tr ItK trrrmiderrt) the power of mak '
' , log w and providing for amlitary opera-
" tioiu in. both houses conjointly, it nfaxrYf
fiesumablc that the f ramers of the con-'
stitution "-did not contemplate secret pro-
-.fve&flgiL in any, father In .what
other case can they be necessary, or-;Con
eistent.wuhthe principles ot our wsmu
1 ' ( '-tiona? Our political systerat is essentially.
stetn of - publicity. lThegcriiua of it
t , is-at var v th the course so commonly pur-
'ftucd by monarchal cabitiets and despotic '
' - ,uivan$ bo tar as our; congress have de
' . parted from this original principle of our
!. system, they are jusdyliaUe to th? censure
- "f -involved in Lord Chatham' speech on a
, motion tor tne dissolution 01 parliament m
s ,, tr71J For a public assembly to be afraid
- ox naving ineir aeiiDeraiions. puunsnea, is
xnonitrous and speaks for itself.; No'ntor;
' , ttd tan'coristrue such a "proc durelrto their
...... - wauvantage; Ht, ano xne practice to iocs-
'ing f the rloors', are Vifficjeht 'to ' open the'
" - ,' of the ' Uind t they must see that all,
- -J hot well within,' :. U this be - g;od 'doc-
' - - aretHiblic! .' ' i ... ' ''?
Tlie uutstlanM not however, what ought
JLJto be the powers of .congress,' in; this -res-' J
v r pect. Butt what aje tnose powers; It. js.
the opinion" of some: that a wi itteti "constU'
x ' tutioa aflbrds nd security to 'the; rights
!of the people."' j;Let us hope ;ihathfsjopitj.
, Toii, is infoiiiided-ItU' ,daigerauT.rto,Ca-i
V4io pt constructions pf the spirit of the' jjoii-
- " stitution. lt ia-mucasalcf to adhere to the
'.latter. ri If this Jb .generally. clpaeiiand the:
. constitution bekat-once correcj ' iu, prircipfc;
' jj,and tnteUigible, in expression, hoW( caa jt;
-bs otherwise; than that it should secure our
, right and: privilege!, . Could , a. ttik jtotf
4 ftcairra, - a collection '.of a- shreds -'and!
s patches'oiVtivr, executive and j:
iiciary opbucnis 1in4;dtmoiia,;euniua1
.7. " ted actually in the progress of as,' i
i curef theni, better than thi'i,EX tcRipfX, .
f-' tms plainly5 recorded law, to whic!vall can'
- v r recur, and wluch au.ssa apprehend L -; , V.
Xt, Each house- of congress, theii, has pow;
-ttt.eh ta; coacesLfiom itlw peopl uch -por -
tioo of ita proccedbgs as' it deems; impro
' - .pet for promulgation. ' ' Hut th'rt power can'
'Only bef, exercised by first exercising' ano
ther, that of w determining the rules of its'-
r prbccedings',' unless, indeed,: the- house '
.ahai-think, it more proper'and tale the'.
" trouble from day to day, of taking a dis
, .tinct vote." on: every;' part of .the Journal;
1 . vhich4t- means' to keep concealed,.5 Nd
' such thing exists jri practiced ' ITie house
- of representatives has established particif-
Jar rules upon the subject, .j h rs, provided
; that when a member shall announce to the
house- that he has "a motion to makei the
- froced"a?g4 oii rwhich,' , in his bpmion,
v OujyU to be kept cret, the doors shall be
' Y closed, and' the house, shall determine by.
a vote, whethet those proceedings shall be
V stcitt or not. The f hous sometimes im-
?f nediatcl deterritinea that the proceedings
t y shall not be kept secret, as in the case rofa
,.. -roodon whilh was made for' theVseques
,.,( - tratioi) of debts due by the citizens o' the
" U. Sutes t llritish subject."' Hut no in
' stince is recollected in which the house
literally pursued its own rulo,' and ' deter.
