therefore not competent to give a
legitimate discharge for our payments: that I thought
consequently, that none should be made till some legitimate
body came into place; and that I should consider the
National Convention, called, but not met as we had yet
heard, to be a legitimate body. Hamilton doubted whether it
would be a legitimate body, and whether, if the King should
be re-established, he might not disallow such payments on
good grounds. Knox, for once, dared to differ from Hamilton,
and to express, very submissively, an opinion, that a
convention named by the whole body of the nation, would be
competent to do any thing. It ended by agreeing, that I
should write to Gouverneur Morris to suspend payment
generally, till further orders.

November the 19th, 1792. Beckley brings me the pamphlet written by
Hamilton, before the war, in answer to 'Common Sense.' It is entitled
'Plain Truth.' Melancthon Smith sends it to Beckley, and in his letter
says, it was not printed in New York by Loudon, because prevented by a
mob, and was printed in Philadelphia, and that he has these facts from
Loudon.

November the 21st, 1792. Mr. Butler tells me, that he dined last winter
with Mr. Campbell from Denmark, in company with Hamilton, Lawrence, Dr.
Shippen, T. Shippen, and one other person whom he cannot recollect. That
after dinner political principles became the subject of conversation;
that Hamilton declared openly, that 'there was no stability, no security
in any kind of government but a monarchy.' That Lawrence took him
up, and entered the lists of argument against him; that the dispute
continued long, and grew warm, remarkably so as between them; that
Shippen, at length, joined Lawrence in it; and in fine, that it broke up
the company. Butler recommended to the company, that the dispute having
probably gone farther than was intended, it ought to be considered as
confined to the company.

Thursday, December the 27th, 1792. I waited on the President on some
current business. After this was over, he observed to me, that he
thought it was time to endeavor to effect a stricter connection with
France, and that Gouverneur Morris should be written to on this subject.
He went into the circumstances of dissatisfaction between Spain and
Great Britain, and us, and observed, there was no nation on whom we
could rely, at all times, but France; and that, if we did not pr