tai i, whether there were any intermediate
(tages between a state of peace and a (late
of war ; or in which ftatc the depreda- |
tions of Great Britain (hould technically
b« classed : but one thing was certain and
material: that the United States had sus
tained fubjlantial wrongs which required a
fubjlantial remedy. Gentlemen who h»ve
regarded names and disregarded fubltan
ces, have also been extremely alarmed at
of a discrimination of conduit by
States towards foreign nations.
A gentleman (Mr. Boudinot) observed
yesterday, that the United States had sus
tained injuries from France and Spain as
well as Great Britain, and alked why there
(hould be any diicrimination in their favor.
Mr. Giles said he was extremely hurt, that
the conduct of France (hould be so unne
cefiarily and unopportunely arraigned in
that House. He submitted it to the gen
tlemen to fay, if the United States (hould
be compelled' to enter into the war, which
was at this moment not an improbable e
event; whether it would be wife to irri
tate the only nation in the world who
could afford them any substantial affilt
ance. He said that this conduit was the
less juftifiable from the recollection that
the conduit of France, was the result of
neceflity, and that there was every reason
to conclude, that the conduit of that nation
would be explained in a fatisfactory man
ner. But a confederation mentioned by a
gentleman (Mr. Smith, M.) yesterday,
was a conclusive answer. The United
States owe to Fiance a pecuniary obliga
tion, as well as one of a morefacred nature.
This is at all times fufficient for their in
demnification. With refpeit to Spain, if
the gentleman would (hew the injury sus
tained and point fund for indemnifi
cation, Mr. Giles declared he would not
hesitate a moment to apply it to that ob
jeit.
\
•Vui
But will the gentleman conclude, that
because one nation has injured us in a de
gree, against which we have no redress ;
that therefore we shall not indemnify our
selves from a nation which has injured us
in the extreme, and against which we have
the moit ample redress !
He believed the gentleman's coolness,
his wisdom and his deliberation could not
possibly lezd him to such a result. With
respect to discrimination in the conduct of
States towards foreign nations,
grew out of the character of
KeTpiidnct of other nations towards the
IMm States.
To keep France out of the comparison,
let this indifcrlminate conduct, fp much
applauded, be applied to Great Britain .
and Holland :—Great Britain destroys
our trade, plunders our property, and to
her injuries! adds insults and contempt—
Holland engaged in the fame cause, fofters
our trade, and refpedts us as a nation.
Under these circumstances do gentlemen
contend that an indiscriminate conduct is
due to Great Britain and to Holland}
Or do they mean to carry this delicate in
discriminate conduct so far as to refufe to
themselves all redress from one nation ;
because they would wilh to deal out the
fame conduct to all others, whether they
had offended or not ? He said that discri
mination was damped in the front of the
conduct of foreign nations towards us;
and to make an indiscriminate return
would be the worst and most unjust of all
discriminations. He hoped gentlemen
would pardon him, but he could not help
thinking that they had carried their ideas
upon this fubjeft to the most fanciful ab
surdities. A gentleman (Mr. Smith, S.C.)
yesterday remarked, that of late the con
dition of war had been much ameliorated
as it regards the rights of property, and
he thought the amelioration ought to be
extended rather than abridged. Mr. Giles
declared that he heartily joined him in his
wifties, that the condition of war would
ere long be ameliorated both as it regards
property and persons.. He hoped that
mankind would soon learn more wisdom
than to butcher each other for the amuse
ment or security of the privileged orders
of the world. From that source he be
lieved all wars arose, and until the cause
was banilhed f-om the earth, he feared
the fatal effects resulting from it would
continue to exist. He declared that he
ihould view the banishment of the privile
ged orders from the world, as the surest
harbinger of the approach of the milleni
um. But this is not the happy period of
the world—For although the United
States are free from this pest of the hu
man species in their internal organization ;
yet the evils, they at this moment experi
euce, arift from their external intercourse I
with that part of the world which is less
fortunate. The attack made on the Unit
ed States at this it.onierit, is an attack up
upon property, if thert fjiould be a war
between the United States and Great Bri
tain ;it will be a war of property. Un
less there should be a species of madness in
the nation not to be calculated upo'n, they
cannot think of invaiion and lubjugation.