; , rumcd by a tormal vote.tnat proceedings
! iipon a motion made with" cloed- doors
ahould be kept secret. The house'there-(-
' ore does w, injhe cases mentioned, pur
' tr sue die idler of the constitution and of iu
own rule, which is. intended to earnr that
" ' provision of' the "cbnsutution into effects
' . llow far, then, ia the rule obligatory tpon
cn ttrrirdt.ccasiom,-proct2'ecl provlsionj,
clouting, ana numerous necessary article,
which, ia defiance of U remonstrances,
they daily conveyed to small bodies of pa
triotic troops, -who had shtwn themselves
m the ejwhborhood. -This was' at fcpgth
considered as an offence of much enormity
against the rrench Government, and acoti
siderable'number of these ladies were! ta-
Ken up ana iriea oy ii imary inounat,
whose sentence consigned 16 to be allot
tad the sentence was cart ied into Xeaji
tion. - fie saw three of these heroines'put.
to Ieath, wjnch hey endured with'wori
derful IbrtlWd; ' i' ';f'''.;'V- : JfK f-'-x
vy c are extremeir concernea,.to . una,
that amonff other melancholy circumstances
resulting from the, late' disturbances in the,
capital, tus -Majesty was renaerea so v)-
huppy ;that . he was, indisposed for aww
days, and the'cHect was tne total loss!
his remaining sight, J r But it'i with very
great satistacuon w add; that his-iviajesty
ts'now :pcrfectly recovered, and la as good
I general health: asihieverieiijoyed.' r His
alestv5 ii ft weVer. obliged to. avail him
ieirof 'ekteriKJ assistariiie in hiicasiorial
walksi'Which waa not the "case: before th
unfortunate; eveots alluded tO His medi
cal 'atti?ridahts'hav'ei: we.'tinderstobd,' 'ddr-
;iareq, iai;.nis, eye js now n lor tne ope-
rauontyi:nenever.ne,iee)s ramseu otsposea
t,a.ttVi'iV
the memlxxs t
: Another rule provides that wlien tf con-'
fidcntial message is- received from the pre
fident, rhe proceedings, upon suchrmes
sage shall be secret, until the house hall
Otherwise' determine, But nothing is said
respecting documents which tmy be cotn
tnuiucated with the message. These form,
in fact, no part of , the proceedings" of
' tlie house, being merely matter of informa
tion to bear upon those proceedings. They
are never recorded in die journal of its
i die journal of' ha proceedings'' as
? may la fArir judgment require seclTry1',
that they have a .light to' conceal. ; This
will lead us t the nvcug:U.ionot a w qucs
Uoi
DOCUMENTS FROM. tRANCE,
twcil k WuhBt ky rtttil h John
., V -?.V''- Mttn. , -;, . '-'n '.
