3

3

When this had been agreed on, the President
then had altered his mind and requested him
to recognize Mr Jewett as an independent
commissioner. "Now (said he) this request
embarrasses me, and can only lead to confusion;
different reports will be made and who shall judge
which is true? Would there be another commission
asked for by the other powers? You see that while
I am trying to satisfy the Christian powers, a second
commission while it can do no good, may do much
harm. Again, as soon as an American Consul
would be recognized as an independent commissioner,
it would give offense, not only to the powers that
wished to send Consuls, but Italy, and perhaps
Germany, would at once demand a representative.
To permit this would lead to great confusion,
and I fear to bad results. He desired to know
if I did not think his views reasonable?
To this I answered, that my {carat: "Government"} was on the other
side of the world, and that it was not my privilege,
or duty, to know the considerations that
influenced it, but to execute its orders in