31American Commissioners to Carmarthen, 4 April 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
Agreably to your Lordships request expressed to one of us in Conversation, and again communicated to us through Mr. Fraser , we have drawn up the enclosed Project of a Treaty of Commerce, which we do ourselves the Honour to propose to the Consideration of his Majesty’s Ministers. We have the honor to be Tr ( DNA : PCC , No. 86); in Smith’s hand; endorsed by him. Tr ( DLC ); also in Smith’s...
32V. The American Commissioners’ Draft Letter to the Comte de Vergennes, 15 September 1785 (Adams Papers)
We do ourselves the Honour to acquaint your Excellency, that We have appointed Thomas Barclay Esq the Consul General of the United States in France, to proceed to the coast of Barbary in Africa, there to enter into Negotiation and to endeavour to form Treaties, of Amity between the United States and the King or Emperor of Morocco or Fez; the Regencies of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, or with any...
In our letter of Nov r 11 th. we had the honour of laying before Congress a state of our proceedings till that date. As from that it would appear that the last communications had in every instance passed from us to the other parties we can now only add the answers of such of them as have yet answered, & our replies; these are the courts of Portugal, Tuscany & Great Britain. N o. 1. is a copy...
34American Commissioners to Dorset, 16 May 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
We received in due time the letter which your Grace did us the honour to write us on the 26th. day of March last, and have delayed the acknowledgment of it in expectation of the arrival of the packets, by which we hoped for further Instructions from Congress. We have now the honor to inform your Grace that Congress on the 24th. day of Feby. last, appointed a Minister Plenipotentiary to reside...
35The American Commissioners to Favi: Résumé, 9 December 1784 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: National Archives ⟨Passy, December 9, 1784: We received your letter of November 16, informing us that His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Tuscany would receive with pleasure our propositions for a treaty. We now enclose a plan of such a treaty of amity and commerce, and are ready to sign it if it should meet with approbation. It is founded on principles of equal right and is calculated...
36American Commissioners to the President of Congress, 15 December 1784 (Jefferson Papers)
In our letter of Novr. 11th. we had the honour of laying before Congress a state of our proceedings till that date. As from that it would appear that the last communications had in every instance passed from us to the other parties we can now only add the answers of such of them as have yet answered, and our replies; these are the courts of Portugal, Tuscany and Great Britain. No. 1. is a copy...
37The American Commissioners to Paul R. Randall, [7 July 1786] (Adams Papers)
We have written to M r Lamb, to return to America without Loss of Time, either by the first Opportunity from any Port in Spain, or by the French Packett at L’Orient.— If You Should choose to Accompany him, We wish to accommodate you and therefore consent: but our Desire is rather that you Should come first to Paris & London that We may avail ourselves of an opportunity of conversing with you...
38The American Commissioners to Taher Fennish, 27 January 1787 (Jefferson Papers)
To His Excellency, Sidi Hadq Taher Ben Abdelhack Fennish, in the Service of His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco We have recieved with high satisfaction the letter, which your Excellency by the command of His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco, did us the honor to write us, on the first day of the blessed month Ramadan twelve hundred and transmitted to us, by the Honorable Thomas Barclay Esqr., who...
39American Commissioners to D’Aranda, 28 October 1784 (Jefferson Papers)
We have received the Letter you did us the honour to write us on the 27th day of Septr. last, and we thank you for your care in transmitting to your Court, the information of our appointment to treat with it. You desire to be informed if one or more of us can repair to Madrid for the purpose of conducting and concluding the negotiation, because that it is the system of your Court in matters...
40The American Commissioners to [Richard Henry Lee]: Résumé, 15 December 1784 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: National Archives ⟨Paris, December 15, 1784: In our letter of November 11 we outlined to Congress what we had done up to that date, which included sending all our letters. We can now only add the answers we have received, and our replies. Enclosures 1 and 2 are our exchange with the ambassador of Portugal, enclosure 3 being the draft treaty we enclosed. Enclosures 4 and 5 are the...
