and respectability; the mother is the sister of the lady
of General Samuel Smith; and, consequently, the station of the family in
society is with the first of the United States. These circumstances fix
rank in a country where there are no hereditary titles. Your treaty has
obtained nearly a general approbation. The federalists spoke and voted
against it, but they are now so reduced in their numbers as to be
nothing. The question on its ratification in the Senate was decided by
twenty-four against seven, which was ten more than enough. The vote in
the House of Representatives for making provision for its execution,
was carried by eighty-nine against twenty-three, which was a majority
of sixty-six, and the necessary bills are going through the Houses
by greater majorities. Mr. Pichon, according to instructions from his
government, proposed to have added to the ratification a protestation
against any failure in time or other circumstances of execution, on
our part. He was told, that in that case we should annex a counter
protestation, which would leave the thing exactly where it was; that
this transaction had been conducted from the commencement of the
negotiation to this stage of it, with a frankness and sincerity
honorable to both nations, and comfortable to the heart of an honest man
to review; that to annex to this last chapter of the transaction such an
evidence of mutual distrust, was to change its aspect dishonorably
for us both, and contrary to truth as to us; for that we had not the
smallest doubt that France would punctually execute its part; and I
assured Mr. Pichon that I had more confidence in the word of the First
Consul than in all the parchment we could sign. He saw that we had
ratified the treaty; that both branches had passed by great majorities
one of the bills for execution, and would soon pass the other two;
that no circumstances remained that could leave a doubt of our punctual
performance; and like an able and an honest minister (which he is in the
highest degree) he undertook to do, what he knew his employers would do
themselves, were they here spectators of all the existing circumstances,
and exchanged the ratification's purely and simply; so that this
instrument goes to the world as an evidence of the candor and confidence
of the nations in each other, which will have the best effects. This was
the more justifiable, as Mr. Pichon knew that Spain had entered with us
a protestation against our ratific