It is known that the United States cannot
make an attack upon Grest Britain ; and
territory' and con Que ft with them are no
objects. Hence the war will be confined
to depredations upon property. This is
the moll dishonorable species of warfare,
and therefore the more to be regretted.
There is this obvious diftinftion however
between the United States and Great Bri
tain. With Great Britain, at leajl with
the privileged orders, it is matter of choice
—with the Ut/!ted States it is matter of
compuliion—the United States despise
this mode of warfare—they covet not the
property of any nation upon earth, but
felf-prefervatiori demands it. T hey are
under the strong hand of a powerful nation,
despising their rights, and regardless of
justice. In this state of things there is but
little hope of strengthening the sacred ties
of property —For in the example of Great
Britain, her late conduct, can farnifh no
consolation for these theoretic {pecula
tions; and however the United might be
inclined to practice upon them, yet the
Briiifh depredations will forbid them—for
submission will be an invitation to new
acts of aggrefiion—he mod ardently wish
ed the state of things were otherwise, but
exposed to these inconveniences, the mod
effectual means ought to be adopted for
their refiltancc.
(To be continued.)
Tuesday, April 8.
The Speaker laid before the house, a re
port from the Secretary of the Treasury, on
the representation of the legislature of the
state of Kentucky, refpefting the adjustment
of a claim for the expense of sundry expe
ditions against the Indians.
The committee appointed to bring in a
bill to fortify the city of Annapolis, are Mr.
Murray, Mr. Jeremiah Smith, and Mr. Wil
liams.
On motion made' and seconded to agree
to the following resolution:
Resolved, That a committee be appointed
to examine and report on the praChcabdii/
of obtaining a statement of the principles,
on which the accounts of the individual states
with the United States have been fettled,
and a statement of the several credits allowed
in the said settlement. Negatived—Yeas 59 —
Nays 56.
Yeas —MefTrs. Bailey, Blount, C'nriftie,
Claiborne, Dawfon, Gilbert, Gillefpie, Glen,
Gordon, Greenup, Grove, Hancock, Harri
fon, Heath, Irvine, Latimer, Locke, Macon,
Madilon, M'Dowell, M.:banc, Moore, Neville
New, N.cholas, Page, Parker, Rutherford,
Scott, Smilie, Sprigg, Treadweil, Van Allen,
Van Cortlandt, Van Gaafbeck, Walker,
Watts, Williams, and Winiton.
Nays—Messrs. Ames, Armltrong, Bald
win, Beatty, S. Bourne, B. Bourn, Cadwa
lader, Clark, Cobb, Coffin, Coit, Ccles, Day
ton, Dearborn, Dent, Dexter, Fiadley, Fitzfi
mons, Forreft, Folter, Giles, Gil.nan, Good
hue, Gregg, Griffin, Hartley, Heifter, Hill
houfe, Holten, Hunter, Kittera, Learned, Lee,
Lyman, Malbone, Montgomery, Muhlenberg,
Murray, Niles, Pickens, Sedgwick, Sher
bourne, J. Smith, I. Smith, S. Smith, W.
Smith, Swift, Thatcher, Tracy, Trumbull,
Venable, P. Wadfworth, J. Wadfworth,
Ward, Wingate, and Winn.
A committee was appointed to feleft such
of the confidential communications made by
the President on the 24th February lalt, as
are proper to be made public.
Wednesday, April 9.
In committee of the whole on the motion
of zd instant, to prohibit all commercial in
tercourse between the the United
States and the fubjeifts of Great
Britain or Ireland, so lame fliall
refpeft articles of the grovmi or manufac
ture of Great Britain or Ireland, after some
debate, progress was reported.
Mr. Heath reported a bill to amend the ast
intituled, " An acfl to enable the officers and
soldiers of the Virginia line on continental
establishment, to obtain titles to certain lands
lying northwest of the river Ohio, between
the little Miami and Sciota.
L. —
From the SkdJLEM GAZETTE.
