6656. PEYROUSE EXPEDITION, Objects of.—
You have, doubtless, seen in the
papers, that this court [France] was sending
two vessels into the South Sea, under the conduct
of a Captain Peyrouse. They give out
that the object is merely for the improvement
of our knowledge of the geography of that part
of the globe. And certain it is, that they carry
men of eminence in different branches of
science. Their loading, however, as detailed in
conversations, and some other circumstances,
appeared to me to indicate some other design;
perhaps that of colonizing on the Western coast
of America; or, it may be, only to establish
one or more factories there, for the fur trade.
Perhaps we may be little interested in either
of these objects. But we are interested in another,
that is, to know whether they are perfectly
weaned from the desire of possessing continental
colonies in America. Events might
arise, which would render it very desirable for
Congress to be satisfied they have no such wish.
If they would desire a colony on the western
side of America, I should not be quite satisfied
that they would refuse one which should offer
itself on the eastern side. Captain Paul Jones
being at L'Orient, within a day's journey of
Brest, where Captain Peyrouse's vessels lay, I
desired him, if he could not satisfy himself at
L'Orient of the nature of this equipment, to go
to Brest for that purpose; conducting himself
so as to excite no suspicion that we attended at
all to this expedition. His discretion can be
relied on.—
To John Jay. Washington ed. i, 382.
(P.
1785)
