Republican ledger, and Portsmouth price current — Portsmouth, N.H., 1803-05-10 00:00:00, page 2

If any ship or veflel appertaining to any
of the citizens or fubje&s of any powers
composing this Association shall be seized,
searched, visited or interrupted, by any Bel-
Jegerant nation, or be forcibly prevented en
tering the port of her destination, or be sei
zed, searched, visited or interrupted in coin
ing out of such port, or be forcibly prevent
ed from proceeding to any new destination,
or be infuhed or visited by any agent from
on board any vessel of any Bellegerent pow
er, the Government or Executive power of
the nation to which the ship or veflel so sei
zed, searched, visited or interrupted belongs,
Ihall on evidence of the fa&, make public
Definition of the rights of neutral nations.
the right of nations, such as are exerci
sed by them in their intercourse with each
other in time of peace, are, and of right
ought to be, the rights of neutral nations at
all times ; because,
First, those rights not having been aban
doned by them, remain with them.
Secondly, because those rights cannot be
come forfeited, or void, in consequence of
war breaking out between two or more other
nations.
A war of nation against nation being ex
cl lively the aCt or the nations that make the
war, and not the act of the neutral nations,
cannot, whether confide; cd in itfelf, or in is
consequences, destroy or diminith the rights
ct the nations remaining in peace.
The fliips and vessels of nations that rest
neuter and at peace with the world during a
war between other nations, have a light to
navigate freely on the seas as they navigated
before that war broke out, and to proceed to
and enter, the port or ports, of any of the
Beilegerant Powers, with the content of that
power, without being seized, searched, visi
ted, or any ways interrupted by the nation
or nations with which that nation is at war.
Fur the confervaiion of the aforefaid rights
we, the undesigned powers, engaging to
each other our sacred faith and honor de
clare,
That if any Belligerant Power shall seize,
search, visit or any ways interrupt any ship
or vessel belonging to the citizens or fubjeCts
of any powers composing this association,
then, each, and all, of the said undesigned
powers will cease to import, and will not
permit to be imported into the ports or do
minions of any of the said undersigned pow
ers, in any Grip or veiled whatever, anv goods
wares, or merchandize, produced or uqu
fa&ured in, or exported from, the dominions
of the power so offending against the Associ
ation hereby eftablithed and proclaimed.
That all the ports appertaining to anv
and all the powers computing this association
flail be Ihut against the flag of the offending
nation.
That no remittance or payment in money,
merchandize, or bills of exchange, shall be
made by any of the Citizens, or Subjects, of
any of the powers competing this Aflocia
tion, to the citizens or fubjefts, of the of
fending nation, for the term of one year, or
until reparation be made. The reparation
to be timesthe amount of the damage
sustained.
Article the fixtb.
As soon as the late emperor Paul of Rus
sia abandoned his coalition with England and
became a neutral power, this cribs of time
and also of circumstance, was then arriving
and I employed it in arranging a plan for
the protection of tire commerce of neutral
nations during war, that might in its opera
tion and cnnfequences, relieve the commerce
of America. The plan, with the pieces
accompaning it confided of about forty pa
ges. The citizen Bonneville, with whom
I lived in Purls, translated it into French.
Mr. Skipwith the American Consul Joel
Barlow, and myfelf, had the trauiLdon
printed and dillribmed as a present to the
Foreign Ministers of all the neutral nations
then resident in Paris. This was in the
fu+nmer 18 >o.
It was entitled Maritime compact,
(in French Pufle maritime.) The plan ex
cluflve of the pieces that accompanied it,con
fided of the following preamablc and arti
cles.
Being an unarmed association of na
tions for the protection J the rights and com
tierce of nations that Jhall be neutral in time of
war.
Whereas the vexations and injuries to which
the rights and commerce of neutral nations
have been, and continue, to be exposed dur
ing the time of maritime war, render it nc
ceffary to eiltblilh a law of nations for the
purpose of putting an end so such vexations
end injuries, and to guarantee to the neutral
nations the cxercife of their just rights.
We therefore, the undersigned powers
form ourfclves into an association and eftab-
Jilh the following compact as a law of na
tions on the fcas.
MARITIME COMPACT.
Article the second.
Article the Fourth.
Article the Fifth.
