1To Thomas Jefferson from William Carmichael and William Short, 18 April 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
When we had last the honor of addressing you we mentioned the delay which had taken place with respect to the business with which we are charged here. We then hoped that delay had ceased as we were just informed that His Majesty had designated the person to treat with us on his behalf. We have found ourselves however much mistaken in our hope. As soon as it was announced to us that M. de...
2To Thomas Jefferson from William Carmichael and William Short, 5 May 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
Since our last of the 18th. ulto. we have had the honor of recieving the duplicate of yours of the 3d. of Novr. (the original has not yet come to our hands). The papers severally alluded to therein were recieved inclosed. Mr. Morris had forwarded them to us from Paris on the 4th. of March. The person he had charged with them having determined not to proceed further than Bayonne, these papers...
3To Thomas Jefferson from William Carmichael and William Short, 29 September 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
The despatches which you forwarded by Mr. Blake having been delivered to us we think it proper to make use of the first conveyance to announce it to you. This being by the ordinary post we shall send two copies of this letter by to-morrow’s mail being the first for Cadiz and Lisbon. Mr. Blake arrived at Madrid on the 24th. inst. The Court was to come the next day from St. Ildefonso to this...
4To Thomas Jefferson from William Carmichael and William Short, 15 August 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
In our last letter of the 6th. of June we had the honor of informing you of our having written a letter to Mr. Gardoqui on the 26th: of May, agreeably to his desire and in consequence of his promise to give us an immediate answer, to be transmitted officially to the President of the U.S. That answer though promised to us daily at every interview, was daily postponed until the court began to...
5To Thomas Jefferson from William Carmichael and William Short, 6 June 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
We have had the honor of writing to you jointly on the 19th. of feby.—18th. of April—and 5th of May. These letters were sent by duplicates, and went into very minute details of whatever had occurred here with respect to the business of our joint commission. Such conveyances as could with propriety be made use of have not presented themselves so as to admit of our writing more often—and the...
6To Thomas Jefferson from William Carmichael and William Short, 19 February 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
It has been our intention for some time past to have commenced our joint correspondence with you—and we have only deferred it because we flattered ourselves from day to day that we should be able at the same time to inform you of some step taken in the negotiation with which the President has been pleased to charge us. Although our commission was recieved at Madrid so long ago as the 1st. of...
7To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 2 December 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Since my arrival here, I have written to you in date of the 25th. and 26th. ulto. One of these letters was sent through our bankers here, the other by the English packet. I write at present to inclose you a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury. As it is committed immediately to the hands of an American who sails immediately from this port for Boston, I have spoken without reserve on several...
8To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 2 May 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I wrote to you on the 26th. of last month by the English packet and mentioned to you that Petit had been here some time and would go by the French which sails the 15th. from L’Orient. By the arrangement of the stages he finds that he shall be obliged to leave this place the 5th. Of course my letters to you by him will not be of so late a date as I had hoped. I intended if he would not accept...
9To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 7 June 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
Since my arrival in Spain I have had the honor of writing to you on the 3d. of feb. and 6th. of March. Nothing has since occurred which seemed to authorize my troubling you, except in my joint communications with Mr. Carmichael. The ordinary business of this mission has been followed by him of course exclusively, as well as his usual correspondence with you. The several state papers and public...
10To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 25 April 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
Our information from America is as when I last wrote to you, that is to say, no lower than your letter of the 23d. of January. I have been waiting with much impatience to receive further intelligence for the reasons which I have repeated in my several letters. Since my last the national assembly have extended to their islands and all their foreign possessions the decree which abolished the...
11To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 14 September 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I have the honor to inclose and forward you by the way of England a copy of the King’s letter sent yesterday to the national assembly announcing his acceptance of the constitution, and his intention of going to day to solemnize that acceptation in the assembly. He accordingly went today and took the oath required. The Queen also was present in a lodge adjoining the assembly room. This...
12To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 25 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
[Since my last I have seen the General of the Mathurins, who gives little hopes of any thing being done for our captives through his chanel, although he continues assurances of his zeal in case of any opportunity presenting itself, and I am persuaded he may be counted on as to these assurances. He had begun by transmitting a small sum of money to a person of confidence at Algiers to relieve...
