To James Madison from Anthony Merry, 9 January 1806 (Abstract)
From Anthony Merry, 9 January 1806 (Abstract)
§ From Anthony Merry. 9 January 1806, Washington. “I have just received His Majesty’s Commands (under Date of the 9th. October last, their Arrival having been retarded by an extraordinary Accident)1 to acquaint the Government of the United States (the same Information having been communicated to their Minister in London on the Date abovementioned)2 that, Information having been received of the Removal of the French Troops from the Position which they occupied on the Banks of the Rivers Elbe and Weser, His Majesty has been pleased to direct that the Blockade of the Entrance of those Rivers should be discontinued, and that His Ships of War which were stationed at the Mouths of them, for the Purpose of blockading the same, should be withdrawn.”
RC (DNA: RG 59, NFL, Great Britain, vol. 3). 2 pp.; docketed by Brent.
1. Merry informed Lord Mulgrave on 3 Jan. 1806 that the New York agent for the British packet boat believed that one of the ship’s letter bags must have been left behind, because the ship, which arrived on 12 Dec. 1805, contained no mail at all for Merry or any of the British consuls. Merry received the missing mail by the ship that arrived on 4 Jan. 1806 (UkLPR: Foreign Office, ser. 5, 48:13r–v, 16).
2. No mention of the raising of the blockade has been found in James Monroe’s letters to JM. For that information, see Thomas Auldjo to JM, 1 Nov. 1805, 10:492.