首页 >出版文学> LETTERS>第43章

第43章

  DEARSIR——MylasttoyouwasofMar。7。sincewhichIhavereceivedyourNos。8。and9。Iamapprehensivethatyoursituationmusthavebeendifficultduringthetransitionfromthelateformofgovernmenttothere-establishmentofsomeotherlegitimateauthority,andthatyoumayhavebeenatalosstodeterminewithwhombusinessmightbedone。Neverthelesswhenprinciplesarewellunderstoodtheirapplicationislessembarrassing。Wesurelycannotdenytoanynationthatrightwhereonourowngovernmentisfounded,thateveryonemaygovernitselfunderwhateverformsitpleases,andchangetheseformsatit’sownwill,andthatitmaytransactit’sbusinesswithforeignnationsthroughwhateverorganitthinksproper,whetherKing,convention,assembly,committee,President,orwhateverelseitmaychuse。Thewillofthenationistheonlythingessentialtoberegarded。OnthedissolutionofthelateconstitutioninFrance,byremovingsointegralapartofitastheKing,theNationalAssembly,towhomapartonlyofthepublicauthorityhadbeendelegated,sensibleoftheincompetenceoftheirpowerstotransacttheaffairsofthenationlegitimately,incitedtheirfellowcitizenstoappointanationalconventionduringthisdefectivestateofthenationalauthority。Dutytoourconstituentsrequiredthatweshouldsuspendpaimentofthemoniesyetunpaidofourdebttothatcountry,becausetherewasnopersonorpersonssubstantiallyauthorizedbythenationofFrancetoreceivethemoniesandgiveusagoodacquittal。Onthisgroundmylastletterdesiredyoutosuspendpaimentstillfurtherorders,withanassurance,ifnecessary,thatthesuspensionshouldnotbecontinuedamomentlongerthanshouldbenecessaryforustoseethere-establishmentofsomepersonorbodyofpersonswithauthoritytoreceiveandgiveusagoodacquittal。SincethatwelearnthataConventionisassembled,investedwithfullpowersbythenationtotransactit’saffairs。Tho’weknowthatfromthepublicpapersonly,insteadofwaitingforaformalannunciationofit,wehastentoactuponitbyauthorizingyou,ifthefactbetrue,toconsiderthesuspensionofpaiment,directedinmylastletter,asnowtakenoff,andtoproceedasifithadneverbeenimposed;consideringtheConvention,orthegovernmenttheyshallhaveestablishedasthelawfulrepresentativesoftheNationandauthorizedtoactforthem。
  Neitherthehonornorinclinationofourcountrywouldjustifyourwithholdingourpaimentunderascrupulousattentiontoforms。Onthecontrarytheylentusthatmoneywhenwewereundertheircircumstances,anditseemsprovidentialthatwecannotonlyrepaythemthesamesum,butunderthesamecircumstances。Indeed,wewishtoomitnoopportunityofconvincingthemhowcordiallywedesiretheclosestunionwiththem:Mutualgoodoffices,mutualaffectionandsimilarprinciplesofgovernmentseemtohavedestinedthetwopeopleforthemostintimatecommunion,andevenforacompleteexchangeofcitizenshipamongtheindividualscomposingthem。
  DuringthefluctuatingstateoftheAssignatsofFrance,Imustaskthefavorofyoutoinformmeineveryletteroftherateofexchangebetweenthem&coin,thisbeingnecessaryfortheregulationofourcustomhouses。WearecontinuingoursuppliestotheislandofSt。DomingoattherequestoftheMinisterofFrancehere。WewouldwishhowevertoreceiveamoreformalsanctionfromthegovernmentofFrancethanhasyetbeengiven。Indeed,weknowofnonebutavoteofthelateNationalAssemblyfor4millionsoflivresofourdebt,senttothegovernmentofSt。Domingo,communicatedbythemtotheMinisterhere,&byhimtous。Andthiswasintermsnotproperlyapplicabletotheformofouradvances。Wewishthereforeforafullsanctionofthepast&acompleteexpressionofthedesiresoftheirgovernmentastofuturesuppliestotheircolonies。Besideswhatwehavefurnishedpublicly,individualmerchantsoftheU。S。havecarriedconsiderablesuppliestotheislandofSt。Domingo,whichhavebeensometimespurchased,sometimestakenbyforce,andbillsgivenbytheadministrationofthecolonyontheministerhere,whichhavebeenprotestedforwantoffunds。WehavenodoubtthatjusticewillbedonetothesePAEANTOTHEFRENCHREVOLUTION
