1To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 2 September 1820 (Madison Papers)
I have long intended to write to you but somehow or other have neglected it—it is a long while since we have seen each other—within a few days it will be 33 Years the day we dined together on signing the Constitution —what changes have taken place since & in my opinion, one of the worst to us is that we are so much older than we were then—for in spite of all that the divines & philosophers may...
2To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, [ca. 21] August 1816 (Madison Papers)
It Being discovered great pains had Been taken to circulate & reprint the Pamphlet against our worthy & excellent friend Colonel Monroe in all the federal Papers in North Carolina & in this & the neighbouring States it has Been Thought adviseable By his friends here that I should answer it—a copy of what is said on this occasion is enclosed which I am hopeful will meet your Approbation & that...
3To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 16 January 1813 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour to write to you from Columbia immediately on the close of the last Election & to congratulate you & our Country on its succesful & honourable termination, & afterwards on the subject of Colonel John Taylor. I now take the liberty of addressing you for the purpose of introducing to you Major Noah of this City who having as I understand some public business at Washington wishes...
4To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, [ca. 10] December 1812 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you the other day recommending to you a gentleman who will forward the letter —since this as I stated to you we have on the 2d given to you an unanimous vote by our Electors & North Caroline having done the same fixes you in the Chair for 4 Years more on which Event I congratulate yourself & our Country—it is one I never had any doubt of but as there was a stir in some of the northern...
5To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 18 March 1812 (Madison Papers)
Colonel Lehré a gentleman of this place & one of the Representatives for our City in the Legislature informs me he has some idea of going to the northward & has requested a line of introduction to you which I give to him with great pleasure as he is a decided Republican & friend to your administration & no man can give a better or more correct view of the state of parties or politics in this...
6To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 18 February 1812 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour to recieve your polite & friendly favour of the 10th: ultimo & shall do myself the pleasure to write you more at length as soon as I see the Course our public affairs will take after you hear from Europe. My object at present is to mention the death of Judge Bee the Judge of this district, & to recommend John D Heath Esquire to fill his place, a Gentleman of the Bar of this...
7To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 18 December 1811 (Madison Papers)
It is some time since I had the pleasure to write to you, but as I know the pleasure you will feel in finding that the spirit of our first revolutionary years still exists I take the liberty of inclosing you a report I have drawn & submitted to the House of Representatives & which has just unanimously passed without the alteration of a single word: as the Post goes out in an hour & I am now...
8To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 28 November 1809 (Madison Papers)
I wrote to you a few days agoe stating the nature of the Trade carried on between Amelia & the southern states & how highly advantageous to Great Britain the present nonintercourse act was in enabling her to pour her manufactures in upon us, free of duty , to bring them in her own Ships & carry away in them , all our produce that she wants at her own prices. I did not know whether this state...
9To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 18 November 1809 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour, of writing you lately, which, I hope you have received. At the request, of a number, Of our Respectable Citizens, who have not the pleasure, of a Personal Acquaintance with you, I take the liberty, of, transmitting you Some intelligence, which it is believed, important you Should Possess. I do so, because at, this time, it is almost impossible, for our Members of, Congress,...
10To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 5 September 1809 (Madison Papers)
Believing that at this time it would be agreeable to you to recieve those expressions of approbation of your conduct & pledges of support which the inclosed resolutions contain; as soon as we recieved your proclamation myself & a few of your friends held a private meeting to determine on convening a general Meeting of the inhabitants of this City & its Neighbourhood; on the ground that as she...
11To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 2 January 1809 (Madison Papers)
I had the honour to write from Columbia to you & to congratulate you on your Election to the most honourable Station in your Country’s Gift. At the same time I inclosed you the Communication I had made to our Legislature & I now transmit their proceedings founded thereon which I am Sure You will recieve with pleasure as they are strongly expressive of the Sentiments of our State & their...
12To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 12 October 1808 (Madison Papers)
I Will Thank you to read the inclosed & send instructions to General Armstrong respecting Young Mr. Maclure. His Father you see was a Citizen since 1786 & himself born here. They are respectable merchants & I will be much obliged to you to do what they request. We have had a very hard struggle here to carry our members & secure to You the vote of this state, but the thing is done & I beg you...
13To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 10 February 1806 (Madison Papers)
I had the pleasure of dropping you a line lately & I now send another acquainting you of my safe arrival in this City after a long & the latter part of it very boisterous passage in a Danish Ship I found at Lisbon. I found my Children all I could expect or wish but I soon saw my long absence had extremely injured my affairs, & if my Estate had not been a very large & one of the most productive...
