John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

27. Count Romanzoff had appointed me this day at twelve O’Clock to see him; at which hour I accordingly went; and found him in his Cabinet; with M: Gervais, one of the under Officers in his department, who immediately left him. I again returned him my thanks for the care of my packets forwarded by his Courier to Paris, and of those which had come by his Courier and he had sent me— I mentioned also that I had sent him a Copy of the Official Documents published by the Government of the United States concerning the recent Negotiations with Great-Britain and France— He enquired whether it was probable, as seemed to be indicated by a Passage in the late Speech of the king of England to Parliament, that the Negotiations between them and the United States, would be resumed— I told him that if the Sentiments of his Britannic Majesty were such as his Speech professed, the Negotiations undoubtedly would be resumed; and that as we must always implicitly believe the word of a king, thus solemnly spoken in the face of the world, I considered it as certain that they would be resumed— The Count made no reply to this; excepting by a smile, and a very significant look, in return for my compliment to the Faith of kings.— I then mentioned to him that I had a letter from General Armstrong in which he expresses his feelings of congratulation to me that I am in a place where there is some regard for our Country and its rights, and that I had also letters from Hamburg expressing the gratitude of my Countrymen there for the interposition of the Emperor with the Court of Denmark, and the effect which many of them had already experienced from it, in the liberation of their property— He said that Baron Blome had informed him a week or ten days ago, of the answer he had received from his Court, to the dispatch he had sent in consequence of Count Romanzoff’s application to him, by order of the Emperor—which answer was that the Danish Government would pay the most particular attention to the interest which the Emperor had taken upon this occasion; that they would give all possible dispatch to the proceedings, and that their own wishes were entirely conformable to the desire manifested by the Emperor upon this subject— He then added that he was glad that the opportunity which the Emperor had thus taken to shew his friendship for the United States had been attended with this success— He regretted that the Commerce of the United States elsewhere appeared still to be subject to seizures and ill-treatment, and that altogether it seemed impossible there should be any safe Commerce untill the Peace— That the profligacy with which the English under at least the obvious connivance of their Government were attempting to carry on their trade with fraud and forgery was such as he could not reflect upon without astonishment— The English were a Nation illustrious by the men of Genius and of learning, distinguished in the Arts and Sciences, whom they had produced—illustrious by the degree of power and importance in the affairs of the world which they had attained— Their Commerce also had been very extensive; and although it was known and admitted that in their commercial intercourse with others their activity and enterprize gave them advantages, of which they always were eager to make the most they could— That they would make those with whom they would treat commit as many faults as they could lead them into, and turn them with all 79their ingenuity and address to their own benefit, in short that they had an extraordinary talent at making profitable bargains, yet there was a sort of integrity to the reputation of which they had always aspired; and which they had effectually acquired— A British Merchant was considered, as a man of honour; a man of principle—who would disdain to participate in a base of infamous transaction for the mere profits of trade— But now, said the Count, I will give you a sample of what are the principles of British Merchants— There arrived in our Ports last Autumn thirteen ships, with Cargoes, which entered as coming from the Port of Lisbon—under neutral Colours— None of them had the Portugueze flag, of which I was very glad.— Among the documents which they exhibited, was a Certificate of Origin, apparently under the hand and Seal, of the Russian Consul at Lisbon— This Gentleman has long been personally well known to me, and I have a high esteem for his character and good conduct— In which point of view I have often mentioned him to the Emperor himself.— I had no reason on seeing those Certificates of origin to doubt from the appearance of the hand or the seal that they were not authentic; but as the vessels have been detained here over winter by the ice; and as I could have time in that interval to get an answer from him, I took good measures to get a letter transmitted to him, with a list of these vessels, and of the documents apparently executed by him, with an enquiry whether these were all authentic— I have lately received his answer, and not one of the documents is authentic—the whole thirteen are forgeries. Now I ask—said the Count what difference in principle there is between this case, and the same transaction upon the seal of a deed, or the signature of a bill of exchange—and what one is to think of a Government which licences people to trade on such documents?