151To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 21 November 1804 (Madison Papers)
Being now entirely divested of my diplomatic functions it becomes my duty to Send you the concluding Scene: on Sunday Genl Armstrong & myself were admitted to a private audience when I delivered my letter of recall together with an apology for its adress to the first Consul, & referring to Genl Armstrong for the assurances of the President’s recognition of the change of Government here,...
152To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 11 April 1803 (Madison Papers)
My Notes will tell you how far I have officially pressed the Government on the subject of Louisiana. I have omitted no means in conversation of eradicating their prejudices in its favor & I informed you that I had reason to think that I had been successful with all unless it was the first Consul to whom I addressed myself in the letter & essays that you have seen, & that were attentively read...
153To Thomas Jefferson from Robert R. Livingston, 2 June 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr Monroe having undertaken to write our Joint letter on the subject of Louisiana I should confine mine to the Secretary of State to objects that relate only to my individual Department, but I must communicate to you in the utmost confidence a circumstance that has just come to my knowledge & that must be known only to yourself & Mr Madisson because it will influence your measures.— You know...
154I. Recipient’s Copy (Jefferson Papers)
I have delayed replying to your friendly letter by Madame Brougniart in the hope of having something important to communicate, but in the mean time have been so full in my letter to the Secretary of State that I have left myself little to say on the Subject of our publick affairs—I can only tell you generally that we have been gaining ground here for sometime past & some propositions I had an...
155To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 28 August 1804 (Madison Papers)
I yesterday received your letter of 26th of June announcing the appointment of Genl Armstrong as my Successor, & covering a letter of leave to the First Consul . Notwithstanding my wish to go at an earlier period, I found it impossible in then [ sic ] State of our affairs, as I knew no person with whom I could leave the charge. I had hoped to have prevailed on Mr Graham, but he refused to...
156To Benjamin Franklin from Robert R. Livingston, 30 May 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and two LS : University of Pennsylvania Library; AL (draft): New-York Historical Society; copy and transcript: National Archives Since my last of the instant, I have been honoured with yours of the 30th. March together with a copy of Mr. Adam’s Letter to you & the English papers—for all of which I am extreamly obliged to you. I am not at all disappointed at the manner in which the British...
157To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 18 September 1803 (Madison Papers)
It is now near four months Since the date of the last letters I have been honoured with from you, So that I am totally ignorant of what is passing in my own country, or how far what I have done is agreable to them, & yet we have had Several arrivals that left it near the last of july. I am asked every day when I expect the ratifications, when the Senate are to meet &c and to these inquiries I...
158To John Jay from Robert R. Livingston, 26 August 1784 (Jay Papers)
I can hardly my dear friend compute the time since I last heard from you, this is the fourth Letter for which you are my debtor. I extremely regret that the circumstances mentioned in my last have hitherto prevented & still prevent my seeing ^ you ^ at New York But as I persuade myself that you will not think the time ill employed that is spent in visiting the many friends you have on the...
159To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 5 May 1804 (Madison Papers)
My public letters have Shewn you the State of our affairs here & the very disagreable Situation in which they are placed by the obstinacy (to ascribe the mildest motive) of one, & the weakness of the other two Commissioners. I am now to acknowledge the receipt of your friendly private letter. With respect to the correspondence of Mr Monroe & myself on the Subject of the guarantee, I have no...
160To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 15 May 1812 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
15 May 1812, New York. Introduces Mr. Budd, who wishes to meet JM and has applied to Livingston for a letter of introduction. His standing in New York “both as a Gent. & a Lawyer is very respectable, & his political principles perfectly correct.” “He has not explained to me his views but I am satisfied that he has too much modesty & good sense to ask any thing that it would be improper to...
161To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 12 November 1801 (Madison Papers)
I have just now landed here after a verry boisterous passage, ’tho Havre would been more convenient to me, yet as this port accorded better with the future destination of the frigate I preferred it. I found here a Seventy four, several frigates & a number of transports with troops on board, destined for St. Domingo; they sail as soon as the wind is fair as does also a large Armament from...
162Robert R. Livingston to the American Peace Commissioners, 25 March 1783 (Franklin Papers)
Two copies: Massachusetts Historical Society; AL (draft): New York Public Library; transcript: National Archives On the morning of March 12 Congress learned from the hand of Joshua Barney, captain of the packet General Washington , that the American peace commissioners had signed conditional preliminary articles with Great Britain on November 30, 1782. In addition to delivering the provisional...
163To George Washington from Robert R. Livingston, 14 January 1778 (Washington Papers)
I am honoured with your Excellency’s favour of the 27th Decr Inst. And am greatly obliged by your favourable mention of my brother. In my recommendation of him I was influenced more by my hope of rendering him further useful to his country, than by any partial desire of serving him, without having the most distant wish of engaging your Excellency in any promiss that might lead to a preferrence...
164To Thomas Jefferson from Robert R. Livingston, 1 August 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Having flattered myself that I had fallen upon a new meathod of diminishing the friction in heavy machines, I take the liberty to communicate it to you, and to beg that you would do me the favour to inform me if I have deceived myself, or made a useful discovery? Let the end of the spindle pass thro, and be strongly fixed to a peice of light wood whose solid contents should be two square feet...
165To George Washington from Robert R. Livingston, 22 June 1780 (Washington Papers)
My anxiety for the supplies of the army have brought me to this place in order that I might satisfy myself as to the quantity on hand, & the means of forwarding them—Genl Nox has communicated to me your Excellencys orders on this subject —Nothing short of this would I am fully persuaded be of sufficie⟨nt⟩ force to produce the desired effect—And ⟨ mutilated ⟩ knowledge of them will in a great...
