Volume 17

6 July to 3 November 1790

Volume Details

Description

Volume 17 opens with a significant episode in American history—the understanding between Jefferson and Hamilton that decided the divisive questions of the assumption of state debts and the fixing of the permanent seat of government.

Hard after this came the threat of war between England and Spain, posing the first issue in foreign policy for Jefferson as Secretary of State and producing both division and deception in the cabinet. All agreed upon a policy of neutrality, but Jefferson urged that a firm price be exacted—from Spain, the opening of the Mississippi to navigation; from England, a pledge not to commit aggression on Spanish territory bordering the United States. From this emerged the profound but ill-kept secret of David Humphreys’ mission to Spain and Alexander Hamilton’s attempts through consultations with the British secret agent, Major George Beckwith, to guide foreign policy in the direction of closer relations with England, commercial and other. Beckwith’s role and Hamilton’s duplicity are disclosed and analyzed at length in an editorial note to a group of documents on the Anglo-Spanish war crisis.

In the midst of this threat to national security, the Secretary of State found time to begin afresh his investigation of the state of the whale and cod fisheries, to systematize the consular establishment, to guide the various steps for creating the Federal City, to supervise the removal of the offices to Philadelphia, to continue his correspondence on a uniform system of weights and measures, to publish Thomas Paine’s essay on a mint, to advise the President on relations with Holland bankers, to exchange views with him on the navigability of western rivers, and to observe his ratification of an Indian treaty with the famous Alexander McGillivray. He also watched events in revolutionary France through the eyes of William Short, made arrangements with Benjamin Franklin Bache to create a weekly newspaper of national circulation, ordered French wines for the President and for himself, accompanied Washington to Rhode Island, negotiated about a thoroughbred for himself, urged Virginia farmers during the war crisis to shift from tobacco to wheat, and for a few days was able to be reunited with his daughters at Monticello and—interrupted by an urgent trip to Richmond—to give some attention to putting his private affairs in order.

