"that

o'clock, At which hour we called. The minifter we found was then engaged with the Portuguese minifter, who retired in about ten minutes, when we were introduced and produced the copy of our letters of credence, which the minister perufed and kept. He informed us, the Directory had required him to make a report relative to the fituation of the United States with regard to France, which he was then about, and which would be finished in a few days, when he would let us know what steps were to follow." We asked if cards of hofpitality were in the mean time neceffary? He faid they were, and that they fhould be delivered to us; and he immediately rung for his fecretary and directed him to make them out. The converfation was carried on by him in French, and by us in our own language.

The next day cards of hospitality were fent to us and our fecretaries, in a style fuitable to our official character.

On Saturday the 14th, Major Mountflorence informed General Pinckney, that he had a conversation with Mr. Ofmond, the private and confidential fecretary of the minifter of foreign affairs, who told him, that the Directory were greatly exafperated at fome parts of the Prefident's speech, at the opening of the laft feffion of Congrefs, and would require an explanation of them from us. The particular parts were not mentioned. In another conversation on the fame day the secretary informed the major, that the minifter had told him it was probable we fhould not have a public audience of the Directory till fuch time as our negociation was finished, that probably perfons might be appointed to treat with us, but they would report to him, and he would have the direction of the negociation. The Major did not conceal from Mr. Ofmond his intention to communicate these conversations to us. In the morning of October the eighteenth, Mr. W. of the house of called on General Pinckney and informed him, that a Mr. X. who was in Paris and whom the General had feen was a gentleman of confiderable credit and reand that we

putation
might place great reliance on him.

In the evening of the fame day, Mr. X. called on General Pinckney, and after having fat fome time whispered him, that he had a meffage from M. Talleyrand to communicate, when he was at leifure. General Pinckney immediately withdrew with him into another room; and when they were alone Mr. X. faid, that he was charged with a business in which he was a novice; that he had been acquainted with M. Talleyrand and that he was fure he had a great regard for [America] and its citizens; and was very defirous, that a reconciliation should be brought about with France; that to effectuate that end, he was ready, if it was thought proper, to fuggest a plan, confidentially, that M. Talleyrand expected would anfwer the purpofe. General Pinckney faid he should he glad to hear it. M. X. replied, that the Directory, and particularly two of the members of it, were exceedingly irritated at fome paffages of the President's speech, and defired that they should be foftened; and that this step would be neceffary previous to our reception: that befides this, a fum of money was required for the pocket of the Directory and minifters, which would be at the difpofal of M. Talleyrand: and that a loan would also be infifted on. M. X. faid, if we acceded to these measures, M. Talleyrand had no

C

doubt that all our differences with France might be accommodated. ON enquiry, M. X. could not point out the particulr paffages of the fpeech that had given offence, nor the quantum of the loan, but mentioned that the douceur for the pocket was twelve hundred thousand livres, about fifty thousand pounds fterling. General Pinckney told him, his colleagues and himself, from the time of their arrival here, had been treated with great flight and difrefpect; that they earnestly wifhed for peace and reconciliation with France; and had been entrusted by their country with very great powers to obtain these ends, on honorable terms: that with regard to the propofitions made, he could not even confider of them before he had communicated them to his colleagues : that after he had done fo, he should hear from him. After a communication and confultation had, it was agreed, that General Pinckney should call on M. X. and request him to make his propofitions to us all; and for fear of miftakes or misapprehenfion, that he should be requested to reduce the heads into writing. Accordingly, on the morning of October the nineteenth, General Pinckney called on M. X. who confented to fee his colleagues in the evening, and to reduce his propofitions to writing. He faid his communication was not immediately with M. Talleyrand, but through another gentleman, in whom M. Talleyrand had great confidence: this proved afterwards to be M. Y.

"A per

At fix in the evening M. X. came and left with us the first set of propofitions; which, tranflated from the French, are as follows; fon who poffeffes the confidence of the Directory, on what relates to the affairs of America, convinced of the mutual advantages which would refult from the re-establishment of the good understanding between the two nations, proposes to employ all of his influence to obtain this object. He will affift the commiffioners of the United States in all the demands which they may have to make from the government of France, inafmuch as they may not be contradictory to thofe which he propofes himself to make, and of which the principal will be communicated confidentially. It is defired that in the official communications there fhould be given a foftening turn to a part of the Prefident's fpeech to Congrefs, which has caufed much irritation. It is feared that in not fatisfying certain individuals in this refpect, they may give way to all their refentment. The nomination of commiffioners will be confented to on the fame footing as they have been named in the treaty with England, to decide on the reclamations which individuals of America may make on the government of France, or on French individuals. The payment which, agreeably to the decifions of the commiffioners, fhall fall to the fhare of the French government, are to be advanced by the American government itself. It is defired that the funds which by this means fhall enter again into the American trade, fhould be employed in new fupplies for the French colonies. Engagements of this nature on the part of individuals reclaiming will always haften, in all probability, the decifions of the French commiffioners: and perhaps it may be defired that this clause should make a part of the inftructions which the government of the United States fhould give to the commiffioners they may choofe. The French government defires, befides, to obtain a loan from the United States; but fo that that should not give any jealoufy to the English government, nor hurt the neutrality of the United States. This loan fhall be marked by ftipulating, that the government of the United States confents to make

