The New Hampshire gazette — Portsmouth [N.H.], 1798-04-18 00:00:00, page 1

From the CENTINEL.,
The Felo de Se ! !—~Na. VI.
Or, MUNROE convifted of inconfiflena
€y infidelity, and ingratitude ; from
bis own DOCUMENTS. &
My felloaw citizens !
T HE prepofierousand daring pro
position of drawing the vital
principle of this country into the cof
fers of France, by the “ inftrumen
talityy’ of a loan, was difcufled in my
last nﬁfnber. It was then fthewn, that
the proje@ was the child of either fol
ty or wickedness—that the Minilter
either intended to dupe his republi
can friends, to swindle his own coun
try for their benefit, or was himfelf
the dupe of his own prejudices.—Still
my readers might suppose that Mr.
Munroe had some authority from the
President to make this tender of our
resources, or at least that he possessed
some discretionary authority on the
fubjet. ~What then must be their
furprize, when they find this bold
measure to have been not only unau
therized but forbidden >——What opin
ion muit they then form of the pa
triotism and integrity of this fanfcu
lotte Minister, when they hear that he
was explicitly inftru&ted by President
Washington, to assure the French Re
public, that ¢ we are unable to give
her aids of men or money ?’ See Mun
roe’s intructions, page third.
In opposition to the interests of his
country, m hoftiity to the sentiments
of our yeomanry, whe value their
money too well to calt it into the vo
racious, the infatiate jaws of French
Jacobins, in viclation of our neutrali
ty, in derogation of our good faith,
for we were then in treaty with Great
Britain, and in the face of positive in
structions, Murroe preferring his pri
vate views and feelings, to these more
honorable ties, encouraged the French
Dire&ory with the hopes of obtain
ing five millions pof doilars from the
treasures of the United States. Thus
the thoughtless or d:thonet Minister,
involvedtilis country in this diftrefling
dilemma, either flatly to refule a fa
vor to France ; which she had been
gncouraged to expect, or to involve
and plunge itfelf into this desolating
war, and into the arms of that ner
vous iqueezing and affeCtionate Re
public. Dut 1 pass to another
TEXT
Mr. Munroe’s 7th letter is of the
2d Dec. 1794, and begins by infor
ming, that his propositions to the com
mittee are answered, and every thing
obtained except the execution of that part
of the treaty, which gave freedom to goods
in free [hips.—Dßut this exception as
conneéted with other considerations
more immediatcly applicable to our
selves, Mr. Munroe fays is of little
consequence, especially if the hope of
forcing it upon other nations as a law
is abandoned—He adds ¢ that it cer
tainly precludes the probability of our
being called on hereafter to fulfil any
stipulation whatever, &c.. He then
declares his belief is confirmed that
the Convention would grant the pri
vilege stipulated in the treaty, if the
fubje@ were before them ; and that
a majority of the Committee was fa
vourable to it, but avere deterred from
yielding it by a dread of being demounced
[for partiality to England—he adds also,
th? difficulty of gratifying us exclu
sively, without offending Denthark &
Sweden, at a time France depended
on them for some supplies, and hoped
for other aid.—Speaking of his con
ference when mediation and the affair
of Gardoqui were the topicks, he
fays, ¢ I was atked whether Mr. Jay
was still in London, and whether he
intended to come over to Paris as had
been published in an English paper ?”’
“He took this opportunity to repel the
fuipicion of an interference by the
‘United States between France and
her enemies. But there is no mention
in this or any precading letter of the flight
g/t discontent being intimated concerning
Mr. Fay's Treaty; or the objefis of his
miffion.—=lt was now for the firft time
Mr. Munroe voluntarily told them,
% Mr. Jay.was sent upon an especial
business only ; to demand reparation
_for injuries, and to which his authori
zﬂm firi@ly limited.” And he pre
sently apologizes to Mr. Randolph
for communicating some other parti
culars, by suggesting the neceflity that
“he thould be p ﬂ‘cﬂgd‘of every. the. mi
nutefl ckwhﬁargkﬁw to our affairs
PORTSMOUTH: (New-Havrsuire)— PusrLisuep every WEeDNESDAY MORNING BY JUHN MELCHER, PRiNTER TO THE STATE, AT Hls OFFICE CORNER OF MashEl STREET,
WHERE SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THIS PAPER, ADVERTISEMENTS, AND ARTICLES OF INTELLIGENCE ARE THANKFULLY RECEIVED. )
Vol. XLll.——A{umb 2160. |
et Bampshiee Gasette
' MEMORANDUAL
’ On the 24th Nov. 1794, the Commif-
Jary of Foreign Relations gave to Mr.
| Munroe a copy of an arrete of the 18th
| of the fame month, calculated to relieve
| our vessels, and those of other meutral
powers from the unjuff treatment to
awhich they were subjected in France, and
re-eftablifbing their rights (except as to
enemy property and contraband.) It or
' ders a liquidation of indemnities due to
. those detained at Baur\deaux, and it pro
; mises prompt juflice to the Americans
who fupplicd St. Domingo.
