To George Washington from Edmund Randolph, 23 May 1794
From Edmund Randolph
May 23. 1794.
The Secretary of state has the honor of transmitting the papers1 and message; taking at the same time the liberty of suggesting the propriety of instructing Mr Dandridge to inform the Speaker and Vice President, that this and the Secretary’s letter of yesterday are not in confidence. Otherwise, they will be concealed under the confidential message of yesterday from the public eye.2
To both houses.
I lay before you the copy of a letter from the Minister Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majesty, in answer to a letter from the Secretary of State, communicated to congress yesterday; and also the copy of a letter from the Secretary, which is referred to in the abovementioned letter of the Minister.3
AL, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters; LB, DNA: RG 59, George Washington’s Correspondence with His Secretaries of State. The letter-book copy lacks the message to both houses.
1. The papers were copies of British minister George Hammond’s letter to Randolph of 22 May and Randolph’s letter to Hammond of 29 April, for discussion of which, see Randolph to GW, 22 May (second letter), and n.1.
2. Randolph is referring to GW’s message to Congress of 21 May and Randolph’s letter to Hammond of 20 May, enclosed with that message.
3. GW’s message to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives of this date followed Randolph’s draft verbatim (LS, DNA: RG 46, Third Congress, 1793-95, Senate Records of Legislative Proceedings, President’s Messages).