Article the third.
Article the firfl.
proclamation bf the fame and fend a copy
thereof to the government or Executive, of
each of the powers composing this aflocia
tion, who shall publish the fame in all the
extent of his dominions together with a de
claration that at the expiration of days
after the publication, the penal articles of
this association shall bp put in execution a
gainst the offending nation.
Article the Jeventb.
If reparation be not made within the space
of one year, the said proclamation shall be
renewed for one year more and so on.
Article the eighth.
The association chufes for it felf a Flag to
be carried at the mall head conjointly with
the national Flag of each nation composing
this Affiliation.
The Flag of the Association shall be com
posed of the fame colors as compose the rain
bow, and arranged in the fame order as they
appear in that Phenomenon.
And whereas it may happen that one or
more of the nations composing this associa
tion may be, at the time of forming it, en
gaged in War or become so in future, in
that case, the ships and Vessels of such nation
shall carry the Flag of 'he association bound
round the malt to denote that the nation to
which She belongs is a member of the Asso
ciation and refpe&or of its Laws.
N B. This diftirj&ion in the manner of
carrying the Flag is merely for the purpose
that neutral Vettels having the Flag at the
mail head may be known at the firfl fight.
And whereas it is contrary to the moral
principles of neutrality and peace that any
neutral nation Should furnifh to the Bellige
rent Powers, or any of them, the means of
carrying on war against each other. We
therefore, the Powers compriling this Af
lociation Declare that we will, each one for
itfelf, prohibit in our dominions the expor
tation or transportation of military Stores,
comprehending Gun-powder, Cannon and
cannon-ball, fire arms of all kinds, and all
kinds of Iren and Reel weapons used in war
Excluding therefrom all kinds of utensils and
instruments used in civil or domestic life, and
every other article that cannot, in its imme
diate date, be employed in war.
Having thus declared the moral motives of
the foregoing article, WE declare also the
civil and political intention thereof, to wit :
'I hat as Belligerent nations have no right
to visit or search. any ship or vaffel belonging
'o a nation at Peace and under protection of
tile laws and government thereof, and as all
inch visit or search is an insult to the nation
mwhich fuel: ihip or vessel belongs, and to
the government of the fame, WE, therefore,
thepowers composing this association, will
take the right of prohibition on ourselves to
whom it properly belongs, and by whom
only it can be legally exercised, and not per
mit foreign nations, in a Rate of war, to
usurp the right of Legislating by proclam
ation for any of the citizens or fubje&s of
the powers composing this association.
It is therefore, in order takeaway all pre
tence of search or visit, which by being offen
five, might become a new cause ot war,
that we will provide laws and publish them
by proclamation, each in bis own dominion,
to prohibit the supplying, or earring to, the
Belligerent powers, or either of them, the
military Hores or articles before mentioned,
annexing thereto a penalty to be levied or in
nided upon any person within our several
dominions transgressing the fame, and we
invite all persons, as well of the Belligerent
nations, as of our own, or any other to give
information of any knowledge they may have
of any tran fegreflion against the said law that
the offenders may be prosecuted.
By this conduct we restore the word
(contra and ban) to its true and original
lignifications, which means against any law,
edict or proclamation, and none but the
government of a nation can exercise, the
right of making laws, edicts or proclama
tions tor the conduct of its citizens or fub
jeCts.
Now, WE, the undersigned powers de
clare the atorefaid articles to be a law of
nations at all times, or until a Congress of
Nations shall meet to form some law more
effectual.
And we do recommend that immediately
on the breaking out of war between any
two or more nations, that Deputies be
appointed by all neutral nations whether
members of this Association or not, to meet
in Congress in some central place, to take
cognizance of any violations of the rights of
neutral nations.
Signed, &c.
For the purpose of giving operation to the
aforefaid plan of an unarmed association, the
following paragraph was subjoined.
It may be judged proper for the order of
business that the association nations have a
President for a term of years, and the
Presidency to pass by rotation to each of the
other parties composing the association.
In that case, and for the fake of regular
ity, the firft President to be the executive
power of the molt northerly nation composing
Article the ninth.
