thought it their duty to communicate the whole to their govern ment. Accept, Citizen Minifter, the affurance of my profound efteem. The Minifter of Foreign Affairs to Mr. Gerry, Envoy of the United States. Sir, Paris, 13 Prairial, Year 6 (June 1). I RECEIVED your letter of yefterday; you inform me, first, that the newspaper I fent you contains the whole of the irregular negotiations communicated by the envoys to their government; fecondly, that the perfons in queftion, as far as you know, produced no authority, no document, of any kind whatever to accredit them; thirdly, that three of the individuals mentioned, that is to fay, in the order in which I placed them, W. X. Y. are foreigners; and that the fourth, that is Z. acted only as a meffenger and interpreter. Although I am aware of the repugnance you must feel to name these individuals, it is my duty to entreat you to make that feeling give way to the importance of the object. Have the goodness then, ft, Either to give me their names in writing, or commu-` nicate them confidentially to the bearer. 2dly, To name the lady to whom Mr. Pinckney alludes. 3dly, To tell me if any of the citizens, employed in my department, and authorized by me to see the envoys, faid a fingle word which had the least analogy to the fcandalous propofition (propofition choquante) made by X. and Y. with refpect to the payment of any fum whatever, intended to be pocketted in a corrupt manner. Anfwer of Mr. Gerry. Citizen Minister, Paris, 3d June 1798, 16th Prairial, Year 6. I HAVE received your letter of the 13th Prairial, in which, after having quoted part of mine of the 31st of May, you prefs me immediately to give way to the importance of the object; and ift, To give you in writing, or to communicate confidentially to the bearer, the names of the perfons for whom the letters W. X. Y. Z. stand. 2dly, To name the lady alluded to by Mr. Pinckney. 3dly, To declare whether any of the citizens belonging to your office, and authorized by you to fee the envoys, ever faid a word which had the least analogy to the fcandalous propofition made by X. and Y. refpecting the payment of any fum whatever, to be pocketted in a corrupt manner. With regard to the perfons understood by the letters X. Y. Z. 1 fhall fend you their names, authenticated by my hand and feal, if you affure me VOL. VII. 3 K. that that they fhall not be published as coming from me; although this measure does not appear to me neceffary, in order to discover the whole of them, and as Z. informs me, that he has voluntarily avowed himself. But W. never having faid a word to me refpecting X. or any part of our communications, I take it for granted, that the manifeft impropriety of which I fhould be guilty in doing what you defire upon a hearfay, will be a fufficient excufe for omitting his name. It is not in my power to give you the name of any lady, for no lady has had any political communication with me fince my arrival in Paris. With regard to the citizens employed in your department, and authorized by you, in your offi cial communications, I cannot recollect a word uttered by any one of them which had the leaft analogy to the propofitions made by X. and Y. in their irregular negotiations, with respect to the payment of money to be pocketted in a corrupt manner. 1 beg you to accept, Citizen Minifter, the affurances of my perfect efteem and refpect. The Minifter of Foreign Affairs to Mr. Gerry, Envoy of the United States. Sir, Paris, 16th Prairial (June 3). I HAVE just received your letter of yesterday.-You may fend me, in perfect confidence, the names to which you allude under your hand and feal. I give you the affurance, that they shall not be published as coming from you. Accept, &c. Note. The names were accordingly transmitted to the minifter, by whom they were immediately recorded. To the Minifter of Foreign Affairs. Paris, 13th Prairial (May 31). MR. GERRY has communicated to me the letter which you yesterday wrote him, in which you exprefsly defire him to acquaint you with the names of the perfons understood by the letters W. X. Y. Z. referred to in the correfpondence of the American envoys, printed in a public paper of the United States of America, dated 12th April. My delicacy could not but be feverely hurt to see myself, under the appellation of Z. performing a part in the company of certain intrigans, whofe object, doubtlefs, was to derive advantage from the credulity of the American envoys, and to make them their dupes. Finding myself implicated in this affair, and defirous to remove the uneafinefs I felt, refpecting the difagreeable impressions, and the confequences, which the publication of your your letter to Mr. Gerry may have occafioned, I thought it my duty to fee you without delay, and to entreat you, Citizen Minister, to have the goodness to give me your declaration in writing, that in the interviews I had with these gentlemen I followed up the communication which you,employed me to tranfmit to them in the manner which I now proceed to explain. In the beginning of laft Brumaire, having gone to pay my refpects to the minifter of foreign affairs, and the converfation having turned upon the United States of America, he expreffed to me his furprise that no Americans, and particularly the new envoys, ever came to his houfe; that this was not the way to open the negotiation, for the fuccefs of which they had more reason than us to be concerned; that he would receive them individually with great plea fure, and particularly Mr. Gerry, whom he had known at Bofton. Knowing the friendship which I maintained with Mr. Gerry, he defired me to communicate to them what he had faid. I accordingly waited upon Mr. Gerry, who, having fent for his colleagues, imparted to them the converfation which I had had with the Citizen Minifter. Meffrs. Pinckney and Marshall, from motives of etiquette, refufed to wait upon the minifter; but as the fame reafons did not apply to Mr. Gerry, it was agreed that we fhould go next day to the minifter's houfe, and that I fhould accompany them. At this period Mr. Gerry could not exprefs himfelf in French. Next day we accordingly went; but the minister not being at home, Mr. Gerry requested that a