To George Washington from Edmund Randolph, 2 April 1794
From Edmund Randolph
[Philadelphia] April 2. 1794
The secretary of State has the honor of inclosing to the President the opinions of the gentlemen upon two cases of passports. If the President should decide in their favor, it will be a relief to the parties that they should be issued without delay.1
The gentlemen also agree in the propriety of Mr Higginson, a young lawyer here, being sent to the West Indies to enter the appeals. If this be agreeable to the President, E.R. will speak to him to understand his terms &c.2
AL, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters; LB, DNA: RG 59, GW’s Correspondence with His Secretaries of State.
1. For the cabinet’s reaction to a request by Thomas FitzSimons for a passport, see the Cabinet Opinion of this date. In agreement with this opinion, GW issued a passport for the sloop Independence on 5 April (, 297). The second request has not been identified.
2. On the appointment of Nathaniel C. Higginson, see Alexander Hamilton to GW, this date, and n.2. Randolph met with Higginson later this day, and the following evening Higginson wrote Randolph to accept the appointment “with a compensation in a sum not less than $2500 Dollars, admitting the term of absence to be four months only, that either all actual expences be paid or some daily & competent allowance be made for those expences together with such other incidential charges as the objects of the mission might make it necessary to incur” (DNA: RG 59, Communications from Special Agents).