The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 Part 44

To THE COUNT DE MOUSTIER. Philadelphia, March 2d, 1791.

Sir: I have received your favour of November 6th, wherein you inform me that the King has thought proper, by a new mission to the Court of Berlin, to put an end to your functions as his Minister Plenipotentiary with the United States.

The President, in a letter to the King, has expressed his sense of your merit, and his entire approbation of your conduct while here, and has charged me to convey to yourself the same sentiments on his part.

Had you returned to your station with us, you would have received new and continued marks of the esteem inspired by the general worth of your character, as well as by the particular dispositions you manifested towards this country.

Amidst the regrets excited by so early a loss of you, it will be a consolation, if your new situation shall contribute to advance your own happiness.

As a testimony of these sentiments, we ask the acceptance of a medal and chain of gold, with which Mr. Short is instructed to present you on the part of the United States.

To this general tribute, permit me to add my own, with sincere wishes for your constant happiness, and a.s.surances of the respect and esteem with which I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient and most humble servant, Th: JEFFERSON.

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_Thomas Jefferson to William Short._

To William SHORT, Esquire. Philadelphia, March 8th, 1791.

Dear Sir: You are directed to have a medal struck from the diplomatic die, formerly ordered, and to present it with a chain of gold to the Count de Moustier, who is notified that this will be done by you. I formerly informed you that we proposed to (p. 121) vary the worth of the present by varying the size of the links of the chain, which are fixed at 365 in number. Let each in the present instance contain six livres worth of gold, and let it be made of plain wire, so that the value may be in the metal and not at all in the workmans.h.i.+p. I shall hope to receive the dies themselves when a safe conveyance presents itself.

I am, with great esteem, Th: JEFFERSON.

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_William Short to Thomas Jefferson._

To the Honourable Thomas JEFFERSON, Paris, June 6th, 1791.

Secretary of State.

Dear Sir: The medal which you desire to be made for Mr. de Moustier shall be executed as soon as I can have the "coins"

[dies] finished. You will no doubt be much astonished at this delay, but the engraver has been so devoted to the affair of their money, which is contending for by all the artists, that it has been impossible to get him to finish the work he had undertaken for the United States, and which was nearly completed last fall. This delay cannot last much longer, and he a.s.sures me he will shorten it as much as possible. He is to write a letter that I may send it to Mr. de la Luzerne and show him that the delay does not proceed from me. I don't know by what opportunity to send you the dies; there is no other than by the public carriages to Havre, and at present they would be stopped and examined by several of the munic.i.p.alities, who would take them, from their weight, to be specie to be exported, which they do not allow, notwithstanding the decrees of the a.s.sembly....

Wm. SHORT.

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_William Short to Thomas Jefferson._

To the Honourable Thomas JEFFERSON, Paris, September 25th, 1791.

Secretary of State.

Dear Sir: You will have heard of the death of Mr. de la Luzerne in England. The dies for the medal destined for him have been r.e.t.a.r.ded in a most unexpected manner on account of the engraver being employed here in the new coinage. Previous to the death of Mr. de la Luzerne, I explained to him the cause of this delay and sent him a letter from the engraver on the subject, which he answered by a desire that the national work should be first performed. The dies were since completed, but unfortunately one of them failed, as often happens, in the hardening.

The engraver is now employed in repairing this evil and says it will be done in two or three weeks.

I suppose it so certain that this medal should be given to (p. 122) Mr. de la Luzerne's representative, that as soon as it is ready I shall mention the subject to Mr. de Montmorin and follow his advice respecting it.

Dear Sir, Yours affectionately, Wm. SHORT.

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_William Short to M. Dupre._

Monsieur:[67]

Comme je ne pense pas que vous ignoriez que la medaille pour l'Amerique, dont le coin a peri a l'epreuve du balancier, est promise depuis longtemps a des personnes d'un caractere distingue sans doute vous ne serez pas surpris de l'interet que je prends a ce que ni la delicatesse des donateurs ni l'empress.e.m.e.nt des legataires soient compromis.

