To Thomas Jefferson from Thomas Pinckney, 27 November 17[93]
From Thomas Pinckney
London 27. Nov. 17[93]
[Dear] Sir
I thought we might secure the enjoy[ment of our neut]ral rights by our commercial arrange[ments; the lat]e treaties of Great Britain render that calculation [very uncerta]in but the disclosure1 of their intention not to cede [the posts] seems to render our taking a part in the war inevitable a[s] it will now be inst politic2 and popular:3 when I retire from hence I wish to spend 6 or 8 months in france for the benefit of my children, as it is not probable that the war will be carried on within our country; I request your friendly information whether circumstances to which I may be a stranger will render that step improper. I remain Dear Sir Your faithful & obedient servant
Thomas Pinckney
Tr (DLC); in the hand of George Taylor, Jr.; entirely en clair; parts of the first seven lines torn away supplied in brackets from decipherment in RC; with explanatory note for encoding error (see note 2 below); at head of text: “(private)” at foot of text: “Mr. Jefferson.” RC (DNA: RG 59, DD); written in code, except for notes at head and foot of text, salutation, dateline, complimentary close, and signature; with interlinear decipherment by George Taylor, Jr., and Daniel Brent (see note 1 below). PrC (DLC); with one word deciphered by Taylor (see note 3 below); endorsed by TJ as received 31 Mch. 1794 and so recorded in SJL. Dupl (DNA: RG 59, Duplicate Diplomatic Dispatches); written in code. PrC (ScHi: Pinckney Family Papers). Tr (Lb in DNA: RG 59, DD); entirely en clair, with encoded passages in brackets.
1. With the exceptions noted above, the RC is deciphered interlinearly to this point by George Taylor, Jr., the remainder by Daniel Brent, both this decipherment and the Tr being verified by the Editors against partially reconstructed Code No. 16.
2. Thus in manuscript and so encoded in RC and Dupl. Taylor explained Pinckney’s coding error in a note he subjoined to the text:
| “in | st | poli | ti | c. |
| 640. | 1565. | 450. | 1350. | 1112 |
the cyphers for deemed the word probably
| deem | ed | |
| meant are | 647. | 1515.” |
3. Word deciphered interlinearly by Taylor in ink on PrC at DLC.