FROM JOHN JAY TO MONSIEUR OTTO.

Sir,

Office for Foreign Affairs, November 28, 1785.

I have received the letter which you did me the honor to write this morning, enclosing a note of the same date, and a project of a treaty between the Post Offices of France and of the United States.

These papers, as soon as translated, shall be laid before Congress, and I cannot omit this opportunity of assuring you that every occasion of extending the ties and intercourse between our countries will give me pleasure.

I have the honor to be, &c.,

JOHN JAY.

FROM EBENEZER HAZARD TO JOHN JAY.

Sir,

General Post Office, December 21, 1785.

I have considered the plan for the correspondence of letters between the Post Offices of France and those of the United States of North America, and think it, in general, a good one; there are, nevertheless, some parts of it which are exceptionable. The third, ninth, and thirteenth articles require that the postage shall be marked in French money, sous and livres. This will be impracticable, as the French moneys are not sufficiently understood in America. But the most exceptionable article is the fourth; should this be agreed to, the immediate consequence will be that the letters must be disseminated, from New Hampshire to Georgia, at the risk of the United States; and this will be evidently very great, if we consider the distances to which the letters must travel, the size and situation of many of our ferries, and our seasons, especially the winter. Great, however, as the risk is, it must of course be ours, as we are to be accountable for the postage of all letters, excepting the "refuse" ones, returned agreeably to the seventh article. To this may be added the difficulty of keeping accounts, when both nations will be interested in the postage on each letter, and that postage will be marked partly in sous and livres, and partly in pennyweights and grains of silver. The whole

business may be extremely simplified by adopting the same plan that we are upon respecting the British packets, viz: let all the packet postage be paid in Europe, which will remove every difficulty; it will prevent the necessity of keeping intricate accounts; the United States will risk nothing in the distribution of the letters, except the inland postage; the deputy postmasters will not be perplexed and led into errors by a kind of money which they do not understand, and it will be more advantageous to France, because the number of refuse letters will be lessened by it, as all the letters put into the offices in France will then be paid for, and they will have no more refuse letters from this side of the water upon this plan than upon the other.

The other regulations, such as giving the captains' receipts for the mails, sending invoices of the letters, &c., are equally proper upon either plan.

I have the honor to be, &c.,

EBEN. HAZARD.

REPORT OF SECRETARY JAY, RELATIVE TO THE POST OFFICES OF FRANCE AND THE UNITED STATES.

Office for Foreign Affairs, February 21, 1786.

The Secretary of the United States for the Department of Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred a letter to him of the 28th November last, from the Chargé d'Affaires of France, enclosing a Plan of a Treaty for the correspondence of letters between the Post Offices of France and those of the United States, reports:

That he has submitted the said Plan to the consideration of the Postmaster General of the United States, whose opinion thereon appears in the following letter, viz:

“Sir,

"General Post Office, February 16, 1786.

"I have had under consideration the proposed Plan of a treaty for the correspondence of letters between the Post Offices of France 'and those of the United States of North America,' and observe but

one defect in it; and that is, it is left optional with the writer to pay the postage or not; and, if we may judge from experience, they will not pay it. The consequence will be,

"1st. That a receipt must be given by the American office, which will make the United States accountable for the amount of the postage.

"2d. The letters must then be distributed from New Hampshire to Georgia, and the dead (or refuse) letters returned to New York at the risk of the United States; which will evidently be very great, if we consider the distances to which the letters must travel, the size and situation of many of our ferries, and our seasons, especially the winter.

"3d. Accounts must be kept between the American and French offices, which, in their very nature, must be complex and intricate, both nations being interested in the postage of each letter, and that postage being marked partly in French money and partly in pennyweights and grains of silver; the former, not being sufficiently understood by us, will occasion many errors, and be the source of much confusion.

"We were exactly upon the above plan with respect to the British packets, at their first establishment, as you will observe from the enclosed advertisement; but the inconveniences attending it were so great that it was found necessary to make an alteration; and the whole business was amazingly simplified by providing that all the packet postage should be paid in England. By this small change in the system every difficulty is removed; and, as experience has evinced its utility, I beg leave to recommend the adoption of the same mode in the present case. Indeed, it will be more advantageous to France than the plan now proposed, because the number of refuse letters will be lessened by it, as all the letters put into the offices in France will then be paid for, and the refuse letters from this side of the water will not be more numerous upon this plan than upon the other; there will also be a saving of the commissions allowed to the deputy postmasters for transacting the business.

"The other regulations, such as giving the captains' receipts for the mails, sending invoices of the letters, &c., are equally proper upon either plan.

"I have the honor to be, &c.,

“EBEN. HAZARD.”

Your Secretary thinks the observations of the Postmaster General are well founded, and, therefore, is of opinion that the said Postmaster General should be duly authorized to conclude the said treaty with the Director of the French posts, vested with equal powers on the part of his most Christian Majesty, provided the alterations in questions are admitted, and provided further, that the duration of the treaty shall not exceed the term of ten years.

Your Secretary is also of opinion that the said treaty should be engrossed and executed in both languages.

All which is submitted to the wisdom of Congress.

JOHN JAY.

FROM JOHN JAY TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

Sir,

Office for Foreign Affairs, December 26, 1785.

I have the honor of transmitting to your Excellency, herewith enclosed, a letter of the 28th instant, which I received from the Chargé d'Affaires of France, together with the project of a proposed treaty between the French and the American Post Offices, which is mentioned in it.

I have the honor to send you herewith a note which I request you to lay before Congress. It relates to the different credits which his Majesty and his subjects have against the United States. These matters have been treated of at different times by M. De Marbois, and principally in the letters and notes which he addressed you the 8th March, 16th May, and 14th June, and the 1st July, of this year. It gives me pain to recur to matters which have so long occupied the

Minister Plenipotentiary and my predecessor. But the silence of Congress, the new formation of this assembly, and the precise order which I have received from my Court on this subject, appear to authorize me to make a new attempt to obtain a satisfactory answer; and I hope that the United States will only consider, in my conduct, the zeal which the post I have the honor to occupy near Congress ought to inspire me with.

I make no mention of the different particular subjects which my predecessor has submitted to the deliberations of Congress the 16th May last, such as the claims of the administrator of Martinico, for the reimbursement of the advances made to Mr. Bingham; also the demands of the Royal Treasury, on account of the sums reimbursed the Sieurs Sabatier & Despres, on account of the United States. Congress having as yet taken no resolution concerning these different subjects, and the notes of my predecessors being constantly before this assembly. I hope that they will be pleased also to add its resolution respecting these claims to those it shall make as to the principal points of the note which I have the honor to address to you.

I have, sir, presented his Majesty's credit in a point of view which appeared to me the most natural. It cannot be disputed that the object of the two contracts signed by Mr. Franklin was to alleviate as much as possible the weight of the debt of the United States. To defer the accomplishments of these contracts is to defeat the salutary end proposed, and to accumulate, without any benefit to the United States, the arrearages and interests of a moderate debt. The wisdom of the Ministers who have digested and signed the contracts would only serve to expose more visibly the injury occasioned by delays.

As to the subjects of French creditors of the United States, I have, sir, described their situation very faintly. Ancient commercial houses find themselves reduced to beggary from having placed too much confidence in paper money and loan office certificates. They viewed with astonishment, mixed with grief, the measures proposed by different States to satisfy their own citizens to the exclusion of foreigners. This step, projected by people who have just distinguished themselves by so many great qualities, can only be attributed to too great precipitation, and not to a partiality of which they are incapable.

It is elsewhere remarked, and there is still greater reason to believe VOL. I.-13