Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1806-01-13

States to bis Exceleney Mon(eigneur
Barre MarSo5, MiRifcr Of the Public
Treafury and Miniaer Plenipotentiary
from has Alsiety the Emperor of the
French.
PARIS, DEC. ), 1894
Tie s-ds-fpnd lIigi1ey etrtbs UnHsd-stGte'
% tie JliajRer .f tie Public 7reefsy.
SIP,
IHAD the honour OF receiving your let
ter on the fubiea Of the claim made by
Melrs. Nicklin and Griffith, of h iladel-
phia. .,
: With regard to the fats which you al
ledge, viz. {" that this is all Englifh houte /,
doing only bufuefs for Engliih merchants /;
that the ihip New Jerley was loaded trom
the EngliIh factories al Canton, and that
fhe belonged to Engliih merchants
know nothing from any documents in nay
poGcAion. The only written evidence ap-
plyirg to this cafe, within my reach, is the
recorp Of the American Commiiiion TO
which YOU allude, and which is directly
adverfe to the fuggeltion you have made !;
.forI flnd that the CemmiGioners united in
admitting the New Jerfey to have been
American property; and that the prote 1t
of one Of the members Of that board a
aainft the ultimate deciion of the others
was founded, rot on the fact of her beln 8
Engliih property, but on that Of the clai-
nants not having purfued their remedy a
gainft the captors, to its proper conie-
-Quence, viz TO an ahurance that they were
unable 10 pay.
On the other hand, though | have as al
ready itatei, no written document, have,
ha much verbal information, which fur
nifhes itrong prefumptive evidence Of two
fafs-Ift, that the New Jerfey was partly
or altogether Enplifh, properly; and 2dly,
that, whether Am .rican or Engllfh ihe was
in(urcd, and that no lofs was fuitained by
the ofenGble claimants.
The circumstances which render the frft
of there facts probable, are, that one, 1t
not both the partners of this home were
recently before the fitting out OF the fhiP
New Terley. the clerks and carriers OF pat
tern cards for manufacturing houfes in
Great Britain that they have been noto-
riouly the commifTion agents of iuch hoH-
fes fince that they were not not IN con-
dition. to fit out thip Of the value OF the
New Ierfey with their own means; and
that if thev had aiIitance, it NUT have been
derived from Britlfh fourceS, as it has net
been even pretended they have had any a
mericani iup ort.
The circumstances rendering the tecond
fact probable, is in the knowledge OF all men
acquainted with commerce, as conducted
in the United States viz. that much proper
~ conmitrted TO the feas on long voyages,
and IN fate Of war IS always injured.
Whence the probability that the Prefent
claim is purfucd, nor on acCount OF the au-
ftenhbe owners, bat Of the inlurers If the
ipfurers arc American, they have been am
ply paid in their profits, which IN V707
were equal to. 10 per cent per aan. on their
capital and If Engli@h, they cannot come
within the pvoyitions Of the treaty.
Such IS the amount OF the verbal infOr-
nation have received in this cafe, which
at the fame tine ;hink it necehary to ob-
ferve has been received without the lanct-
ION of an oath.
lam, Sir, with the highelt confederation,
YOUR mott obeIicnt and very humble fer
want.
(oigaeD JOHN ARMSTRONG,
Mr.. Marbois, Mn Cer Public Treanry.
"The foregoing very extraordinary di-
4 J.. !. = t.aI -