1To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 8 November 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Addressed by him to “The honble. James Madison jr. esq of congress Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM, “Novr 8. 1782.” The house of delegates was within two members to day of a sufficient number to proceed to business. Among the reformations, suggested in my last letter but one, the foremost will probably be some attack on those debtors to...
2To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 30 August 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed by him to “The honble James Madison jr. esq of congress Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM, “Aug: 30. 1782.” I am rejoiced to hear from Mr. F. Webb, that a succour, altho’ it is moderate, is to be forwarded by Mr. Ambler by the present mail. He can best tell you, how the prospect is of future puncituality towards the...
3To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 28 June 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed to “The honble James Madison jr. esq. of congress Philadelphia To go by the post.” Erroneously docketed by JM, “June 8. 1783.” The last post brought, as usual, your esteemed favor. The friends to the impost, as recommended by congress, finding, that the adoption of that measure in the form of the bill, then depending...
4To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 5 May 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). The letter is not signed, but it is in Randolph’s hand. Addressed to “The honble James Madison jr. of congress Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM, “May 5. 1782.” Your flattering urgency for my return, contained in your favor of the 23. Ulto. was answered by anticipation in my letter of last week. I still adhere to the same inclination to revisit you. By the next post, I...
5To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 27–29 June 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned and undocketed letter in Randolph’s hand. The cover is missing. The capture of the mail, announced in your favor of the 18th. instant, cannot thro’ my means avail the enemy, nor give pain to either of us. It is impossible indeed to recollect the contents of my letter, as it was leng[thy] but I believe, that the cypher was scarcely necessary for the...
6To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 24 May 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover missing. The address of congress has at length arrived, and received the commendations to which it is so justly intitled, and some of which I should enumerate here with cordiality, did I not perceive the marks, which it bears of your pen. Dr. Lee, who came yesterday, delivered me the copy, intrusted by you to him for my use. A...
7To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 29 June 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned letter, in Randolph’s hand. Besides being so badly water(?)-stained that portions of the brief text have disappeared, the paper is torn unevenly across the lower edge. Although the message ends abruptly, it apparently is complete, because the margin at the bottom is sufficiently wide and free from stain to show additional words if Randolph had written them....
8To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 7 September 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Lacks complimentary close and signature, but the text, in Randolph’s hand, seems to be complete. The cover was addressed by him to “The honble. James Madison jr. esq of congress Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM, “Sepr. 7. 1782.” I waited upon Mr. Ambler to shew him your letter by yesterday’s post, but he was too much indisposed to have communication with any person. Mr....
9To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 7 March 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover missing. In my letter of last week, I mentioned, I believe, the great probability of Mr. Henry’s return to active legislation and my communication to him of the awful crisis, in which America seems to stand, but which his aid might tend to dissipate. As yet I have not received an answer: but I suggested to his recollection the...
10To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 18 October 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed by Randolph to “The honble James Madison jr. esq. of congress. Philadelphia.” Erroneously docketed by JM, “Aug: 18th. 1782.” On the cover he wrote, “Huddy Camp Front: N.Y Brit: fleet. Mr. Jones. Finance Contr: Money Mattrs. Cessions.” These jottings were to remind him of subjects to mention in his reply of 29 October (...
11To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 23 August 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned, but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed to “The honorable James Madison jr esq. of congress now in Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM, “August 23. 1783.” My trip to Baltimore, from which I returned last sunday, has occasioned the chasm in my correspondence. Mr. Nathan met me according to appointment, with an elaborate argument, prepared on paper by Mr. Sargent....
12To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 1 June 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Addressed to “The honble. James Madison jr. esqr. of congress Philadelphia.” Unsigned letter, docketed by JM, “June 1st. 1782.” The senate have amended the resolution of the house of delegates, which I inclosed to you by the last post, respecting passports for the transportation of tobacco to New-York, so as to destroy its force. The delegates disagreed to their...
13To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 14 June 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed by him to “The honorable James Madison jr. esq. of congress. Philadelphia.” Cover docketed by JM, “June 14, 1783.” It is with real mortification, that I find an abortion of the scheme of impost. By some unaccountable revolution the zealous patrons have cooled, and seem united with its enemies to deal it out through our...
14To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 10 May 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Addressed to “The honble James Madison jr. of congress Philadelphia,” but unsigned. The handwriting and contents of the letter permit no doubt that Randolph wrote it. Words encoded by him in the official cipher are here italicized. Yesterday I received your favor of the 1st. instant, and took Dr. Lee by the hand at almost the same moment. His brother Richard Henry...
15To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 19 April 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). I derive the sincerest pleasure from the prospect, which your punctuality of correspondence presents. I could not begin my part of our intercourse by letter until the last week: but the obstacles must be invincible, which shall prevent me from a weekly return in future. Our maritime code requires a small alteration. From the deference, which we paid to the...