Article the tenth.
the association, and his deputy or miniftcr at
the Congress to be President of the Congress
—and the next molt northerly to be Vice
President, who shall succeed to the Presiden
cy, and so on. The line determining the
Geographical fitutation of each, to be the
latitude of the Capital of each nation.
If this method be adopted, it will be pro
per that the firlt President be nominally
conflicted in order to give rotation to the rest.
In that case the following article might be
added to the foregoing, viz. The conltitu
tion of the association nominates the
Emperor Paul, to be firft PreJident of the
association of nations for neutral commerce
and securing the freedom of fcas.
The foregoing plan, as I have before
mentioned was presented to the ministers of
all neutral nations then in Faris, in the Sum
mer 1800. Six copies were given to the
Ruffian general Springporten ; and a Ruf
fian gentleman who was going to 11terf
burgh took two, expressly for the purpose
of putting them into the hands of Paul. 1
frnt the original manufcript,in my own hand
writing, to Mr. Jefferfon, and also wrote
him four letters, dated the ill, 4th, 6th, and
16th Oaobcr, 1800, giving him an account
of what was then going on in Europe, ref
pedting neutral commerce.
0
The case was, that in order to compel the
English government to acknowledge the
rights of neutral commerce, and that free
ships make free goods, the emperor Paul, in
the month of September, follow ing the pub
lication of the plan, fhnt all the ports of
Russia against England.—Sweden and Den
mark did the fame by their ports and Den
mark fhwt up Hamburgh. Pruffa Shut up
the Elbe and theWefer. The ports of Spain,
Portugal and Naples were ihut up, and in
general all the ports of Italy except Venice,
which the emperor of Germany held, and
had it not been for the untimely death of Paul
a law J nations founded on the authority of
nations, for eftablilhing the rights of neutral
commerce and the freedom of the seas would
have been proclaimed, and the government
of England muff have contented to that law,
or the nation mull have loft its commerce:
And the consequence to America would
have been that such a law would in a great
mealure, if not entirely have rcleafed her
from the injuries of Jay's Treaty.
Os all these matters I informed Mr. Jef
ferfun. This was before he was President,
and the letter he wrote me after he was pre
sident was in answer to those I had written
to him, and the manufeript copy of the plan
I had sent him. Here follows the letter.
Washington, Diarch 18, 1801.
DEAR SIR,
Your letters of Od. ift, 4th, 6th and 16th,
came duly to hand, and the papers which
they covered were according to your per
mission published in the newspapers and in
a pamphlet, and under your own name.*
These papers contain precisely our princi
ples, and I hope they will be generally re
cognized here. Determined as we are to
avoid, if possible, waiting the energies of
our people in war and dettrudion, we shall
avoid implicating ourselves with the powers
of Europe, even in support of principles
which we mean to pursue. They have so
many other interests different from ours that
we must avoid being entangled in them.
We believe we can enforce those principles
as to ourselves by peacable means, now that
we are likely to have our public councils
detached from foreign views. The return
of our citizens from the phrenzy into which
they had been wrought, partly by ill con
duct in France, partly by artifices pradifed
upon them is almost entire, and will, 1 be
lieve, become quite so. But these details,
too minute and long for a letter, will be
developed by Mr. Dawfun, the bearer ot
this, a member of the late congress, to
whom I refer you for them. He goes in
the Maryland Hoop of war, which will wait
a few days at Havre to receive his letters to
be written on his arrival at Paris. You
exprefled a with to get a pallage in a public
vessel. Mr. Dawson is charged with orders
to the captain of the Maryland to receive and
accommodate you back if you can be ready
to depart at such a Ihort warning. Robert|
R. Livingston is appointed Mtnifier Plenipo- |
tentiary to the republic of France, but will 1
not leave this, 'till we receive the ratification
of the convention by Mr. Dawson. lam
in lopes you will find us returned generally
to sentiments worthy of former times. In
these it will be your glory to have Readily la
boured and with as much effect as any man
living. That you may long live to continue
your ufeful labors, and to reap the reward in
the thankfulness of nations is my sincere
prayer. Accept atlurances of my eiteem and
affectionate attachment.
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
This, Citizens of the United States is the
letter about which the leaders and tools of
the federal faction, without knowing its con-
* The plan with the balers accompanying it,
were published by S. A. Smith, of the Federal
LONDON, MARCH 17.
