United States, May 5, 1796.
Sir:
I have received from you the address and resolutions of the inhabitants of the town of Newbern,1 passed at their meeting on the 19th of April, noticing the call of the House of Representatives for the papers relating to the negociation of the treaty with Great-Britain, and my answer to that call.
A sacred regard to the constitution, and to the best interests of the United States as involved in its preservation, having governed my conduct on that occasion, the consciousness thereof would at all times have furnished me with strong ground of satisfaction: but it gives me real pleasure to find that conduct approved by my fellow-citizens; and the kind and affectionate terms in which the approbation of the inhabitants of Newbern has been conveyed to me, are peculiarly grateful, and demand my cordial acknowledgments. These I beg you to express to them,
with my sincere thanks for their earnest wishes for my welfare. 2
1 North Carolina.
2 The draft is in the writing of Timothy Pickering. The date line is in the writing of Washington.