41American Commissioners to John Lamb, [26 September 1786] (Jefferson Papers)
We have recieved your two letters of the 15 and 18 July from Alicant and are sorry to learn that your indisposition discourages you from travelling by land or by sea. We still think it most advisable both for your own interest and that of the United States, that you should return to Congress for their further instructions as soon as possible, and we again propose to you to embark from Spain by...
We have received the letter you did us the honour to write us on the 10 th day of December last. We supposed that the principles contained in the project of a Treaty, which we had the honour to transmit you, were a virtual answer to the requisition in the last lines of your letter of the eighteenth of October. By the second & third Articles, the citizens & subjects of each power may frequent...
43American Commissioners to John Jay, 11 May 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
Our last letter to you was dated April 13. 1785. and went by the packet of that month from l’Orient. Since that date the letter No. 1.a. directed to Dr. Franklin enclosing those marked No. 1.b and c. and also the paper No. 2. have come to hand. These relate to supplies furnished by Mr. Harrison to the crew of the ship Betsy taken by the Emperor of Morocco, on which subject Congress will be...
44The American Commissioners’ Memorandum of a Conversation with Per Olof von Asp, 8 October 1784 (Adams Papers)
The objects of the supplementary Treaty proposed on the part of the United States with His Sweedish Majesty are in substance these: MS in David Humphreys’ hand ( PCC , No. 116, f. 46–47). At the head of the MS , David Humphreys wrote, “in consequence of the preceding letter the subsequent verbal information was remitted to his Excellency the Ambassador by the hand of M r d’Asp Secretary to the...
We received the Letter your Excellency did us the honour of writing to us the 8 th Ult o. together with the copy of your full powers to treat with us. M r Adams had as you suppose, preserved a copy of the project of a Treaty that had been concerted between your Excellency & him; but having by instruction from the Congress our Sovereign certain new articles to propose in all our Treaties with...
46The American Commissioners to Thulemeier: Résumé, 21 January 1785 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: National Archives ⟨Passy, January 21, 1785: We have received your letter of December 10. We assumed that the principles contained in the draft treaty, which we sent to you, would answer the request made at the end of your letter of October 18. According to Articles 2 and 3, the citizens and subjects of each power may visit all the coasts and countries of the other and reside and trade...
47The American Commissioners to the Duke of Dorset, 9 December 1784 (Adams Papers)
We have received the Letter which your grace did us the honour of writing us on the 24 th. day of Last month, and we received with much Satisfaction the assurances on the part of his Britannic Majesty’s Ministers of their readiness to take into consideration any proposals coming from the United States of america that Can tend to the establishing a System of mutual & permanent advantage, to the...
48II. The American Commissioners’ Heads of Enquiry for Thomas Barclay in Negotiations with Morocco, 12 September 1785 (Adams Papers)
Heads of enquiry for M r Barclay as to Morocco, Algiers, Tunis & c — 1 Commerce. What are the articles of their export & import? what articles of American produce might find a market in Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli & c. and at what prices? whether rice, flour, tobacco, furs, ready built ships, fish, oil, tar, turpintine, ship timber & c. and whether any of these articles would hereafter be...
49The American Commissioners to the Conde de Aranda, 28 October 1784 (Adams Papers)
We have received the Letter you did us the honour to write us on the 27 th day of Sept r last, and we thank you for your care in transmitting to your Court, the information of our appointment to treat with it. You desire to be informed if one or more of us can repair to Madrid for the purpose of conducting & concluding the negotiation, because that it is the system of your Court in matters...
50The American Commissioners to the Duke of Dorset, 28 October 1784 (Adams Papers)
While M. hartley was here as Minister from the Court of Great Britain, we had the honour of mentioning to him that we were instructed by the Congress to treat on Some points distinct from any regulations of Commerce He Communicated this to his Court & the very Satisfactory answer which he received & made to us of its good disposition & willingness to receive & consider any propositions that...
