1To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 19 December 1804 (Madison Papers)
I last Evening, recd. your polite Letter of the 10th. instant, accompanying the President’s Commission to me, as Minister plenipotentiary for the united States, at the Court of his Catholic Majesty: Whilst I feel gratitude to the President for this pub[l]ic mark of his confidence & favour, I am to thank you, Sir, for the polite manner, in which you have acquainted me with the appointment....
2To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 4 February 1805 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour duely to receive your Letter of the 1st. Ulto., & should have ’eer this acknowledged its rect., had I not have entertained the expectation of soon paying my respects to you at Washington. I had, for this purpose, made the necessary preparations, & expected, this day, to have set out upon the Journey. But I am compelled, very reluctantly, to acquaint you, that such has been the...
3To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 28 February 1805 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour to receive your obliging Letter of the 15 instant the last Evening, & am to thank you for the polite & friendly manner, in wch., you have conceded to the proposition contained in my Letter of the 4th. instant: since writing that Letter, I have had recourse to a Wheel-carriage for exercise, & have found it so much to disagree with me, that I have, for the present, been obliged...
4To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 26 March 1805 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour to duely receive your obliging Letter of the 14th. instant, & am extremely sorry, that altho’ much better in health, that I do not think myself sufficiently re-established to allow of my immeadiately proceeding to Washington, so as to be there within the time suggested in your Letter. I hope Sir, that you will not consider this determination in any other light, than as...
5To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 9 April 1805 (Madison Papers)
Since I had the honour of writing to you on the 26th. Ulto., I have had a return of my complaint, which has abundantly proved the prudence of not having undertaken the Journey to Washington, as I could have wished: my indisposition was however but short, & I consider myself at present, much better than I have been for these three months past. I am now more particularly to acquaint you, that my...
6To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 7 May 1805 (Madison Papers)
I have the honour to acknowledge the rect. of your Letter of the 20th. Ultimo with its enclosures viz: The President’s official Letter of introduction to his catholic Majesty dated on the 20th. Ultimo: the note of the marquis de Yrujo & your answer thereto, dated on the 4th. of April last the marquis Semeruelos’s Letter dated Havana the 20th June 1804: Josiah Blakely’s Letters of the 20th. of...
7To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 18 June 1805 (Madison Papers)
I have the honour to inform you of my safe arrival at this port after a Passage of thirty four days. The vessell in which I was passenger being obliged to perform quarantine, I was detained from thursday untill Sunday before I could obtain permission to go on shore: and it was not untill I had written two Letters to the Commander in chief, Don Pedro Truxillo, on the subject of my detention,...
8To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 8 July 1805 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour to inform you the 18th. Ulto. of my arrival at this place, & of my determination to pursue my Journey to Madrid with all expedition: Since which, I have been taken down with a fever, which for a number of days threatened my Life; & has so reduced me, as to put it out of my power to pursue my Journey to Madrid. In consequence of which, I have written to Madrid for a Passport to...
9To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 31 July 1805 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour to write to you under date of the 12th of June last & of the 8th. instant from St. Ander, to which please to be referred: since which I have taken passage & have happily arrived here with my family: I landed at So. hampton, & after a detention of a few days to procure my Passport from this Place, I came here, & have the satisfaction to inform you, that I am much better in...
10To James Madison from James Bowdoin, 3 September 1805 (Madison Papers)
In my last from this city dated on the 31st. of July last, I informed you of my safe arrival here, & that the voyage from St. Ander with the journey from the sea coast, had proved favourable to my health, which I have the satisfaction to add, has become so much improved, that I have reason to hope for a perfect re-establishment—insomuch that I contemplate quitting this city for Paris in the...