13To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 24 July 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honor of writing to you four days ago by Mr. Barrett. This will be sent also by the way of Havre and will contain a letter for the Secretary of the Treasury. A very lengthy report has been made to the assembly in the name of the two committees, diplomatick and of war, on the situation of France with respect to her neighbours, and her military force. From it it appeared that the...
14To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 8 April 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
My last was sent by the English packet a conveyance which I have constantly made use of since you have expressed the desire. I have no other opportunity of writing to you than by merchant vessels which have hitherto so illy served me as would prevent my making further use of them if I did not think it an indispensable duty on my part to give you the most regular information in my power.—This...
15To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 14 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
I received three days ago the first letters which have come to my hands from you since your arrival at New-York. That of the latest date was April 30th. It contained a copy of that of April 6th. together with the newspapers sent. I delivered today to M. de Montmorin the letter of the President to the King, and another directed to him containing one of leave for you and of credence for me. I...
16To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 24 August 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
The assembly have continued since my last deliberating on the plan of constitution submitted to them. They have made no material alterations, but have referred two or three questions to be decided after the others—one of them is that for augmenting the property of electors and abolishing the marc d’argent hitherto decreed for the members of the legislature—and another is the condition of the...
17To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 10 February 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
As yet I have awaited in vain the pleasure of hearing from you after your landing. I was anxious to learn what effect the objects that presented themselves to you had on your mind—whether the changes since you left America were great and in what they consisted. In short I desired to learn a thousand particularities which I feared your time and occupations would not allow you to write about,...
18To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 7 February 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
In my last I sent you a copy of a letter, such as it then appeared in public, from the Emperor to the King of France. I mentioned at the same time the general opinion and my doubts as to its authenticity. A letter from M. de Montmorin to the assembly has since reduced this matter to certainty. He has sent them a translation of this letter which you will see in the journals of the assembly. He...
19To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 6 October 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose you at present my account with the U.S. from July 1. 90. to July 1. 91.—A balance as you will see remained due to me at that date of 4146. florins of which 1846. were due on the account of the year before. This shews that the whole of my salary is not expended which arises from two circumstances. 1. That I had for a long time no house rent to pay, and 2. that I have not augmented my...
20To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 31 August 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I had the honor of writing to you yesterday by the English packet. This inclosing a letter for the Secretary of the treasury, will be delivered to you by a M. de Barth, son to the person of that name who is gone to settle in the western country. I have not seen him, but have promised his brother who seems to be a worthy to introduce the bearer to you. You will see in the gazettes sent, as low...
21To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 31 July 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
Since my last I have recieved and had a copy taken of the declaration of the King of Prussia, which I have the honor of inclosing. The Imperial and Prussian ministers recieved here the night before last, that of the Duke of Brunswic dated at Coblence the 25th. inst. I had just recieved the loan of it and was having a copy of it also taken, when I recieved the supplement to the gazette of...
22To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 29 February 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
I have been so much indisposed since my last of the 8th. inst. as to have been absolutely incapable of writing. I resume my pen at present merely to inform you by the English packet that the answer from the Emperor arrived here two days ago. The King’s council have had it under long and mature consideration and have communicated it to the diplomatic committee. The Minister goes to morrow to...
23To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 5 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Dr. Bancroft being about to set off immediately for London I make use of his conveyance merely to send you the gazettes of France and Leyden, and journals of the national assembly, which have considerably accumulated in my hands for the want of some means of forwarding them to New-York. I shall add to them some other papers relative to the pension list and which are the continuation of those...
24To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 26 April 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
Petit is now here and intends going by the French packet which will sail from L’Orient the 15th. of next month. He insisted on 100.₶ a month and seemed convinced from your letter that you would think it fully reasonable. Of course as far as the arrangement depends on me his wages are fixed at that rate. I had supposed from his letters written whilst I was in Holland that he would have been...
25To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 4 August 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Some time ago the Count de Mercy made an application to M. de Montmorin for a passage of some troops on the territory of France, on their march to the low countries. On its being known in that quarter that the passage was promised, the directoire du départment sent an express to the national assembly to take their orders on it, previous to the arrival of the troops. This circumstance had...
