The American herald of liberty — Exeter, N.H., 1794-04-29 00:00:00, page 1

/ American Herald of Liberty.
2. If any of your merchants
have fuffered any injury by the
condud of our privateers, ( a thing
which would be contrary to the
intention, and express orders of
the Republic) they may, with con
fidence, address themselves to the
French government, which will
never refufe justice to those whose
claims (hall be legal.
I feel a pleasure in thinking
and faying to you, that it is not
the fault of the French, if commer
cial property, even of enemy na
tions, has not been refpeded a
midst the horrors of war*
This proportion of natural
right, was made by one of our
legifiati ve aflemblies, to the British,
who rejeded it.
adly. It is imputed to two of
cur ships of war, that they have
committed enormities on your vef
fcls. Should the fad be proved,
the Captains of those two veffeis,
are as culpable towards France,
the United States,
AS you are about to lay before
the President a ftatemcnt of
the claims relative to the vexations
and spoliations which your com
merce has experienced, you will
doubtlcfs receive with pleasure
some eclaircifements on the com
plaints, well or ill founded, which
have been brought against priva
teers and two (hips of war, of the
French Republic. You will not
observe with less pleasure in my
reply, that the National Conven
tion has already done justice to
some of the demands of the mer
chants of the United States, and
are now occupied in farisfying
some others.
In all the lift of complaints a
gainst the republic of France, the
complainants urge,that the French
privateers do not less harrafs your
commerce, than those of the En
glish.
To this aflertion I answer, by
two observations, which 1 submit
to your impartiality.
I. It is now some time fincea
ny more privateers have failed out
of the ports of France, and the
number of those which have been
armed in our i(lands, is not to be
compared with those pirates which
the islands of Bermuda alone fend
forth.
THE following was communica
ted by the President of the Uni
ted States.
Philadelphia the 7th Germinal, id
year of the French Republic, one
and indivisible.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
APRIL 4, 1794-
[Volume VIII.
H: FAUCHRT,MinifIer Pleni
potentiary of the Republic, to Mr.
Randolph, Secretary of State of
CongrefTional Ephemeris.
EXETER (New-Hampshire) Printed and Published by Stearns and Winslow, in Main-Street, at (fZ per annum.
TRANSLATION.
as they are towards the United
States, for having aAed in a man
ner contrary to the inftruAions
they have received : The govern
ment, upon information of the
crime, will most certainly punilh
the authors of it. It would be un
just to accuse a nation generally,
for the ad of some individuals,
when that nation disavows their
conduA, and repairs the wrong
which they have committed.
3d. CertanTaAs of oppression
in the Courts of Admiralty are
complained of.
7 he oppressive aAs of the Ad
miralty Courts, need nojonger be
complained of,fince on the claims
of merchants of the United States,
the Convention, on the Bth No
vember last, pafled a decree giv
ing to the Executive Council, the
power of judging of the validity
or invalidity of prizes. It is as
follows:
The National Convention having heard
the report of tht CommHiec of public
fafety, decrees, that all difputea arising or
which may arise on the validity or inva
lidity of prizes made by privateers, (hall
be decided byway of administration, by
the Provifory Executive Council. The de
cree of the 14th February (O. S.) attribut
ing the judgment of these matters to the
Commercial Tribunals is repealed.
Cm agreeable to the original,
JH : FAUCHET,
The 4th allegation would re
quire a long difeuffion, which I
(hall not undertake here. I shall
only indulge mylelf in this single
refleAion, that the horrible system
of violating the law of nations, in
order to starve a people who can
not be conquered by force of arms,
has not been invented by France,
and that it would be as unjust as
barbarous to reqire that she should
allow provisions to pass to her en
emies, while thole destined for her
are taken by them.
As to the embargo on American
veflels, imperious circumstances,
the salvation of the country, have
imposed that measure, but the in
terests of no one will be injured,
and to convince you of this I re
cite an extraA of a letter which I
have just received from citizen
Tallien, Representative of the
people, at Bourdeaux.
It is poflible, he writes me,
“That some malevolent persons
may make use of this pretext (the
embargo) to disturb the harmony
existing between the Americans
and us, or might represent this
measure as a violation of treaties
between the two nations, the in
interefts of individuals may for a
moment cause the general interest
to difappean It is then to you
brave Republican, and the true
friendofyour country,that we must
consign the care of defending it
to Congress (should the measure
happen there to be cakiminated.)
Say to our brethren that it is the
intention of the committeeof pub
lic fafety, the ^Aual centre of the
TUESDAY, April 29, 1794.
