The gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1798-1799, 1798-10-22


for puniihing Intentional defamation and lies, as
bridlng the liberty Of lpeech and Of the preis,
may with equal propriety complain againf laws
made for pusilhing aGault and murder, as re-
itraints upon the freedom OF mems ae1ions.-
Becaufe We have the right to fpeak and publilh
our opinions, il does not neceGarily follow that
we may exercile il in uttering falfe and mali
cious Handlers againR our neighbour or orr
government, any more than we may, under
cover cf freedom cf action, knock down the
hrlt man we meet, and exempt ourfelyes from
punllhment BY pleading that we are free agents.
We may indeed ule our tongues, employ our
pens, or carry our -cadgels or mufkets, when
ever We Pleafe but at the fame time we NUT
be accountable and punifhable for making flch
improper ufe Of either, as to iniure Others in
their characters, their perfons, Sr their proper
ty." We would on this fubieet only add,
that 70 tender and ragardful have Congrels
been in this infance of our rights as citizens,
as to have expressly declared in the law, that
any perfon profecuted under il may give in ev-
idence, in his defence, fbs truth Of tbe matter con
tanned in the publication, & that the jury before
whom the trial lhall be. fhall have right TO
determine the law and the fad, under The direc-
ton Of the court, as 10 Other cafes. Hence
there can be no conviction, unlefs it appears,
not molly that thsmatter written, printed or pub
lined, was JaJs, but that it was yEGadaloas and
aaalici0HS, and done eyifb zyicksd intent
Allow me once more 10 turn your attention
to France.
Yen will recollea that in the difpatches from
our ENJOYS, il appears that the perfon defg-
mated by the letter X, accompanied Mr. Gerry,
on the nth of October, TO Mr.. Talleyrand's Of
fee, were Mr.. Gerry having obferved to Mr..
Talleyrand, thar Mr.. had that morning fat-
cd to him, fome proportions as coming from
nation given him by Mr. " was iuR, and
might always Be relied on" Looking back
one page in the dispatches, we End the propoG-
tons fated that morning by Mr.. Y. to Mr..
Gerry thus recitcd, " He (Mr. Y then Rat
ed thar two meafures, q05irb mr.. TaLtyraBd pro-
PgjsS, beng adopted, a retoration Of friendlhip
between the republics would follow immediate.
ly the one was eRArUIrY Of Ely bsgiasS
fOHzd5 RsrA1g the other purchafs of thirty
two millions of the Dutch refcriptions." The
dispatches thar have been publiihed in the Uni
ted States Of America, having been republiihed
in Europe, were translated into French & other
languages, and thereby obtained general cir
culation except in France, where all the prefes
being under the abfolute controul Of the Direc-
tory, they have not allowed the diipatches to
be publiihed, but where, however; it was i'm.
pofible bur that fome copies fhould be intro-
duced and the French Directory and their
Miniaer Talleyrand, being aware how deteAa-
bic their conduit, as reprsfented in the difpatch-
Is, NUT render them in the eyes of all mankind,
wilhed to wipe away their ignominy, and ef
pecialy the reproach of CORRUPTION, in refpea
to the daHcsv or GKATuirY Of fifty thoufand
pounds Rerling demanded for their own peck
cts, by calling their agents, who informally con-
ferred with our ENJOYS, CERTAIN INTRIGUERs
as if they were Unauthorized and unknown
With this view Mr. Talleyrand affects an ut
ter ignorance Of the perious deGgnaiei in The
dfpatches by the letters w. X. Y. and z. and
in bis letter of May goth, with folemn grimace
reqaeRs Mr.. Gerry Immediately to communi-
cate to him the names for which thofe letters
hand. And Mr.. Gerry, although he knew that
Talleyrand was much better acquainted with
X. Y. and z. than he was himfelf, having
complied with this infulting requeh, Mr.. Tai
leyrand makes a formal record of their names !;
and then publifhes the correfpondence between
him and Mr.. Gerry on this fubjetf, in order
to blind the eyes of the French people, and a.
mufs the world with the idea that the French
government held in abhorance !" the lcandalous
proportion las Talleyrand calls IT'D made by
X. and Y. with refpef to the payment Of any
fun whatever, intended TO be Pocketed in a cor
rupt manner" Now the perlon deGghated by
Mr.. Y. has fince openly avowcd himfelf, and
is Mr. Bellamy, Genevan, belonging 10 a
commercial houfe, and reliding in Hamburg
MIR. Bellamy, in paper publiihed there on
the z5th of June in bis oNn vindication, declares
thar /" Be bad done netting, fdid nOfbay, e0rittea
nOtbigg, qUifboat fbe oratrf Of citizen Tally
rand"
But there is one other important fact