fubmitted to it rather than bring on a war. You afterwards fent me your note of the 14th Germinal (3d April), propofing that I fhould refume our reciprocal communications upon the interefts of the French republic and the United States. To this I replied, on the 4th April, that I could only confer informally and unaccredited on any fubject refpecting our miffion, and communicate to the government of the United States the refult of fuch conferences, being, in my individual capacity, unauthorized to give them an official ftamp.-The day after the departure from Paris of the laft of my colleagues, I again addreffed you, and quoting the above paragraph, informed you, that this I confidered as the line of conduct well understood to be observed on my part; to this you made no objection verbally or by writing, and thus acquiefced in it: had you not, I fhould have immediately demanded my paffport. At one of our firft interviews after that letter, you stated a difficulty in adopting the plan proposed by my letter of the 20th of April, from your not being informed of the wishes of the government of the United States in regard to a treaty: these were fo reafonable, that I thought it beft to communicate them to you, and, according to your own opinion fince expreffed, they would require little or no time for difcuffion: nothing can exceed them for moderation or justice.

Believing that you were seriously difpofed to bring forward the plan of a treaty for the confideration of the government of the United States, and being alfo convinced that the subject had been fo fully difcuffed, and fo well understood, as not to require much time to accomplish it; I informed you that I should embark for America in June; and although you objected to it in the first inftance, you afterwards appeared to be fully convinced of the neceffity of it, and promised to digeft the plan proposed without delay, and to fend it to me for examination. I conferred with you at different times on the expediency of fending a minister to Philadelphia, to complete the negotiation, and you promised to confider of it.

At length the Sophia arrived, and a few days afterwards you informed me that I might make myfelf quite eafy; that France did not with a war with the United States; that the had no thoughts of it; that the American affairs were then before the Executive Directory, and that every thing would be arranged to my wifhes. I again flated the neceffity of fending a minifter to America to complete the negotiation; you faid you would propofe one to the Executive Directory. This I could not fuppofe was for the purpose you have fince ftated, of refiding there after the ratification of the treaty.

Thus were matters circumftanced until the arrival of the gazettes containing the dispatches of the envoys to their government, which gave a more than momentary turn to your corre

fpondence

fpondence with me. When I informed you that I should embark in the Sophia as foon as the could be fitted for the fea, there was ftill time to finish the plan of the treaty, and to fend it by me, if expedient. You defired me to remain here; I told you my return was indifpenfable; and gave you no other reason-I thought that fufficient. You conceive it depended upon me to be publicly received by the Executive Directory; but our opinions are different on this point. A government fends three envoys to treat with another government; this rejects two of them, and proposes to treat with the third. Candour must admit, I think, that the latter cannot accept the propofal without transferring, in this inftance, the executive authority of his government, who would only have nominated three envoys to the foreign government, which would have appointed one of them. You fay that if my powers were altered by the departure of my colleagues, yet on my own hypothefis I ought to have referred the queftion to my government, and in the interim to have fixed with you, by a calm and amicable difcuffion, all the contentious points of our differences. If my government, as you repeatedly have afferted, was apprized before the 20th of March of the propofition to treat with me separately, it is evident that it was not difpofed to fend me new powers, for the Sophia failed on the 28th of that month; and knowing this, you still urged me to make the application. I have been always ready, and, had you come forward with the project of a treaty, would have entered into a calm and amicable conference with you on every part of it, but not into a formal epiftolary difcuffion, which was not propofed till fome time after I was ready to embark, was only relative to the confular convention which will foon expire, was contrary to my ftipulation relative to conferences in which you acquiefced, and would have required months to be completed.

You was the firft, you affirm, to prefs feriously the negotiation; you will agree with me, that the merit would have been greater, had the measure itself been feasible. You frequently remind me of your exertions, which I am difpofed as much as poffible to appreciate; regretting, at the fame time, their circuitous direction. On my part, I think you will be convinced, that every thing has been done, which circumftances herein truly detailed would admit.

It is with pleasure I learn that the Executive Directory is still ready, and is as much difpofed as ever to terminate by a liberal negotiation the differences which fubfift between the two countries. This difpofition has always exifted on the part of the government of the United States. A negotiation then, if fet on foot free from all propofitions of loans and explanations of speeches, to be held if neceffary in a city of fome neutral nation, and providing for a decifion by three or five commiffioners, of all points which may 322

not

not be determined by direct negotiation, would ftill be accompanied, in my opinion, with fuccefs; but, having no authority, I cannot make the propofition.

A preliminary measure appears to be requifite, in which the dignity of this government is as deeply concerned as the intereft of the United States. The depredations, outrages, and cruelties committed on our commerce and citizens in the Weft Indies, and on our coafts, by French privateers, fome of which it is faid have no commiffions, are feldom paralleled amongft civilized nations. It is faid that this government has not been early apprized of these events, which have been a great source of irritation to the United States, and a principal caufe of the repreffive measures adopted by them. A recall of the oppreffive commiffions of the privateers, and reftraining them by fevere penalties to the proper objects of capture, cannot fail to have a happy effect.

You claim a promife of my good offices as a private citizen in America. Thefe fhall not be wanting to reprefent truly every measure of this government; and to render fuccessful all fuch as may be well adapted to effect a reconciliation. This is all that can be expected of me, and the duty which I owe to my country will require it. And now, Citizen Minifter, having given you a teftimony of my efteem, fuch as refults from a frank and candid conduct, I bid you adieu, wishing fincerely a speedy renewal of amity and commerce between the two republics.

