ground: he was now disengaged from all particular
business--willing to engage in something--should be in town some days,
if I should have any thing to propose to him. I observed to him, that
I had always been sensible that he possessed talents which might be
employed greatly to the advantage of the public, and that, as to myself,
I had a confidence that if he were employed, he would use his talents
for the public good: but that he must be sensible the public had
withdrawn their confidence from him, and that in a government like ours
it was necessary to embrace in its administration as great a mass of
public confidence as possible, by employing those who had a character
with the public, of their own, and not merely a secondary one through
the executive. He observed, that if we believed a few newspapers, it
might be supposed he had lost the public confidence, but that I knew how
easy it was to engage newspapers in any thing. I observed, that I
did not refer to that kind of evidence of his having lost the public
confidence, but to the late Presidential election, when, though in
possession of the office of Vice-President, there was not a single voice
heard for his retaining it. That as to any harm he could do me, I knew
no cause why he should desire it, but, at the same time, I feared no
injury which any man could do me: that I never had done a single act,
or been concerned in any transaction, which I feared to have fully laid
open, or which could do me any hurt, if truly stated: that I had never
done a single thing with a view to my personal interest, or that of any
friend, or with any other view than that of the greatest public good:
that, therefore, no threat or fear on that head would ever be a motive
of action with me. He has continued in town to this time; dined with me
this day week, and called on me to take leave two or three days ago.

I did not commit these things to writing at the time, but I do it now,
because in a suit between him and Cheetham, he has had a deposition of
Mr. Bayard taken, which seems to have no relation to the suit, nor
to any other object than to calumniate me. Bayard pretends to have
addressed to me, during the pending of the Presidential election in
February, 1801, through General Samuel Smith, certain conditions on
which my election might be obtained, and that General Smith, after
conversing with me, gave answers from me. This is absolutely false. No
proposition of any kind was ever made to