r n 1 iu AD L L f n 1 A, Vy..H$v
' r IMP 0 R'T A H;f.;V ftX r
..... . - , ; .
""TO relieve in foroe degree theirripatici.ee
' I'V of the public as to Mr.Adct's laft '
note to our Executive" we promifed an " out-;c
ljaq of its contents. We fulfill the talk with .
as mych accuracy as is compatible with the
brevity ve are obliged toobferveand the in
tricacy ct the fubjevt
The riiinifter of tha French republic thro;
tnewuoje ot ms note ipeaks as acting unqer
"the espf efs orders from the Executive Direc-
inrvi - !".;:v .
After expfeflin the a tachment of his
goiVernment foi the American people he com- .
.tains . in thenameLbfieJDirei3xffy,of a
violatipfr on the part of cur Executive of th?
17th article of the treaty of 177
l ite hrlt part of that article ltipulates that
.,the French fhall be at liberty to bfi;g their ,
Prizes into our 1WU without frs being lawful
tor any of "our officers to take cognizance of
their validity In contempt Of this itipulation
he Hates that feveral French prizes brought
into our ports have been feized, tried and
reftored-to their original owners, - with vari
'oym degrees of delay, vexation, injuftkeand
injur)'.. -
Hu complains, thn the Englifh were filf
fercd to arm in our ports in Various, intlances,
and that the. comnlaints of itrents of the
French republic ever proved ineffectual in '
Cropping than. . Perforis fufpectod of having
afiiitedan arnping French privateers were mi-
nied'atelyuTrovntoTiionp-wlnle - thole
concerned in arming Britilh veffels werenevef
inolefted 1 The Executive in thefe inftances
exhibiting ah evident partiality for the Englifh
and no regard for the maintainance of their
neutrality. ' ' . . ,
1 ne lecona itipuiation, 10 Art 1 7th, pro
li bits all Englifli fhips that ftiall have made
French prizes from enteringour ports. Our
Executive have in their conftructich of this
it!puaon, confined its prohibitory efFeft to
Britifli veCels attempting to - coirie in with
their prizes. The MinUter proteft in the
name cfHbc Directory againft the propriety
ofthis coullruction. lie confiders it as an
ven.cn theluppofition, that the article is
doubtful, , he inliits on the impropriety of an
ex f arte construction - He cites fundrv pv.
.
arn pies of, Englifli . iliips of war.having enter
ed pur port?, contrary to this ftipulation,
luvinc made them : convenient ftatiuns the
better to annoy the French, and having, even
cpr.tr;ry to the forced interpretation given to
the jtb article by our executive, brought'
their prizes into our ports and there rcfittt d
tj:em to cruize againlt the French
1 he ir.inliltrr.ext adverts to Jys miflion.
11 (btes that France tvas deceived' by the
. cVtkr.uions rf our executive when that buii
litis wa Jet on foot : and that the Directory
confulers the Britilli treaty as depriving
Fj'ancc of all the advantageous ftipulationi ?n
tended to be fecured to her by the treaty of
1778; ascending to render the neutrality of
America advantageous to England to the dc
triment of France.
1 his treaty 'abandons the modern law of
rkniony whkh even England had fanftjoned
in 1 1 treaties and wc in every prior commer.
fi.il treatv v.itli V.urnnein n.itimif. If niurt
i - ty
the Eng fli ihs facility of obtajning the traif.
Irtation of naval llorcf ami warCke i;nr fjV
ncr.ti h'ihcrfocver tlK-y plcafs under the
.he! tor of the Amcricati Ibg j white thii faci
lity is denial to France and thus it cImhci
i'.urhig the war the refpeaive footing of Hie
iKlligcrent powers with refpect to m. The
jraty he uirthef fbtcs, cuuffthc fuppVs
in frovH:?nii whkh France looked for froni
.thia,untr by il-pulatm- tlwt the Brhirti
may .itt every Xuuation fcize mt wovificn
-vtUclsbpundtothcporu of thtrr cneaiic.
rt
WKty, fcf3thfc FrcnKcWnov0d to'
PfrtaKe m,the advanjtages ;itv Holds ow-to
Oreat;Britainr . He lfo claim this partiti, I
pation. in purfnanee of the 2tl article of'thc:
treaty of '78 which graqt the Frehch all the ;
cd by the moft favoured nations.-And in this
point of vjew ihe orders of the French vefiels
.rw" 10 "cat tiie American flag b everyl
V.Jfc wc wan tulter it to be treated by
eXnglifh have been ifiued, . , '
- . t The Minifter proceeds to pfoteft ; in the
hame and by the orders of the Execume
Direftory againlt the violation of the 17th
article. He claims replevy of all feizqres,
and the annulling ofalnnrl oAc ww r
-peft ta French prizesx and proleffs'aKamft "all
Ti,uuuuu l toe laie or prizes
He prptefts againft the Violating of the
l?,?rtlt!lesby our comitting into our ports
nnuili armed yeflels, and ajrainft thr inrr.
pretationput by our exetutive up6Mtb. at artU ! I
, He declares, that the directory cbnfiders
pur Treaty with Britain 'as a violation of
their Treaty with us ; and as equivalent to a
treaty of alliance with that nation; and, in
confequence, orders hiiti to fufpend his mini
tterial functions here.
The Direftpry declare that they do not
yifh this meaiure to bfc confidered in the light
of a rupture, but as a mark of their fe. fe of
injury, which is to laft until they can obtain
fatisfactiom -They reiterate their esbreflions
of fnendlhip for the People notwithilandig
the wrongs of thi executive
The Miniiter concludes by ftatjng, that
the French Republic always had it at heart to
cultivate harmony by a mutual interchange
of good Offices ; but that bur adminiftration
havfe as conitantly endeavoured to break af
under the ties whkh conned the t'natfons,
Early under the Republic, the" French Co
lonies were opened to us the ports of France
alfoon the fime footing as their dvvii Veflels.
