Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1832-03-26

.s..f,. .,zI8.J a- tribute Il sgas 10, tr.bnte i
was moi 20 intended, nor 30 received h sehti-
imru,of millions ordeisnee, but not a cent Tor
tribute had iJasn much and very properly ADM;
red tbong tins country aad fappled 70 our m
tcrcourse with European Powers, il was worthy o.
| all tho admiration It had received. The time mad
been however when a maxim directly the reverse
ioflA.s lad been pursued b. the Government oi
tnIs coaa,re anl ihat even under The administration
II washington At thai tms It might almost
| nave been sud that we gags millions Tor trbp'e,
and not A cent for defence We paid TO the Re
geucy Of Ipsrs large sums as tribute down 10 the
| close ofthe last war with Great Britain, at which
ti,,e u hfgsu In vote a cent for defence From
that per.od. We had ceased 10 pay II lie need
not saw that he referred 10 the achievement OF
tha, gallan, hero. Decatur achievement which
had done more for the real glory and benefit Of TINS
nation than one Of which 80 much was said. IL
had liberated Us from tribute. Tut the making Of
presents vas a very different thing. ms had
from time immemoral been customary IN the inter-
course with all the Asate Powers. II vas by
means Of presents that one Of the most important
treaties had been effected which ever took place a.
mong men He spoke tie treaty effected Tor The
Car Peter by the immortal Catharlne, at tine
when his army was nearly CONT and nothing was
left him but his wife Catharine res lycd, IN this
emergency 10 attempt negotiation, She attemp-
ted IT, aud succeeded She collected all the dia
monds and other yaluahles she had about her per
son and IN one night ELECTED the Liberation OF her
husband And II was 70 be asefIbed to this very
policy of making presents thai po5terty had ever
heard the ndne Peter the Car. But for tins,
that greutman would ut that time have been das-
troycd The usage had been universal among tie
Powers of the East from time nnmcmonal- And
Il to the usage of our own Government on thai
subject the gentleman at the head 81 the Commit
tee on Foreign Affairs had referred the House 10
the practice of Mr.. jefferson. But he might have
gone much farther back; for we have been ia the
habit Of giving presents ever since We have been
nation. Opt first treaty with France had been ef-
fcctcd through the influence Of prescnts--hy pre-
scnts given by our Ministers at Versailles and
the old Confederation had allowed our Ministers
not only to give presents but torac!cye them IN re-
turn Mr.. A said he was not indeed sure but PIE
scnts of some kind Ind been received by our com
mlssioners IL the present case. What had be
come oftlcm, he did not knew. not an Empero,
Of Morocco died, but this country made presents
10 the successor not Bey of Iuuis, nor a
Dey Of Alglers fclhy disease, or died by the
hand Of some loving tothc,, hat presents were ,
grcss indeed DID not see tho appropriation, nor
vote tho money fer tina, specific ohlect-the Eyeeu
i've drew the necessary supply nom It fund Sc,
apart for thr contingencies Of foreign intercourse
So that ,fthe worthy gentleman tFom Ohio fAIr /
insisted upon conslderlng presents !
made 70 barbarian governments as tribute he was
paying every day not only many +" cents but ma
ny dollars, and many thousands Of dollars for III
Init nj bp n,ti,, not "a Il
where Nay The practice Of making pres hts IL |
negotiations prevailed even in Europe. |
W. ourselves received presents on such occasions. !
the provision in The Constitution |
70 the contrary. The identical snuff box 10 which
lls colleague had alluded had been in Mr. A. |
own hands. II had been Offered TO hin hy the |
Minister with whom he hnd CONCLUDED Il treaty |
The offer took him by surprise beng wholly I'M
expected, and the task Of refusing rendered the
more embarrassing from the circumstance thai the |
BOX contained on its lid portrait OF the relgning
'oyer ign. BE had, however, been obliged to say !
% the Minister that 1t was with great regret |
le was compelled to refuse a present Of TINT dt
'crlptlon but he must do So the Constitution OF
his own Government forbade linn 10 accept OF 1t. |
The Minister had replied that there was a similar |
regulation among European Powers, but the diff |
,ulty was always gotten over by the Ministers |
applying to his sovereign for lenvc to accept which
was never refused. The Minister therefore con |
nued to press the snuff. box upon him, urging him
o take IT, and suggesting a similar expedcnt to get
over the prohibition Of the Constitution Mr. A |
however had assured him that it oud be very use
ess for HIM TO make such an application as hr APP
pretended his soVerelgns would not be very likely
% grant It. He had therefore requested him 10 retain
,he box and he had accordingly done so. So Gus
onary was this form of cvlty. that this was not
he only instance which had occurred to himself
He had been offered presents in like manner IN o
Their countries. In Holland 1t was the practice to
present hehyy gold chain having large medal
appended tolt to every foreign Minister on his leav
ns the Hague In England where they stuck
closer TO matter fact 1t was customary TO ask
Minister, on his departure, whether he chose to re
celye snuff box containing portrait ofthe King,
or present of the like value in money Some gen |
uemcn, who were more sentimental, preferred &C
ceptlng the box, Others, who looked closer 10 the
pocket received sum of money. So perfectly was
the thing understood that there regular gra-
duaton of the value of these presents according to
the grace Of the Minister to whom they were to be
made, from an ambassador down as low, he be- !
llcyed, as to secretary Of legation. 1t had happen
cd to him when engaged IN negotiating treaty
with that Power, that the British Minister hadput
the question to him Mr. A had replied, that il /
was not IN his power to accept either. The Minis
ter replied, tint he he'd hmsefreccivcd many Of !
these presents, but never without experiencing a
sense shame
very good principle on that subject had been
established by the Directors ofthc East India Com
pany. In their Intercourse with the nations ofthe !
host,the company always made valuable presents, |