From John Jay to Giuseppe Chiappe, 1 December 1789
To Giuseppe Chiappe
New York 1st. December 1789.
Sir,
Since the Conclusion of the Treaty between his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Morocco and the United States of America, a great Revolution and Change in their Government, has peaceably and with general Consent, been made and established.1
While these important Measures were preparing and under Consideration, the Attention of the United States to their foreign Affairs necessarily became interrupted, for you will easily conceive, that in the Moment when a Nation is employed in withdrawing one kind of Government, and introducing another in its place, all their other Affairs will, for a Time be suspended.
That your Information on this Subject may be the more perfect, I transmit to you herewith enclosed a Copy of our new Constitution of Government, from which, among other Things, you will observe, that the President of the United States, appointed under this Constitution, is vested with Powers and Prerogatives of far greater Magnitude and Importance, than any that were confided to the former Presidents of Congress, who were only the Chiefs of that Body to preside at their Meetings, and to whom the great executive Powers were not committed; for they were all held and exercised by the Congress itself.
After this Constitution was formed, it was submitted to the Consideration of the several States, and a long Time elapsed before it became generally adopted and established.
After this, all the executive, legislative, and judicial Officers of the new Government were to be elected and appointed. Until this was done the Business of the Nation could not go on, and when this was accomplished, the public Exigencies, which were rendered very pressing by the preceding Delays and Changes, were the first Objects that demanded the immediate Care and Attention of the new Government.
Your Letters of 25th. April and 18th. July which were addressed to the President of Congress, arrived after the new Government had taken place; they were, therefore delivered to the President of the United States, who possesses Powers and Prerogatives in many Respects similar to those which are enjoyed by the Kings of England.2
He has been pleased to appoint Mr. Jefferson to the Place of Secretary of State, to which Office the Department of foreign Affairs is annexed; but as that Gentleman is not yet arrived from France, though daily expected, I am directed by the President to acknowledge the Receipt of these Letters, to explain to you the Reasons of the Delays you mention, and to assure you that nothing shall be wanting so to arrange and conduct all Affairs between our two Countries, as may be perfectly satisfactory to his Imperial Majesty, and tend to perpetuate the Peace and Friendship which happily subsist between him and the United States.3 In these Arrangements proper attention will be paid to the Services of the american Agents; but, as this cannot be done until the ensuing Session of the two Houses of Congress, I am persuaded that their Zeal and Attachment will in the meantime remain unabated, and that their Confidence in the United States will be augmented instead of diminished, by the Revolution which has taken place in our Government, especially when they consider that the same great Man, who so gloriously and successfully conducted all our military Operations, during the late War, is now at the Head of it.
In obedience to the Orders of the President I have also the Honor of signifying to you, that he is well pleased with your constant Attention to the Affairs and Interests of the United States, and particularly with your seasonable Representations to his Majesty, as well touching the Case of Captain Proctor, as on other Subjects interesting to the Preservation of Peace, Harmony, and mutual Confidence. The Emperor’s Conduct relative to Captain Proctor4 was just and noble, and has impressed the United States with those Sentiments which such Conduct never fails to inspire. His Majesty’s Friendship for the United States, and the Encouragement he affords to their Commerce, and to a friendly Intercourse with them, doubtless prompted him to acquire accurate Information relative to the Situation of the american Ports, and other Particulars of that Kind. I hope his Inquiries have been answered to his Satisfaction; and you may rely on the Disposition and Desire of the President to promote every measure that may conduce to render the Peace and Intercourse between our two Countries, advantageous to both and satisfactory to his Majesty. I have the Honor to be, &c:
(signed) John Jay
P.S. Mr: Barclay communicated to me your Letter to him of 28th. March last, with the Copies it enclosed, of one from your Brother Francisco to you of 11th. Feby. and your Answer5
A true Copy
Henry Remsen Junr.
C, DNA: PCC, item 98, 397–400 (EJ: 05187); C, DLC: Washington (EJ: 10070); LbkC, , 332–35 (EJ: 02545). For a similar letter sent to Francisco Chiappe of the same date, see Dft, NNC (EJ: 05921); C, DLC: Washington, ser. 2 (EJ: 10069); C, DNA: PCC, item 98, 396–97 (EJ: 05187); LbkC, , 330–32 (EJ: 02544).
