t I should be stopped short of my
destination, and determined to endeavor to obviate every objection,
which might be made to my going on, I told the Count, when he seemed
to be stating a difficulty arising from my public character, that I
could appear as a private gentleman, travelling with a view of
obtaining some knowledge of that country. I added, indeed, of its
laws, customs, manners, _commerce_, manufactures, &c. The character of
a merchant in those countries is not so respectable as to recommend
itself to my choice, when I wished to form connexions with a different
order of men. As I did not know of any gentleman at Petersburg, with
whom some _in America_ had a correspondence, I could never inform his
Excellency of such a circumstance. The fact was quite otherwise, and
that part of our conversation was introduced in the manner, and was
exactly of the tenor mentioned in my account of the conference. I have
a personal knowledge of the gentleman I alluded to; he named the
persons of rank, but I did not think it prudent to give their names to
the Count. Perhaps I may have the honor to form an acquaintance with
persons of some consideration in the country to which I am going,
without laying myself under obligations to that gentleman.

I shall set out from hence in a few days on my journey, probably
without consulting the Russian Ambassador at the Hague, as I am not
yet more reconciled to this step than I was when it was first proposed
to me. Mr Adams, your Excellency will perceive, is decidedly against
it. We have given our reasons. To these may be added, that to
communicate my design of going into his country, and secreting from
him at the same time, my public character, if by such means I might
obtain his advice and passport to proceed, whenever my real character
should be made known, he would perhaps consider it as a mean artifice
and an imposition upon him, which he could not overlook, especially
when the act of giving his advice or passport (though I have no
expectation he would do either) might expose him, or his Court, or
both, to all the consequences of having done so, with the full
knowledge of my character; for declarations of ignorance in that
respect would gain little credit. On the whole, I see no one good
purpose that such a consultation as has been recommended to me, would
produce, but, on the contrary, I think I see many mischiefs, which
might come out of it.

Not thinking it prudent to go on farther