Majesty, caused most express inhibitions to be published against the exportation of all warlike ftores to the colonies of his Britannic Majesty in America; and against all fraudulent trade with the faid colonies: and in order that the said prohibitions should be more effectually carried into execution, their High Mightinesses made no difficulty to take fuch further steps as greatly circumfcribed their own navigation, and the trade of their subjects with the Dutch colonies in the West Indies. It was to further the above purposes, that their High Mightineffes fent the most exact orders to all commanders, and governors of their colonies, and fettlements, as well as to the commanders of their ships of war, carefully to abstain from doing, in regard to the American flag, any thing from which could be justly inferred or deduced an acknowledgment of the independency of the said colonies: and it is alfo, especially to the above intent, that their High Mightineffes having received a memorial presented to them by the English Ambassador, full of the heaviest complaints against the Governor of St Euftatia, condescended to deliberate on the faid memorial; though couched in terms little confonant with the regard which fovereign powers owe to each other: the confequence of the faid deliberation was the immediate recall of the faid Governor, whom their High Mightineffes called to an account for his conduct, and who was not permitted to return to his refidence till he had cleared himself of all the charges brought against him, before a court of juftice; a copy of whole proceedings was foon after transmitted to the minister of his Britannic Majefty. By fuch measures as thefe, their High Mightineffes, who always earneftly wished to avoid giving the smallest cause of discontent to his Britannic Majefty, have constantly endeavoured to promote and cultivate perfect harmony; but his Britannic Majesty's conduct towards the Republic has been diametrically oppofite. The differences between the Courts of London and Versailles had fcarcely broke out, when they beheld the ports of England filled with Dutch veffels, which were unjustly feized and detained; these veffels navigated upon the faith of the treaties, and were not laden with any other merchandise than what the exprefs tenor of the treaties had declared free and legal. They beheld thofe free cargoes forced to fubmit to an arbitrary and defpotic authority. The cabinet at St James's knowing no other rule than an affumed right of temporary convenience, thought proper to appropriate thofe cargoes to the ufe of the Crown by a forcible purchafe, and to employ them in the fervice of the King's navy. The most earneft and ferious representations on the part of their High Mightineffes against those proceedings were ineffectual, and it was in vain that they urged, in the strongest manner poffible, the treaty fubfifting between England and the Republic. By this treaty, the rights and liberties of the neutral flag are decifively and clearly ftated. The fubjects of Great Britain had fully enjoyed the advantages of this treaty, in the first and only cafe, wherein it pleafed the Court of London to remain neuter, neuter, whilft the Republic was engaged in a war. Certainly then in a reciprocal cafe that Court could not, without the greatest injuftice, refuse the enjoyment of the fame advantages to the Republic, and as little right as his Britannic Majefty had to withhold the advantageous effects of this treaty from their High Might ineffes, he had as little foundation for attempting to make them quit the neutrality they had embraced, and to force them to plunge into a war, the cause of which related immediately to the rights and poffeffions of his Britannic Majefty lying beyond the limits of defenfive treaties.-And, notwithstanding, this treaty, his Majesty from the commencement of the difference with the Crown of France has made no fcruple of infringing and violating. The trefpaffes and infractions made on this treaty on the part of Great Britain, and the arbitrary decifions of the Courts of Juftice in that kingdom, directly contrary to the exprefs fanction of the fame treaty, multiplied daily. The merchant veffels became the innocent victim of the exactions and accumulated violences of the English men of war and privateers. They did not, however reft there. The very flag of the States was not spared, but openly and outrageously infulted by a hostile attack upon the convoy, under the care of Rear-Admiral Compte de Byland. The ftrongest reprefentations from the States to his Britannic Majefty were difregarded, the ships taken from the convoy were declared good prizes, and this infult on the flag of the Republic was very foon followed by an open violation of their neutral territory, as well in Europe as America. They will content themselves, however, with reciting two examples. At the island of St Martin his Britannic Majefty attacked, and carried away by force feveral veffels that lay at anchor under the cannon of the fort, where, according to the inviolable rights of mankind, the veffels ought to have found a fecure afylum. The infults committed by an armed English veffel on the coaft of the republic, near Goedereede, furnish a fecond example of thofe violations. These infults were carried so far, that many inhabitants of the island, who dwelt on the shore, where they ought