When England violated the neUtral flag,
France obliged to make ufe of reprifals,
exempts froji the mealure the Americans ;
and tho forced -for a hile, mult againft their
in linatiop , to withdraw the exemption, they
early renewed it
WhileTrance was thus, even during the
tempelt of a revolution treating the Ameri
cans with marked attention what, alks the
note", were the Executive of the United
States employ cd in. They wcre'queflionihg
yJlelbe taey would acknowledge the Repub.
1 c or receive their atnhalTador whether they
ftould confider the tr.ty, the price of Ameri
can liberty, as binding,., whether the envoys
f row exiled and rebelling princes fiiould be
received ; an anbiguous proclamation of nei
trahty wa framed ; French" privateers
were harraued j England was fufTercd to
fport w ith our neutrality t arid to cut jup our
commerce to the detriment of France , Eng.
lifli fbips of war were admitted jn our ports;
the advances of France for' a renewal of the
treaty of commerce were eluded under the
raoft frivolous pretexts, while our executive
courted the Britim and foliated a treat by
which proftitutingour neutrality wc facrificed
. France to her enemies.
And tVis yhiUt a review 6f late events,
whUft every object around, ftill remind uv
.ofthetyrannv of Britain and the generous
alfilbnce of France 1 he neie concludes hy
calling on Americans to remember, that if
generous minds are alive to injuries, they
tan forive and tliatthe French when they
sre treat 4 as friends, will ftill be found faltli
fulfrienck'wtKi generous allies ' ,
The fupphes wlikh France cr.pcal 'n
her colonies were cut off j by our virtually
acqnWfc'r.g in the principle, that a'dcilara
tion from a Britilh commander placed tliera
i.ia ftate of bloikad.
Z??& rrrmtthetjrily -'political
fepatw. 1 The 'whole nationgam
1WU Prdfn1terf hy "icifm.-Edmund-
JDUree was thp UnA ' i : a .1 - .. .
. .. : , aim was 10 tnerni hric
agaimtr ranee, precifely what Per, :thfe
K ' "ecrufade againft. the In
hdels who held the Holv Citv in hnrrf..
JSSSl prcadamth
. :rfa.r.vlu"f 1,1 coniequence of the French.
Fciples of liberty and equality,: rtfembled
the a arm which Overfpread the chriftiatL"
wor d in confequence of the conquefts of the
. 1 rks j andihat Which the Romlfh church,
expeneaced, at the propagation of Luther'
dodrit-einthe 1 6th century. Oppoiition. to
principles always i fpreads thetri, ifthey arfc
-V rfunded' Hcp the folly and madnek '
of refitting theprogrefs of opinions b .force
1 hepwdegqd orders, confifting of priricei
gobies pnefts and the regularclery, L&v
in the propagation of French principlesrah
annilnlaf on of their diftinftions, Inftead of
leaving tne I renclno themfelves, ' they fet 4
up a hue and cry throughout Europe, that
hey diffo vcd,eWffJ V eil frdal order that
hey difiblved 1 the b.ncb of fociety, and were
to be oppofed as the common peft of the hu
man race '
Wifdom and policy would havepointed out
a very different mode of treating the novel
doctrines of the Ffench reformers. If the
Principles of the French nation, in producing .
lo dangerous a pfiociple to civil fociety
as the erufading: princes pretended, they
inould have let them alone ; for the opef atlotv
ol them upon the French nation, in prpduc-
Wt? all manner nfnMm.. I
o . ;" j -.""taMiHuuoracrs, W0UIa.
- ... w -trr-'
propagation m other countries. . Indeed the: :
wild notions of the Jacobins and their terri-
ble effects have actually done more to retard
n u fc cgcnwBuon in Europe, , thaa '
all the military force of Europe and Afia com
bmed, could have effeaed- Ertor . will; al-
ways fall to the Ground, wiihmit r,
Truth was never yet fuppfefled by force, buc
is efpecially aided in its progfefi and eftabll(h-
hient, by the efforts of oppofition. In d-!
ther cafe, the princes and nobility of Europe,
had they been wife for thcmfelves fhould haves'
remained quiet
' But wifdom has not characterized the pri
vileged claffes of men in any age or country.
'1 hey determined to cxtinguilh the . light of '
the revolution The event - however, will t
be, that truth will fhlnewi'th morelultrc, iat
confequence of the additional light that ha's
been fhed updn the furrounding nations, b
the collifiops of the itnmenfe conflict
In every point of view, the fool ifh and
abominable and ntfatious confpiracy againft
France, will ultimately contribute to i gen e.
f al reformation in Europe '
In the firft place, the combination" itfclf
Was fo mlntiirnii in ...1 r j.
an invaCon of the fundamental rights of rut?
onvthat of fclf.goveronient, ts aapally to
juftifyall the charges agabft the feudal fyftcm.
it has only ferved to inereafe the odium a
gamft the tyranny of the privileged orders
it his fpread the detcftation before cxiftW
.among philofophicalmcri, and ftirriulated even
men of bufinefs to wiOi for an extertr.inarioa
of the "old orders of (bcicty, who thus ahufe
their power
Inthcfecond place, the war Tihift France
has excited difcutfioii, and dfTurd a fpirit of
inveUigationnJOrerenerallym Europe, thw
book and philofonbcrs ould have done in
half a century. It has fpread the princ plct
of Utke, Sidney, Price, Pricttly, Volrairr,
and others, . friends of frectlom, amoiiga
grxater number of people, in five years, than
all the printing prefTet bciforc.lud dot h A
cduut 4 . . . .
In .he third place, the war has augrneni.