The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume XI Part 39

I have the honor to enclose copies of letters, which have been received from the Governor of the Island of Granada, in consequence of letters written, on my application, by the Minister of France, and the state of Mr Mc Clintock's case, transmitted by me.

From this answer, I think the justice of Mr Mc Clintock's claim is put out of doubt; but, at the same time, redress will be rendered more difficult, by our being now obliged to seek it in another channel. I shall, however, direct a memorial to be presented on the subject to the Court of France, and send over authentic copies of the doc.u.ments in my possession. It would greatly facilitate this business, if Mr Mc Clintock had an agent in France, who would prosecute his claim, and to whom I would afford all the facilities in my power. I mention this matter to your Excellency, because the Legislature of New Hampshire, having interested themselves therein, I presumed that it would be agreeable to them to know that it was not neglected.

I beg you to a.s.sure them, Sir, that I shall receive with pleasure any further instruction with which they may please to honor me, relative to this or any other subject, in which I may promote the views of the State, or the interest of its members.

Not having been honored with answers to my several letters to your Excellency of the following dates, 18th and 19th of February and 2d of May, 1782, I beg leave to ask, whether they have been received, and what measures have been taken in consequence of them.

I have the honor to be, &c.

ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

Office of Foreign Affairs, September 9th, 1782.

Sir,

The situation of my affairs rendering my personal attention necessary, I take the liberty to request your Excellency to communicate to Congress my design, (if it meets their approbation,) to visit the State of New York for a few weeks. I shall take measures to have the earliest communication made to Congress of such intelligence as may be received in my absence, and for the general direction of the business of the department. Your Excellency will do me the honor to obtain the sense of Congress upon this subject, and to believe me, with the highest respect, &c.

ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

TO GOVERNOR MARTIN, OF NORTH CAROLINA.

Office of Foreign Affairs, September 9th, 1782.

Sir,

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's letter of the 24th of June, by Mr Blount, together with the map you were pleased to transmit. I shall expect at your leisure, the other doc.u.ments you mention as explanatory of your boundaries. Copies of the most westerly grants, that have been made by the Crown within your State, would tend greatly to elucidate your claim, as would also copies of acts of the Legislature laying out the back country into counties or parishes, if any such exist.

I receive, with great pleasure, the account you give of the exertion of your State in filling their line, though I think we have some reason to hope, that you will not be able to find employment for them near home.

I could wish to have had it in my power to give your Excellency some account of our foreign negotiations, but by an extraordinary neglect, or, which is more probable, by some accident, we have had no official information either from our own Ministers, or through the Minister of France, for a very long time past. As to public news, it is not worth while to trouble you with it, as this letter will probably lay some days before the gentleman, who has promised to charge himself with it, calls. I shall therefore direct, as the best means of giving the news of the day, that the latest papers of this place be sent with it, when he is just about to set out.

I have the honor to be, Sir, &c.

ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

Office of Foreign Affairs, September 11th, 1782.

Sir,

I have the honor to lay before Congress a number of letters received last night by Captain Smedley, from Mr Adams, Mr Dana, and Mr Barclay.

I have arranged and numbered them, and translated those of Mr Dumas.

The compliment of the merchants of the town of Schiedam being very long, it is not yet translated, when it is, it will be laid before Congress. Mr Dana has by some accident neglected to put up the first sheet of his letter, so that the subject is broken in upon, and we are ignorant of its date.

I take the liberty to recommend that some attention be paid to Mr Adams's request with respect to Mr Dumas, who has certainly been a very a.s.siduous servant of the United States; I could wish at least to be enabled to inform him of the sense of Congress thereon. Perhaps it would be expedient to commit it to the committee appointed to consider the salaries of foreign Ministers, &c. Mr Adams has as yet received no answer to the letter on the subject of his purchase at the Hague.

Should Congress approve the form, which Mr Adams proposes for the ratification of his agreement, I presume Mr Thomson will have their orders for endorsing it, and the agreement will be immediately returned to this office, so that Congress may avail themselves of the means, that now offer for transmitting it.

I also lay before Congress a large packet, containing Mr Deane's accounts, which I shall deliver to the Office of Finance, unless Congress would choose to have it disposed of in some other way. I must beg, Sir, that the letters be returned to this office, as soon as Congress have examined them as I wish to avail myself of the present opportunity to answer them.

I have the honor to be, &c.

ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

Office of Foreign Affairs, September 12th, 1782.

Sir,

I have the honor to lay before Congress two letters from Messrs de Neufville and Son, under cover of which last I received the enclosed letter, which contains what I suppose to be the first sheet of Mr Dana's letter, probably sent immediately after he had discovered his mistake. I send the other parts with it. I also enclose for the perusal of Congress an act of the British Parliament for the exchange of American prisoners, which, when returned to the office I shall have published.

I find in a Leyden paper some account of Mr Grenville's negotiation, and the alterations proposed by the committee of the States General to the treaty submitted to their consideration by Mr Adams. These may be objects of curiosity, and as such I enclose them. They will be printed on Sat.u.r.day if the papers are returned in time.

A Dutch paper of the 13th of July, mentions that the Baron Viomenil, the Marquis de Lavall, and other officers, left Paris the beginning of July, in order to sail in the ---- frigate; that the Marquis de Lafayette was not to accompany them, as it was proposed; that he was waiting the issue of the negotiation in Paris.

The Count D'Artois has obtained leave of the King of Spain to serve as a volunteer at the siege of Gibraltar. This may perhaps be concluded as an indication of their hope of success in the attempt to reduce it.

I have the honor to be, &c.

ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

Philadelphia, September 12th, 1782.

Sir,

I have the honor to enclose two reports upon Mr Adams's letters. I would propose in addition to the first to direct the substance of Mr Adams's letter of the 23d of April, containing his note, and the appointment of a committee, to be printed as articles of intelligence, not under the express direction of Congress, since the business is not concluded.

With respect to the second report, I am led to make it by Mr Adams's recommendation, and by my sense of the zeal and diligence, which M.

Dumas has so long testified in the cause of America, when it was very far from being a popular one in Holland. Though I must confess I feel some reluctance in seeing any but an American in the line, which ought to serve as a school for future Ministers. But this case has peculiar circ.u.mstances by which it must be determined. The commission of _Charge d'Affaires_ I should conceive too important and too confidential to be placed in any hands, but those of a citizen of the United States. There are other reasons, which will suggest themselves to Congress, against this measure, which it is unnecessary to mention.

The salary I have left blank, as that subject is under the consideration of a committee. The second resolution is to take away the necessity of making it greater than our circ.u.mstances will allow.

The merits of the other gentlemen mentioned by Mr Adams, together with his recommendation, might justly perhaps induce Congress to show them some marks of their attention, if the situation of their finances would permit, but as neither of those gentlemen are in the service of Congress, it is to be presumed that they will not choose to take any public notice of that part of his letter, till they are in circ.u.mstances to satisfy the just claims of those who have demands upon them.

I have the honor to be, &c.