1To James Madison from William Jarvis, 22 August 1801 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
22 August 1801, London. Expresses his veneration of Jefferson’s philosophical, moral, and political character and admiration for the quality of his appointees. Desires office of Lisbon consulate if found worthy. Believes that recent political changes in Portugal will require Bulkeley, who is connected with a British merchant house, to withdraw. Offers Dearborn as a reference. RC ( DNA : RG 59,...
2To James Madison from William Jarvis, 1 October 1801 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
1 October 1801, San Sebastian. Appends a copy of a letter he wrote to JM from London. Subsequent changes reported in consulates in Europe lead him to believe Bulkeley will be removed even if political situation in Portugal does not change. Repeats desire for Lisbon post. RC ( DNA : RG 59, LAR , 1801–9, filed under “Jarvis”). 1 p.; preceded by Jarvis’s copy of his 22 Aug. 1801 letter to JM .
3To James Madison from William Jarvis, 8 April 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
8 April 1802, Boston. Encloses his bond [as U.S. consul at Lisbon]; his sureties are two respectable Boston merchants. Has seen letters that arrived on a vessel from Lisbon 6 Apr. reporting that the prince regent of Portugal had ordered a quarantine of up to forty days on vessels from the U.S. “A measure so distressing to our Mariners, so injurious to our Merchants & so unnecessary at such a...
4To James Madison from William Jarvis, 23 April 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
23 April 1802, Boston. Notes that he last wrote to JM on 8 Apr. , with a postscript on 9 Apr., and states that a few days later “a Gentleman acquainted me that he thought it probable he should send a Vessel to Bordeaux, in which case I could have a passage, this he has finally concluded to do & I expect she will sail in ten days.” Has given up his plan to go to New York to get passage there;...
5To James Madison from William Jarvis, 3 August 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
3 August 1802, Lisbon. Reports that he arrived on 1 Aug. and wrote the enclosed letter to the minister of foreign affairs the next day. Acknowledges JM’s letter of 6 May , which he received on his arrival; will “pay particular attention to the several claims against this Government for the Vessels siezed in the Brazils.” Notes that the quarantine “laid last winter” has been taken off. Has just...
6To James Madison from William Jarvis, 10 August 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
10 August 1802, Lisbon. No. 2. Forwards a duplicate of his last dispatch of 3 Aug. and part of the accompanying documents. Mentions that an American ship which arrived after a twelve-day voyage from Cadiz spotted nothing suspicious. “A letter from a private House in Cadiz” informed him that the emperor of Morocco had suspended hostilities against the U.S. for six months. “Another private...
7To James Madison from William Jarvis, 14 August 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
14 August 1802, Lisbon. Refers to his letters to JM of 10 and 13 Aug., “each incloseing Copies of letters from the several Consuls in the streights & a dispatch from Mr Simpson.” Has learned by a 10 Aug. letter from Cadiz that “the 22 gun ship from Larach had sail’d, but head winds had obliged her to put back again.” “By my last I acquainted you with the departure of Genl. Lannes from here.…...
8To James Madison from William Jarvis, 22 August 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
22 August 1802, Lisbon. No. 4. Acknowledges JM’s letter of 12 May 1802 . “The determination of the Insurance Company to send some person here gave me much pleasure, since the importance of the object required the evidence of a person in so elevated a station as is Don Juan de Almeida & as it will prevent my being implicated by a want of success which I am apprehensive will be the case, it...
9To James Madison from William Jarvis, 6 September 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
6 September 1802, Lisbon. Refers to his last dispatch of 22 Aug. reporting the prohibition on importing cordage and his fears of a similar order against flour, “which I am extremely sorry is so soon verified.” Encloses a copy of an order issued 4 Sept. by the inspector general of the corn market. “Not being perfectly satisfied as to the meaning of that part relateing to the Consumption, I sent...
10To James Madison from William Jarvis, 11 September 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
11 September 1802, Lisbon. No. 6. His last dispatch of 6 Sept. informed JM of the “contradictory answer of the Judge & administrator of the Corn Market” regarding the prohibition on foreign flour. Made inquiries of the inspector general and was referred to “his representatives in the Corn Market, who were as divided in sentiment as were the Judge & Administrator; from which I concluded, that...