16To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 15 February 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned and without complimentary close but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed by him to “The honble James Madison jr. Esq. of congress Philadelphia.” The date line and many words in the first six and last six lines of the text are so blotted as to be illegible or doubtfully legible. I had resolved before the receipt of your favor of the 2d. instant to change our...
17To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 18 July 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed by him to “The honble James Madison esqr Congress Princeton.” Docketed by JM, “July 18. 1783.” I have received by the last mail your two favors of June 30. & July 8. They satisfy me of what was before problematical, the propriety of the removal of congress to Princeton. But with what decency can you retreat from thence...
18To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 15 March 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed by him to “The honble James Madison Jr. esq of congress Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM, “March 15. 1783.” I have not been able as yet to procure your expected favor from the post; nor shall I, until the return of the messenger, who carries this letter to the mail. We make considerable progress in the detection of the...
19To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 16 August 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). In Randolph’s hand but lacks signature, cover, and docket. The words in italics are those encoded by Randolph in the official cipher. Your favor of the 5th instant remained impenetrable in a great measure, from our misapprehension of the new cypher. I wish that the stimulus, administered in the close of it, had also been among the inscrutable arcana, until I had...
20To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 16–17 May 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Words encoded by Randolph in the official cipher are italicized. The letter lacks both cover and docket. Mr. F. Webb, who left this place yesterday for Phila., is the bearer of a bill for 20 £ Penna. currency. I have requested him to deliver it to you. As it was not put into my hands, after it was drawn, I wish you may not meet with some impediment in the negotiation...
21To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 22 March 1781 [1782] (Madison Papers)
The roads have been hitherto so bad, that we have been able to accomplish no more of our journey, than about 80 miles. Tomorrow we shall see Baltimore; and unless my arrangements miscarry, I shall revisit Richmond on Sunday se’ennight. For a few minutes this afternoon I thumbed the body of Maryland laws. In the preface to Bacon’s edition of them, I found a recital of an act of the Lords...
22To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 3 January 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Owing to fading of the ink, considerable portions of the letter are scarcely legible. Cover addressed to “The honble James Madison jr Esqr of congress Philadelphia.” Docketed by JM, “Jany. 3d. 1783.” The post of yesterday brought your two favors of the 17th. and 24th of decr. The prospect of softening the states who were at first the most obdurate against the impost...
23To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 13 December 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Docketed by JM, “Decr. 13. 1782.” Unless otherwise noted, words or parts of words italicized in the present copy are encoded in the Randolph cipher. See Randolph to JM, 22 November 1782 , and n. 1. Nothing, I think, need be apprehended from the conveyance of the cypher in an unsealed letter. The curiosity of the postmaster or any...
24To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 15 January 1782—Misdated (Madison Papers)
Letter misdated. 15 January 1782[3]. The contents of this manuscript in the Madison Papers of the Library of Congress make certain that Randolph inadvertently dated it one year before he wrote it.
25To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 20 September 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover missing. I communicated to the governor that there were letters from Carleton, addressed to him, in the post office of Philadelphia. I find from his conversation yesterday, that he has given the delegation a full account of them. I have this day remitted to Colo. Bland 60£. He has 100£ more assigned him upon the sale of some...
26To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 22 November 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Docketed by JM, “Nov. 22. 1782.” The inclosed cypher, tho’ not nicely executed or arm[e]d with every possible combination, is, I trust, sufficiently involved to serve, as a secure seal to our correspondences. I send it by the post, as the transactions of this week require no cover. Immediately on the receipt of your information that the appointment was renewed, I...
27To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 26 April 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned, but in Randolph’s hand. Addressed to “The honble James Madison jr. of Congress Philadelphia.” The principle of “timeo Danaos et dona ferentes” has so powerful an effect upon the minds of our executive, that they seem fearful, lest the proposal of Pennsylvania to run a temporary line should contain an ambuscade. It offers the extension of Mason and Dixon’s...
28To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 2 November 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed by a clerk to “the Honble. James Madison of Congress Philadelphia .” Docketed by JM, “Novr. 2. 1782.” The great constitutional question, which was mentioned in my last letter, as having been adjourned from the general court to the court of appeals, received a second solemn hearing on thursday. The Judges, impressed...
29To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 15 June 1782 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). This letter, in Randolph’s hand, lacks a cover, complimentary close, signature, and docket. Even though the final paragraph suggests that Randolph had completed his message when he reached the bottom of a single sheet of paper, the letter may have included an additional page. Mr. F. Webb, who returned yesterday, informs me, that he is the bearer of another instance...
30To James Madison from Edmund Randolph, 1 February 1783 (Madison Papers)
RC ( LC : Madison Papers). Letter unsigned but in Randolph’s hand. Cover addressed to “The honble James Madison jr. esq of congress Philadelphia. To go by the post.” Docketed by JM on the right margin of the cover, “Richmond Feby. 1st. 83,” and on the left margin, “Feby. 1. 1783.” The death of my aunt unfortunately furnishes me with an apology for the late omissions in my correspondence. At...