1From John Jay to John Clarkson Jay, 25 February 1817 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter and am pleased to find it written as well as it is. A late Letter from your Papa informed me of your Sickness and Recovery— Remember Him by whose kind Providence your Life has been preserved— and be thankful— From your translating Latin into English, I conclude that you have paid proper Attention to the latin Grammar— endeavour to learn it perfectly. Your being...
2From John Jay to John Brodhead Romeyn, 12 June 1816 (Jay Papers)
Your Letter of the 1 st . Inst., informing me that I had been elected one of the Vice Presidents of the American Bible Society, arrived by the last mail— I rejoice in the Institution of that national Society, and assure the Board of managers, that I am very sensible of the Honor they have done me, in thus connecting me with it.— The Events and Circumstances under which such Societies have been...
3From John Jay to John Murray Jr., 12 October 1816 (Jay Papers)
Accept my good Friend tha my thanks for your kind Letter of the 22 ult and for the Pamphlets enclosed in ^with it^, which ^they^ came to my Hands on the 2 Inst. The state of my Health is such, that I can read or write but little at a Time without Fatigue; and therefore I cannot prudently venture on the Task you recommend— Whether war of every Description is prohibited by the Gospel, is one of...
4From John Jay to John Sinclair, 8 August 1816 (Jay Papers)
I have recieved the papers which you was so obli[ging as to send] me— accept my Thanks for them. Gratitude is due to thos[e who employ their] Time and Talents in promoting the common Welfare. Y[our exertions to improve] agriculture, and render it more productive, are known and [acknowledged. The] Paper on “Mildew in Wheat” I have sent to New York, to be pub [lished. The] multitude of...
I have rec d . your Letter of the 21 Oct r ., with your Proposals for to publish by Subscription “the History of the origin and first Ten Years of the British and foreign Bible Society—[”] agreable to your Request, they shall be laid before ^communicated to^ our Society at their next ensuing annual meeting, when it will be [?]in May next— They will ^probably^ [ illegible ] ^are not^ authorized...
6From John Jay to Peter Augustus Jay, 16 October 1815 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of this morning, informing me of the Death of S r . James. This event excites Feelings & Reflections too natural not to be obvious. The Temper respecting me, in which he died should extinguish Resentments on our part, and lead us to a conciliatory Deportment toward his Family.— The Bearer I suppose will set out early in the morning— and I write this in some haste,...
7From John Jay to Peter Augustus Jay, 23 September 1812 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of the 17 th . Inst — The Details in it are interesting, and I am glad you communicated them to me so early, and so particularly— The Sentiments you express relative to them, correspond with my own— The Resolution is not sufficiently cum ^cun^ning to conceal its object and Design— I have no Hesitation in concluding and saying that if we must have either M r . Madison...
8From John Jay to Maria Jay Banyer, 14 June 1815 (Jay Papers)
Sally is still here and quite as well as when she came; so that her Jaunt to NYork has been postponed, and we have not as yet concluded when it shall take place. On Saturday she rec d . a Letter from you; from which it appears that you had rec d . mine which contained certain Hints in the Propriety of which you agree in opinion with me. Whether it would be adviseable to make the Propositions...
9From John Jay to Samuel Bayard, 5 February 1816 (Jay Papers)
I rec d . ^by the^ last mail the circular Letter of ^the^ 17 Jan y last ^ult^ from the Presid t . of the New Jersey Bible Society to ^me as Presid t of^ the one in this County, proposing that ^a meeting^ of Delegates from all the Bible Societies in the U.S. be held at ^the city of^ NYork on the second Wednesday in May next, to consider ^of^ and devise a Plan for ^rendering^ the Cooperation of...
10From John Jay to Maria Jay Banyer, 2[–3] February 1813 (Jay Papers)
Altho’ I have nothing interesting to communicate, yet I will not let the Mail go without a few Lines to you. I have rec d . your Letter of the 25 ult.— I feel very sensibly the affliction with with our Friend V. Schaack has been visited; and I greatly regret the Death of Judge Sedgwick— Such Events should make strong, but at the same time useful Impressions on our Minds. There have as yet been...