11To James Madison from William Jarvis, 22 September 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
22 September 1802, Lisbon. Has had no reply to his 9 Sept. letter to the Portuguese government about the prohibition on imported flour, a copy of which was enclosed in his 11 Sept. dispatch. “Notwithstanding I have every reason to suppose that what flour is on hand the 4th Jany. will be allowed to be consumed, but am afraid the importation after that time will not be suffered upon the old...
12To James Madison from William Jarvis, 1 October 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
1 October 1802, Lisbon. Forwards a duplicate of his last dispatch of 22 Sept. “Not haveing received a line from his Excellency in answer to my Communication of the 9th., I yesterday address’d a Note to him of which No 5 is a Copy, which I hope will produce something.” “Mr Dunbar preferred attempting to get the Papers relative to the Aurora & Four Sisters to take Copies of them before any...
13To James Madison from William Jarvis, 12 October 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
12 October 1802, Lisbon. Has sent by Mr. Codman in the Ardente for Baltimore his 1 Oct. dispatch, a duplicate of his 22 Sept. dispatch, and five enclosures. “From the answers to the Petitions given in behalf of the Philada. Vessel, which orders that she shall be released after 25 days if no sickness then appears, I am inclined to think that this will be made a general rule for Vessels comeing...
14To James Madison from William Jarvis, 15 October 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
15 October 1802, Lisbon. “Nothing remarkable has occured” since his dispatch of 12 Oct. with its enclosures. Encloses copies of a letter from Gavino and of his own note to the Portuguese government. RC and enclosures ( DNA : RG 59, CD , Lisbon, vol. 1). RC 1 p. Enclosures (3 pp.) are copies of Gavino’s 30 Sept. 1802 letter to Jarvis, containing an extract of Simpson to Gavino, 27 Sept. 1802,...
15To James Madison from William Jarvis, 25 October 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
25 October 1802, Lisbon. Last wrote on 15 Oct. enclosing a copy of a 30 Sept. letter from Gavino and his own 14 Oct. note to the Portuguese government. Encloses Portuguese reply. “I am very sorry it was not given in season to enable us generally to profit by the explanation, but I am inclined to think that the delay was intended to prevent large orders being given & large quantities being...
16To James Madison from William Jarvis, 16 November 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
16 November 1802, Lisbon. No. 12. Last wrote on 25 Oct. via the Adelaide covering a dispatch from Willis. Forwards another dispatch from Willis and encloses an extract of a letter from Gavino; “the latter contains all the information I have recd. since my last concerning Barbary Affairs.” Lacking any substantive news, communicates a “little Court & City Anecdote.” The custom at Lisbon is that...
17To James Madison from William Jarvis, 26 November 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
26 November 1802, Lisbon. Last wrote on 16 Nov. transmitting correspondence from Willis and Gavino. Detainment of the ship by contrary winds allowed him to forward a dispatch received on 19 Nov. from Pinckney. Now forwards another from Pinckney received “by the last post.” Has had one ship from New York and one from Philadelphia arrive since he wrote about quarantined vessels on 12 Oct. The...
18To James Madison from William Jarvis, 29 November 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
29 November 1802, Lisbon. Last wrote on 26 Nov. via the brig Washington of Provincetown covering a dispatch from Pinckney. Now forwards another received at the same time. “The following is an extract of a letter from Mr Gavino dated 9 Novr. ‘You will have heard of the American Ship Prosperity of Philada. being ordered out of Cadiz on accot. of the Fever in some of the U. S. She arrived here...
19To James Madison from William Jarvis, 18 December 1802 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
18 December 1802, Lisbon. Last wrote on 26 Nov. via the Washington for Provincetown transmitting a dispatch from Pinckney. Forwarded two more letters from Pinckney via the Hare and the Venus for New York. Now forwards a letter from Graham and one from Captain Murray to Robert Smith transmitted by Kirkpatrick. Recommends Portugal as “one of the finest Schools in [the] World for the Study of...
20To James Madison from William Jarvis, 31 January 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
31 January 1803, Lisbon. Last wrote on 20 Dec. enclosing a dispatch from Graham to JM and a letter to Robert Smith from Murray. Having received no instructions from JM about the prohibition of flour, and thinking it should not be passed over, he submitted new arguments. Hopes JM will not disapprove. “At present no Vessel has been refused an entry with flour under the slight pretext of a long...
