In response to the closure of New Orleans to American commercial traffic, President Jefferson‘s plan to acquire the lower territory along the Mississippi River is read to the U.S. Senate—an act that would lead to the fruition of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Jefferson also pays for 200 bottles of champagne from the private reserves of the Spanish envoy to the United States, Marqués de Casa Yrujo
François Barbé-Marbois (1745-1837)
by Jean François Boisselat (1835)
WikiCommons accessed on 30 May 2018.
François Barbé-Marbois was an early revolutionary and a friend of Thomas Jefferson and other important Americans. He belonged to Napoleon’s inner circle, and as minister of the public treasury, he negotiated directly with Livingston and Monroe on price, conditions, and the description of Louisiana Territory. He survived Waterloo and served under two succeeding French monarchs. His account of the Purchase was published in 1821.
Jefferson’s Secret Plan
Tuesday, January 11
Gentleman of the Senate
The cession of the Spanish province of Louisiana to France, and perhaps of the Floridas, and the late suspension of our right of deposit at New Orleans, are events of primary interest to the United States.
. . . . .
I therefore nominate Robert R. Livingston to be Minister Plenipotentiary, and James Monroe to be Minister Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, with full powers both, jointly, or to either, on the death of the other, to enter into a treaty or convention with the First Consul of France, for the purpose of enlarging, and more effectually securing, our rights and interests in the river Mississippi, and in the territories eastward thereof.
TH. JEFFERSON[1]Annals of Congress of the United States, 7th Congress, 2nd Session (Washington: Gales and Seaton, 1851) 12:22–23 retrieved from … Continue reading
Yrujo’s Good Will
The Marqués de Casa Yrujo, Spanish envoy to the United States, had in his private stock in Washington City about 400 bottles of imported champagne. On this day, Thomas Jefferson paid him for 200 bottles:
[11 January 1803:] Paid Monsr. de Casa-Yrujo 150.D. for 200. bottles Champagne.[2]The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series, Jefferson’s Memorandum Books, vol. 2, ed. James A Bear, Jr. and Lucia C. Stanton (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997), 1089–1117, … Continue reading
The correspondence leading up to this 11 January payment show that both men were working hard to please the other:
Capitol Hill Saturday 20th of Novr. 1802
Le Chevalier d’Irujo presents his comps. to Mr. Jefferson & according to his promise, he takes the liberty to sent to him with this two hampers of Champaing which he wishes may prove as good as in reputation—[3]“Carlos Martínez de Irujo to Thomas Jefferson, 20 November 1802, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 39, 13 November 1802–3 March 1803, ed. Barbara B. Oberg (Princeton: Princeton University … Continue reading
Whatever good relationships Jefferson and Yrujo had, it did not last. Spain refused a passport for Meriwether Lewis and sent out three different forces to arrest the expedition. By the winter of 1805, relations soured to the point that Thomas Jefferson asked for Yrujo’s recall. Yrujo—who was married to the daughter of Pennsylvania Governor Thomas McKean—refused to go.[4]Augustus John Foster, Jeffersonian America: Notes on the United States of America, ed. Richard Beale Davis, ed. (San (Marino, California: Huntington Library, 1954), 50.
Notes
| ↑1 | Annals of Congress of the United States, 7th Congress, 2nd Session (Washington: Gales and Seaton, 1851) 12:22–23 retrieved from https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llac&fileName=012/llac012.db&recNum=8. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series, Jefferson’s Memorandum Books, vol. 2, ed. James A Bear, Jr. and Lucia C. Stanton (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997), 1089–1117, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/02-02-02-0013 accessed 14 Dec 2025. |
| ↑3 | “Carlos Martínez de Irujo to Thomas Jefferson, 20 November 1802, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 39, 13 November 1802–3 March 1803, ed. Barbara B. Oberg (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012), 50, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-39-02-0035. |
| ↑4 | Augustus John Foster, Jeffersonian America: Notes on the United States of America, ed. Richard Beale Davis, ed. (San (Marino, California: Huntington Library, 1954), 50. |
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Discover More
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.
This site is provided as a public service by the
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with additional funding from the following:
