tly before a Minister had
been received from the United States in Great Britain.

I desired him to favor me with a note containing the substance of this
answer, as it was of great importance, and much in affairs of this
sort depended upon the very expressions; that with the fairest
intentions, I might misrepresent some parts of it through
forgetfulness, and that I would deliver him my observations upon it in
writing for consideration, when the exact state of the matter would be
known. Finding, as I had expected, that he declined this, I began my
reply with a preface of this sort; the answer, which your Excellency
has given me on the part of her Imperial Majesty, is wholly
unexpected, not only to myself, but to the United States. I cannot,
therefore, take upon me to say anything upon it from instructions. I
beg you would be pleased to consider whatever I may say as my private
sentiments; whether they will accord with those of my Sovereign, I am
not certain. At this great distance, I must use my best discretion in
all such extraordinary cases. I have no design to oppose myself to her
Majesty's pleasure, whatever that may be, but only to make some
observations upon the answer, that if they are of any weight, they may
be taken into consideration, as I have no doubt they will be. I would
beg to take this occasion to express the high respect, which the
United States entertain for her Imperial Majesty, and their sincere
desire to cultivate her friendship; that they considered her as one of
the first sovereigns of the world, and, in a manner, the great
legislator of nations by her system of neutrality, which they had
early highly applauded, and had made the principles of it the
invariable rules of their conduct during the war; that, animated with
sentiments of this kind, they wished to give some strong proofs of a
distinguished attention and consideration for her Majesty's person and
government. With this view, they had early named a Minister to reside
near her, as a compliment to the Sovereign who presided over the
Neutral Confederation with so much glory; that he might improve the
earliest occasion to display his character, which the course of events
should afford.

From these dispositions, they were naturally led to expect, as they
had intended, that her Imperial Majesty would be the first of the
neutral powers, which should receive a Minister from them; that as to
the objections, which had been made to my present receptio