Jefferson must have known that Mazzei would probably publish this letter. Writing at Paris, in 1788, of Mazzei's appointment by the French King as "intelligencer," Jefferson said: "The danger is that he will overact his part." (Jefferson to Madison, July 31, 1788; Works: Ford, v, 425.)
The Republicans frankly defended the Mazzei letter; both its facts and "predictions" were correct, said the Aurora, which found scarcely "a line in it which does not contain something to admire for elegance of expression, striking fact, and profound and accurate penetration." (Aurora, May 26, 1800.)
[1262] Marshall to Hamilton, January 1, 1801; Works: Hamilton, vi, 501-03.
[1263] Following is a list of the annual salaries of different officers:—
| President | $25,000 |
| Vice-President | 5,000 |
| Chief Justice | 4,000 |
| Associate Justices | 3,500 |
| Attorney-General | 1,500 |
| Secretary of the Treasury | 3,500 |
| Secretary of State | 3,500 |
| Secretary of War | 3,000 |
(Annals, 1st Cong., 1st Sess., Appendix, 2233-38.)
[1264] At the very beginning of the movement in his favor, Burr refused to encourage it. "Every man who knows me ought to know that I disclaim all competition. Be assured that the Federalist party can entertain no wish for such a change.... My friends would dishonor my views and insult my feelings by a suspicion that I would submit to be instrumental in counteracting the wishes and expectations of the United States. And I now constitute you my proxy to declare these sentiments if the occasion shall require." (Burr to Smith, Dec. 16, 1800; Washington Federalist, Dec. 31, 1800.)
[1265] Pickering to King, Jan. 5, 1801; King, iii, 366.
[1266] See Aurora, Jan. 21, 1801.
[1267] "Lucius," of Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Washington Federalist, Jan. 21, 25, and Feb. 6, 1801.