Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, From the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3Jefferson, Thomas
History
Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, From the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
Your past experience in the same line, renders it unnecessary for me to
particularize your duties on closing your present, or conducting your
future mission. Harmony with our friends being our object, you are
sensible how much it will be promoted by attention to the manner as well
as the matter of your communications with the government of the United
Netherlands. I feel myself particularly bound to recommend, as the
most important of your charges, the patronage of our commerce and the
extension of its privileges, both in the United Netherlands and their
colonies, but most especially the latter.
The allowance to a Minister Resident of the United States, is four
thousand five hundred dollars a year, or all his personal services and
other expenses, a year’s salary for his outfit and a quarter’s salary
for his return. It is understood that the personal services and other
expenses here meant, do not extend to the cost of gazettes and pamphlets
transmitted to the Secretary of State’s office, to translating or
printing necessary papers, postage, couriers, and necessary aids to poor
American sailors. These additional charges, therefore, may be inserted
in your accounts; but no other of any description, unless where they are
expressly directed to be incurred. The salary of your new grade being
the same as of your former one, and your services continued, though the
scene of them is changed, there will be no intermission of salary;
the new one beginning where the former ends, and ending when you shall
receive notice of your permission to return. For the same reason, there
can be but one allowance of outfit and return, the former to take place
now, the latter only on your final return. The funds appropriated to
the support of the foreign establishment do not admit the allowance of a
secretary to a Minister Resident. I have thought it best to state these
things to you minutely, that you may be relieved from all doubt as to
the matter of your accounts. I will beg leave to add a most earnest
request, that on the 1st day of July next, and on the same day annually
afterwards, you make out your account to that day, and send it by the
first vessel, and by duplicates. In this I must be very urgent and
particular; because at the meeting of the ensuing Congress always, it is
expected that I prepare for them a statement of the disbursements from
this fund, from July to June inclusive. I shall give orders, by the
first opportunity, to our bankers in Amsterdam, to answer your drafts
for the allowances herein before mentioned, recruiting them at the same
time by an adequate remitment; as I expect that by the time you receive
this, they will not have remaining on hand of this fund more than seven
or eight thousand dollars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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