.-rZ Y -; -i ' ;
.'".' General ' jtrmitring if Mr. Smith. ' t '
t Sra -I wrote a few lines to you ytster
day announcing the receipt and transmist
sion of acopy of;the, Duke'or Cadore's
note to me ot thei'(l41h just. ; , , 1
1 After much serious' reflection I have
thought it best to forbear all notice at pfe-
sent or tne errors, as well of fact as of ar
gument, which may be found in the intro
ductory part of that note t to take the Mi-
nisicr j nu wora; 10 enters once upon
piwuuscu iiciTjtiatiLHi. anu.-or inis
-.7aVh capture aod 'eenderansiion 6Fa
"ship driven on the shores of France hV''
stresa of weather tod the perils" of the se'a --nothing
J; Was thef seizure and seques-r
traticm ofmany cargoes brought, ?b Prance'
ia ships -violating' no law and admitted to' -regular
entry at the imperial custom hous-"
es nothing ?.;Vas": the violation bf our
maritime; rights, consecrated as they have
been by d;e solemn form's of a public trea"
tv-nothing? In a word, Was it nothing
that out ships' were, burnt on the high seas, "t
without other offence, tban' .that of belong. ',
ing to the United States i or other apologv,'
iwux was io uc louna jnineennancea sate
tv of therpetratbrf ,, purely- if, it be the
duty of th United States to resent the 'the-
- f
:vij' if Rutty ta, 1l0 BtWU r Kf'W'
XVe haye received the London papers 6f
Monday. ) There is hot;c wlth'the eitep-
tion ot the prorogation ot thft finch Legis
lative Body, any ihtelligence f womrlt t
those papers.''r It is worthy1' of observation,
that although there sv sbfitary collateral
fliajf against the, fterjjat enewUi of tlk
Continent." the spceich of the Senator Ree-
ftaultdpci hot contain the ictwtomary .At-
tacit upon the people ana jgovjernment ot
Engtaad. '; Thial may., be. considered 'by
manv santmine oersons as indicative of the
return of a pacibc disposition on the part of
Is apoleon. ?. the .speech; expatiates -With
great and, pardonable, complacency on the
nuptials lof the. mperc and, the" Arch
duchess f, Austria. , ..There 1 iro doubt
jlhat this iriarrlage aa. one, of the first
strokes of policy Napoleon ever exhibited.
Jt pecuresf as his orators say, rhe peace of
tne -ivontinem r ana ; wnen. tner remnsuia
shall have been subdued; it will leave him
at liberty to prosecute a maritime war, oj;
to turn the anna of thi French People,' as '
wen as oi nis conicucraie legionaries, to
the Ottoman, Etnpire.1 -The Litter is men
tioned slightly t but it raay be for the pur
pose of concealing h'm design, IiWced
we nun; luai . a ursisn war is ay no meant
so remote as niay be generally imagined.' -
, -1 he last Accounts from JLubon and bpain
describe the French as suffering under
Ecatwant of provislohsr 't)he of these
etters says,'1 the French- are retreating
froHt. the, Fortujruese frontier in want o'.
everr thing" . JThesame want is felt in
Spain, and the next accounts will probably
bring us intelligence of their' having quit
ted the vicinity of Cadiz. - , . -
. The Duke of Uulluno (Victor) is stated
to have died at Seville on the 4th April, in
consequence ot a wounu inmctea Dy a can
non shot, while rcconnoitcring the Spanish
wprks bclore Cadiz. ;. .. '
( ; ' Foreign Inttlligcncc. '
' ' ' itXew-tork. r.J
V" reV(, -"',"
'. '-'.' " LonDOir, May 2 ;
.' - . 'Whatrv er may U the termination of the
' prvUut lOuuit iiS)'.jntlt js evident frons
, - er)' account -ninth, wc rcctive, that the
itivu dtcrm'mtd. hut'ulity to tlic.rfench
' tuutiniies tg be eVihcc J by the Lravc inhale
w ' lu.its of die Peninmla, from one extrcml-
' tf thereof to "die oUitr i, and Uiat In fact
' tuc pesr e cn only; b concluded ia desola,
V tion, ' St. S biiti.vi our readers wHlch.
t - icrve", at tlie foot of Uic T.cnccs, and
, : tbcTtf're ailj'mintj Frsnce, and Vet from
thai c,unrr has live f'-JTowing statement
' I eVn lroii(,-ht by an American captain l " He
nj ,tl.at uilic women of the country hxi,
, TO Wtf SURVE TR. '
I ; . Mr- J. Dclange :r, - lately ap
pointed br the Commiioneri Town Sumy
or, has tb honor of bforminr the rahsbU
Untt and ibt owners .of lots in tke Town of
Wilmington that he it now ready to exercWt
th duties of his appointment. He will sur
vey any lot tbtt may bs desired, with dis
patch ' nd fidelity, and ia addition draw out
bandsoma vltw ot its situation and environs.
