Russel & Davis' Republican gazetteer — Concord, N.H., 1797-03-14 00:00:00, page 1

ss ~”'^T.mr I ■-■■•■,,vr-st.-^
LETTER to Mr. PINKNEY.
(Continued.]
ON the 29th of June, 1795, Mr -
Adet had an interview with the
Secretary of State : He observed that
be brought wi h him the commercial
decrees which Mr Genet had former
ly propounded to our government,
and was inftruded to negotiate a trea-j
ty of commerce upon their basis, He;
asked whether he bad any documents ;
to communicate. He replied that hel
would fend them that day. He said he
had totommunicare some inquietudesl
receding the late treaty between the
United States and Greatbritain. He
N observed that it was understood, that
the United States had disabled them
selves from entering into a new com
mercial treaty upon a liberal scale
With France. The secretary answer
ed that he had determined before he
dame, to aft the permission of the
,resident to communicate to him a
copy of the treaty ; & then he might
fay in what .art he supposed that any
impropriety with refpe& to France
existed. The Prefi lent having after
wards assented, the Secretary on the
fame day delivered to Mr. Adet a|
printed copy of the treaty on which 1
he promised to communicate his re-|
marks.
These remarks, dated June 50, &;
the Secretary's answer, dated July 6,
refuting the objections they contain
ed, I have already noticed. The sub
sequent proceedings will show either
that those objedions did not make
any strong impreffi>ns on Mr Adet's
mind, or that the Secretary's answer
had removed them.
On the 30th June, 1795, Mr. Adet
communicated 6 a part of his instruc
tions relative to a new commercial
treat, & a new consular convention to
be entered into between France and
the United States." The instructions
imported that he was only to ' prepare
with the American government the
means and arrangements" of these
treaties, and then to communicate
them to the commicteeofPublic Safe
ty. The object ofthe new treaty was
declared to be "To found the com
mercial relations of the two Repub
lics upon stipulations more reciprocally
advantageous and more clearly word-/
ed than that of 1,78, and the objed
ofthe consular convention to fecute
the execution of the Commercial
treaty."
The Secretary of State answered
on the Ift of July, expreffingthe rea
diness of the government to open the
proposed negotiation ; and requested 1
a communication of the dates of rhe
decrees to which Mr. Adet's iaftruc
tion referred.
On the Sth of Jaly, 1-95, Mr. A
det replied to the Secretary of State
* c That he neither knew nor possess
ed any other decree relative to the
new negotiation to be opened be
tween France and the United States
than that of the * §th of February,
1793, communicated to us by citizen
Genet." This letter of the Sth was
received the 12th, accompanied by a
note of the latter date apologizing for
the delay on account of sickness. On
the 12th the Secretary of State had
written to him, pressing him on the
fobjeft of the new negotiation.
On the 16thof July, 1795, the Se °
3 Mr. Adet bas face corr&d this date,|
the decree intended being dated Feb. 19,1
'793' "" " already pulbfadwith the I
Slat#papers of thA„a~, page If
RUSSEL & DAVIS's
REPUBLICAN GAZETTEER.
]__„_—_==——— -—-—== —=-=—-^^ -— == ^—;•=--==-- __—=_
no. 17.] CONCORD, [newh.] TUESDAY, March 14, 1797. (vol. 1.
* cretary of State again wrote to Mr.
Adet; and after informing him that
as be was not clothed with any very
formal authority upon this fobjed,
the President of the United States had
I thought proper to place him (the Sec
retary of State) upon the feme and
!no other footing. The Secretary pro-
Ipofed that the negotiation should be
j conducted in writing, unless when
I either thought it expedient to have
lan interview on any particular diffi-
I culty. And then arfuring Mr. Adet
(that no unnecessary procrastination
should be found in the Secretary of
State, further proposed, that Mr; A
det should state ift the parts of the
treaty which he wished to be abolish
ed ; and those par s which he wished
to be corroded ; and 3d, ay additions
which seemed to him deferable: But
expressed the readiness of the Secre
tary to adopt any other better mode
of conducing the negotiatiation, if
such occurred to Mr. Adet.
