Talk:Edmund Roberts (diplomat)

Comments
Comments, please. --Pawyilee (talk) 10:38, 6 November 2011 (UTC)

Schuyler Livingston (re: a business transaction)
The late Schuyler Livingston was generally supposed to be a very liberal man. So he was when it was his interest to be so. He was not always just. In one case he acted the part of an unjust man to two young and unfortunate merchants.

In a former chapter I have alluded to the fact that about thirty years ago, General Jackson sent out a merchant named Edmund Roberts to make a treaty with Japan, Muscat, and Siam. Mr. Roberts succeeded in making a treaty with the two last named nations, but failed with the former. He went out on a second expedition, and died. Judge Amasa J. Parker, one of the purest and best, as he is one of the most sagacious democrats of the state, married a daughter of Mr. Roberts. At the death of the diplomatist, Mr. Parker, Who was then a Member of Congress from the Delhi district, published a book at the Harpers. It contained the life of Mr. Roberts, and many valuable papers connected with the expedition he made by order of President Jackson. Based upon the information conveyed by Mr. Roberts, a commercial house in this city opened a trade with Muscat and the Imaum. This continued a long time. Among other matters, some very valuable presents were sent to the Imaum himself. One agent of this New York house resided at Zanzibar Island, and another at Muscat. The Imaum is himself not only a priest, but indulges in merchandising when he finds a good opening. He loads one of his own ships in the early part of 1840, and sends her to New York, consigned to this house, that had been doing business with him for some time. The New York house had failed, and the consignment of the Arab ship and cargo passed into the hands of Barclay & Livingston, who made a nice thing of it—perhaps $5,000 or $6,000. Did the house of B. & L., who would have been puzzled to have told in what part of the globe Muscat was located, divide the commission, or make any return to that young house of Scoville & Britton, who had toiled and spent money for years to work up that trade? Not a dime. Schuyler Livingston told Mr. Britton, the only partner who was in the city at the time the Imaum’s ship arrived here, to kiss his—foot. Mr. Britton long ago left mercantile business, and met with the greatest success in another line; he being the head of the house in this city of Britton & Warner, bankers.

That was not all. The “Sultance” brought presents from the Imaum to the president of the United States, and also to Scoville & Britton, his New York Correspondents. An Arab chief returns present for present. The President of the United States had sent the Imaum valuable articles, and he sent back Arab horses to him. Scoville & Britton had frequently sent presents to the Imaum, among other things a Colt’s rifle and pistol mounted in ivory, and several other fire arms. In return to S. & B. the Sultan sent camels-hair shawls and certain articles. Barclay & Livingston never had sent the Sultan any presents, but they got his, and poor Scoville & Britton never received one of them. Mr. Livingston claimed that the presents belonged to Barclay & Livingston, as consignees of the vessel. Power is right, and there was never any redress, nor never will be in this world. Satan in the other may say: “Schuyler, that was a clever dodge of yours in 1840—keeping those Arab shawls.” As the Sultan is dead, he can explain that they were intended for his friends—his correspondents—those who had made him presents in 1839, and not for a couple of names the Imaum had never heard of, but who became consignees of the vessel, because they were the agents of Lloyds, London, and by consent of Lloyd L. Britton.

&mdash; --Pawyilee (talk) 05:21, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

CHRONOLOGY OF U.S. – OMANI RELATIONS
From old U.S. Embassy website at Oman: [www.usa.gov.om/chron u.s.htm CHRONOLOGY OF U.S. -OMANI RELATIONS] --Pawyilee (talk) 09:58, 24 May 2012 (UTC)

Captian's Clerk
Secretary of State Edward Livingston's "Instructions to Special Agent Edmund Roberts" "Sir:— The President having named you his agent for the purpose of examining, in the Indian Ocean, the means of extending the commerce of the United States by commercial arrangement with the powers whose dominions border on those seas. You will embark on board of the United States Sloop of war, the Peacock, in which vessel for the purpose of concealing your mission from powers whose interest it might be to thwart the objects the President has in view, you will be rated as Captain's Clerk. Your real character is known to Captain Geisinger, and need not be to any other person on board unless you find it necessary, for the purpose of your mission, to communicate it to others...."To see the ref, click on the first link, below, which automatically redirects to Miller, page 23; once it loads, click on "Page 308" in the left side search pane. NDU Library's site is really tricky to use, and I only luck into a link – the second one below goes to a 403 error. Though the basic document is copyrighted, all the documents in the appendixes are government. Who knows how to get them into Wikisource? It also baffles me. I read they accept PDFs, and the box at the top of NDU Library's search pane offers a means of downloading them; Document Properties say no security, and copying allowed; but my brain is as slow as my backwoods Internet connection. BTW, Roberts' per diem rate was added in a postscript; a Bill proposed a posthumous promotion and increase in pay payable to his executors, but I can't find a record of what happened next. --Pawyilee (talk) 16:03, 20 July 2012 (UTC)

