to advise Congress how to treat applications of foreigners. He could settle private complaints against foreign powers. He must attend Congress and could answer questions and explain his reports. He now had free access to all the records of Congress. He must reduce to proper form all communications with foreign governments. Here was something approaching a foreign office, and a great step in advance of the Act of January 10, 1781. The Secretary was, however, dependent upon the will of Congress in small things as well as large. On February 27, 1782, he asked for leave of absence and his request was referred to a committee. It was reported through the chairman, John Morin Scott of New York, that he had given sufficient reason, and it was recommended that he be allowed to absent himself for a few weeks. Accordingly he was granted the leave March 4.1 1

The inventory of the Department shows how the foreign establishment had grown. It now included such agents as independent nations commonly employed. Besides the ministers were two consuls.

On March 1, 1782, the act was modified so as to permit the appointment of two Under-Secretaries of Foreign Affairs at salaries of $800 and $700 per annum respectively, in the place of the secretary to the Secretary, but this was confirmatory of the practice which Livingston had already been permitted to follow.

1 Cont. Cong. MSS., Lib. Cong., 25, II, folio 79.

Communications from our ministers abroad now regularly came to Livingston, and were by him submitted to Congress, and the replies were sent through him. The French minister, however, communicated occasionally directly with Congress.

The condition in which our missions abroad were during Livingston's administration was indicated by him in a letter which he sent to Congress May 8, 1782. As to the method of living of the ministers, he reported that Dr. Franklin had a part of Mr. Chaumont's house at Passy, kept a chariot and pair and three or four servants, and gave a dinner occasionally "to the Americans and others." "His whole expense," Livingston added, "as far as I can learn, is very much within his income." Mr. Adams lived in lodgings, kept a chariot and pair and two men servants. He also had a private secretary who, it was presumed, would be paid by Congress. He had heard that Adams was about to rent a house. Mr. Dana's salary, even in Russia, where the relative value of money was so high that a house could not be hired for less than fifteen guineas a year, was ample. He was not informed of Mr. Jay's manner of living, but he concluded that if he maintained the same style as Dr. Franklin or Mr. Adams and followed the Spanish court which sat in different parts of the kingdom, his expenses must amount to double those of Franklin and Adams. The cost of living, taking Philadelphia as a standard, was twenty per cent cheaper in Paris, if wine, clothing, and the wages of servants were included; in Amsterdam, it was ten per cent cheaper

than in Philadelphia, and in Madrid, somewhat higher. In the last named place, the unsettled state of those who followed the court greatly enhanced their expenses. He recommended that Mr. Carmichael, then secretary to Jay at Madrid, be appointed "secretary to the embassy from the United States to the court of Versailles" at a salary of $4,000 a year, and that Jay be empowered to employ a private secretary at $1,000 a year, the same privilege being given to Mr. Laurens, "when he enters upon his mission to the United Provinces of the Low Countries." "The commissioners for negotiating a peace, in case Mr. Dana shall not return," he recommended should be authorized to appoint a secretary to the commission at $1,000 a year. The commission of minister plenipotentiary to Russia should be revoked and Francis Dana should be appointed resident at that court. When he should be received in that character, he might appoint a private secretary at $800 a year. No secretary to any of the missions to the "northern courts" should receive more than $1,000, and the salaries of the secretaries to France, Spain, and Holland should not exceed $2,000, except in the cases of those who had already been appointed. After January 1, the salary of a minister plenipotentiary from the United States should not exceed $5,000, and that of a resident $3,000, but an allowance for household expenses should be made. He gave the total annual expense of the Department of Foreign Affairs, "exclusive of contingencies," as follows:

Secretary of the United States for the department of

foreign affairs,

1st under secretary, Lewis R. Morris,

2nd under secretary, Peter S. Du Ponceau,

Clerk, the Rev. Mr. Tetard,

$4000

800

700

500

$6,000

11,11110

11,11110% 11,1111% 6,666690

79

79

4,44440% 4,444490

920

On June 17, James Madison, Ralph Izard, John Witherspoon, and George Clymer were appointed a committee to inquire into the proceedings of the Department. John Lowell of Massachusetts, also, was appointed, but left Congress before the report was completed. The committee reported, September 18, 1782, through Madison, that, from the time of the institution of the Department, in October, 1781, up to July 1, 1782, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs had sent fourteen letters to the minister plenipotentiary at Versailles, ten to the minister plenipotentiary at Madrid, eight to the minister plenipotentiary at The Hague, five to the minister plenipotentiary at St. 1 Secret Journals of Cong., III, 128, et seq.

Petersburg, two to the secretary of legation at Madrid, to our consul in France four letters, one to our agent at Habana, one to Mr. Dumas, one to Messrs. de Neuville & Son, fiscal agents of America in Paris, three to Mr. Harrison, consul at Cadiz, one to Samuel Parsons, who acted as consular agent at Martinique, and thirteen to the French minister. The Department had also corresponded with the governors and presidents of the States, requesting authentic statements of damages sustained from the enemy, sending circulars containing information touching the progress of our foreign intercourse and letters conveying foreign intelligence. Altogether there had been but eight of these communications. The report closed as follows:

Upon the whole the committee report that the business of this Department appears to have been conducted with much industry, attention and utility; and without any errors or defects worthy of being taken notice of to Congress. Such improvements and alterations in the general plan of the business as were judged by the committee proper they have taken the liberty of suggesting to the Secretary in the course of their inquiry. As far as their suggestions can be of use, the committee have no doubt that they will be attended to.1

The committee gave a list of the books and papers in the Department. There were: books of foreign and American letters, of resolutions of Congress, of daily transactions, of reports to Congress, of letters of the late committee for foreign affairs, of commissions and instructions to American ministers, of secret instructions, of letters from the commissioners in France, 1 Cont. Cong. MSS., Lib. Cong., 25, II, folio 131.