John Jay Papers
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To John Jay from Elias Boudinot, 1 November 1783

From Elias Boudinot

Princeton 1. November 1783

Sir,

I was honored by your several private favours,1 recommending Mr. Vaughan and some other Gentlemen, to whom I have endeavoured to pay every civility in my power— Also one enclosing my Nephew’s Letter from Madeira, for which I am much obliged to you.2

Congress has thought proper to appoint him their Commercial Agent at that Island.3 He is a deserving young American, who I doubt not will do honor to his appointment. If you can be of any service to him I shall take it as a particular favour done to me.

I have the honor of enclosing a copy of the acts of Congress relating to yourself individually, the authenticated copies of which I transmit in a set of instructions to the Commissioners jointly by this opportunity.4

Congress did not think it just or honorable to alter or abridge your Salary while absent at Bath for your health, and therefore have passed only a simple permission for your going to Bath for the re-establishment of your former vigour.

We are still of this Town, but on the 6th. instant Congress mean to adjourn to Annapolis5 having determined at present to have two places of residence, or Fœderal Towns, one near the falls of Potomack, the other near the falls of Delaware.6

I send the News-papers to the Commissioners which will let you into the general state of things.

Capt. Jones,7 the Bearer of this, can also give you much general Information.

I carefully forwarded your Letters to the North River. I have the Honor to be, with the most sincere regard and esteem, Sir, Your most obedient & very humb. Servt.

Elias Boudinot

The honble John Jay, Esq.

ALS, PPIn (EJ: 11970). Marked “Private”. Endorsed: “Recd 8 Decr. 1783”. Dft, DLC: Boudinot (EJ: 10349). J. J. Boudinot, ed., The Life, Public Services, Addresses and Letters of Elias Boudinot (2 vols.; Boston, 1896), 2: 15–16, incorrectly dates this letter 5 Nov. 1783; this error is repeated in the excerpt in LMCC description begins Edmund C. Burnett, ed., Letters of Members of the Continental Congress (8 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1921–36) description ends , 7: 369. This letter was included in a packet from Boudinot to the American commissioners; see below, JA to JJ, 7 Dec. 1783.

1. Only JJ’s letter to Boudinot of 22 May has been found. ALS, DLC: Boudinot (EJ: 10351); Dft, NNC (EJ: 8841).

2. John Marsden Pintard. See JJ to Boudinot, 11 June 1783, above.

3. On Pintard’s appointment as commercial agent, see Pintard to JJ, 19 Apr. 1783, and note 2, above; and JCC description begins Worthington C. Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1904–37) description ends , 25: 780.

4. For the copy of the instructions relating to JJ alone, dated 1 Oct. 1783, see NNC (EJ: 7715). These match the eighth and ninth items of the overall instructions to the commissioners of 29 Oct. 1783, printed above.

5. Adjournment had originally been set for 12 Nov. Congress was scheduled to reconvene at Annapolis on 26 Nov., but did not achieve a quorum until 13 Dec. 1783. JCC description begins Worthington C. Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1904–37) description ends , 25: 714, 802, 807, 809; LDC description begins Paul H. Smith et al., eds., Letters of Delegates to the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (26 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1976–98) description ends , 21: 162.

6. The resolution for an alternate residence of Congress was adopted 21 Oct. 1783. See JCC description begins Worthington C. Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1904–37) description ends , 25: 654–60, 664–68, 714; and Gouverneur Morris to JJ, 25 Sept. 1783, above.

7. On Jones, see note 4 to Congress’s Instructions to the American Peace Commissioners, 29 Oct. 1783, above.

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    Jay Papers
    Title
    To John Jay from Elias Boudinot, 1 November 1783
    Author
    Boudinot, Elias
    Recipient
    Jay, John
    Date
    1 November 1783

    Reference

    Cite as
    “To John Jay from Elias Boudinot, 1 November 1783,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jay/01-03-02-0198. [Original source: The Selected Papers of John Jay, vol. 3, 1782–1784, ed. Elizabeth M. Nuxoll. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2013, pp. 503–504.]

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