To John Jay from the Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Robert R. Livingston), 6 July 1782
From the Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Robert R. Livingston)
Philadelphia 6th July 1782
Dear Sir
Since my Letter of the 23d. ulto. Congress have passed the enclosed resolution;1 my Letter had already anticipated it, so that it will only serve to shew that I was warranted in the observations I had made, & am sorry to add that my prediction that the Troops taken by Spain would be sent to serve against us seems to be confirmed by an account received from Charlestown of a number of Soldiers taken in Pensacola having been sent there— Could I suppose the Court of Spain entirely regardless of our interests, I should presume that an attention to their own would keep them from affording such reinforcements to the British here as will enable them to detach to Jamaica or any other of their Islands which Spain may have it in contemplation to reduce.
I am therefore fully persuaded that every measure of this kind must originate merely in the inattention of the Officer, & that if mentioned to his Majesty’s ministers, it will be prevented in future, you will therefore take the earliest opportunity to state it to them, & to shew them the pernicious influence it will have not only upon our measures, but upon those sentiments of friendship & affection which Congress wish the people of these States to entertain for a nation that is engaged in the same cause with them & with whom a variety of considerations will lead them to maintain in future the most intimate connection— I have remitted to Doctor Franklin the amount of one quarter’s Salary due to you which I have vested in bills here at six £ threepence this money for five livres, which yields a profit to you of about 5 1/ 2 per cent & will be more than sufficient to pay the expense of commissions that this new mode of paying your Salaries will subject you to— I have directed an Account to be opened with you, & will receive your directions, unless you shall think it proper to appoint some other Agent— My Secretary, Mr Morris, will enclose a particular State of your Accounts—exclusive of contingencies, an account of which I wish you to remit me that I may get it discharged for you—2 The second quarter being now due, I shall get the accounts passed & the bills remitted by the next opportunity—
You will be pleased to pay particular attention to the enclosed paper in cyphers as it relates to a private transaction of some importance to both of us,3 & let me hear from you on the Subject as soon as possible I have the honor to be, dear Sir with great attachment Your most obed humble Servt
Robt R Livingston
His Excellency John Jay Esqr
ALS, NNC (EJ: 90354). Marked “No 11”. Endorsed. Dft, NHi: Livingston (EJ: 826). Endorsed. LbkCs, DNA: PCC, item 79, 1: 454–59 (EJ: 11367); DNA: PCC, item 118, 233–37 (EJ: 9926). Notation: “No. 11 / 1st. Copy delivered the Chev. de la Luzerne / 2plicate by Ship Favourite from Baltimore / 3plicate by Ship Washington / 4plicate by Ship Queen of France.—”. Enclosures: state of JJ’s account (not found); resolution of Congress of 3 July 1782 (, 22: 373); and encoded text as in note 3, below.
1. Secretary for Foreign Affairs to JJ, 23 June, above. On 3 July, on the motion of James Duane, seconded by Madison, Congress had ordered the secretary for foreign affairs to instruct JJ to protest Spain’s decision to allow captured British soldiers to be sent to posts occupied by the British within the United States. , 22: 373.
2. Enclosure not found. RRL’s secretary was Lewis R. Morris, Gouverneur Morris’s nephew.
3. Recorded at the end of LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 118, 233–37; there is also a draft text in PCC, item 59, 1: 121. Notations on the bottom of the former state “Enclosed a Resolution of Congress July 3d 1782,” and “Enclosed in Cypher No. 1 of the Supt. of finance”. The encrypted material reads:
“Finding it difficult to send you a cypher free from Inspection, I wish you to alter yours received from Mr Thomson by advancing your Cypher one Unit. As for A write 393 for ab write 191—for able, 551—and make your decyphering Table conform to it— Add these Cyphers—Be 600, Ce 601, De 602, fe 603, ge 604 he 605, le, 608, me, 652, ne 656, pe 651—Washington 640, Greene 641, Morris, 642—write to me in this Cypher as soon as you receive it—”
The code to be modified was the Thomson code (WE007). See “John Jay’s Use of Codes and Ciphers” (editorial note), : 11.