His charts for the additioosl trouble, he will
tcvc wholly ta the gerrtrotlty of his employ.
ers. . lie proposes -to vndertske' gentfnl
Survey of th Town and draw a plsn there'
of, on which -will be narked out all the
streets, alleys, cul U sscs, hills, vslleys,re
msrksblc trees and vacsot lots, ana1 be will
then be entiled to fumUh every proprietor
of town, propsrtr with a separtt pl af his
own ponenion. accurate in the proportion
! snd situatkm Y!l which wilt be rttpecifully
Y submitted, letting to each pwrchattr t psy
a sura propornone to the number ei bis
lots."1'' , , . . : ' "''
liberal encouragement and promiwi to ipire
noplns t dervt it.' ,' Jone2 f.
V-
..P. BENJAMIN, begs leave to
rnskc grstcM axpreition ef his feelings to
those persons who hart cacitited towards
him that large share of kindnett ad patron
ti which he hat recaiwd m this place, an4
st the same time to inform them that he io
terds in a few dyt to depart lor , the North,
ward. . Early ia the fill ha will return ta re
ivime bia prcfeaaios as a Teacher of Moale,
sad beinjf dctirous of c(abli.hira; a amaJI
Mutictl Kepoiitory In th'ra town, heaolieits
thoaa who nky be indebted to him to iU
their accoents he will thea be the better
enabled to prmecuta hit intention,' the aue.
ecit ol which he belief et,; will b n tfvsa
tape te the lrtrt of Muue ia this town, si
well at i pro.', to himiclf. , J,un -
purpose, to offer tb him a : project or t-e-d
anif moae wtu nave tneauvantage m
trying tjhe sincerity, of the' overtures made
py hins, and perhaps of drawing frorrvhim
the precise tcrma onwhichrhis master; will
accoromodateV)V If- these Ceet sricfi as we
ought to accept, we shall hav'e a Treatv,
in wnicn neitner purrienw nnr wrongf, win .
ociiorgoucns ii otnerwise, injere. wm oe
enough, both bf time and occasion, to, do
juui; to ineir policy pnaur own, oy a
ireexamination of each" f''1 1"
,: n-yejjpe, nonor to oe; c ccca.,.'.-
ifffijwalfc)lefor;Smithi5
Extract -of SeP.u-Weii'Me
10th March.''4I;.haVei,it 'fertrth rfe'
cetved a verbal mSssjigei in answer to my
riote of the 2lst ult. " It was front (lie Mi-
nlslcfpf Ibrefjih relations!; "and in the fot
lowing words i u His Majes.tY,ha decided
ha aclV the American property: seized in
&pam .put . the money, aiasing tljcretrota
Shall remain in (Lpou , This message has
given occasion to a letter irom me marked
Nd. 2.1- l Paris. lOtA Matdl tglO.
" Sir, '! had yesterday the5 hbrior bf re
eeivinjr; verbal triessage" irom your
tellency,' Stating, that his malesty, had
1 decided,' that the Amerkaii property seiz
ed in the port ot bpam should be sold,
...:' d.i A . ' rt : .l .
ahould remain in depot,; ' -
yn receiving wis imorrnauon, iwq ques.
tit-hs suggested themselves r."";A '-
Isu, v .nether this decision-wraa, or-was
not, expended to shipsj as .well as to .'car.
goes: ana -m... .;.. .v-; r. u
2d Whether the rrtonev arismcr front the
iaka which might be made under it, would.
