423. ARBITRATION, Offer of.—
As to
our dispute with Schweighauser and Dobrée,
in the conversation I had with Dobrée at
Nantes, he appeared to think so rationally on
the subject, that I thought there would be no
difficulty in accommodating it with him, and
I wished rather to settle it by accommodation,
than to apply to the minister. I afterwards
had it intimated to him * * *, that I had it
in idea to propose a reference to arbitrators.
He expressed a cheerful concurrence in it. I
thereupon made the proposition to him formally,
by letter, mentioning particularly, that we would choose our arbitrators of some neutral
nation, and, of preference, from among
the Dutch refugees in Paris. I was surprised
to receive an answer from him, wherein, after
expressing his own readiness to accede to this
proposition, he added, that on consulting with
Mr. Puchilberg, he had declined it.—
To John Jay. Washington ed. ii, 496.
(P.
1788)
