Foreign Letters, 1785-1790

by Craig R. Scott, CG

The images in this series are from National Archives microfilm publication M61, Foreign Letters of the Continental Congress and the Department of State, 1785-1790, part of Record Group 59, General Records of the Department of State. They reproduce a volume of copies of instructions from the government to US ministers and consuls, from John Jay, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and later Acting Head of the Department of State, and Thomas Jefferson, his successor as Secretary of State. The actual title of this volume is “Foreign Letters No. 121.”

There are two types of records found in this series: index pages and copies of letters sent.

Index Pages

Index pages are found in the beginning of the series and may provide quicker access to the letters than using the search feature. The first image shown here is index page ix, which lists letters to and from the Marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin, and others.

Copies of Letters

The second images shown here is a copy of a letter from John Jay to Thomas Barclay, Consul General of the United States for the Kingdom of France, regarding shipping rates. Jay is concerned that the US obtain the same shipping rates as those of Spain. He also informs Barclay, through this letter, that Mr. Jefferson has been appointed Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Versailles, since Dr. Franklin has requested a return to the United States.

This series of records was preceded by several others. It is the successor to Item No. 118 of the Papers of the Continental Congress which is titled "Transcript of Foreign Letters of Robert R. Livingston, 1781-1783." Earlier instructions are in Item 79, "Letters of the Committee for Foreign Affairs and of Robert R. Livingston, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, 1776-1783." All are available at Footnote.com in Papers of the Continental Congress, NARA M247, which also contains many other early diplomatic and consular records.

This series of records was succeeded by the series “United States Ministers, Instructions,” which is reproduced on National Archives microfilm publication M28, Diplomatic and Consular Instructions of the Department of State.

Record copies of letters that the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of State addressed to or received from foreign ministers and consuls in the United States are Item 120, "American Letters, 1784-1792," and available on Footnote as NARA publication M40, Domestic Letters of the Department of State, 1784-1906.

Search or browse Foreign Letters of the Continental Congress and Department of State, 1785-1790 here.