The following report, relative to an em
bargo having taken place in the ports of
France, is from the Courier of the 19th of
March.
" Three o'clock, p. M —We hme just
heard a rumour, which is in circulation in
the City—lt is,that an Embargo has been
laid upon our ships in the French ports.
march 18 — Accounts tr°m the Hague
Rare, that the French expedition to Louisiana
will fail before the end of March.
march 19. — Bonaparte is Rated to have
addrctied Lord Whitworth thus : " If you
will have WAR, my Lord, you shall have
fifteen years of it."
Government, we have been informed
this morning, expert to receive a definitive
answer from Bonaparte to night. Their
ultimatum was dispatched on Tuefday lali,
and as we underßand, an immediate reply is
demanded. They are in expectation for
dispatches to-night or to-morrow morn
ing, that will decide the question of peace or
war.
Should war be declared, Government of
course will not let a French ship come out of
any ot the French ports.
march 2o. —On the arrival of the couri
er, announcing to Bonaparte the King's mef
fdge to Parliament, the consul immediately
sent fcr General Duroque (distinguished
by his fuccefsful embassy to the Pruffiao
court), and after an audience, which coufu
med the grater part of the night, Duroque
was dispatched on a second minion to Berlin ;
and it is understood that Bonaparte waits the
result of this meafuie, previous to the defin
itive reply to the remonftranccs of our Ca
binet.
Bordentown ; on the Delaware, l
-New Jer/ey, April 21, 1802. (
tents or the occauon of writing it, have waft
ed so many malignant falfehoods. It is a
tetter, which on account of its wife economy
and peacible principles, and its forbearance
to reproach, will be read by every good man
and every good citizen with pleafurc ; and
the faaion, mortified at its appearance will
have to regret they forced it into publication.
Ihe lead atonement they can now offer is
to make the letter as they have made their
own infamy, and learn to lie no mere.
The fame injustice they (hewed to Mr.
Jefferfon they ihewed to me. I had em
ployed myfelf in Europe, and at my own
expence, in forming and promoting a plan,
that would, in its op^atiun, have lenefitted
the commerce of America., and the faction
here invented arid circulated an account in
the papers they employ, that I had given a
plan to the French tor burning all the towns
on the coast from Savannah to Baltimore.
Were I to prcfecuic them tor this (& I do nrt
promise that I will not, for the liberty of the
press is not the liberty of lying) there is not a
federal Judge, not even one of midnight ap
pointment, but mull, from the nature of the
case, be obliged to condemn them. The
faction, however, cannot complain they have
been restrained in any thing. They have
had their full Swing of 1, ing uncontradidted ;
they have availed tbendeb.e; unopposed, of
all the arts Hypocrisy ecnid devise ; and the
event has been what in ail such cases it ever
will, and ought to be, the rain of them-
Jelves.
I he characters of the late and of the pres—
ent Administration are now fufliciently mark
ed. and the adherents of each keep up the
distinction. The former Administration
rendered itfelf notorious by outrage, coxco
mical rarade, lalfe alarms, a continued in
crease of taxes, and an unceasing clamor for
war ; and as every vice has a virtue opposed
toil, the present Administration moves in
the direct contrary line. The question,
therefore, at elections is not, properly, a
quellion upon persons, but upon principles.
Those who are for peace, moderate taxe c ,
and mild government, will vote for the ad
ministration that conducts itfelf by those
principles, in whatever hands the administra
tion may be.
There arein the United States, and par
ticularly in the middle Rates, several religi
ous feds whole leading moral principle is
peace. It is therefore impoffiblc that such
persons, confidently with the dictates ot that
principle can vote for war. When moral
principles, rather than persons, are candi
dates for power, to vote is to perform a
moral duty, and nut to vote is to ncgled a
duty.
That persons who we^e hunting after
places, offices, and contracts, should be ad
vocates fur war, taxes and extravagance, is
not to be wondered at ; but that so large a
portion of the people who had nothing to
depend upon but their industry, and no other
public profpeC tbut that of paying taxes,
and bearing the burden R.ould be advocates
for the fame measures, is a thought It R'nefs
not easily accounted for. But reason is recov
ering her empire, and the tog of delusion is
clearing awaj.
THOMAS PAINE.
Foreign.