or would not, be ubiect to the issue the
pending negotiation 1 , '. Mv, ir
v 4 we gcnucinaa ennrgcu wnn uic aeuve1
ry of jour message not having been Irt
H.rjcted to ai.swcr tKcsa questions, it be'
tomes my duty to present -them to your
excellency, and to request a solution of
therein Nor is H less a duty, on rrtv part,
to examine the ground on which his ma
jesty has been, pleased to take this deci-
s.on, which I understand to be that of rr
trisaL suggested for the first 'time in the
noie you uiu iue uic uunoi io .wine v tne
on the 14th ult. In the 4d paragraph of
this nou. it Is sAklf that his Majesty
could not hav calculated o the measures
taken by the Jnited Statesi wh45f. having
tie grounds of complaint against - France,
have comprised her in their.acu of exclu
sion, and since the morh of - May Lut,
have prohibited the entry into their ports
of French Vessels, by subjecting them to
: It is true that the IT States hare since the
50th of iMay lut forbidden the entry of
I: renca vessels into their pcrbors rxJ it
is alw .tme tliat the penalty of confiscation
attache to, the v-olation of this law. . But
id hat respect loee this offend France f
Will she refuse to js the right of regulat
ing commerce within our own porta f Or
will she deny that the law in' question is a
r'etlatioa merely municipal I Examine it
both as to object and meant w hat does it
more than furiid American ships from go
ing into the ports of France, and Frenrh
t slupe-from coming into those of the, U.
: Statral And Wlrj' this prcJiibition f To
! anid injury' and insult to escape that
lawietsncas, wnicn is ueclarca to be a
forced consequence of tire decrees of tlie
British counciL " If then its objec be
IAirrJr dtlcavvf, "what: are its - means f
ijmply Aru'.f previously ond ' grner.lly
promulgate d, operatint; aulcljr Within tlie
tenitory of the U Statet, and punishing
alike the infractors of k, whether citizens
of the said states, or others, . And what Is
this but the exercise cf a rit, common
to all nations, of' ixduduig at tlitir will
foreign commerce, aad of enforcing that
exclusion i Can this be deemed a wromr to
France I Can this be regarded as a It giti-
maie cauta o repruai on tne part ot a
pemtr, v.ho makes itthe.hnl duty of na
Uona to defend their sovereignty and tjho
iAta dcnntioni'lizca the ships of tlvoK who
will not suli.cri!e to the oninion.
Hal it has been s'nl Uiat the M United
Sutra had nothing to caaplnin ef aaat
Iraacf.'
t oyucal usurpations of the British ordrs of
I.November, 1807,'" it" cannot, be Ui their
ta complain of the daily atid practical
outrageson tne part, ot r ranee i it is in-
dceu true; that were we, United States des- - , -titute
of policy, of honor" ;ahd "'o"f :jtftefgjr ' . ' -
fas has been lnsmuated thev-miehr have 7"-
iadopted ia sy stem "of discriminaudn Vbe 't ?
tween 'Ke''tv6; belligerents j eymkhtiJL,
drawn .Imaginaurjipes tetweerl ,ihe ' i
and7sectmd aggressor f they , rpight 'o -Vv? '.
'first-
have rescpted in, .the. one . Conduct . to
which they 'Jtamely submitted in tle. other.
WISE JUVkWtVWlWI UfU ,"vviyov, tuuiiy' v. 7 '
weak;ahddisgraccfu fJ3ut s'Ucn Wasiiot f&t
the course they tiursuedi and it Is perhaps It?- 1
liecessary consequence of the : J usti j;e ' pi . '
their;ineasures that "they are this, day an f
moepenaenc nauon. xuv wj.1 not press.;' K
this part of my subject j, jt would, be .af ;,; lyr
frontful tor youT; excellency; (knowing" .a5"; v'' J
yem clV there are, not less thart-?t)0 7 ;
tttUr r,Tat or tus toUies) to multiply ,-.
tf com nlatni against' France, 44. '; a
- f My attention is necessarily CtileoJ to ant&jJO.jj
ther part of tlie "aame paragraph, wJucW:i 1 f
: L;.V.fti rii. -T. I
raadci vM A soon,'t says your excellencr.'
as; his vJVfaiesty;' was informed of this
measure ( the nonntercotirse lawl it be
came tus uuiy 10 jciaiM upon lire wmek .
