From John Jay to Gouverneur Morris, 14 April 1778
To Gouverneur Morris
Poughkeepsie, 14 Apr. 1778
Dear Morris
Your Favor of the 16 Ulto. was delivered to me two Days ago by Majr. Morris—1 it makes the third I have had the Pleasure of recieving from you since your Departure, altho the Letters I have written to you amount to double that Number.
The Session of the Legislature is at an End, a weak perplexed wrangling one it has been. No Wonder—little application within or without Doors but you know these things as well as I do.
Livingston2 was to have told me the Amount of certain Sums you set him, but I have not seen or heard from him these three Weeks.
The Errata of a certain Gentleman, to whom your long Letter was directed, are I believe imputable to3 ^other Causes than those you hint at. A vacant Majority was to be filled. The Concurrence of the Council of Appt. was supposed necessary & effectual, The prevailing Influence at that Board was therefore to be soothed by every Species of Compliance & Attention. I am not certain this was the Case but I firmly believe it. The Part was too much overacted to have been occasioned by Carelessness on the one Hand or Pique on the other.^ This is writing freely. but you have long seen my Heart, and I dont find myself disposed to veil anything that passes in it from your View.
I wish you would write and publish a few civil Things on our Constitution,—censuring ^however^ an omission in not restraining the Council of Appointmt. from granting offices to themselves, with Remarks on the Danger of that Practice. Send the Paper in which it may be printed to me.4
Effectual Measures should be taken to prevent Staff Officers from Trading. The Forage Departmt. is mismanaged. The Govr. has Power to interpose, & I hope will.
A considerable Detachment of the Troops at the High Lands are under marching orders to Hd. Quarters. This Measure may be right, but a similar one last Fall proved otherwise.
Think of Vermont. The Govr. has written on that Subject to Congress,—5 let them be decisive.
Ought not the Tryals of Schuyler, St Claire and Putnam to be expedited?6 Adieu. Remember me to Duer. I am your Friend
John Jay
Hon’ble Gouvr. Morris. Esqr.
Dft, NNC (EJ: 8330). Endorsed.
1. Letter not found. It was probably delivered by Major Jacob Morris, son of Lewis Morris, who was an aide-de-camp to Charles Lee at this time.
2. Robert R. Livingston.
3. The following interlined passage replaces a heavily excised passage of similar length that is not legible.
4. For the piece probably prepared by Morris on the Council of Appointment, see the letter dated 9 May to the printer of the Maryland Journal, reprinted at the suggestion of “Civis” in the Independent Ledger (Boston), 3 Aug. 1778. It included the following passage:
The Council of Revision in the Constitution of New-York, I do really admire as a master stroke of political sagacity, nor have I any great objection to their Council of Appointment; yet I beg leave to observe that without some check they may be productive of the greatest political evil. As there is no provision that the latter shall not give offices to themselves, it follows from the natural pravity of mankind, that the great offices of state, will, from time to time, be dealt out among the members which compose this Council. This indeed may not happen for some considerable period of time, because it is reasonable to suppose, that the children of the present day will have more wisdom and more virtue than to shock, in this barefaced manner, the sentiments of their fellow-citizens. The mischief therefore will not operate otherwise for the present, than merely granting douceurs to their friends, relations, and dependents. . . .
The author then went on to predict less honorable behavior in future from “the gradual corruption of manners,” which would eventually produce a “spirit of cabal and low Intrigue” and lead to improper appointments to the Council of Revision.
In an undated letter, Morris forwarded a copy of a Baltimore newspaper dated 19 May containing “a little publication which relates to the constitution of your State,” adding a wish that “by the return of the Post you will favour me with your observations on that Piece.” This Maryland newspaper has not been found but undoubtedly included the piece quoted above. Tr, MH (EJ: 5315); , 9: 739. For JJ’s response, see his letter to Morris of 3 June, below.
5. George Clinton to President of Congress Henry Laurens, 7 Apr. 1778 (, 3: 144–46), urged Congress to state its disapproval of the Vermont separatists and warned that New York’s aid to the common cause might be depleted by the need to deal with them.
6. Schuyler’s court-martial was held in October 1778, Arthur St. Clair’s in August 1778. Putnam was acquitted by a court of inquiry in July; Congress approved the decision on 17 Aug. 1778. , 9: 546; , 11: 743, 803–4.