To George Washington from Edmund Randolph, 27 April 1794
From Edmund Randolph
Sunday Evening. [Philadelphia, 27 April 1794]
E. Randolph has the honor of inclosing to the President the draught of a nomination; and begs leave to suggest to him, whether it may not be adviseable to shew it to Colo. H., who will be with the President to morrow morning.1
E.R. has conversed with several gentlemen, who are of the same politics, with the person contemplated as the successor. Upon the whole, they think, that his appointment would be satisfactory; tho’ they are not insensible of there being some objection. The particular individual, with whom the President wished E.R. to converse, concurs; but expresses himself thus. “I think, his deafness is an exception to him; but as no person, more acceptable to the Republicans here and France can be found, it would be adviseable to send him.”
Colo. Fanisse, Aid de Camp to General Rochambeau, delivered me this morning a letter from him to E.R.; which will be shewn to the President to morrow.2 Fanisse says, that Admiral Jervis, and General Gray told Rochambeau, that the English would force the U.S. to declare for, or against France without delay.
AL, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters; LB, DNA: RG 59, GW’s Correspondence with His Secretaries of State. The docket on the AL reads, “27. April 1794,” and the letter-book copy is dated “27 April.”
1. The draft, which has not been identified, probably is for GW’s letter to Robert R. Livingston of 29 April, in which GW asks Livingston to succeed Gouverneur Morris as the U.S. minister plenipotentiary to France. For an alteration to the draft, see Randolph to GW, 28 April (first letter).
2. The letter from Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau, to Randolph was written at Newport, R.I., on 18 April. After announcing his arrival in the United States and the circumstances leading to it, Rochambeau wrote that he was waiting for instructions from the Executive Council of France. Anticipating that his health would soon be restored, Rochambeau wished to know the proper procedure for paying his respects to GW. His aide-de-camp, Lt. Col. Panisse, who has information about captured American vessels, is the bearer of this letter (in French, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters). On the arrival of Rochambeau and his officers at Newport on 15 April, after surrendering the island of Martinique to British forces commanded by General Sir Charles Grey and Vice Admiral Sir John Jervis, see William Ellery to Alexander Hamilton, 22 April (, 16:309–12).