Mr Elfried is by the
Russian. He cites precedent and you have none.

I answered, that I flattered myself his Excellency had too good an
opinion of me to suppose that I needed a prompter, when either the
honor or interests of my country were in question. That as for
precedent, part of my business with his Excellency, was to establish
one for such of my countrymen as the United States might hereafter
send to Spain in the same character in which I had the honor to be
employed; adding, that I had more confidence in his Excellency's word,
than in all the precedents the book of etiquette of the Court could
furnish me; and that to give him a farther proof of my unwillingness
to embarrass him, I did not insist on my presentation, but on an
explicit answer from his Excellency, of which I might immediately send
copies to Congress, not only for my own justification, but also to
enable that body to decide the manner in which _Charge d'Affaires_,
from the Court of Spain should be treated by the United States. He
seemed pleased with the reliance placed on his word, for he instantly
told me, that he would speedily give me an explicit answer, and that I
should see that he was a man of his word. That he wished, from respect
to the States, and personal regard for myself, to procure me an
advantage which was denied to others, but that he was afraid his
Majesty was (to make use of his own expression) _trop entete_ on this
point. He then asked me for a copy of the translation of the letter
from Congress to the King. I had it with me. This is the third copy,
which I have given to his Excellency. We left his apartments as he was
then going to the King. In the ante-chamber he again repeated aloud
in Spanish, before thirty or forty persons, who were waiting to pay
him their court, that I should find him a man of his word, and that I
should have an explicit answer. I took my leave, assuring him it was
all I desired.

I presume that he took his Majesty's orders thereon the same day, for
the next he sent me a polite message, desiring me to come to his
house. Having waited on him, agreeably to his request, on my entry he
took me by the hand and told me, that he hoped I would now be
satisfied, for that on conferring with the King, his Majesty had been
pleased to fix a day for my presentation; that no one felt more
sensibly than himself the happy conclusion of this affair, as well on
account of his desire to show every possible respect to the Unite