United States oracle and Portsmouth advertiser — Portsmouth, N.H., 1802-06-05 00:00:00, page 1

AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, TWENTY-SIXTH YEAR
§ Witter States
Portsmouth
Os ALL THE DISPOSITIONS AND HABITS W RICH LEAD TO POLITICAL")
porsperity, RELIGION and MORALITY are indispensable(
Isupports.l supports. WASHINGTON'S Legacy. J
I ToI.XIL] SATURDAY, JUNE 5 , 1802.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. Printed and Published every
Suitable to the present Season, compri
fin'g all such GOODS as are enumerated
in the most extensive advertisement;
which are "offered for sale at reduced
prices.
They have lately had an ad
/ditional supply of
Heniy Ladd,
SHIP-CHANDLER,
MARKET-SQUARE,
Has just received bv the Criterion,
from London.
LARGE, Middle, and Small
size Herring Nets ; 9, 12, 15, &
18 thread Filling Lines ; Chalk, Squid,
Log, Hand Lead, and deep Sea, do.
Sewing, Salmon ^Winpping Twine;
Fish Hooks, of all sizes; 5, ic, and 20
inch Red, Blue and White Bunting ;
Mahogany, Acany and Ebony frame
Quadrants, with brass & wood indexes ;
28~and 14 second time Glasses; Hour
and half hour do. Patent Shot ; Sheet
Lead. Also for Sale.
Cordage and Boltrope, of all
sizes ; Worming ; Marline; Ravens
'Duck; Russia, do. do. Sheeting ; Sheet
'Copper; Copper hand Pumps ; Nails,
of all kinds and sizes ; Black & bright
Varnish.
/ Spirits of Turpentine ; Sper
maceti Oil, of the firft quality ; a few
Bbls. Powdered Brown, do. Yellow
Ocre ; Boxes Candles ; do. Chocolate ;
cases Florence Oil, 3> Flakes each;
chests Hyfon skin Tea, of the Hazard's
cargo, at a reduced price; WhiteSpan
ifh Sugar, suitable for family use, in
bags of Cwt. Philadelphia refined Loaf
do. per cwt. St. Übes Salt, &c. &c.
Portfixoutb, May 29,
#rHE Subscriber having fold
his Rope-Walk on the ground of
Tacob Sheafe, Esq. and purchased
Major Boyd's, formerly held by Meffis.
Champneys, informs his friends he
shall carry on the business as usual. He
wHhgs to return ho grateful thanks to
that gentleman.who firft assisted him in
his bufmefs, and to those who have fa
vored him with their custom ; he assures
them that if they will continue their fa
vors/he smallest fliall be acknowledged.
He informs the Public
that his Dwelling-HOUSE is
either to fell or let.
JOHN UNDERWOOD.
WANTED at this Office
T^o Lads (from 14 to 16 years of age
as Apprentices to fc Printing bufmefs.
N.B. Thole who wish to pur
chMe for exportation or country tale flball
have ihoes on as generous terms for ca(h
or approve'd notes as can be purchased in
Portsmouth or Boston. Every attention
paid and favors acknowledged with grati-
Ilde. Portsmouth, May 22.
Joseph & Joshua Haven
Have just received a valuable assortment of
Among which are black, white & figur
ed ; some with roundtoes.
Children's Shoesand Boots,Boot-
Legs, &c.— Also a variety of Excellent
TRUNKS.
of a superior manufaaure, and formed in
the newMf tafibon.
Agreat variety, and veg handsome affirt
ment o) Ladies' Ebglrfh & American
KID SHOES ;
Ladies' & Gentlemen's Morocco & Leather
Real American made Blacksßrown
Q.¥-b+ -fc*--b+*+fy
^ REMOVED. *
Q —0 — 4
They likewise inform them that
they have just received
A freJh Afetment of
Rob'tM'Cleary&co.
Inform the Ladies & Gentlemen
of Portsmouth and its vicinity, [hat
they have removed a few doors taft
of their former stand to the store
adjoining the Gazette Printing
Office, Con/refs-fbeet.
Potjm utls, May I§, 1802
SHOES.
—ALSO—
Beaver Hats,
Merchandize,
The monies, sbich have been advanc
ed to the several Secretaries of State,
have been remitted by them principal
ly to ministers, consuls and other agents
abroad, whose acounts are not yet ren
dered, (although many of them are of
an old date) and the committee cannot
fay how, or in what manner, the money
has been expended.
The advances necessary for defraying
the expences of the military and naval
establishment, were formerly made in
part to individuals, who have account
ed diredly with that department : But
since the law of the 16th of July 1798,
the whole of the monies have been paid
to the treasurer as agent, for these two
departments, and have been fubjed to
the drafts of the refpe&ive secretaries.
