Newspapers / The Wilmington Gazette (Wilmington, … / April 6, 1797, edition 1 / Page 2
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PHILADELPHIA March 4. STATE PAPER. The following document was prefented to tlie Hopfe oftteprcfentatives on Tucfday laitTwlth an extenfive appendix : REPORT. Hp HE Secretary of State, in purfuanceof X an order of the Houfe Representatives, of the 8th of May, 1796, on the memorial and petition of fundry citizens of the United States, rending m the city of Philadelphia, relative to the lolles they have (uftained by the capture of their property bythe French armed veflels on the high feas, or in confer quence of the forced or voluntary fales of their proviftons and merchandize, to the ofh- ctrs ot the colonial auminntrations 01 tne Frnrh renublic. having examined the fame. together with accounts bF ilmiTar TofleS fuf tained by American citizens f rom the French in tne huiopeau leas, or in inc pons 01 France, which, in thedetails were necefta- Tfk&&&& wrrtr tlnrfbrffier jT " Refpectfully Reports, That fmee the commencement of the pre fenj war,11 various and continual complaints have bpert made by citizens of the United States toy ehe department of ftate, and 10 the minittefls.of the United States in France, of injuries done to their commerce under the authority of the French republic, and by its agents. Thefe injuries were tit. Spoliations and mal-treatment of their veflels at fea, by French mips of war and pii vateers. 2d. A.diilrefling and long continued eui borgo, laid upon their veflels at Bourdeaux, in the years 1 793 and 1794. 3d. The non payment of bills and other evidences of debts due, drawn by the colo nial adminiltraiion in the Well-Indies. 4th. The leiznre or forced fales of the car goes of their veflels, and appropriating them to public nfe, without paying for them, or paying inadequately, or delaying payment tor a length or time. 5th. The non performance of contracts made by the agents for the government' fup- 6th. The condemnation of their veflels and carcoes, under fuch of the marine or dinances of France, as are imcniupatible with tiie treaties lubfifting between the two countries ; and 7th. Tlie captures fandiojie&hy a decree of the nfvfBn&i convention, of the 9th of May, 1 79 , A winch In violation ot the treaty of a.nuy and commerce, declared ene my's, aoodvan board their veflels lawful pri ze and directed the French mips of war at privateers to bring into port ncatral v lels laded with provifions, and bound to an enemy 5 port. 1 1 may be proper to remark here, that this decree or tne convention, curecteu tne cap ture of neutrals laden with provifions, and deftined for enemy's pores, preceded by one month the order of the Britifh government for capturing M all veflels loaded with com, flour, or meal, bound to any port in France." Such was the nature of the claims of the citizens of the United States upon the French republic, previous to the departure ot Mr. Munroc. as minuter plenipotentiary to France, in the fummerof 1794, and fiuce his rcfidence there. To him were entrulted the documents which had been collected to fub- ltantiate particular complaints; and he was uiftructed to prels the r rench government to afcertain and pay what might be found iultlr due: from time to time 1 as additional cafes rofe. tkey wore txanfraitted to him with a like view. In September of that year, be nhVned to his fecretary Mr. Skipwith (with the provisional appointment of confulat Pa ris) the charpre of ftatin the cafes, and plac ing them in the proper, train of fettlrment ; reserving to himfelf.the duty of fixing ge neral principles with the government, and patronizing ami luperintenaing uupreccru- ines. ' In conformity with the direction of the minifter, -Mr. Skipwith thortly afterward made a general report on the injuries, difh- culties and vexations to which the commerce of the linked Skates was fubject ed by the re. sulatioii and rellraints of the French go vernment or by. the abufrs practifed by its nenits : lo which he added a number ot par- ticnlar cafes. A copy of the whole wo an nexed to the report marked a. j This re port wss hud bef ore the t rench govern ment 1 and added to the varioos reprefen tariontofMr. Munroe and his predecetfbr, it produced a decree of the joint committees of public fafety, finance, commerce and fbp plies, daud 1 jih Neveraber, 1794. A copy of which was annexed, marked C This decree, apparently