In our last of Dec r. 15 we had the honour of communicating to Congress our letter to the Ambassador of Portugal which accompanied the draught of the treaty of Amity & Commerce proposed on our part. Since that date he addressed to us the letter N o. 1. acknowledging the receipt of ours & informing us that he had forwarded it to his court. The Baron de Thulemeier also, the Prussian Minister at...
52American Commissioners to John Jay, 25 April 1786 (Adams Papers)
Soon after our meeting together in London, We had a Conference with the Secretary of State for foreign Affairs, in which we communicated to him, the joint Commission of Congress, for negotiating a Treaty of Commerce with Great Britain, and left an attested Copy of it in the hands of his Lordship. At the same time his Lordship was informed that as the Commission was limited to two years...
53American Commissioners to Vergennes, 28 March 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
We have the honour to enclose an extract of a letter from the Commissioners of the United States of America to your Excellency dated Augst. 28. 1778, Copy of Your Excellency’s answer dated 27 Septr. 1778. and copy of M. de Sartine’s letter to your Excellency of the 21st. of Sept. 1778 all relative to a proposed negotiation with the States of Barbary. Not having any particular authority or...
54The American Commissioners to John Jay, 27 January 1787 (Jefferson Papers)
We had the honour of transmitting to Congress, Copies of the Commission and Instructions, which in pursuance of the Authority delegated to us, were given to Mr. Barclay, to conduct a negotiation with Morocco. Mr. Barclay has conducted that Business to a happy Conclusion, and has brought with him Testimonials of his prudent Conduct, from the Emperor of Morocco and his Minister, so clear and...
55The American Commissioners to John Jay, 13 April 1785 (Adams Papers)
Our letter to you the 18 th day of March with those preceding that period which had been addressed to the President of Congress have conveyed exact details of our transactions till that time. Since the making out of that dispatch the following proceedings have taken place. The letter N o 1. from M r. Carmichaels to D r Franklin dated Feb y. 27. 1784 (instead of 1785) will apprize you that...
56The American Commissioners to Thulemeier, 14 March 1785 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: National Archives; AL (draft): Library of Congress We had the honour of receiving your letter of Janry. 24. covering a translation into French of the Draught of a treaty proposed between His Majesty the King of Prussia & the United States of America, together with answers to the several articles. We have considered them with attention, & with all those dispositions to accomodate them to...
57American Commissioners to Favi, with Observations on Treaty Project, 8 June 1785 (Jefferson Papers)
We have the honour of transmitting herewith our sentiments on the counter-draught of the treaty proposed to be established between His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Tuscany and the United States of America; you will therein perceive that we accede to most of the changes proposed by the counter-draught. Some of them we wish to modify, and on others we offer reasons which we hope will be...
58The American Commissioners to the Conde de Sousa Coutinho, 9 September 1784 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): National Archives After having met in person with Hartley, the British negotiator who would soon return to London, and Walterstorff, the Danish envoy with whom Franklin had negotiated a draft treaty in 1783, the American commissioners decided to send a circular letter to official representatives of the other nations with which they were empowered to negotiate treaties of commerce...
59American Commissioners to John Jay, 28 March 1786 (Jefferson Papers)
Soon after the arrival of Mr. J. in London, we had a conference with the Ambassador of Tripoli, at his House. The amount of all the information we can obtain from him was that a perpetual peace was in all respects the most advisable, because a temporary treaty would leave room for increasing demands upon every renewal of it, and a stipulation for annual payments would be liable to failures of...
60I. Projet of a Treaty Submitted by the American Commissioners, [March–April 1786] (Jefferson Papers)
Draught of a treaty of Amity and Commerce between her Majesty the Queen of Portugal N. 1e and the United States of America. The Parties being willing to fix in a permanent and equitable manner the rules to be observed in the Commerce they desire to establish between their respective Countries, have judged that the said end cannot be better obtained than by taking the most perfect equality and...