Book Description

Manuscript letter from Timothy Pickering in Trenton, New Jersey to Rufus King in London. The letter discusses some of the aftermath of the XYZ Affair, which was a diplomatic incident in France in which three French agents made what the American delegation felt were unreasonable demands as a condition for continued diplomatic relations. The American delegation consisted of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry. Pickering's letter describes his poor opinion of Gerry's conduct (he remained in France after Pinckney and Marshall were deported) and relays Pinckney's equally poor opinion of Gerry. Part of the letter is written in code, though it has been deciphered between the lines. Pickering also describes the yellow fever outbreak in America, and reports the deaths of newspaper publishers John Fenno, Thomas Greenleaf, and Benjamin Franklin Bache.