TO MR. RUSSELL.
Paris, November 1, 1810.
On receipt of Mr. Russell's note, Mr. Burr applied to the consul; a
copy of his reply is herewith enclosed. It cannot be material to
inquire what are the _"circumstances"_ referred to by the consul, nor
whether true or false. Mr. Burr is ignorant of any statute or
instruction which authorizes a foreign minister or agent to inquire
into any circumstances other than those which tend to establish the
fact of citizen or not. If, however, Mr. Russell should be of a
different opinion, Mr. Burr is ready to satisfy him that no
circumstances exist which can, by any construction, in the slightest
degree impair his rights as a citizen, and that the conclusions of the
consul are founded in error, either in point of fact or of inference.
Yet, conceiving that every citizen has a right to demand a certificate
or passport, Mr. Burr is constrained to renew his application to Mr.
Russell, to whom the consul has been pleased to refer the decision.
FROM MR. RUSSELL.
Paris, November 4, 1810.
Without subscribing to the opinion of Mr. M'Rae with regard to the
appeal that lays from the erroneous decisions of the consul to the
charge d'affaires, Mr. Russell has no objection to judging the case
which Mr. Burr has presented to him.
The man who evades the offended laws of his country, abandons, for the
time, the right to their protection.
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