26To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 22 May 1794 (Jefferson Papers)
After writing my last letters of Nov. 7th. 11th. and 13th. I determined not to multiply my intrusions on your time and patience until I should have the satisfaction of once more hearing from you. The last private letter which I had then recieved from you was of the 11th. of July 1793. by Mr. Blake. The same silence continued until the 26th. ulto. when I recieved by the packet of the Spanish...
27To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 2 April 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
I wrote to you this morning by the way of Cadiz informing you of the distressing account which I have just received of the bankruptcy of the house of Donald & Burton. As you know that their agent Mr. Browne has in his hands, the whole of the funds for which my patrimonial estate was sold you will judge of the state of mind in which this places me. I wrote to you from the Hague Nov. 30—and Dec....
28To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 3 May 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
The fermentation of Paris which I mentioned to you in my last has continued subsiding since that time. But the regulation of the department for renting and selling churches to the catholics who adhere to the priests non-jurors, and the departure of the King for St. Cloud remain suspended. The regulation or arreté of the department when sent to the national assembly was referred to the...
29To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 8 November 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I mentioned to you in a former letter that the several ministers were to lay before the assembly a state of their respective departments. M. de Montmorin performed this task some days ago and at the same time added that it was the last communication he should have with them as minister of foreign affairs, His Majesty having at length accepted his resignation. The state he presented shewed in...
30To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 26 September 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
I have recieved to-day within a few hours of each other your two letters of July 26. and Aug. 12.—I am sorry to find that my letters have all had such uncommonly long passages. I sent them for the most part to Havre, where they remained until the sailing of the first vessel. I avoided making use of the English packet though a more regular conveyance, because I thought it sufficient to have my...
31To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 7 November 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
This letter accompanies my No. 46. and will be delivered to you with the several papers therein mentioned by M. Louis Osmont. He is a young man that Madame D’Houdetot insists on my recommending to what she calls your protection, viz. your counsel and advice. Notwithstanding I have on all occasions avoided sending you these kind of recommendations, yet I think you will easily see Sir that it...
32To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 19 October 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
The time which has elapsed since my last has sufficed to shew that the combined armies are really retreating from France, but not to shew what is the real cause of this unexpected and unaccountable circumstance. Every body here remains still immerged in the sea of conjecture: each swims or sinks according to his hopes or fears. It would be useless to fatigue you with all the vague and...
33To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 3 February 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
My letter from the Hague of the 18th. of Dec. will have informed you of my intention to set out from that place the next day and proceed to this by the way of France. This I have accordingly done, and have now the honor to inform you of my arrival here the day before yesterday, after completing my journey of 400 leagues. I was singularly and unexpectedly fortunate in meeting with no impediment...
34To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 25 November 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
It has just come to my knowlege that there is a vessel bound for New-York which has been for some time waiting in the Texel for a sailing wind and that it is probable a letter sent by this evening’s post may arrive in time to go by her. Under that idea I anticipate a letter I intended writing by the post of to-morrow for the English packet to inform you of my arrival at this place on the 20th....
35To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 30 March 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
On my arrival here a few days ago I found your letter of the 23d. of January. The statement which you there give me of the reciept of my several letters is truly mortifying. They must necessarily have lost their principal merit by arriving so long after their contents had become known and given place to other matters of more recent date and greater interest. I had however followed the same...
36To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 20 August 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
This letter is merely to inclose you a copy of the convention between this country and England. For what reason I know not an uncommon degree of secrecy has been observed with respect to it, even since its being signed. And as yet very few persons even of the corps diplomatique have had a sight of it, or have even known with certainty, whether any such convention was really signed; although it...
37To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 25 February 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I received a few hours after the departure of my last letter an account of the additional articles decreed by the national assembly relative to tobacco. I mentioned to you that the cultivation in France was allowed, that its importation in the manufactured state was prohibited and permitted in leaves subject to a duty of twenty-five livres the quintal, except when in French vessels coming...
38To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 22 September 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
Since the King’s solemn acceptation of the constitution mentioned to you in my last he seems to have taken much pains to shew that it was his free choice. The day of the constitution being proclaimed throughout Paris agreeably to the decree of the assembly, the chateau and garden of the Thuilleries and the Champs-Elysees were illuminated at the King’s expence. He went in the course of the...