‘ On the 27th Dec. 1794 y the Commit
| tee wrote to Mr. Munroe that they were
-uneasy at a report of a Treaty of AL
. LIANCE «with England. Mr. Mun
| roe answered the fame day in writing,
v and gave the werds of the Treaty awhich
| declare * that it should mot be confirued
I nor operate contrary to our existing 1 rea
| pies ; adding very properly, that * there
| Jore our engagement; with other nations
! qerg not affecied by it’—d few days
after this avritten explanation, viz. 4th
’ Fan. 1795, an arrete pajfed which pro
| posed to give full operation to the articles
| of our 7greaty which bhad been violated.
COMMENTARY. 1
We have now arrived at a new and
important 2ra in the mission ‘of Mun
roe, to France, an %ra, to which
great and momentous effeéts have been
falfely ascribed by Munroe and his
partizans in this country. 1
Intelligent men have already anti
cipated, that I refer to the embafly
of Mr. Jay. No fubje@® which our
Jacobins have ever difcufled, has been
handled so much, and to so little ad- |
vantage, as this lamentable ditty ; it
is the whole burden of Munroe’s « Il
Penferofo” ballad-—upon that basis, 1
he has built his charge of perfidy a
gainst our -government, and has at- f
tempted to support his juftification of
all the plunders afid piracies of the
« Republicanss?’ ;
The letter now under discussion,
contains. the firft intimation which
our Executive ever received, of the
French jealousy of our mission to En
gland. |
The public have a right to con
clude therefore, that it is as the firflt
fympton which Mr. Munroe with all
his boasted intimacy with the Frank
‘committee, ever perceived. For he
aflures the Secretary of State, that he
deems. it necessary, that he should
communicate to the Executive “every,
the minutest circumstance relative to
our affairs upon that important thea
tre.”—Here let us ere a land mark !
It will be an ufeful beacon ! Mr. Jay
had failed for England as a special
envoy, in May preceding—He had
been negotiating fix months, and had
(thirteen days before the present let
ter was written) a&ually signed a
treaty in London. Communication
is both frequent and uniform between
Paris and London, and yet until the
2d of Dec. there is not 2 murmur on
this fubjeé, in that country of tales,
reports and idle conjelupes. .
The inference is irrefiftable—
At this period it was not the mission ;
it was not the treaty with their ene
my which -occasioned uneasiness, but
it was filply an apprehension, if we
_may believe Munroe, that Mr. Jay
had consented to be a medidtor be
tween France and her enemies—But
1 thall state more of this hereafter.
’, ~ . SCIPIO, Fuwior.
upon that important Theatre.—He ac
knowledges the receipt of Mr. Ran
dolph’s letter of 25th September, in
which some anxiety is expressed to
hear from Mr. Munroe, after the ar
rival of Mr Fauchet’s Secretary in
France. An opinion is also given by
Mr. Randolph, that our expe&ations
of comperfations, posts, &c. from the
Englifth would prove illusory. This
letter from Mr. R. was received the
day after Mr. Munroe had delivered
to the Committee his loan proje& in
writing ; and in"confequence of it he
waited on them and told them our
dilemma with England and Spain
was more critical than before intima
ted.—The Britith order of Nov. 6th,
he calls war in fa&. In a note hefays
he was for taking a strong position
with refpe&t to England, and have
profited by the fortunes of France, &c.
— OUR COUNTRY’s GOOD OUR CONSTANT AIM —
WEDNESDAY, April 18, 1798.
CONGRESS.
House or RepreSENTATIVES,
Weonespay, March 28,
MR. D. Foster, from the com
mittee of claims, made a re
port on the petition of James Swan,
who claims a jarge sum for interest,
charges and damages in a contra&
with the Secretary of the Treasury,
on a bill of exchange drawn on Paris.
The report states, that it would be
inexpedient for the legislature to inter
fere in the business. The rgport was
committed for to-morrow.
Mr. M’Dowell said, a bill from the
Senate to authorize the President of
the U. States to purchase one or more
foundries, had been referred toa com
mittee of the whole, and might be
expeted shortly to come under consi
deration. As he had not f{ufficient
information on this fubje@ to enable
him to vote understandingly upon the
bill, he withed to call upon the pro
per officer for an account of cannon
purchased since the year 1794, in or
der to-ascertain the neceflity or pro
pricty of pafling the proposed law.
