1To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 30 November 1789 (Hamilton Papers)
The letter of Octob. the 7th. which you did me the honor to write me was delivered two days ago by Mr. McCartey, & yesterday I received the duplicate by Count de Moustier. Some time before, the debt of the United States to France had been brought into view by Mr. Necker in a memorial which he delivered to the national assembly on the subject of their finances, & which I inclosed in my No. 10...
2To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 28[–31] January 1790 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of addressing you a letter on the 30th. of November last in answer to yours of the 7th. of October. In it I mentioned in what manner our debt to France had become an object of ministerial consideration before the arrival of Count de Moustier, who was charged with your letter, & the influence which his arrival had on some of those who were negotiating with the minister. Although...
3To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 4 April 1790 (Hamilton Papers)
In my letter of the 28th. of January & the postscript of the 31st. of the same month, which I had the honor of addressing you, I made you acquainted with the then situation of the debt due by America to France & the precipitate loan negociated by the bankers of the United States at Amsterdam. I informed you at the same time that I did not doubt a stop would be thus put to Mr. Neckers...
4To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 3 August 1790 (Hamilton Papers)
I have had the honor of recieving both the original & duplicate of your letter of the 29th. of May. Mine of the 4th. of April had not then reached you. In it I mentioned the subject of a conversation I had a few days before with Mr. Necker —the hopes he had founded on the unauthorized loan made at Amsterdam & his impatience, occasioned by the distressing penury of French finances, to know the...
5To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 26 November 1790 (Hamilton Papers)
I took the liberty of acknowleging the reciept of your letters of Aug. 29th. and Sept. 1st. through the Secretary of State who I begged at the same time to inform you that I was preparing immediately to obey them. I beg leave to refer you also to him (to whom I had an unexpected opportunity of writing yesterday by the way of France) for what has been done in consequence of your letter of Aug....
6To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 2 December 1790 (Hamilton Papers)
My last letter of the 26th of November will have informed you of my arrival at this place. I have been hitherto employed in ascertaining what measures would be most conducive to the honor & interests of the United States in the execution of the commission you have confided to my care. In the course of this business several of the objects to which you directed my enquiries naturally presented...
7To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 18 December 1790 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of writing to you from this place on the 26th ulto. & the 2d inst. The first by the way of England; the last by an American vessel going from hence immediately to Boston. In this I gave you a very full account of such circumstances as had come to my knowlege since my arrival here; & of the steps which had been taken in the business on which I came. A duplicate of it will...
8To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 30 December 1790 (Hamilton Papers)
My letter of the 18th. enclosing a duplicate of that of the 2d. inst. with other papers has been detained until now, because the American vessel by which I have thought it best to send it, has not yet sailed. As her departure seems at length finally decided for tomorrow, I annex this letter merely to inform you that the circumstances of the loan remain as when I last had the honor of writing...
9To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 15 January 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Contrary winds have prevented any vessel leaving the Texel since the month of November. The several letters therefore which I have had the honor of writing you by that may still remain there. This unexpected delay is the more unfortunate as it is in those letters alone that I have spoken fully on the subjects about which you must be impatient to hear. I preferred making use of this chanel for...
10To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 25 January 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I have the honor of addressing you this letter by the way of the English Packet because contrary winds still prevent any vessel leaving the Texel. All the letters I have written to you by American vessels since my arrival here are still there. Their several dates are Dec. 2. 18. 30. Jan. 15. These letters were exceedingly prolix as I thought it necessary to enter into very particular details...
11To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 7 February 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of writing to you on the 25th. of last month by the English packet. This, inclosed to the Secretary of State, will be sent also by the way of England. I mentioned in my last what I repeat here for greater certainty. “1093. 450. 264. 1405. 224. 264. 1405. 319. 1065. 224. 239. 1210. 1340. 426. 1336. 839. 1590. 224. 531. 1388. 224. 708. ...
12To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 17 February 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
My two last letters were of Jan. 25. & Feb. 7. They were sent by the way of England. Since then I learn that a momentary change of the wind has permitted two of the American vessels which had my letters for you, to leave the Texel. There were other letters on board of another vessel which I am told still remains there, the wind having again become contrary. I have been much mortified by the...
13To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 22 February 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
When I had the honor of writing to you on the 17th. I expected that I should have been able to have sent you by this post a copy of the obligation which will be given on the part of the U.S. in consequence of the loan which I then announced to you. The form of the obligation having been delayed, I inclose you at present the prospectus of the loan, original & translation, as it is the basis of...
14To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 4 March 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of informing you on the 17th. of the last month of the loan of 2½. millions of guilders being brought on the market & on the 22d. I inclosed you a prospectus of that loan. It is not till now that I have been able to get a copy of the bonds which are to be given on the part of the U.S. & of which I forward you one at present by the way of England, for your examination, & to...
15To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 11 March 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I have the honor of writing to you at present for the last time from this place. I am now signing the bonds as fast as I recieve them from the notary. It is possible they may be finished to-morrow & in that case I shall set out the day after for Paris. In my last of the 4th. inst. sent by the way of England was inclosed a translation of the bonds of the present loan. I now add a copy of the...
16To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 9 April 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Since my return here questions have been from time to time asked me with respect to the appropriation of the loan lately made in Holland. When asked by those to whom it was necessary to give an answer it was made conformable to that given to M. Caillard at the Hague, as contained in my letter to him of the 6th of March, of which a copy was sent to you on the 11th from Amsterdam. The ministry...
17To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 4 May 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Since my last of April 9. I have received a letter from M. de Montmorin in which he informs me that he had recieved a second letter from Schweizer & Jeanneret relative to the reimbursement of the American debt & their proposals respecting it, & that he had answered them that they must apply to me, being unable himself to interfere in the matter notwithstanding the favorable opinion he...
18To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 3 June 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I have had the honor of recieving a few days ago, the 3d & 4th. of your letter of April 13th.—one by the way of England, the other by the way of Holland. This is the only letter I have recieved from you since that of Sep. 1. 90. The 1st. & 2nd. have not yet arrived. It gives me infinite pleasure Sir to find that the manner in which I proceeded in the business you confided to me, has met your...
19To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 5 June 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Since my letter of the day before yesterday I have procured the inclosed works on the fabrication of money. Supposing they may be useful to you on the question at present under your consideration I have the honor of forwarding them. One is a report of the committee of money made to the national assembly, another the speech of Mirabeau on the subject, & a third the observations of an artist of...
20To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 10 June 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Since my last letters of the 3d & 5th. inst. I have recieved a letter from the commissioners at Amsterdam of which I have the honor of inclosing a copy as well as of mine to them which occasioned it. I have not yet recieved their answer to mine written in consequence of theirs of which I inclosed you a copy in my letter of the 3d. but this letter serves as an answer as you will see by the...
21To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 19 June 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of addressing you by M. de Ternant three letters dated June 3. 5 & 10. In the first of them I informed you that the million of florins you had destined for this country would be paid immediately by the desire of this government to their bankers at Amsterdam. A difficulty has since arisen between them & the commissioners of the U. S. which it is necessary to explain to you, as...
22To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 8 July 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
In my last of the 19th. of June I mentioned to you a difficulty which had arisen between the French & American bankers at Amsterdam relative to the payment of the million of florins ordered by your letter of the 13th. of April. I have now the satisfaction to inform you that it is removed & that the payment is probably completed agreeably to the basis proposed by our bankers viz. at the rate of...
23To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 19 July 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of writing to you on the 8th. of this month by the French packet & of acknowleging the reciept of your letter of the 9th. of May. The commissioners at Amsterdam have since then informed me that all difficulties being removed they have consummated the payment of the million of florins to the French bankers there & recieved their bill on this government for its amount 2,696,629...
24To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 24[–25] July 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Since my last of the 19th inst. in which I gave you an account of the then prospects with respect to loans at Amsterdam or Antwerp, Mr. Morris has recieved an answer from his correspondent at the latter place. He still assures that a loan for the U.S. being opened there for a million of florins at 4½. p. cent might successively be carried to greater amount. He insists however on the commission...
25To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 26 July 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
After closing & forwarding my letter to you yesterday I recieved one from the bankers at Amsterdam of which I think it necessary to send you a copy. It is for the most part in answer to one from me in which I had repeated the arguments, already communicated to you, in favor of our right to reduce the rate of commission in the case of a new loan being opened at 5. p. cent. You will see that the...