11From John Jay to Richard Peters, 23 April 1811 (Jay Papers)
I rec d . by the last mail your Letter of the 14 Inst:— Between the Date of mine to You of the 29 ult, and the arrival of yours of the 11 Inst, I was taken with a sore throat— it prevailed in the Neighbourhood, as was thought to be epidemic— As the Inflamation abated, a severe cough came on. I am getting better slowly, but am very feeble; tho’ less so than I was in April last. As to the...
12From John Jay to Peter Augustus Jay, 23 April 1816 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of the 15 Inst: and am glad that your legislative Labors are terminated— some good has been done, and more might have been. I hope your Health continues unimpaired— if there be even any Doubts of this, let not professional Business tempt you to neglect it, and thereby render yourself more and more unable to endure the Fatigue of applying closely to such Affairs.— It...
13From John Jay to Mary Stansbury, 16 February 1813 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your obliging Letter of the 9 th . Inst— In my opinion th ey ^Ladies^ who suggested and established the orphan asylum, merit great commendation. It gave me pleasure to learn that much good was already resulting from that ^benevolent Institution—^ May it long continue to recieve, not only the Blessings of those who are ready to perish! but also of Him , who commands us to relieve...
14From John Jay to Cave Jones, 26 September 1811 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . ^by the last Mail^ your Letter of the 18 Inst— It certainly is important that the Facts asserted by you, and denied by Doct r . Hobart should not be left doubtful, if they can be rendered clear. How long it may be advise-able to delay the Reply, they who are on the sport and know exactly all the Circumstances which have relation to it, can best decide. If the indirect...
15From John Jay to Maria Jay Banyer, 3 January 1812 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of the 24 Ult; and am pleased to find you are pursuing the course you mention. Cheerfulness promotes Health, and Health promotes Cheerfulness. We are so formed, that when one part suffers, the Rest, whether corporeal or mental, are in a Degree affected by it. Hence it is the more proper that we should attend to every Indisposition, and to whatever may aggravate or...
16From John Jay to Peter Augustus Jay, 18 March 1816 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of the 10 Inst:, but am yet uninformed whether mine of the 27 ult: to Maria, has come to her Hands. The Continuance of her Head Aches gives me the more Concern, as they render the Success of the Doctor’s Plan less certain than I had supposed— I think the Doct r . should be apprized of it, that he may alter or add to his Prescriptions, as he may think it adviseable....
17From John Jay to Peter Jay Munro, 18 April 1809 (Jay Papers)
I rec d . your Letter by W m ., and am happy in having rec d . so favourable an Acc t . respecting Maria— it corresponds with the Information given me by Wil m .— He also mentioned in strong Terms, your friendly attentions to him. I am much less unwell than I have been, but my Strength returns slowly— The Report you sent me, I have read— it certainly contains some valuable Provisions.—...
18From John Jay to Peter R. Livingston, 9 March 1813 (Jay Papers)
I rec d . by the last mail, your Letter of the 26 Ult. informing me of the Death of Chancellor Livingston.— This Event awakens ^combined with^ the Recollection of past Days & Incidents which Together ^and^ with the his having expressed the Sentiments of me that ^that^ you mention, excites Feelings too ^which (being^ obvious and natural) to need Description need not be described May He who...
19From John Jay to Peter Augustus Jay, 22 March 1813 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of the 19 th . Inst:— Care must be taken to make adequate Provision for my Expenses here, which are not inconsiderable— when the monies payable to S r . James, and to Nicholl, are deducted, the Ballance remaining will not be great— M r Felch lately wrote a Letter to the Vestry signifying that he could not continue in their Service for less than $500 a Year— They...
20From John Jay to Peter Augustus Jay, 13 August 1816 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of the 9 th . Inst— on Saturday last M r . Hach [alia] h Bailey was here, & paid the Int[eres] t . that was due— He mentioned his having intended to pay the Principal, and that a Sum to the amount ^of it,^ had probably been paid to you on his acct.; but that certain Circumstances induced him to apprehend that it would be convenient to him to postpone the Payment— It...
