The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-07-16
a FRIEND OF TRUTH.
DuTCII DEBT.

-DUICii DERE.
!Ihe Baltimore priuss state that above s
l 0oo, 900. IN shecie is to be sent out 10 the
Constitution, Capt Hull, now Tying at Anna
pol's and about to proceed 10 Francc-----
This sum 10 be applied towards the paw
ment of the Dutch debt.
This transaction gives rise to two ques.
tIons Isl. Whether this debt ought TO be.
paid of at all z and 2d.- Whether this is
the 6est way Of paying it.
j. The Wing asks, why transmit specie
TO Trance, while the Emperor perhdiously
retains millions of American funds IN his
Golfers : The same AFFECT spirit which SUBJ
United frSf to England, now covers TO
France. The re ader must be aware. that
this insinuation springs from the idle insinu-
ations of Mr.. Smith, that the administration
is under French Isfiuence,--Rus this Charge
isJust as idle as the source from which it
springs. M y g, :.
VINO sequestered our property 49,
Not the Dutch merchants. but the French
Government. But it is to them the debt
is due, and MOTTO the government, The
question is. shall we violate our own faith
with them 2 Shall we refuse to pay the
debt which we owe to ttcm ?--But III we're
tair to retaliate on then, would t be expe
dient to do itf Are we to put our nlilNons
in France, beyond the least chance of re-
that we fairly owe to them For, Nj. Serrurier
has never expressed it to be the +" fixed de-
termination of his government not TO res
tore the property seized" since the I'd. of
November. And besides, what right has
the President. without any directioDs from
Congress, to expose the pablic faith to i'm
putations, by refIsiugto discharge the pub
lie debtf Besides there's every reasonts be-
iieve, that this money is shipped, not to pay
the holders CT cur stock, but the Dutch
BankerS. on whom our government had
drawn and wko had satisfied out of their ow n
Golfers the claim of these STOCK hniders.-,
Is there a man in, this Country who would
not reimburse them for the money which
they have advanced, 49,:
2. But tho we ought 10 pay them, we are
told that the best way is not TO remit sheeie 2
How then (! BY bils--bu. there are NO bills
on II "!'apd.tcr our me rchan.s have no car.
gees there to draw oh. B Il whyat is said, not,
buy bills on London AID seii them in Am
sterdam 1--WE are toid, that though these bills
may sell at Amsterdam az . loss of
thirty hive p,rtelt We shail gain IN the ex.
fchanse on London by the, purchase Of
those bills Is per cent. which is OF
Course about twenty per Cert only ------
whereas, The lowest premium asked in Bal
timore on the remittance in specie, is 90
per cent. or all risks. or 8, if warranted fee
OF seizure IN port--to which add ! per cent.
to the officers for their care of public mo
ney--eQual to 21--thns ii is a ske d if II be not
cheaper to buy bills than remit specie, -
Bue let us recollect, 1st that there is com,
mission to those who will sell tie bills in
Amsterdam and I'd. that it is not certain
that we can sell at all as, according TO the
last rumors from France, decree was soon
to appear. making it capital offence to
draw or negotiate bills On England Sd,
the premium Of 20 per cent is said by
some experienced merchants to be too much
-Honaparte will NOT dare to seize in port
the specie on board of a ffigate and the A.
merican Agent vii! not land it, until he is
assured of its fate 1.-The exDence of the fri
gate is not to De charged TO the remittance
because Messrs. Barlow and Warden would
have gone out in her--We can readily con
ceive that the Secretary Of the Treasury has
taken care to select the cheapest means of
whatever be the other no.
iitical sins with which he has been char
ged,he has never etbeen suspected of over
looking "the niuin chance" Ii is unfortunate
that we should lose so much specie at this
time but cosld the remittance have beer,
made in bills, at the above, or al any rates ,
The Secretary of the Treasury advertised
for Bills but, it seems he could not get
them.
----
The houses in London spd Amsterdar
might have snspped-such things hive been.
ron TBg yNoUiRER.