21To James Madison from William Jarvis, 7 February 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
7 February 1803, Lisbon. “I have just time to communicate the inclosed which I this moment Rec’d.” RC and enclosure ( DNA : RG 59, CD , Lisbon, vol. 2). 1 p. Docketed by Wagner. For enclosure, see n. 1. Jarvis enclosed a copy of a 7 Feb. 1803 letter from Almeida (1 p.; in Portuguese, with translation; printed in the National Intelligencer , 21 Mar. 1803) stating that after reviewing Jarvis’s...
22To James Madison from William Jarvis, 9 February 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
9 February 1803, Lisbon. Last wrote on 31 Jan. “inclosing the following Papers” and forwarding two dispatches from Willis. Acknowledges JM’s 17 Dec. letter enclosing the president’s speech. In addition to its “easy, impressing, and elegant Style,” thinks “nothing could have been better adapted … to general satisfaction” than the contents, which reflect the “highest honor” on the...
23To James Madison from William Jarvis, 28 February 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
28 February 1803, Lisbon. Encloses a semiannual shipping report for the last half year. Hopes his method of making out port charges renders them comprehensible. Notes additional charges from Belém for a vessel under quarantine. Charges are paid by all friendly nations and by Portuguese vessels not engaged in colonial trade. Has found that American shipping is on as good a footing as that of...
24To James Madison from William Jarvis, 15 March 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
15 March 1803, Lisbon. Notes that his previous letter was sent by the Eunice to Alexandria and enclosed copies of his correspondence with Almeida, the last semiannual list, Lisbon and Belém port charges, and his account. Since part of the charges in the account are probably not provided for by law, submits them entirely to the government’s discretion. Received “this day” a duplicate of JM’s 14...
25To James Madison from William Jarvis, 8 April 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
8 April 1803, Lisbon. Last wrote on 12 [15] Mar. via the Argus to Norfolk, forwarding two letters from Pinckney and enclosing a copy of a letter from O’Brien, a duplicate of the semiannual return, and a London newspaper of 8 Mar. Has since received the original of JM’s 17 Jan. dispatch. Encloses a copy of his letter to Almeida and the reply. “What the real motive was that caused the refusal I...
26To James Madison from William Jarvis, 10 May 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
10 May 1803, Lisbon. Last wrote on 8 Apr. enclosing his letter to Almeida regarding Snow’s residence on Macao and the reply. Has since forwarded a letter from Pinckney and one from Simpson. Has forwarded three government dispatches to Pinckney via the post. Encloses a copy of his letter “of Yesterday’s date” to Almeida requesting “entire copies” of the documents of the Aurora and the Four...
27To James Madison from William Jarvis, 23 May 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
23 May 1803, Lisbon . Wrote on 11 May enclosing a copy of a letter to Almeida regarding the Aurora and Four Sisters and a letter from O’Brien. Spoke with “a Portugueze Gentleman” who “observ’d that a considerable extent of territory” on the Río de la Plata “which had been a subject of much contention” between Spain and Portugal had been “made neutral Ground” at Spain’s insistence, in the...
28To James Madison from William Jarvis, 18 June 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
18 June 1803, Lisbon . Between the date of his last letter and that of the enclosed state paper “a hot press was set on foot by the English Vessels of War in this Port, but in no instance did they impress American Seamen with Protection.” Those without protection were released immediately on his application. “After the declaration was issued the impress Service ceased.” The “great object” of...
29To James Madison from William Jarvis, 25 June 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
25 June 1803, Lisbon . Last wrote JM on 11 June, enclosing the prince regent’s declaration of Portuguese neutrality. Has since been unofficially informed that the emperor of Russia will guarantee Portuguese neutrality and that the Russian government has informed the British and French ministers of the fact. “The Sum paid for Louisianna I presume will be deemed a mere trifle compared with the...
30To James Madison from William Jarvis, 3 August 1803 (Abstract) (Madison Papers)
3 August 1803, Lisbon . Wrote last on 25 July by the schooner Nancy via New York, enclosing letters from Pinckney, Graham, Simpson, and Leonard. Informs JM that “an affair of a very serious Nature lately took place here.” “Between two and three Years ago” Lisbon was plagued with street crime, including robbery and murder. “In this alarming Situation,” the comte de Novion, a French emigrant,...