for a safer conveyance. None such has occurred till now, that the United
States' armed brig the Wasp, on her way to the Mediterranean is to touch
at Falmouth, with despatches for our ministers at London, and at Brest,
with others for yourself and General Armstrong.

You heard in due time from London of the signature of a treaty there
between Great Britain and the United States. By a letter we received in
January from our ministers at London, we found they were making up
their minds to sign a treaty, in which no provision was made against the
impressment of our seamen, contenting themselves with a note received
in the course of their correspondence, from the British negotiators,
assuring them of the discretion with which impressments should be
conducted, which could be construed into a covenant only by inferences,
against which its omission in the treaty was a strong inference; and in
its terms totally unsatisfactory. By a letter of February the 3rd, they
were immediately informed that no treaty, not containing a satisfactory
article on that head, would be ratified, and desiring them to resume the
negotiations on that point. The treaty having come to as actually in the
inadmissible shape apprehended, we, of course, hold it up until we know
the result of the instructions of February the 3rd. I have but little
expectation that the British government will retire from their habitual
wrongs in the impressment of our seamen, and am certain, that without
that we will never tie up our hands by treaty, from the right of passing
a non-importation or non-intercourse act, to make it her interest to
become just. This may bring on a war of commercial restrictions. To
show, however, the sincerity of our desire for conciliation, I have
suspended the non-importation act. This state of things should be
understood at Paris, and every effort used on your part to accommodate
our differences with Spain, under the auspices of France, with whom
it is all-important that we should stand in terms of the strictest