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NATIONAL CONVENTION.
September 14.
The president and members of the
Jacobin club of Paris came to the bar
. of the convention, to demand the can
celling of the decree lately palled by
the convention, by which it is enabled
that the fortunes of the English lhall
not be confifcated. Ihe Jacobins in
filled, in the strongest terms, that the
property of the Englilh be included
in the decree of confifcation ; they rc
prefented, that such a mealure would
ruin the commerce of Great Britain,
and create divilions, trouble, arid a
revolution in England, a circiimftance
which would doubtless enable the fans
culottes to make a defeent upon Great
Britain.
1 his petition being converted into
amotion, was decreed, charging at the
lame time rhe committee of public wel
fare to present fre'fli ideas on this fub
jed. ‘
September 15.
On the motion of Charlier, it was
I decreed, that all the young males,
I from the age of 18 to 25, of whatever
! profeffion or Ration, fliall be forced to
I join the armies within the period of
f time preferibed.
September 16.
! The minister at war transmitted the
following extraft of a letter from ge-
I ncral Carteau, dated September to :
“ Having let out on the Bth, at
I seven o’clock in the morning, we af-
rived at the passes of Olioulles ; the
I Spaniards and the Englilh occupied
j the heights on the right, the rebels
f thole on the left. I was soon per’
j ceivcd by the enemy ; the cry of 7 live
1 Louis XVII. was resounded from their
| fide, accompanied with reproaches
1 and the difeharge of mulketry. At
j mid-day I ordered the attack ; at two
j o’clock the entity were dispersed.
| We killed 150 of their men, and took
’ p great number of prisoners ; tw oof
. their colours were taken. We 101 l
: only one man, and had but two
! wounded.” (Applauded.)
A letter front Andrew Dumont an
nounced the arreit of the former duke
of Bethune-Charoft, who was prepar
ing to fly to England. Charoft was
, failing :u a boat near the Ihore—lee
ing an Englilh fltip at fonte distance,
he clefired the boatman to row him
towards it.—The boatman having re
filled it, the duke instantly dilcharged
a pistol at him, fortunately without
, effect. He immediately jumped into
the fca, and the boatman plunging
in after him, came up with him and
brought him to land. Twenty-five
millions of livres were found upon him.
The national commiflioners at Per
pignan have addrefi’ed the following
letter to the departments forming the
divilion of the army of the Ealfern
Pyrennees :
“ For fifteen days we have de
manded youfi afliltance. You have
given us promises, but no men. The
enemy approach—what do you wait
for ? If you wait till they fliall mas
, fiacre you in your houses, the time
will iborr arrive. Do you mean to
lurrender your cities in the fame man
ner as Toulon has been surrendered l
Be assured the enemy rely more on
! their gold than their llrength—ln the
: middle of such important events-—you
; linger—you sleep.—Hear us, and at*
j tend to this tremendous truth :—lf in
eight days, 10,000 men assemble not
at Salces, no consolation but that of
death will remain for republicans, and
nothing but remorle for cowards.—
Perpignan, Sept. 6.”
\ On the different houses of Perpig
f nan, this infeription is placed :
“ Whoever fliall propole to capitulate
ihall be puniflied with death.”—
ifKound the tree of liberty are these
i \vt-rdc :—“ The inhabitants fweor an
ruai hatred to the fattHites of def
fiji.” At the entrance of every
ih*.. v, this declaration is printed :
“ Fk ‘reuJi republicans give up to
the execration of the human race-,
every person who makes an attempt
upon the life of an old man, woman,
or child.”
Saturday, September gi.
Barrere made his report on the na
vigation a@ -after which “the follow”
ing articles Vere decreed :
I. All treaties of commerce and
navigation, existing between France
and the powers with which she is at
peace, fliall be executed according to
their tenour, without any infringe
ment by the present decree.
11. After the firft of January, 1793,
no veil'd fliall be reckoned French,
unless built in France, or in her colo
nies.
111. No Englilh merchandise fliall
be imported into France, or the French
colonies, but by French veflels.
IV. Foreign vessels are not to trans
port merchandize from one French
port to another, under penalty of con-
fifcation.
V. The duties are to have a frefh
regulation.
VI. The present decree fliall be
publiflied all over the republic, and
transmitted by the minister for foreign
affairs to the neutral powers.