calculated to remedy many of the evils complained ot, aiorded but a very partial, in refpect to com pe il lations, comparatively Imall relief, while it continued in force the principles of the de cree of the 9th of May, 1 793, which render ed hable to feu u re and conhlcation the goods ot enemies found on board neutral veflels. American veflels had been declared exempt ' from that part of the decree of the 9th of May, which authorized the ieizure of vellels going to an enemy's port with provifions, by the decree of the national convention of the 28th July, 1793. On the appearance, of tne decree ot tne 9m ot may, tne American minhter at Paris remonftratcd againftit as a violation of the treaty of commerce between France and the United States. )n confe rence thereof the convention, by a decree of the 23d of the lame month, declare, "that the veflels of the United States are not included in the regulation ofthe 9th of May ." M. ;ic un, the .minuter for foreign affairs, on the, 20th of May, commahicatcd this ic cond decree to our miniller, accompanying it with. a few words: 44 You will there find a new confirmation of the principles from which the Trench people will never depart, with regard to their good friends and allies, the people of the United States of America." Yet,, two days only had elapled before thofe principles were departed from ; on the 28th of May , the .convention repealed their de cree of the lad. The owners of a French privateer chat had captured a very rich AnW rican fhip,. the Laurens, found means to ef fect the repeal to keep hold of their prize. They had even the apparent hardinels to fay beforehand, that the decree of the 23d would be repealed.. The American minifter again complained. So on the 1 It of July, the convention palled a fourth decree, declaring, " that the vef fels of the United States are not comprited in the regulations of the decree of the 9th , May, conformably to the 16th it fliould be called the .23d article of this treaty, con cluded the 6th of Feb. 1778." Tlie new minifter for foreign affairs, M. Desforgues, accompanies this new decree of July ill. with the following expreflion ; " 1 am vey happy in being able to give you tins new proof of the fraternal fciitimems of the French people for their allies, and of their determination to fupport, to the utmolt of their power, the treaties fubfiiting between the two republics ;" yet this deciee proved as unliable as the former : on the 27th July it was repealed. The next decree on this fubject, was that of the joint committee, ofthe 15th of Nov. 1794, already mentioned. Then followed the decree of the committee of public fafety of the 4ih Jan. 1795, (14th Nivofe, 3d year) repealing the 4th article in the decree of the l Jth Nov. preceding, and in effect the arti cles in the orginal decree of the 9th May, -. 1 793, by which the treaty with the United States had been inf ringed. It is not neceflary for the fecretary to add, that the decree of the 4th January, 179$, has been repealed by the executive directory of the -id July, 1796, under col oar of which arc committed tlie rhoc king depredations on the commerce of the United States which are daily exhibi ted in the newfpapers. The agents of the executive directory to the leeward illauds (Le Blanc, Samhonaxand Raimond) on the 22th Nov 1 796, palled a decree f marked CC) for capturing all Ameriean veflels bound to or from Britilh ports. The fecretary pre fomesthat this is not an arbitrary, uuan tborifed act of their own, but that it is con formable to the intentions of the executive directory ; the privateers f the French re public in Europe having captured fome American vefaels on the fame pretence . and the consul ofthe republic at Cadiz having explicitly avowed his determination to con demn Amerkau vefiels on that ground, pleading the decree of the Directory for its smrhoriry. The fecretary has itready rnrimatrd-ttrst the decree ofthe 15th November, 1794. not followed by the extentivc goo. I effects expected from it. By a communication from Mr. Skipwith, of the loth of lalt September, (the lateil communication from him in ait fWer to the fecretary ' reuelt for iuforma. tion) itappoartthatthe climifor detention of tot American ycffels by the embargo at Bourdeaux, oemaiued undetermined $ no funds having been sppropHsted by thele gifbtare tor the payment of them, and that hone ofthe bills drawn by the colooJal4 mtmitrattoo sa the Welt