The Mirrour — Concord, N.H., 1794-07-14 00:00:00, page 1

Mr. Hammond's Letter.•
; continued.
' 0 T N &ertihg to the privateers ille
° A. gassy fitted Qqtat C.harleftoii, and
allowed to depart" from that port under
the express p^rmiffion of the Governour
of Southcarolina, I surely cannot have
r been considered ag^uting that aggres
sion to the General GoveriMpent. But
h whe^i Lbrd DoTchefabad^ to the
► condu& of American citizens " towards
to the fea/lthis tt^^mturaily occur
& ed to me, as indicative of the exigence of
an hostile disposition _tQ the powers com
If bined against Francein the chief magis
trate Arid in individuals of the state of S.
Carolina ; and I trust you are yourfelf
convinced from 'evidence whidh ( have
recently submitted to you that that dispo
sition continues to exist tinirityired. 'Ho'#
far Mr. Jefferfon's fetter of'tb, gth June
appeared fatisfadory tome, you will col
left from my memorial of ffid7th of the
1 fametaonth in anfwerto it,which (in con
formity to your example) I subjoin to this
letter. ^ From tbit memorial it is evident;
Ithat though I tendered foftife to the af
' & furuncles of the General Government F
merited as matters bf notoriety the differ
ent >fads of the illegal equipment of the
privateers in question, arid expressly arid
'unequivocally asserted, as a circumstance
equally notorious, that " they were fuf
'* sered to pad's the fort near Charleftori, un
der a written permission from the Gover
notirpf&ttffieafflina? ' I have never
yet learnt however that dh^ inquiry has
been instituted ifitb Mie condu& of that
officer from any quarter whatsoever.
;3d. From the fame paper it is also evi
dent that I have merer atquiefced in the
Ipropriety' of'the determination of this
Government not to restore yeffels capture
: ed previous, to the : §th of june—it well
X for thereafons WhicfrFhase there stated
as becarife I have never perfealy compre
hended the principles' which could legal
ize the prizes antecedently to that period,
b and invalidate those which were made fab-
I fequenfly to it. The lift of those prizes
annexed to the memorial will evince that
(whatever may have beeen" conceived by
some") their value was not inconfidera
tfle. But even if their amount had been
w less considerable, the question In a nation
al point of view could not have been ef
feded by that circemftance.
4th. I derive great fatisfa&ion from
your assurance that " the ,Secretary of
war has undertaken 'to ascertain the pre-
I" cife state of the privateers Le Petit Demo
crat, and La Carmagnole," since from the
1 latest accounts I have received from New-
I''y°*, I am inclinedt&>tytehend that
[: ,they both continue there driffipletely arm
led/ have numerous crewlp^n board, and
4 are in every refped in a condition imme
^ diately to proceed to sea. It is indeed ^
matter of some surprise .that,hey should
have so long remained in that port, but- it
is not less singular that you should regard
£> my letter of the zzd tilt, as " bringing
' the firft notice of the omission of their
having beer/difmantied ;” for if you re
fer to a letter from me to your predecessor.
of the 27th of December 1,93,. you ^U!
<find the following expressions. - bo^
" The danger to be apprehended from
these last mentioned vessels" (privateers
illegally fitted out in the ports bf the Unit
ed States,) " still continues to exist to a
very alarming degrees Since notwith
* standing the repeated affluences I have
received from the Federal Government bf
its dmrmination4& exclude those priva
teers from any fatore asylum in its ports
and the fihcerity of its desire to inforee
, this determination, I have feafoh fidlrifet
!thatpirv other quarters rtres/ns havb been
I fucetfifutty devised either to alludtedts fe
) ilenteot to render sbgatdr,te fujutic
% t@d This inferrerice arifesdrom the in
■ formation I have rcceived-that the'ffil-
A vatter^Le Citoy^n Genet fitted out at
■ ChaFffin, wffOT the #ftofAueuft last
■ pebmuled to terurnlo the port of Phila
BY,#. RUSSELL. ? :
^~ yv CTCT^^^% v „&•
delphia, for the second time ; to remain
th^re some days, and then to proceed to
sea for the purpose of commencing new
depredations, which, as it appeals from
the publick prints, she is now profecutiog
in the adjacent seas ; that Le Petit Demo
crat and La Carmagnole, both fitted out
in the Delaware, were permitted to enter
the port bf Newyork, and to continue
therein unmolested during a great part of
the months of August, September and
October last—that the latter vessel is still
in that port—and that the former, having
failed from thence in company with the
French fleet; under the command of Ad
miral Surcey, and having separated from
it #t sea, proceeded firft to Boston, and af
terwards returned for. a 2d tim,^ to New
york, wherein file at present remains.
