Emperor of the world; and yet that they were charging him with wanting to be a King.  That that rascal Freneau sent him three of his papers every day, as if he thought he would become the distributor of his papers; that he could see in this, nothing but an impudent design to insult him:  he ended in this high tone.  There was a pause.  Some difficulty in resuming our question; it was, however, after a little while, presented again, and he said there seemed to be no necessity for deciding it now; the propositions before agreed on might be put into a train of execution, and perhaps events would show whether the appeal would be necessary or not.  He desired we would meet at my office the next day, to consider what should be done with the vessels armed in our ports by Mr. Genet, and their prizes.

* He said that Mr. Morris, taking a family dinner with him the other day, went largely, and of his own accord, into this subject; advised this appeal, and promised, if the President adopted it, that he would support it himself, and engage for all his connections.  The President repeated this twice, and with an air of importance.  Now Mr. Morris has no family connections; he engaged then for his political friends.  This shows that the President has not confidence enough in the virtue and good sense of mankind, to confide in a government bottomed on them, and thinks other props necessary.

August the 3rd.  We met.  The President wrote to take our opinions, whether Congress should be called.  Knox pronounced at once against it.  Randolph was against it.  Hamilton said his judgment was against it, but that if any two were for it, or against it, he would join them to make a majority.  I was for it.  We agreed to give separate opinions to the President.  Knox said we should have had fine work, if Congress had been sitting these two last months.  The fool thus let out the secret.  Hamilton endeavored to patch up the indiscretion of this blabber, by saying ’he did not know; he rather thought they would have strengthened the executive arm.’

It is evident they do not wish to lengthen the session of the next Congress, and probably they particularly wish it should not meet till Genet is gone.  At this meeting I received a letter from Mr. Remsen at New York, informing me of the event of the combat between the Ambuscade and the Boston.  Knox broke out into the most unqualified abuse of Captain Courtnay.  Hamilton, with less fury, but with the deepest vexation, loaded him with censures.  Both showed the most unequivocal mortification at the event.

August the 6th, 1793.  The President calls on me at my house in the country, and introduces my letter of July the 31st, announcing that I should resign at the close of the next month.  He again expressed his repentance at not having resigned himself, and how much it was increased by seeing that he was to be deserted by those on whose aid he had counted:  that he did not know where he should look to find characters