— He then continued that the chargé d’affaires of the Queen of Portugal had often tormented him, (m’a tourmenté) for the admission of Portugueze vessels from Lisbon— This was impossible— The Emperor had made no change in his relations with Portugal— He was not at War with Portugal; he continued to receive Mr: Navarro as the Queen’s chargé des Affaires.— Portugueze vessels from Brezil, or elsewhere, not enemy’s Ports would be freely admitted; but from places notoriously in possession of the English; it could not be, without making a burlesque of the Imperial ordinances against trading with the English— The Count made also many enquiries whether I had any intelligence from South-America; which appeared to be an object of peculiar interest at this moment; but I had none— On some allusion that I made to the rigour with which the French Government and its dependencies were proceeding towards America, which I told him would most powerfully negotiate in the United States, in favour of their reconciliation with England; he asked me whether I knew that Coll: Burr was gone to Paris— I said I had heard he was arrived there— He said he did not know of his arrival; but that he knew from a certain source that he was gone there— He said Coll: Burr had written a letter to him requesting permission to come here; but that not being desirous of encouraging people who had fled from the violated laws of their own Country, to come into this, he had not answered his letter— If he wanted to come here he must make his application through me, and if I had desired it, no difficulty would have been made.— He enquired what Burr’s project had been; which I explained to him—as well as its complicated nature would admit in the compass of a short conversation— After this I told the Count of the letter I had received from London, for the Abbé Brzozowski, au Collège des Nobles—of the Circumstances under which I had received it, and of my determination to send it back to the person who had forwarded it to me; unless he the Count were of opinion that I might without inconvenience send it to the person for whom it was destined— I added that if the writer in requesting me to convey this letter to its address had thought proper to leave it open for my perusal, 80and I had found it relating only to private concerns of business or friendship, I might have sent or delivered it to the person to whom it is directed, without giving the Count any trouble on the occasion— But that I could not become the intermediate of any Correspondence from a foreign Country at War with this, the contents of which were unknown to myself, without giving notice to him, and obtaining his consent.— That I presumed this was a letter merely upon private concerns—that I knew the American Gentleman who had forwarded it to me; and had no suspicion that he would be accessary to the transmission of any improper correspondence; and as the letter was said to be important, (I supposed, to the correspondent) I wished he might not be disappointed by failing to receive it— The Count at first discovered some marks of surprize; and said he believed I had better send the letter back— He enquired particularly how it had been forwarded from England—said that from the name of the person to whom it is directed, he appears to be a Subject of the Emperor, and not a Russian— That there was no such thing here as a College des Nobles— That he supposed it must mean the Corps des Cadets, and that this Abbé was one of the Instructors there— I told him that such had been my own conjecture— After pausing a few minutes the Count requested me to wait a day or two during which he would make enquiries, and then return me a final answer, whether to deliver the letter as directed or send it back— He seemed then inclining to think it might be delivered, and he thanked me in terms of the greatest cordiality for the notice I had thus given him; declaring his entire approbation of the principle, and his particular sense of the delicacy which I had observed towards this Government in the application of it.— I spoke to the Count respecting the Note which I presented nearly three Months since, relative to the claims of the Weymouth Commercial Company and Mr: Thorndike— He said this Subject belonged altogether to the Department of the Marine; but that he would speak to the Minister of Marine about it— He made a similar promise with respect to accelerating the expedition of Passports for American Citizens coming into this Country or going out of it— They are always delayed from a fortnight to three weeks, after going through all the formalities, required by the ordinances, before Passports can be obtained— The Count said he had frequently heard the same complaints made before— That it belonged to the Minister of the Interior to remedy this evil; and he would speak to him concerning it— As I took leave the Count invited me, and desired me to invite Mrs: Adams to a supper at his house on Thursday next. He said that to explain an old bachelor’s giving a supper to Ladies, he would observe it was for the Princess Amelia of Baden, who is going away; and who had permitted him to give her a supper— I left the Count about 2. O’Clock; came home, and afterwards took a short walk before dinner— Mr: Harris pass’d most of the Evening with us.