Or je ne vois, Monsieur, qu'un seul moyen de l'eviter, c'est de remettre aux donateurs, pour le moment, la seule epreuve que le coin a permis et qui est entre vos mains; ce moyen, en ecartant tout soupcon de negligence de ma part, evite aussi aux etats-Unis le desagrement de paraitre avoir oublie ses promesses.

Veuillez donc bien, Monsieur, vous preter a cet arrangement, dont les personnes interessees ne manqueront pas certainement de vous tenir compte, vos droits sur la fabrication n'etant, d'ailleurs, que r.e.t.a.r.des, puisque le coin doit etre refait.

Je vous prie donc, Monsieur, de remettre la medaille au porteur, afin que je puisse la presenter pour remedier, en quelque sorte, a l'accident, et dans le cas ou vous penseriez devoir la retenir, veuillez bien m'en informer par ecrit afin que je puisse me justifier de toute autre maniere vis-a-vis les personnes interessees.

Je suis tres-parfaitement, Monsieur, etc.

[Footnote 67: The original of this letter, without date or signature, which is in French, and which was communicated to me in Paris by M. Narcisse Dupre, is undoubtedly in the handwriting of Mr.

William Short.]

[Translation.]

_William Short to M. Dupre._

Sir: As I do not suppose that you are ignorant that the medal for America, of which the die was broken in the coining press, has been for a long time promised to distinguished persons, you will no doubt not be surprised at the interest which I take that neither the delicacy of the donors nor the desire of the legatees should be compromised.

Now, Sir, I see only one means of avoiding this, that is to give to the donors, for the time being, the only proof which the die has permitted and which is in your hands; this, while removing all suspicion of negligence on my part, prevents also the United States from occupying the disagreeable position of appearing to have forgotten its promises.

Be good enough therefore, Sir, to lend yourself to this (p. 123) arrangement, which the interested persons will most certainly not fail to acknowledge; your rights upon the making being besides only r.e.t.a.r.ded, since a new die must be made.

I beg you therefore, Sir, to hand the medal to the bearer, so that I may present it to remedy, in some degree, the accident; and in case you think you ought to retain it, be kind enough to inform me thereof in writing, so that I may justify myself in every way to the interested parties.

I am, very truly, Sir, etc.

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_M. de Moustier to M. Dupre._

a Monsieur DUPRe, Graveur, place Dauphine, 10.

J'ai eu d'autant plus de regret, Monsieur, du r.e.t.a.r.d qu'a eprouve l'execution de la medaille qui m'a ete destinee par le gouvernement des etats-Unis, que j'ai appris qu'il etait du a des causes qui ont du vous contrarier. J'espere qu'une troisieme operation aura un succes complet. Je le desire plus vivement depuis que j'ai vu par l'empreinte en metal qui est chez Mr.

Short, combien cette medaille est agreable a produire par un Francois en pays etranger qui aime a y faire valoir ses compatriotes. Lorsqu'elle sera achevee, je vous serai fort oblige de vouloir bien me la remettre, puisque Mr. Short doit s'absenter.

J'ai l'honneur d'etre tres-parfaitement, Monsieur, votre tres-humble et tres-obeissant serviteur, F. DE MOUSTIER.

[Translation.]

To M. DUPRe, Engraver, Place Dauphine, 10.

I have had the more regret, Sir, at the delay which has happened to the execution of the medal destined for me by the Government of the United States, since I have learned that it was due to causes which have been annoying to you. I hope that a third trial will prove a complete success. I desire it the more ardently since I have seen by the impression in metal at Mr. Short's how gratifying its exhibition will be for a Frenchman abroad who loves to do honor to his compatriots. When it shall be finished I will be much obliged to you if you will please have it sent to me, since Mr. Short is about to leave.