Table of Contents

From Peter Carr, 6 July 1790	3
From Nathaniel Cutting, 6 July 1790	3
From David Howell, 6 July 1790	8
From Madame de Tessé, 6 July 1790	8
From John Garland Jefferson, 7 July 1790	10
From William Short, 7 July 1790	10
From William Short, 7 July 1790	14
From Harry Innes, 8 July 1790	20
To Alexander Hamilton, 9 [July] 1790	21
From Charles Bellini, 10 July 1790	21
From Beverley Randolph, 10 July 1790	23
To James Monroe, 11 July 1790	25
To Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., 11 July 1790	26
From William Short, 11 July 1790	27
From Richard O'Bryen, 12 July 1790	29
The War Crisis of 1790, Editorial Note, 12 July 1790	35
I. Secretary of State to the President, enclosing Opinion, 12 July 1790	108
Enclosure: Jefferson's Outline of Policy Contingent on War between England and Spain, 12 July 1790	109
II. Secretary of State to William Carmichael, enclosing Outline of Policy, 2 August 1790	111
Enclosure Jefferson's Outline of Policy on the Mississippi Question, 2 August 1790	113
III. Thomas Jefferson to Luis Pinto de Souza, 7 August 1790	117
IV. Secretary of State to Joshua Johnson, 7 August 1790	119
V. Secretary of State to the President, 8 August 1790	120
VI. Secretary of State to William Short, 10 August 1790	121
VII. Secretary of State to David Humphreys, 11 August 1790	125
VIII. Secretary of State to Gouverneur Morris, 12 August 1790	127
IX. Queries from the President to Members of the Cabinet, 27 August 1790	128
X. First Opinion of the Secretary of State, 28 August 1790	129
XI. Second Opinion of the Secretary of State, 29 August 1790	131
XII. Opinion of the Chief Justice, 28 August 1790	134
XIII. Opinion of the Vice-President, 29 August 1790	137
XIV. Opinion of the Secretary of War, 29 August 1790	140
XV. Opinion of the Secretary of the Treasury, 15 September 1790	143
To C. W. F. Dumas, 13 July 1790	161
Opinions on the Constitutionality of the Residence Bill, Editorial Note, 13 July 1790	163
I. Address to the President, by Junius Americanus, 12 July [1790]	183
II. George Washington to Thomas Jefferson, 15 July 1790	193
III. Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 15 July 1790	193
IV. Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 15 July 1790	194
V. Jefferson's Opinion on the Constitutionality of the Residence Bill, 15 July 1790	194
VI. James Madison's Concurring Opinion, [14 July 1790]	199
VII. One of the Gallery on the Conduct of Madison, Page, and Carroll, [15 July 1790]	200
VIII. Reply to Junius Americanus and Others, 9 August 1790	201
IX. Response by Truth to the Foregoing, 11 August 1790	203
X. Jefferson's Account of the Bargain on the Assumption and Residence Bills, [1792?]	205
From C. W. F. Dumas, 14 July 1790	208
From La Motte, 15 July 1790	210
To William Temple Franklin, 16 July 1790	211
From William Short, 16 July 1790	212
To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 17 July 1790	214
Plans and Estimates for the Diplomatic Establishment, Editorial Note, 17 July 1790	216
I. Plans presented to Washington, [26 March 1790]	222
II. Plan presented to the Conference Committee, [21 June 1790]	223
III. Observations on the Diplomatic Establishment as provided for by Congress, [17 July 1790]	224
IV. Estimates of Funds Required for the Diplomatic Establishment, 1790–1791, [19 July 1790]	229
From James Monroe, 18 July 1790	231
From J. P. P. Derieux, 20 July 1790	233
From William Temple Franklin, 20 July 1790	236
From Mary Jefferson, 20 July [1790]	239
From Lucy Ludwell Paradise, 20 July 1790	240
To William Fitzhugh, 21 July 1790	241
To David Howell, 21 July 1790	244
The Consular Establishment [July 1790], Editorial Note, 21 July 1790	244
I. Memoranda on Candidates and Places for Consular Appointments, [ca. 1 June 1790]	249
II. List of Consular Vacancies, [21 July 1790]	256
From William Short, 22 July 1790	256
To George Washington, 22 July 1790	258
