To John Jay from Peter Augustus Jay, 21 February 1801
From Peter Augustus Jay
N. York 21 Feb. 1801
Dr. Papa
I arrived here safely on Thursday Evening The Rain which began to fall on Tuesday destroyed the Snow & made our Journey unpleasant it was however less so than I expected. It has not injured my Health—
At ^the Hotel at^ Poughkeepsie I met with a person who I found was the father in law of Col: Bailey1 (I believe his name is Talmadge).2 He had a long Conversation with me on political Subjects An ^in which^ He mentioned that he had had a passed an Evening with Govr. Clinton a short time before (when the latter was on his way to Albany) in which the Govr. ^who had^ openly declared his Opinion that the Right of Nomination was solely in the Governor & ought not to be claimed or exercised by the Council of Appointmt. When I arrived I found a strange Report ^in^ circulatingon here that you had differed with the Council on some point, that in Consequence ^of some difference between you & the Council^ an Impeachment had been voted by the Assembly.3 All the particulars of
I found my presence here very necessary to my Business. On Tuesday next I propose going to Rye.
[Here PAJ inserted “A”, referring to following text located at bottom of page: Mrs. Munro & all her Children are well— She is occupied in fulfilling all the Commissions4 with which Mama has charged her— for this purpose I have advanced her 170 dollars— I have recd. a Div[iden]d on the U.S.B. shares amounting to 168 dollars—]5 Mama’s health I hope ^is^ improved by the use
of the Oxygen Air has I hope improved Mama’s Health;6 mine has not been injured by my journey— I am &c.
P.A.J.
DftS, CtY-BR (EJ: 05198).
1. Theodorus Bailey (1759–1828) of Poughkeepsie, lawyer and Republican politician. Bailey served in the state militia during the war of independence. He later represented New York’s Fifth District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1801 to 1803.
2. Bailey married Rebecca Tallmadge (1779–1807) in 1798, who was the daughter of James Tallmadge (1744–1821) of Poughkeepsie. James Tallmadge requested that JJ forward his name in the Council of Appointment for the post of sheriff of Dutchess County. 18 Dec. 1800, ALS, NN (EJ: 01076).
3. For JJ’s interactions with the Council of Appointment during his final months in office, see the editorial note “Conflict with the Council of Appointment,” below.
4. Here, in the text, “168–112/56”, is added in unknown hand.
5. Here, in the text, “400”, is added in unknown hand.
6. For the illness of SLJ, see JJ to PAJ, 8 Dec., ALS, NNC (EJ: 11453); 18 Dec. 1800, above; and PAJ to JJ, 11 Dec., above.