19th century British passport message
Copperplate script 7617 We, Archibald Philip Earl of Rosebery, Viscount Rosebery, Viscount Inverkeithing, Baron Primrose and Dalmeny in the Peerage of Scotland, Baron Rosebery in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, a  Baronet of Nova Scotia, a Member of Her Britannic Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council,  a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Her Majesty's Principle Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, &c., &c., &c., Request and require in the Name of Her Majesty, all those to whom it may concern to allow William Alfred Rae Wood (British Subject) traveling on the Continent to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford him every assistance and protection of which he may stand in need. Given at the Foreign Office London the 8 day of September 1893. [signature] Roseberry Signature of the Bearer W.A.R. Wood
 * Citation

—

Secretary of State Livingston's Instructions to Special Agent Edmund Roberts
Mr. Edmund Roberts Department of State Washington, 27 Jan. 1832
 * Sir:—The President having named you his agent for the purpose of examining, in the Indian Ocean, the means of extending the commerce of the United States by commercial arrangement with the powers whose dominions border on those seas. you will embark on board of the United States Sloop of war, the Peacock, in which vessel for the purpose of concealing your mission from powers whose interest it might be to thwart the objects the President has in view, you will be rated as Captain's Clerk. Your real character is known to Captain Geisinger, and need not be to any other person on hoard unless you find it necessary, for the purpose of your mission, to communicate it to others.
 * As you will enter the Indian Ocean from the eastward, the first place at which your duties will begin will be Cochin China. Here you will proceed to the capital of the country 'Hué', sometimes called 'Hué foo', or such other of the Royal cities as the King may reside at. You will in your passage to this place, inform yourself minutely of the trade carried on between this Kingdom and other countries—the nature of the products of the country, whether natural, agricultural, or manufactured—its maritime and military strength—and of the articles of merchandise of general consumption, or demanded for their own commerce with other nations—of the favors granted to, or exactions made upon, the commerce of the various nations who trade with them.
 * On your arrival you will present yourself to the King with your power and the letter addressed to him. You will state that the President having heard of his fame for justice, and desire to improve the advantages of commerce for the good of his people, has sent you to inquire whether he is willing to admit our ships into his harbors with such articles of merchandise as will be useful to him and his people, and to receive, in return, the products of their industry or of their soil. That we manufacture, and can bring, arms, ammunition, cloths of cotton and wool, glass, etc. (enumerating all the articles that you find they usually import) —that we can furnish them chcaper than any other nation, because it is against the principles of our nation to build forts, or make expensive establishments in foreign countries—that we never make conquests, or ask any nations to let us establish ourselves in their country as the English, the French. and the Dutch have done in the East Indies. All we ask is free liberty to come and go for the purpose of buying and selling, paying obedience to the laws of the country while we are there. But that while we ask no exclusive favor, we will not carry our commerce where we are treated in any degree worse than other nations. We will pay all the duties that are required by the King's authority, but we will not submit to pay more than any other nation does, nor will we bear the exactions of any of his subordinate Officers—that the President is very powerful, has many ships of war at his command but that they are only used to protect our commerce against imposition —that if the King wishes to secure the advantages of our trade he must enter into a treaty by which the above stipulations must be secured to our merchants—that as soon as this is known our ships will resort to his ports, enriching him by the duties that he will receive, and his subjects by their commerce.
 * An important point is, to obtain an explicit permission to trade, generally, with the inhabitants, for it is understood that at most, or all of the ports, the Mandarins, or other officers, now monopolize the commerce, permitting none of the inhabitants to trade with foreigners.
 * You will be furnished with a power to conclude a treaty—if one can be obtained on the terms above specified, and such others as shall hereafter be mentioned —and to promise, which you may do verbally or in writing, that the usual presents shall be made on the exchange of the ratification—of which you may settle a list of such things as may be most agreeable, not exceeding ten thousand dollars in value for each Power.
 * Your compensation will be six dollars per diem, and all necessary personal expenses—which last can only be in unforeseen cases, as your subsistence on board the ship is provided for. An advance will be made to you of one thousand dollars on account of your pay, and five hundred dollars for such presents as may be necessary to gain an audience.
 * The above instructions will govern you in your missions to Siam, and the powers of Arabia on the Red Sea, where you will also be conveyed.
 * You are authorized to draw on the Department for the amount of your allowance, as it becomes due, after deducting the advance now made to you, and for your necessary expenses, to be certified by the commander of the vessel in which you sail.
 * I am, Sir, very respectfully,
 * Your obedient servant,
 * Edw. Livingston
 * P.S.—Your compensation will commence on the 9th January, 1832, the day of your leaving your residence to proceed on your mission.