Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-01-16

Snication upon the subject.
1t is for that reason, also, that as IN your
written communication you refer me to our
late conversations for the 8 bearings and de-
| tails of your proposal, | feel it necessary
to recapitulate, as shortly as I can, what |
conceive to have passed in these CONVERSE
irons beyond what | find recorded in your
letter.
The principal points on which the sug-
gestions brought forward by youin personal
conference, appear to nae to have differed in
some degree from the proposal no7vstatedby
you in zyr,itins' are two-the first, that in
conversation the proposal itself was not dis
tinctlv stated as an overture authorised by
.,loua, .go1e.nnent-the sscond, that the be-
nefcial consequences Likely to result to this
country from the acceptance Of that proposal
were !" pursued" through more ample s IL
lustrations."
In the first of our conferences, under
stood you to say little more on the authori-
ty of your government, than that you were
instructed TO demonstrate against the orders
in counciIot thei7th Of January, and 18th
of November, 18o7--but to add, as from
y0nrsey an expression of your o1vn convic-
ton, that if these orders were repealed, the
President Of the United States would sus-
pend the Embargo with respect to Great
Britain.
Upon tie consequences Of such a suspen-
sion of the Embargo, while it would still
continue to be enforced against France, you
cxpatiated largely--atsHsbeasins', however,
Gas understood your ovva individual SEN
timents.
It was suggested by you, that Anerica
would, in 1kat case, probably arm her mer-
Chant ships against the aggressions of France
-an expedient, to which, you observed, it
would be perfectly lille to resort against G.
britain. The collisions of armed vessels
would probably produce war-and the z.
States would thas be brought into the very
situation In which we must wish to. place
them-that OF hostility to France, and viz
sual, if no. formal, alliance With Great 2ri-
tain.
Incur second conference, you repeated
and enforced the arguments calculated to
induce the British government 20 consent
to the repeal OF the ordors in council, and
ii this conference, though not stating yo'Ar
se5fto be authorised by your government for-
nialg to. after the suspension Of the Em6cy-
go as ea immediate consequence q that tepea!
yet you did profess Gas understood YOU
a readiness to take upon yourself to make
that Offer, tr0viGcd, that / should give y0u
6etere harei IN unofficial! assurance that, cou-
pied with tnat offer 50 made, the demand Of
the repeal of.he ordersin council Of January
And November 1907 would be probably re-
scinded.
l, of course, declined to give any such
brec;ene assurdnecs--but as you appeared to
attach great Importance to this suggestion,
and | was led to think that compliance
with It might re}1rve you from difficulty in
executing the Instructions of your govern
ment-I consented to take a few days to
consider of it, and to reserve my dehnltlye
answer until should see you again.
never doubted, in my own mind, as to
the inexpediency and ilnpropriety of en-,
couraging you to take al 1asaEthorised STEP,
by am unofficial promise that it should be
we'll receive,l-but in a matter of such de-
l;cacv | was Ges;rous of either confirming
or correcting my own opinion by the opinion
Of others.
The result was, that in a third interview,
which took place shortly after The second, L
had the honor to inform you, that after the
most mature deliberation, | found it impos-
slble to yield to your suggestion, and that
it therefore remained for you to frame your
fyobosiiion according to the instructions q
zour e,o0ernment, as to your unbiased dis
cretion.
NV own share in these several conteren-
cec heuond what was i1nDlied IN the above