The convention, beiide, decreed,
that the report of Barrere flioukl he
printed, and translated into the differ
ent languages.
September 26.
Barrere, in a very long speech, at
tempted to vindicate the committee
of public welfare from the reproaches
which their late conduct in the change
of the command of the armies had oc
casioned. “ I own, incontrovertible
fads (fays lie) fender Houchard ex
tremely suspicious. iff- That after
the defeat of the Englilh, he did not
force them into the sea. 2dly, That
he did not cut in pieces the Dutch
troops, which he had surrounded
3dly, That he did not fuccour our
troops, which were llaughtered in a
reserve near Cambray. 4thly, That
he abandoned Mehin, and tuttered \Ue
rear of his retreating army to be but
chered by the allies. Thele I acts can
not but inspire a very unfavourable
opinion of a man who, stepping forth
from the rank of a legion as a private
soldier, became the commander in
chief of one of the molt important ar
mies of the republic.”
He added, that if these fads were
fufficient to juftify the dilmiffion of
Houchapd, the choice of so flout and
relpedable a fans culotte as Jourdan
for his successor, could not require a
juftification. Applauded.
A letter was read from the repre
sentatives of the people, dated Arras,
September 26, 1793:
“ General Houchard and his etat
major, are guilty, in the eyes ofper
fons of the leaf! penetration, in not
having taken advantage of victories
obtained by our brave soldiers, in
lpite of the perfidious orders given by
the etat major, which did not conform
to the plan agreed on, and had formed
one for an entire rout. They have
been lufpended and put under arrest.
“ We have difeovered his corres
pondence with the prince—We find
by it, that our armies were confided
to the friend of our enemies, the
creature of Cufline. Thus the duke
of York, finding that the loldiers had
rendered vain the means taken, to
have us cut to pieces before Hond
fchoote, exclaimed in a plaintive man
ner—“ We are betrayed !”
“ The anny is republican ; it fees
with pleasure a traitor delivered up
to justice and the representatives of
the people watching over the generals.
“ The republic will triumph solely
by the intrepidity of the loldiers.—
Hitherto the country has had only to
complain of the treachery of its chiefs.
If fome have occasionally given cause
for complaint, it is not the toldier who
is guilty, but it is the result of the ill
will and perfidy of fome cf the in
triguers, who command, and ought
to be accuicd.”
CONGRESS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
TurJ Jay, December 3.
The secretary of the senate, inr.
Qtis, informed the houle, that the
members of the senate were waiting
to receive the members of the houle
of representatives, in the senate cham
ber, in order to meet the president of
the United States :_-Whereupon the
members, preceded by their fpeaker
and clerk, repaired to the senate
chamber.
Exaftly at 12 o’clock the president
arrived, accompanied by the secretary
of slate, the secretary of the trealury,
the secretary at war, and the attorney
general, &c. and in the presence of
a large aflemblage of citizens and fo
feigners, delivered to both houles the
following address :
Fellow citizens of the senate and
of the house of representatives,
Since the commencement of the term
for which I have been again called In
to office, no fit occasion has arisen for
exprefling, to my fellow-citizens at
large, the deep and refpeftful lenle
which I feel, of the renewed testimony
of public approbation. While on the
one hand, it awakened my gratitude
for all thole inflances of afl'eftionate
partiality, with which I have been
honoured by my country ; on the
other, it could not prevent an earnest
wilh for that retirement, from which
no private consideration should ever
have torn me. But influenced by the
belief, that my conduft would be efli.
mated according to its real motives ;
and that the people, and the au
thorities derived from them, would
support exertions having nothing per
sonal for their object, I have obeyed
the fuffrage which commanded me to
resume the executive power ; and I
humbly implore that Being, on whose
will the fate of nations depends, to
crown with fuccef’s our mutual endea
vours for the general happiness.
As fcm u* v,-Ar in £>vtvoi ko'l
embraced those powers with whom
the United States have the mod ex
tenllve relations, there was reason to
apprehend that our intercourle with
them might he interrupted, and our
disposition for peace drawn into ques
tion, by the suspicions too often en
tertained by belligerant nations. It
seemed therefore to be my duty, to
admonifli our citizens of the conse
quences of a contraband trade, and of
hoflile acts to any of the parties; and
to obtain, by a declaration of the ex
ilting legal slate of things, an earlier
admiftion of our right to. the immuni
ties belonging to our situation. Under
theie impreflions the proclamation
which will be laid before you, was if
hied.
