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MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT to CONGRESS.

Gentlemen of the Senate, and

Gentlemen of the House of Reprefentatives,

WHILE I congratulate you, on the arrival of General Marshall, one of our late Envoys Extraordinary, to the French Republic, at a place of fafety, where he is juftly held in honor, I think it my duty to communicate to you, a letter received by him, from Mr. Gerry, the only one of the three, who has not received his Congé: this letter, together with another, from the Minister of Foreign Relations to him, of the third of April, and his answer of the fourth, will fhew the fituation in which he remains, his intentions and profpects.

I prefume, that before this time, he has received fresh instructions (a copy of which accompanies this Meffage) to confent to no loans, and therefore the negociation may be confidered at an end.

I will never fend another Minifter to France, without affurances, that he will be received, refpected and honored, as the reprefentative of a great, free, powerful, and independent nation.

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JOHN ADAMS.

Paris, 16th April, 1798.

MY DEAR SIR,

THIS I expect you will receive by my colleague General Marshall, who carries with him the last letter of Mr. Talleyrand to the American Envoys, and their anfwer. On the day when we fent the anfwer, I received a letter from the Minifter, a copy of which and my answer is inclosed. I have not fent these to the Secretary of State, because I have not time to prepare a letter to accompany them. Indeed I expected my paffport with my colleagues; but am informed the Directory will not confent to my leaving France: and to bring on an immediate rupture, by adopting this measure contrary to their wishes, would be in my mind unwarrantable. The object of Mr. Talleyrand, you will perceive, was to refume our reciprocal communications, and again to discufs the subject of a loan. I thought it beft in my answer not merely to object to this, but to every measure that could have a tendency to draw me into a negociation. I accepted of this miffion, my dear Sir, to fupport your administration, and have brought myself into a predicament*, which you muft affift me to extricate myself from, by appointing fome

I allude to my painful refidence here as a political cypher.

others to fupply the places of myself and colleagues, if a further progrefs in this business fhould be found practicable. I have only a moment to add my best respects to your lady, and my affurances of

The most fincere and respectful attachment,

My dear Sir,

Of your's fincerely,

E. GERRY.

The Prefident of the United States.

Paris, le 14 Germinal, An. 6 de la République
Françaife, une et indivisible.

Le Miniftre des Relations Extérieures, à Monfieur Gerry, Envoyé Extraor
dinaire des Etats Unis d'Amérique près de la République Française.
JE fuppofe, Monfieur, que M. M. Pinckney et Marshall ont jugé
utile et convenable d'après les indications que prefente la fin de ma note
du 28 Ventôfe dernier, et l'obftacle que leurs opinions connues ont
apporté au rapprochement défiré,-de quitter le territoire de la Répub-
lique dans cette fuppofition, j'ai l'honneur de vous indiquer le 5 ou le
7 de cette decade, pour reprendre nos communications reciproques fur
les intérêts de la République Française et des Etats Unis d'Amerique.
Recevez, je vous prie, les affurances de mes parfaites confiderations.
CH. MAU. TALLEYRAND.

(TRANSLATION)

Paris, the 14 Germinal, 6th year of the French Republic, one and indivifible [3d April, 1798.]

The Minifter of Foreign Relations to Mr. Gerry, Envoy Extraordinary of the United States of America, to the French Republic.

I fuppofe, Sir, that Meffrs Pinckney and Marshall have thought it ufeful and proper, in confequence of the intimations given in the end of my note of the 28th Ventôfe laft, and the obstacle which their known opinions have interpofed to the defired reconciliation, to quit the territory of the Republic. On this fuppofition I have the honor to point out to you the 5th or the 7th of this decade, to refume our reciprocal communications upon the interests of the French Republic and the United States of America.

Receive, I pray you, the affurances of my perfect confideration. CH. MAU. TALLEYRAND.

Paris, 4th April, 1798, (Germinal 15, an 6.)

I HAD the honor, citizen Minifter, of receiving your letter of the 14th Germinal (the 3d inft.) and Mr. Deutrement who delivered it, informed me, that it was intended to be fhewn to Gen. Pinckney and Gen. Marshall.

Whilft my colleagues and myfelf, to whom the government of the United States have entrusted the affairs of the embaffy, had a joint agency therein, I have carefully imparted to them all the propofitions which you have requested, and the relative conferences; and to yourself our decifions thereon; regretting at the same time the unfortunate and embarraffing circumftances which impofed on me this disagreeable task. But as by the tenor of your letter it is now expected, that they will quit the territory of the French Republic, it will be impoffible for me to be the medium of, or to take any measures which will be painful to my colleagues, or not to afford them all the affiftance in my power; and it would be moreover inconfiftent with the line of conduct which you well know, citizen Minister, I have uniformly observed for removing the unfavourable impreffions which exifted on the part of this government against them: indeed in our laft letter there is a conditional application for paffports, which, as it appears to me fupercedes the neceffity of a hint to them, on this fubject; and General Marshall is waiting impatiently for an answer to that part of it which refpects a letter of fafe-conduct for the veffel, in which he and his fuite may take paffage for the United States, to determine whether he fhall em bark from France or Great Britain; but the unfortunate fituation of General Pinckney, with refpect to the critical state of his daughter's health renders it utterly impoffible for him to depart under exifting circumstances.