" I have thought it my duty to ftati
these last mentioned particulars in the
mannersri which they have been commu
nicated in me ;but if my information has
been erroneous; it will afford me the sin
cerest pitafu re to have my errour correct
,th o ,.As yoff haye not controverted the
Ypropriety of my alluding tyffie permission
of this govefriment to the commanders of
the French armed Ihips to dispose of their
I prizes by sale in the ports of the United
b States, but have admitted that "your
treaty with France, has been so interpret
ed as not to,conternplate a freedom to
fell," and that writers on the law of na
. tions entertain different feritiments upon
;the fubje&, it is necessary for me to make
;only one remark—-th^t as by the treaty
^ll^@nce,3priz„, ma^q by vessels be
longing to the greatest part tf.the powers
,combined against her are excluded from
)admiffion into the American ports, the
Operation of the permission to fe|| that was
granted by the government, has been par-
Itiaf, and has , been, solely beneficial to
France. #
6th. In my assertion that the vessels of
, France, had been permitted to depart
from Hampton Roads, rietwithftanding
; the imppfition arid continuance ofthe em
:bargo, £ certainly didmot mean to infinu
rate that they weret allowed tofail under
an express permission from the govern
ment ; but it is a fad of universal notorif
ety.that the whole of the convoy under
the rear Admiral Vanftabel, amounting
to about one hundred and fifty fix vessels
(including fliips of war and merchant
: fliips) did fail from Hampton Roads on
the 7th of April, although the impofi'ion
of the embargo had been known there
:for more than a fortnight antecedently to
that date, and had been rigidly enforced
: with refpe& to all other merchant Ihips
whatsoever: And I really cannot perceive
I any very material diftindion between an
implied permiffibn to those particular
French vessels to depart from Hampton
I Roads, and a negled of employing any
: coercive means of preventing them from
I departing. But imuft farther remark,
; that not only these French vessels Were
• not so prevented, but also—that on the
• seventh of April rear Admiral Vanftabel,
: issued an order to Mr. John Cooper, (an
L American citizen) forcibly to take posses
sion pf the American brfg Venus, which
i was laden with flour on account of the
; French government, hnd which was de
. taihed in Norfolk harbdur,in consequence
ibfthe'fembargo=ri^^'Conformity to
this order, Mr. Cooper forcibly took pof
!feffion of thebrig Venus, and On the Bth
'of April delivered her to rear Admiral
Vanftabel—and that Mr. Wilson, lieut.
;colonel commandant of Norfolk county,
I tohefeduty if was to prevent any inffac
'HOToftbe law,j)rerioufy-(on the sth of
April) gave his official fandion to the'
propriety of this veffel,'(Tl)e Venus) pro
ceeding to join the French fleet, potwith
'Landing the provffibtis of the embargo
The whole of this tranfadion is contained
in the indofedCopies; from authenticat
'ed documents in my possession, of the let
ters of Rear Admiral Vanftabel, Mr.
MONDAY, July 14, 1794.
