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dations from his State to Congress, of his fitness for this employ ment, and other information founding a presumption that he would be approved, occasioned our concluding to send him to Algiers. The giving him proper authorities, and new ones to Mr. Barclay conformable to our own new powers, was the subject of a new courier between Mr. Adams and myself. He returned last night, and I have the honor of enclosing you copies of all the papers we furnish those gentlemen with ; which will possess Congress fully of our proceedings herein. They are numbered from two to ten inclusive. The supplementary instruction to Mr. Lambe, No. 5, must rest for justification on the emergency of the case. The motives which led to it, must be found in the feelings of the hu man heart, in a partiality for those sufferers who are of our own country, and in the obligations of every government to yield pro tection to their citizens, as the consideration for their obedience. It will be a comfort to know, that Congress does not disapprove this step.
Considering the treaty with Portugal among the most interest ing to the United States, I some time ago, took occasion at Ver sailles, to ask of the Portuguese ambassador, if he had yet received from his court, an answer to our letter. He told me he had not, but that he would make it the subject of another letter. Two days ago, his secretaire d ambassade called on me, with a letter from his minister to the ambassador, in which was the following paragraph, as he translated it to me ; and I committed it to writing from his mouth. Your Excellency has communicated to us the substance of your conversation with the American minister. That power ought to have been already persuaded, by the manner in which its ves sels have been received here ; and consequently that his Majesty would have much satisfaction, in maintaining perfect harmony and good understanding with the same United States. But it would be proper to begin with the reciprocal nomination, on both sides, of persons, who, at least with the character of agents, might re ciprocally inform their constituents, of what might conduce to a knowledge of the interests of the two nations, without prejudice to either. This first step appears necessary to lead to the proposed object.
By this, it would seem, that this power is more disposed to pursue a track of negotiation, similar to that which Spain has done. I consider this answer as definitive of all further measures, under our commission to Portugal. That to Spain was superseded by proceedings in another line. That to Prussia is concluded by actual treaty ; to Tuscany will probably be so ; and perhaps to Denmark : and these, I believe, will be the sum of the effects of
