To John Jay from William Bayard, 29 June 1794
From William Bayard
[Greenwich House So. Hampton June 29 1794]
Dear Sir
My Son William1 in his last Letter to me from Dear New York, mentioned the business You was comeing to this Country About. And I was not a Little happy When I heard of Your Safe Arrival, As such I hope the business between the two Country’s will prove benefitial, and Lasting to both, for no Man Alive Loves, Nor Wishes better, to his Darling Native Country than I do. My brother Who had the pleasure of Seeing You in London Informed me the handsome Manner In Which You Expressed Your Self of my Dear William be Ass[ure]d Mr Jay their is No Love Lost As In all his letters to me. he Mentions You In Equal Terms of Regard & Esteem, my Old Natural Friend mr Wallace passed Last Sunday With me When he Mentioned he had Seen You & that he Should Again as Soon as he Returned to Town When I Requested of him to present You my Compts. And to Say how happy I Should be to see You Under my Roof,2 he by Letter Writes me he had Seen You and deliver’d my Message which You kindly Recd. with an Assurance, that when You Came to Portsmouth You would take a bed with me In Your Way which I shall be doubly ^happy^ abt. As I wish from my Soul to Speak in the Language of the natives of our Own Country to Bury the Hatchet to Shake hands & be friends, That being done, come direct from London to Greenwich House at So Hampton, then Will I shew You the Country About go With You to Portsmouth, the Isle of White my brothers Genl. Shirrely,3 &c. making my house Yr head Quarters While You stay In the neighbourhood, I shall say No more at present. than to Assure You that I am Dr Sir Very Sincerely Yours
Wm. Bayard
P.S. should I have made any mistake In Your Address—It’s from a Want of Not Knowing the Proper one.
The Honble John Jay Esqr &c &c
ALS, NNC (EJ: 08361). “John Jay Esqr.” in top left corner. Tr, NNC (EJ: 12527). The Bayards were a prominent New York family of Huguenot descent. William Bayard Sr. (1720–1804), a Loyalist, had sailed for England in 1783; he and JJ had passed each other in London in 1783 as “perfect Strangers”. , 3: 489, 534, 535n5.
1. William Bayard Jr. (1761–1826) was a partner in the prominent New York City mercantile firm of LeRoy and Bayard. , 25: 96; PTJ: RS, 9: 579–80.
2. In his reply of 1 July, JJ promised to visit if he had the leisure, passed along compliments to Bayard’s family, and noted “I cordially concur in wishing that not only Peace but Friendship may be established between the two Countries; and am happy in observing that a Similar Disposition seems to prevail very generally among the people here.” Dft, NNC (EJ: 08889). See also William Bayard to JJ, 16 Aug. 1794, ALS, NNC (EJ: 08362); JJ to William Bayard, 24 Aug. 1794, below.
3. Thomas Shirley, 1st Baronet (1727–1800), the son of William Shirley, colonial governor of Massachusetts. The younger Shirley was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1793 and full general in 1798. ODNBO.