Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-02-03

III !ras'io, NfH- note, CD not pretend !
20 nIt cipa.e how much OF what had been
stated by you in our several conferences
you would think it propcr TO repeat in wri-
ing. Bat, w:.Iever thu tenor OF yoar note
had been, should have felt i. right 70 con-
form strictly TO il, in the official answer,
avoiding Any reference to any part of your
verbal com ran;cations, except such as, 10y
repeating thcm in writing, 1 should see
that it was your intention to record as Off
cial.
L confess, however, ! was not prepared
Tor the mixed course which you actually
did adopt, L am persuaded q am sincerely
Persuaded) without any intention of Crea-
I ng embarrassment, hat If referring gener-
ally TO what mad passed in our conferences,
IS illustrative of your official proposition,
and, as tending to support and recommend
ii, but W thout specifying the particular
points TO which such reference was intended
t. Apply; course which appeared 1T first
sight toleave me no choice except between
the two alternatives of either recapitula.
ting the whole of what you had stated in
conversation, Tor the purpose of compre-
hending 1t lin the answer, or OK Conforming
myself To your written note, at The haz "A rd
OF beng suspected of suppressng the most
material part of your stat ment
the cX,.edient to which had recource
OF accompanying my Official note with a
separate otter stating to the best of my
recollection, the substance of VIVA. I had
II. ard from you II conversation, appeared
toiIe, after much del beration, to be the most
respe tiul 10 you.
Such having been the motives which die
tdted my letter, Cannot regret it was writ.
ten, since it has produced, at {, period so
little distant from the transaction itself, an
opportunity of comparing the impressions
let on our minds respectively, of what pas.
sed in ouT several conferences, and OF COR
recting any erroneous impressions on either
side
There are two points in which our re
collections do appear to differ IN some de-
gree.
The first relates to the authority which
you had, and that which l understood you
90 state yourself 20 have, at the time of our
i!rst conference for bringing forward a di-
rect overture, N tine name of your govern
iDent, the second to the expectation which
l stated myself 10 nave ente rtained "more
than once" of your opening an official cor
r2:pondcnce on the subject OF the orders
IN council.
with respect TO the first point you will
give me credit when | assure yuu that my
understanding of what SAID by Won,
not only IN the first. but in cur second con
ers1ce, was precisely what have stated
II TO be III my letter: and you will Il hope)
forgive me it, after the most attentive De.
rusal OF your letter of the 10th ef October,
and after careu. comparison of different
passages in it, while l am compelled by
your assurance to acknowledge mat / have
inexperienced you, find grounds in our
statement to excuse, if not to account for
my n.isupprehensi"n.
According .oycur recollections, you tolG
me explicitly, ii cur first conference,
" that inc SUBSTANCE OF what you then sug.
gested, that is to say, that our orders be
ing repealed as to the United States, the
u D. would suspend the embargo az to
u. Britain, was from your government
that tne manner of conducting and iiiustra-
ting iht subject upon which you had no
precise ordersl was your own," and you
even Quoted part of your instructions to
ne winch Was to that effect,
In a. subsequent paragraph you state, that
F" nothing can be more correct than my
apprehension that you did not INA Ike, nor
pro 90 intend making an overture in
whiting, before you had endeavored to pre-.
pare Tor 1t such a reception as you felt it
deserved F.; and before you ascertancd what
shape it would be mos, proper to give t,
that overture, and how it would be met by
The British governments.
Aud in another part of yosr letter YOU
admit that, when you expressed your
readiness 10 make your proposal in writing,
II was (as have stately Professionally %,
and you informed me that the prov sional
nature of your offer arose out OF circum-
stances" the nature of which circumstan-
ces you do not explain, nor have any
ght to require such an explanation.
But Comparing these several statements
together, seeing that, in our first iateryiew
you declared no intention OF nakinga pToLo-
s al IN writing THAT III our secondinteryiew.
"a month or five weeks afterwards Won
described that intention as PROVISIONAL
and Contingent, and protesting at the same
s.me las do n the most solemn manner)
that Cannot ind any trace in my memory
VI any communications whatever OF aay Da,;
of OR instructions, communicated 90 me
Is such, seeing also that whatever might
bc the nature dnd extent OF your Ins. rue
tons from tie president of the ". 5. as TO
the substance OF the overtures to be made
90 the British government, the manner, the
tihG and The conditions OF tnat overture.
were evidently Considered by You as lett
10 your own dScreuCn---it surely my be
pardonaDle IN me e. have mistaken. las !
most uDquestionab!y must have done he
precise limits 1T which the authority OF