From John Jay to William Short, 5 July 1787
To William Short
New York 5 July 1787
Sir
Mr Walton delivered to me immediately on his arrival, your Letter of the 21 March with the Medals &c. mentioned in it; & I was last week favored with your subsequent one of the 4 May last, with the other Medals and the Papers.1
Accept my Thanks for your Attention in transmitting the Speeches of the King of France & his Minister to the Notables—Such Intelligence is interesting. It seems from the arret respecting the Bounty & Duty on Fish, that the absolute Prohibition of foreign Fish is in Contemplation—a circumstance of much Importance to the united States. “Local Circumstances” will however always operate in our Favor, and if wisely improved must in Time more than rival any Fishery not so circumstanced, even ‘tho aided by Bounties.
The Business of Finance appears to occupy the Attention of France and Britain as well as America, and doubtless with much Reason. I wish we made more progress in it; but among other Reasons, the sitting of the Convention at Philadelphia has called so many members from Congress that a sufficient number of States are not represented to enable them to advance in that or any other Business which requires the Presence of nine States. Hence it happened that I have not yet been enabled to write to Mr Jefferson on a certain Subject mentioned in his Letters, & on which I reported agreably to his Ideas. I regret this Delay especially as it is uncertain how much longer it may continue.2
The Letter of Mr Calonne3 should certainly be registered. The Honor of Government appears to dictate it; and it would not be wise to disappoint Expectations so excited—From these, and particularly from the Considerations you suggest there is Reason doubtless to expect that the Letter will take Effect.
So soon as a proper number of States shall be represented in Congress I hope they will take up my Report respecting the number of Medals to be struck, and how distributed—I concur in Sentiment with Mr Jefferson on this Subject—4 I have the Honor to be Sir Your most obedient and very h’ble Servt
John Jay
William Short Esqr.
1. Short to JJ, 21 Mar., delivered by Abraham Walton of New York with a medal of General Greene, LS, DNA: PCC, item 87, 2: 1–2 (EJ: 12016); and 4–5 May 1787, delivered by Crèvecoeur, with a medal for General Gates, and other bronze medals, LS, DNA: PCC, item 87, 2: 5–6b; 11: 231, 345–47. For their arrival, see the entries for 31 May (EJ: 3775) and 1 July (EJ: 3777). The papers enclosed by Short in these letters included: (1) The address of Louis XVI, and that of the comptroller-general, Calonne, to the assembly, printed in Procès-Verbal de L’Assemblée de Notables, Tenue à Versailles … 1787 (Paris, 1788), 52, 56–81. On these addresses, see TJ to JJ, 23 Feb. 1787, PtC, DLC: Jefferson (EJ: 10146); LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 107, 2: 3; : 11: 179–80. (2) Printed arrêt of the Council of State of 11 Feb. 1787 extending to “Eight Livres the Duty of five Livres per Quintal imposed by the arrêt of 25 Septr 1785 on all dried Codfish of the foreign fisheries imported into the Windward and Leeward Islands, and extending to twelve Livres the Bounty of ten Livres granted by the Arret of the 18 of the same Month, on every Quintal of dried Codfish of the french Fishery imported into the said islands.” Filed with translation. DNA: PCC, item 87, 2: 15–16, 21–22. (3) Printed decree of Louis XVI of 11 Feb. 1787 on the commerce of the French colonies in America correcting abuses concerning standard gauges for hogsheads of sugar, barrels, and casks so far as they had arisen from neglect of the regulations of the Arrêt of 1 Mar. 1744. Filed with translation by Pintard. See DNA: PCC, item 87, 2: 7–14. (4) Printed copies of the Speech of Louis XVI to the Assembly of Notables, 23 Apr. 1787. DNA: PCC, item 87, 2: 17–19.
2. Probably the issue of the assumption by Dutch bankers of the American debt to France discussed in TJ’s letters to JJ of 26 Sept. and 12 Nov. 1786, which JJ submitted to Congress on 18 Jan. Congress referred TJ’s letter to the Commissioners of the Treasury on 2 Feb.; Congress approved their report of 19 Feb., recommending that TJ be instructed not to sanction any negotiations for transferring the U.S. debt to France, on 2 Oct. 1787. 32: 12; 33: 589–92.
3. For Calonne’s letter of 22 Oct. on French trade regulations and duties related to its commerce with the United States, copies of which were enclosed in TJ to JJ, 23 and 27 Oct. 1786, see 10: 474–78, 484–87; 3: 351–53, 356–58; Calonne to TJ, 22 Oct., DNA: PCC, item 87, 1: 686–92, 706–13; TJ to JJ, 23 Oct. and 27 Oct., PtC, DLC: Jefferson (EJ: 10136, 12137); ALS, 24 and 27 Oct., DNA: PCC, item 87, 1: 694–96, 762.
4. In his letter of 14 Feb. 1787 (PtC, DLC: Jefferson [EJ: 10144]), TJ had proposed sending one of each medal to the crowned heads of Europe and to each of the colleges of higher learning in America. For JJ’s recommendations as to the production and distribution of the commemorative medals, see his report of 11 July 1787, DS, DNA: PCC, item 81, 3: 121–24 (EJ: 3951); LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 124, 3: 84–86 (EJ: 4600); 33: 421–23. According to the endorsement the report was read in Congress on 13 July and returned to JJ to take order. JJ forwarded instructions regarding the medals in his letter to TJ of 8 Sept. 1787, below.