3121. FRANCE, Cabinet of Washington and.—
The doubts I entertained that the offers of the French republic would be declined,
will pretty certainly be realized. One
person [Hamilton] represents them as a
snare into which he hopes we shall not fall.
His second [Knox] is of the same sentiment
of course. He [Randolph] whose vote for
the most part, or say always, is casting, has
by two or three private conversations or
rather disputes with me, shown his opinion
to be against doing what would be a mark
of predilection to one of the parties, though
not a breach of neutrality in form. And an
opinion of still more importance is still in
the same way. I do not know what line will
be adopted, but probably a procrastination,
which will be immediately seen through.—
To James Madison.
Ford ed., vi, 268.
(Pa.,
May. 1793)
See Neutrality.