166To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 14 April 1804 (Madison Papers)
The only Subject which engages the public attention Since the date of my last letter is the Death of Pichegru who as you will find by the enclosed papers contrived to Strangle himself in prison, & the flight of Drake & Smith from their respective missions at Munich & Stuttgard, together with further discoveries of their intrigues as these are minutely detailed in the papers I enclose, it will...
167To Thomas Jefferson from Robert R. Livingston, 3 March 1788 (Jefferson Papers)
New York, 3 Mch. 1788 . Introducing Adrian Kissam “a young gentleman of the profession of the law” who has very respectable connections. RC ( NNP ); 2 p.; endorsed.
168To John Jay from Robert R. Livingston, 20 October 1781 (Jay Papers)
You will receive with this an official Letter informing you of my appointment to the Secretaryship for foreign affairs. If there is any thing peculiarly pleasing to me in this appointment to compensate for the difficulties with which it is attended it must be found in that new bond by which it unites our publick, as a much earlier and more agreeable one has our private characters. My publick...
169To George Washington from Robert R. Livingston, 12 April 1783 (Washington Papers)
I congratulate your Excellency most sincerely upon the cessation of hostilities which you will learn from the enclosed proclamation—You have doubtless heard directly from Genl Carleton on this subject, so that it will not be necessary to trouble you with the substance of his letter to me—Congress will this day on my report take into consideration the propriety of discharging the prisoners &...
170To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 26 January 1802 (Madison Papers)
Since my last of the 13th. inst, a duplicate of which has been forwarded, nothing extraordinary has occurred, unless it be the completion of the act I Mentioned. The Senate are now designating what members of the Tribunat & Corps legislatif shall stay in which they say is not the same thing as designating who are to go out however none of the opposition members will stay in. This is considered...
171To George Washington from Robert R. Livingston, 4 February 1795 (Washington Papers)
The favourable reception you were pleased to give to the first part of the transactions of the incorporated society for promoting agriculture arts & manufactures induces me to beg your acceptance of a vol: containing that & the second part. In this you may find some new ideas on agriculture & on the subject of luzerne more experiments than have before been published in America or Great...
172III. Extract, after 18 May 1803 (Jefferson Papers)
I have delayed replying to your friendly letter by Madam Brougniart, in the hope of having something important to communicate; but, in the mean time, have been so full in my letter to the Secretary of State that I have left myself little to say on the subject of my public affairs. I can only tell you, generally, that we have been gaining ground here for some time past; and altho some...
173To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 14 September 1804 (Madison Papers)
I enclose the reply of the Minister upon the Subject of the debts, it is in the language I expected, & were it not that I was in hourly expectation of the arrival of Genl Armstrong who will have your full instructions I Should reply to it, & Shew that when we assumed to pay to the amount of the 20 millions it was not intended to discharge France from any excess, Since the words of the treaty...
174To Thomas Jefferson from Robert R. Livingston, 17 March 1801 (Jefferson Papers)
I not long since did myself the honor to inform you of the discovery of some bones near the surface of the earth in the Western parts of this State. of these I have as yet been able to obtain no description. by the polite attention however of Judge Williamson I have in my possession three very remarkable teeth which are evidently the dentis incisores of some enormous carnivourous animal. two...
175To George Washington from Robert R. Livingston, 12 June 1782 (Washington Papers)
I was honoured with your Letter of the 5th inst. A disapointment which the printers have subjected me to has hitherto prevented my sending you a cypher my secretary is now prepared in compleating one if he can finish in time it will accompany this Letter. As one great object of Britain in carrying on only a defensive war in this country is evidently to enable them to turn more of their...
176To Thomas Jefferson from Robert R. Livingston, 26 November 1802 (Jefferson Papers)
Not knowing whether an agricultural Society is still in existence in Pennsylvania, I have chosen to adress this to you to whose Institution no useful discovery is foreign— I had heard here that the ashes of Pyrites were used as a manure, but I could meet with no satisfactory information on the subject till in a little excursion that I made lately into Flanders I was enabled to see the process...
177To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 20 October 1803 (Madison Papers)
The business of the guarantee has lain dormant till today. The minister of the treasury has just left me. He is very anxious that I consent to make it. He says that the first consul thinks it very extraordinary that the minister with him should have scruples when the minister at London has none and is ready to oblige him. What am I to do? I have not had a line from Mr Monroe Since the letter I...
178To John Jay from Robert R. Livingston, 21 March 1801 (Jay Papers)
THE Chief Justice having transmitted to me a copy of your letter of the 18th instant, addressed to the Chancellor, Chief Justice and Judges of the Supreme Court, on the subject of a difference of sentiments that prevails between your Excellency and the other members of the Council of Appointment, I regret that my distance and the state of my health does not permit me to consult the Judges of...
179Robert R. Livingston to the American Peace Commissioners, 21 April 1783 (Adams Papers)
Upon the receipt of the provisional Articles & a subsequent account brôt by a Vessel dispatched by Count d’Estaing, I wrote the Letter N o. 1. to S r. Guy Carleton, & N o. 2. to Admiral Digby: to which I recieved the Answers N o. 3. & 4. You will find them cold & distant— Those they wrote to the Minister of France, in answer to similar Communications made by him, were still more so, and...
180To James Madison from Robert R. Livingston, 29 August 1804 (Madison Papers)
Since my letter of yesterday I have received the enclosed note on the Subject of the trade with hispaniola: You will find in it a certain degree of asperity, which I feared from the Soreness that they yet feel relative to that Island, & the massacre of which they have just heard: But as this note was written too Soon after the receipt of mine to admit of any communication with the Emperor who...