contending for your revolution, we lent you money." I men tioned the very great difference there was between the fituation of the two countries at that period and the prefent; and the very different circumstances under which the loan was made us, and the loan demanded from us. She replied "We do not make a demand; we think it more delicate that the offer thould come from you. But M. Talleyrand has mentioned to me (who am furely not in his confidence) the neceffity of your making us a loan; and I know that he has mentioned it to two or three others, and that you have been informed of it. And I will affure you, that if you remain here fix months longer, you would not advance a fingle ftep further in your negotiation without a loan."-"If that is the cafe," I replied, "we may as well go away now."-" Why that poffibly," faid the, "might lead to a rupture, which you had better avoid; for we know we have a very confiderable party in America, who are strongly in our interest." There is no occafion to enter into a further detail of the converfation. I have only noted this part of it as expreffive of what I believe (as far as relates to the loan and party in America in their favour) to be the fentiments of the French government with regard to us.

Dec. 21, 1797

CHARLES COTESWORTH PINCKNEY.

Exhibit B.

[Enclofed in the Envoys' Letter, No. IV.]

EXTRACT from General Marthall's Journal, Dec. 17, 1797. -I stepped into Mr. Gerry's apartment, where I faw M. Y. He expreffed his regret at having been difabled to dine with us at M. de Beaumarchais', by an inveterate tooth-ach. He then asked me whether I had feen M. de Beaumarchais lately: I told him, not fince he dined with us; and that he had left us much indifpofed. He then obferved, that he had not known till lately that I was the advocate for that gentleman in his caufe against the ftate of Virginia; and that M. de Beaumarchais, in confequence of that circumftance, had expreffed fentiments of high regard for me. I replied, that M. de Beaumarchais' cause was of great magnitude, very uncertain iffue, and, confequently, that a portion of the interest he felt in it would very naturally be tranfferred to his advocate. He immediately faid (low and apart) that M. de Beaumarchais had confented, provided his claim could be established, to facrifice fifty thousand pounds sterling or it, as the private gratification which had been required of us, fo that the gratification might be made without any actual lofs to the American government. I anfwered, that a gratification on ar

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terro

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terms, or in any form, was a fubject which we approached with much fear and difficulty, as we were not authorized by our government to make one; nor had it been expected that one would be neceffary; that I could not undertake to say whether my colleagues would confent to it in any ftate of things; but I could undertake to fay, no one of us would confent to it unless it was preceded or accompanied by a full and entire recognition of the claims of our citizens, and a fatisfactory arrangement on the objects of our miffion. He faid it was in the expectation of that event only that he mentioned it. We parted; and I ftated the conversation to General Pinckney, who was difinclined to any ftipulation of the fort, and confidered it as a renewal of the old reprobated system of indirect, unauthorized negotiation.

Having been originally the counfel of M. de Beaumarchais, I had determined, and fo I informed General Pinckney, that I would not, by my voice, eftablish any agreement in his favour; but that I would pofitively oppofe any admiffion of the claim of any French citizen, if not accompanied with the admiffion of the claims of the American citizens of property captured and condemned for want of a role d'equipage. My reason for conceiving that this ought to be ftipulated exprefsly, was a conviction that, if it was referred to commiffioners, it would be committing abfolutely to chance as complete a right as any individuals ever poffeffed. General Pinckney was against admitting the claim at any rate.

After my return, Mr. Gerry came into my room, and told me that M. Y. had called on him, to accompany him on a vifit to M. Talleyrand; that he propofed feeing M. Talleyrand, and returning the civility of the dinner; and endeavouring to bring about fome intercourfe between him and us.

Déc. 18.

General Pinckney and Mr. Gerry met in my room; and Mr. Gerry detailed to us the converfation mentioned in our public letter. The propofition relative to the claim of M. de Beaumarchais is entirely different from my understanding of it in the very brief statement made to me by M. Y. We refolved that we would rigidly adhere to the rule we had adopted, to enter into no negotiation with perfons not formally authorized to treat with us. We came alfo to the determination to prepare a letter to the minifter of foreign relations, ftating the object of our miffion, and difcuffing the fubjects of difference between the two nations, in like manner as if we had been actually received; and to close the letter with requesting the government to open the negotiation with us, or to grant us our palports.

Exhibit

Exhibit C.

[Enclefed in the Envoys' Letter, No. IV.]

Dec. 13.

MR. Gerry, accidentally calling on General Pinckney,, found M. X. and was foon informed that his object was to obtain another interview between the minifters and M. Y. on the affairs of their miffion. General Marshall happening also to be there, we retired into another room, and immediately agreed to adhere to our former determination, not to have any more informal communication. M. X. having been called in, General Pinckney briefly communicated our determination: and Mr. Gerry observed, that he was much hurt by this propofition; that the minifters had already proceeded farther in this mode of communication than perhaps they could juftify; that they had refufed, fix weeks ago, to renew it; and that fome regard ought to be paid to their feelings, which had been fufficiently mortified; that the propofition was difrefpectful to the envoys, as it betrayed a belief that they had loft a fenfe of their dignity, and were indeed incompetent to their office; that, had there been but one envoy extraordinary, he ought to have had an audience in a few days; and that for three to remain between two and three months in this fituation, was too humiliating, too debafing, for any nation to fubmit to it; that, for his own part, had he been fent to any other nation in Europe, with two other envoys, he would not have confented to have remained in fuch a state ten days; that, knowing the great defire of the governmant and nation of the United States to be at peace with France, he had, with his colleagues, fubmitted to this indignity, at the rifk of the fevere cenfure of the former. Having alfo inquired of M. X. at what time M. Talleyrand could be feen, the former faid, he would inquire of M. Y. who on the 16th, in the evening, fent, in Mr. Gerry's abfence from his lodgings, a billet, as follows:

"M. Y. has the honour to prefent his refpects to Mr. Gerry, to inform him that he will have the honour to wait on him to-morrow morning, at ten o'clock, to go together to the minifter of foreign relations.

