The Potowmac guardian, and Berkeley advertiser. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1790-1798, 1796-12-08

proper icitl uclipns viii be gwen to aSt WITHOUT
further directions, How did the federal govern.
mens conducs iewatds the sntumn o. 81 ,De
Ensiilb irisase Terpfshbre .t6ok fhe pslss.eef -
N5nts ane into The port Of Norfolk. The French
vice conlol claimed The execution OF the treaty, OF
the foxerno. ofViseinia The governor snf~ered
is that be would have the nec<isary inveitieatlon
made, and would afterwards take the PtoPer mea
lures. The predecessor of the underhaneo then ID
terpofed with the federal Cover and the te-
cretafy IF ftste aisured him. that he wrote to tbe
poseritdr ofVirginis 10 Rave uitfre rendered. Bot
thi. uliice wat limited to inveltigations made with
fucb aownefs thai Eve month"; ater, this s&air was
not tni he'd and on the gath Feb es, the feereta-
ry OF ita1e contsnten himielf with ieud'ng 10 the
predecessor Of the under Ggned, the dispatches of
the lieutenant governor, dated 10Th oc. "a, oy
which be announces, that be ordered The command.
ant Of the militia of Norfolk to make he NECESSARY
enq6Tries Tor enabling The executive Of Virginia, 10
render 10 the republic the jultiee had right tc
expect The reiult Of iheie enquiries is not kpgwn.
However, The fact about which fhe miniiter Eau
Che, blaine 10 the ecretary of itate was noto-
rious, and painful relearches were not neeefssry TO
convince hinfelf ofit Do We not find IN this-Pro-
ceedina formal dtGre to elude the treaties, and to
favour the Engllh 49,
ed to maintain itfefin that imPartiality which i's
duties preicr,bed-ifit had wiihed freely TO exc
cute the treaties, it would not have Visited, evety
time that the Enelilh infringed Them, for The mi
hitter 10 iolicit its juliise, Should 1t mot have
given pi,rucions 10 preeife, thal the governors Of
the ita,es and nbatsrn officers Of the federal go
verrneDt might know what duties they mad 10 fui.
IT, in order TO maintain the execution Of treaties,l>
Why have The mott enefgttic orders tuch % The ie
cretary of ita.e, Randolph msn.ions) been given,
when the fupport OF the neutrality inyiolate 10 ia
YOUR OF the EngIiih, came in suction Why have
the meaiures taken by the federal government oPe
rated with 70 much lcwnels when France was in
tereted Why in 6ne have The multiplied claims Of
her miniliers never produced the redreis Of the
grievances Of which they complained.
When the predecessor Of the under Ggned mini(ter
penipoten,ary claimed tho execution Of the 'I7rh
article Of the treaty interdictng The Entity INTO the
American ports Of Engliih vessels which ihould
have made prizes upon lie French, when he cited
this Gmple and formal fiPula,iop: con the con
trary, neither fyium nor refuge bal be given in
States TO vesels which hal have made prizes Of The
French or Americans; and ihou!d they be Obliged
to enter by tenfpeft, OF danger. Of The ea, all pro
per means hall be ufed 10 make them depart
loon as possible ;" the Iseretsry 6f fts,e in order
avoid hurting the American ports sgsfnt The En-
glith, interpreted this article in their favor. But
il would be uneandid 10 CONCEAL from you the con
ltrnction which we have hitherto deemed the true
one The frlt part Of the ,f7th article relates to
French lhps of war and privateers entering our
ports with their prizes; the feeond contracts the
lituation Of the enemies of France, by forbiddipg
fueh as hall have made prizes Of the French; init
mating from This connection of the two claufes, that
the veiscls forbidden are lhofe which bring their
prizes with them. 1t has been confdered that this
lection Of he treaty was mpartiay defined TO the
Withholding Of protection luecour, TO the prizes
thenlelves had it been otherwife, It would have
been luperAuous, TO have prohibited from falling
W hat they have taken in the ports of the United
STATES.
He fsid, moreover, in his letter Of the 10Th of
Msk>'e5-" But on tht sd of Auguft, the Pr, lident
de- ID hseonitruction of THAT treaty to be, that
no lblic aimed Vessel were thereby forbidden from
ourwaters, except thoe which thould have made
prizes of the people or properly of France coming
with their prizes . But how is it possible to find
in the ilpuIations of The treaty, the enie given
Than by the government of.be United States 7 his
expression OF the treaty. which ihaH have made
prizes, general, and applies to all captured vef
iels, whether they. enter ,be ports Of the Uni'ed
States with prizes, them alone, after hav-
ing made Pr,zes 1t is evident that The govern
adds the letter Of the treaty in this circum-
itance, and is it not af,onibirg that it admits
contraction Of the treaty, Uhen it expects find
meaning diIadvsntageous TO France, and in other
inftances oppoies all contraction, when it would
he favourable the Republic. But has it the
right Of contracting rhe treaty, of changing of its
accord, the fene of cesr and preciie ftpu-
lation, without he copfenr and concurrence of the
har ,,.,A ,t.f, r. II