feTrltories with slaves from the Coast. of ,
of Africa That was a part of.tKte trade
vVhich in fact could hardly how be laid to
exist, and the main object of his motion
was that it (hould not be Yevived; and
therefore it was unnecefiary for him to Ar
gue the point at length, he (hould wait to
hear what Was to be urged agaiiift his mo
tion, rather than labor to establish the pro
priety of it, as the fiibjeft had been amply
dilcuffed and the argument long ago ex
hauited. He therefore moved that leave
be given to bring in a Bill for preventing
the supply of Foreign territories with
slaves froal the Coast of Africa, and that
this motion be referred to a Committee of
the whole House.
This motion was opposed.
Mr. Wilberforce replied to all the ar
guments against his motion.
The House divided, for the motion -63
Againlt it -40
The bill was then Ordered to be brought
in.
* "
Congress of the United States.
IN SENATE-,
Thursday, April 24.
The honorable James Rofs from the
state of Pennylvania attended and tookhis
feat in the Senate.
The oath was by the Vice-President
administered to Mr. Rofs as the law pro
' vides.
The bill, sent from the House of Re
presentatives for concurrence, entitled,
" an ast providing for railing and organi
zing a corps of artillerists and engineers,"
• was read the second time.
Ordered, That this bill be referred to
Mr. Gunn, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Bradley,
. Mr. King and Mr. Langdon, to consider
and report thereon to the Senate.
The bill, sent from the House of Re
pr'efentatives for concurrence, entitled,
" an ast directing a detachment from the
'militia of the United States," was read
the second time.
Ordered, That this bill also be referred
to the committee last named, to consider
and report thereon to the Senate.
A meflage from the House of Repre
sentatives by Mr, Beckley their clerk :
* Mr. President—The House of Re
presentatives agree to the proposed confer-
on the disagreeing votes of the two
on n ■■■■ ■— 1 —; *— r >VrC -5* fc '*
*}ite, to the bill, entitled, " an ast to es
tablish the poll-office and post-roads with
•hi the United States ; and have appointed
managers at the said conference on their
part"—And he withdrew.
The Senate resumed the consideration
of the letter yeflerday laid before the Se
nate,, from the committee of public fafety
" cf the French Republic.
A motion wis made that it be
" Ordered, That the letter of the com
mittee of public fafety, of the French Re
public, addrtffed to Congress, be trans
mitted to the President, and that he be
requested to cause the fame to be answer
ed, on behalf of the United States, in such
manner as (hall manifeft their sincere friend
fhip and gotfd will for the French Repub
lic." ,
On which it was moved that this mo
tion be referred to a committee, to consi
der and report thereon ; and
It passed in the negative—Yeas 13 —
Nays J*. gfc-
The yeas and nays being requited by
one-fifth of the Senators present.
Those who voted in the affirmative, are,
Mcffrs. Bradley, Brown, Buit, Butler, Ed
wards, Gunn, Hawkins, Jackson, Lang
don, Martin, Monroe, Robinson and Tay
lor.
Those who voted in the negative, are,
Mefirs. Bradford, Cabot, Ellfworth, Fos
ter, Frelinghuyfen, Henry, Izard, King,
Livermore, Morris, Potts, Rofs, Ruther
ford, Strong, and Vining.
A motion was made by Mr. Martin to
poftpvine the consideration of the motion
before the Seriate for the purpose of con
fideri rig the following motion :
" Resolved, by the Senate and Honfe
of Reprefrntativrs in Congress assembled ;
that the letter of the committee of public
fafety of the French Republic, addreflcd
to Congress, be tranfmittetfto the Prefi-'
dent, and' that he be requested to cause
the fame to be answered hi behalf of the
United States, in such manner as (ball
manifeft their friendfhip and good will for
the French nation, with their sincere tvifh
es for the prosperity of that Republic"—
On mot-ion,
It was agreed to amend the original
1
. motion by inserting thtfe words; " Senate
of the j" before the word " United."
