Decoding Revolutionary Correspondence

[Marquis Yrujo to Madison, 2 July] 1803

Code/Cipher: WE028
Source: The James Madison Papers (Translation)

This letter appears to be "your letter of the 2d inst" mentioned in Madison to Marquis Yrujo, 8 July 1803.


James Madison was Secretary of State under President Jefferson. Don Carlos Martinez de Yrujo, created in 1802 Marquis de Casa Yrujo, was Spanish minister resident in Washington. He was in confidence of the Democratic-Republican administration.

Pedro Cevallos, the Spanish Secretary of State, was a chief minister of King Charles IV. The US minister resident in Madrid was Charles Pinckney.

The treaty with Spain in 1795 granted Americans the right to deposit merchandise at New Orleans without paying duty. In 1802, the Spanish intendant, Don Juan Ventura Morales denied the right to deposit. In April 1803, Yrujo informed Madison that the right to deposit would be restored. (Henry Adams, History of the United States of America during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson)


In Plaintext

Sir, His Excellency Mr Pedro Cevallos, Secretary of the King my master has been pleased to send me a copy of the official letter which he sent on the 31st March last to the Minister of these states to His Majesty, whereby I hope the President of the United States will have seen confirmed the sentiments of amity and good intelligence which his Majesty wishes to maintain with the United States as well as of that condescention and justice which I have anticipated to you in my frequent conferences upon the conduct of the intendant of Louisiana. At the same time that the King my master orders me to assure this Government again in his royal name of the sincere desi[re]s which animate him to preserve the ties of amity and good harmony with this country.
I have received also the order to manifest to the president thro you as I do that it is not possible for him to comply with the request of the United States to enlarge with Spanish possessions the limits of this territory because beside that this can not be realized without dismembering his States to the injury of his reputation and of his obligation to preserve them in their integrity as far as possible, it would excite compl[ain]ts from the maritime powers of Europe to whom Spain has stipulated in various treaties from that of Utrecht inclusively not to alien any of her colonial possessions, to which ought to be added that this compliance would be offensive to France, which was desirous of having the cession of the Floridas offering advantageous terms and nevertheless his Majesty did not accede to it notwithstanding the ties and considerations which unite us with [big] power.

Verification Dump

In the following dump, letters "O", "A", "X", "V" are used as ASCII substitutes for special symbols in the manuscript letter. According to the code list of WE028, "O" indicates an ending "-s", "A" indicates past participles, "X" indicates doubling a letter, and "V" indicates deleting a letter. Thus,
"1167 <wel> X" reads "well",
"113 <confer> 546 <ence> O" reads "conferences",
"1431 <into> V 548 <end> 673 <ant>" reads "intendant",
"27 <love> V 1436 <is> 1402 <ia> 402 <na>" reads "Louisiana" (u and v are interchangeable),
"210 <present> VV 1499 <ru> 501 <E>" reads "preserve", and
"736 <receive> A" reads "received".
"256 <Spain> V 1438 <ish>" reads "Spanish" (in the manuscript, the symbol "V" is marked under the second last digit of the code "256", indicating deletion of the second last letter "i".)

It is noted that these intricacies are not employed in Madison's reply to this letter (see Madison to Marquis Yrujo, 8 July 1803).

