John Jay to James Lovell, 27 October 1780
Madrid 27 th Oct r . 1780
Dear Sir
Your Letter of the 11 July gave me much pleasure. There is a Degree of Ease and Cordiality in it which, as mere Letters of Business do not require, I am the more obliged to you for. 1
It is true that I might write to Congress very often, indeed by every vessel, and there are many of them. But how are my Letters to get to the Sea Side? by the Post! They would be all inspected & many suppressed. There is scarce a Man in any of the Ports, except M r . Harrison at Cadiz, with whom I would trust them. So that if under different Covers I could get them there, the Danger would not end. 2 To write often & write nothing material, would be useless; and when you see my public Letter by this opportunity, you will percieve that to be well understood I must write a great Deal.
I would throw stones too with all my Heart, if I thought they would hit only the Committee, without injuring the Members of it– Till now, I have rec d . but one Letter from them, and that not worth a farthing, tho it conveyed a Draft for –¤100000 Ster. on the Bank of Hope. 3 One good private Correspondent would be worth twenty standing Committees, made of the wisest Heads in America, for the purpose of Intelligence. What with clever wives, or pretty girls, or pleasant walks, or too tired, or too busy, or do you do it, very little is done, much postponed, and more neglected. 4
If you, who are naturally industrious and love your Country, would frequently take up your Penn and your Cyphers, and tell me how the Wheel of Politics runs, and what Measures it is from Time to Time turning out, I should be better informed and Congress better served. I now get more Intelligence of your Affairs from the french Embassador, than from all the Members of Congress put together–
I had written thus far when I rec d . a Letter from M r . L–Coulteux at Cadiz, enclosing a Letter of the 16 Sep. written at S t . Ildefonso from me to Congress– 5 It had been enclosed in one to M r Harrison, & that again put under Cover to M r L–Couteux, and under these two Covers was it put into the Post Office–now mark its Fate– The Director of the Post Office at Cadiz shewed it to M r L–Couteux, naked & stripped of its two Covers, of which he made no mention– He said it came from Bayonne–but M r L–Couteux knowing my Hand writing paid the Postage and returned it to me– This is only one among the many Instances of the Fate to which my Letters are subjected– To avoid it, I must now be at the Expence of Sending Col. Livingston to the Sea Side with my Dispatches.
When at Cadiz I heard some of our countrymen who had been Prisoners at Lisbon, speake handsomely of M r . Dohrmer–they mentioned his having supplied them with necessaries, but at the same Time told me that he had been employed for the Purpose by Doct r . Franklin– Hence it happend that I declined mentioning his usefulness to Congress. I considered him as an agent of Doct r . Franklin, who did his Duty faithfully, and thought that it would be more proper for him to recommend his Services to the notice of Congress than for me– I am D r Sir Your most ob t & very hble Serv t
John Jay
The Hon–ble Jam s Lovell Esq r