: and confident that he could convince them of their error, went on board the fchooner with the fhip's papers, but as foon as he got on board the schooner, which proved to be the Flying Fish, a French republican privateer, which had a few days before failed from Philadelphia, the mafter's name not made known to this appearer, but a perfon on board, who declared himself to be owner, was named Paris, and gave his address to this appearer, as refiding at No. 399, in Front-ftreet North, in this city of Philadelphia; they took his papers, which they kept, and without examining them, declared the fhip to be a good prize that this appearer expoftulated with them on the impropriety of fuch conduct towards American fhips and the property of their citizens, but all the answer he could obtain in return was, that they had good information from feveral refpectable houfes in Philadelphia, one in particular, which they faid was one of the first American houfes there, that the fhip had naval ftores on board, and they would not at first be convinced of the contrary; at length he prevailed on them to examine his manifeft, port clearance, and register, and they finding no fuch naval stores on board, they did not then feem to doubt but that she was loaded, as the actually was, with the articles mentioned in her manifeft, which are coffee, rum, sugar, ftaves, fuftic, and logwood; the only plea they then made was, that fince our treaty with Great Britain they had orders, and were determined, to take every American veffel bound to or from any English port, even on fufpicion of their going to them; they forced all the paffengers, officers, and crew of the thip (except a French cook and Spanish feaman belonging to her, and who appeared to be difpofed to remain) from on board the fhip into the privateer fchooner, which mounts fix nine pounds cannon, with mufkets, and feventyfive men; Paris, the owner, faid that he had a lift-of-fhips that he had information of, and thofe which had already failed he was determined to take; their names were as follow-the faid fhip Mount Vernon, the Atlantic, the William Penn, the Philadelphia, the Dominick Terry (the laft with flour for Jamaica), and fome others, which he would not mention; that having forced the whole of the paffengers and crew (except the Spanish feaman and French cook) out of the fhip, without even fuffering them to take all their baggage, and having taken full poffeffion of the fhip and cargo, the privateer ftood into Cape Henlopen Road, and fent them all on board a pilot boat; and this appearer.arrived at this port of Philadelphia about noon this day, and now defires to proteft, requiring an act of me the faid notary, to avail him when and where needful and neceffary, referving to himfelf to extend this protest more amply, and to fupport the fame by his officers and crew, on their oaths, as may be requifite. (Signed in the original) GEO. G. DOMINICK. VOL. V. I i Where Whereupon I, the faid notary, have protefted, and, by thefe prefents do folemnly proteft, as well against the faid priva teer fchooner Flying Fish, her owners, officers, and crew, as against the French Republic, and all whom it fhall, doth, or may concern, for the capture and detention of the faid fhip Mount Vernon and cargo, that all loffes, cofts, charges, breaches of charter-party, or bills of loading, may be fubmitted unto, fuffered and borne, by thofe to whom of right it may belong. Thus done and protefted.-Quod manu et figillo Notarii attestor, CLEMENT BIDDLE, Not. Pub. And on the thirteenth day of the fame month of June, 1796, before me the faid notary, came Robert Robertfon, chief mate of the fhip Mount Vernon, and being duly fworn according to law, on their folemn oaths depofe and fay, that the facts herein in the foregoing or annexed protest set forth are just and true; and the faid Robert Robertson, on his oath further deposes and fays, that while on board of faid fchooner privateer Flying Fith, (L. S.) Paris, the owner of the privateer, endeavoured to perfuade him to remain on board, and offered to make him prize-master of the first American veffel they fhould take, and other gratifi cations were offered him by officers of the faid privateer to induce him to remain, which he refufed to accept or comply with with contempt. (Signed in original) ROBT. ROBERTSON, Sworn as above before me, (L. S.) CLEMENT BIDDLE, Not. Pub. From the LONDON GAZETTE, August 13, 1796, Downing-freet, Aug. 13. AN explanatory article to the treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation, between his Majefty and the United States of America, was concluded and figned at Philadelphia on the 4th day of May laft by Phineas Bond, Efq. on the part of his Ma jefty, and by Timothy Pickering, Efq. on the part of the United States; and the fame has been duly ratified by the two contracting parties. Letter Lotter from the American Ambassador to the Court of London, Mr. King, to the American Conful, Mr. Johnson. DEAR SIR, Baker-freet, Sept. 10 THAVE juft received a letter from Mr. Monroe, dated Paris, Aug. 28, in which he informs me, that in confequence of the publication in the gazettes, of the letter from the minister of foreign affairs to M. Barthelemi, the ambaffador at Balle, he had applied for information, whether orders were iffued for the feizure of neutral veffels, and had been informed that no "fuch order was iffued;" and further, " that none fuch would be "iffued, in cafe the British government did not authorife the "feizure of our veffels." Suppofing that this information might be ufeful to thofe concerned in our commerce, I have not delayed communicating it to you, and with you to be fo obliging as to let it be known to fuch of our countrymen concerned in commerce as you may meet with. THE period for a new election of a citizen to adminifter the executive government of the United States being not far diftant, and the time actually arrived when your thoughts muft be employed in defignating the perfon who is to be clothed with that important truft, it appears to me proper, efpecially as it may conduce to a more diftinct expreffion of the public voice, that I fhould now apprife you of the refolution 1 have formed to de cline being confidered among