John Jay Papers
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From John Jay to Thomas Jefferson, 24 April 1787

To Thomas Jefferson

NYork 24 April 1787

Dr Sir

Since my last to you of the 9 Feb I have been hond. with yours of the 27th October, 12th Novr 31st. Decr. 9th. Jany & 1st. & 8th. Feby. last, all of which together with the Papers that accompanied them have been communicated to Congress—1 but neither on them nor your preceding ones have any Instructions been as yet ordered, so that this Letter like many others will not be very interesting

It is greatly to be regretted that Communications to Congress are not kept more private—a Variety of Reasons which must be obvious to you oppose it, and while the fœderal Sovereignty remains just as it is little Secrecy is to be expected. This Circumstance must undoubtedly be a great Restraint on those public and private Characters from whom you would otherwise obtain useful Hints & Information—I for my part have long experienced the Inconvenience of it, and in some Instances very sensibly.2

The Death of Count De Vergennes, of which Majr. Franks informs us, is to be lamented; and the more so as the Talents Industry and Disposition towards us of his Successor are uncertain. Who will take his place is an important Question to us as well as to France.

The Convention of which ^you^ have been informed will convene next Month at Philadelphia. It is said that General Washington accepts his Appointment to it and will attend. I wish their Counsels may better our Situation; but I am too not sanguine in my Expectations—there is Reason to fear that our Errors do not proceed from Want of Knowledge, and therefore that Reason and public Spirit will require ^the^ Aid of Calamity to render their Dictates effectual.

The Insurrection in Massachusetts is suppressed, but the Spirit of it exists and has operated powerfully in the late Election. The Govr Bowdoin whose conduct was upright, & recd. the Approbation of the Legislature, is turned out & Mr Hancock is elected—Many respectable Characters in both Houses are displaced & Men of other Principles & Views elected. Perhaps the Accounts are exagerated—Perhaps Mr Hancock will support his former Character, and that the present Legislature will be zealous to maintain the Rights of Govt. as well as respect the Wishes of the People—Time alone can ascertain these Matters—the Language however of such Changes is not pleasant or promising.

For your information I enclose a Copy of certain Resolutions of Congress relative to Infractions of the Treaty of Peace.3 How they will be received or what Effect they will have I know not. Some of the States have gone so far in their Deviations from the Treaty, that I fear they will not easily be persuaded to tread back their Steps, especially as the Recommendations of Congress like most other Recommendations are seldom efficient when opposed by Interest—A mere Governmt. of Reason & Persuasion is little adapted to the actual State of human Nature in any Age or Country.

One of our five Indiamen vizt. an small Albany Sloop returned a few Days ago in four Months from Canton;4 and I heard last Evening that one or two Vessels was are fitting preparing at Boston for a Voyage to the Isle of France—The Enterprize of our Countrymen is inconceivable and the number of young Swarms ^daily^ going down to settle on ^in^ the Western Country is a further Proof of it. I fear that Western Country will one day give us Trouble for To govern them will not be easy, & how far they may ^whether^ after two or three Generations ^they will^ be fit to govern themselves is [a] Question that merits Consideration—The Progress of Civilization and the Means of Information is very tardy in sparse and separate Settlements. I wish our Differences with Spain in that Quarter were well settled; but the Maxim of festina lente does not suit our southern sanguine Politicians.

The English are making some important Settlements on the River St Lawrence &c many of our People go there; and it is said that Vermont is not greatly inclined to be ^the^ fourteenth State. Taxes and relaxed Governments agree but ill.

Dft, NNC (EJ: 6657); LbkC, DNA: Foreign Letters description begins Foreign Letters of the Continental Congress and Department of State, 1785–1790, RG 59, item 121, National Archives (M61). Accessed on Fold3.com. description ends , 249–52 (EJ: 2496). Received 11 June 1787. PTJ, description begins Julian T. Boyd, Charles T. Cullen et al., eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (41 vols. to date; Princeton, N.J., 1950–) description ends 11: 312–13.

1JJ to TJ, 9 Feb. 1787, above; TJ to JJ, 27 Oct., 12 Nov. 31 Dec. 1786, 9 Jan., 1 and 8 Feb. 1787, PTJ, description begins Julian T. Boyd, Charles T. Cullen et al., eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (41 vols. to date; Princeton, N.J., 1950–) description ends 10: 487, 519–22, 649–51; 11: 29–33, 99–103, 126.

2In his letter of 9 Jan., TJ had outlined the problems arising from the publication of an extract from his letter to JJ of 27 May 1786 (PTJ description begins Julian T. Boyd, Charles T. Cullen et al., eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (41 vols. to date; Princeton, N.J., 1950–) description ends : 9: 582–90) regarding the tobacco contract with the Farmers General. JJ had forwarded the extract and related documents in his circular to the states of 28 Aug. 1786, above, with a warning against publication in the press, but that injunction was disregarded, and the excerpts were widely published.

3The OFA Journal description begins Daily Journals, Office of Foreign Affairs, 1784–1790, 2 vols., Papers of the Continental Congress, RG 360, item 127, National Archives (M247). Accessed Fold3.com. description ends for 24 Apr. records that JJ enclosed copies of acts of 21 Feb., 15, 21, and 23 Mar., and 20, 21, and 23 Apr. 1786 (EJ: 3774). According to PTJ, description begins Julian T. Boyd, Charles T. Cullen et al., eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (41 vols. to date; Princeton, N.J., 1950–) description ends 11: 314, JJ sent not only the congressional resolutions of 21 Mar. 1787 regarding treaties, but the circular letter to the states of 13 Apr., adopted from JJ’s draft of 6 Apr., above, asserting that treaties were the supreme law of the land.

4Probably the Columbia, Master, Solomon Bunker. See Rhys Richards, “United States Trade with China, 1784–1814,” American Neptune, Special supplement to Vol. 54 (1994): 10.

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