1

Accept, Citizen Minister, the assurances of my perfect confideration.

E. GERRY.

Letter from the Minifter of Foregin Affairs to Mr. Gerry.

Paris, 4 Thermidor (July 22).

PLEASE, Sir, to permit me to lay a particular stress on the two laft paragraphs of your anfwer of the 20th inftant, to my letter of the 24th Meflidor. Eafy as it may be to rectify the preceding ones, to attempt it would be returning to no purpose into the circle of digreffions. It is but natural that I fhould feel what, under the exifting circumstances, you imagine you owe to your government; and this confideration would alone fuffice to ftop me, if I fet a lefs value on the attainment of a conciliation. You again obferve to me, that the government of the United States has invariably been difpofed to fettle by arbitration the differences that fubfift between the two republics. This new affurance, at a moment when it holds out the appearance of hoftilities, cannot but moderate their effects; but let a fincere, loyal, and truly friendly act speedily realize thefe difpofitions. Though they are far from being very prominent in the answers of the Prefident to

the

the addreffes that have been prefented to him from the different parts of the United States, it is a pleasure to me to discover in thefe expreffions nothing but political expediency. I do not however augur lefs favourably of the real intentions which you profefs in its name; and I would not have requested you to guarantee the fuccefs of the first proof which it shall be willing to give of these intentions, if the Executive Directory that was ready to receive you had not adopted a fixed refolution in that refpect. A negotiation may therefore be renewed even at Paris, where I flattered myself you experienced nothing but tokens of friendship, and where a friendly and honourable reception fhall always await an envoy who poffeffes your good qualities. I am ignorant, moreover, Sir, why you should say it is neceffary to lop off from this negotiation every preliminary reference to a loan, and every explanation refpecting the fpeech delivered by the Prefident. Do but take the trouble to perufe anew the propofitions which I tranfmitted to you on the 30th Prairial; they contain all the ideas of the French government; and you cannot difcover a word in them that juftifies your recurring to thofe two questions. An odious intrigue had got hold of the bufinefs; the dignity of the government could not brook this interference, nor would it fuffer the purity of its views to be degraded by fuch an affociation. As to the preliminary measures which you fuggeft, Sir, the government has already anticipated your wishes; informations which they have lately received, acquaint them, it is true, that acts of violence have been committed against the commerce and the citizens of the United States, in the Antilles, and on the coafts. Do them but the juftice to believe that they need only to be informed of the facts, in order to difavow all the proceedings that were contrary to the laws of the republic, or to its decifions. These grievances are now about to be redreffed, and orders are going out to the islands, to reduce every thing to its legal limits, till the moment arrives, when a friendly arrangement between France and the United States fhall have refpectively re-established the two countries in the enjoyment of their treaties. This moment, Sir, cannot arrive too foon. I cannot ceafe to regret that you have been fo reluctant to forward it, convinced, as I always am, that you enjoyed full powers to that effect. Accept my beft wishes for your happy voyage, and the affurance of my perfect confideration.

(Signed) C. M. TALLEYRAND PERIGORD.

Petition

Petition of the Merchants and Ship-owners to the Provifionary Executive Directory of the Batavian Republic.

Amfterdam, August 9.

THERE is fcarce any perfon among us who has not had occafion individually, from the number and preffure of his neceffities, to addrefs his bitter complaints to your bofoms, relative to the hoftile and violent treatment arifing from the rapacity of the French privateers upon the feas, rivers, and even in the harbours of the republic. The unlawful capture of neutral fhips, the feizure and confifcation of the lading, which, as neutral or Batavian property, ought to be held facred, the manifeft and deliberate violation of our territory-thefe are the causes upon which our complaints for thefe fix months paft have been grounded. The perpetrators of thefe injuries, if we are well informed, are not even provided with letters of marque, and have been looked upon by the French garrifons in no other light than a band of pirates. What ftill augments our grief is, that these violations of our rights and our property have been committed by perfons calling themfelves French citizens, and whom it behoved to have acted as friends and brothers. Thefe names, fo dear to our hearts, we had already adopted, and we dared to flatter ourselves that our allies would have been equally ftruck with the danger which threatened the facred bands of our alliance, as well as the manifeft rectitude of our claims. We had fondly flattered ourfelves, that our allies, who are furely not too great to be juft, would ere this have been occupied with an inveftigation of thefe abuses, and the immediate remedy of them; but this hope ftill remains ungratified, and the evil increafes.-The illicit practices are continued: indeed, fo openly glaring and infolent are these violations of all right and juftice, that, to fay nothing of the total ruin of our navigation, the political and moral confequences refulting from them are fuch, that their bitterness not all the love of our country will be able to foften! We have already preferred our complaints to you individually, fince which the partial evils complained of have become general, and have united us in the purfuit of redrefs. The avarice of French privateers has brought plunder to a regular fyftem; we therefore come forward in a mafs, and in the name of the whole committee, to claim all your vigilance for obtaining juftice for our excellent colleagues. We prefent to your view the diftreffing picture; a picture which we however with to confign to oblivion, but not to obliterate the crimes of our faithlefs enemies; for in prefenting this picture, we only perform an inferior part of our duty; unhappily another portion more important ftill remains, which is, to denounce to you a fyftem of piracy, unprecedented both in respec

to