French government, to indemnify
all the owners or Captains, who
by the operation of the embargo
have been obliged to remain a
length of time in France, and the
propofitiona which soon will be
made to them in the name of the
committee will be advantageous
to both nations. In shore my
friend use every means of a frank
Republican negociator, to con
vince our brethren the Americans,
that when occupied corcerning the
aggregate interests of the nation,
we do not forget theirs and they
may be allured that they will al
ways find in us faithful observers
of the treaties made with nations
worthy of liberty.”
The sth and last allegation is
that a contraA the payment of
which having been stipulated in
ca(h has been made in aflignats :
I am unacquainted with the iaA,
but I am assured, that it is the
intention of the National Conven
tion not to permit any injustice,
and to repair such as shall have
been committed.
1 conclude my refleAions, not
doubting. Sir, but that they will
be received with the fame interest
as would be excited in France by
the obfervafions of our allies, to
whom I always with new pleasure
renew the assurance of the most
perf eA fraternity and eternalfriend
fhip on the part of the people of
France. JH: FAUCHET.
Faithfully translated from the
original, 29th March 1794, by,
George Taylor jun.
PHILADELPHIA, APRIL 3.
SIR,
You do me no more than jus
tice, in believing that I receive
with pleasure the explanations
which your letter of the 29th ul
timo contains —They inspire me
with full ccnfidence, that my rep
refentationson each complaint wili
be treated with candor; and assure
me of redress, as far as truth, wili
support my demands.
On my part permit me here to
repeat, what 1 have expressed in
my letter on the vexations of our
commerce, that my inquiry into
the faAs did not go beyond the al
legations of the parties interested
My view was to present a sum
mary only of the fubjeAs of the
remonstrances lodged in my office;
reserving the proofs for our inter
views pn the adjuftmencs of the
claims of retribution, delivering
no opinion how far the charges
were supported by evidence, and
above all, not . imputing to the
Frencbtßepublic the unauthorifed
mifconduA of its (hips of war. 1
have the honour. Sir, to be with
great refpeA and esteem, your
most obedient servant,
EDMUND RANDOLPH.
The Minifler Plenipotentiiry, 3
*of the French Republic. J
BY Capt. Harden, ip 12 days
from Sr. Thomas, we are in
formed that the Englilh privateers
have ceased cap? American
veflels, in tonirquence ut some
late inftruAions.
The new inftruAions to the
British armed veflels, which were
issued on the 9th of Jan. seem to
be generally understood as a paci
fic measure, and from reports by
several late arrivals from the
Weft-Indies, there fee ms ro be
grounds for believing that inftrac
tions still more favourable had
been received ; or, that the ochers
had produced a mode of proceed
ing, materially different from that
which had been so injuriously ex
ercited with regard to the veflels
of the United States.
These are favourable indica
tious to those who wi(h for the
continuance of peace.
Captain Crawturd, arrived at
Providence, from Alexandria, the
2d. inst. in lac long* 22, was
brought to by a French fleet con
sisting of nine ihips of war, and
two brigs, bound for Cheirpeake
bay.
Yeflerday arrived at Salem,
Capt. Peters from Antigua, He
failed from Gaudaluupe bound to
Salem with molalfes, sugar, and
cocoa, was taken by a privacter
and carried into Antigua. He
was examined with refprdt to his
papers—on assuring Che Judge of
the property being American, and
after being detained 48 hours, was
difmifled ; as was allo a Philadel
phia brig at the fame time, with
a valuable cargo of coffee and sug
ar—she was from Gaudaloupe^
captured, sent into Antigua, tried,
and released, in consequence of
the arrival at that moment of the
revocation of the Infl ructions of
the 6th November. The Judge
at Antigua had received a letter
from Admiral Jervis, but did not
pretend to make the use that feme
Judges at the other Iflandshad, or
would make of it.
Some outward veflcl, were tak
en and carried into Antigua; if
they had contraband articles on
board, they were condemned ; the
rest of the vessels were released,
and were said to be gone to Gau
daloupe to trade.
APRIL IQ.
THIS Day completes Nineteen Years fin co
the Aemrican Revolution fir ft commenced its
a&ivt operation : Since when, the United
States have experienced a seven years ardu
ous and txpenfive War.: Obtained the ob*
je3 of her druggie, Peace nnd Independence :
Felt the inconveniences and dfirefies of cn
inefiicient confederation ’.-—Formed, ratified,
and organized a Confutation of Government,
the pride and boast of Americans, and the
admiration of the world: and enjoyed a fisc
years Jericso] agricultural, mansfa&ural.
• *
American Intelligence.
NEW-YORK, APRIL 7.
BOSTON, APRIL 18.
[Number 43^