Enclosure: Jefferson's Notes on Brazil and Mexico, 22 July 1790	258
From Madame De Corny, 23 July 1790	259
From Tench Coxe, 23 July 1790	261
To Roger Alden, 25 July 1790	262
To Nathaniel Anderson, 25 July 1790	262
From Madame Plumard de Bellanger, 25 July 1790	263
To Elizabeth Wayles Eppes, 25 July 1790	265
To Francis Eppes, 25 July 1790	266
To William Temple Franklin, 25 July 1790	267
To George Gilmer, 25 July 1790	269
To John Harvie, 25 July 1790	270
To Mary Jefferson, 25 July 1790	271
From Le Veillard, 25 July 1790	272
To Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., 25 July 1790	274
To Thomas Mann Randolph, 25 July 1790	274
From Benjamin S. Barton, 26 July 1790	276
From James Monroe, 26 July 1790	277
To William Short, 26 July 1790	277
To William Short, 26 July 1790	282
From George Washington, 26 July 1790	283
To Nathaniel Barrett, 27 July 1790	285
To Ferdinand Grand, Jr., 27 July 1790	286
From Madame d'Enville, 27 July 1790	286
To Thomas Smith, 27 July 1790	288
Opinion on McGillivray's Monopoly of Commerce with Creek Indians, 29 July 1790	288
From Thomas Upshaw, 27 July 1790	291
From Montmorin, 31 July 1790	291
To William Blount, 1 August 1790	292
From William Temple Franklin, 1 August 1790	293
From Robert R. Livingston, 1 August 1790	294
To David Rittenhouse, 1 August 1790	295
From Joseph Fenwick, 2 August 1790	295
From John Harvie, 3 August 1790	296
From Petit, 3 August 1790	297
To Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., 3 August 1790	298
From Nathaniel Cutting, 4 August 1790	299
To Thomas Leiper, 4 August 1790	309
From Warner Lewis, 4 August 1790	310
From William Short, 4 August 1790	311
From William Short, 4 August 1790	315
To W. & J. Willink, N. & J. Van Staphorst, & N. Hubbard, 4 August 1790	318
To William Carmichael, 6 August 1790	318
From James B. Pleasants, 6 August 1790	320
To George Washington, 6 August 1790	320
To James Brown, 8 August 1790	321
From Diodati, 8 August 1790	322
To Nicholas Lewis, 8 August 1790	324
To Robert R. Livingston, 8 August 1790	325
From Josiah Parker, 8 August 1790	326
To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 8 August 1790	326
From Nathaniel Cutting, 9 August 1790	327
To Henry Remsen, [9 August 1790]	329
To William Short, 9 August 1790	330
From Edmund Randolph, 10 August 1790	331
From Elizabeth Wayles Eppes, 11 August 1790	331
From Benjamin Huger, 11 August 1790	332
From Mary Jefferson, [ca. 11 August 1790]	332
To Sir John Temple, 11 August 1790	333
Enclosure I: Report of the Governor of Georgia on Confiscation Acts, 15 July 1789	335
Enclosure II: Order in Council Respecting Suits Concerning Confiscation, 11 May 1790	337
To Richard Harison and other District Attorneys, 12 August 1790	338
To Henry Knox, [12 August 1790]	340
To Juan Nepomuceno de Quesada, 12 August 1790	341
To William Short, 12 August 1790	342
Documents Relating to Departmental Personnel and Services, Editorial Note, 12 August 1790	343
I. Thomas Jefferson to William Barton, 12 August 1790	347
II. John Meyer to Thomas Jefferson, 12 August 1790	351
III. James Wilson to Thomas Jefferson, 13 August 1790	354
IV. Richard Bland Lee to Thomas Jefferson, 19 August 1790	354
V. Thomas Jefferson to Isaac Pinto, 28 August 1790	355
VI. Salary Account of the Department of State, [1 April 1791]	356
VII. Contingent Expenses of the Department of State, 1790–1793, 14 January 1790–31 December 1793	359
VIII. Memoranda from Henry Remsen, Jr., [ca. 30 August 1790]	379
IX. Further Memoranda from Henry Remsen, Jr., [ca. 1792]	381
From Edmund Randolph, [13 August 1790]	388
To Francis Hopkinson, 14 August 1790	389
To Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., 14 August 1790	390
From Benjamin Rush, 15 August 1790	391
From William Short, 15 August 1790	392
From Benjamin Franklin Bache, 20 August 1790	397
From Robert Montgomery, 21 August 1790	397
To Nathaniel Colley, 22 August 1790	398
