From John Jay to Frederick Jay, 27 April 1784
To Frederick Jay
Chaillot near Paris 27 Ap 1784—
Dr. Fœdy,
Mr. P. Van Schaack informs me by a Letter dated the 12 Inst.1 at Bristol that Mrs. Peloquins Exrs. “have at length agreed to recognize the Powers of Atty. & to pay the Legacies”— The one however to our Father they will not pay until his will be proved in Eng & Letters of Admn. taken out in England.
I have desired Mr. Johnson of London to talk with Capt. Coupar abt. taking us in at Dover,—but have not yet havg recd. an answer I cannot tell you precisely when or in what Vessel we shall sail— I fear it will be late before we set out.
Mrs. Allaire the wife of ^Mr^ Peter Allaire2 of New York will be the bearer of this— I found her here in very a distressed Situation— I have lent her thirty Guineas & given her a Credit with Mr Nesbit at l’Orient for the her Passage money & Subsistence while there. Mention this only to her Husband who I flatter myself will readily reimburse this money by paying to You—
We are all tolerably well except little Nancy who suffers from teething & bad Cold—
Your last Letter is dated 7 Feb.—3 My Love to all the Family— I hope Peter will not refuse the Farm at least until after ^before^ I arrive for I have much to say to him on that & other Subjects— I am Dear Fœdy yr. afft Brother
J. J.
DftS, NNC (EJ: 6351). Endorsed by JJ: “ . . . by Mrs. Allaire”.
1. Letter not found.
2. Rebecca Allaire was the wife of Peter Allaire (1740–1820), a New York merchant of Huguenot stock, who was reportedly well known to JJ. Allaire’s role as a double agent in France resulted in his being thrown into the Bastille on 15 Feb. 1780 at the behest of BF, who suspected Allaire of attempting to poison him. Released 24 May 1780, after no solid evidence was found against him, Allaire was expelled from France. In May 1783 Allaire left Ostend for America, after placing his wife and child in a convent at Armentières. When her funds ran out, Mrs. Allaire went to Paris, where, desperate and on the verge of suicide, she sought out JJ, who was then absent. She made contact with SLJ, and subsequently with BF. On JJ’s return from England, he advanced her the funds herein described. Mrs. Allaire succeeded in rejoining her husband in New York, where he continued to provide intelligence on American affairs to the British through his friend Sir George Yonge, holder of several cabinet posts, including the secretary for war. M. Truffé to BF, 9 Mar. 1784, PPAmP: Franklin; Claude-Anne Lopez, My Life with Benjamin Franklin (New Haven, 2000), 63–72; 17: 91n.
3. Letter not found.