On the zoth of July, 1795, Me
Adet mentioning his sickness which
for fifteen days had obliged him to
abftrin from bufioefs, replied on the
fubjea of the negotiation in these
Iwords, " In a few days I shall have
Ithe honor of feeing you, and of tak
ling the necessary measures in order
to commence the business relative to
the digeffing of the new treaty and
new Confuhr Convention"
From this detail,it muff I conceive
be no easy talk to find any fids by
which Mr Adet's charge can be (up
ported, What h€ affeds to call " fri
volous pretexts," are substantial rea
sons; and in rasped to his own ad-~
vances to treat, the conduct of our
own government manifests an eager
ness to enter on the negotiation : cer
tainly you will difeover in it no dis
position to elude or to procrastinate.
You will be pleased to observe Sir,
that the letter from the Secretary of
State to Mr. Adet, explaining the
manner in which they should proceed
in the negotiation is dated the 16th
of July, and that Mr. Adet's answer
agreeing th ortly to mee| the Secreta
ry, in order to take the necessary mea
fores for commencing the business is
dated the 20th of July ; yet in his
note of Nov. I§th, 1796, after having
charged the government of the Unit
ed States " With eluding all advanc
es made by the Republic tor renew
ing the treaties of commerce, and ex
cusing irfelt on the- most frivolous
pretexts," after acknowledging that
the president had authorifed the sec
retary of Rate to negotiate, and that
the latter had explained the manner
of proceeding, he asks, " But at what
time? When the ratification of the
treaty concluded between lord Gren
ville and Mr. Jay no longer permited
he undersigned to purtue that nego
tiation." iam sorry fir, in this place
to call your attention to dates. The
British treaty was not ratified until
the 14th of August, 4795, that is a
bout a month after the plan of nego
tiating with Mr. Adet had been pro
posed to him by the Secretary of Sta.
and 2$ days after he had agreed to
proceed in it. And ifthat ratification
finally induced him to abandon the
idea of negotiating a new treaty be
tween France and the United States,
it did not instantly produce this de
termination. He doubtless perceived
that his own objedions to the Britilh
I treaty were obviated by the answer
I from the Secretary of State, and when
Ihe acknowledged the receipt of it, he
! had gfy& up the right of judging of
I the treaty, whether it was good or
I bad £ shall (fays he, in his letter of
I July zoth, 1795) /' transmit it (the
Secretary's answer) to the French go
vernment together with my observa
tions and the treaty. In fu^h import
ant circumftances,it is exclusively the
' province of my government to judge,
and I cannot permit myfelf to decide
'at all." And then immediately adds,
" In a few days I thall have the hon
or of feeing you, and of taking the
necessary measures in order to com-
Ithence the business relative to the di-
Wgeitiog of the new treaty and new
Jconfuiar convention" The British
treaty then did not obftru& the ne
gotiation, the principles of which
! might have been agreed on, and the
articles drawn into form to be fob-1
emitted to the refpedive governmentsl
I' —for that was all the refpedive nego
tiators were aarhorifed to do.
Will the ministers of the French
Republic never cease to reproach us
with " ingratitude"? If indeed,
" France wrought," as well as " gua
ranteed, the independence of the Unit
ed States," as Mr. Adetafferts, "at
a time when Ihe might as the price of
that very independence have granted
them left liberal conditions,"our ob
ligations are greater than we have
hitherto imagined. But it is time
that these claims to our gratitude.;
were investigated, and their extent
afeertained. We have citizens yet a
live who were aftors and wiineffes of I
the declaration of our independence,
and of the efforts to maintain it, with
their tffeds, prior to our treaty with
France. But hying no stress on our
own recollections or confefoufnef;
we will resort to the testimony of
France herfelf.
