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ALS signed “Jas. Monroe,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 8 x 9.75, January 17, 1795. Handwritten letter to Thomas Pinckney, reporting on his progress—or lack thereof—in negotiations with the French. Monroe had gone to France in June of 1794 as minister, with special responsibility for improving the rather strained relations between America and France. At the same time, John Jay was negotiating in London for a treaty with the English, and Pinckney was seeking one with Spain. Jay's Treaty had been signed in November 1794 and when news of it reached the French government, Monroe's difficulties increased greatly, as he complains here. Apparently he himself had not received definite word of the accord at this date, demanding that he be "advised on the subject."
In part: "I have prevailed on Mr. Purvyance a gent'n of integrity & very respectable character of Baltimore to bear this to you & likewise a letter to Mr. Jay. The ill effect which the reports of what has been concluded between that gent'n & the B[ritish] admn makes it of great importance that I should be advised on the subject and for this purpose have I dispatch'd Mr. Purvyance. I have been the more induc'd to it from the consideration that I have no cypher Mr. Morris having taken his with him, and in consequence that I shall not only not be able to comprehend the communication promised in that mode by Mr. Jay, but may hereafter be subjected to like inconveniences. I have therefore also to request that you will commit to Mr. P. a copy of yours.
This gov't [France] acts from its feelings only. Upon my first arrival there was a sentiment prevailing we were not cordial to them on the contrary that we were gradually winding & inclining to Engl'd. Whilst this lasted I c[oul]d make but little progress in our affairs but as soon as it was removed I was accommodated in all things—first one then another & finally the ex[ecutio]n of the treaty itself. This last act had just passed the committee & was depending before the Convention when the report [of the Jay Treaty] arrived. If they credit the idea that we are disposed to have them they will act differently from other nations in similar circumstances, the latter of whom wo[uld] rather court us; but 'tis the disposition of this gov't to precipitate the separation by acts w[hich] are calculated to provoke it. I hope therefore I shall be enabled to remove all apprehension on this head.
I have written twice latterly, once by Mr. Morris of Phil'a & upon this subject & the second by Mr. Bunker. I hope you have rec'd these. You have no conception of the precautions it is necessary for me to observe: but when you reflect on the jealously entertained of what was supposed to be transacting in London you will the more easily comprehend it." In fine condition. Accompanied by a custom-made full morocco presentation folder with gilt-titled spine.
Written amid the diplomatic crosscurrents of the mid-1790s, this letter captures James Monroe at a moment of acute tension in the young republic’s foreign policy. Serving as U.S. minister to Revolutionary France, Monroe was tasked with repairing relations badly strained by American neutrality and suspicions of a growing Anglo-American alignment. Unbeknownst to him in full detail, John Jay had just concluded the controversial Jay Treaty with Great Britain, rumors of which inflamed French anxieties and threatened to undo Monroe’s painstaking efforts to secure French goodwill. Writing to Thomas Pinckney—himself engaged in delicate negotiations with Spain—Monroe laments the corrosive effect of rumors from London, underscoring the volatility of the French revolutionary government. The letter vividly illustrates the fragile balance the United States sought to maintain between rival European powers and the personal strain placed on its diplomats during a defining period in early American foreign relations.
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