From John Jay to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Robert R. Livingston), 6 February 1782
To the Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Robert R. Livingston)
Madrid 6th. February 1782.
Dear Sir,
The Secretary of the Minister of State sent me Yesterday Morning your Favor of the 13th. December last marked No. 3.1 accompanied by
a Duplicate of your Letter of 28th. November marked No. 2.2
Copy of a Resolution of Congress of 30th. Octr. & 2d. November,
. . . stating Quotas of Money.3
. . . of 23d. November enforcing the Law of Nations.4
. . . of do permitting Marqs. de la Fayette to go to France &c.5
. . . of 4th. December respecting Captures6
. . . of 10th. December calling for Men.7
News Papers.
These are the first Letters or Papers of any kind that I have as yet had the Pleasure of receiving from you, since your appointment; and they must for the present remain unintelligible for want of your Cypher. The one mentioned to have been enclosed with these Papers is missing, and the other never came to hand.
On the 29th. November last I received a Packet in which I found enclosed a Set of Cyphers endorsed by Mr. Secretary Thomson, and nothing else. Mr. Barclay had sent it by the Post, under cover to a Banker here. It had evident marks of Inspection, but I acquit the Banker of any Hand in it.8
A letter of the 18th. Ult from Mr. Joshua Johnson at Nantz,9 mentions the arrival there of the Brig Betsy from Philadelphia, and that she brought Letters for me which were put into the Post-Office by the Captain. I have not yet seen them.
There are Letters in Town brought by the Marquis De la Fayette to France—but I have not yet received a Line by or from him.
We must do like other nations—manage our Correspondences in important Cases, by Couriers, and not by ^the^ Post.
I have not written you a single Official Letter, not having been ascertained of your having entered on the Execution of your Office. I have indeed, sent you by more than one Opportunity, my Congratulations on your Appointment.10
You may rely on my writing you many Letters, Private as well as Official, and as I still have Confidence in Mr. R. Morris’ Cypher, I shall sometimes use it to you.
A Duplicate of my Letter of the 3d. October to Congress,11 which goes with this renders it unnecessary for me to go into particulars at present— Nothing having since happened, but a Repetition of Delays, and of Consequence additional Dangers to the Credit of our Bills. I am, Dear Sir, &c.
(signed) John Jay.12
1. See Campo to JJ, 3 Feb. 1782, above.
3. See , 21: 1087–88, 1089–92.
4. See ibid., 21: 1136–37.
5. See ibid., 21: 1134–36.
6. See ibid., 21: 1152–58.
7. See ibid., 21: 1163–64.
8. The two illegible letters were mistakenly encoded with the code carried by William Palfrey. The inspection of the Thomson code (WE007) prompted RRL to modify it before he and JJ dropped its use in favor of other codes. See “John Jay’s Use of Codes and Ciphers” (editorial note) on pp. 10–11. JJ also complained of the code confusion to John Hanson. See JJ to the President of Congress, 6 Feb. 1782, above. RRL explains himself in RRL to JJ, 9 May 1782, below.
9. Letter not found.
10. Letters not found.
11. See JJ to the President of Congress, 3 Oct. 1781, above.
12. Stephen Codman was the bearer of the received copy of this letter, which reached RRL on 6 May. See JJ to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 1782, below; and the notes to JJ to the President of Congress, 3 Oct. 1781, above. For the reply, see the Secretary for Foreign Affairs to JJ, 9 May 1782, below.