TO JOSHUA JOHNSON.

New York, August 7,1790.

Sir,

The President of the United States, desirous of availing his country of
the talents of its best citizens in their respective lines, has thought
proper to nominate you consul for the United States, at the port of
London. The extent of our commercial and political connections with that
country, marks the importance of the trust he confides to you, and the
more, as we have no diplomatic character at that court. I shall say more
to you in a future letter on the extent of the consular functions, which
are, in general, to be confined to the superintendence and patronage of
commerce and navigation: but in your position, we must desire somewhat
more. Political intelligence from that country is interesting to us in a
high degree. We must, therefore, ask you to furnish us with this as
far as you shall be able; to send us moreover the gazette of the court,
Woodfall's parliamentary paper, Debrett's parliamentary register; and to
serve sometimes as a centre for our correspondences with other parts
of Europe, by receiving and forwarding letters sent to your care. It
is desirable that we be annually informed of the extent to which the
British fisheries are carried on within each year, stating the number
and tonnage of the vessels, and the number of men employed in the
respective fisheries, to wit, the northern and southern whale-fisheries,
and the cod-fishery. I have as yet no statement of them for the year
1789, with which, therefore, I will thank you to begin. While the press
of seamen continues, our seamen in ports nearer to you than to Liverpool
(where Mr. Maury is consul), will need your protection. The liberation