Mr. Cushing,
T AM „ r .f rt- . . „
f'«r
I AM a high foil of liberty—and sin
cerely wifli the guillotine may be the portion
of every one who does not think as 1 do. I
am a true friend to the freedom of the press
—and think the Printers ought to put tfa •
freely every thing offered them on the right
fide of public queltions—and to be turned
out of their employment if they publish on
the wrong fide. lam considerably older
than you are, Mr. Cutting, and am there
fare wiser by the experience ofcage; and
besides, I have more monev, and have for- 1
merly been a member of the' House, and mult
therefore be allowed to know more about
politics than you, or even than men of equal
age and property with myfelf, who have
been conan£d to the riarrofy waiks of private
life. These things being considered, it will
plainly appear, that I ought to keep an eye
over the Editors of newspapers ; for if these
fourcesof information become impure, those
who drink of their streams willbe poifonecl —
and if men of my importance don't give
leflfons to the Primers, who will ? The Prin
ters, Mr. Cufhing, have it in their power to
do more good than any class of people what
ever—if they would not contradict each o
ther, they would have none to contradidl
them ; and so they might make all their rea
ders think alike, ail alike—and in the course
of time, I hive no doubt, to even look Alike
—and if you get them all to think, a<ft and
look on the right fide of things, what a hap
py people (hould we be !
Now, Mr. Printer, you did very wrong in
your last, (and I have heard twenty people
fay the fame) to publish the pieces signed
"An Eledlor and " ElTex"—it is your
duty not to publish any thing for tiofe arifto-
dogs, who don't think as I do about
certain men. Don't you fee that they want
to enslave us all—to overset our state govern
ments —to destroy the freedom of thinking,
and speaking our minds about public men
and public measures ? Why 'tis as plain as
the nose in your face—and if you continue to
print for such tyrannical lordlings, you are
no better than a traitor to your country, and
will deserve to be sent to France, to be made
a head fhorte*. Indeed nothing saves you
from present damnation, but the piece which
followed, signed " A Merchant. Now there
you did right, to publish in favor of the old
Patriot ot '75 —only it ought to have put
him up for Governor, inilead of that crafty
anftocrat, Jcdje Cufhing, who wants to sue
all the States.
Now, Mr. Printer, if you mean to con
duct a Free Press, which is eflential to liber
ty, don t print any more for those people
whose sentiments tend to the deftruftion of
all freedom. They are rank old Tories, who
with to throw us into the hands of Great
Britain, as they did in '75. We have now
too many of her friends Hinging us in our
bosom. And mark a certain class, and watch
them narrowly—they are the most danger
ous—l mean some who are continually blus
tering in the llreets about the Britilh, aad
pretend they would facnfke money, limbs
and life, to revenge their in r ulis, .and crulh
their power—when, all the time, they keep
open (hops for the faleof liritifh manufactures,
Which you know are the very sinews of
their strength ; and to cut which, would at
once revenge their injuries, and make the
haughty Briton crawl at our feet.
If you <hould have any more electioneer
ing or political pieces, Mr. Cufhing, fliow
thtm to me, and i will tell you whether they
will do ro prim. T'~T" '
An Enemy to Arijlocrats•
Foreign Intelligence.
is- »
FRANCE.
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Thursday, December 12.
Evening Sitting.
A great number of female citizens de
mand the speedy trial of their incarcera
ted parents and relatives.
President—" The welfare of the peo
ple is the supreme law. It is the law
which di&ated the arrest of fufpefted per
sons. The convention will weigh in ifs
wiidoKi your claims. The law shall pun
iih the guilty and absolve the innocent.—
The convention invites you to wait with
confidence the decision of the law. You
are admitted to the fitting." Applause.
The Convention referred the petition
to the committee of general fafety, and
ordered the President's answer to be in-
ferted the bulletin.
ItllCU UIC U UIJCLIII*
Friday, Dec. 23.
A commifiary of war appeared at the
bar, and wished to be heard, when Tome
contention ensued. \
Bourdon of Oife—" It is truly alion
| idling that you fhouid refufe to hiar a
man who comes to denounce the non-exe
cution of the laws, and to entreat the
Convention to break the chains of 1000
brave Republicans, wholanguifh at Mentz
through ehe neglect of the Minifler at
War."
The CommifTary of. War being per
mitted to speak, said "'When Mentz was
evacuated, the Prussians detained 1000
Frenchmen as hostages, till the expenses
of the departure of our columns, and those
of the hospitals, fhouid be defrayed, and
all their debts paid.