To Pierre Delivet, 22 August 1790	399
To J. P. P. Derieux, 22 August 1790	400
From Le Mesurier & Cie., 22 August 1790	401
To Martha Jefferson Randolph, 22 August 1790	402
From Philip Schuyler, 22 August 1790	403
Enclosure: Table to compare Standard with English long, square, and cubic Measure and with English measure of Capacity, 22 August 1790	409
From William Short, 22 August 1790	410
From William Short, 22 August 1790	413
To Sylvanus Bourne, 23 August 1790	416
To Sylvanus Bourne, 24 August 1790	417
To William Fitzhugh, 24 August 1790	417
To John Hancock, 24 August 1790	419
To Sylvanus Bourne, 25 August 1790	420
From Stephen Sayre, 25 August 1790	421
To William Short, 25 August 1790	421
Circular to American Consuls, 26 August 1790	423
Jefferson's Opinion on Fiscal Policy, 26 August 1790	425
To Henry Knox, 26 August 1790	430
To William Short, 26 August 1790	431
From Le Mesurier & Cie., 27 August 1790	435
From William Short, 27 August 1790	437
From Ezra Stiles, 27 August 1790	442
From George Washington, 27 [August] 1790	444
Enclosure I: Jonathan Heart to Josiah Harmer, 1788	445
Enclosure II: Report on Navigability of Rivers in Northwest Territory, 1788–1789	448
From Ferdinand Grand, 28 August 1790	449
From Alexander Hamilton, 28 August 1790	451
George Washington to John Hancock, 28 August 1790	451
Fixing the Seat of Government on the Potomac, Editorial Note, 29 August 1790	452
I. Jefferson's Draft of Agenda for the Seat of Government, [29 August 1790]	460
II. Jefferson's Report to Washington on Meeting Held at Georgetown, [14 September 1790]	461
III. Thomas Lee Shippen to William Shippen, 15 September 1790	464
IV. Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 17 September 1790	466
Enclosure I: Thomas Jefferson to Daniel Carroll, [17 September 1790]	467
Enclosure II: Sketches for the Conveyance of the Lands whereon the Federal Seat is to be fixed, [17 September 1790]	467
V. Thomas Jefferson to Zachariah Johnston, 7 October 1790	468
VI. Proposals by Georgetown Landowners, [13 October 1790]	469
To William Carmichael, 29 August 1790	472
To Alexander Donald, 29 August 1790	473
To Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., 29 August 1790	473
To Alexander Hamilton, 30 August 1790	474
To La Forest, 30 August 1790	475
To John Bondfield, 31 August 1790	476
From Arthur Fenner, 31 August 1790	477
To William Short, 31 August 1790	477
From George Wythe, 31 August 1790	478
From Stephen Cathalan, Jr., 1 September 1790	478
From Alexander Donald, 1 September 1790	481
From Lucy Ludwell Paradise, 1 September 1790	482
From William Vernon, 1 September 1790	483
From Richard Harison, 3 September 1790	484
From Madame de Houdetot, 3 September 1790	485
From N. & J. Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 3 September 1790	487
From Nathaniel Colley, 5 September 1790	488
From William Short, 5 September 1790	488
To Joseph Fenwick, 6 September 1790	493
From Henry Remsen, Jr., 6 September 1790	495
To William Short, 6 September 1790	496
To Stephen Cathalan, Jr., 7 September 1790	497
To Henry Remsen, Jr., 7 September 1790	498
From C. W. F. Dumas, 7 September 1790	498
From Rayneval, 8 September 1790	501
From James Maury, 9 September 1790	501
From Henry Remsen, Jr., 9 September 1790	502
From William Short, 9 September 1790	502
From William Short, 9 September 1790	505
From William Goddard, 11 September 1790	508
From Thomas Lee Shippen, 1[4] September 1790	509
From Fulwar Skipwith, 18 September 1790	510
From Charles Cotesworh Pinckney, 19 September 1790	511
To James Madison, 20 September 1790	511
To William Ronald, 20 September 1790	512
From Sylvanus Bourne, 21 September 1790	513
From Benjamin Vaughan, 21 September 1790	514
From John Carter, 24 September 1790	516
From Stephen Cathalan, Sr., 25 September 1790	517
From Henry Remsen, Jr., 25 September 1790	518
From Lucy Ludwell Paradise, 26 September 1790	519