to have fuppofed themselves fecure from any disturbance, were expofed, by the violence of the fire from the ships, to fuch imminent danger, that they were forced to retire to the interior part of the island. Yet, for these unheard of proceedings, the republic, notwithstanding the strongest and best founded representations, has not obtained the fmalleft fatisfaction. Affairs being thus fituated, fo that their High Mightineffes had no other alternative left them, but to fee the navigation and commerce of their fubjects, on which the ruin or profperity of their republic alone depends, totally annihilated, or elfe to adopt measures hoftile to their old friend and ally; at this period the Emprefs of Ruffia, urged by a generous magnanimity of difpofition, thought proper to interfere, and with as much affection as humanity invited the republic to take the jufteft measures, and fuch too as were entirely confiftent with the treaty fubfifting between the States and other powers, for for the defending and maintaining, in conjunction with her Imperial Majefty, and the other northern powers, those privileges and immunities which the rights of nations, and the most folemn treaties allowed to neutral flags. This invitation could not but be infinitely agreeable to their High Mightineffes, fince they confidered it as a means of fecuring the undisturbed commerce of their fubjects upon the most solid basis, and as holding out a method of protecting their independence against every infraction, at the fame time that it propofed nothing at all derogatory to the alliance contracted between them and his Britannic Majefty, or the other belligerent powers. But this was a measure of which the Court of London endeavoured to deprive the Republic, by proceeding with precipitation to the most desperate extremities, by recalling their Ambaffador, by the publication of a Manifefto, containing a lift of fictitious grievances, and by granting letters of marque and pretended reprifal against the ftates, their fubjects, and their property, by which violence indeed this Court did nothing more than clearly carry into proof and practice the defigns which they have for a long time foftered, of difregarding the true and effential interefts which connect the two nations, and of destroying the bonds of their ancient amity by an attack fo replete with injuftice. open It will not be at all neceffary to enter into an elaborate refutation of the reasons, and pretended griefs which were alledged in the manifefto, to convince every impartial man of their entire want of folidity. It will be fufficient to observe, in few words, with refpect to the offer which was made by his Britannic Majefty for ing an amicable conference, that the fole object of these conferences could only be this, to take into confideration the naval treaty spoken of above; that the construction of this treaty, conceived as it is, in terms the most clear and exprefs, could not be a fubject of any doubt or equivocation; that it gives the neutral powers a free right of conveying to the belligerent powers all kinds of naval ftores; that the Republic, neither propofing any thing else to themselves, nor defiring any thing more of his Britannic Majefty, than the quiet, undisturbed enjoyment of rights, ftipulated in this treaty, a point fo manifeft, and incontrovertibly equitable, could not perceive any reafon or motive for a negociation, or any other new convention, which must have been derogatory to the treaty in queftion, particularly as their High Mightineffes could not prevail upon themselves, nor experience the leaft difpofition to renounce, voluntarily, rights juftly acquired, nor to defift from their rights by a regard for the Court of England, a renunciation, which, though advantageous to one of the belligerent powers, would be totally incompatible with the principles of neutrality, and by which their High Mightineffes would, from another quarter, have fubjected the State to dangers, which they think it is their duty moft folemnly to avert. A renunciation alfo which would have carried with it a moft irreparable injury to their commerce and navigation, which is the principal fupport of the Republic, and the fource of all their profperity; for the differ ent ent branches of their commerce are feverally fo intimately connected with each other, fo as to form one whole, that it is impoffible to feparate one part of fo principal a nature as was expected by the Court of London, without the entire ruin and deftruction of the general body; not to mention that at this time, when their High Mightineffes made a reasonable difficulty of acceding to the propofed conference, they yet qualified and tempered this effectual exercife of their rights by a provifional refolution. As for the fuccours required, their High Mightineffes cannot diffemble that they never could conceive how his Britannic Majefly thought himself justified to infift, under the most diftant appearance of right or equity, for the affiftance ftipulated by the treaties, at the time when he had already foregone the obligation which they impofed on him towards the Republic. Their High Mightinefles were not less surprised to fee that, whilft the disturbances in America and their direct confequences, could not affect the Republic by virtue of any treaty, and that the affiftance had not been required before the