Cabinet Opinion on Funds for French Refugees, 22 April 1794
Cabinet Opinion on Funds for French Refugees
[Philadelphia] April 22. 1794.
We do ourselves the honor of advising the President of the U.S. to apply the remainder of the money, given by law to the indigent of St Domingo, resident here,1 to the furnishing of them with the means of going thither, it being known, that several vessels are now bound thither from different parts of the U.S. with passports, for the purpose of conveying them.2
Edm: Randolph.
H. Knox
Alexandr Hamilton.
DS (in Edmund Randolph’s handwriting), DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters; LB, DNA: RG 59, GW’s Correspondence with His Secretaries of State.
1. “An Act providing for the relief of such of the inhabitants of Saint Domingo, resident within the United States, as may be found in want of support,” 12 Feb., provided “a sum not exceeding fifteen thousand dollars” ( . 6:13). On 11 April, Randolph submitted to GW a list of the money distributed to that date (DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters):
“Sent to [William] Patterson, [Gustavus] Scott & [Samuel] Sterrett of Baltimore | 2,000 |
to Jed. Huntington of Connect thro Col. [Jeremiah] Wads[wor]th | 150 |
to Delaware by [William] Hemphill | 500 |
to [Jabez] Bowen of R. Island | 1000 |
[Thomas] Russell of Massa. | 250 |
[Guilian] Verplan[c]k of N. York | 1750 |
[Daniel] De Saus[s]ure of So. Caro. | 1750 |
[Donald] Campbell & others of Virga | 1450 |
[John] Vaughan & others of Phila. | 1600 |
Dollars 10,450 | |
Patterson in addition | 2000. |
12,450. | |
Georgia | 500 |
No. Carolina | 250 |
Dollars. 13,200” |
See also Randolph’s accounts of 10–20 March 1794, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters.
2. For some of the vessels scheduled to transport refugees to Saint Domingue, see Hamilton to GW, 22 April. In response to this opinion, GW instructed Hamilton in a second letter to him of 24 April to “Pay to the Secretary of State in pursuance of the Act providing for the relief of such of the Inhabitants of St Domingo, resident within the U.S. as may be found in want of support, one thousand eight hundred dollars; being the remainder of the sum granted for that purpose by the above Act, and to be applied to the furnishing the said Inhabitants with the means of returning to Saint Domingo” (LB, DLC:GW).