ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Office of Foreign Affairs, September 12th, 1782.
Sir,
Having carefully examined Mr Laurens"s letter,[25] I believe Congress will think with me, that the subjects of it are such as I can in no other way report on, than by recommending it to be submitted to a special committee.
The two great points are his resignation and exchange. The first of these Congress only are competent to decide upon; and the last, not relating in any way to my Department, is intimately connected with a subject already under the consideration of a committee. With respect to his support, I believe that there can be no doubt that Mr Laurens"s salary is to be paid, till Congress determine to accept his resignation. I have considered it as a part of the expenses of this Department, and accordingly remitted the amount of two quarters"
salary to Dr Franklin, commencing in January last, previous to which, that business was under the direction of Dr Franklin. I shall continue to include his salary in my drafts on Mr Morris, till I receive directions from Congress to discontinue it. Congress having empowered Mr Laurens to appoint a secretary, there can be no doubt about the propriety of discharging his salary.
The enemy having published an account of Mr Laurens"s pet.i.tion for relief, &c. which appears by his letter to have been without foundation, I beg leave to submit to Congress the propriety of printing his own account of this transaction, since it evidences in contradiction to their reports, that he always acted with the dignity and firmness, which became his station and character.
I have the honor to be, &c.
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.
FOOTNOTES:
[25] See this letter in _Henry Lauren"s Correspondence_, Vol. II. p.
463.
CIRCULAR TO THE GOVERNORS OF THE STATES.
Office of Foreign Affairs, September 12th, 1782.
Sir,
Agreeably to the direction of Congress, contained in the enclosed resolution, I am to solicit your Excellency"s attention to the object of it, and to pray that means may be used by the State over which you preside, to furnish the returns they require, sending quadruplicate copies of them, under the seal of the State, to this office. I am sorry to have reason to complain of the little attention that the recommendations of Congress, and my letter of the 12th day of November, 1781, relative to a similar object, has met with from your State, since the want of those returns will, without doubt, be severely felt by our Ministers, whenever they shall commence the negotiations for a general peace.
I have the honor to be, Sir, &c.
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.
CIRCULAR TO THE GOVERNORS OF THE STATES.
Office of Foreign Affairs, September 15th, 1782.
Sir,
I have the honor to inform you, by the direction of Congress, that I have lately received official advices from Mr Adams, of the resolutions of their High Mightinesses the States General, to receive and acknowledge the said Mr Adams in quality of Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, and to request your Excellency to cause this interesting event to be made public. I have the honor to enclose copies of the resolutions of their High Mightinesses on this subject, and to inform you that the States General did, on the 23d day of April, appoint a Grand Committee to confer with Mr Adams, to whom, having been introduced in the usual forms by two n.o.blemen, he laid before them the plan of a Treaty of Amity and Commerce, which was immediately printed, and sent to the different members of the sovereignty.
I cannot conclude without congratulating your Excellency upon an event, which widens the basis of our independence, and leads to an immediate connexion with a powerful nation, whose alliance a variety of circ.u.mstances in their origin and government render extremely desirable.
I have the honor to be, Sir, &c.
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.
GENERAL GREENE TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.
Head Quarters, October 2d, 1782.
Sir,
Your letter of the 13th of May did not come to hand until some time in August, before the receipt of which his Excellency, General Washington, had communicated the agreeable information of the birth of a Dauphin, and directed that some public declaration of our feelings should be had upon the occasion. Accordingly, on the 4th of July, we fired a _feu de joie_, and gave every testimony in our power of the pleasure and happiness we felt upon an event so interesting to our good ally, and so intimately connected with the welfare of America; and I beg you will communicate to the Minister in Philadelphia, how sincerely the officers of this army partic.i.p.ate in the general joy, which this public blessing diffuses through France and America.
It is with infinite satisfaction that I inform you, that the enemy is making every preparation for the evacuation of Charleston, the last and only place they hold in any of the Southern United States.
I hope a general peace will follow, and that America may long enjoy, without interruption, the blessings she has been so long contending for.
I have the honor to be, &c.
NATHANIEL GREENE.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Philadelphia, October 29th, 1782.
Sir,
I have the honor to enclose, for the inspection of Congress, a letter from Mr Harrison. So much of it as relates to the state of his accounts, has been sent to the Office of Finance. As this subject has before been strongly insisted upon by Mr Jay, I doubt not that Mr Morris will pay every attention to it, which the means in his hands will permit.
Mr Harrison is so well spoken of by Mr Jay, and has manifested, on many occasions, watchful attention to the welfare of the United States, and discovered such disinterestedness in every transaction which related to them, that I cannot but hope that Congress will think him worthy of some public notice. Should they be of opinion, that it would be improper to appoint him consul at a time when he could not be received in his public character, and when an attempt to display it might draw upon the United States new indignities, yet it would give me pleasure to be enabled to a.s.sure him from Congress, that they entertain a just sense of his services, that they wish him to continue to act under the authority he has received from Mr Jay, till the politics of Spain shall render it proper to vest him with more ample powers. This earnest of the favor of Congress would stimulate him to merit further marks of their confidence.
I have the honor to be, &c.
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.
TO THOMAS JEFFERSON.
Philadelphia, November 13th, 1782.
Sir,