26To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 27 July 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Mr. Morris has just recieved a letter from his correspondent at Antwerp in which he informs him that since his last of which I mentioned to you the subject he had recieved an express from the Russian ministry authorizing him to open a loan for the Empress at 5. p. cent interest with a considerable advantage in the exchange. He of course declines undertaking the American business for the...
27To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 8 August 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
The letters which I have lately had the honor of writing to you are of the dates of July 8.—19—24—26—27. In them I informed you of what had been done with respect to the intended loan. Since then I have recieved your letter of the 24th. of May, which increases my powers both as to the repetition of the loans & the disposition of the sums arising from them. At the time of its receipt a sudden &...
28To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 23 August 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I acknowleged the reciept of your letter of the 24th. of May in my last of the 8th. of August. I have now the honor of acknowleging that of the 30th. of June inclosing one of the 25th. of the same month (both duplicates) which came to my hands yesterday by the way of the French packet. My former letters will have informed you of the progress & issue of the affair of the reduction of interest....
29To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 30 August 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I make use of this conveyance by the English packet merely to announce to you that the bankers at Amsterdam have in consequence of my letters to them had a loan contracted for in behalf of the U.S. for six millions of guilders. The celerity with which it was taken up, as they inform me, shews the continuance of the high ground on which the credit of the U.S. stands at that place. The bankers...
30To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 31 August 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of announcing to you yesterday by the way of the English packet the loan contracted for at Amsterdam for six millions of florins. I thought it best to give you the details of what has happened with respect to the charges & commission by this conveyance which is a person going to embark at Havre. My several letters will have informed you of the several attempts I made to bring...
31To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 3 September 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I received last night the inclosed copy of a letter from the bankers at Amsterdam which they desire me after perusal to forward to you. In my two last of the 30th & 31st ulto I announced to you the loan therein mentioned & informed you it would be appropriated agreeably to your directions—so that from the time of your recieving this information you may consider the 2½ million of florins at...
32To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 23 September 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
My letters lately addressed to you by different chanels were of Aug. 8, 23, 30, 31, & Sep. 3. They will have informed you of the loan lately opened at Amsterdam for six millions of florins —the success with which it was attended & my attempts to reduce the charges on it. In my last I inclosed you a copy of my letter to the bankers on this subject. I have since recieved from them a letter of...
33To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 10 October 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
The last letter which I have had the honor of writing to you was of the 23d. of September. I have since then recieved yours of August 1st. I inclose you at present a copy of my last letter to the bankers at Amsterdam written in answer to theirs in which they propose of themselves, as I had formerly mentioned it was probable they would do, that the rate of commission on the last loan should be...
34To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 8 November 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Of the six million loan lately made, three millions of florins have been remitted & have yielded 8,170,000₶. I had intended that the rest should be kept in the hands of the bankers to answer your draughts for 2½ millions of florins & such other demands as might arise. But some days ago the commissaries of the treasury requested I would direct our bankers to pay theirs f 560,000, in order to...
35To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 12 November 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
Since my last of the 8th. inst. sent by the French packet, the person expected from Antwerp of whom I then spoke to you has arrived. This letter written in haste & despatched by the post of to-day in the possibility of its arriving at L’Orient in time for the packet, is merely to inform you of the result of my interview with Mr. Wolf of Antwerp the name of the person in question. I informed...
36To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 22 November 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
In my two last letters of the 8th: & 12th: inst. I informed you of the then position of affairs at Antwerp & Amsterdam. Nothing new can have taken place with respect to Antwerp as I then mentioned to you that a loan was to be opened there for three millions of florins at 4½. p. cent interest & 4. p. cent commission. I shall leave this place in two days so as to sign the contract there at the...
37To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 1 December 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I arrived here the day before yesterday & learned from M de Wolf that the loan mentioned to you in my letters of the 12th. & 22d of November was already contracted for, except a small portion which he reserved for the public according to the usage of this place & which he should continue open ten or fifteen days. The loan is to be dated from to-day & the undertakers are to have five months to...
38To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 15 December 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I have now the honor of inclosing you a copy of the contract for the loan opened at Antwerp, which could not be had in time to go with my last of the 1st. inst. The customary ratification has been promised on it, which it is hoped will be obtained & forwarded to Antwerp. A duplicate will be sent by another conveyance. The translation is in French, the English language not having been...