He therefore proposed the following
resolution to the house :
“ Resolved, That the President of
the United States be required to cause
the proper officer to lay pefore this
house, tEI))e number of cannon which
may have been purchased for the use
of the frigates, the revenue cutters,
aud fortifications, since the firt of
Jan. 1794, with the size of the can
non, and stating what proportion of
them were calt within the United
States, at what foundries, and an ac
court of the prices paid for each
size.” , '
This resolution was agreed to, and
Meflrs. M’Dowell and W. C. Clair
borne, appointed a committee to wait
upon the President therewith.
The House again resolved itfelf in
to 3 committee of the whole ep the
State of the Union 3 when the araend
ment to the firlt of Mr. Sprigg’s pro
positions as to the inexpediency, under
exiiling circumstances, of resorting to
war against the French Rei(]:ublic,
being under consideration—which a
mendment is to strike out the words
French Republic, Meflrs. Finckney,
Dayton, Shepard and Harper spoke
in favor of the amendment, and Mr.
Giles in explanation.
. THuUrsDAY, MaRCH 29.
Mr. M’Dowell informed the house
that the committee appointed to wait
upon the President with the resolution
of yelterday refpeéting the cannon
purchased since 1794 had done so, and
the President had promised to cause
the account to be laid before the house.
The house again went into a com
mittee of the whole on the state of the
union, when Mr. Giles occupied most
of the fitting, against the amendment,
but principally in aniwer to Mr. Har
per’s speech of yelterday. ,
A few observations came from Mr.
Harper in reply, and .a few words
from Mr. Nicholas.
Fripav, Marcn 30. i
The Speaker laid before the house
a report from the Secretary of the
Treasury on thg fubje® ‘of contrads
for the subsistence of the'army, which |
was ordered to be printed. |
Mr. Otis presented a petition from
the freeholders and others of Roxbury,
in the state of Maflachufetts, stating,
that they hear with concern, that ﬁ
berty is intended to be ﬂgiven to Mer
chants to arm their veflels for felf de-.
fence, knowing that masters of vessels
confilt of a great variety of chara&ers,
that amo:éft them there are men of
violent paflious, arid that the distance
betwixt putting arms into a man’s
hands and the commeéncement of hos
tility, may be short ; they deprecate
the idea of the peace and happiness of
this country being placed on so un
certain a foundation as the pride, ca
price or puflion of the master of a
merchant veflel ; they pray, there
fore, that vessels of this description
may not be permitted to arm.—Re
ferred to the committee of the whole
on the state of the union.
~_ Mr. Allen proposed the following
-resolution, to which he hoped there
would be po objection. .
l « Resolved, Tharghe President of
‘the United States be requested to com
municate to this house, the Dispatches
from the Envoys Extraordinary of
the United States to the French Re
public, mentioned in his Meflage of
the Igth inf. or such parts thereof as
confrderations of public [afety and interefl,
in his opinion, may permit.
Mr. Livingflon moved to amend
this resolution by striking out that
part printed in italic, and by adding,
before the word * Dispatches,” In-
SHrutions ta.
After some observations had taken
place on this amendment, a motion
was made by Mr. Harper to adjourn
the farther consideration of this reso
lution till Monday (the previous and
ordinary motion of, when the house
adjourns it will adjourn till Monday,
having been pafled) which was ¢ar
ried 47 to 41. :
The order of the day being called
for, Mr. Allen hoped that would also
bepoftponed untilthe resolution which
had already been postponed, thould
be decided upon. .
This motion produced a debate
which continued till 2 o’clock, when a
motion was made and carried to ad
journ. The house adjourned to Moa
day. ' ,
- Moxpay, April 2.
Mr. Varnunt presented a petition
from the inhabitants of Milton, in
Maflachufetts, stating their alarm at
the idea of the peace of the United
States being placed in the hands of
‘men who may not be very friendly
disposed towards the interest of this
country, viz. the masters of merchant
veflels, many of whom were formerly
British fubje&s, and who, tho’ they
have been naturalized in this country,
still retain all their English prejudices
againit the French, and may exercise
them in a manner which may lead us
to war—the declaration of which they
wish to remain in the power of Con
gress : they also regret the misunder
standing which at present fubfilts be
twixt this country and France, and
trust that every means will be taken
to adjust it, without having recourse
to war, which muit wholly destroy
our commerce, and throw the weight
of supporting such a state upon the
farmers and landed intereft.—Refer
red to the committee of the whole on
the state of the union. . ’
~ Mr. Allen called up for decision
the resolution for certain papers from
the President of the United States ;
(the consideration of which was polft
poned on Friday till this day) which
having been read, Mr." A. {aid, he
Wouldg agree to the amendments pro
posed, provided the mover would al
low the fame exception to be used,
that had been proposed on a former
occasion, viz. excepting such part of the
said papers as any existing negociation
may render improper to be difelofed.
