European courts. His general explanations to
me were, that when he arrived at New York to enter
on the executive administration of the new government,
he observed to those who were to assist him, that
placed as he was in an office entirely new to him,
unacquainted with the forms and ceremonies of other
governments, still less apprized of those which might
be properly established here, and himself perfectly
indifferent to all forms, he wished them to consider
and prescribe what they should be; and the task was
assigned particularly to General Knox, a man of parade,
and to Colonel Humphreys, who had resided some time
at a foreign court. They, he said, were the author’s
of the present regulations, and that others were proposed
so highly strained, that he absolutely rejected them.
Attentive to the difference of opinion prevailing on
this subject, when the term of his second election
arrived, he called the Heads of departments together,
observed to them the situation in which he had been
at the commencement of the government, the advice he
had taken, and the course he had observed in compliance
with it; that a proper occasion had now arrived of
revising that course, of correcting in it any particulars
not approved in experience; and he desired us to consult
together, agree on any changes we should think for
the better, and that he should willingly conform to
what we should advise. We met at my office.
Hamilton and myself agreed at once that there was too
much ceremony for the character of our government,
and, particularly, that the parade of the installation
at New York ought not to be copied on the present
occasion, that the President should desire the Chief
Justice to attend him at his chambers, that he should
administer the oath of office to him in the presence
of the higher officers of the government, and that
the certificate of the fact should be delivered to
the Secretary of State to be recorded. Randolph
and Knox differed from us, the latter vehemently:
they thought it not advisable to change any of the
established forms, and we authorized Randolph to report
our opinions to the President. As these opinions
were divided, and no positive advice given as to any
change, no change was made. Thus the forms, which
I had censured in my letter to Mazzei, were perfectly
understood by General Washington, and were those which
he himself but barely tolerated. He had furnished
me a proper occasion for proposing their reformation,
and, my opinion not prevailing, he knew I could not
have meant any part of the censure for him.
Mr. Pickering quotes too (page 34) the expression in the letter, of ’the men who were Samsons in the field, and Solomons in the council, but who had had their heads shorn by the harlot England’ or, as expressed in their re-translation, the men who were Solomons in council, and Samsons in combat, but whose hair had been cut off by the whore England.’ Now this expression also was perfectly understood by General Washington. He knew that I meant it