declaration of the Court of Spain had increafed the number of the belligerent powers; his Britannic Majefty had nevertheless taken occafion, from this event, to infist on his demand with so much ardour and earnestness, as if his Majesty had a right to pretend and maintain, that, a war being once kindled between him and fome other power, was alone fufficient to compel the States to grant directly, and without any previous examination, the faid ftipulated affiftance. The Republic, it is true, had bound itself by treaties to aid and affift the kingdom of Great Britain, whenever that power should be attacked or threatened with an unjuft war; the Republic was moreover to declare war in such a cafe, against the aggreffor; but their High Mightineffes never intended to give up that right which is the nature of a defenfive alliance, and which cannot be difputed to the allied powers, to examine first, and before they grant the required affiftance, or take part in the war, the principles of the diffentions which have prevailed; the nature of the differences from which they fprung; as alfo to investigate and maturely weigh the reafons and motives which may inforce the Cafus Fœderis, and which are to form the bafis of the equity and lawfulness of the war, on the part of that confederate State claiming the aforefaid affiftance. There is not a treaty extant, by which their High Mightineffes have foregone the independence of the States, or facrificed their interefts to thofe of Great Britain, fo far as to deprive themselves of the right of so neceffary and indifpenfible an examination; by taking fuch fteps as might infinuate, that they fhould be looked upon as compelled to fubmit to the pleasure of Great Britain, by granting the required affiftance; even when the above court, being at variance with another power, thinks proper to prefer a war to an amicable accommodation on well fupported complaints. It is not therefore through spirit of party, or the scheme of a predominant cabal, but after a mature deliberation, and by a defire of fupporting the dearest interefts of the Republic, that all the pro vincial vincial ftates respectively have, with one voice, teftified they were of opinion, that the affiftance required fhould be politely refufed; and their High Might ineffes would not have failed to communicate to his Britannic Majefty, in confequence of thofe refolutions, an anfwer to the repeated requests for affistance, had they not been prevented from fo doing, by the violent and unprecedented infult offered to the Dutch flag, under the command of Rear-Admiral Byland; by their being refufed redrefs on fo ferious a matter, and by his Majefty's declaration, no lefs ftrange than unjust, in regard to the fufpenfion of the treaties which fubfifted between him and the Republic. These were fo many events, which, as they required deliberations of a different kind, put an end to those which were held in confequence of the aforefaid requifitions. It is in vain, and in oppofition to all truth, that endeavours have been used to multiply the number of grievances, by alledging the fuppreffion of duties on exports, as a measure calculated to facilitate the carrying of naval ftores over to France: for, befides, the said fuppreffion is an object which refpects the interior regulation of commerce, to which all Sovereigns have an uncontroverted right, and for which they are accountable to no one, the matter has been put in deliberation, but never finally refolved upon; fo that those duties are still on the former footing; and what is fet forth refpecting this matter in the manifefto, is totally groundlefs, though it cannot be denied, that the conduct of his Britannic Majefty towards the Republic, furnished their High Mightineffes with but too many motives to justify such a measure on their part. The displeasure of his Britannic Majefty, in regard to what has been done for Paul Jones, is equally groundless. Their High Mightineffes had for many years before given general and pofitive orders for the admiffion into their ports, of all privateers and armed fhips, with their prizes; orders which have been obferved and executed without the leaft exception; in this cafe their High Mightineffes could not defift from fuch orders, in regard to an armed ship, which, provided with a commiffion from the American Congress, was in the Texel, together with the frigates of a fovereign power, without af fuming the part of judges, and giving a decifion in a matter which their High Mightineffes were not obliged to take any cognizance of, and in which it feemed to them contrary to the intereft of the Republic to interfere their High Mightineffes, therefore, thought it beft not to fwerve from the rules established for fo long a time, but refolved to lay the ftrongest injunctions, left the faid privateers and armed hips should take in any warlike stores, and defired them to quit the Road as foon as poffible, without being permitted to fojourn, but juft as long as would prove abfolutely neceffary to repair the damages fuffered at fea; declaring formally at the fame time, that in cafe of a longer delay, their departure fhould be pofitively infifted upon. To this purpose, the commanding officer in the faid Road took care to make every requifite difpofition, the effects of which the privateer of Paul Jones had hardly time to prevent. In regard : to |