We had the Pleasure of receiving your Favor by M r Barclay of the 11 th Instant and beg you to be assurd that we shall always be ready to facilitate your Command and support your applications for Assistance. The Commander in Chief has spent some time here with a Committee of Conference. He is vested with the fullest power to take every Department & Detachment of the Army, under his own...
2From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 23 March 1776 (Jay Papers)
When the Clerk of the Congress gave me the printed Papers which I enclosed you, he told me they contained the Navy Establishment. Whatever Deficiencies there may be in them as to that Matter will I hope be supplied by the Extract now enclosed. As to continental Colors, the Congress have made no order as yet respecting them, and I believe the Captains of their armed Vessels have in that...
3From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 11 April 1776 (Jay Papers)
Whether my last letter has reached you or not is uncertain. From your Silence I sometimes suspect it has not. However as I know you must be perpetually engaged in matters of more Consequence, I cannot expect to hear from you so often as when you enjoyed more Leizure. I could wish to be informed of the Number of Troops now employed in New York, how your Levies go on, & whether there is a...
4From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 4 December 1775 (Jay Papers)
The Congress have at Length determined against the Tea holders— a Measure in my opinion neither just or politic. The objections offered to the Prayer of the Petition, were merely ostensible & consequently frivolous. I fancy you may easily discern the things on which this strange Decision turned. There is no Tea southward of this Place but what has paid Duty. &c. &c. I mentioned to the Congress...
5From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 27 April 1776 (Jay Papers)
Accept my Thanks for your friendly Letter of the 16 th Ins t . and its Inclosures, which contain useful as well as agreable Information. I am glad to see New York doing something in the naval Way, & think the Encouragement given by the Convention to the Manufacture of arms, Powder, Salt Petre and Sea Salt, does them Honor. Many of the Reasons you alledge for delaying Taxation are weighty, & I...
6From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 13 December 1775 (Jay Papers)
Your Letter of the 8 th . Inst. is now before me. did you know how much Satisfaction a Line from you gives me, you would not think of apologizing for the frequency of your Letters. I am much obliged to you for your Hints respecting the Command of a certain Post. They are useful and will determine my Conduct, tho some folks here may not coincide with me in opinion. I must confess that I think...
7From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 22 December 1775 (Jay Papers)
Few Things have for some time past given me more Pleasure than the address with which you managed the Gov rs . Letter on the Subject of Lord Norths motion. It occasions however both Surprize and Concern that the Sin of Fear (as Lewis Morris calls it) should operate so powerfully on some of your Patriots, as it seems to do. The Provision for the Delegates I imagined Would be similar to that of...
8From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 23 December 1775 (Jay Papers)
Since writing my last to You, I find the Congress will not adjourn even for the Holy days, They have not indeed so determined but that seems to be the opinion of the majority of the members Where does M r . Alsop stay—should any Thing happen to one of us the Colony would be unrepresented. For my Part I wish some of the absent Gent. would return, we but just make a Quorum—Did not this...
Your Letter M r Averys Certificate & M r Troup’s Information gave me much Satisfaction. You always shared my good Wishes, & I have often lamented, y r . putting it out of my power to be useful to you. If you are not dec d . in y r . Opinion of the Stability & Permanence of y r . present Resolutions, you yet may be a respectable & usefull Member of Society. But remember that old Habits are not...
10From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 26 October 1775 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter by M r . Clough and you may rely on my paying due Attention to your Recommendation M r . Fine has a Letter from us to your Convention inclosing a Resolve of Congress enabling them to ship on their Account Provisions &c. to the Foreign West Indies for the Purpose of purchasing Ammunition &c. Under this Resolve I apprehend you may avail yourself of M r . Fine’s...
11From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 13 March 1776 (Jay Papers)
Had your Letter been sent by the Post it would ere this have come to my Hands. I am now retired to the Lobby to answer it without Delay. I have many things to say to you and upon many Subjects. The enclosed Articles will furnish Answers to the Questions you ask relative to Seamans Wages &. A Model of a Pike shall be sent you— The Resolution of Congress restraining military officers from...
12From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 21 March 1776 (Jay Papers)
I have at Length procured a Pike for you which will be sent by the Stage. Your fitting out an armed Vessel on the Colony—account does you Honor. I am at Liberty to inform you that the Congress have passed a Vote for privateering, by which I hope the Losses of some of our Friends will be repaired. It is expected that vigorous measures will be taken in preventing such as may be inimical to the...
13From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 27 March 1776 (Jay Papers)
As M r . Willet leaves this Place in the Morning, I shall commit these few Lines to his Care, and tho they contain nothing important will nevertheless tend to manifest my constant Attention to the Province as well as to the Person for whom they are designed. I am sorry no Provision has been made for M r Willet, from every thing I can learn, he has Merit, and I hope when we shall be informed of...
14From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 8 December 1775 (Jay Papers)
Accept my Thanks for your Letter of the 6 th . Ins t . which I rec d . yesterday. It gave me great Satisfaction to find you had at length made a Convention, my apprehensions on that Head occasioned much Anxiety, and am still grieved that the People of our Province have so little Firmness as to be duped by the Artifices of Men whose Views are obvious, & of the Rectitude of whose Intentions...
15From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 28 March 1779 (Jay Papers)
I have the Pleasure of acknowledging the Rec t of your Favor of the 21 st : Instant. Your Sentiments on the Subject of it coincide perfectly with my own. Great Prudence is necessary & Care should be taken in what is committed, to Paper.— Accidents & Discoveries may & often arise from ^ Letters meeting with ^ Accidents which the most cautious ^ wisest ^
16From John Jay to Alexander McDougall, 17 October 1775 (Jay Papers)
I am much obliged to you for your friendly Letter by M r Fine—his Business will soon be determined— The Hint you give is by no Means pleasing—I wish your Apprehensions were without Foundation tho ’tho I have too good an opinion of your Discernment to entertain Hopes of your being mistaken. You will much oblige me by a few Lines now & then—I need ^ not ^ caution you to be careful by what Hands...