ncan vessels, not orHv witltta hjf own tcr
ritorics; but also within the courftrics-uft ;y
der his Influenced "Ih' the ports of HoIlan(h ';Z -
Spain, Italy and Naples, the' American ves-',
sets have been seized, because the Amerb. . v
rita Ziyi.y .mi.i,t XVjmA .tl.a .. . -A -k
LUfl, f!U4 fcttt A , Cfibl V,.il,. - . ' . '., -I '
:Thes9 remarks divide themselvtst ihto
2.
the1 following heads J :
lsW Ine right of his Majesty to seizd
nd '"confiscate American Vessels, withih - :
.his own territories. .!. -;f ? ' ';V
' 2d.-The right to do krwlthlfl the territo L : ;
rie of hia allies 1' and - : ' t ' ,. -'.7. ,
' 8d. The reason of that right; 'viz.. iV . ; ;
frtiw tAeriC(tnhaasetztdtrtiich vmels. - 1 -
The. first of Oiese subjects has be'en'al:s" T '
ready examihed and the second must b
tights within the limits of, hiaallv eanoot
be greater than within rus ovrn If then it . ; V f fc
has been shewn, that the non-intercourse ' ,r ' "L
law was mcrelv defective, in its object r 'i
that it.was but intended to guard against J 'V'ii- 1
that state of violence which .unhapptly-prr i ,: i v
vailed ; .that it was" restricted ia its opera-'. i
tiorVto the territory of the United States,'-..'.
and that if was duly promulgated there anl '
in .Europe bcfore; execution j' ;it will be I-";';;.
01 iuui ucMnjiuua . cannoiButnonse a i
rhrasnreiDf reprisal, equally sudden anu '
silent "in its' enactment and 'application, ;
founded oh no previous wrong, productive :
of no previous comtilaint, and operatinjf 3:
beyond the limits of his Majesty's territo-.
(kiwiu wiuua uuicvi wvcrc;gns, wno; "
had evrn iicifthe commerce of the U- '
nitcd Slates to tlieir port. . ." ' ,
ult is therefore: the tliird anhjecl only, '
tie reason of the rig'A.-which remains ta V
be examined ; and with regard to 1; I may ,,
observe, that if the alkdgcd fact "which ;
forms this reason be unfounded, the rea-
on itself fails and the right with it. Jo -
tms view wi wie outness 1 may Oe permit
ted to enquire, when and where anr sciz-.
- r tr . , ..
urc 01 a fpcncn vcsfcci ros uen place urr
dtrthe non-intercourse law f.-mril at The" -
same time to express my firm peuaiknt
that no such acizure hna been made 1 '
ErsuatioQ ' fnunded alike on .'the "lU ,
tie e of the government and of the journals ''
01 tne country, ana still more wal the pti.
tive dcclaratim of several Weil informed '
and renptcuUe persons hu have left A- l
merica as late as the 2Gth of December
bst. My conclusion therefore is, that r t
French vessel havin; violated the law. nr.,
seizure of such vessel luu occurred, anel . - '
tlvat tlie report which has reached Tails i ; i i '
ni-i,!. ,l,!u 17... ...I.. I . ' ' L 1
r'"""': ,u"u-u "i citcumsranct alto
gethcr unconnettrd widi the norv-ktcr "
ooursic law or its operation. . . '
'Though fr fi-om Uhln? to proW-
till 1l1L.T- I ntii.M
.-- 1 - i.wt in -Mrniiom rt.
' a
I
i
V
1 -4
1
.
5
nce-.;.
t ;
malting tlw-iT-cat and autLlc r.t,
J. , .
wiwugm m ms majesty atntiinvai with
ll,ard to lSc dcfcuiie ifMnxadottcd lv
tl- Lniwd Sutw. ILe law, whkh hrww'
behrvt It furnjh ground far n-jtl,J,wai
6r.tcvmmumc.tcd thU maiYstv in Jur.e
rr JiHy lart, -aadci rt-inl- did not Uhh tt.
:tc a-sy frf.i'n or fi-Jiw- uidnca-liv w.
t
I
1
ri
11
M
i
a.