The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 2 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
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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
DEAR SIR,--Colonel Franks will have the honor of delivering you the treaty
with the Emperor of Morocco, and all its appendages. You will perceive,
by Mr. Barclay's letter, that it is not necessary that any body should
go back to Morocco to exchange ratifications. He says, however, that it
will be necessary that Fennish receive some testimony that we approve
the treaty; and as, by the acts of Congress, our signature is necessary
to give validity to it, I have had duplicates of ratifications prepared,
which I have signed, and now send you. If you approve and sign them, send
one back to me to be forwarded to Fennish, through Mr. Carmichael. Perhaps
a joint letter should be written to Fennish; if you think so, be so good
as to write and sign one and send it with the ratification, and I will
sign and forward it. The other ratification is to go to Congress. Colonel
Franks wishes to proceed with the papers to that body. He should do it,
I think, immediately, as Mr. Jay, in a letter to me of October 26th, says
that Congress have heard through the French Chargé des Affaires, that the
treaty was signed, and they wonder they have not heard it from us.
I enclose you a copy of a letter from Mr. Lambe, by which you will
perceive he does not propose to quit Alicant. I will forward the
resolution of Congress to Mr. Carmichael, which was enclosed in yours
of November 30th, to see if that will move him. As the turn of this
resolution admits a construction that Congress may think our original
appointment of him censurable, I have, as in justice I ought, in a letter
to Mr. Jay, taken on myself the blame of having proposed him to you, if
any blame were due. I have enclosed him a copy of my letter to you of
September 24, 1785. Mr. Barclay has proposed to go to Alicant to settle
Lambe's accounts, and asked to be strengthened with our authority. If
Lambe will obey the resolve of Congress, it will be better to let him go
and settle his account there. But if he will not go back, perhaps it might
not be amiss for Mr. Barclay to have instructions from us to require a
settlement, those instructions to be used in that case only. If you think
so, be so good as to write a joint letter and send it to me. But this,
if done at all, should be done immediately. How much money has Lambe
drawn? I have suggested to Mr. Jay the expediency of putting the Barbary
business into Carmichael's hands, or sending somebody from America, in
consideration of our separate residence and our distance from the scene of
negotiation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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