  _ToWilliamShort_
  _Philadelphia,Jan。3,1793_
  DEARSIR,——MylastprivatelettertoyouwasofOct。16。
  sincewhichIhavereceivedyourNo。103,107,108,109,110,112,113&114andyesterdayyourprivateoneofSep15,cametohand。
  Thetoneofyourlettershadforsometimegivenmepain,onaccountoftheextremewarmthwithwhichtheycensuredtheproceedingsoftheJacobinsofFrance。IconsideredthatsectasthesamewiththeRepublicanpatriots,&theFeuillantsastheMonarchicalpatriots,wellknownintheearlypartoftherevolution,&butlittledistantintheirviews,bothhavinginobjecttheestablishmentofafreeconstitution,&differingonlyonthequestionwhethertheirchiefExecutiveshouldbehereditaryornot。TheJacobinsassincecalledyieldedtotheFeuillants&triedtheexperimentofretainingtheirhereditaryExecutive。Theexperimentfailedcompletely,andwouldhavebroughtonthereestablishmentofdespotismhaditbeenpursued。TheJacobinssawthis,andthattheexpungingthatofficerwasofabsolutenecessity。AndtheNationwaswiththeminopinion,forhowevertheymighthavebeenformerlyfortheconstitutionframedbythefirstassembly,theywerecomeoverfromtheirhopeinit,andwerenowgenerallyJacobins。Inthestrugglewhichwasnecessary,manyguiltypersonsfellwithouttheformsoftrial,andwiththemsomeinnocent。TheseIdeploreasmuchasanybody,&shalldeploresomeofthemtothedayofmydeath。ButIdeplorethemasIshouldhavedonehadtheyfalleninbattle。Itwasnecessarytousethearmofthepeople,amachinenotquitesoblindasballsandbombs,butblindtoacertaindegree。Afewoftheircordialfriendsmetattheirhandsthefateofenemies。Buttimeandtruthwillrescue&
  embalmtheirmemories,whiletheirposteritywillbeenjoyingthatverylibertyforwhichtheywouldneverhavehesitatedtoofferuptheirlives。Thelibertyofthewholeearthwasdependingontheissueofthecontest,andwaseversuchaprizewonwithsolittleinnocentblood?Myownaffectionshavebeendeeplywoundedbysomeofthemartyrstothiscause,butratherthanitshouldhavefailed,Iwouldhaveseenhalftheearthdesolated。WeretherebutanAdam&
  anEveleftineverycountry,&leftfree,itwouldbebetterthanasitnowis。Ihaveexpressedtoyoumysentiments,becausetheyarereallythoseof99。inanhundredofourcitizens。Theuniversalfeasts,andrejoicingswhichhavelatelybeenhadonaccountofthesuccessesoftheFrenchshewedthegenuineeffusionsoftheirhearts。
  Youhavebeenwoundedbythesufferingsofyourfriends,andhavebythiscircumstancebeenhurriedintoatemperofmindwhichwouldbeextremelydisrelishedifknowntoyourcountrymen。The_reserveofthePresidentoftheUnitedStates_hadneverpermittedmetodiscoverthelightinwhichheviewedit,andasIwasmoreanxiousthatyoushouldsatisfyhimthanme,Ihadstillavoidedexplanationswithyouonthesubject。Butyour113。inducedhimtobreaksilenceandtonoticetheextremeacrimonyofyourexpressions。Headdedthathehadbeeninformedthesentimentsyouexpressed_inyourconversations_wereequallyoffensivetoourallies,&thatyoushouldconsideryourselfastherepresentativeofyourcountryandthatwhatyousaymightbeimputedtoyourconstituents。Hedesiredmethereforetowritetoyouonthissubject。Headdedthatheconsidered_Franceasthesheetanchorofthiscountryanditsfriendshipasafirstobject。_ThereareintheU。S。somecharactersofoppositeprinciples;someofthemarehighinoffice,otherspossessinggreatwealth,andallofthemhostiletoFranceandfondlylookingtoEnglandasthestaffoftheirhope。TheseInamedtoyouonaformeroccasion。Theirprospectshavecertainlynotbrightened。
