The gazette., 1799-02-18

leFfaAl f. not tue. 1liNOugn tEC NS[4SC ~
its f-r1a5 Is general, and applicable to al the ncu-
trail power, yet in its apcr0hOn, II eOas No: De
Egaed 10 BE-, and bas Hor beea p sRbied-it has
net touched a vcfel Of Prullia. The motives to
this exemption are Obvious France wiihed noi
BY irritating Pruilia to add 70 powerful a nation,
and one fo near at hand, TO the number Of her
erenies, while her peace with Audria rtmained
precarious. But this exemption of Prufian
vedtls from the operation Of a general LacU, mer-
its particular notice. Ii demonarates thar there
exits in the French republic a d.l3@yfrg P970sr
"a bogyer Q55Ve fbe iaev5--a b97rer 1Ubicb cqn
byevent ksir execution and it is alike demonRra-
bic that this forereign controuling power can
exit. and in faa does exit, in The Executive
Direto'y. 1t might then if the Directory DE-
fired il, be cxerCiiedin the exemption OF ArltTi
can as we'll as PrnETan veHels: But The tiTec-
tory 90 not d.fre il; We have not yet been
fuficiently "heeced' and "chaRiled."
Mr.. Skipwith's letter If The +th O Augua il
cloied The Decree of the Executive Dire6cry
already noticed, pahed The 3It of July, relPea-
ing French depreda'ions in the WeR ndies and
cn the coat of the United Stotes. His lester
Of The 8th Of Augut inclofed Mr.. TalleyFand's
letter TO him OF the 9th, re'pe6ting that decree
in which it is plain that the MInfter fuPPof-S
the world, and particularly The United States,
will be amufed by that -illulory device, and IN
aginc that it was inteRdea to flop abules, and
give fecurity 10 neutral commerce.
Mr.. Skipwiths letter Of the zld AuguR GOV
erng another letter rom Mr.. Talleyrand, dated
the zoth of Augue, in which he enclofes copi-s
Of two letters from the miniher of marine ref
pe6ng American feamen who had been i'm
prifoned. When il July laR an embargo va
laid on the American merchant vehcis in the
ports of France, the agents of the Marine took
out their crews and threw them into Prton
thus h&zardng the lofs # the veiiels and njuring
The men by confinement and the bad Prsvliions
Of their iails. Theie feamen were ordered 70 Be
releafsd. The other letter from the ulinGer
Of mariae required that no injury n9uld be
done % the fatety and liberty of the officers and
crews oF American veels fund 70 be III erdtr, nor
to pafengers and oheT citizens OF the United
States having Pa6ports and projections.
The fame letter from Mr.. Skipwih incloftd
the copy OF decree of the Directory pafed the
10Th Of AugnR, for taking off the embargo,
laid month before on American vetels.
The decrc &c iaef occupies but two lints but
its preamble is extended for the purpoGe Of in
fultng the goverHmsnt Of the United States, when
al act Of common iuitcc was done to lome OF
their citizegs by nfinu ting that the g9vnnmcht
was abandoned to the palIions Of the Britilh
Cabinet" This, however, is bat the repetition
Of a calumny familiar in French diplomacy,
-elpecng other nations as well as our own
Barras, Plefi emf Of the Directory, in his vale
dieory addrefs to Mr. M nroe, declared that
" France would not abaCe herfelf by Calculating
the conitquences Of the condelcention Of tie
American government to the fu2gellions of her
formsr tyrants": pr1f5iling at the f:me time
great " elteem for the American fteb.e." Mr..
Adet had before charged the q Rerican qeverg-
ment, with {" Parfdi9pt condefcention to tie
Enghih - and after making his laf communi-
cations to the government, be by their immediate
publication under his orders, abbea!eE from the
gousrImeat 10 the fe:pie of the United States.
Yet Mr.. Talleyraud l4ys, that the French gov
ernmen; has i1deed " complained Of the Anne
rican covenant, but TO The government njtT :"
meaning to have It underlooj, though caTefrlly
avoiding the e1prefIion, that it had complained
to thc govsrH1fHi alaaf. With the Ike f)rhnry
lie attempts to evade our we'll founded alcga-
tions, \ t the French government has made
rePloacLful and injurious diai09ions between
the govsrnmeat and people Of the United States,
endeayorinE 10 fbarate the latter from the for
mer. lie fiys cit Is utterly fa55E, noiwthfand-
ing the tpbbc and private inlinua.ions which
have been made in private writings ard in 70.
lemn acts, that the French government has ever
fought to detach the people Of the United
States from The CogGnaion they have .giuen them
ElUe5." SUCH charge againN the French 60
vernment has not, that know, ever been made
BY the American government: but we have
acculed them, and truly, with endeayors 70 de-
tach the PsQbh Of the United States from the
g0Verament cholen by themielves u admin
g9er that Contribution and this the miniaer
does not attempt TO deny. The Directory
would perhaps be conteated that The peobk
ihould retain the ferns Of the Con
ttitulion they have given themfelves,' and to
which they are attached, provided they would
elea to adminiaer it, men devoted to France
and ready to obey the intimarions OF her will.
And becauie'the people have not been thus oblc-
quious, but have dared 10 make a different
ele6tion--the French government has expreAed
its terrible" relentment. Mr.. Barlow has
ahured us, in the pafage already cited from
rha e. Il. q