The letter of the secretary of the trea
sury, under date of the 9th of [April,
accompanied by sundry abftrads
(marked from A 1, to A 9, inclusive)
together with the statements of the two
accountants (marked E ei,e 2,03 and
F refpedively) herewith reported, ex
hibit the amount advanced, fettled and
remaining unaccounted for, in each
department. From these ft appears,
that from the ift day of January 1797,
to the end of the year 1801, the ad
vances made by the treasury on ac
count of the war department, have a
mounted (exclusively of a sum in the
hands of the treasurer) to dollars
9,846,963 29 cents.
Os which there have been
paid to individuals who
have accounted with,or are
accountable to the treasury,
a sum of 1,390,231 22
And there have been paid
by virtue of the warrants
or the secretary of war, or
to individuals accountable
to the war department the
sum of 8,45 6 ^^s 7
Making an aggregate e
qual to the above sum of 9,846,963 29
To which is to be addeda
balance remaining unac
counted for,on the books of
the accountant, on ift of
January, 1797, 1,756,39! 36
Making the whole a sum
chargeable to the war de
partment, from the year
1797 to 1801, of 10,213,116 46
Os which the accountant has fettled
and rendered to the treasury, accounts
to the amount of 6,335,922 dollars
and 93 cents ; leaving a balance of
3,877,192 dollars and 50 cents unac
counted for or not yet fettled.
The monies advanced to
the navy deparment, from
its establishment in 1798,
to the 31st March 1801,
exclusively of the sum paid
by thetreafury to individu
als, amount to 9,981,313 73
Os which sum accounts
have been fettled by the ac
countant, and rendered to
the amount of 5,810,661 91
Leaving an unaccounted
foror unsettled balance 064,170,651 75
Dollars, 9,981,313 73
These sums differ in amount, nomi
nally, from those contained in the state
ment annexed to the letter of the secre
tary of the Treasury, of the 2d of
March, but the difference is explained,
and the actual amount proved to be the
fame in the letter and statements of the
9th of April.
The statements of the accountants,
although they exhibit balances appar
ently unaccounted for, to a large a
mount will, likewise shew that accounts
have been rendered for a considerable
portion, which are in a train e tle
ment but not finally closed
( Concluded from last Oracle.)
ALTHO' the committee will not
fay there are no cases in which a
public officer would be juftified in ap
plying monies appropriated to one ob
jed, to expenditures on another, yet
they are of opinion that in every devia
tion, the necessity for the application
ought to be for some obvious benefit to
the U. States, and in every such case, a
disclosure thereof to Congress ought to
be made, at the next session which should
immediately thereafter ensue.
Os the Committee of Investigation.
Ministerial Persecution !
REPORT !
Jv&!§^
The late hour at which the volumni
ous documents accompanying this re
port were received by the committee
(upon the 9th of April) and the la
bour necessary to investigate such a
mass of accounts, and of advances un
accounted for particularly in tie war
and navy departmen:; embracing an
expenditure of 20 millions of dollars,
have rendered it impossible for the
committee confidently with their at
tention to their other duties to form an
opinion as to the manner in which the
sum has been expended—But from the
partial view which they have takenfthey
beg leave to present some fads & prin
ciples which they believe to be worthy
of the notice of Congress.
There are two previous requisites
which are necessary to juftify the ex
penditure of public money, and with
out which no legal expenditure can be
made. First, that the expenditure for
theobjed to which it is applied should
be authorifed by law ; and secondly,
that an appropriation,fhould have been
made to cover the authorifed expence.
In the war and navy departments, this
rule does not appear to have been ftrift
ly adhered to in all cases; but for the
reasons above assigned, the committee
have been unable to afeertain, how far
it has been departed from. The most
prominent instances which have yet
presented themselves, are herewith stat
ed :
By an aft palled on the twenty-fifth
day of February, in the year 1799, au
thority was given to the President of
the United States, to cause to be built
fix ships of war, to be armed with, and
to carry not less than 74 guns each,
and to build or purchase fix sloops of
war to be armed with 18 guns each,
In part of the necessary expenditures
for there objects, a fam not exceeding
one million of dollars was appropriated
b, the fame law And by another aft
paired on the fame day, it was declared
that two docks should be erected in
suitable places, under the direction of
the president of the United States, for
the convenience of repairing the public
ffiips, and the sum of 50,000 dollars
was appropriated for that purpose, and
by another ad passed on the fame day
the sum of 200,000 dollars was appro
priated to be laid out in the purchase
of growing or other timber, or of lands
on which timber is growing suitable
for the navy, and to cause the proper
measures to be taken to have the fame
preferred for the future uses of the navy.