France, by her Minister the Mar
quis de Noailles, having in the de
claration of the 13th of March 1778,
which 1 have already quoted, an
nounced to the court of London the
treaty of frienrfhip and commerce she
had formed with the United States ;
and that to maintain the commerce of
his lubj^Cts with them, which was
the cl, & of that treaty, his most
Chriftiao Majesty had " taken even
tual measures in concert with the U
!nited States of Northamerica ;" that
Court publilhed a juftificative me
morial to vindicate to the world the
war flie had determined towage a-
Igainft France. In the observations of
Ithe court of France on this British
memorial, we find the following de
iciaration on the fort of France ; —I
" fWhile the ambassador of England
put the king's patience to the strong
est proofs, and while the court of
London was constantly repeating de
nials of justice to his majesty's fub
je&s, at the fame time that the Brit
§ifh officers continued todefolate there
ton the sea, an event came to pals in |
I America which essentially changed|
I the face of things in that quarter ofl
the world. This event was the de-I
feat of the army under general Bur
go, ne. The news of this unexpeded
disaster which arrived in Europe in
November 1777, astonished the Brit
ish ministers, and must have themore
sensibly affeded them, as it overthrew
the plan they bad laidfor the reduaion of
the colonies." The observations then
suggest that this great event induced,
iin the British cabinet, the idea of
!conciliation with America, and of a.
I coalition against the crown of France,
in revenge for the supposed aid ten
, Obe., 60.
, dered by her to the United States;
[and to gratify " their most dear and
Iconftant wish, that of humbling
i France." | " It was natural for the
IBritifh miniffry, unable to Jabdue her
' colonies, to seek to be reconciled to
Ithem, and toengage them to espouse
h<r resentment. They might so much
Ithe more flatter themselves that they
ifhould succeed herein as the pro-
I ceedings of France with regard to
lAmerican privateers, and specially tba
dfrki the King bad at all times manijtfi
cd to an, engagement with the Congress,
must have given disgust and diffatis
fadion to their deputies, and induce
them, notwithstanding their well
known averfioh, to seek even in En
gland, tie ffety of their country,
[ when they failed to find it inFrance."
• " The King, well informed of
the plan of the Court of London,
and of the preparations which were
the consequence of it, perceived that
no more rime was to be loft, if he
would prevent the designs of his ene
mies. His Mg ft, determined, there
fore, to take into consideration, at
length, the overtures of the Con
gress."
f " The commissioners [from the
United States] proposed to the King
a Treaty of Commerce, and an alii
;ance effenfive & defensive, by which
his rayefty should engage not only to
acknowledge limply and purely the
independence of the United States,
I but also to guarantee and defend it by
I force of arms. The king ordered an
answer to be given that he could in
deed look upon the independence of
' the United States as lifting ; but
that it did not belong to him to ac
knowledge it, because he bad not any
right to judge of it ; neither could he
gauranty it es be did not intend to enter
into a ivar jar its Support. His majesty
in consequence refufed an effenfive
alliance, and confined himfelf to the
treaty of amity and commerce. But
as it was more than probable that the
Court of London had formed a de
fgnof attacking France, his majesty
thought he ought to enter into an
alliance with the United States Even
' tual and purely deft'five. The stipula
tions contained in this second treaty
are in substance, that if France should
be attacked by the court of London,
before the cessation of hostilities be
tween that court and its colonies,
then the King and the United States
Ifhould1 fhould mutually assist each other a
gainst the common enemy ; that the
King should gauranty the independ
, ence and fovereignfy of the United
IStates and that be should not lay
down his arms till it should be ac
knowledged by Greatbritain."
I Thus it is manifeft that the United
States were to be left still • fight
their own battles unless Greatbritain
should cbeofe to increaje the number of her
enemies b, attacking France, in which
§ case it would be as truly the interest
jof France as of the United States to
make it a common caule.
1" This last treaty remained se
cret, because it was not in force at
the time of concluding it : but that
of commerce was notified ar the court
of London, March 13th, 1778." The
firft words of the notification are these
" The United States of Northameri
ca, who are in full „fffon of independ
ence,” &c. The whole paragraph hat
been already quoted. The notifies
tO6/.64.
•Obs.p. 66; few, 67.
p.6c.