From John Jay to the President of Congress (Samuel Huntington), 29 May 1781
To the President of Congress (Samuel Huntington)
Aranjuez 29th May 1781
Sir,
My last to Your Excellency was of the 25th ulto.1 and was the more particular as Mr: Toscan, who is appointed Vice Consul of France at Boston was the Bearer of it— He sailed from Bilboa
On the 18th Inst: I received from the Honorable Mr. Lovell Three Letters written on one sheet, vizt: 20 Feby. 9 & 31 March last—2 No other Copies of these Letters ever reached me— They arrived at Cadiz in the Virginia— But the Papers & Journals said to accompany them never came to my hands,3 nor have I received any Letters from Your Excellency since January last— The following Extracts of Letters from Mr. Harrison to me will cast some light on the Subject, and shew the Inconveniencies to which my correspondence with Congress is constantly exposed.
Extract of a Letter from Mr: Richd: Harrison dated Cadiz 8th: May 1781
“A Vessel has this Evening arrived from Philadelphia in 26 days. His Excellency the Governor has Posession of the Letters Papers; and my Letters cannot be delivered until to morrow By the next Post I may possibly be able to write Your Excellency more Particularly”—
Extract of a Letter from the Same dated May 11 1781—
“I had the honor of writing Your Excy by last Post, advising the arrival at this Place of the Brigt: Virginia Capt: Hopkins Since then I have received my Letters— The news they contain is &ca
“Herewith I forward Several Letters which came under my cover for Your Excellency—&c[”]
Extract of a Letter from the Same, dated May 1781—
“When I had the honor of writing Your Excy by last Post, I omitted mentioning that the Letters brought by the Virginia were all Stopped at the Gate, & lodged in the Post Office, and that to retire even my own from thence I was obliged to make myself responsible for 462 Reals on Postage. The Pretext for this is an Ordinance of his Majesty requiring the Captains of all Vessels from the West-Indies to deposit their Letters in the office, in order no doubt, to contribute to the Maintenance of the Packets established with these Countries— But as the United States certainy cannot be comprehended in the West Indies, and there being besides no Packets to facilitate our correspondence, I do not conceive that the claim to Postage can be founded in right or Justice. I yesterday presented a Memorial to the Governor upon the Subject who has promised me his Assistance in redressing the Grievance. The Memorial I beleive goes to Day to Court, and that Your Exy may be more particularly informed of it’s contents, I take the liberty of enclosing a copy, hoping that You will be pleased to procure such measures as may appear most eligble to obtain the wished for, and just Issue— If such an imposition is suffered to continue, I shall not only be exposed to an immoderate expense for other People as well as myself, but Your Excellency’s, and all other dispatches which come this way will be liable to Inspection & perhaps total Miscarriage.”
The Memorial above mentioned is in the following words.4
[Here Jay embedded a copy of Harrison’s memorial of 14 May 1781.]
On the 23d Inst: I waited upon his Excellency the Count de Florida Blanca, and informed him of the facts stated in the above Memorial— He said he had not as yet heard any thing upon the Subject, that there was such an Ordinance, & that Prudence demanded that The Admission of Letters from abroad, especially in time of war, should be under the direction of Government. That the Situation of North America rendered new Regulations necessary, that he would turn his Thoughts to it, & do what should appear equitable— The next day I sent him Mr: Harrison’s Memorial in a Letter on the Subject of it—5
As this Letter will go by the Post, I must omit being minute about many matters which I wish to communicate to Congress— Cyphers would probably impede the Progress of this Letter, if not stop it—
The Captors of the Dover Cutter still remain unsatisfied— My first memorial on that Subject was dated, & presented the 22 of June last— In the Winter I was promised that the Prize should be appraised & the value paid—at present I am assured that Informations about it are taking.
Mr. Gardoqui, it is said, will set out in June—6
If a safe conveyance which I am encouraged to expect in about a fortnight’s time should offer, I shall write Your Excellency a long Letter, & mention the dates of my former ones— If not I shall take another Method not proper to explain in this Letter, which, notwithstanding it’s different covers, will, I doubt not, be inspected before it reaches Cadiz— I have the honor to be with great Respect & Esteem, Your Excellency’s Most Obedient and most Humble Servant
John Jay.7
His Excellency Saml: Huntington Esq.
President of Congress
LS, body in the hand of Henry Brockholst Livingston, DNA: PCC, item 89, 1: 154–59 (EJ: 11906). LS, in the hand of Henry Brockholst Livingston, DNA: PCC Misc., Diplomatic Despatches and Letters Received from John Jay, 1781, 1785–86. Endorsed. Dft, NNC (EJ: 7758). Endorsed. LbkCs, DNA: PCC, item 110, 1: 409–15 (EJ: 4163); NNC: JJ Lbk. 1, 194–97; CSmH (EJ: 3410).
2. See Lovell to JJ, 20 Feb. and 9 and 31 Mar., all above. See also the manuscript text containing all three letters, ALS, NNC (EJ: 8605). For JJ’s lengthy discussion about the lack of security in the transmission of dispatches, especially Congress’s instructions with regard to navigation of the Mississippi, see his letter to the President of Congress, 3 Oct. 1781, below.
3. See JJ to Harrison, 28 May, above; and , 35: 114.
4. The substance of Harrison’s memorial is contained in the the correspondence quoted above.
5. JJ’s letter to Floridablanca of 24 May has not been found.
6. See Notes on John Jay’s Conference with Floridablanca, 5 July 1780, above; and JJ to the President of Congress, 3 Oct. 1781, below.
7. JJ’s letter was received by Congress and read on 13 Aug., along with letters of 2 and 11 June from William Carmichael to the Committee for Foreign Affairs and of 25 May from Harrison (not found). See , 21: 856. No mention is made of Carmichael’s letters to the Committee for Foreign Affairs of 25 and 26 May, which reported on loans from France, on bills accepted by JJ, and on naval operations in Europe. Carmichael also voiced suspicions that the Spanish had intercepted Congress’s instructions to JJ regarding the Mississippi, and he warned that no satisfactory negotiations with the Spanish could be conducted if they had previous knowledge of Congress’s secret intentions. Carmichael’s letter of 26 May was endorsed as received 4 Sept. See DNA: PCC, item 88, 139–46; , 4: 437–39.