Friday, February 8.
Relations with France.
The following Message was received from the President of the United States:
Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:
In pursuance of the request, in your resolve of yesterday, I lay before you such information as I have received, touching a suspension of the arrêt of the French Republic, communicated to your House by my Message of the 28th of January last. But if the execution of that arrêt be suspended, or even if it were repealed, it should be remembered that the arrêt of the Executive Directory of the 2d of March, 1797, remains in force, the third article of which subjects explicitly and exclusively American seamen to be treated as pirates, if found on board ships of the enemies of France.
JOHN ADAMS.
United States, February 15, 1799.
Extract of a letter from Rufus King, Esq., Minister Plenipotentiary, &c., London, to the Secretary of State, dated 28th November, 1798.
"Annexed I send you a copy of a note from Lord Grenville, respecting the French arrêt transmitted to you with my No. 9. A late French paper contains a second arrêt which postpones the execution of the first."
Lord Grenville to Mr. King.
The undersigned, His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has the honor of communicating to Mr. King, Minister Plenipotentiary for the United States of America, for the information of his Government, that, by a decree, published officially at Paris, it appears to have been declared, in the name of the French Directory, that every person being a native of or originally belonging to neutral countries, or to such as are in amity and alliance with the French Republic, who shall bear any commission under His Majesty, or who shall form a part of the crews of any British ships of war, or other vessels, should, on the proof of that fact alone, be considered and treated as a pirate, and that it has been ordered that this resolution shall be notified to the neutral powers, and to those in alliance with France.
Even this decree, contrary as it is to the usages of every civilized nation, cannot excite any surprise, as proceeding from those in whose name it has been published. To the different powers who are thus insulted, and whose innocent subjects are exposed to the most cruel treatment on the part of a Government professing friendship or alliance with them, His Majesty must leave it to adopt such measures as they will, without doubt, judge necessary, in the case of an outrage hitherto unexampled in the history of the world.
The King, however, feels, that protection is also due from him to those who sail under his flag, either in His Majesty's ships of war, or in other British vessels; His Majesty has, therefore, not hesitated to direct it to be signified to the Commissioner for French prisoners in Great Britain, that the first instance of the execution of this decree shall be followed by the most rigorous retaliation against the French prisoners, whom the fortune of war has already, or may hereafter place at the King's disposal.
It would certainly never be but with extreme reluctance that the King could yield to the painful necessity of exposing so many unfortunate individuals to the fatal but inevitable effects of this atrocious decree; but His Majesty will have at least the satisfaction of feeling that nothing has been omitted on his part to prevent its execution, and that the authors of it can alone be considered responsible for all its guilt and all its consequences.
GRENVILLE.
Downing street, November 27, 1798.
Mr. Livingston moved that this communication be printed.
Mr. Allen objected to the motion as it would delay the consideration of the bill proposing to vest the President with the power of retaliation in certain cases; and it was clear, from this communication, it ought to have no effect upon that bill.
Mr. Livingston said he was not possessed of that intuitive faculty which the gentleman from Connecticut seemed to have, as he seems prepared to act on the bill alluded to, without scarcely hearing this communication read; and, perhaps, without knowing the dates of the different decrees. The President has told the House that though the obnoxious decree has been repealed, there is still left in force another decree. Does the gentleman from Connecticut recollect the words of that decree? Or has he had time to examine whether that decree is really in force, or not? If he had done this, Mr. L. said he had not done it. It would appear, from what happened the other day, that the House ought not to move quite so rapidly in this business. The House was then told by the gentleman from South Carolina, that it was impossible that this information could have been received by the President, because, if it had been received, the President would undoubtedly have immediately sent it to the House. [Mr. Rutledge said, he did not use the word impossible, but improbable.] Mr. L. admitted this might be the word. But it now appears, that the President has not only received the information then alluded to, but received it officially.
Mr. Allen interrupted Mr. L. by withdrawing his motion. The communication was ordered to be printed, and was committed to the same Committee of the Whole to whom was referred the bill vesting the power of retaliation in the President.