To James Madison from James Monroe, 14 August 1816
From James Monroe
Washington Augt. 14. 1816
Dear Sir
The Spanish officer to whom the enclosed papers relate, having obtaind an interview, presented them, and pressed most earnestly for such aid, or countenance, as would enable him to obtain it of individuals, as their present exigencies requird.1 He wanted particularly four or five vessels to take supplies from St Domingo, to some part of the coast, where he might co operate with Bolivar, and open a communication between their congress & the ocean. He said that Nation was their friend & gave them great aid; that individual British subjects had embarked in their cause, and furnished supplies to great amount, with the connivance of their govt.: that the present, was the pinching time; that with aid, inconsiderable in itself, they might accomplish every thing; without it, every thing might be lost. I explaind to him fully the situation of the UStates, and the impossibility of affording the aid which he requird, or taking any part inconsistent with neutrality, in the contest, between Spn. & the Colonies, at this time; that we had a negotiation depending with Spain, the result of which would probably mark an epoch in our relations with her: that we wish’d them well as neighbours, and had sounded other powers respecting the contest, some of whom were well disposed to them. He left me, lamenting, the result of his mission, but expressing a hope that the letter to the govt. might be answerd, which I did not encourage.
The despatches from Mr Harris, which you will likewise receive by this mail, are interesting.2 He seems to favor the idea of a letter from you to the Emperor, or from me, to the Secry of State. To give time for consideration, it was intimated to the navy dept., that it was wishd, that the vessel in which Mr Coles sails, might be detaind till further orders, to which effect, Mr Homans wrote to the Captn. by the last mail. I hope that the affair will terminate in the recall, if not in the disgrace, of the whole Russian Corps in this country, & that its effect may not be unfelt by the member, now absent, who annoyd us so much in the late war.3 I wished very much that you might see my letter to Mr Harris, by Mr Coles, but the delay prevented it. It is written with caution, conceding nothing, but very conciliatory. I hope that the affair will be terminated before the arrival of Mr Coles. It is probable the vessel will have sail’d, before Mr Homans’s letter reaches Boston. I shall address a short one to Mr Harris acknowledging, these, just recd, & suggest, again, the propriety of mingling in his communications, a spirit of great conciliation.
Mr Poinsett informs me, that the Russian govt., while he was at Petersbg, was willing to adopt the latitude of 55.° north, as the boundary between us on the Pacific. I will hint this also to Mr Harris for the advantage of Mr Pinkney.
The new offer of Mr Bagot, will produce the delay, necessary, to obtain the information, to enable us to decide, which of the two, is the best. All that he can agree to, respecting the naval force, on the lakes, is to prevent the further augmentation of it, referring the Specific proposition as to fixing a maximum, to his govt., in which I have concurr’d, reserving a right to keep our force⟨s⟩ on a levell with theirs, in the interim.4 I have apprized Mr Adams, of the substan⟨ce,⟩ of what has passd here, on these subjects, and suggested, the probability, of the definitive arrangment, being left to him, in connect⟨io⟩n with other important interests.
The letter of the Dey of Algiers, is I presume correctly translated at last. I send you the exampl⟨e.⟩5 War seems to have been decided on by him. With affecte. respect
Jas Monroe
RC and enclosures (DLC: Rives Collection, Madison Papers). RC docketed by JM. For enclosures see n. 4.
1. Monroe forwarded a 12 Aug. 1816 letter (1 p.; DNA: RG 59, ML) he had received from Pierre Labatut, a French-born army officer who had visited the United States in 1810 and later fought with Simón Bolívar against royalist forces in Spanish America. Labatut introduced himself as a representative of the General Congress of the Republic of New Granada and requested an interview to discuss “important Business When it is Convenient.” This letter covered: 1) a seven-page account of a meeting held in Cayes, Haiti, in June 1816, by exiles from Cartagena who discussed the organization of a military expedition to liberate New Granada from Spanish “tyranny.” Labatut was authorized to direct the expedition, to raise forces and money, and he was to be paid according to the quantity of supplies, in money, stores, or in kind, he obtained; and 2) a five-page document, signed by Juan Marmion, which was, in effect, a letter of credence for Labatut from the exiles of the General Congress of the Republic of New Granada assembled in Haiti (ibid.).
2. On 29 Aug. 1816 John Graham informed Levett Harris that on 14 Aug. the State Department had received his letters under the dates of 8, 12, and 19 June 1816 (DNA: RG 59, IM). Harris reported at length on his conversations with foreign minister Count Karl Nesselrode about the Kozlov affair, hinting that Nesselrode was less sympathetic toward the United States than his predecessor, Count Nikolai Rumiantsev, had been. Harris emphasized how grateful JM was to Russia for its diplomatic efforts during the War of 1812 and the recent war with Algiers, but he also complained about the behavior of the Russian consul in Boston (see note 3 below). In his 19 June letter Harris mentioned that Alexander I remained “excessively hurt” about events in Philadelphia and that it had been suggested to him that JM might send a letter of “regret” to the emperor expressing his “sorrow or displeasure at the treatment shown by the police of that City to the Emperor’s functionary.” Were JM to send such a letter, Harris predicted that all of the Russian diplomats in the United States would be replaced by “a new set” to improve future relations between the two nations (DNA: RG 59, DD, Russia).
3. Monroe referred to Aleksei Evstaf’ev, the Russian consul in Boston, whose participation in ceremonies organized by the Federalists to celebrate French defeats in 1813 and 1814, had offended the administration, and which Harris had continued to complain about in his discussions with Russian officials (see note 2 above).
4. Monroe enclosed copies of: 1) his 12 Aug. 1816 letter to Charles Bagot (3 pp.; printed in , Foreign Relations, 4:204) acknowledging receipt of Bagot’s letter of 6 Aug., which informed the State Department that the British minister was referring proposals for naval disarmament on the Great Lakes to his government. Monroe was willing to agree to a “provisional arrangement” on the subject provided it was implemented in a reciprocal manner; and 2) a copy of Bagot’s reply of 13 Aug. (1 p.; ibid.) stating that he was not authorized “even provisionally” to make “any precise agreement” as Monroe had proposed and that he was not in possession of “a correct statement” of the British naval forces on the Great Lakes. Bagot promised to obtain “the most accurate information upon this point” and offered assurances that “all further augmentation” of the naval forces would be “immediately suspended.”
5. The “example” has not been located, but see the 24 Apr. 1816 letter to JM from the Dey of Algiers ( 10:411–12).