Under this authority only, the then sec
retary of the navy expended the sum
of 135, 846 dollars 92 cents in the pur
chase of fix navy yards, at Portsmouth,
Charleston, (Mas.) New-York, Phila
delphia, Gofport, (Vir.) and the city
of Wafliington. For this expenditure
the committee conceive that no authori
ty was given by law, nor any appro
priation made except for the two docks
above mentioned, as the sum of one
million of dollars was appropriated by
the ad of 1799 for building or pur
chasing the Ships only, and the sum of
200,000 dollars for the purchase of
timber—As public Ships of war had
been before built under a similar au
thority for the use of the United States,
at private yards, and as congress did,
at the fame time that they authorifed
the building or purchasing the Ships,
provide for the erection of two docks on
ly, the committee are of opinion, that
four of the navy yards were purchased
without authority, and the money mis
applied which was paid for them.
[See the independent and conclufae reply
of Mr. Stoddert, to this—Readers mill
duly estimate the merits of the Report, by
the candor they havefpoken of the Navy ap
propriations.]
In the war department there like
wise appears to have been a tranfadion
equally unauthorifed. In the year
a pile of buildings was commenced un
der the direction of the then secreta
ry of war, on the banks of the Skuylkill
near the city of Philadelphia, which
have since been carried on in a man
ner highly expensive. These buildings
have been called a Laboratory, and al
though yet in an unfinished State, have
already cost the United States 152,608
dollars and 5 cents,which sum has been
paid out of the appropriations hereto
fore'made for the quarter maker's de
partment. The committee are of o
pinion that this expenditure of money
could not be juftified at any time, but
more particularly at a moment when
the United States were borrowing mo
ney ac a high rate of interest to meet
objects which the legislature considered
as necessary, and had fanfttoned the law.
The committee beg leave likewise to
refer to an important principle former
ly fettled by the executive, and actual
ly praftifed upon in the war depart
ment, in relation to the expenditure ®f
public money, which they deem im
proper in a government like ours,where
taxes cannot be imposed but by public
consent, and where monies arising from
those taxes cannot be disbursed but up
on the authority of a law previously
passed by the representatives of the na
tion. By an aft passed on the 9th of
February in the year 1793, the prefix
dent is directed to cause the monies
drawn from the treasury, for the pur
pose of intercourse with foreign nations
to be fettled by causing the fame to be
accounted for fpecifically in all cases
wherein the expenditure thereof may,
in bis judgment, be made public ; and
by making a certificate or certificates,
or causing thefecretary of state to make
a certificate of the amount of such ex
penditure, as he may think it advifea
ble not to fpecify; and such certificates
are to be taken as fufficient vouchers
for the sums expressed to have been ex
pended. The policy of this law the
committee do not intend to question,
but it is clear that it extends only to
cases of compensation for what are u
sually termed “secret services" that
may be rendered to the United States
in their intercourse with foreign nations.
The fedion above recited has been en
grafted into two laws passed in the re
fpeftive years of 1798 and 1800, but
in every law on the fubje&, it has been
confined to foreign intercourse, and in
the act of 1800 is further limited to the
contingent expences only of foreign in
tercourse. It has not, therefore, been
without considerable surprise that the
committe have feeri the fame principle
applied to the expenditures of the war
department.
In the Inftrudtions given by, the
secretary of. war to the accountant of
the war department, in his letter of
the 28th of December 1797, here
with reported and marked L, a
rule is positively laid down, that expen
ditures for the secret services rendered
in relation to the duties of the war de
partment, are to be admitted. And
on the. 20th day of December, in the
year 1799, the secretary of the treasu
ry made a report on thi. fubjed to the
President of the United States (subjoin
ed and marked M) in which the prin
ple is again recognized as applicable to
the departments of date, war and na
vy. On the subsequent day the presi
dent accordingly fignedtwo certificates
as vouchers for monies said to have
been expended in relation to the duties
of the war department, which certifi
cates are annexed to this report, and
are marked N. and O. The commit
tee entertain no doubt as to the illegali
ty of this measure, as it is authorifed
by no law whatsoever, and they had
flattered themselves that the federal
government required no services of any
nature which ought to be concealed
from the officers of the treafury,or from
the legislature. They confider these
fads as coming properly under the
head of expenditures, not authorifed
by law.
Two other cases of exceptionable ex
penditure in the war department, have
been fufficiently examined to warrant
a report upon them. The firft relates
to the appointment conferred by the
late President on Uriah Tracy, Esq.
in the summer of the year 1800, while
he was a member of the Senate of the
United States : The second relates to a
payment made, from the contingent
fund of the war department to Mrs.