Indies had been paid to bis, the treafur having tendered payment in affignats at their nominal value, and afterwards in another fpecies of paper, called mandats,- which had luffered a great depreciation, even before they were pat into circulation ; both which modes of payment were refuted to be accepted. The progrefs iuc Dy mr. sKipwuii in w ajurtmeut or other claims, fo far as known to the fecreta ry, will appear in the annexed printed Itate- 'incut, D copies of which vi ere tranlhiitted ten months ago to the uflicers of the princi pal collectors of the cuftoius, from the de partment ot ltate, for the information of our mercantile citizens. That nothing might be left undone which could be accomplifbcd by the executive, the attention of Gen. Pinckney, the prefenc miniller of the United States to Fiance, was particularly directed to the fubject of thefe claims, Abut the interval which has elapfed lince his departure, has not admitted of any interefting communication from him 011 th.s buiinefs. In connection with other fpoliatious by French armed veflels, the fecretary intended to mention thofe committed under a decree dated ill of Auguft, 1796, illued by Victor Hugues and Lebas, the fpecial agt jus of the Executive Directory to the windward iflands, declaring all veflels loaded with contraband articles of any kind, liable to feizui e and coniifcation with their entire cargoes . with out making any difcriaiination in favour of thofe which might be bound to neutral, or even to French ports. This decree has been enforced againft the American trade without any regard to the eftablifhed forms of legal proceedings, as will appear from the an nexed depofuion EJ of Jonas Hempftead . mailer of the brigantine Patty of Weathers- field ; a copy ofthe decree marked F isalfo annexd. The ffcre.tary has received a printed copy of another decree of the fame fpecial agents to the windward ill mds, dated the 13th Pin. viofe, 5th year, anlwer gto Feb. ill, 1797, authonfiug tbe cap ureofail neutral veflels " dlftlncd to any of the windward or leewnrd iilaiu's in America, which have been deli vered up to the Eugliih, and occupied or de fended by emigrants, naming Martinique, St. L'icia, Tobago, Demataia, Beibice, and Elequibo, and to leeward, Port au-Prince, St. Mate, L'Archayeand Jeremie; declaring Inch veflels and. their cargoes to be good prize, as well as all vellels cleared out vague ly for the Weft-Indies, a copy of this lalt, decree, will be added to this report as (bon as it (ball he tranflated. All which is re" fpect fully fttbmtfted. V TIMOTHY PICKERING. Department of State, Feb. 27, 1797. THE APPENDIX. (A) Copy of a decree ofthe National Con vention 9th May 1 9. (B) A letter and report of Mr. Skipwith, American Gonial, on vefleU captured. (C) Extract from French decrees of 15th Nov. 1794. A (CC) Extract from the refoWes of the Preach commiflion at Leeward Illauds, of 27 Nov. 1790. (D) A lift of 170 claims, 40 of which were (ettled with the French Republic and the remainder pending. A fecond lift of claims on 103 veflels de tained by embargo at Bourdeaux, thefe dat ed the 20th Nov. '95, and figned by inr. Skipwith. (E) An affidavit of the commander of the brigantine Putty. (F) A placard of Victor Hngoe, order ing the capture of horfes contraband. Thi follows the petition of the merchants of Philadelphia. And a fecond letter from the Secretary of State enclofm , a copy of a decree of Victor Hugues, publifhed in our paper of Tucfday. NEW-YORK, March if. Yefterday arrived here tlie fchonner Lit tle John, captain Henry King, from Port au-Prince, who uifWms us that by a veilel directly from Jeremie, advice was received there from Cuba, rharsr fleet of American veffeH homeward bound, were all taken coming out of the Keys, by French priva teer, and carried into that Iflend 1 f hat an American captain directly from Leogane, fays that twenty-two (ail of American ve felt which have been detained fotae tiiawe in that port, were all condemned, and rnoft of them told 1 that foor American captains had died in Leogane, and a conllderable number of teamen i that it was computed, at a low catenation, that the property ta ken from the Americans in the MUnd H (' paniola, fine July lad, amounted to eight hundred thousand dollar!.
The Wilmington Gazette (Wilmington, N.C.)
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April 6, 1797, edition 1
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