From John Rutledge, Jr., 26 September 1790	521
From William Short, 26 September 1790	523
From Christopher Gore, 27 September 1790	530
From Thomas Paine, 28 September 1790	533
Enclosure: Thoughts on the Establishment of a Mint in the United States, by Thomas Paine, 28 September 1790	534
From N. & J. Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 28 September 1790	540
From C. W. F. Dumas, 30 September 1790	541
To William Short, 30 September 1790	543
From Francis Willis, Sr., 30 September 1790	546
From W. & J. Willink, N. & J. Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 30 September 1790	547
From Thomas Rodney, September 1790	547
To Elizabeth Chiswell Carter, 1 October 1790	551
From Robert R. Livingston, 1 October 1790	552
To Henry Remsen, Jr., 1 October 1790	554
From William Short, 3 October 1790	555
From William Short, 3 October 1790	558
From James Swan, 3 October 1790	560
From Samuel Vaughan, Jr., 4 October 1790	564
From Alexander Donald, 5 October 1790	566
Jefferson's Advertisement for Sale of Elk Hill, [after 10 January 1790]	567
Agreement of Sale for Elk Hill with William Ronald, [5–13 October 1790]	569
From Ignatius Palyart, 5 October 1790	571
From James Brown, 7 October 1790	571
From José Ignacio de Viar, 7 October 1790	572
From Burrill Carnes, 7 October 1790	573
From John Bondfield, 8 October 1790	573
To Francis Eppes, 8 October 1790	581
To John Key, 8 October 1790	582
From Nathaniel Barrett, 10 October 1790	583
To Francis Eppes, 10 October 1790	584
From Maxcey Ewell, 10 October 1790	584
From Fulwar Skipwith, 10 October 1790	585
From N. & J. Van Staphorst & Hubbard, 11 October 1790	590
From William Temple Franklin, 13 October 1790	590
From Francis Eppes, 14 October 1790	592
From David Humphreys, 14 October 1790	593
From Henry Remsen, Jr., 14 October 1790	595
From Noah Webster, Jr., 14 October 1790	598
To Maxcey Ewell, 16 October 1790	599
To James Lyle, 16 October 1790	599
To John Nicholas, Sr., 16 October 1790	600
To Richard Stith, 16 October 1790	600
From Peter Delabigarre, 18 October 1790	601
From C. W. F. Dumas, 19 October 1790	601
From David Humphreys, 20 October 1790	603
From James Monroe, 20 October 1790	607
From John Samuel Sherburne, 20 October 1790	607
From William Short, 21 October 1790	608
From Benjamin Vaughan, 21 October 1790	619
To James Currie, 22 October 1790	621
From James Monroe, 22 October 1790	621
To Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., 22 October 1790	622
To Thomas Mann Randolph, 22 October 1790	623
From Matthew McAllister, 24 October 1790	625
From Alexander Donald, 25 October 1790	626
From David Humphreys, 25 October 1790	627
To David Ross, 25 October 1790	630
From William Short, 25 October 1790	631
From Madame d'Houdetot, 26 October 1790	635
From Rigobert Bonne, 27 October 1790	636
To the Governor of Georgia, 27 October 1790	638
To José Ignacio de Viar, 27 October 1790	638
From William Short, 27 October 1790	639
To George Washington, 27 October 1790	643
From La Motte, 28 October 1790	645
From Pierpont Edwards, 28 October 1790	647
From David Humphreys, 28 October 1790	648
To James Brown, 29 October 1790	653
To Reuben Lindsay, 29 October 1790	654
From William Short, 30 October 1790	654
To Mary Jefferson Bolling, 31 October 1790	656
To Francis Eppes, 31 October 1790	656
To Elizabeth Wayles Eppes, 31 October 1790	658
From James Maury, 1 November 1790	658
To Wilson Cary Nicholas, 1 November 1790	659
From William Tatham, 1 November 1790	659
To John Harvie, Jr., 2 November 1790	660
From David Humphreys, 2 November 1790	663
From Joshua Johnson, 2 November 1790	667
From William Short, 2 November 1790	671
To Meriwether Smith, 2 November 1790	672
To Garland Carr, 3 November 1790	672
From Joshua Johnson, 3 November 1790	673
To James Lyle, 3 November 1790	674
To Francis Walker, 3 November 1790	676

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