day fhould be named for the vifit, and it was fixed for a few days afterwards. We went to the place of meeting, and after the ufual compliments, Mr. Gerry having expreffed to the minifter his with to fee harmony re-established between the republics, the minifter replied, that the Directory had come to the determination not to treat with them till they had made reparation for fome articles in the fpeech of the Prefident at the opening of the Congrefs, and given an explanation of fome others; that he could only put off for a few days making an official communication to them of this determination; that till then if they had any propofitions to make which could be agreeable to the Directory, he would prefent them with the utmolt alacrity; that confidering the circumftance and the fervices of a fimilar kind which France had performed on a fimilar occafion to the United States, the best way would be for them to offer a loan to France either by taking Batavian infcriptions for the fum of fifteen or fixteen millions of florins, or in any other manner that might be approved. Mr. Gerry, after replying in a polite though evafive manner, on the firft article, added on the fubject of the loan, that their powers did not extend fo far, but that he would talk over the matter with his colleagues. It is to be obferved, that, as the minifter fpoke nothing but French, I repeated in English to Mr. Gerry what he faid; and that although 3 K 2 certain certain that he very well understood the anfwers of Mr. Gerry, I repeated them to him in French, We took our leave of the minifter, who then received a courier, and he defired me at parting to repeat to Mr. Gerry and his colleagues what he had faid to us. Accordingly I repeated to Meffrs. Pinckney and Marshall, in prefence of Mr. Gerry, the converfation we had had with the minister. A few days after, Mr. Gerry requested me again to accompany him on a visit to the minifter, and having renewed his expreffions of the extreme defire he entertained to see the most perfect union re-established between the two nations, he recurred to the infufficiency of their power, and proposed in his own name and that of his colleagues, that one of them should immediately fet out for America with the conditions which the French government might propofe. The minifter anfwered, that it would then require fix months to have an anfwer, and that it was of the utmost importance to come to a speedy refolution; that he was extremely defirous to have frequent communications with them individually, and amicably. This appearing to him to be the best means to arrive at a speedy understanding, he lamented on this account that he had yet had no communication with them. Such, Citizen Minifter, as far as my memory can recollect, are the details of the two converfations at which I was prefent. I fhall only add, that no perfon wishes more anxiously than I do to see the negotiation brought to a fuccefsful conclufion. Health and refpect. HAUTEVAL. Senate of the United States, July 18, 1798. BELIEVING that the letter received this morning from Gene- + Dear Sir, Mount Vernon, July 13, 1798. I HAD the honour, on the evening of the 11th inftant, to receive from the hand of the Secretary of War, your favour of the 7th, announcing that you had, with the advice and confent of the Senate, appointed me "Lieutenant-general and Commander in Chief of all the armies raised, or to be raifed, for the fervice of the United States." I cannot exprefs how greatly affected I am at this new proof of public confidence, and the highly flattering manner in which you have been pleased to make the communication; at the fame time, I must not conceal from you my earneft with, that the choice had fallen upon a man lefs declined in years, and better qualified to encounter the ufual viciffitudes of war. You know, Sir, what calculation. I have made relative to the probable course of events, on my retiring from office, and the determination I had confoled myfelf with, of clofing the remnant of my days in my prefent peaceful abode; you will therefore be at no lofs to conceive and appreciate the fenfations I must have experienced, to bring my mind to any conclufion that would pledge me, at fo late a period of life, to leave fcenes I fincerely love, to enter upon the boundless field of public action, inceffant trouble, and high refponfibility. It was not poffible for me to remain ignorant of, or indifferent to, recent tranfactions. The conduct of the Directory of France towards our country; their infidious hoftility to its government; their various practices to withdraw the affections of the people from it; the evident tendency of their acts, and those of their agents, to countenance and invigorate oppofition; their disregaid of folemn treaties and the laws of nations; their war upon our defenceless commerce; their treatment of our minifters of peace; and their demands amounting to tribute; could not fail to excite in me corresponding fentiments with thofe my countrymen have fo generally expreffed in their affectionate addreffes to you. Believe me, Sir, no one can more cordially approve of the wife and prudent measures of your adminiftration. They ought to inspire univerfal confidence, and will, no doubt, combined with the ftate of things, call from Congrefs fuch laws and means, as will enable you to meet the full force and extent of the crifis. Satisfied, therefore, that you have fincerely wifhed and endeavoured to avert war, and exhausted, to the laft drop, the cup of reconciliation, we can with pure hearts appeal to Heaven for the justice of our caufe; and may confidently trust the final result to that kind Providence who has heretofore, and fo often, fignally favoured the people of these United States. Thinking in this manner, and feeling how incumbent it is upon every perfon, of every defcription, to contribute at all times to his country's welfare, and especially in a moment like the present, when every thing we hold dear and facred is fo feriously. threatened; I have finally determined to accept the commission of : Commander in Chief of the armies of the United States, with the referve only, that I fhall not be called into the field until the army |
