Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-11-18
r II O NJ a 3 P a I N R3
L E T 7 E R
GENERAL WASHINGTON.


land, TO furrender French property on
board American ihips 10 be feized by the.
Engliih, Whit Engliih property on board
American lhips was declared by the French
treaty not to be eizable, thar f6f.boad' Of
fiiesdgip 5etsueen Amerira and France
svsre to 6e-drarvu The elelsr2 Was 1t by
declaring naval flores contraband when
coming 10 France, when by the French
treaty they were not contraband when 60
ing TO England, that the connection be-
.fqueen France and America avas to be ad-
~aneed9 Was it BY opening the Amer.
can ports to the Britifh navy in the preient
war, from which ports the fame navy had
been expelled by the aid folicitated OF
France in the American war land that
aid gratuitou1y given) that the gratitude.
of America was 70 be ihewn, & the /olei-
sxde fpoken Of in the letter demonstrated !
A. the letter was addredied to the CON-
mittee OF Public Safety, Mr.. Waihing-
ton did not expect i, could get abroad In.
the world, or be feen by any other eye
than that of Robelpierre, or be heard by
any other ear than that Of the Commit.
tee; that it would PATS as a.whifper acrofs
the Atlantic, from one dark chamber to
the other, and there terminate. IL was
calculated TO remove from the mind of the
committee all iufpicion upon jays milton
to England, and, in this point of view,
it was fuited TO the circumstances of the
moment then pafing; but as the event OF
that milton has proved the letter TO be by
pocritical, it ierves no other purpoie OF
the prefent moment than to thew that the
writer is not to be credited. Two cir
cumRances ierved to make the reading of
the letter necedary in the Convention.
The one was, that thofe who fucceeded
ON the fall of Robefpierre, found it mott
proper to ae with publicity the other,
TO extinguiih the iufpicions which the
ftrange conduit of Morris had occaiioned
in France.
When the Bri.iih treaty, and the ratih-
cation of il by Mr. Warrington, was
known in France, all further declarations
from bin ofhis good difpoGtion, "a an ally
and friend paHed for 70 many cyphers;
bu. fill it appeared neceaary to him to
keep up the farce of declarations. 1t is
Stipulated in the Bfitifh treaty, that COM
miilioners are TO report at the end of two
years on the cafe of ncutral .@lps making
neutral property. In the mean time neu-'
trail fhips do not make neutral properly,
according to the Bri,iih treaty, and they
do, according to the French treaty. The,
prefervation, therefore, of the French trea-
ty became of great Importance to England,
as by that means ihe can employ Ameri-
can ihips as carriers, whit the fame ad-
vantage is denied TO France. Whether
the French treaty could exit as matter
Of right after this clandefine perverhon
of it, could not but give fome apprehenG-
ons to the partizans Of the Britiih treaty,
and it became necedary TO them to make
up, by fine words what was wanting in
good actions.
An opportunity offered to that purpofe.
The Convention, on the public reception
of Mr.. Monroe, ordered the American
aag and the French flag TO be difplayed
unitedly in the hall of the Convention.
Mr.. Monroe made preient of an Ameri-
can flag for the purpoie. The Convent
on returned this compliment by Tending
French flag to America, to be prefented
by their minifer, Mr.. Adet, to the Anne
rican government. This relolution paf-
fed long before jays treaty was know or
fnfpeeted it paiied in the days of son6-
dence but the flag was not prefented by
MIR. Adet till leyeral months after the
treaty had been ratified. Mr.. Walhins-
ton made this the location of laying fome1
fine things TO the French minifer, and the
better TO get himielf into tune to do this,
he began by faying the 6neif things OF,