Cooper and Mr. Wilson. At the very
moment when these measures pf partiality
and favour were pursued at Norfolk tow
ards the French flhips, the most fcrupu,
lous caution was, as I before stated, em
ployed to prevent any other vessels from
contravening the embargo. Qae or two
which had attempted to fail immediately
after the receipt of the intelligence of its
being imposed were brought back and de
tained during its continuance ; and a
small schooner named the Berry belonging
to or being under the direction of Mr
Hamilton,his Majesty's consul at Norfolk,
was on the sth of April: forcibly seized
iand stripped of her fails, by orders of a
General Matthews, under pretende, that
the was preparing to eludethe embargo,
although Mr. Hamilton,had assured Gen,
!Matthews that it was not his intention to
:allow the vessel to depart untilits expira
tion £ al;hough no master was appointee
, nor any seamen engaged for her, nor hac
(he any provisions or warter on board.
From this minute statement of the trans
adions in the only port to which I allud
,ed. I conceive myfelf fully juftified in
;having adverted to the cogduft ffhich
;has been observed by this government, or
. the officers ading under its authority
I towards the powers combined against
. France, in the enforcement of the embar
bg °'. s
pych. With refyeato the uniformly un
friendly treatment which British officers
ihave experienced in the ports of the Unit
: ed Stares, I had, exclusively of those in
i stances, on which I have addressed fpeci
. fie complaints to you, several cases of a fi
s miliar nature in my contemplation,which
lit is needless for me at present to numer
: at© Theyare however all of them imputable
s solely to the unauthorized aggressions anc
. insults of individuals, and not so any man.
, ner to any ill difpofitionin the government
itfelt. In fag, in no instance whatfoevei
f have anyßritilh officers been implicated in
t any kind of immediate original difeuffion
. with the government,except in the case ol
' the passports, which I Solicited in behalf
. of certain British officers; who were prif
. Oners of war—anxious on every confide
. ration to return to their native country ;
, and which was refufed. . 1'
rßth. I considered the insult offered at
; Newport to his Majesty's sloop of war
; Nautilus, to nave been unparalleled, firice
tthe measures pursued there were diredly
t contrary to the principles, which in all
i civilized states regelate cases of this na
: trite ; 'for if on ihe arrival of a ffiip of
Iwarinan European port, information be
I given that that ship of wat has on board
;fubjeds of the sovereign of that po(t, qp
^ plication is made to the officer command
-ling her, who himfeif crindrids theinvefti
r gation, and if he discovers that any fotti
Ifubjeds be on board of his vessel, heist
/ mediately releafes' them, but if he be not
/ fatisfied that there be any such, his decide
, ratibn to that effect, mbii^fd of honour,
^is univerfall, credited. But the Legifla
rtyre arid Judges of the State of Rhode
, island, refufed to accept the assurances of
ithe Commander of the Naritilus, or to al
low him to originated prosecute the en-
Iquiry himfelf, and forcibly detained him
: and his Lieutenant prisoners, by virtue of
the aft of alterably, "un|il^'me lefftl was
:fetched, and the American, or pretended
►American feamen,tyeeiifya
certainly not; indined tb dilute the m^r
i it whßh ttie.ffi@W of RhOTfetfhtid
iascribes to himfelf for limiting the fop
plies granted W'ffiri'N^Yffl^^
, amount as was m&fy necessary fa caff,
her to her destined port —though Ihilslirri
•itatidh in the fti,t}lktidrt,Mf"ofe 'tfem
' with France, is confined Wfritat^
ly; and does not extend to roytirp^ni-'
tional fliips of wke' : Rbf fauffWW/nd
that those indi,id@ls 'of ffib legislative or
Ijudiciary departments of Rhodeifland,who
were concerned in this tranfaaibri, toft
dufted themselves neither withroodera
tion, with detency; nor with that raffed
which was due to the commander of a
vessel belonging to a sovereign with whom
their country was at peace.
