The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-07-25
POLITICAL.
Mr.. ADAMS'S
CORRESPONDENCE CONTINUED.

IN page %, Mr.. HAMrLroN acknowledge
that the President had pledged himself in hi
speech. (he should have said in his message I,
send minister, il satisfactory assurances of
proper reception were, gwen" Notwitbstand
ing this, Mr.. Hamilton, and all his con6dentia
friends. exerted their utmost art and most siren
tlous endeavors to prevail on the President to vi
olate this pledge. What can any man think o
che disposition fthese men towards the person
alor official character Of the President But thai
they were secretly, If not avowedly, his most de
termined and most venomoIs enemies When
the measure had been solemniy, irrevocably, de
termined and could not be recalled nor delayed
without indelible dishonor, own was aston.
iahed, was grieved, was afflicted, to see suc
artificial schemes employed, such delays studied
such embarrassments thrown in the way, by men
who were, or at least ought to have been my DO
ssn Friends. g.. : 1. !.
This was point Of honor indeed not such .
stupid, fantastical point of honor rs that whic4
Mr.. Hamilton maintains with so much fanaticism
and so much folly but point ofhonor in which
my moral character was involved as well as the
public faith ofthe nation. Hamilton's point OF
honor was such as one of those Irish duelists,
who love Sighting better than feasting. might
haye made q pretext for sending challenge
and howeyers onformable it might be to Hainil-
toms manner OF thinking, it was altogether incon-
sistent with the moral, religious and politiea,
character Of the people of America.
Il Was such q point of honor as Macbiavilan
or Jesuit might have made pretext for war
1t was such point of honor as Roman senate,
in the most corrupt days of that republic, might
have made pretext for involving the nation in a
foreign war, when Patrician mOnopolies ofland,
and Patrician usury at twelve per cent month,
had excited the Plebean debtors to the crisis of
civil war. But the American people were not
Roman Plebeians. They were not to be deceiv.
ed by such thin DISCUSSES. .,.g
Surely those who have lately censured Mr.
Jefferson and Mr.. Madison, for insisting on
knowing the satisfaction which wss to be given
for the outrage on'the Chesapeake, before they
revoked certain proclamation, can never blame
me for not insisting on point that was no
point Of honor at all.
President pledged himself in his speech Che
should have said his message) to send Minister,
If Unsatisfactory assurances of proper reception
were given, he must have been understood to
mean such as were direct and official, not such as
were both Informal and Destitute of a esn,pcter.
sanction" -. .,,..-.f:..s ,..5.... sr'-.e.-
The words +" direct and indirect, %" official 8:
inofficial,"" formal and informal,"" competent
sanction" &c. appear to have seized this gentle
mans mind, and to have rolled and tumble5 in it,
till they had produced an entire confusion of his
understanding. =, s. L<ty
He.here supposes that l did not understand
my own message, and patriotically undertakes to
SApOuuu IL OOtu iOT HE SHu Tic IllDHC.. ACCOrQ-
ing to his metaphysics, ] meant, by assurances o..
proper reception, assurances direct and official,
not stich as were Informal. Let me ask, what
more formal or official assurances could have
been given than Taiieyrand's letters What
more formal, official, or direct, than Mr. Gerry's
letters! IL understand Mr.. Hamilton, he must
have meant to say that my message demanded an
ambassador to DE sent directly from the Directo-
~ to me, for the express purpose of assuring me
that they would receive "a minister plenipotentia-
~ from nue.. This, instead of being my meaning.
was directly the reverse ofit.-From first to last
] hsd refused to be thken in this snare. had
always refused to demand that minister should
be sent here first, though had declared expli-
city enough in my speech, that a French minister,
If sent, should be received. Ihad always insist
ed that both the doors Of negotiation should be
held open. And as / have already said now
repeat. that l preferred to send minister rather
than receive one not only for the reasons ex-
planned in former letter, but because thought
the arnende honorable ought TO be made at Par.
IS where the offence was given where it would
be known and observed by all Europe-whepeas
ii il had been made at Philadelphia little no.
tice would have been taken of it by any part of
the world 80 - s-le' aa- .
am somewhat disappointed in not finding in
this pamphlet the word "obscure" applied to
Mr.. Pichon, because the newspapers 10 Boston,
New York. and Philadelphia, written by Mr.
Hamilton's coadjutar and fellow.laborers in the
same field of scandal, had profisely scattered
their dull sarcasms on the obscurity ofthe agent,
or agents at the Hague. Mr.. Pichon obscure
A secretary oflegstion and charge des affares
obscure Especially in the absence of hisarnbas.
sadorl The office of secretary obligation is an
object OF ambition and desire to many of the first
scientific characters in Europe. The place is
worth about a thousand g,ineas year, affords a
fine opportunity and great advantages for travel,
and is commonly. sure road to promotion
These secretaries are almost always men of SCI
ence, letters and business, They are often more
relied upon than the ambassadors tiems selves for
the substantial part of business. Ambassadors
are often chosen for their birth, rank titles rich
es, beauty, elegance OF manners, or good .,urnor
They are intended to do honor to their soye
reigBs by their appearance and representation
Secretaries OF legation are selected for their SCI
ence, learning, talents, industry and habits of bu
siness. Idoubt not Mr. Locke or Sir Isaac New
ton in their younger days would have thought
themselves fortunate to have been offeredsucI-s
place. Would these have been called obscure |,
Was Matthew Prior or David Hume obscure :
Yet both ofthem were secretaries of legation.
Such reflections as these which were thrown
upon Mr.. Pichon might impose upon people
who knew no better than the writer's but must
have been despised by every man who knew any
thing Of the world. ,,t.. r.. ...... ...-..
Had Talleyrand sent his letters to general
Washington to accommodated to me, had he
sent them directly to my secretary of state, had
he sent to the Spanish minister TO be bv him
communicated to the secretary Of state, or TO the
Dutch minister for the same purpose, I do not
say that l would have nominated minister in
consequence of them nor will say that would
not. There is no need to determine this auc.ti.
on, because in fact the utmost rgor oil diplomatic
etiquette was observed. But will say that my