39To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 23 December 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of writing to you from hence on the 15th. inst. & of informing you of the posture of the American business here at that time. I am now happy in being able to announce to you the conclusion of a loan here for the U.S. at 4. p. cent interest. The reimbursements are to begin at the end of ten years & to be made in equal parts during the five succeeding. It has been found...
40To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 28 December 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
In my last of the 23d. inst. I had the honor of simply announcing to you a loan being contracted for here on account of the U.S. for f 3,000,000 at 4. p. cent. The departure of the English post by which my letter was sent did not allow me to enter into details, except as to the terms of the loan. An alteration has since been made as to the times of payment from eight to six months. You may...
41To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 30 December 1791 (Hamilton Papers)
My letter of the 23d. inst. which I sent by three separate conveyances will have informed you of a loan of 3,000,000 florins being contracted for at 4. p. cent interest. That of the day before yesterday sent by the way of the Texel contained the steps which preceded & led to this loan & the circumstances respecting the charges on it. The present which goes by the English packet of the next...
42To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 26 January 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
I have had the honor of recieving since my return to this place on the 15th. inst. your letter of Nov 1. I have previously acknowleged your others as they have been recieved. Mine to you have been exceedingly multiplied for the reasons which I have repeatedly mentioned. You acknowlege their reciept as low done as the 27th. of July, but do not mention those of the 8th. & 19th. of the same...
43To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 24 March 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
It has been some time since I have had the honor of writing to you, owing to no material event having taken place—& to my being in constant expectation from day to day that there would be occurences which would render it necessary for me to trouble you. Being very much indisposed I took the liberty of asking the Secretary of State to communicate to you from his letter the intelligence...
44To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 22 April 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
Since my last of the 24th. ulto. the decree which I then announced to you as being soon to take place, with respect to the supplies for S. Domingo, has been passed. Instead of adopting the proposition of the former minister of Marine, M. de Bertrand, they confined themselves to vote six millions of livres to be applied as relief for S: Domingo, by the Minister of that department. He has...
45To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 25 April 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of writing to you on the 22d. & then informed you that I was the next day to have a meeting with the Minister of the Marine by his desire in order to terminate the mode of carrying into execution the measure agreed on of furnishing 800,000 dollars in America for the purchase of supplies for S. Domingo. I considered the business as so far fixed that I thought it proper to give...
46To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 14 May 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
I recieved the day before yesterday your letter of the 21st. of March expressing your wish that a loan should be opened at the same rate with that of Antwerp. It found me in correspondence with our bankers with respect to the charges on one to be made as soon as a proper moment should occur at 4. p. cent interest—the rate of the last opened in Amsterdam, of which you had not recieved our...
47To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 26 May 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
[ Paris, May 26, 1792. On June 28, 1792, Short wrote to Hamilton: “I had the satisfaction of announcing to you by a few lines written for that purpose only from Paris on the 26th of May, that a second loan at 4 p. cent had been contracted for.” Letter not found. ]
48To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 28 June 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
I have the honor of resuming from this place my correspondence with you which has been lately suspended by my change of place & circumstance. My late letters & particularly those to the secretary of State will have shewn by what cause so long a space of time has elapsed between my appointment & my arrival here. I am anxious that it should be seen that there was no activity wanting on my part...
49To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 6 August 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
I have had the honor of recieving your letter of May the 7th. enclosing the Presidents confirmation of the contract made for the loan at Antwerp, which has been delivered to M. de Wolf. I informed you in my last that I expected him here in order to speak of a new loan at 4. p. cent; in consequence of his having suppressed a part of the last at 4½. p. cent. I have formerly mentioned to you my...
50To Alexander Hamilton from William Short, 30 August 1792 (Hamilton Papers)
I had the honor of writing to you on the 6th inst. previously to my going to Amsterdam to sign the contract & bonds of the last or second 4 p. cent loan. Since my return here I have recd. from Mr. Pinckney your letters of June 14—June 23 with its enclosures—& June 30. These letters were recieved here the 17th inst. being sent by Mr. Pinckney with the idea, that they would be forwarded to me;...