Part 104

Ordered, That the Address to the President of the United States, in answer to his Speech, be presented by the Vice President, attended by the Senate, and that the committee which reported the Address wait on the President, and desire to be informed at what time and place he will receive the same.

MONDAY, December 13.

WILLIAM S. JOHNSON, from Connecticut, and PHILIP SCHUYLER, from New York, attended.

Mr. ELLSWORTH, from the committee appointed on the 10th, to wait on the President of the United States, reported:

That it would be agreeable to the President to receive the Address of the Senate, in answer to his Speech to both Houses of Congress, on Monday next, at 12 o'clock.

Whereupon,

The Senate waited upon the President of the United States at his own house, and the Vice President, in their name, communicated to him the Address agreed to on the 10th instant; to which the President of the United States was pleased to make the following reply:

GENTLEMEN: These assurances of favorable attention to the subjects I have recommended, and of entire confidence in my views, make the impression on me which I ought to feel. I thank you for them both, and shall continue to rely much for the success of all our measures for the public good, on the aid they will receive from the wisdom and integrity of your councils.

GEO. WASHINGTON.

The Senate returned to the Senate Chamber.

WEDNESDAY, December 15.

JOSEPH STANTON, junior, from Rhode Island, attended.

MONDAY, January 10.

JOHN HENRY, from Maryland, attended.

MONDAY, January 17.

JAMES GUNN, from Georgia, attended.

FRIDAY, January 21.

CHARLES CARROLL, from the State of Maryland, attended.

MONDAY, February 14.

The Senate on Executive business. The following Message from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES was under consideration:

Gentlemen of the Senate:

Conceiving that in the possible event of a refusal of justice on the part of Great Britain, we should stand less committed should it be made to a private rather than a public person, I employed Mr. Gouverneur Morris, who was on the spot, and without giving him any definite character, to enter informally into the conferences before mentioned. For your more particular information, I lay before you the instructions I gave him, and those parts of his communications wherein the British ministers appear either in conversation or by letter. These are two letters from the Duke of Leeds to Mr. Morris, and three letters of Mr. Morris, giving an account of two conferences with the Duke of Leeds, and one with him, and Mr. Pitt. The sum of these is, that they declare, without scruple, they do not mean to fulfil what remains of the Treaty of Peace to be fulfilled on their part, (by which we are to understand the delivery of the posts and payment for property carried off,) till performance on our part, and compensation where the delay has rendered the performance now impracticable; that on the subject of a treaty of commerce they avoided direct answers, so as to satisfy Mr. Morris they did not mean to enter into one unless it could be extended to a treaty of alliance offensive and defensive, or unless in the event of a rupture with Spain.

As to the sending a Minister here, they made excuses at the first conference, seemed disposed to it in the second, and in the last express an intention of so doing.

Their views being thus sufficiently ascertained, I have directed Mr. Morris to discontinue his communications with them. GEO. WASHINGTON.

UNITED STATES, Feb. 14, 1791.

Ordered, That this Message lie for consideration.

TUESDAY, February 15.

RICHARD HENRY LEE, from Virginia, attended.