" Tired of their long and rigorous cap
tivity, our unfortunate brothers in arms
obtained leave for one of them to come
to Paiis, to demand the execution of the
law. That citizen is arrived a month a
go. He vainly ran forwards and back
wards tnrough the war offices, and to the
national tve'afury. The one sent him b?ck
to the other, without coming to any point.
Mean while those brave Republicans act.
Sans Shoes, Sans Stockings, Sans Shirts,
Sans Money, Sans everything ! They are
quite naked, and many of them xvM pe
rish through the inclemency win
ter, if the Convention does not relive
them."
Bourdon would not flip this opportu
nity to inveigh mod violently againfl the
Minilter at War; and moved, that Boa
chotte be summoned immediately to the
bar, to account for the delay of rcleafin-r
those hostages.
The Convention decreed, that the mi
nilter be summoned to the bar during the
present fitting. 6
A young maiden complained of the
hard and cruel treatment which (he expe
rienced on the part of her parents, for rc
fufing to marry a man w'hom flic does not
love Referred to the committee of le
gislation.
The Convention patted a long decree,
refpefting the plan of national educa
tion.
Bouchotte, the war minister, appear
ed at the bar, and read several written
documents, tending to clear his conduct
with regard to the TOOO hostages ftif] de
tained at Mentz. He proved, that ever
since the end of last August, he gave or.
ders to pay the enemy the sums stipulated
for the enfranchifement of those hostages
and that he had since feiit confiderabl,
Turns for their support.
r r»;r.
Bourdon of Oife observed, that those
urns ought to have been sent fix tnonths
Jgo. He read a letter signed Brunfwick.,
granting permillion to let pass the sum of
20,0c0 crowns, expended by the priion
ers at Mentz.
Referred to the committee of public
welfare.
Saturday, Dec. 14.
Lecointie of Versailles—" About tbc
latter end of October, we received feyeral
denunciations against an armed force, cal
ling itfelf revolutionary, commanded by
Turlen, Aid-du-camp to General Htu
riot.
The commonalties of Tliieux, Jully,
and others of t'ue dillrift of Meaux, have
been the victims of its robberies. At
Corbeil the fame infamous tranfaftions
have taken place, and the particulars at
tending them are so attrocious as to make
one shrink back n-ith horror.
" On the 30th of November, a detach-
mcniXJr mat armeu iorce, torming a kind
of van-guard, all armed with hangers, and
girded with pistols, entered at ten o'clock
at night the dwelling- of Citizen Gilbon,
the father of a family of eleven children
—an old man, part 75 years of age, jnd
a farmer at Tigery, near Corbeil, who
keeps three ploughs. Having entered
the kitchen, the chief of the horde gave
orders to a piquet of 50 men, forming
the corps of relerve, to remain v ithout
doors, to guard the house and waggon
which followed them.
" He asked what was the name of the
citizens piefent, and who wasthemafter?
Being answered that the latter was in bed,
he went there, forced him to put on his
cloaths, and demanded that all the arms
be delivered up to him. The wife of
Gilbon delivered a hunting-piece, the on
ly article of fire-arms which the house
contained ; then the whole horde seized
the body of old G.lbon, dragged him in
to an adjacent room, (Iruck, bound anj
handcuffeded him with his hands behind
his back, tied them down to his feet, and
covered his head with a sack. Tie wife
and tenfervants, two of whorJPpt fe-
shared the fame fate. Then
those ruffians demanded of Gilbon the
keys of his dnwjrs and chest, " to veri
fy," said they, " if they could not find
some fleurs de-lys, or some other aiticlcs
contrary to law."
" Gilbon prom!fed obedience if they
would untie his hands. They refufed,
searched and wrested from him his keys.
No sooner were the dpors opened, than
the ruffians seized and carried off 26 co
vers, a soup soup and ragoo
spoons, and 3 marked Louis
Gilbon, 2 fnuff boxes, 40 counters, and
2 watches, all made of silver t another
watch in a geld cafe, and various other
effects, efpeciallv a gold cross and a silver
key chain which the wife of Gilbon was
then wearing : They tore the cross from
her neck, faying they would take a proces
verbal of it as fc on as they should be oniet
and easy at Melun, and that those effects
were to be can icd to the waggon which
■ cmaitied before the door with the etai t.
then asked Gilbon, wberrwas
hixcouied specie ? " If thou dclt not de-
t