In a letter written in Paris, U.S. Minister to France, Robert Livingston advises President Thomas Jefferson to ratify the Louisiana Treaty and its Conventions quickly—without making any changes lest Napoleon has an excuse to revoke it. In Philadelphia, Lewis continues preparing for the Western Expedition despite the Louisiana Territory still being in Spanish control,
Robert R. Livingston
Attributed to Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828)
This image is in the public domain.
Paris 2d June 1803 midnight
Dear Sir
. . . . .
You know that the ratifications have been delivered & that we were to send them directly to you, we have accordingly applied for a passport for Mr Jay the bearer.—
. . . . .
[Talleyrand and Marbois] have been these two days past in Council and principally basting Mr. Marbois on the subject of the Treaty for it seems that the Consul is less pleased with it since the ratification than before . . . .
You see the object of this is to guard you against any delays but above all against any change in the form of the ratification for be assured that the slightest pretence will be seized to undo the work . . . .
I am Dear Sir, with much respect and esteem Your most obt hum: Servt
Robt R Livingston[1]Robert R. Livingston to Thomas Jefferson, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-40-02-0352 accessed 19 May 2022. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas … Continue reading
Peter Augustus Jay, the assigned carrier of the Louisiana Treaty and Conventions ratifications, left for New York on 23 June 1803. His ship was boarded three times, twice by British privateers and once by Britain’s Royal Navy. Nevertheless, Jay and the conventions arrived safely in mid-August.[2]Ibid., note.
Notes
| ↑1 | Robert R. Livingston to Thomas Jefferson, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-40-02-0352 accessed 19 May 2022. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 40, 4 March–10 July 1803, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013, pp. 470–474.] |
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| ↑2 | Ibid., note. |
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