14To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 22 September 1805 (Madison Papers)
My last informed you that I was still under the necessity of remaining here until the 2d: October on account of all the Mules being embargoed for the Kings Service until that day so that I could not before go to the Sitio to take leave—that I had still been without the plea sure of seeing Mr Erving or Mr. Bowdoin & that not being able to wait for them any longer I should when I went away leave...
15To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 4 September 1805 (Madison Papers)
In my last I informed you that the non arrival of Mr. Erving & the departure of Mr. Bowdoin for England, with the alarming captures made by the Spaniards on our Vessels since Mr. Monroe’s departure, had detained me here very much against my inclination to that time—that I had however suffered my sense of public duty to prevail over my private interest & wishes, & while I conceived there was a...
16To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 9 August 1805 (Madison Papers)
I have written to you lately very often informing you of the Spaniards being now in the habit of capturing our Vessels as much as during the last war, & that this together with the non-arrival of either Messrs. Bowdoin or Erving, & the impossibility of my finding a proper person to leave our affairs with, had obliged me to remain so much longer than I wished. I am now preparing to leave this...
17To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 24 July 1805 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you ten days since acquainting you with what you doubtless heard before the Peace with Tripoli made by Colonel Lear on terms as it is said very honourable & advantageous —I now send you duplicate of the last six months’ contingencies for Postage &c which is exceedingly small on account of all foreign Gazettes & correspondence nearly having ceased for the last Year & the letters to Mr...
18To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 14 July 1805 (Madison Papers)
I send you the contingencies of the six months from January to July which amount only to Two hundred & twenty five Dollars as all foreign Gazettes have been stopped for the last year & nearly all foreign Correspondence had ceased & no documents had arrived to me either from South America or the West Indies or any American Gazettes—the letters & dispatches to Mr Monroe & myself & to him solely...
19To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 10 July 1805 (Madison Papers)
In my last I informed you of the capture by the Spaniards of four American Vessels, and among them an American Gunboat. I have now to acquaint you that this week’s posts brings us the disagreeable intelligence of four more being taken by the Spaniards likewise—to wit; the John, in the Mediterranean, not yet arrived—the Polly carried into Algeciras—the Washington carried into Malaga, & a large...
20To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 26 June 1805 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you yesterday I had recieved intelligence the Spaniards had begun to take our Vessels & that I had demanded the release of the Brigantine & Schooner therein mentioned & that these captures had created a great alarm among our Merchants in Spain & will do so of course in America. I have this moment recieved intelligence that they have captured two or three more & among them a Gun Brig or...
21To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 10 June 1805 (Madison Papers)
I have written you twice since the departure of Colonel Monroe & as I suppose You will be anxious to know how things go on here I am to inform You that this Government immediately on the closing the special Mission took every means in their power to prevent alarm by writing to their agents in all the provinces & ports that there was not the smallest reason for alarm nor the most distant...
22To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 4 June 1805 (Madison Papers)
I mentioned to you in my former letters that on Mr. Monroe’s arrival here, finding myself joined with him in the Special Commission he brought, & that he could not go on without me as it was joint, I considered it my duty to commence with him, & having done so, to continue until the end as our official letters & my private ones to the President & yourself fully, detail. In doing this I was...
23To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 28 May 1805 (Madison Papers)
Lest any unexpected accident should happen to Captain Dulton on his Journey or Voyage I think it my duty to inform You that the Special Mission ended here on Wednesday last by the complete & total rejection & in the highest tone by Spain of every proposition We made them. She refuses to pay a shilling for or even to arbitrate the french Spoliations—She refuses to Yield one foot of the Land...
24To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 26 May 1805 (Madison Papers)
As I find Captain Dulton is detained to day through the Portuguese Ambassadour not countersigning his Passport as we expected yesterday I send you another line saying Colonel Monroe left us to day. I parted with him with great regret as during the whole time we have been together closely confined at Aranjuez on this trying & important occasion we have lived & acted together in the utmost...
25To James Madison from Charles Pinckney and James Monroe, 25 May 1805 (Madison Papers)
The subject in which we have been engaged, is so fully before you in our publick communications, that there remains only one point for us to make any remarks on to you in a private one; that is, what will be best for our government to do in the present unexpected and disagreable business. We do presume that it will be impossible to leave it in its present state. The injuries which our people...
26To James Madison from Charles Pinckney and James Monroe, 23 May 1805 (Madison Papers)
We are sorry to inform you that the negotiation with which we were charged by the President with the government of Spain is concluded, after failing in all its objects, notwithstanding our unwearied and laborious exertions for so great a length of time, to procure to it a different result. We have heretofore availed ourselves of such opportunities as offered to transmit you copies of the...
27To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 22 May 1805 (Madison Papers)
Unwilling as you will perceive by my Accounts, to charge any thing as Contingencies which really ought not to be admitted, I think it however a duty I owe myself to enter into some explanations with you on Expenditures, which I have been obliged to make here on the public account, and which perhaps you do not recollect. I mentioned to you already that as I had taken Colonel Humphreys house, &...
28To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, [ca. 3-17 March 1805] (Madison Papers)
I had the honour to write you by Mr Gorham & I now send you by Mr Preble another letter open for the President which I request You to read first & then deliver him & to consider as confidential—notwithstanding all Mr Yrujo told you it is confidently asserted here and repeated that this Court did send him the ratification to deliver you & that he now has it made out in form in his possession &...
29To James Madison from Charles Pinckney and James Monroe, 1 March 1805 (Madison Papers)
We had the pleasure to write to you by Mr. Gorham on the 2nd. of Feby. and to transmit a copy of our first note to Mr. Cevallos, and of the Project which we presented him for the adjustment of all differences between the U. States and Spain, as also of his answer to it, which we had then just received. We now forward the sequel of the correspondence, by which it appears that we are as distant...
30To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 28 February 1805 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you by Captain Gorham & I now send you by Mr Preble another letter open for the President which I request you to read & deliver him & to consider also as confidential —notwithstanding all Mr Yrujo said it is confidently repeated & asserted here in a manner to leave no doubt that this Court did send him the ratification to deliver you & that he now has it signed in form in his...
31To James Madison from Charles Pinckney and James Monroe, 2 February 1805 (Madison Papers)
Although the negotiation with which we are charged with the Government of Spain is only in the earliest stage, yet we consider it our duty to communicate to you what has passed on that interesting subject, by the safe opportunity furnished by Mr. Gorham, who leaves Madrid to Morrow for the United States. As soon as the Mission Extraordinary was received by the King, & we were apprized by Mr....
32To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 28 January 1805 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 28 January 1805, Aranjuez. Offered for sale in Argosy Book Stores Catalogue 357 (1952), item 525, where it is described as a two-page letter, marked “Private” and docketed by JM, which reads in part: “Finding a very safe opportunity by Mr. Gorham, the son of our old friend Mr. Gorham who was with us in the Convention, I send you open to your inspection a confidential letter I...
33To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 12 December 1804 (Madison Papers)
The farce between Spain & England is at length over as Spain this Morning declared War—before this opportunity goes, I shall be able to send you the declaration, & thus has her conduct to us involved her in a War which she otherwise might easily have avoided. England was at first by no means inclined to this war—the thing that produced it, as I always told you, was the armament at Ferrol,...
34To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 8 December 1804 (Madison Papers)
I inclose you a Duplicate of my last —since which the Spanish Messengers have not returned from London, nor is the Question of war yet decided. Fleets, it is true, are posted at Cadiz & Barcelona, & one is at Ferrol, but still they do not capture or even detain Spanish Merchantmen, but suffer them quietly to pass. The Government have ordered all British property to be returned, & intend to...
35To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 10 November 1804 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you the day before yesterday, since which I have seen Mr. Frere who informed me, the answer he had received from this Court to the ultimatum he had sent them was so unsatisfactory that he was obliged to quit them, & this Morning he actually set out for Lisbon without taking leave of the Court. Now then is the time for Mr. Monroe to arrive, & I have accordingly written to him by various...
36To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, [ca. 10 October] 1804 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you the day before yesterday, & now do so again merely on the report we have received from London that hostilities have commenced between the Spaniards & our People in Florida or Louisiana. From your letter of the 8th. July, I have reason to believe there can be no truth in this report, & yet from the intemperate Letters of the Marquis de Yrujo to you, & Governor Folch to our Governor...
37To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 8 October 1804 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you yesterday that We are all surprised at a report which causes much sensation that there has been Blood drawn on the frontiers or in the territory in Dispute. I give no credit to the Report but as it comes Via France & has been published also in the English Gazettes many here do. Should any of our citizens have ventured under the authority of the act of Congress to enter that...
38To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 30 September 1804 (Madison Papers)
I informed you in my two last that on account of the great Exertions making by this Government to equip four or five line of Battle ships & frigates to convey troops to Cuba & Florida I found it necessary not to wait Mr Monroes arrival so far only as respected the proposal not to increase the force of either nation in the territory between the Ibberville & the Perdido until the intended...