Ariana French of Georgetown, in the
month of July, 1800: neither of these
are very extensive in amount, but both
deemed important for the precedents
they may hereafter furnifh.
It appears, from a document here
with exhibited and marked P, that Mr.
Tracy was appointed “ to visit and ex
amine into the actual (late of the gar
risons, Indian trading houses, fa&oiies,
&c. in the N. W. territory, on the Mif
fitippi, and on the frontiers of Tennes
see and Georgia," and that Mr. Tracy
received for this service the sum of one
thousand nine hundred and cighty-five
Saturday, Morning, by WILLIA>rTR;EADWELL, & C?
PRICE r DOLLAR 50 CENTS Per Annum. [Nb. 36
f ^ADVERTISEMENTS reasonable if? conspicuously inserted —COMMlT:
INICATIONS duly attended to—and every FAVOR THANKFULLY
I ACKNOWLEDGED.;
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, FOURTEENTH YEAR.
®M^CC&, anti
Advertiser.
The committee cannot forbear to
remark, that Mr. Tracy's acceptance
of this appointment has the appearance
at least of incbnfiftency with that part
of the constitution which provides that
“no person holding an office under
the United States shall be a member of
either house of Congress." Mr. Tra
cy was, at the time of receiving the ap
pointment, during the whole of its con
tinuance, and has ever since been a
member of the Senate of the United
States,and from an infpedicq of the pay
role of the Senate the committee find
that for the last seventeen days of the
five months of his service, under the a
bove appointment, he not only has ex
pences borne by the public to a confi
d'erable amount, and received likewise 8
dollars per day,but that he at the fame
time received, as a member of the Sen
ate, fix dolls, per day for travelling from
Litchfield, in Connecticut, to the feat
of Government; a distance ofg^mile^'
twenty miles being allowed for travel
ling one day.
James M'Henry, Esq. former Secre-'
tary of War, resigned that office, it is
believed, in the month of May, 1800,-
and the document marked R.. hereto
annexed, ihews that in the month of,
April preceding, Mrs. Ariana ,French
leafed a house to him for one year, to
commence from the ift of June follow-^
ing ; thatz award was made between
the parties, by which it was declared,
that Mr. M'Henry should pay to Mrs.
French two hundred and eight dollars
and ninety five cents, for damages fuf.
tained by her, by reason of his not oc
cupying her house agreeably to the
contrast, and that in conformity to the
opinions of the Secretary of the Treasu
ry and the Secretary of the Navy, and
by the direction of the Secretary of
war, this sum was paid to Mes. French
out of the sum for defraying the contin
gent expences of the War Department.
Upon the whole the committee are
of opinion that considerable sums of the
public money have been greatly mis
applied, and that much expence has
been incurred without any legal au
thority ; but for the reasons before as
signed, it has been impossible for them
to make a complete investigation. Nor
do they believe that an investigation
entirely fatisfadory can be made unless
the House think proper to appoint a
committee for this purpose to fit dur
ing the recess, with directions to make
a report to the next session of Congress.
The committee deem it their duty
to observe, that appropriations for the
contingencies of the War and Navy
departments are at all times liable to
abuses, not only from the very large
firms usually appropriated therefor,but
also, from the impracticability of fpeci
fying by law, the precise objects to
which such sums are applicable ; and
the committee are of opinion, that giv
ing publicity to the accounts of the ex-•
penditures of monies appropriated for
contingencies, would have the most di
rect tendency to correct the latitude < f
conftruCtion formerly exercised in that
refpeC tby the heads of those depart
ments, to promote economy in, and at
tach a proper degree of confidence to
the future proceedings of those Depart
ments. And the committee can difeern
no possible inconvenience in a disclosure
of that nature, since they believe, that
there is no necessity nor propriety for
applying the principle of secret service
money to either of those Department ';
and at least, it ought to be so consider
ed, until it should be otherwise deter
mined by law.
The committee are, therefore, of 0-
pinion, that a clause to this effect, ought
to be inserted in the bill already repor
ted by them, TefpeClmg the accounta
bility of public officers.
For other arrangements which ap.
pear to be necessary ''to promote econ
omy, enforce adhere#, to lcgi&iv{
dollars and five cents ; seven hundred
and fifty-three dollars and five cents
being for travelling and other inciden
tal expences, and twelve hundred and
thirty-two dollars for his compensation
from the 16th of fline to the 16th of
Nov. in the year iboo, at 8 dollars per
day. From the account exhibited by
Mr. Tracy for his expences, it will be
seen that during these 5 months he vis.
ited Pittfburg, Prefque Isle, Niagara,
Detroit and Michilimackinak, but did
not fulfil the other objeds .of his mis
sion.