39To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 29 June 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
My last private was of the 14th. inst. On the 25th. I sent you my No. 34. together with a duplicate of that of the 14th. I have as yet recieved only the letters therein mentioned and of course remain in the same state of anxiety and uncertainty as when I then wrote. That however has not influenced the activity with which the execution of your commissions was begun. Petit and the packers assure...
40To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 7 October 1793 (Jefferson Papers)
I have had the pleasure of recieving by Mr. Blake your kind and friendly letter of July. 11th. I cannot too warmly express my grateful feelings on the subjects it treats of, and particularly for the new proofs it gives me of your friendship. The intelligence with respect to my funds in Mr. Browne’s hands was agreeable and satisfactory beyond measure and the more so as it was so much more than...
41To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 27 July 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
Having had an opportunity of writing to you by private hands on the 20th. and 24th. inst., this by the English packet is sent merely to shew you that I do not omit that regular conveyance. The circumstances of this country remain as mentioned in those letters. There is so much zeal shewn among the Parisians for marching to the frontiers that they have been obliged to allow the capital a larger...
42To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 9 May 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Your letter of the 14th. of December written from Eppington arrived here at the end of the last month after a passage of four months and an half. It gave a real pleasure which I will not attempt to describe, in shewing me that the long silence which had prevailed did not proceed from any forgetfulness on your part. I have taken care to let every body know this circumstance. Your friends were...
43To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 26 June 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
My last of the 22d. inst. of which copies were sent by several conveyances, will inform you of the King’s departure from Paris and his arrestation at Varennes near the frontier of Luxemburg. He was accompanied by the Queen, their two children, Madame Elisabeth, the Gouvernante du Dauphin, two femmes de chambre, and three gardes du corps dressed in the habit of couriers and acting in that...
44To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 23 December 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
This letter accompanying my No. 50. will be sent by the English packet. By your desire I make use of this conveyance, although from hence it is a very uncertain one as the weather at this season of the year frequently keeps the mail several days at Helvoetsluys and thus prevents letters arriving in time for the Packet. I fear this was the fate of mine of Nov. 26. I have lately recieved from...
45To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 9 October 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
The King postponed going to open the assembly until the day before yesterday. He then went and delivered the speech which you will find in the gazette inclosed. It was well received by all the spectators and by much the greater part of the members of the assembly. During the two days that passed between the assembly’s being formed and the King’s going there some circumstances passed which...
46To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 6 August 1792 (Jefferson Papers)
Mr. Cobbett who will deliver you this letter is an English [gentleman], at present I believe in France, and about to embark for America. He has been formerly in the English possessions to the Northward and intends now to go and settle in the United States. A Gentleman in the family of the English Ambassador here, and acquainted with Mr. Cobbett, wishing to serve him, asks me to give him an...
47To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 6 June 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I received a few days ago by Mons. Terrasson your letter of March. 8. together with the papers it inclosed.—The report on the fisheries has been lent to a member of the committee of finance, who not understanding English himself told me he purposed having it translated for the use of the committee. I was pleased with this as a pamphlet which I had published on the affair of tobacco whilst I...
48To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 22 August 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
The committee of impositions have not yet made their report to the assembly although they have announced the outlines. Their plan at present after violent debates between the two parties mentioned in my letter of the 15th. inst., is the result of mutual sacrifices. It is considered as defective by both who say that nothing but mere necessity can justify it. It is to admit of the cultivation of...
49To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 7 July 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
I have just recieved your letter of the 27th of May, which has been sent here from L’Orient by Mr. de Crevecoeur. [My last letters will have informed you of the present situation of the business relative to the American captives at Algiers. You will have seen there that nothing has been done, or possible to be done, for their redemption. This I know will not surprize you when you recollect the...
50To Thomas Jefferson from William Short, 2 [May] 1789 (Jefferson Papers)
I have this moment come to my banker to enquire if the post of this morning brought me any letter from you. I find that it did not and as it left Paris on wednesday last, I take it for granted you will not write to this place by any post posterior to that. My letter from hence desired you would direct to me post restante at Nantes as late as the 4th. I set off for that place tomorrow morning...