before the envoys
should be received; a loan to be made to the republic; and a _douceur_
to the Directory of nearly two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The
envoys were astonished, but resolved to treat the matter in such a way
that they might ascertain the real sentiments of the French government,
without exciting suspicions.

Shortly afterward (October twentieth), Talleyrand's secret agent again
appeared before the envoys, and introduced Mr. Bellamy, a citizen of
Hamburg, who came as an intimate friend of the minister for foreign
affairs, but without, as he said, any diplomatic authority. He assured
the envoys that Talleyrand was well disposed toward the United States;
that if the offensive portions of the president's speech should be
expunged, the loan made, and the _douceur_ given, a new treaty would be
made, and all would be well. "We want money," said Bellamy, speaking for
his principals--"a great deal of money."

Another conference was held on the following day, when the secret agent
and Bellamy breakfasted with the envoys. It was stated that the
Directory insisted upon an apology, or its equivalent, for the offensive
words of the president; but Bellamy gave it as his private opinion that
the matter might be compromised with money. At that conference the
amount of the loan was fixed at six millions four hundred thousand
dollars, to be secured by Dutch "inscriptions," or obligations extorted
from them by the French; and the _douceur_ to the Directory at two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

"The proposition for a loan can not be met by any construction of our
instructions," said the envoys. "One of us, however, will return home
and consult our government on that point, provided the Directory will
agree to suspend, in the interval, all further captures of American
vessels, and all proceedings on captures already made." The agents of
the Directory were quite surprised at this answer. Bellamy spoke of the
resentment of that body, and said that, if money could not be had from
the envoys, the apology would be expected. To his astonishment, he was
informed that such a proceeding was wholly out of the question; that the
president had exercised his constitutional privilege in giving to
Congress his ideas on national affairs, and that in doing so he had only
stated facts in regard to French relations with which the American
people were already familiar. The agents seemed greatly astonished at
the audacity of the e