University of Virginia Library

TO EDMUND RANDOLPH.[1]

Dear Sir,—The confidential and circumstantial
communications, in your favor of the twentieth of

June, have afforded me much pleasure. Those which
relate to the scheme of garbling the delegation were
far from surprising me. In a conversation with Mr.
Jones, before he left Philadelphia, it was our joint
inference, from a review of certain characters and circumstances,
that such a scheme would be tried.

No addition has been made to our foreign intelligence
in the course of the past week. Some of the
republications from the European papers herewith
sent throw light, however, on the general state of
foreign affairs. Those which relate to Ireland, in particular,
are very interesting. The Empress of Russia
appears, by the memorial of her Ministers, to be more
earnest in forwarding a reconciliation between England
and Holland, than is consistent with the delicate impartiality
she has professed as mediatrix, or with that
regard which we flattered ourselves she felt for the
interests of the United States.

One article of our late communications from France
was, that the interest on the certificates is no longer
to be continued, and that provision must be made
within ourselves. This has caused great commotion
and clamor, among that class of public creditors,
against Congress, who, they believe, or affect to believe,
have transferred the funds to other uses. The
best salve to this irritation, if it could with truth be
applied, would be a notification that all the States
had granted the impost of five per cent., and that the
collection and appropriation of it would immediately
commence. It is easy to see that the States whose
jealousy and delays withhold this resource from the

United States, will soon be the object of the most
bitter reproaches from the public creditors. Rhode
Island and Georgia are the only States in this predicament,
unless the acts of Virginia and Maryland
should be vitiated by the limitations with which they
are clogged.

No step has yet been taken in the instructions prepared
before your departure. I expostulated a few
days ago with Dr. Witherspoon on the subject, and
prevailed on him to move in the business; but his
motion only proved the watchfulness and inflexibility
of those who think they advance towards their own
objects, in the same proportion as they recede from
those of Virginia. I have since shown him the report,
and he is a confirmed advocate both for the innocence
and expediency of it.

We are, even at this day, without official advice of
the naval event of the twelfth of April, in the West
Indies; nor have we any advices of late date from
that quarter. There is little room to hope that the
misfortune of our ally will be repaired by any subsequent
enterprises.

Congress are much perplexed by the non-appearance
of Connecticut at the time appointed for the
meeting of her agents and those of Pennsylvania.
We wish to avoid leaving her any pretext to revive
the controversy, and yet the reasons for her neglect
cannot be pronounced sufficient. Her adversary professes
a strong jealousy that she means, by every artifice,
to parry a decision during the war; and it cannot
be denied that appearances but too well authorize it.