The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 2 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 2 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
Huntington of Massachusetts. I observe that S. Adams is not re-elected
president of the Senate of Massachusetts. I know not the reason of this.
Recollecting nothing else material, and having sufficiently fatigued you
already, I shall conclude with assurances of the esteem and respect with
which I have the honor to be, dear Sir, your most obedient, and most
humble servant.
TO M. DE LA FAYETTE.
PARIS, August 24, 1786.
DEAR SIR,--Your other friends here being so much better qualified to
give you the transactions of the metropolis during your absence, it
would be presumption in me to touch on them. I assume, therefore, the
office of your correspondent for American affairs, in the discharge
of which, I may stand a chance to communicate to you details which you
cannot get in the ordinary course of your correspondence, and which the
interest you are so good as to take in our affairs will sometimes render
agreeable to you. My letters and papers from America came down to the
16th of July. The impost then wanted the accession of New York only,
but another difficulty had started up. Three or four of the States had
coupled together the impost and the supplementary funds, so that neither
could take place till all the States had granted both. Pennsylvania was
of this number, and though desired by Congress to suffer the impost to be
established unconnected with the supplementary funds, they have refused,
saying, that should the interest of the foreign debt get into a course
of regular payment, separately from that of the domestic one, the other
States will be the less ready to provide for the latter. Some of the
other States have hereupon provided the supplementary funds. It remains
to see whether it will be easiest to get all the States to do this, or
to prevail on Pennsylvania to recede. All the States have come into the
Virginia proposition for a commercial convention, the deputies of which
are to agree on the form of an article giving to Congress the regulation
of their commerce. Maryland alone has not named deputies, conceiving
that Congress might as well propose the article. They are, however, for
giving the power, and will, therefore, either nominate deputies to the
convention, or accede to their measures. Massachusetts and New Hampshire
have suspended their navigation acts. The English encroachments on the
province of Maine become serious. They have seized vessels, too, on our
coast of Passimaquaddy, thereby displaying a pretension to the exclusive
jurisdiction to the Bay of Fundi, which separates Nova Scotia and Le
Maine, and belongs as much to us as them. The Spaniards have not yet
relinquished the fort of the Natches, and our arrangements with them hang
on a great obstacle, indispensable with us, and of which they are unjustly
and unwisely tenacious. The Indians, both Northern and Southern, have made
peace, except the Creeks, who have made a formidable attack on Georgia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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