  Exceptingthem,thiscountryisentirelyrepublican,friendstotheconstitution,anxioustopreserveitandtohaveitadministeredaccordingtoit’sownrepublicanprinciples。Thelittlepartyabovementionedhaveespouseditonlyasasteppingstonetomonarchy,andhaveendeavoredtoapproximateittothatinit’sadministrationinordertorenderit’sfinaltransitionmoreeasy。ThesuccessesofrepublicanisminFrancehavegiventhecoupdegracetotheirprospects,andIhopetotheirprojects——Ihavedevelopedtoyoufaithfullythesentimentsofyourcountry,thatyoumaygovernyourselfaccordingly。Iknowyourrepublicanismtobepure,andthatitisnodecayofthatwhichhasembitteredyouagainstit’svotariesinFrance,buttoogreatasensibilityatthepartialevilwhichit’sobjecthasbeenaccomplishedthere。IhavewrittentoyouinthestiletowhichIhavebeenalwaysaccustomedwithyou,andwhichperhapsitistimeIshouldlayaside。Butwhileoldmenaresensibleenoughoftheirownadvanceinyears,theydonotsufficientlyrecollectitinthosewhomtheyhaveseenyoung。Inwritingtoothelastprivateletterwhichwillprobablybewrittenunderpresentcircumstances,incontemplatingthatyourcorrespondencewillshortlybeturnedovertoIknownotwhom,butcertainlytosomeonenotinthehabitofconsideringyourinterestswiththesamefosteringanxietiesIdo,Ihavepresentedthingswithoutreserve,satisfiedyouwillascribewhatIhavesaidtoit’struemotive,useitforyourownbestinterest,andinthatfulfilcompletelywhatIhadinview。
  WithrespecttothesubjectofyourletterofSep。15。youwillbesensiblethatmanyconsiderationswouldpreventmyundertakingthereformationofasystemwithwhichIamsosoontotakeleave。Itisbutcommondecencytoleavetomysuccessorthemouldingofhisownbusiness——Notknowinghowotherwisetoconveythislettertoyouwithcertainty,IshallappealtothefriendshipandhonouroftheSpanishcommissionershere,togiveittheprotectionoftheircover,asaletterofprivatenaturealtogether。Wehavenoremarkableeventherelately,butthedeathofDr。Lee;norhaveIanythingnewtocommunicatetoyouofyourfriendsoraffairs。Iamwithunalterableaffection&wishesforyourprosperity,mydearSir,yousincerefriendandservant。
  PEACEABLECOERCION
  _ToJamesMadison_
  _March24,1793_
  TheideaseemstogaincreditthatthenavalpowerscombinedagainstFrancewillprohibitsuppliesevenofprovisionstothatcountry。ShouldthisbeformallynotifiedIshouldsupposeCongresswouldbecalled,becauseitisajustifiablecauseofwar,&astheExecutivecannotdecidethequestionofwarontheaffirmativeside,neitheroughtittodosoonthenegativeside,bypreventingthecompetentbodyfromdeliberatingonthequestion。ButIshouldhopethatwarwouldnotbetheirchoice。Ithinkitwillfurnishusahappyopportunityofsettinganotherexampletotheworld,byshewingthatnationsmaybebroughttodojusticebyappealstotheirinterestsaswellasbyappealstoarms。IshouldhopethatCongressinsteadofadenunciationofwar,wouldinstantlyexcludefromourportsallthemanufactures,produce,vessels&subjectsofthenationscommittingthisaggression,duringthecontinuanceoftheaggression&tillfullsatisfactionmadeforit。Thiswouldworkwellinmanyways,safelyinall,&introducebetweennationsanotherumpirethanarms。Itwouldrelieveustoofromtherisks&thehorrorsofcuttingthroats。ThedeathofthekingofFrancehasnotproducedasopencondemnationsfromtheMonocratsasIexpected。I
  dinedtheotherdayinacompanywherethesubjectwasdiscussed。I
  willnamethecompanyintheorderinwhichtheymanifestedtheirpartialities;beginningwiththewarmestJacobinism&proceedingbyshadestothemostheartfeltaristocracy。SmithN。Y。Coxe。
  Stewart。T。Shippen。Bingham。Peters。Breck。Meredith。Wolcott。Itiscertainthattheladiesofthiscity,ofthefirstcircleareallopen-mouthedagainstthemurderersofasovereign,andtheygenerallyspeakthosesentimentswhichthemorecautioushusbandsmothers。I
  believeitisprettycertainthatSmithS。C。andMissA。arenottocometogether。Ternanthasatlengthopenlyhoistedtheflagofmonarchybygoingintodeepmourningforhisprince。Isuspecthethinksacessationofhisvisitstomeanecessaryaccompanimenttothispiousduty。Aconnectionbetweenhim&Hamiltonseemstobespringingup。OnobservingthatDuerwassecretarytotheoldboardoftreasury,IsuspecthimtohavebeenthepersonwhosuggestedtoHamiltontheletterofminetothatboardwhichhesotorturedinhisCatullus。Dunlaphasrefusedtoprintthepiecewhichwehadheardofbeforeyourdeparture,andithasbeenseveraldaysinBache’shands,withoutanynoticeofit。ThePresidentwillleavethisaboutthe27thinst。,&returnaboutthe20thofApril。Adieu。