39To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 26 September 1804 (Madison Papers)
My last four letters will have informed you that this Court were fitting out four line of Battle ships—some frigates & transports to convey troops to Cuba & Florida —since which I recieved your dispatch for Mr Monroe & myself of the date of the 8 July most of it written in a cypher not yet sent me & of course I could not make it out—the latter part however which was not written in cypher was...
40To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 12 September 1804 (Madison Papers)
I wrote you yesterday & finding a safe opportunity of a gentleman going this morning to Corunna or to Ferrol I avail myself of it to repeat to you the intelligence I sent yesterday which is that they are fitting out for sea immediately there three sail of the Line two frigates & some transports to join others at Cadiz as it is said to go to strengthen their forces in Cuba & Florida. I have...
41To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 4 September 1804 (Madison Papers)
This is the fourth letter I have written to you on the same subject lately as I am anxious you should know this Court are fitting out three Ships of the Line & some frigates & transports for America to carry Troops to Cuba, Florida & to form a post at Tecas. The account of the number varies from four to six & eight thousand. I am hopeful the British will not let them go as it is certainly...
42To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 28 August 1804 (Madison Papers)
I write again to day by another good opportunity to inform you that the account I transmitted is certainly true that this Government are fitting out three Ships of the Line & four frigates & transports to join an Expedition at Cadiz now preparing to go with Troops for Florida Texas & Cuba. The number not certain, accounts varying from three to six & eight thousand. At Texas they certainly mean...
43To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 26 August 1804 (Madison Papers)
It was not until yesterday I received your dispatch of the 10th April with the inclosures by which it appears there can be no doubt of all my letters being constantly stopped as it is now nearly four months & a half since they were written. I am extremely sorry I did not receive these dispatches before as they would have served to throw much light on Mr. Cevallos’s conduct, for many parts of...
44To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 14 August 1804 (Madison Papers)
I have written you so fully the last week by Capt. Dulton & by duplicates, that I have little to add now but to inclose by this safe conveyance the triplicates of such letters & papers as I have not sent triplicates of before. Since my duplicate, I have received letters from Mr. Livingston dated 11th. July past, in which he informs me that he has received my letter in June, inclosing Mr....
45To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 30 July 1804 (Madison Papers)
The inclosed will give you a full account of the Proceedings here & the disagreeable measures which I have been obliged to take with a Court with which I had lived in the utmost harmony & experienced all the personal attention & Civilities I could have expected & indeed more as the Prince of Peace’s Letters public & private will shew—it was only on a full discovery of their plan by secret but...
46To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 20 July 1804 (Madison Papers)
In my last Letters I informed you that after every exertion on my part & those of the French Ambassador, I had no hope of sending you the Convention ratified. That by secret intelligence I could implicitly rely on, I had discovered Mr. Cevallos’s plan, which was, to do nothing with it for a year or Eighteen Months, from the foolish pride of retaliating on us the time it had inevitably been...
47To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 14 June 1804 (Madison Papers)
I have lately recieved the private letter you did me the favor to write me & will whenever I have any thing that I think will be entertaining to You continue to write you privately—for the last few months I have been confined closely to Madrid & the Sitios owing to the violent putrid & malignant fever which raged in this City having among thousands of others attacked my family so violently...
48To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 8 June 1804 (Madison Papers)
Letter not found. 8 June 1804. Mentioned in Wagner’s dockets of undated copies of two letters sent by Pinckney to Pierre de Riel, marquis de Beurnonville, the French ambassador to Spain (DNA: RG 59, DD, Spain, vol. 6A). The enclosed letters (referred to in Pinckney to JM, 4 June 1804 , and filed among its enclosures) requested French aid in persuading Cevallos to ratify the Spanish-American...
49To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 4 June 1804 (Madison Papers)
My last to you were of the 2nd. & 18 of May, in the last of which I acquainted you that my suspicions as to the opening of my Letters & dispatches & detaining them were nearly realised, for on no ground could I account otherwise for the Ratification being eleven weeks & more in reaching me—although I had not received the Ratifications, yet I had seen such authentic accounts of the thing being...
50To James Madison from Charles Pinckney, 8 April 1804 (Madison Papers)
You will receive many letters written by me lately, & must have received already many written in November, December & January, while I hear nothing. Your last letter I received, was a short one of the 8th. November, & a note from you arrived some time after, inclosing some papers of Mr. Hollins’s. I have seen in the french papers, that your suspicions as detailed in your Letter of the 8th....