the advances for the payment of the debts contracted by the agents of the French government with the citizens of the United States; and which are already acknowledged, and the payment ordered by the Directory, but without having been yet effectuated. There should be delivered a note to the amount of these debts. Probably this note may be accompanied by oftenfible pieces, which will guarantee to the agents the refponfipility of the United States in cafe any umbrage should cause an enquiry. There fhall also be firft taken from this loan certain fums for the purpose of making the customary diftributions in diplomatic affairs." The perfon of note mentioned in the minutes, who had the confidence of the Directory, he said, before us all, was M. Talleyrand. The amount of the loan he could not afcertain precisely, but understood it would be according to our ability to pay. The fum which would be confidered as proper, according to diplomatic ufage, was about twelve hundred thousand livres. He could not ftate to us what parts of the Prefident's speech were excepted to, but faid he would enquire and inform us. He agreed to breakfast with Mr. Gerry the morning of the 21ft, in order to make fuch explanations as we had then requested, or fhould think proper to request: but on the morning of the 20th M. X. called and faid, that M. Y. the confidential friend of M. Talleyrand, instead of communicating with us through M. X. would fee us himself and make the neceffary explanations. We appointed to meet him the evening of the twentieth at feven o'clock, in General Marshall's room. At feven M. Y. and M. X. entered; and the first mentioned gentleman, being introduced to us as the confidential friend of M. Talleyrand, immediately stated to us the favourable impres fions of that gentleman towards our country, impreffions which were made by the kindness and civilities he had perfonally received in America that impreffed by his folicitude to repay these kindneffes, he was willing to aid us in the prefent negociation by his good offices with the Directory, who were, he faid, extremely irritated against the government of the United States, on account of fome parts of the Prefident's fpeech, and who had neither acknowledged nor received us, and confequently have not authorized M. Talleyrand to have any communications with us. The minifter therefore could not fee us himself, but had authorized his friend M. Y. to communicate to us certain propofitions, and to receive our anfwers to them; and to promife on his part, that if we would engage to confider them as the bafis of the propofed negociation, he would intercede with the Directory to acknowledge us, and to give us a public audience. M. Y. ftated to us explicitly and repeatedly, that he was cloathed with no authority; that he was not a diplomatic character; that he was not he was only the friend of M. Talley

rand and trusted by him; that with regard to himself he had

and that he earnestly wifhed well to the United States. He then took out of his pocket a French translation of the Prefident's fpeech, the parts of which objected to by the Directory were marked, agreeably to our request to M. X. and are contained in the exhibit A. Then he made us the second set of propofitions, which were dictated by him and written by M. X. in our prefence, and deliwered to us, and which, tranflated from the French, are as follows. "There is demanded a formal difavowal in writing, declaring that the fpeech of the citizen Prefident Barras did not contain any thing offenfive to the government of the United States, nor any thing which de