You have propofed, citizen Minifter, the 5th or 7th of this decade for me to resume (reprendre) our reciprocal communications upon the interests of the French Republic and of the United States. The reciprocal communications, which we have had, were fuch only as I have alluded to in the beginning of this letter, unless your propofition accompanied with an injunction of secrecy, for me to treat feparately, is confidered in this light. To refume this fubject will be unavailing, because the measure, for the reasons which I then urged, is utterly impracticable. I can only then confer informally and unaccredited on any fubject refpecting our miffion, and communicate to the government of the United States the refult of fuch conferences, being in my individual capacity unauthorized to give them an official ftamp. Nevertheless every measure in my power, and in conformity with the duty I owe my country, fhall be zealously purfued, to reftore harmony and a cordial friendship between the two Republics. I had the honour of calling on you laft evening for the purpose of making this communication verbally, but as you were abfent, to prevent misconceptions I have thought it beft to reduce it to writing.

Accept I pray you, Citizen Minister,

the affurances of my perfect esteem and respect.

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'To Charles Cotefworth Pinckney, John Marshall and Elbridge Gerry, Efquires, Envoys extraordinary and Minifters plenipotentiary from the United States of America to the French Republic.

GENTLEMEN,

ON the 4th inftant came to hand your first dispatches fince you arrived at Paris; these were your numbers 1, 4, and 5; and on the 6th inftant your numbers 2 and 3 were received. On the 5th, your number 5, dated the 8th of January, and a tranflation of the meffage of January 4th from the Directory to the Council of Five Hundred, were laid before Congrefs. In this letter you "repeat, that there exists no hope of your being officially received by that government, or that the objects of your miffion will be in any way. accomplished." This opinion is fanctioned by the whole tenor of your communications; and we trust that foon after the date of your number 5, you clofed your miffion by demanding passports to leave the territories of the French Republic.

An official copy of your letters of credence having been delivered to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and by him laid before the Directory, they were fufficiently informed of the great objects of your miffion; and confidering that you were an extraordinary delegation from an independent nation, you had a right to expect a prompt and refpectful reception. The fair and honourable views of the American government, which dictated your appointment and your powers, entitled you to expect the early appointment of a commiffion by the French government, with equal powers, to negociate on all the matters in controverfy between them. Had the French government been influenced by fimilar views, the objects of your miffion would long fince have been accomplished, to the advantage and peace of both nations. But instead of coming forward on fuch equal and proper ground, they have treated you, and through you your country, with extreme neglect.

Under thefe circumftances, the Prefident prefumes that you have long fince quitted Paris and the French dominions; yet, actuated as you were with an ardent defire to preserve peace, which you knew would be fo grateful to your country; and having for this object manifested unexampled patience, and fubmitted to a series of mortifications; as you also propoied to make one more direct attempt, fubfequent to the date of your laft letter, to draw the French government to an open negociation; there is a bare poffibility that this laft effort may have fucceeded:-The Prefident therefore thinks it proper to direct—

1. That if you are in treaty, with perfons duly authorized by the Directory, on the fubjects of your miffion, then you are to remain and expedite the completion of the treaty, if it should not have been concluded. Before this letter gets to hand, you will have afcertained whether the negociation is or is not conducted with candour on the part of the French government: and if you shall have

difcovered a clear defign to procraftinate, you are to break off the negociation, demand your paffports, and return. For you will confider that suspense is ruinous to the effential interests of your country.

2. That if on the receipt of this letter, you shall not have been received, or, whether received or not, if you fhall not be in treaty with perfons duly authorized by the Directory, with full and equal powers, you are to demand your passports and return.

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3. In no event is a treaty to be purchased with money, by loan or otherwise. There can be no safety in a treaty so obtained. loan to the Republic would violate our neutrality: and a douceur to the men now in power, might by their fucceffors be urged as a reafon for annulling the treaty, or as a precedent for further and repeated demands.

It is proper to apprize you, that a motion has been made in the Senate, and will doubtlefs be repeated in the House of Representatives, to defire the Prefident to lay before them your communications; and he will probably be under the neceffity of doing it : only withholding the two names which you promised should in no event be made public.

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