Mr. Nicholas did not think it would
be right in the present situation of
things, when we are told by the Pre- |
fident that the negociation with the |
French Republic 1s at an -end, and |
that there is no chance of an accom- |
modation taking placé’betwixt the two |
countries, to agree to any exception |
of this kind. Called upon to a& in .
this desperate ftateof things,hethought -
it would not be right for any part of
the papers which had led to it, to be '
withheld from Congress. The Prefi- |
dent having thought fit to declare that .
all negociation is at an ehds and that |
he is without hope of an accommoda- |
tion, it could not be thought proper
that the legislature should be called !
upon to a& upon less information than
that upon which the President himfelf |
had aded. He thought the constitu
tion must have intended this, when it
placed the power of declaring war in
their hands ; to suppose contrary,
would be to suppose an -absurdity.—
With refpe& to the probability of any
part of the papers interferin§ with any
cxiﬁini negociation, he could not con
ceive that possible at any rate, he
thought it of greater consequence to
a€l rightly in this caf®, than to have
reference to any improbable circum
stance of that kind. He boped the
gentleman would agree to withdraw
the exception which he had proposed,
as to retain it would defeat the call,
by making it liable to all the objec
tions which’ wéte to the foymer excep
tion. Indeed, notwithstanding he
~ withed very much for the informaticn.
_called for, he should vote against the
tefolution, if the exceptian was retain-
ed. He therefore moved to strike it
out.
Mr. Allen did not know -why the
gentleman from Virginia {hould wish
a differént form of resolution from
that proposed on a former occasions
He could fee no reason but this, He
did not believe gentlemen withed to
fee these papers before the house.—
When the resolution alluded to was
adopted two years ago, it was not
known that any negociation was on
foot 3 and though the President had
told the house two weeks ago that all
negociations were at an end, it might
not be so now. - But fuppoie there
was nothing upon which this part of
the resolution could a&, it could do
no harm. He would not, however,
give gentlemen an opportunity of vo
ting against the resolution. He would+
withdraw his amendment ; because
he believed the President would be
authorized to retain {fuch parts of the
papers as he may think it improper
to communicate ; he believed his con
stitutional power gave him the right
to do this, and that, therefore, it was
immaterial whether the resolution con
tained any exception or not.
Mr. S. Smith called for the Yeas
and Nays to convince the gentleman
of his error, with refpe& to there be
ing no desire for the papers.
Mr. Hartley wished the qualifica
tions of the resolution had not been
withdrawn. =He thought it proper.
He had also his doubts whether the
house could constitutionally call for
the inftru&tions given to our ministers.
Mr. H. moved, therefore, to amend
the resolution by re-adding the excep
tion just withdrawn.
Mr. Nicholas observed, in reply to
the gentleman from Conne&icut, that
if our situation with France is changed
since the President’s last communica
tion, it would be ground for a new
message. But the heufe could not aét
upen any thing so uncertain ; they
could aét only upon the idea of things
being now in the {ume fitnation as
;vhen the President sent his lait mes--
age.
Mr. Harper said, when the question
was brought forward on Friday, he
moved the farther consideration of i¢
until to-day. Upon refie&ting, how
ever, upon what he thought a contti
tutional question, it appeared to Lim
that no such conttitutional quefliom
was involved in the present resolutions
The present call for papers, he said,
stood upon a very different ground
from that made when the Dritith trea
ty was under consideration ; the ob
jections, of course, agamnit that call,
would not apply in the present case,
as the papers now called for were
wanted to throw light upon a fubje®
confefledly within -the constitutional
powers of the house. He therefore
held the call not only to be constitu
tional, but-expedient. Nor could he
fee any ground for the amendment ;
if the house had a constitutional right
to ask for information they had a right
to ask for the whole information, and
the President would judge how far he
could with propriety comply with the
call. But since the house did not know
that the communication of any of
these papers would be improper, the
whole ought to be called for ; and if
the President should think it proper
to retain a part, he would doubtless
give fufficient reasons to the house for
doing so. On a foxmer occasion, when
it was moved to modify the resolution
calling for papersn the way now pro
posed, the motion was rejeéted, because
it werit to alter the principle contend
ed for ; and he belicved the fame rea
son would lead to 2 rejection of the
present motion. ~lf he believed there
was any constitutional queltion in this
motion for papers, he thould vote a
gainst it : but believing the contrary
Ee should votain favour of it, not be
cause he wanted the information, as it
was fufficient for him that the Presi
dent toldsghe house that the negocia
tion was at an end, and that our min
isters were refufed an audience, to in
duce him to go into every measure of
defence proposed ; but as other gen
tlemen wished it, he hoped the refolu.
tion would be agreed to without a
mendment. bX
- “The gueﬁ‘iﬂn on the amendment
~ was negatived without g divificn. -
. The question then regg;:i;d nf‘;on
~ the resolution, in the following words 3
% Reiived, Thae che Frebdens of
the United States be requested to ccm
| municate ta the boufe, the inftrudions
Los. pr Annum,