In thispofture of affairs, both new
and delicate, I resolved to adopt ge
neral rules, which should conform to
the treaties, and assert the privileges
of the Uniied States. Theie were
reduced into a system, which will be
communicated to you. Although 1
have not thought myfelf at liberty to
forbid the taleof prizes, permitted by
our treaty of Commerce with France
to be brought fiuo our ports; I have
not refufed to cube them to be re
stored, when the) were taken within
the protection of our territory ; or
by vessels cominilflored or equipped in
warlike form within the limits of the
United States-
It rests with the wifiom of con
gress to correft, improve, or enforce
this plan of procedure ; and it will
probably be found expedient t\ extend
the legal code, and the jurikifition of
the courts of the United States, to
many cases which, though dependant
on principles already recognized, de
mand fome further provilions.
Where individuals filial!, within the
United States, array themselves in
hostility againff any of the powers at
war ; or enter upon military expcdL
tionsor enterprizes within the jurif
diftion of the United States ; or usurp
and exercise judicial authority within
the United States, or where the* pe
nalties on violations of the law or na
tions may have been indiftinftly mark,
cd, or are inadequate ; theie offences
cannot receive too early and dole an
attention, and require prompt and de
cillve remedies.
Whatever these remedies may be,
they will be well adminiflered by the
judiciary, who poffels a long eflab
liflied course of investigation, effectual
process, and officers in the hab'.t of
executing it. In like manner, as se
veral of the courts have doubted, un
der particular circumstances, their
power to liberate the veflels of a na
tion at peace, and even of a citizen of
the United States, although seized un
der a falfe colour of being hcff le pro
perty ; and have denied their power
to liberate certain captures within the
protection of our territory ; it would
i’eem proper to regulate their jurif
diftion in these points- Bat if the
executive is to be the re ore in ei
ther of the two lass mentioned
cases, it is hoped that it will be au
thorifed by law to have fads afeer
tained by the courts, when for his
own information he ihall request it.
I cannot recommend to your notice
measures for the fulfilment of our du
ties to the rest of the world, without
again prefling upon you the neceflity
of placing ourselves in a condition of
complete defence, and of exacting
from them the fulfilment of their du
ties towards us. The United States
ought not to indulge a persuasion, that,
contrary to the order of human events,
they will for ever keep at a distance
those painful appeals to arms, with
which the history of every o her na
tion abounds. There is a rank due to
the United States among nations,
which will be withheld, if not ablo
lutely loft, by the reputation of weak
ness. If we desire to avoid irffiilt, we
mult be aide to repel it ; if we dclire
to secure peace, one of the moft pow
erful instruments of our rising proifie
rity, it mult be known, that we,
at all times ready for war.
The documents which will be pre
sented to you, will fliew the amount,
and kind of arms and military stores
now in our magazines and arsenals 5
and yet an addition even to theie sup
plies cannot with pfudence be negleft
ed, as it would leave nothing to the
uncertainty of procuring a warlike
apparatus in the moment of public
danger. Nor can such arrangements,
with such objects, be ex poled to the
censure or jealousy of the warmefl
friends of republican government*
They are incapable of abuse in the
hands of the militia, who ought to
pofiefs a pride in being the depository
of the force of the republic, and may
be trained to a degree of energy equal
to every .military exigency of the
United States. But it is an enquiry,
which cannot be too solemnly pursued,
whether the aft, “ more effectually
to provide for the national defence,
by eflablifliing an uniform militia
throughout the United States,” has
organized them so as to produce their
full effeft ; .whether your own ex
perience in the several states has not
detested fome imperfeftions in the
icheme ; and whether a material fea
ture in an improvement of it ouglit
not to be, to afford an opportunity lor
the study of those bs'anches of the
military art, which can scarcely ever
be attained by practice alone?
The connefticn of the United States
with Europe has become extreme'./
interesting. Ihe occurrences wjtich
relate to it, and have passed under the
knowledge of the executive, will fie
exhibited to congress in a subsequent
communication.
When we contemplate the ward
our frontiers, it may be truly affirnv
tfj, that every realonable effort 112 5
beVi made to adjust the causes and
diffxition with the Indians north ol
the OhW v The inftruftions given to
uie commijßoners evince a moderafid