A history of the United States for schools . ernment refused to receive was base enough, however, to approach them secretlywith a most impudent and infamous proposal. Emis-saries from Prince Talleyrand caused it to be understoodthat if the United States were to bribe several membersof the French government with liberal sums of money,the attacks upon our shipping would be stopped. TheAmerican envoys got this proposal in writing, and sentit to President Adams, who laid the papers before Con-gress. In April, 1798, the Senate had the whole thingprinted and published. The letters of Talley-
A history of the United States for schools . ernment refused to receive was base enough, however, to approach them secretlywith a most impudent and infamous proposal. Emis-saries from Prince Talleyrand caused it to be understoodthat if the United States were to bribe several membersof the French government with liberal sums of money,the attacks upon our shipping would be stopped. TheAmerican envoys got this proposal in writing, and sentit to President Adams, who laid the papers before Con-gress. In April, 1798, the Senate had the whole thingprinted and published. The letters of Talley- ,rands emissaries were signed X. Y. Z., and z. dis-the dispatches of the envoys have always beenknown as the X. Y. Z. dispatches. There was afierce outburst of wrath from one .^^^^f^^^ end of the UnitedStates to theother. The pop-ular war cry was, Millions for de-fense ; not onecent for tribute ! An army wasraised, and Wash-ington, though inhis sixty-seventhyear, was appoint-ed to commandit. A few veryfiije war-ships wereshowed her THE TRUXTUN MEDAL. built, and one of them soonIn February, 1799, the gallant 27^ THE FEDERAL UNION. Ch. XIII. Thomas Truxtun, in the 38-gun frigate Constellation, captured the French 38-gun frigate LInsurgente in the Caribbean Sea. The French government, as-French na- . o vai vessels tonishcd at this blow, became more courteous,cap ure . ^^^ signified its wish to avoid a war. TheFederalist party was eager for war, and Adams knew
Size: 1584px × 1577px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherbostonhoughtonmiff
