To John Jay from Lafayette, 7 February 1787
From Lafayette
Paris February 7th 1787
dear Sir,
This Letter Goes in the first packet from the Havre, a Change Advantageous Both to Passengers and Correspondants, and through the Hands of Col. Franks whose Good Conduct at Morocco Has Entitled Him to a share of that Respect which Has Been deservedly paid to the American Embassy. Mr. Barklay’s Refusal of the patents, Has Been a Matter of wonder to Every Affrican, and I dare Say to Some Europeans whose accounts do full justice to Him1
to Mr. Jefferson’s dispatches I Refer myself for useful Intelligences—The affairs of Holland do not make a progress towards Conciliation—it seems that the King of Prussia will not find Himself the Better for Counter Acting in Many points the Line of Conduct of His deceased Uncle—2 A treaty of Commerce is Signed Between france and Russia—The Empress Has Set out on Her journey towards Krimie She Had permitted my waiting on Her—But I am detained By the Assembly of Notables,3 an Event not very Common, neither Expected, which does Honour to the King and His Ministry, and will, I Hope, Be productive of public Good
I Have Had the Honour to Send Copies of my old Correspondance with the Count of florida Blanca—The inclosed one will Supply Any accident that May Have Befallen the others—We are told that the UnHappy disturbances in New England Have Subsided—4 to us, they do not Appear So dangerous as to Europeans—But Sufficiently So as to Give us Great deal of Concern—May Every Americans know the Blessings of their own Constitutions, and from Comparison judge that if they are to Correct, it would Be Madness in them to destroy! I Hope the Convention at Philadelphia will Answer Essential and Urging purposes of the Confederation, the Commerce, the Establishment of an Uniform and Republican Militia Each State Has within itself the Means fully Sufficient to Set to Rights the opinions of Mistaken Citizens—and those means Seem to me principally founded on the Good Sense, knowledge, and patriotic liberality of the people—Every wrong Measure of theirs would Hurt not only the Consequence of the United States, But also the Cause of liberty in all parts of the World With most Sincere Regard and Attachment I Have the Honour to be, My dear Sir Your obedient Humble Servant,
LaFayette
My Best Respects wait on Mrs. jay—mde. de Lafayette wishes to Be affectionately Remembered to Both—I Have Seen mr Walton5 who is a very deserving, and Even Extraordinary young man—He is now at orleans.
The Hble john jay esq
1. David Salisbury Franks accompanied Barclay on his mission to Morocco. For Barclay’s accomplishments, see the editorial note “The Barbary States: A Problem with No Ready Solution,” above.
2. Frederick William II (1744–97), who succeeded Frederick II on the latter’s death on 17 Aug. 1786, responded to a call from William V, the Stadholder, dispatching Prussian troops in 1787 to restore the Stadholder’s authority in the United Provinces. With the assistance of the British navy, the Prussians routed the revolutionary forces, restoring the House of Orange and humiliating France in the process.
3. The Assembly of Notables, a purely consultative body that had not been called for 160 years, convened at Versailles on 22 Feb. 1787, and was dissolved 25 May without having achieved any genuine reform. A stalemate ensued when the parlements refused to register various reform edicts.
4. For the crushing of Shays’s Rebellion by this date, see below, JJ to Lafayette, 16 Feb. 1787.
5. Abraham Walton had been studying in Orleans before returning to Paris and sailing for New York in March 1787. 10, 551, 581, 622; 11: 213, 216. Walton carried medals made of General Nathanael Greene, on which see Short to JJ, 21 Mar. 1787, ALS, DNA: PCC, item 87, 2: 1 (EJ: 12016). The son of Abraham Walton Sr., a New York merchant, he became a lawyer and practiced in New York. Walter Barrett, The Old Merchants of New York City (New York, 1863), 106–7.