of the
twenty-first ultimo did, as you may suppose, surprise me not a little.
But far, very far indeed, was this surprise short of what I experienced
the next day, when, by a very intelligent gentleman, immediately from
Philadelphia, I was informed that there had been no _direct_ overture
from the government of France to that of the United States for a
negotiation; on the contrary, that M. Talleyrand was playing the same
loose and round-about game he had attempted the year before with our
envoys, and which, as in that case, might mean anything or nothing, as
would subserve his purposes best.

"Had we approached the ante-chamber of this gentleman when he opened the
door to us," he continued, "and there waited for a formal invitation
into the interior, the governments would have met upon equal ground, and
we might have advanced or receded according to circumstances, without
commitment. In plain words, had we said to M. Talleyrand, through the
channel of his communication, 'We still are, as we always have been,
ready to settle by fair negotiation all differences between the two
nations upon open, just, and honorable terms, and it rests with the
Directory (after the indignities with which _our_ attempts to effect
this have been treated), if they are equally sincere, to come forward in
an unequivocal manner, and prove it by their acts'--such conduct would
have shown a dignified willingness on our part to negotiate, and would
have proved their sincerity on the other. Under my present view of the
subject, this would have been the course I should have pursued, keeping
equally in view the horrors of war and the dignity of the government."

The disposition throughout the country to avoid war if possible, had
great influence upon the president and the senate; but, before the
latter made a decision on the nomination of Mr. Murray, the whole
subject was seriously considered. It was finally concluded to associate
two others with Murray. The president accordingly nominated Oliver
Wolcott and Patrick Henry. These nominations were immediately confirmed
by the unanimous vote of the senate. The latter gentleman declined the
commission, on account of his advanced age and increasing debilities,
but with the assurance that "nothing short of absolute necessity" could
induce him to withhold what little aid he could give "an administration
whose abilities, patriotism, and virtue, deserved the gratitude and
reverence of all their fellow citizen