Sir,
His Excellency Mr Pedro Cevallos, Secretary of
the King my master has been pleased to send me a copy of the of-
ficial letter which he sent on the 31st March last to the Minis-
ter of these states to His Majesty, whereby I hope the President
of the United States will have seen confirmed the sentiments
of amity and good intelligence which his Majesty wishes
to maintain with the United States
692 <as> 1167 <wel> X 692 <as> 1576 <of> 1384 <that>
1044 <con> 829 <des> 1019 <cent> 1433 <ion> 668 <and> justice 1176 <which> 1401 <I.J.> 1259 <have> 673 <ant> 1404 <ic> 1401 <I.J.>
1114 <pat> 520 <ed> 569 <to> 663 <you> 1426 <in> 167 <my> 994 <fre> 706 <queen> 1361 <T> 113 <confer> 546 <ence> O 488 <upon> 1385 <the>
1044 <con> 1280 <duct> 1576 <of> 1385 <the> 1431 <into> V 548 <end> 673 <ant> 1576 <of> 27 <love> V 1436 <is> 1402 <ia> 402 <na> At
the same time that the King my master orders me to assure
this Government again in
184 <his> 1486 <ro> 654 <ya> 1452 <L> 404 <name> 1576 <of> 1385 <the>
235 <since> 731 <re> 830 <design> VVO 1176 <which> 672 <ani> 623 <mat> 501 <E> 182 <him> 569 <to> 210 <present> VV 1499 <ru> 501 <E> the
ties of amity and good harmony with this Country
1401 <I.J.> 1259 <have>
736 <receive> A 1541 <also> 1385 <the> 911 <order> 569 <to> 614 <manifest> 569 <to> 1385 <the> 78 <president> 557 <thro> 663 <you> 692 <as> 1401 <I.J.>
854 <do> 1384 <that> 1440 <it> 1436 <is> 360 <not> 1157 <possib> 586 <le> for him 569 <to> 108 <comply> 1190 <with> 1385 <the> 731 <re>
708 <quest> 1576 <of> 1385 <the> 49 <United States> 569 <to> 545 <en> 1456 <large> 1190 <with> 256 <Spain> V 1438 <ish> 1156 <possess> 1433 <ion> O 1385 <the>
(Page 774)
880 <li> 137 <mit> O 1576 <of> 1399 <this> 1379 <ter> 1477 <rit> 916 <ory> 1315 <because> beside that this can
not be
732 <rea> 880 <li> 665 <Z> 501 <E> A 1192 <without> 845 <dis> 634 <mem> 1325 <ber> 1429 <ing> 184 <his> 264 <State> O to
the
1426 <in> 1446 <jur> 653 <Y> 1576 <of> 184 <his> 746 <rep> 493 <ut> 864 <ation> and of his 40 <obligation> 569 <to> 209 <pres>
1300 <er> 458 <ve> them in their 1426 <in> 1372 <te> 1234 <gri> 776 <ty> as far as possible
it would
289 <ex> 1031 <city> V 501 <E> 108 <comply> V 1521 <ag> [should be 1531 <ain>] 1361 <T> O 999 <from> 1385 <the> 617 <mar> 1440 <it> 1424 <im>
501 <E> 205 <power> O 1576 <of> 287 <europe> 569 <to> 1181 <whom> 256 <Spain> 1254 <has> 380 <sti> 229 <pu> 1458 <late> A in various
treaties from that of Utrecht inclusively
360 <not> 569 <to> 1535 <al> 1410 <ie> 401 <N>
674 <any> 1576 <of> 177 <her> 1041 <colon> 1402 <ia> 1452 <L> 1156 <possess> 1433 <ion> O to which ought to be
added that this
108 <comply> V 1402 <ia> 401 <N> 1016 <ce> 1199 <would> 1310 <be> 1577 <offer> V 401 <N> 239 <sive>
569 <to> 992 <france> which was desirous of 1260 <having> 1385 <the> 1022 <ces> 236 <sion> 1576 <of> 1385 <the>
970 <florida> O 1577 <offer> 1429 <ing> advantageous 1379 <ter> 601 <M> O and nevertheless 184 <his>
608 <mai> 272 <est> 653 <Y> 834 <did> 360 <not> 1507 <ac> 1017 <ced> 501 <E> 569 <to> 1440 <it> notwithstand-
ing the
560 <ti> 271 <es> 668 <and> 118 <consider> 864 <ation> O 1176 <which> 481 <United> V 491 <us> 1190 <with> 1884 [should be 1334 <big> or 1384 <that> ?]
205 <power>


First posted on 25 July 2009. Last modified on 25 July 2009.
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