From the moment it escaped my lips
in the presence of Hamilton, that I would not give in my report till I
should see Hammond's counter-complaint, and judge if there was a hope
of the posts, Hammond never said a word to me on any occasion, as to the
time he should be ready. At length the President got out of patience,
and insisted I should jog him. This I did on the 21st of February, at
the President's assembly: he immediately promised I should have it in a
few days, and accordingly, on the 5th of March I received it.
Written March the 11th, 1792.
March the 12th, 1792. Sent for by the President, and desired to bring
the letter he had signed to the King of France. Went. He said the House
of Representatives had, on Saturday, taken up the communication he had
made of the King's letter to him, and come to a vote in their own name;
that he did not expect this when he sent this message and the letter,
otherwise he would have sent the message without the letter, as I had
proposed. That he apprehended the legislature would be endeavoring
to invade the executive. I told him, I had understood the House had
resolved to request him to join their congratulations to his on the
completion and acceptance of the constitution; on which part of the
vote, there were only two dissentients (Barnwell and Benson); that
the vote was thirty-five to sixteen on the part which expressed an
approbation of the wisdom of the constitution; that in the letter he had
signed, I had avoided saying a word in approbation of the constitution,
not knowing whether the King, in his heart, approved it.
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