January the 24th. Mr. Smith, a merchant of Hamburg, gives me the
following information. The St. Andrew's Club, of New York, (all
of Scotch tories,) gave a public dinner lately. Among other guests
Alexander Hamilton was one. After dinner, the first toast was 'The
President of the United States.' It was drunk without any particular
approbation. The next was, 'George the Third.' Hamilton started up on
his feet, and insisted on a bumper and three cheers. The whole company
accordingly rose and gave the cheers. One of them, though a federalist,
was so disgusted at the partiality shown by Hamilton to a foreign
sovereign over his own President, that he mentioned it to a Mr.
Schwart-house, an American merchant of New York, who mentioned it to
Smith.
Mr. Smith also tells me, that calling one evening on Mr. Evans, then
Speaker of the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania, and asking
the news, Evans said, Harper had just been there, and speaking of the
President's setting out to Braintree, said, 'he prayed to God that his
horses might run away with him, or some other accident happen to break
his neck before he reached Braintree.' This was in indignation at his
having named Murray, &c. to negotiate with France. Evans approved of the
wish.
February the 1st. Doctor Rush tells me that he had it from Asa Green,
that when the clergy addressed General Washington on his departure
from the government, it was observed in their consultation, that he had
never, on any occasion, said a word to the public which showed a belief
in the Christian religion, and they thought they should so pen their
address, as to force him at length to declare publicly whether he was a
Christian or not.
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