To John Jay from John Trumbull, 3 July 1789
From John Trumbull
London July 3d. 1789.
Sir.
Mr. Jefferson’s letter to me of the 29th. June covering the enclos’d, has this passage—
“I took the liberty on the 26th. of troubling you with a packet for Mr Jay, giving him an account of the crisis into which the sceance royale of the 23d. had thrown this country.— the enclosd &c &c”—1
this Letter of the 26th. has not come to my hands, & whether by being entrusted to the Post, it may have totally miscarried, or whether it was given into some private hand, & so only delay’d, I am uncertain.
if it arrives to me, in time to be put on board the same ship with this, you will receive them together: in which case the precaution I now take will be useless:— otherwise it will be satisfactory to know that it is not lost thro’ negligence of me or the Captain to whom this is intrusted.
In the Affairs of this country I know nothing which can interest you to be informed of.
I beg leave to embrace this opportunity of congratulating you & my Country on the establishment of a new System which promises to make us great & happy. I am Sir With the highest respect Your most Humble servant
Jno. Trumbull
J: Jay Esquire.
ALS, NNC (EJ: 90429). Endorsed, incorrectly, “… July 3. 1784.” Son of Governor Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut, artist John Trumbull, then residing in Britain, conveyed dispatches for TJ.
1. For TJ’s letter to Trumbull of 29 June, see , 15: 244. No letter to JJ of 26 June has been found, but see TJ letters to JJ of 24 and 29 June, ALS, DNA: PCC, no. 87, 2: 520–26, 528–30 (EJ: 12047; EJ: 12048), and PrCs, DLC: Jefferson (EJ: 10198; EJ: 10199); , 15: 205–9, 221–22. Necker, and others, had proposed a séance royale or royal session at which the king would address all three estates stating a compromise proposal regarding voting rights among the three estates and other issues. However, under the influence of Artois and other members of the privy council, he determined instead to go in state before the assembly, annul its decrees, command the separation of the three orders, and dictate the reforms to be effected by the restored Estates-General. When according to his plan he went before the assembly on 23 June and his address was met with stony silence, he ordered the assembly to disperse. The nobles and clergy complied but the third estate, or commons, refused to do so, raising the question of possible dispersal by force by the military.