Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1811-01-11
ACCOMPANYING THE MESSAGE OF rvs psrst.
pEST--coETiNuEp.

pEST--coETiNuEp.
Mr.. Smith, Secretary of State to General
Armstrong, Minister Plenipoteatiarv of
the United States at Paris.
q secretary Of State to General Arm-
strong.
Department Of State, June str, 1910.
Sir,
Your letters of the Ia, Is and 81 Februa.
ry, and 10, Is, 81 and "a March, with their
several enclosures were received on the 2lst
May.
AS the +" John Adams il daily expected.
and as your further communications by her
viii better enable me to adapt, to the actual
state OF our affairs with the French govern
ment, the observations proper to be made in
relation TO their seizure of our property, and
to the letter oft duke Of Galore Of the 18th
February, it is by the President deemed ex-
pedient not to make, at this time, any such
animadversioris | cannot, however, for
bear informing yen, that a high indignation
Is felt by the President, as we'll as by tho
public, at this act Of violence on our proper
ty, and at the outrage, both in the language
and in the matter Of the letter Of the duke Of
Galore, SO Justly portrayed in your note to
niIH OF The iUtIl March.
The particular object Of this ~letteris to add,
to M dispatches Of the 9Th and ED May,
another chance of fastening into your hands
a copy of the act of congress of the last ses-
sion, concerning the commercial intercourse
between the United States and G. Britain
and France.
In the fourth section Of this act. you will
perceive a new modification of the authority
given to the President. lfthere be sincerity
in the language held at different times BY
the French government, and especially in
the late overture to proceed to :micable and
Just arrangements, in case of our refusal to
submit to The British orders in council, no
pletext can be found for longer declining to
put an end to the DEGREES of which the Uni
ted States have so justly complained. BY
putting in force, agreeably to the terms o
this statute, the non-intercourse against g
Britain, the very species of resistance wonlt
be made which France had been constantly
representing as most efficacious. 1t may b,
added, that the form in which the law nov
presents the overture, is as well calculated
as the overture itself, to gain a favorable at
%ention, inasmuch as it may be regarded b.
the belligercnt first accepting it, as a promise
10 itself, and a threat to it's adversary.
II, however, the arrangement conteHaplat-
ed by the law should be acceptable to the
| French government, you will understand it
10 be the purpose ofthe President, not to pro-
| ceed in giving it effect, in case the late seizure
Of the property of the citizens of the United
States has been followed by an absolute con-
f~scation, and restoration be finally refused.
The only ground, short of a preliminary res
~toration of the property, on which the con-
templated arrangement can be made, will be
| an understanding that the confiscation is re-
| versatile, and that it will become immediate
" the subject of discussion, with a reasona-
Bile prospect of Justice to our injured citizens.
| have the honor to be &c.
r. SMITH.
Cen John armstrong, &c. &c.
Mr.. SMITH, SECRETARY OF STATE, TO GEN.
ARMSTRONG.
Department Of State, July Cd, 1910.
SIR,
The enclosed is a copy of a letter Of
instruction to Mr.. Pinkney, bearing the same
date with this letter. You will thence per-
ceiye, that if the answer of the British go
| vernment, to the representation and requisi-
ton which our minister at London may make,
should be Of a satisfactory nature, it will be
transmitted to you without delay. In. that
case, you will make a proper use of it for OBJ
tanning a repeal ofthe Berlin decree, and you
will proceed, cOncurrently with Mr.. Pinkney,
in bringing about successive removals by the
two governments of all their predatory e
diets.
avail myself of this occasion to state to
YOU, that it is deemed of great Importance
that our ministers at foreign courts, and es-
p~ecially at Paris and London, should be kept,
the one by the other informed of the state of
our affairs at each.
have the honor to be, &c.
r. SMITH.
Gen. John armstrong, &c. &c. &c.
Mr.. SMITH, OF STATE, 70