The gazette., 1799-02-18

phiins and erroneous itatements OF the mint er
-expelc his naked aEsriions-re,ute his argn.
ments--repel his oalumnies- and completely
vindieate the fidelity, the juaice and, as neu-
trail power, the impartialiy of the government
Of the United States and, at the fame time,
exhibit The weighty and welfounded com.
plants Of the United States aganR the French
republic.
Hitherto, inaead of dcGre TO obtain a re
concila,ion, we can dilcover in the French gov
ernment only empty prot55Ton5 Of deiire to
conciliste while it haughtly refuied to receive
| our envovs, and during fix months dilregarded
their refpeeful and ardent Fluctuations to nego-
tiate And after one Of them whom it induoed
10 remain il France, had declared that g BE- bad
no bo7Ue,g to treat Eparatey, bat tbs meGaye sOaf
imb95i51e," then the Directory expelled the ot'er
| Tz0o
If now we furvey Mr.. Cerry's individual
correspondence, we ihail find no fold evidence
of any change in The dilpolition OF the French
| government.
In his Rrlt letter TO Mr.. Gerry, Mr.. Talley
rand's artifce is viGble he addretes him as
' Envey Extraordinary Of The United Sta1ssof
America, to the French Republic - & proPoies
70 him to "reEme their reciprocal communi-
cations" Mr.. Gerry, apprehended that the
miniGer intended to draw him into nego-
catcn, repeats what b. had often before
declared, that Tor him TO treat ieparately was
impradicabe and that he can only confer with
| him Informally.
On the 2oh Of A pril, Mr.. Gerry addredes
letter to The miniGer, and prehes him to come
forward with proportions for terminating all
differences, reftoring harmony, and re eltabhlh-
ing commerce between the two nations. lie
receives no anfwer. On the z8th be confers
with the mnaer, who Cays he cannot make
| procofitons, becaule he does not know the views
| of the United States in regard to treaty.
Mr. Gerry gives hm the information. He then
promfes in three or four days to deliver Mr..
Gerry the projef of treaty This Promite
was never performed. On the Izh Of May,
the new inltTu6tions Of March 2Sd, lent by the
Sophia packet reached Mr.. Gerry and he gave
immediate notice to the miniRer that be ihould
return to America in the Sophia, as iocn as ihe
could Be fitted for fed.
"On the z5th of May the miniRer fent bis
PrihciPle fecretary 70 inform Mr.. Gerry, that biJ
government did n0t 7U16 TO break tbe BrijG Treaty
but expected fuch provifons as would indemni
| fly France, and put her on footing with that
nation" \ let that treaty had been made, by
the French government, its chief pretence for
| thofe unjut and cruel depredations on Ameri-
can commerce which have brought dittrefs on
multtudes and ruin on many Of our citizens /;
and occaioned a total lols Of property to The
| United States of probably more than twenty
mil ions of dollars beiides fubjeaing our fel
low citizens 10 infnlts. Rfipes. wounds, torture
and imprisonment. And MIR. Tall:yrand, in
| bis letter of the 18th of March TO the envoys,
declared that u eaty to be " the principal griev-
ance of the republic" But now, inReld of
breaking that treaty, France deires, to be put
on the fame footing. This the United States
would at any time have done and the ENJOYS
were now EXPLICITLY inaruaed to do and le-
ven months before, all The ENJOYS, in their con.
verfltion with Mr. Bellamy (Y) the confidential
and authorized agent Of the French miniaer,
told him that he might be afured that their
powers were fuch as authorized them to place
France on equal ground with England, in any
refPeds in which an inequality might be lup
Poled to exit at prefant between them, to the
disadvantage of France"
The Secretary alfo mentioned the claims Of
the American citizens on the French republic
he iaid it the latter fhould be unable to pay
them, wher adjuRed,& the United States would
adume and pay them, France would reimburfe
the amount thereof. This has the Tendance of
candor but on the 4th of March, when the
ENJOYS were in conference with Mr.. Talleyrand,
and they dilclofed their principal inGruaions,
' General Pinckney and Mr.. Gerry told him
they were poGtively forbidden to adume the
| debt to our own citizens, even if we were to
! pay the money directly TO them" And doubt
| els It was, becaufe the PropoiiJioa was already
! known to be inadmifible that it was now renew
ed.
The Secretary and Mr.. Gerry had alto fome
unimportant converlation about the Conlular
Convention. And it is plain that the whole
Object of the Secretary's yiiir was to amule, by
keeping alive Mr.. Gerry's hopes Of lome pacific
arrangements
On The z6th Of May, Mr.. Gerry had con-
ferencewith the minilter preding on this, as on
fotmer occaGons, the neceifiiy Of fendng min
| liter to the United States, with powers to nego-