1[From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 9 February 1785] (Jefferson Papers)
[ Paris, 9 Feb. 1785 . Entry in SJL reads: “John Jay. The Marq. Fay. gives us hopes he will accept Sec. F. A.—war and peace doubtful—Bav. and Austr. neth.—Prussia and Dantzic settled—distractions of Holld. continue. Hastings and E.I. affairs difficult for Brit. parliament—have forgot us—we must urge them as to separate articles—expect by packet which sails in Feb. to receive orders about...
2The American Commissioners to John Jay, 18 March 1785 (Adams Papers)
We received by the last Packet the favor of your letter of Jan ry. 14. in which we have the agreeable information of your having accepted the appointment of Secretary for foreign Affairs. Besides the general interest we feel in this event as members of the Union which is to availed of your services, we are particularly happy that a channel of communication is opened for us with Congress in...
3From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 11 May 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
I was honoured on the 2d. instant with the receipt of your favor of Mar. 15. inclosing the resolution of Congress of the 10th. of the same month appointing me their Minister plenipotentiary at this court; and also of your second letter of Mar. 22. covering the commission and letter of credence for that appointment. I beg permission through you, Sir, to testify to Congress my gratitude for this...
4From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 11 May 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
As it frequently happens that we cannot meet with passengers going hence to the packet to whom we may commit our letters, and it may be often necessary to write to you on subjects improper for the inspection of this government to which the letters by post are subject, I have made out a cypher which I now inclose and deliver to young Mr. Adams who will have the honor of delivering you this. The...
5From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 17 June 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honour of addressing you on the 11th. of the last month by young Mr. Adams who sailed in the packet of that month. That of the present is likely to be retarded to the first of July if not longer. On the 14th. of May I communicated to the Count de Vergennes my appointment as minister plenipotentiary to this court and on the 17th. delivered my letter of credence to the king at a...
6From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 12 July 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
My last letter to you was dated the 17th. of June. The present serves to cover some papers put into my hands by Capt. Paul Jones. They respect an antient matter which is shortly this. While Capt. Jones was hovering on the coast of England in the year 1779. a British pilot, John Jackson by name, came on board him supposing him to be British. Capt. Jones found it convenient to detain him as a...
7From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 14 August 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
I was honoured on the 22d. Ult. with the receipt of your letter of June 15. and delivered the letter therein inclosed from the President of Congress to the king. I took an opportunity of asking the Count de Vergennes whether the Chevalier Luzerne proposed to return to America? He answered me that he did, and that he was here, for a time only, to arrange his private affairs. Of course this...
8From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 14 August 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
The letter of June 18. signed by Dr. Franklin and myself is the last addressed to you from hence on the objects of the general commission. As circumstances rendered it necessary that the signature of the Prussian treaty whenever it should be in readiness, should be made separately, the intervention of a person of confidence between the Prussian plenipotentiary and us became also requisite. His...
I shall sometimes ask your permission to write you letters, not official but private. the present is of this kind, and is occasioned by the question proposed in yours of June 14 ‘Whether it would be useful to us to carry all our own productions, or none?’ were we perfectly free to decide this question, I should reason as follows. we have now lands enough to employ an infinite number of people...
10From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 23 August 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
I shall sometimes ask your permission to write you letters, not official but private. The present is of this kind, and is occasioned by the question proposed in yours of June 14 ‘Whether it would be useful to us to carry all our own productions, or none?’ Were we perfectly free to decide this question, I should reason as follows. We have now lands enough to employ an infinite number of people...
11From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 30 August 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honour of writing to you on the 14th. inst. by a Mr. Cannon of Connecticut who was to sail in the packet. Since that date yours of July 13. is come to hand. The times for the sailing of the packets being somewhat deranged, I avail myself of a conveiance of the present by the Mr. Fitzhughs of Virginia who expect to land at Philadelphia. I inclose you a correspondence which has taken...
12From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 6 October 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
My letter of Aug. 30. acknowleged the receipt of yours of July 13. Since that I have received your letter of Aug. 13. inclosing a correspondence between the M. de la Fayette and Monsr. de Calonne, and another of the same date inclosing the papers in Fortin’s case. I immediately wrote to Mr. Limozin at Havre desiring he would send me a state of the case, and inform me what were the difficulties...
13From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 11 October 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
In my letter of Aug. 14. I had the honor of expressing to you the uneasiness I felt at the delay of the instructions on the subject of the Barbary treaties of which Mr. Lamb was the bearer, and of informing you that I had proposed to Mr. Adams that if he did not arrive either in the French or English packets then expected, we should send some person to negotiate these treaties. As he did not...
14From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 24 December 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
Since my last to you, which were dated the 6th. and 11th. of October, I have been honoured with yours of the 1st. 14th. and 15th. of September . Since the departure of the Mr. Fitzhughs, who carried my last, no confidential opportunity of writing has offered. The present I send by the way of London, and being to pass thro’ the post offices of both countries, shall mention in it nothing but...
15From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, with Report on Conversations with Vergennes, 2 January 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
Several Conferences and Letters having passed between the Count de Vergennes and myself on the Subject of the Commerce of this Country with the U.S. I think them sufficiently interesting to be communicated to Congress. They are stated in the Form of a Report and are herein inclosed. The Length of this Despatch perhaps needs Apology. Yet I have not been able to abridge it without omitting...
