my audience of her Imperial Majesty. I shall now think it expedient to
decline that honor. For it would be a very useless ceremony, to take
an audience of reception one day, when the next, I must ask one of
departure, as according to your letter, it not only seems that
Congress declines being at the customary expense of concluding a
treaty with her Imperial Majesty, but you say also, with respect to a
commercial treaty, (the only one I had any intention of concluding,)
none could be signed by me, as my powers only extend "to _communicate_
with her Imperial Majesty's Ministers on the subject of a treaty, &c.
&c. but not to sign it." I confess I had put a very different
construction upon the passage of my instructions alluded to, which is,
"You shall assure her Imperial Majesty and her Ministers, of the
sincere disposition of the United States to enter into a treaty of
friendship and commerce with her, on terms of the most perfect
equality, &c. and you are authorised to communicate with her Imperial
Majesty's Ministers on the form and terms of such treaty, and transmit
the same to Congress for their ratification," especially when taken
into conjunction with the following paragraph of my commission, "And
he is further authorised in our name and on behalf of the United
States of America, to propose a treaty of amity and commerce between
these United States and her said Imperial Majesty, and to confer and
treat thereon with her Ministers vested with equal powers, so far as
the same shall be founded on principles of equality, &c. transmitting
such treaty for our final ratification. And we declare in good faith,
that we will confirm whatsoever shall by him be transacted in the
premises."

But it is useless to spend a moment's consideration upon the extent of
my powers, when you say you are persuaded it is the wish of Congress
rather to postpone any treaty with Russia, than to buy one at this
day, as I am persuaded no treaty is to be obtained, or could be
honorably proposed, without conforming, as other nations have done, to
the usage of this Court in that respect. That it would be for the
interest of the United States, immediately to conclude a commercial
treaty with her Imperial Majesty, such a one as I flatter myself I
could obtain, I have not the least doubt upon my mind. As to the
neutral confederation, I have the honor to agree in opinion with you,
that it is now of little consequence to us; for this reason, I had
dete