To John Jay from John Trumbull, 7 August 1797
From John Trumbull
London August 7th. 1797.
Dear Sir
Lest Kemp, by whom the original of the above was sent, should be taken, I have written duplicate—1
Our Awards had all been drawn payable at the Treasury here on the First of July:— for want of proper previous arrangements, they remained unpaid, at the date of the foregoing:— Of course, as there was I believe only one, in which the Board had been unanimous—and many ^in^ which there had been but a majority— I was not a little anxious, until the payments were made:
That has taken place some days since; and many unpleasant questions are now at rest:—
Two ^other^ Questions I foresee, which will rest on my feeble Shoulders: one of which is most important— This Business is not conducted as I hoped it would have been;— but I trust that my Nerves will not fail me, should they even be put to more severe trials, than they have been.
Of the vast Mass of Business which is before the Courts of this Country, The Lords of Appeal have decided in not more than thirty Causes;— the Martinico Cases have not yet been decided in the high Court of Admiralty:— And in April next, the Eighteen Months named in the Treaty, for the reception of Claims expires:— You see the question which will then arise:— I hope it will be justly and equitably decided.2 I am Dear Sir With the highest Respect Your Obliged friend & servant
Jno Trumbull
C, NNC (EJ: 12819), attached with JT’s letter of 20 July, above. LbkC, DLC: Trumbull (EJ: 10357). In the upper-lefthand margin of the LbkC is the note “John Jay Esqr. / &c &c / New York. / by the Belvidere“.
1. Copies of JT’s letters of 20 July and 7 Aug. were sent from London by the ship Belvidere, captained by Solomon Ingraham.
2. On the work of the claims commission, see the editorial note “Aftermath of the Jay Treaty: Responses, Ratification, and Implementation,” above. On the Martinique cases, see also 426–52.