16To John Jay from Thomas Jefferson, 25 January 1786 (Jay Papers)
I received on the 18 th . instant your private favor of Dec. 9. and thank you for the confidence you are so good as to repose in me, of which that communication is a proof: as such it is a gratification to me, because it meets the esteem I have ever borne you. But nothing was needed to keep my mind right on that subject, and I believe I may say the public mind here. the sentiments entertained...
17From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 25 January 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
I received on the 18th. instant your private favor of Dec. 9. and thank you for the confidence you are so good as to repose in me, of which that communication is a proof. As such it is a gratification to me, because it meets the esteem I have ever borne you. But nothing was needed to keep my mind right on that subject, and I believe I may say the public mind here. The sentiments entertained of...
18From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 27 January 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honor of addressing you by the way of London on the 2d. instant. Since that your’s of Dec. 7. has come to hand. I have now the pleasure to inform you that Mr. Barclay, having settled as far as depended on him the accounts of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, left Paris on the 15th. instant to proceed to Marocco. Business obliged him to go by the way of l’Orient and Bourdeaux, but he told me...
19From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 5 March 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
The several commissions, to which Congress were pleased to appoint Colo. Humphreys Secretary of legation, being shortly to expire, and a French packet offering him a convenient passage in the month of April, he proposes to avail himself of that occasion of returning to his own country and of there presenting his respects and thanks to Congress. As a member of the several commissions with which...
20From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 12 March 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
The date of a letter from London will doubtless be as unexpected to you as it was unforeseen by myself a few days ago. On the 27th. of the last month Colo. Smith arrived in Paris with a letter from Mr. Adams informing me that there was at this place a minister from Tripoli, having general powers to enter into treaties on behalf of his state, and with whom it was possible we might do something...
Soon after the arrival of M r . J. in London, we had a conference with the Ambassador of Tripoli, at his House The amount of all the information we can obtain from him was that a perpetual peace was in all respects the most advisable, because a temporary treaty would leave room for increasing demands, upon every renewal of it, and a stipulation for annual payments would be liable to failures...
22From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 23 April 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
In my letter of Mar. 12. I had the honour of explaining to you the motives which had brought me to this place. A joint letter from Mr. Adams and myself, sent by the last packet, informed you of the result of our conferences with the Tripoline minister. The conferences with the minister of Portugal have been drawn to a greater length than I expected. However, every thing is now agreed and the...
23From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 23 April 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
In another letter of this day I stated to you what has passed with public characters since my arrival here. Conversations with private individuals I thought it best not to mingle with the contents of that letter. Yet as some have taken place which relate to matters within our instructions, and with persons whose opinions deserve to have some weight, I will take the liberty of stating them. In...
24From Thomas Jefferson to Jean-Armand Tronchin, with Enclosures, 1 August 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
According to your desire I wrote two letters to America to enquire after the fate of Mr. Gallatin. One was to Mr. Savary , from whom I have as yet received no answer. The second was to Mr. Jay Secretary for foreign affairs to the United States. He put the paragraph of my letter into the public papers, desiring those who knew any thing of Mr. Gallatin to communicate what they knew. He soon...
25From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 12 May 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
The last letters I had the honour of addressing you from this place were of the 2d. and 27. of January. Those from London were of the 12th. of March and 23. of April. In the month of February the Baron de Blome, minister plenipotentiary at this court from Denmark informed me that he was instructed by his court to take notice to the Ministers from the U.S. appointed to negotiate a treaty of...
26From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 22 May 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
The duty has been imposed on me of making the following communication to Congress. It is necessary for me previously to observe, that tho’ the government of the United Netherlands have both an ordinary and extraordinary Ambassador here, yet the Patriotic party, now decisively possest of the powers of government, have sent hither a Rhingrave de Salm , as possessing their plenary confidence, to...
27To John Jay from Thomas Jefferson, 23 May 1786 (Jay Papers)
Letters received both from Madrid & Algiers while I was in London having suggested that Treaties with the states of Barbary would be much facilitated by a previous one with the Ottoman porte, it was agreed between mr Adams and myself that on my return I should consult on this subject the Count de Vergennes, whose long residence at Constantinople rendered him the best judge of it’s expediency....
28From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 23 May 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
[Letters received both from Madrid and Algiers while I was in London having suggested that treaties with the states of Barbary would be much facilitated by a previous one with the Ottoman porte, it was agreed between Mr. Adams and myself that on my return I should consult on this subject the Count de Vergennes, whose long residence at Constantinople rendered him the best judge of it’s...
29From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, with Enclosure, 27 May 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
In my letter of January 2. I had the honour of stating to you what had passed here on the subject of the commerciable articles between this country and the United States. I beg leave now to resume that subject. I therein informed you that this government had agreed to receive our fish oils on the footing on which they receive those of the Hanseatic towns, which gave us a reduction of duty from...
30From Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 27 May 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
In my letter of the 12th. inst. which goes by the same packet, but was delivered to a private hand, I had the honour of inclosing to you letters from Mr. Carmichael, Mr. Barclay and Mr. Lambe on the Barbary affairs. Others came to hand last night which are now copying, and will be inclosed to you by the post of this day as far as they can be copied. The whole cannot possibly be in readiness...