Against him, too, it is urged that he fomented the sedition which took place among them; that he obtained this nomination from them while their minds were under ferment, and that he has given no security for the faithful payment of the money to those entitled to it. I will add to these one other circumstance, which appears to render it impossible that he should execute this trust. It is now several years since the right to this money arose; the persons in whom it originally vested were probably from different States in America; many of them must be now dead, and their rights passed on to their representatives-but who are their representatives? The laws of some States prefer one degree of relations, those of others prefer others; there being no uniformity among the States on this point. Mr. Puchelberg, therefore, should know which of the parties are dead, in what order the laws of the respective States call their relations to the succession, and in every case which of those orders are actually in existence, and entitled to the share of the deceased. With the Atlantic ocean between the principals and their substitutes, your Excellency will perceive what an inexhaustible source of difficulties, of chicanery, and of delay, this might furnish to a person who should find an interest in keeping this money as long as possible in his own hands, whereas, if it be lodged in the Treasury of Congress, they, by an easy reference to the tribunals of the different States, can have every one's portion immediately rendered to himself, if living, and if dead, to such of his relations as the laws of the particular State prefer, and as shall be found actually living. I the rather urge this course, as I foresee that it will relieve your Excellency from numberless appeals which these people will be continually making from the decisions of Mr. Puchelberg, appeals likely to perpetuate that trouble of which you have already had too much, and to which I am sorry to be obliged to add by asking a peremptory order for the execution of what you were before pleased to decide on this subject. I have the honor to be, &c., TH: JEFFERSON. FROM CAPTAIN JOHN PAUL JONES TO THOMAS JEFFERSON. Sir, L'Orient, July 31, 1785. I had the honor to write you the 29th of this month, praying you to address the Court to prevent Mr. Puchelberg, a French merchant here, from receiving the prize money due to the subjects of the United States who served on board the squadron I commanded in Europe. I have done my duty, and, with great trouble and expense both of time and money, obtained a settlement in their favor from Government. But if Mr. Puchelberg, who has taken no trouble and been at no expense to obtain a settlement, should receive the money, the greatest part of it will never reach America, nor find its way into the pockets of the captors. Were Mr. Puchelberg the honestest man in the world, he cannot, at this distance from America, and being ignorant of the laws of the American flag, do justice to the concerned. Besides, a preference is due to the application of one Government to another for what regards the interests of its subjects, especially where it is clear that every caution has been observed for obtaining justice to each individual. The enclosed copy of a letter, which has just now been communicated to me from Monsieur de Soulanges a MM. les Juges Consul, dated at Toulon the 14th of this month, announcing that the Algerines have declared war against the United States, is of too serious a nature not to be sent immediately to you. This event may, I believe, surprise some of our fellow-citizens; but for my part I am rather surprised that it did not take place sooner. It will produce a good effect if it unites the people of America in measures consistent with their national honor and interest, and rouses them from that ill-judged security which the intoxication of success has produced since the Revolution. My best wishes will always attend that land of freedom, and my pride will be always gratified when such measures are adopted as will make us respected as a great people, who deserve to be free. I am, sir, &c., J. PAUL JONES. FROM LE MARESCHAL DE CASTRIES TO THOMAS JEFFERSON. Translation. Sir, Versailles, August 12, 1785. I have received, with the letter which you did me the honor to write to me the 3d of this month, the observations of Mr. Jones on the insufficiency of the powers with which the Sieur Puchelberg is vested for taking charge of the shares of prizes due to the subjects of the United States. From your assertion, and our reflections, I should not hesitate to confirm the orders which I have given for remitting to Mr. Jones all that is due to the Americans. But another difficulty presents itself. The Commissary ordonnateur at L'Orient observes to me that, notwithstanding the search which has been made, it has proved impracticable to procure an exact roll of the crew of the American frigate Alliance; and that on the very probable supposition that some Frenchmen may have served on board of that frigate, it results that, from the remission of the whole of the funds to Mr. Jones, the shares coming to the subjects of the King should be lodged in the Treasury of Congress. From this circumstance I presume that you will see the justice of requiring of Mr. Jones security to insure the payment of what may be coming to them, should any of them have embarked in the Alliance frigate. I request the favor of you to honor me with an answer on this