From John Jay to George Clinton, 25 October 1779
To George Clinton
on Board the Confederacy, near Reedy Island
25 Octr. 1779—
Dear Sir
Be pleased to keep the Letters herewith enclosed, until good opportunities of sending them offer—
Since the Successes of General Sullivan against the six Nations, some People have affected to speake of that Country as a conquered one, and I should not be surprized if they should next proceed to insist that it belongs to the united States, by whose Arms it was won from independent Nations in the Course and by the Fortune of War.
Would it not be proper for New York to establish Posts in that Country, and in every respect treat it as their own—1 in my opinion our State has had too much Forbearance about these Matters— Virginia, who has Claims & Rights under much the same Circumstances, manages differently—2
My best Respects to Mrs. Clinton. I am Dear Sir with great Regard & Esteem your most obt Servt.
John Jay
His Exy Govr. Clinton
ALS, PEL (EJ: 13130). Enclosures not located.
1. In the congressional debates over the western lands, 1778–79, New York claimed the Iroquois territory by virtue of early English treaties with the Iroquois and the state’s assumed sovereignty, generally voting with the landed states against ceding their claims to Congress. Graymont, Iroquois and the Am. Rev., 27, 260, 266–72; , 238, 242.
2. Virginia, the largest claimant to western lands, not only contested the claim of the private land companies but also authorized George Rogers Clark to erect a fort at the mouth of the Ohio River. , 217–29.