erved the epithets contained in the whole paragraph: Secondly, repará tion is demanded for the article by which it fhall be declared, that the decree of the Directory there mentioned did not contain any thing contrary to the treaty of 1778, and had none of thofe fatal confequences, that the paragraph reproaches to it: Thirdly, it is demanded, that there should be an acknowledgment in writing of the depredations exercised on our trade by the English and French privateers: Fourthly, the government of France, faithful to the profeffion of public faith which it has made not to intermeddle in the internal affairs of foreign governments with which it is at peace, would look upon this paragraph as an attack upon its loyalty, if this was intended by the Prefident. It demands, in confequence, a formal declaration, that it is not the government of France, nor its agents, that this paragraph meant to defignate: In confideration of these reparations, the French Republic is difpofed to renew with the United States of America, a treaty which fhall place them reciprocally in the fame ftate that they were in 1778: By this new treaty France shall be placed with refpect to the United States, exactly on the fame footing as they ftand with England, in virtue of the laft treaty which has been concluded between them. A fecret article of this new treaty would be a loan to be made by the United States to the French Republic: and once agreed upon the amount of the loan, it would be endeavored to confult the convenience of the United States with refpect to the beft method of preventing its publicity." On reading the fpeech M. Y. dilated very much upon the keennefs of the refentment it had produced, and expatiated largely on the fatisfacton he faid was indispensably neceffary as a preliminary to negociation. "But, faid he, gentlemen, I will not disguise from you, that this fatisfaction being made, the effential part of the treaty remains to be adjusted: il faut de l'argent-il faut beaucoup d'argent :" you must pay money, you must pay a great deal of money. He spoke much of the force, the honor and the jealous republican pride of France; and reprefented to us ftrongly the advantages which we fhould derive from the neutrality thus to be purchased. He faid, that the. receipt of the money might be fo disguised as to prevent its being confidered as a breach of neutrality by England; and thus fave us from being embroiled with that power. Concerning the twelve hundred thoufand livres little was faid; that being completely understood, on all fides, to be required for the officers of government, and therefore needing no further explanation. Thefe propofitions, he faid, being confidered as the admitted basis of the propofed treaty, M. Talley rand trufted that, by his influence with the Directory, he could prevail on the government to receive us. We asked whether we were to confider it as certain, that without a previous ftipulation to the effect required, we were not to be received. He answered, that M. Talleyrand himself was not authorized to speak to us the will of the Directory, and confequently could not authorize him. The converfation continued until half after nine, when they left us; having engaged to breakfast with Mr. Gerry the next morning.

After

October the 21ft, M. X. came before nine o'clock: M. Y. did not come until ten-he had paffed the morning with M. Talleyrand. breakfast the subject was immediately refumed. He reprefented to us, that we were not yet acknowledged or received; that the directory were fo exafperated against the United States, as to have come to a determina.

tion to demand from us, previous to our reception, thofe difavowels, reparations and explanations, which were stated at large laft evening. He faid that M. Talleyrand and himself were extremely fenfible of the pain we must feel in complying with this demand; but that the Directo ry would not dispense with it: that therefore we must confider it as the indifpenfible preliminary to obtain our reception; unless we could find the means to change their determination in this particular: that if we fatisfied the Directory in these particulars, a letter would be written to us to demand the extent of our powers, and to know whether we were authorized to place them precifely on the fame footing with England; whether, he said, our full powers were really and fubftantially full powers; or, like thofe of Lord Malmesbury, only illufory powers: that, if to this demand our answer should be affirmative, then France would confent that commiffioners fhould be appointed to afcertain the claims of the United States, in like manner as under our treaty with England: but from their jurifdiction must be withdrawn those which were condemned for want of a role d'équipage; that being a point on which Merlin while minifter of justice, had written a treatife, and on which the Directory were decided. There would however be no objection to our complaining of these captures, in the course of the negociation; and if we could convince Merlin by our reafoning, the minifter would himself be fatisfied with our fo doing. We required an explanation of that part of the converfation, in which M. Y. had hinted at our finding means to avert the demand concerning the Prefident's fpeech. He answered, that he was not authorized to ftate thofe means, but that we muft fearch for them and propose them ourselves. If however we asked his opinion as a pri vate individual, and would receive it as coming from him, he would fuggeft to us the means which in his opinion would fucceed. On being afked to fuggeft the means, he answered, money; that the Directory were jealous of its own honor and of the honor of the nation; that it infifted on receiving from us the fame respect with which we had treated the King; that this honor must be maintained in the manner before required, unless we fubftituted in the place of thofe reparations fomething perhaps more valuable, that was money. He faid further, that if we defired him to point out the fum which he believed would be fatisfactory, he would do so. We requested him to proceed; and he said, that there were thirty-two millions of florins of Dutch infcriptions, worth ten fhillings in the pound, which might be affigned to us at twenty fhillings in the pound: and he proceeded to ftate to us the certainty, that after a peace, the Dutch government would repay us the money; fo that we fhould ultimately lofe nothing; and the only operation of the measure would be, an advance from us to France of thirty-two millions, on the credit of the government of Holland. We asked him whether the fifty thousand pounds fterling, as a douceur to the Directory, must be in addition to this fum. He answered in the affirmative. We told him, that on the fubject of the treaty, we had no hesitation in saying that our powers were ample: that on the other points propofed to us we would retire into another room, and return in a few minutes with our anfwer.

We committed immediately to writing the answer we propofed, in the following words: "Our powers refpecting a treaty are ample: but the propofition of a loan in the form of Dutch inscriptions, or in any