Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. I.djvu/248

 202 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS would have spoken so severely if all the despatches from Paris had reached the United States in due order. The residence of Monroe in France was a period of anxious responsibility, during which he did not succeed in recovering the confidence of the authorities at home. When Pickering succeeded Randolph in the de partment of state, Monroe was informed that he was superseded by the appointment of Charles C. Pinckney. The letter of recall was dated August 22, 1796. On his return he published a pamphlet of 500 pages, entitled &quot;A View of the Conduct of the Executive&quot; (Philadelphia, 1797), in which he print ed his instructions, correspondence with the French and United States governments, speeches, and let ters received from American residents in Paris. This publication made a great stir. Washington, who had then retired from public life, appears to have remained quiet under the provocation, but he wrote upon his copy of the &quot;View&quot; animadver sions that have since been published. Party feeling, already excited, became fiercer when Monroe s book appeared, and personalities that have now lost their force were freely uttered on both sides. Under these circumstances Monroe became the hero of the Anti-Federalists, and was at once elected governor of Virginia. He held the office from 1799 till 1802. The most noteworthy occurrence during his admin istration was the suppression of a servile insurrec-