1I. The Secretary of State to the President, 9 December 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
I have now the honour to return you the letter from the President of the Assembly of representatives for the community of Paris to the President and members of Congress, which you had recieved from the President of the Senate with the opinion of that house that it should be opened by you, and their request that you would communicate to Congress such parts of it as in your opinion might be...
2Enclosure: President of the Commune of Paris to the President and Members of Congress, 29 July 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
We have learned that Franklin, the man of all nations, is no more—having enlightened them all, and in every species of knowledge, they ought to share in a loss, which is common to them all. The august Legislators of our nation have hastened to set the example; but the assembly of representatives of the Commons of the Capital believed it their duty to add to this universal mourning a new...
3Enclosure I: Louis XVI to George Washington, 11 September 1790 (Jefferson Papers)
Très chers grands Amis et Alliés . Nous avons reçu la lettre par la quelle vous nous avez informés de la nouvelle marque de confiance que vous avez donnée au Sieur Jefferson, et qui met fin aux fonctions de la place de votre Ministre plénipotentiaire aupres de nous. La maniere dont il s’est conduit pendant tout le tems qu’il a résidé à notre cour, Lui a mérité notre estime et une entiere...
4Enclosure II: The President of the National Assembly of France to “The President of Congress”, [20 June 1790] (Jefferson Papers)
The National Assembly has worn, during three days mourning for Benjamin Franklin, your fellow citizen, your friend, and one of the most useful of your co-operators in the establishment of American Liberty. They charge me to communicate their resolutions to the Congress of the United States. In consequence, I have the honor to address to you, Mr. President, the extract from the proceedings of...
5Opinion on the Constitutionality of the Bill for Establishing a National Bank, 15 February 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
The bill for establishing a National Bank undertakes, among other things I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that ‘all powers not delegated to the U.S. by the Constitution, not prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people’ [XIIth. Amendmt.]. To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of...
6II. Report of Secretary of State on the Case of Thomas Auldjo, 22 February 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
The Secretary of state having recieved information from Thomas Auldjo, who was appointed Vice consul of the United States at Cowes in Great Britain, that his commission has not been recognised by that government, because it is a port at which no foreign Consul has been yet recieved, and that it has been intimated to him, that his appointment to the port of Poole and parts nearer to that than...
7III. Report of Secretary of State on Consular Vacancies, 23 February 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
Reasons for not Reporting to the President, at this time, consular nominations for the following ports. Gottenburg. } No candidate Amsterdam Greenleaf Cadiz P. R. Randolph [Randall] (he has not applied lately), Richd. Codman of Massachusets, and Thomas Thompson. Lorient Vale [Vail] It is desireable there should be a greater choice of candidates; and appointments at those ports are not very...
8I. Report on the Power of the President in Nominating Officers for Vermont, 19 February 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
The Secretary of State having recieved from the Commissioners for the State of Vermont a letter proposing these Questions 1. Whether, as that state will not be a distinct member of the union till the 4th. day of March next, the President can, before that day, nominate officers for it? and 2. if he cannot, whether he can nominate them after the recess of the Senate? makes thereon to the...
9III. Report on Candidates for Office in Vermont, [23 February 1791] (Jefferson Papers)
MS ( DLC : Washington Papers); entirely in TJ’s hand; at head of text: “Substance of Conversations”; endorsed by Lear: “From the Secy of State relative to Appointments in Vermont. No.3.” PrC ( DLC ). Date established from entry in SJPL under 23 Feb. 1791, reading: “Vermont characters. Chipman. Bradley. Morris. Smith. Ti[chenor].”
10VI. Draft of a Message from the President to the Senate, [4 March 1791] (Jefferson Papers)
The ‘Act for the admission of the state of Vermont into this union’ having fixed on this, as the day of it’s admission, it was thought that this would also be the first day on which any officer of the Union might legally perform any act of authority relating to that state. I therefore required your attendance to recieve nominations of the several officers necessary to put the federal...
11I. Joseph Anderson to the President, 23 February 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
When I last did myself the Honor of waiting upon your Excellency, on the Subject of my application, now before you, Mr. Lear inform’d me, that something had been Suggested, to my disadvantage, respecting a transaction between Major Jaquet and myself, relative to some Certificates. In Order to set that business in a proper point of View, I have for your Excellency’s satisfaction Obtain’d from...
12IV. Joseph Anderson to the President, 1 March 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I take the liberty of inclosing to Your Excellency, a letter I receiv’d from Mr. Vining, in answer to One, I adress’d to him, on the Subject of a letter he a few days since Receivd from Mr. Jaquet. By which Your Excellency will see that Mr. Jaquet is Contradicted in what he has said in his letter to Mr. Vining, and that by a person who wrote the Certificate, and attested it. The Certificate...
13V. Joseph Anderson to the President, 2 March 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I inclose your Excellency the Certificate of Colonel Barber, and beg your indulgence, for again, offering to trouble you by letter. But trust that your Excellencys benevolence, will suffer my very delicate and peculiar Situation, to plead my Appology. Your Excellency yesterday Observ’d to me, that Major Jackson inform’d you, that Mr. Jaquet, in his letter to Mr. Vining, Observ’d that he had...
14VI. Opinion of the Secretary of State, 4 March 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
On view and consideration of the testimonies in favour of Mr. Anderson’s character, they appear to me to place it on high ground. Against this there is no testimony but that of Mr. Jaquet, which being contradicted by his own former testimony and by the person who committed it to writing, and who seems to have been made acquainted by the subject of it, I should estimate it at nothing, and...
15VIII. Secretary of State to the President, 18 March 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
Th: Jefferson is sorry to present a long letter to the President to be read at so busy a moment: but the view which it presents of our commercial matters in France is too interesting to be unknown to the President.—The circumstances presented to view in the 2d. page of the letter induce Th: J. to think it may be well to commit to Mr. Short and the M. de la Fayette to press our settlement with...
16From Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 27 March 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
I have been again to see Mr. Barclay on the subject of his mission and to hasten him. I communicated to him the draught of his instructions and he made an observation which may render a small change expedient. You know it had been concluded that he should go without any defined character, in order to save expence. He observed that if his character was undefined they would consider him as an...
17From John Cooke to George Washington, 28 March 1791 (Jefferson Papers)
Tipperary, 28 Mch. 1791 . Understanding that regulation of weights and measures is one object of American government, he sends the enclosed “invention” from “a poor individual, in an obscure corner of a remote nation, as a mark of that universal esteem, which your Excellency’s Merits have excited in all countries, and amongst every class of men.” RC ( DNA : RG 59, MLR ); endorsed by TJ: “To...