  THEGALLANTGENET
  _ToJamesMadison_
  _Phila,May19,1793_
  Iwroteyoulastonthe13’th……SincethatIhavereceivedyoursofthe8’th……Ihavescribbledonaseparatepapersomegeneralnotesontheplanofahouseyouenclosed。Ihavedonemore。
  Ihaveendeavoredtothrowthesamearea,thesameextentofwalls,thesamenumberofrooms,&ofthesamesize,intoanotherformsoastoofferachoicetothebuilder。IndeedIvariedmyplanbyshewingthatitwouldbewithalcovebedrooms,towhichIammuchattached。
  Idaresayyouwillhavejudgedfromthepusillanimityoftheproclamation,fromwhosepenitcame。Afearlestanyaffectionshouldbediscoveredisdistinguishableenough。Thisbasefearwillproducetheveryeviltheywishtoavoid。Forourconstituentsseeingthatthegovernmentdoesnotexpresstheirmind,perhapsratherleanstheotherway,arecomingforwardtoexpressitthemselves。ItwassuspectedthattherewasnotaclearmindintheP。’scounsellorstoreceiveGenet。Thecitizenshoweverdeterminedtoreceivehim。ArrangementsweretakenformeetinghimatGray’sferryinagreatbody。Heescapedthatbyarrivingintownwiththeletterswhichbroughtinformationthathewasontheroad。Themerchants_i。e。_Fitzsimmons&co。weretopresentanaddressto_theP。_ontheneutralityproclaimed。Itcontainedmuchwisdombutnoaffection。Youwillseeitinthepapersinclosed。Thecitizensdeterminedtoaddress_Genet。_Rittenhouse,Hutcheson,Dallas,Sargeant&c。wereattheheadofit。Thoaselectbodyofonly30。
  wasappointedtopresentit,yetavastconcourseofpeopleattendedthem。Ihavenotseenit;butitisunderstoodtobethecounteraddress——Ternant’shopesofemploymentintheFrencharmyturnouttobewithoutgrounds。HeistoldbytheministerofwarexpresslythattheplacesofMarechaldecampareallfull。HethinksitmoreprudentthereforetoremaininAmerica。Hedeliveredyesterdayhislettersofrecall,&Mr。Genetpresentedhisofcredence。Itisimpossibleforanythingtobemoreaffectionate,moremagnanimousthanthepurportofhismission。`Weknowthatunderpresentcircumstanceswehavearighttocalluponyoufortheguaranteeofourislands。Butwedonotdesireit。Wewishyoutodonothingbutwhatisforyourowngood,andwewilldoallinourpowertopromoteit。Cherishyourownpeace&prosperity。Youhaveexpressedawillingnesstoenterintoamoreliberaltreatyofcommercewithus;
  Ibringfullpowers&heproducedthemtoformsuchatreaty,andapreliminarydecreeoftheNationalconventiontolayopenourcountry&it’scoloniestoyouforeverypurposeofutility,withoutyourparticipatingtheburthensofmaintaining&defendingthem。Weseeinyoutheonlypersononearthwhocanloveussincerely&merittobesoloved。’Inshortheofferseverything&asksnothing。YetI
  knowtheofferswillbeopposed,&suspecttheywillnotbeaccepted。
  Inshort,mydearSir,itisimpossibleforyoutoconceivewhatispassinginourconclave:anditisevidentthatoneortwoatleast,underpretenceofavoidingwarontheonesidehavenogreatantipathytorunfoulofitontheother,andtomakeapartintheconfederacyofprincesagainsthumanliberty——ThepeopleintheWesternpartsofthisstatehavebeentotheexciseofficer&
  threatenedtoburnhishouse&c。Theywereblacked&otherwisedisguisedsoastobeunknown。Hehasresigned,andH。saysthereisnopossibilityofgettingthelawexecutedthere,&thatprobablytheevilwillspread。Aproclamationistobeissued,andanotherinstanceofmybeingforcedtoappeartoapprovewhatIhavecondemneduniformlyfromit’sfirstconception。
  IexpecteverydaytoreceivefromMr。PinckneythemodeloftheScotchthreshingmachine。Itwastohavecomeinashipwhicharrived3。weeksago,buttheworkmanhadnotquitefinishedit。Mr。
  P。writesmewordthatthemachinefromwhichmymodelistakenthreshes8。quarters64。bushelsofoats_anhour_,with4。horses&4。men。IhopetogetitintimetohaveoneerectedatMonticellotocleanoutthepresentcrop——Iincloseyouthepamphletyoudesired。Adieu。
  THEDEBTOFSERVICE
  _ToJamesMadison_
  _June9,1793_