It might be more magnificent to give gold medals to sovereigns, silver ones to distinguished persons, and copper ones to the colleges; but, in his opinion, the nature of the American Governments, as well as the state of their finance, will apologize for their declining the expense.
All which is submitted to the wisdom of Congress.
John Jay.
The records of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres show that in 1789, at the request of Mr. Jefferson, it also composed designs for the medals awarded by Congress to General Wayne, Major Stewart, and Captain John Paul Jones.[7] Mr. Jefferson had previously had an interview with M. Augustin Dupré on the subject, as will be seen by the following note, the original of which is in Mr. Jefferson's handwriting:[8]
To
M. Dupré,
Engraver of Medals and Medallist of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.
Mr. Jefferson having received orders concerning medals to be struck would like to talk about them with M. Dupré, if he will please do him the honour to call on him to-morrow morning before eleven o'clock.
Saturday, January 3, 1789.
In the following month, Mr. Jefferson again wrote to M. Dupré, inclosing descriptions of the designs for the medals of General Morgan and of Admiral Jones. The reader will note some slight differences between these and those originally composed by the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres:
To
M. Dupré,
Engraver of Medals and Medallist of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.
Mr. Jefferson has the honour to send to M. Dupré the devices for the medals for General Morgan and Rear-Admiral Paul Jones, which he has just received from the Academy of Belles-Lettres, and the making of which he proposes to M. Dupré, the latter to be responsible for the success of the dies up to the striking of three hundred and fifty of each medal in gold, silver, or bronze, and to furnish proofs in tin at the end of the month of March next, so that the medals may all be struck before the 15th of April. He begs him to kindly mention the conditions on which he will undertake them, and Mr. Jefferson will have the honour to reply on receipt of them.
February 13, 1789.