9th. Having in the proceeding part of
this letter vindicated Lord Dorchester
from the accusation ofhis having '"en
deavoured to stir up the Indians against
the United States," it is needless for me
to enlarge ripon that topic. In regard to
the expedition of Governour Simcoe, as I
have really no accurate knowledge ofthe
precise ntuation; in which jt is asserted
thit officer has erected or intends to ere&
, a fort, so I must defife to decline all fur-
I ther difeuffion upon this fubje&, until I
illiall receive such information from Gov
r erpour Simcoe or from tfe Gov. General
, of his Majesty's possessions in Northamer
. ica, as will enable me to enter into corred
; and definite explanations of the # measures
they may have pursued in this refped.
Brit from the distinguished ch^rader and
reputation of boitithofe officers, I enter
tain no doybt that, whatever those meas
. ur^s may 'Save been, they will appear to
. have been adopted on a sense of their ex
pediency, and to have been profecutedon
)juft and equitable principles.
I have the honour to be, with great fe
fpe&, Sir, your most obedient, humble
1 servant, GEO. HAMMOND.'
•===•==
(ebrt) On boardtWTiye,-W 71b
of April 1794.
Mr. Cooper,
I HAVE repeatedly sent to the Captain and
owners ofthe Snow Venus, now lying in Nor
folk, to proceed to Hampton Reads, being char
tered by T. H. Le Compte and Richard Ger
l non, agents for the French Republic^, who
' have Dipped in her 1900 barrels of flour for
account of the Republich, a s appears by Cap+.
- Mtonnefs receipts. But to this moment I
" have not feet thefaid Snow, and am informed
fa does not intend to join „ convoy — Ithen r,.
' queftyou. Sir, to order her and fee her under
way, and should fa not obey four orders, I're
° queflyou to force her to proceed, being my duty
?to take all French property under toy convoy.
*Your friend. - , VANSTABEL.
Joh n Cooper, Esq. Commander
of the ship Vanftabel at Norfolk.
' .The above is a true copy of Gen. Vanftabel's
' order: to me, and in conjequence of which I take
poffeffio, of the Snow Venus, in order to deliver
t her to Gen. Vanftabel, tiro on board the Tigre
r in Hampton Roads. ^Signed)
f JOHN COOPER.
' ZJohn Cooper Commander of the foty.
I Vanftabel, lying in the port of Norfolk, and
Portsmouth, do hereby certify that I have taken
'pjfffi on 0 f 'be Snow Venus, commanded by
: Alexander M'Connell, laden with 1900 bar-
I rels of flour on freight for the French Republic;
agreeable to Gen. Variftabel's orders to proceed
- to join his convoy ; and to proceed to France,
• a febt of the General's orders previously Being
\ ralon to Capt. McConnell by me.
,(Signed) JOHN COOPER.
I .April Sth, 1794.
Ship Tigre, April sth, 1794.
Gen, Vanftabel tells me ybu are under bis
- convoy, roti have therefore a right to ceme
F down and join thefleet. I am. Sir, yous most
- obedient servant, W;IVSLStiN. : ^ !
Capt. M'ConnELL/Brig Venus.
. ==='^
f ;Philadelphia, June to; 1794.
j"SIRr ''• '
I rfS ldid not receive your letter dated she id "
I cureent until late in the afternoon of the Qh,,l
.yods incapacitated By that tircurnftahce from
I 'rtymngyeu ananfever onanearlierdegthari':
■ Sakfatyletf. But your fair hd^irig beeri
I prtria,lvmtutetj boptfrcm tbe Present 's
'fefeftialit, and 'candour, that be will be
! .yh^faTodirefi totrtf^ be ,uM&d.°
'2%@efa bmurfy%%ltb g '"
fyew lfchobedterit »Atabtej#vairt.^'™^
to HAMMONDS " a
;^4% Serrtefr) ofl@. ^fps^^
ife^n&ifcfe
^BEFORE IWth for »fr^^
far fe ~&dfaiy&rfya, &'
fli ► ^Continued to the last pagej
Vol. It=Num. 90.