Note 12 — Chapter XXI

I suppose that Robert Merry here refers to John Jay, one of the greatest and best men who ever lived; for about this period he dwelt in the town of Bedford, and was such a person as is described. He had filled many important offices; had been a member of congress, governor of New York, ambassador to Spain and England, and chief justice of the United States. At the period of Merry’s journey from Salem to New York, he had retired to private life, devoting himself to religious and philosophical inquiries. In 1798, he negotiated a famous treaty with England, which was the subject of much discussion. There is a simple anecdote which shows the excitement on this subject, and exhibits Governor Jay in a pleasing light. One day being at market, the butcher said to him, “There is a great pother about this treaty of yours, governor; pray what sort of a treaty is it?” “Well, my friend,” said Mr. Jay, “there is some good and some bad in it; but, on the whole, I think it a pretty good treaty: it is much like your beef—there’s a streak of fat and a streak of lean—but it’s very good beef after all.”