virginia borrowing spain

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Virginia Borrowing from Spain

Source: The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Jan., 1899), pp. 284-288Published by: Virginia Historical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4242165.

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284 VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.

VIRGINIA BORROWING FROM SPAIN.LETTER FROM GOVERNOR JEFFERSON TO GOVERNOR

GALVEZ, 1779.

(FromOriginaln VirginiaArchives.)[That Virginia attempted (and probablv with success) to bor-row money from Spain, while carryinig on the NorthwesternCampaign under Clarke, seems to have received but little noticefrom our historians;and as little has been said of the most essen-tial service rendered by Oliver Pollock, and perhaps other mer-chants in New Orleans, in furnishing supplies to the Westerntroops, which, if it did not make their victory possible, certainlywas indispensable for the retention of their conquests. The let-

ters of Governor Henry. here referred to, have not been pre-served, but it is evident that an attempt was made early in thewar to secure money from Spain. R. H. Lee, writing from NewYork, November 24, I777, says: ' With reference to the loanof money out of the Havannah or N. Orleans, I am not able toform a judgment whetlmer t can be effected or not; the lattermost probably, because Dr. Lee was able to get but a small sumimmediately from Spain for Congress. although he expected alarger Credit from Holland thro' the mediation and security ofSpain. It appears from an entry in the Virginia ExecutiveJournal, October 8, 1777, quoted by Mr. Henry ( PatrickHenry, 1, 6o6), that before that date, the Spanish governmenthad shipped stores intended for Virginia to New Orleans. It isnot known with certaintywhether the money asked for by Henryand Jefferson was obtained; but as later, Oliver Pollock wasstated to have been a debtor to the King of Spain for I3,112dollars, it is probablethat this amountwas a loan. If the Countde Gabrez, who also appears later as a creditor of Pollock's for74,o87 dollars, was the same as de Galvez, it would seem thatthe Spanish Governor had granted Jefferson's request to payPollock the sum named in his letter. PollQck,however, writingfrom New Orleans, May 26, 1780, states that he has applied to

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VIRGINIA BORROWING FROM SPAIN. 285Governor Galvez for pecuniary assistance, btutwithout success,as that officer required all his funds for his own purposes.When it is stated that no reference has been made by histori-ans to Spanish aid and the great service rendered by Oliver Pol-lock to Virginia during Clark's. Campaigns, reference was hadparticularly to those who have written especially on this portionof Revolutionary history. Neither Roosevelt nor English men-tion the subject. But Mr. W. W. Henry, in his PatrickHenry, I, 603-606, pays a well deserved tribute to Pollock.He says: In remembering the men to whom Virginia was in-debted for the success of this most important expedition, onename deserves the highest honor. It is that of Oliver Pollock,the agent of the State at New Orleans,who furnished the moneywhich enabled Clark to comnplete nd hold his conquests. Mr.Henry then gives a brief sketch of Pollock's services. TheState of Virginia paid him in bills drawn on Penet, Dacosta &Co., of Nantes, France. As the tobacco against which thesebills were drawn, did not reach France, they were protested,and Mr. Pollock was ruined. He sold everything he possessedto pay debts he had incurred forVirginia and the United States.After the Revolution, commissioners appointed by the Statefound due him a sum amounting to $92,321, and recommendedthat an additional amounitshould be paid him in considerationof damages. They quote in their report, a letter from GeneralClark, in whith he speaks of the very essential assistance ren-*dered him by Mr. Pollock, and by General Galvez, who, in1785, had oecome Viceroy of Mexico. In I780, Governor Gal-vez wrote to D?Tho'Jefferson, introducing Mr. Lewis ToutantBeauregard, a merchant of New Orleans, to whom Virginia wasalso indebted for supplies furnished the Western troops. Hewas probably an ancestor of General Pierre Gustave ToutantBeauregard, C. S. A.

For notices of Oliver Pollock and his claims, see the Calendarof Virginia State Papers, I, 347, 425; II, 488, 570; III, 153,so5, 607; IV, 14, 47, 63; V, I92, 230-1, 244, 251-4, 432. Rev.H. E. Hayden, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has written a pamphlet treat-ing of Oliver Pollock.]



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286 VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.Williamsbupg, Novemiiber 8th, 1779.