In June 1786 William Carmichael described Francisco Chiappe to TJ as the person who carried out the duties of minister of foreign affairs at the court of Morocco. His brother Giuseppe Chiappe was consul for Genoa and vice-consul for Venice at Mogador, and his brother Girolamo (or Geronimo) was consul for Venice and vice-consul for Genoa at Tangiers. Thomas Barclay had appointed Francisco, Giuseppe, and Girolamo American agents at Morocco, Mogador, and Tangiers, respectively, subject to congressional confirmation, which was obtained on 23 July 1787. See , 9: 626, 648; , 3: 229–32; , 33, 397, and the sources cited in note 5 below.
1. The opening paragraph to the letter to Francisco Chiappe reads instead: “Both before and since the Arrival of your Letter of the 20th. August 1788 to the President of the late Congress, the Government of the United States has been in a State so deranged by the Measures preparatory to the Change which has lately taken place that proper Attention could not be paid to our foreign and indeed to many other important Affairs.—”
On the treaty negotiations with Morocco, see also the for November 1789, above. Congress ratified the treaty on 18 July 1787. For the inauguration of GW on 30 April 1789, see the editorial note, “Instituting a New Government,” above.
2. See Giuseppe Chiappe to GW, 25 Apr. and 18 July 1789, with translations, DNA: PCC, item 98, 380–86, 387–94; , 3: 229–33. The for November, above, indicates that JJ received these letters on 26 Nov. The entry for 28 Nov. records a note on U.S. relations with Morocco sent by JJ to GW and the forwarding to GW of the texts cited, together with JJ’s draft texts in response.
3. On 1 Dec. GW approved JJ’s drafts of the letters to Giuseppe and Francisco Chiappe, and JJ”s draft of a letter to be sent in GW’s name to the Emperor of Morocco (Sidi Muhammad). See , 4: 353–56; GW to JJ, 1 Dec., C, DLC: Washington (EJ: 10071); GW to the Emperor of Morocco, 1 Dec., Dft, NNC (EJ: 05920); , 4: 354.
JJ transmitted the letters to the emperor and to Giuseppe Chiappe in his letter to Francisco Chiappe, and noted that “The President has been informed how well you and your Brothers deserve of the United States; and I am persuaded that due Attention will be paid to your and their Services.—”
4. On the capture by Moroccan ships of Captain Joseph Proctor of the Sloop Polly bound for Salem, and his release through the intervention of the Chiappes, see Giuseppe Chiappe’s letter of 18 July 1789, , 3: 229–30.
5. See Barclay’s letter of 20 July, ALS, DNA: PCC, item 98, 344–45 (EJ: 05186), and for LbkCs of Barclay’s letter, and its enclosures, with translations, see , 4: 39–49 (EJ: 02359). The for December (EJ: 03806) indicates that JJ entrusted the 1 Dec. letters under cover of a letter to Carmichael of 7 Dec. [Dft, NNC (EJ: 07730); LbkC, , 335 (EJ: 02546)], which was in turn sent under cover of a letter to Gardoqui, and delivered to Spanish chargé d’affaires José de Viar for forwarding to Cadiz. The journal further records that a duplicate of the dispatches was sent to William Short under cover of a letter of 11 Dec. [LS, DLC: Jefferson (EJ: 13588); Dft, NNC (EJ: 05919); LbkC, , 336 (EJ: 02547)]; and that a triplicate was sent to Gouverneur Morris in London under cover of a letter of 15 Dec. [LbkC, , 337 (EJ 02548)]. Despite all these efforts the dispatches failed to reach Morocco before the death of Sidi Muhammad in March 1790 and the accession of a new emperor, rendering the Chiappes’ status questionable and ultimately necessitating new negotiations by Barclay. See Gouverneur Morris to JJ, 7 July 1790, ALS, DLC: Jefferson (EJ: 10371); , 3: 229–32; 5: 400–401; 12: 501, 619; , 18: 402–3 and notes 121–23; 23: 46–47; 24: 360.