793 (see Rousselet to John Adams, 30 Oct. 1800, in MHi: Adams Papers). Rousselet served, except for a brief interruption, as U.S. consul for Demerara and Essequibo until 1802 (see Smith, America’s Diplomats and Consuls description begins Walter Burges Smith II. America’s Diplomats and Consuls of 1776–1865: A Geographic and Biographic Directory of the Foreign Service from the Declaration of Independence to the End of the Civil War. Washington, D.C., 1986. description ends , 214; see also Salem Impartial Register [Salem, Mass.], 21 Aug. 1800). Rousselet died in Demerara.

2. Demerara and Essequibo, South American colonies on the coast of Guyana, had alternated under French, British, and Dutch rule and had been Dutch colonies since 1783. The British regained control of them in 1796. The Boston Price-Current and Marine-Intelligencer for 6 June 1796 printed a report, headlined “DEMERARA, ESSEQUIBO, &c.” The report reads in part: “on the 2 2d April, a British squadron arrived there [Demerara], and summoned the place to surrender, which was immediately complied with. The conditions were, that the Officers of Government should swear allegiance to the Stadtholder, and property to remain secure. The same squadron were to visit Essequibo and Berbice, which it was expected would also surrender without opposition, as they were almost in a defenceless state.” The colonies were occupied by the British until 1802, when they were restored to the Dutch. Great Britain later retook possession of them, and they became part of British Guiana in 1831. The former colonies are now part of the Republic of Guyana.