Sir: By Mr. Lindsay, who was sent froin our County of Illinoisin the Mississippi to New Orleans, and lately arrived here on hisreturn by the way of Havanna, we hear that Col. Rogers had lettNew Orleans anid proceeded up the Mississippi. We are anx-iously expecting by him your Excellency's answer to the Lettersof January I4, 1778, by Col. Rogers, and January26th, 1778, byCaptain Young from Governor Henry to whom I had the Honorof succeeding on his Resignation. The Accession of his mostCatholic Majesty since the Date of these Letters to the Hostili-ties carrying on by the Confederatepowers of Franiceand NorthAmerica against Great Britain thereby adding to their efforts,the weight of your Powerfulland wealthy Empire, has given inall the certainty of a happy Issue to the presenitContest of whichhuman Events will admit. Our vicinity to the State over whichyou immediately preside; the direct Channel of commerce bythe River Mississippi; the nature of those Commodities withwhich we can reciprocallyfurnish each other, point out the ad-vantage which may result from a close connection, and corres-pondence for which on our part the best Foundation are laid bya grateful sense of the Favors we have received at your Hands.Notwithstanding the pressure of the present War on our people,theyare lately beginning to extend theirSettlementsrapidlyontheWaters of the Mississippi,and we have reason to believe, that onthe Ohio particularly, and the Branches immediately communi-cating with it, there will in the course of anotherYear, be such anumber of Settlers, as to render the Commercean object worthyour Notice. From New Orleans alone can they be tolerablysupplied with necessaries of European Manufacture,and thitherthey will carry in Exchange Staves and Peltry immediatelyanidFlour, Pork and Beef as soon as they shall have somewhatopened their Lands. For their protection from Indians, we areobliged to send and station among them, a considerablearmedforce, the providing of which with Cloathing, and the FriendlyIndians with Necessaries, becomes a matter of great Difficultywith us. For the smaller Force we have hitherto kept up atKaskaskia on the Mississippiwe have contracted a considerableDebt at New Orleans with Mr. Pollock, besides what is due to



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VIRGINIA BORROWING FROM SPAIN. 287Your State for the Supplies they have generously furnishedanda Number of Bills from Col. Clarke now lying underprotest inNew Orleans. We learn by Mr. Lindsay that Mr. Pollock islikely to be greatly distress'd, if we do not immediately makehim remittances,the most unfavoreableHarvest ever known sincethe Settlement of this Country,has put it out of our Power to sendflour, obliging us for our own Subsistence to purchase it from theNeighbouring States of Maryland & Pennsylvania, to whom wehave until this year furnished large Quantities. The want ofSalt disables us from preparing Beef and Pork for your market.In this situation of things we cannot but Contemplate the distressof that gentleman brought on him by Services rendered us withthe utmost concern. We are endeavouring by Remittances ofTobacco to establish a Fund in France.to which we may applvto a certain extent. But the Casualties to which those Tobaccosare liable in their Transportation, render the Dependence lesscertain than we could wish for. Mr. Pollock's relief, and besidesthat we have other verv extensive occasions for them, young aswe are in Trade and Manufactures, and engaged in war with aNation whose power on the Sea, has been such as to intercepta great proportionof the supplies, we have attempted to importfrom Euirope, you will not wonder to hear, that we find greatDifficulties in procuring either Money or Commodities to answerthe calls of our comerce, and therefore that it would be a cir-cumstance of vast relief to us if we could leave our Deposits inFrance for the Calls of that part of our State which lies on theAtlantic, and procure a Suspension of the Demands from yourQuarter for supplies to our Western Forces One, Two or threeyears, or such longer Time as could be obtained.With this view, Governor Henry in his Letters of January 14and 26th, 1778, solicited from Your Nation, a loan of moneywhich your Excellency was so kind as to undertake to commu-nicate to your Court.The success of this application we expect to learn by Col.Rogers, and should not till then have troubled you with the sameSubject, had we not heard of Mr. Pollock's Distress, as we flat-ter ourselves that the Application thro' the intervention of yourExcellency may have been successful, and that you may be au-thoriz'd to advance for us some loans in money. I take the



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)88 VIRGINIA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.Liberty of Soliciting you in such case to advance for us to Mr.Pollock, sixty-five Thousand, Eight Hundred fourteen & X8Dol'ars. Encompassed as we are with Difficulties, we may failin doing as much as our Gratitudewould promptus to, in speed-ily replacing these aids. But most assuredlynothing in that waywithin our power will be left undone. Our particular prospectsfor doing it, and the time it may take to accomplish the whole,shall be the Subject of another Letter, as soon as I shall havethe Honor to learn from you whether we can be Supplied and towhat extent.By Col. Rogers I hope also to learn your Excellency's Senti-ments, on the other proposition in the same Letters, for theestablishmentof Corresponding posts on your side and ours ofthe Mississippi, near the mouth of the Ohio, for the promotionof Commerce Between us. After returning our most cordialthanks to your Excellency. for the friendly Disposition you havepersonally shown to us, and assuring you of our profound Re-spect and Esteem, beg leave to subscribe nmyself,Your Excellency's Most obedient and most humble Serv',

(Signed) TH. JEFFERSON.His Excellency, Don Bernardo Di Galvez.

TRUSTEES OF HAMPDEN-SIDNEY COLLEGE.SecondPaper-Contributed y 1. B. HENNEMAN.

93. I841-I845. Rev. Patrick J. Sparrow, D. D., of PrinceEdward, vice Thomas Tredway, resigned. Pastorof the CollegeChurch, like 8o. President of the College, I845-I847. AlsoMemberof Board of Union Theological SeminAry, I834-I836.94. I841 (resigned). Branch Jones Worsham, of PrinceEdward, vice Francis B. Dean, resigned. Clerk of Prince Ed-ward Courts for fifty-three years (I8I6-i869). He and FrancisWatkins, I2, were the only clerks in Prince Edward from I783

to 1869. His portrait hangs in the Clerk's office at Farmville.The site of the old Court House, about a mile from Hampden-


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