“This will be delivered to your majesty by Edmund Roberts, a respectable citizen of these United States, who has been appointed special agent, on the part of this government, to transact important business with your majesty. I pray your majesty to protect him in the exercise of the duties which are thus confided to him, and to treat him with kindness and confidence; placing entire reliance upon what he shall say to you in our behalf, especially when he shall repeat the assurances of our perfect amity and good will towards your majesty. I pray God to have you, great and good friend, under his safe and holy keeping. “Written at the city of Washington, the twentieth day of January, A. D. 1833, and in the fifty-sixth year of independence. “Your good and faithful friend, (Signed) “ANDREW JACKSON.” “By the President. (Signed) “EDWARD LIVINGSTON, Sec’ry of State.” “The foregoing is a true copy of the original now in my possession. (Signed) “EDMUND ROBERTS.” [Sidenote: INCREASING DEMANDS.] These documents being completed, the packet was sealed up, and taken on shore by Mr. Morrison; but now a new and unexpected difficulty arose. The letter (which, they were told, though addressed to the minister, was intended to be seen by the emperor) must be opened, submitted to their inspection, and corrected entirely according to their taste, ere they would receive or forward it. This unheard-of and arrogant requisition was strongly objected to. “What is the cause,” they were asked, “of such behaviour? Here are four officers of whose names and rank we are equally ignorant. (For their rank they had evaded telling, when asked, and their names, though told by two of them, were not suffered to be written down.) These officers require full information, respecting the objects of our mission, and refuse to forward our official letters. In no other country, we have been to, is an envoy thus treated.” With the deputies, however, nothing that could be said was of any use. They acted apparently on specific and peremptory orders, and evinced a total disregard for every thing but a complete concession to all their demands. On the present occasion they refused to write an answer to what was said to them. Through the interpreter they repeated the same language they had before so often used, respecting their own and the minister’s anxiety to conclude the business of the mission satisfactorily; the necessity of conforming to the customs and etiquette of the country, and the obstinacy of the envoy, &c. “Were a letter,” they were asked, “sent to you, would a copy be first shown to your servants?” “No,” they replied, “but the case is not parallel. Your envoy is like one standing at the door of a house.” “Admitting that, suppose me coming to the door of your house, on business with you, should I have to inform your servants what my business was before I could enter?”