To George Washington from Giuseppe Chiappe, 28 October 1791
From Giuseppe Chiappe
Mogador [Morocco], 28 Oct. 1791. Sends a duplicate of his letter of 31 Aug. by a Dutch captain bound for Saint Lucia with a cargo of mules1 and adds the following news: his brother Girolamo, consul for Venice at Tangier, has traveled to Madrid and Cadiz under the authority of Emperor Yazid Ibn-Muhammed of Morocco to arrange a ceasefire. A skirmish resulting in casualties occurred at Ceuta before news of the truce had reached its garrison, but all further hostilities have been suspended until Madrid’s acceptance of the emperor’s terms is announced. On 22 Sept. the Venetian ambassador to Morocco arrived at Tangier with presents for the emperor, a list of which will be forwarded when received. The emperor immediately called him to Tetuán, where he was to have proceeded on 5 or 6 Oct. with the consul. Further news will be sent only after receiving approval of past and present communications.2
ALS (in French), DNA:PCC, item 98.
For Giuseppe, Francisco, and Girolamo Chiappe and their relations with the United States, see Giuseppe Chiappe to GW, 18 July 1789, source note, 13 May 1790, and 18 Jan., 10 April 1791, and James Simpson to GW, 25 Aug. 1790, n.1, 13 April 1791, n.2. Thomas Jefferson instructed American envoy Thomas Barclay in May 1791 to deal only with Francisco (Giuseppe Chiappe to GW, 10 April 1791, source note). See also Jefferson to GW, 27 Mar. 1791, n.1.
1. For the receipt in the spring of 1792 of this letter and its enclosure, see Giuseppe Chiappe to GW, 31 Aug. 1791, source note and n.3. Saint Lucia was one of the British Windward Islands in the Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles. The bearer of the letter may have been Captain Vanneman of the Tryal (Dunlap s American Daily Advertiser [Philadelphia], 12 Mar. 1792).
2. On 16 Mar. 1792 Tobias Lear transmitted this letter, the cover of which is docketed as having been received at the State Department on 20 Mar., and its enclosure to Thomas Jefferson with GW’s desire that he take them into consideration “and report to him whatever (if anything) may be found therein to demand the President’s attention.” Lear added that “The President wishes to see the Secretary of State some time between this & two o’clock as he can make it most convenient” (DLC: Jefferson Papers). Never having received an answer from GW, Chiappe again wrote him on 20 April 1793 and followed up with further dispatches on 12 Dec. 1794 and 14 April 1795.