From James Madison to John G. Jackson, 9 March 1812
To John G. Jackson
Mar. 9. 1812
Dear Sir
As the Intelligencer will not publish the message & documents just laid before Congress, till tomorrow, and not leave this till friday, I send you a copy of the Message.1 It is justified by the documents, among which are the original, credential & instructions from the Govr. of Canada,2 and an original letter from Earl of Liverpool to him, approving the conduct of the Secret Agent.3 This discovery or rather formal proof, of the co-operation between the Eastern Junto, and the B. Cabinet, will it is to be hoped not only prevent future evils from that source, but extract good out of the past.4 Affectionate respects
James Madison
RC and enclosure (InU: Jackson Collection). For enclosure, see n. 1.
2. Among the enclosures in JM’s message is a letter from Sir James Craig to John Henry, 6 Feb. 1809, to which a “credential” under the same date is appended, stating that Henry was employed by Craig and that “full confidence may be placed in him for any communication which any person may wish to make to me in the business committed to him” (printed in , Foreign Relations, 3:546–47).
3. In Lord Liverpool’s letter to Sir George Prevost, 16 Sept. 1811, the former declared his confidence in the “ability and judgment” of Henry and alluded to the “benefit the public service might derive from his active employment in any public situation in which you should think proper to place him” (printed ibid., 3:554).
4. In an undated copy in the hand of State Department clerk John Graham of some remarks made by John Henry to his friend Soubiron/Crillon about the documents he intended to turn over to the U.S. government, Henry had concluded by observing that the communication of his papers to Congress “could scarce fail to produce war and would inevitably put an end to every spark of British interest and influence on this Continent” (ViHi: Nicholas P. Trist Album Book; docketed later by JM, “De Crillon (Imposter) / Henry (Capt). the Companion of the Imposter de Crillon”).