the number of those out of whom a choice is to be made. I beg you, at the fame time, to do me the juftice to be affured, that this refolution has not been taken without a ftrict regard to all the confiderations appertaining to the relation which binds a dutiful citizen to his country, and that, in withdrawing the tender of fervice, which filence in my fituation might imply, I am influenced by no diminution of zeal for your future intereft; no I i2 deficiency deficiency of grateful refpect for your past kindness; but am fupported by a full conviction that the ftep is compatible with both. The acceptance of, and continuance hitherto in the office to which your fuffrages have twice called me, have been a uniform facrifice of inclination to the opinion of duty, and to a deference for what appeared to be your defire. I conftantly hoped that it would have been much earlier in my power, confiftently with motives which I was not at liberty to difregard, to return to that retirement from which I had been reluctantly drawn. The ftrength of my inclination to do this, previous to the last election, had even led to the preparation of an addrefs to declare it to you; but mature reflection on the then perplexed and critical pofture of our affairs with foreign nations, and the unanimous advice of perfons entitled to my confidence, impelled me to abandon the idea. I rejoice that the ftate of your concerns, external as well as internal, no longer renders the pursuit of inclination incompa tible with the fentiment of duty or propriety; and am perfuaded, whatever partiality may be retained for my fervices, that in the prefent circumstances of our country, you will not disapprove my determination to retire. The impreflions with which I firft undertook the arduous truft were explained on the proper occafion. In the discharge of this trust I will only fay, that I have, with good intentions, contributed towards the organization and adminiftration of the government, the beft exertions of which a very fallible judgment was capable. Not unconscious in the outfet of the inferiority of my qualifications, experience in my own eyes, perhaps still more in the eyes of others, has ftrengthened the motives to diffidence of myfelf; and every day the increafing weight of years admonithes me more and more that the fhade of retirement is as neceffary to me as it will be welcome. Satisfied that if any circumillances have given peculiar value to my fervices, they were temporary; I have the confolation to believe, that while choice and prudence invite me to quit the political fcene, patriotifm does not forbid it. In looking forward to the moment, which is intended to terminate the career of my public life, my feelings do not permit me to fufpend the deep acknowledgment of that debt of gratitude which I owe to my beloved country, for the many honours it has conferred upon me: ftill more for the ftedfaft confidence with which it has fupported me; and for the opportunities I have thence enjoyed of manifefting my inviolable attachment, by fervices faithful and perfevering, though in usefulness unequal to my zeal. If benefits have refulted to our country, from thefe fervices, let it always be remembered to your praife, and as an instructive example in our annals, that under circumftances in which the paffions, agitated in every direction, were liable to mislead, amidst appear appearances fometimes dubious, viciffitudes of fortune often dif couraging, in fituations in which not unfrequently want of fuccefs has countenanced the spirit of criticifm, the conftancy of your fupport was the effential prop, of the efforts, and a guarantee of the plans by which they were effected. Profoundly, penetrated with this idea, I fhall carry it with me to, my grave, as a strong incitement to unceafing vows, that heaven may continue to you the choiceft tokens of its beneficence, that your union and brotherly affection may be perpetual that the free conftitution, which is the work of your hands, may be facredly maintained; that its administration in every department may be ftainped with wifdom and virtue; that, in fine, the happiness of the people of these itates, under the aufpices of liberty, may be made complete, by fo careful a prefervation and fo prudent a ufe of this bleffing, as will acquire to them the glory of recommending to the applause, the affection, and adoption of every nation which is yet a ftranger to it. Here, perhaps, I ought to ftop. But folicitude for your welfare, which cannot end but with my life, and the apprehension of danger, natural to that folicitude, urge me, on an occafion like the prefent, to offer to your folemn contemplation, and to recommend to your frequent review, fome fentiments, which are the refult of much reflection, of no inconfiderable obfervation, and which appear to me all important to the permanency of your felicity as a people. Thefe will be offered to you with the more freedom, as you can only fee in them the difinterefted warnings of a parting friend, who can poffibly have no personal motive to bias his counfel. Nor can I forget, as an encouragement to it, your indulgent reception of my fentiments on a former and not diffimilar occafion. Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your heart, no recommendation of mine. is neceffary to fortify or confirm the attachment. The unity of government, which conftitutes you one people, is alfo now dear to you. It is juftly fo; for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the fupport of your tranquillity at home, your peace abroad; of your fafety of your profperity of that very liberty which you fo highly prize. But as it is easy to forefee, that from different caufes, and from diffe fent quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed, to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth; as this is the point in your political fortrefs against which the batteries of internal and external enemies will be moft conftantly and actively (though covertly and infidiously) directed, it is of infinite moment that you fhould properly estimate the immenfe value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness; that you thould cherish a cordial, habitual, and immoveable attach |