21From John Jay to Peter Augustus Jay, 28 April 1812 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of the 24 th . Inst.— Blake refused to have a doct r . and is again well— The attack was violent, but I doubt its having been by the prevailing Fever— Its having abated, and not hearing of any new Cases, I sent for W m .; who was importunate to return— he arrived on Saturday last— The late and present cool weather has produced new Cases of Fever— I heard Yesterday of...
22From John Jay to Jacob I. Griswold Jr., 5 August 1816 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter——July last, and have read the Proposals for “a grand national Institution,” and also the Pamphlet ^explaining^ it which were inclosed within Whether, (if I may use the Expression) the public Mind is prepared to give competent Support to an Institution so comprehensive; and whether provision can be made for ably doing the Business assigned to each of its numerous...
23From John Jay to Richard Peters, 9 January 1815 (Jay Papers)
It is a great while since any Letters have passed between us— perhaps some of them have miscarried. The Season reminds me that I have survived the last year, and that I have left with it a great number who enjoyed more Health and Strength. Many friendly wishes have as usual been reciprocated on this occasion, but it seems to be questionable, whether an average proportion of them will be...
24From John Jay to Eleazar Lord, 7 February 1817 (Jay Papers)
Accept my thanks for your obliging Letter of the 31 ult. and for the Pamphlets which were inclosed with it. I hope the The Institution of Sunday Schools is in my opinion calculated to do good extensively, and in various Respects. I hope they will ^I hope they will become more general.^ On the Subject of War and capital Punishments, my Sentiments do not altogether correspond with those of some...
25From John Jay to Timothy Pickering, 26 February 1810 (Jay Papers)
The last Mail brought me both your obliging Letters — At this Moment I am constrained to write in Haste — When the present Governm t . was organized there were many interesting Papers of the former Congresses in the Hands of their Secretary M r . Thompson— there was a secret Journal as well as a public one— I presume that the Heads of the Departm ts . rec d . from him the papers appertaining...
26From John Jay to Philip Smith, 7 January 1817 (Jay Papers)
M r . Jay understanding ^presents his Comp ts . to M r . Ph. Smith—^ Being informed that M r . Ph Smith is authorized to recieve and give Certificates for Taxes on Carriages in this Town, ^M r Jay^ subjoins a List of his Carriage being the same which he had the last Year ; and sends by the Bearer the Am t . of the Taxes on them, as will appear from the Certificates he then rec d
27From John Jay to William Jay, 16 September 1812 (Jay Papers)
When or where you will recieve this Letter is uncertain. I shall inclose it to Maria; who will either forward it immediately, or detain it until your Return to Albany, as she may think most adviseable— I rec d . by the last Mail your handsome and affectionate Letter of the 7 th . Inst. — it is sincerely my wish that the Expectations of both Families may be realized; and nothing will conduce...
28From John Jay to Maria Jay Banyer, 8 May 1810 (Jay Papers)
I wrote to you a few Lines last week, but they were written in much Haste — We flattered ourselves with recieving Letters from you or Sally on Saturday last, but were disappointed. This I impute to negligence at one or other of the Post offices. The Disappointm t . was the greater, as we were and continue anxious to know whether we may expect the Pleasure of seeing you here this Month....
29From John Jay to William Miller, 24 November 1815 (Jay Papers)
I have rec d . your Letter of the 12 th . of this Month. Having for more than a Fortnight, been ill of the Cold or Influenza, which prevails this Season very generally; I find myself feeble, and unable to write or read much without Fatigue. I cannot however let Garret return, without committing to his Care a few Lines in answer to yours.— You are right in supposing that at your age much...
30From John Jay to Susan Barclay, 16 December 1812 (Jay Papers)
I have recieved my dear Madam! your obliging Letter of the 6 th . Inst: and thank you for the Pleasure it has given me.— Having often seen early Friendships fade and fall like vernal Flowers, I am particularly pleased to find that your friendly Disposition towards me, remains unchanged. The Remembrance of it has frequently excited agreable Recollections, and led me to regret, that in the Lapse...