subject, and I have that of being, with a very sincere attachment, &c., LE M. DE CASTRIES. FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON TO THE MARESCHAL DE CASTRIES. Paris, August 17, 1785. Sir, I was honored yesterday with the receipt of your Excellency's letter of the 12th instant. I have ever understood that the whole crew of the Alliance was of American citizens. But should there have been among them any subjects of his Majesty, it is but just that the repayment of their portions of the prize money should be secured. But Captain Jones being already bound to pay what he shall receive into the Treasury of the United States, I submit to your Excellency whether it will be right to require him to be answerable for moneys after they shall be put out of his power: And whether, as Congress have secured the receipt at their Treasury, it will not be shorter for them to order repayment to any subjects of his Majesty who may shew themselves justly entitled? I will immediately ask their pleasure on this subject, and solicit such orders as that every such claimant, proving his title here in the usual way, may receive immediate payment of their banker here; and that no individual may in the meantime be delayed, should any such present their proofs before the orders are received, I will undertake to direct payment by the banker of the United States in Paris, being assured that in so doing I shall forward those views of perfect justice which Congress will carry into the distribution of this money. Should any instances arise of payment to be demanded here, I think they will be few, and the sums will of course be small. I shall be happy if your Excellency shall think that the justice due to this part of the claimants is so sufficiently secured by those assurances as that it need not stand in the way of that which is due to the great mass of claimants who are already so much indebted for your attention to their interests. I will take the liberty of asking that I may be furnished, by the proper officer, with copies of Captain Jones's receipts for the moneys which shall be paid him, that, by transmitting them to the Treasury Board of the United States, they may know the precise sums which they are to receive through his hands. I pray you to accept my acknowledgments for your attention to this troublesome business, and assurances of the high respect and esteem with which I have the honor to be, &c., TH: JEFFERSON. FROM THE MARESCHAL DE CASTRIES TO THOMAS JEFFERSON, (IN ANSWER.) Versailles, August 26, 1785. Sir, The offer which you make in the letter you have done me the honor to write the 17th instant, smoothes away every difficulty. Since you have been pleased to engage to have paid, by the banker of the United States at Paris, whatever may be due to the French who should have served on board the American frigate Alliance, I now give orders to the Commissary at L'Orient to remit to Mr. Jones the whole sum which shall be coming to the American vessels, and to transmit to me copies of the receipts which he may take from that officer. I have the honor to be, &c., LE M. DE CASTRIES. FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON TO JOHN JAY Paris, October 6, 1785. Sir, My letter of the 30th August acknowledged the receipt of yours of July 13th. Since that I have received your letter of August 13th, enclosing a correspondence between the Marquis de la Fayette and Monsieur de Calonne, and another of the same date enclosing the papers in Fortin's case. I immediately wrote to Mr. Limozin, at Havre, desiring he would send me a state of the case, and inform me what were the difficulties which suspended its decision. He has promised me, by letter, to do this as soon as possible, and I shall not fail in attention to it. The Emperor and Dutch have signed preliminaries, which are now made public. You will see them in the papers which accompany this. They still leave a good deal to discussion. However, it is probable they will end in peace. The party in Holland, possessed actually of the sovereignty, wishes for peace that they may push their designs on the Stadtholderate. This country wishes for peace, because their finances need arrangement. The Bavarian exchange has produced to, public view that jealousy and rancor between the Courts of Vienna and Berlin which existed before, though it was smothered. This will appear by the declarations of the two Courts. The demarcation between the Emperor and Turk does not advance. Still, however, I suppose neither of those two germs of war likely to open soon. I consider the conduct of France as the best evidence of this. If she had apprehended a war from either of those quarters, she would not have been so anxious to leave the Emperor one enemy the less by placing him at peace with the Dutch. While she is exerting all her powers to preserve peace by land, and making no preparation which indicates a fear of its being disturbed in that quarter, she is pushing her naval preparations with a spirit unexampled in time of peace. By the opening of the next spring she will have eighty ships of seventy-four guns and upwards ready for sea at a moment's warning, and the further constructions proposed will, probably within two years, raise the number to a hundred. New regulations have been made, too, for perfecting the classification of their seamen, an institution, which, dividing all the seamen of the nation into classes, subjects them to tours of duty by rotation, and enables them |