"He is, with respect," &c.

On the morning of the 17th, M. Y. came in while Mr. Gerry was at breakfast, not having received an answer to his note; and Mr. Marshall coming in, M. Y. took him afide, and conferred with him a confiderable time; after which, the former and the reft of the family left the room, and M. Y. and Mr. Gerry being together, Mr. G. told him, that his ob

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jet in feeing M. Talleyrand was to return a civility, by requefting him to fix a day for dining with Mr. G. who intended to invite his colleagues; by this interview to promote, if poffible, a better understanding between the minifter and the American envoys: and Mr. G. alfo propofed to confer with the minifter on the difagreeable fituation the envoys were in, and to ftate to him fome reports which appeared to be founded, refpecting a propofition before the Directory for fending off all Americans in a fhort period; but Mr. Gerry added, that he could not hear a word on the fubject of the aniffion, or the preliminaries to a negotiation; as the envoys had determined unanimoufly against any informal communications on the subject. M. Y. in anfwer, faid, that Mr. Marshall had just heard him on a fubject of this kind; and that we might confider it as he did, merely as a converfation between ourselves. He then stated, that two measures which M. Talleyrand propofed being adopted, a reftoration of friendship between the republics would follow immediately; the one was a gratuity of fifty thousand pounds fterling, the other a purchafe of thirty-two millions of Dutch refcriptions; that as to the firft, M. de Beaumarchais had received, in a caufe depending in Virginia, between that state and himself, 145,000l. fterling; that there was an appeal from the judgment; that he would fign an act to relinquish forty-five thousand pounds, if the whole fhould be finally recovered, leaving only one hundred thousand pounds for himfelf; that the forty-five thousand pounds might accrue to the United States, who would, in that cafe, lofe but a small part of the fifty thoufand pounds; that the purchase of fixteen millions of refcriptions would amount to but one million three hundred and thirty-three thousand pounds fix fhillings and eight pence fterling; which, with an intereft of five per cent. would be certainly paid by the government of Holland to the United States, and leave them without any lofs; that more than half the fum may now be hired in Holland, on the credit of the refcriptions, and an eafy arrangement be made for payment by fhort instalments, which might be obtained alfo by a loan; that it was worthy the attention of the envoys to confider whether, by fo finall a facrifice, they would eftablish a peace with France, or whether they would rifk the confequences; that if nothing could be done by the envoys, arrangements would be made forthwith to ravage the coafts of the United States by frigates from St. Domingo; that fmall fates which had offended France were fuffering by it; that Hamburgh, and other cities in that quarter, would, within a month or two, have their governments changed; that Switzerland would undergo the fame operation; and that Portugal would probably be in a worfe predicament; that the expedition against England would be cer

tainly pursued; and that the prefent period was the most vourable, if we wished to adopt any measure for a pacifi

cation.

Mr. Gerry, in anfwer, faid, that if the French were dif pofed to pursue with vengeance the United States, they might perhaps ravage their coafts, and injure them in this way, but they never could fubdue them: the measure he thought utterly impracticable, even if attempted by France and her allies. To which M. Y. affented. Mr. Gerry obferved farther, that the ravages alluded to would undoubtedly clofely connect the United States and Great Britain, and prevent the former from returning to the friendship which they have ever had for France; that as to the propofitions, he thould exprefs no opinion on them; that his fituation, and that of his colleagues, was extremely difficult; that the Directory was exclufively prejudiced against the government of the United States, and confidered them as the friends of Great Britain; that if the enyoys could have an opportunity of being heard, they could remove fuch impreffions, and fhow that the government were the friends of France as much as of Great Britain; but that the envoys were now in the most painful fituation; that they were treated, in the eyes of all Europe, and of the American government and nation, with the utmoft contempt, and were fubmitting to indignities which they could not reconcile to their feelings, or justify to their conftituents.

M. Y. faid, that the obfervations were juft; but that the American envoys had not experienced worfe treatment than other minifters, nor, indeed, as bad; that the envoy of Portugal was again ordered to depart; and that but little ceremony was ob- ferved to the envoys in general. M. Y. and Mr. Gerry then took a ride to M. Talleyrand's bureau, who received them politely and, after being feated, Mr. Gerry obferved to M. Talleyrand, in English, flowly, that M. Y. had stated to him that morning fome propofitions as coming from M. Talleyrand, refpecting which Mr. G. could give no opinion: that his object at this interview was, to request of him information whether he would fix a time for taking a dinner with Mr. Gerry, at which he propofed to invite his colleagues; that he wished for more frequent interviews of fome kind or other between himfelf and the envoys, conceiving that many imaginary difficulties which obftructed the negotiation would vanith by this means; and that those which were real would be furmounted: that conceiving the delicate part which the minister of France had to act at this time, he did not with M. Talleyrand to accept the invitation, if it would fubject him to inconveniencies: that he wished to fpeak on another VOL. VII. fubject,

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