From Thomas Jefferson to Francisco Chiappe, 13 May 1791
To Francisco Chiappe
Phila. May 13. 1791.
Sir
Since my entrance into the office of Secretary of state I have been honoured with several of your letters, and should sooner have acknoleged the reciept of them but that I have from time to time expected the present occasion would occur sooner than it has done.
I am authorised to express to you the satisfaction of the President at the zeal and attention you have shewn to our interests and to hope a continuance of them.
Mr. Barclay is sent in the character of Consul of the U.S. to present our respects to his imperial Majesty for whom he has a letter from the President. We have no doubt he will receive your aid as usual to impress the mind of the emperor with a sense of our high respect and friendship for his person and character, and to dispose him to a cordial continuance of that good understanding so happily established with his father.
Our manner of thinking on all these subjects is so perfectly known to Mr. Barclay, that nothing better can be done than to refer you to him for information on every subject which you might wish to enquire into.1 I am with great esteem Sir Your mo. ob. & mo. hble servt.
Dft (Lloyd W. Smith, Madison, N.J., 1946); at foot of text: “Mr. Francisco Chiappe”; docketed by Remsen. PrC of RC in Remsen’s hand (DLC). FC (DNA: RG 59, DCI).
TJ in fact had not received any letters addressed to him by Francisco Chiappe since becoming Secretary of State: all during that period had been written to Jay as Secretary for Foreign Affairs or to Washington as “President of Congress.” These were six in number and covered the period from 3 Aug. 1790 to 8 Nov. 1791. All are in DNA: RG 360, PCC No. 98 (M-247/125) and are noted where transmitted to TJ (see, for example, Lear to TJ, 9 July 1791; also Editorial Note on commerce in the Mediterranean, at 28 Dec. 1790). Although both Francisco and Giuseppe Chiappe sent several letters to the President subsequent to this date which are to be found in the same series, the above communication closed the official relationship with the brothers (see TJ’s instructions to Barclay, 13 May 1791).
1. In Dft at this point TJ deleted the following: “He will particularly explain to you.”