On rriotirtn,
To amend the motion by adding these
words* after the \Vord " States."
(l Congratulating thtm upon the late
brilliant iuccefies ot the arms of the Re
public, and the ertabhftiment of liberty
and order, and the progress of industry
It puffed in the negative.
On the quedioli to agree to the motion
amended as follows :
" Ordered, That the letter of the com
-1 tnittee of public fafety of the French Re
public, addrefied to Congress, be trans
mitted to the Piefidetrt, and that he be
requested to cause the fame to be answered
on behalf of the Senate of the United
States, in such manner as (hall manifeft
their sincere friend(hip and good will for
the French Republic."
1 It pasTed in the affirmative—Yeas 28;
The yeas and nays being required by
one-fifth of the Senators present.
Those who voted in the affirmative, are,
MefTrs. Bradford, Bradley, Brown, Burr,
Butler, Cabot, Edwards, Ellfworth, Fos
ter, Frelinghuyfen, Gunn, Hawkins,
Henry, jackson, Izard, King, Langdon,
Livermore, Martin, Monroe, Mot 1 is, Potts,
. Robinson, Rofs, Rutherfmd, Strong,
. Taylor and Virting.
Ordered, That the Secretary lay a co
• py of this vote of Senate befoie the Pre
sident of the United States.
Mr. Ellfworth from the committee to
whom was referred the bill, entitled, "an
( ast to encourage the recruiting service,"
reported amendments.
' Ordered, That the amendments be
printed for the use of the Senate.
, On motion,
t Ordered, That Robert Connelly have
r leave to withdraw his petition.
The Senate adjourned to 11 o'clock to
morrow morning.
; Friday, April 25th, 1794.
; The Vice-President laid before the Se-
J nate a report from the Secretary for the
department of War, refpefting invalid
J pensioners, which was read.
r Ordered, That this rqiort be referred
to Mt.Taylor, Mr. Ellfworth, Mr.Brown,
Mr. Jackson, and Mr. Livermore, to
consider and report thereon to the Se
nate.
The amendments reported by the com
-3 mittee to the bill, entitled, "An ast to
_ ' vEvre
•_ considered, adopted and the bill amend
ed accordingly.
[1 On motion,
r It was agieed that the rule be so far
dispensed with, as that this bill be now
u read the third time.
Resolved, That this bill pass with a -
y mendments.
Ordered, That the Secretary desire the
concurrence of the House of Reprefen
i_ tatives in the amendments to this bill.
A meflage from the House of Repre
[_ fentatives by Mr. Beckley their Cletk :
e " Mr. President—The House of Re
■. prefentativtfs agree to the amendment of
1, the Senate to the bill, entitled, "An ast
[. allowing Lieutenant-Colonel Toufard, an
equivalent for his pension for life." They
have pa (Ted a bill, entitled, " An act. to
- suspend the importation of certain goods,
_ wares and merchandize," in which they
desire the concurrence of the Senate."
And he withdiew.
The bill last mentioned was read the
y firft time.
Ordered, That this bill pass to the se
t cond reading.
|. Tlie Senate adjourned until 11 o'clock
on Monday morning.
House of Representatives.
Ways and means under confide) ation.
On Friday last in committee, Mr.
Dexter observed, that very few of the ob
> jeftions were confined to the question.
1 Some were arguments against all excises ;
some against all public contributions;
some against the nature and administration
! of our government ; and some against all
; goyernment. The statement of the gen
: tleman from Maryland, (Mr. Smith) that
1 the duty would make three times the ca
pital neceflary, he said could not be accu
: rate. He had reckoned the cost of the
■ raw material employed ; if this be true,
I as he dates tobacco nt 4 cents per
r and fnuff is worth 30 cents per pound, it
• follows that the manufacturer makes 750
•I per cent, net profit. Tl* cannot be
true ; the principal capital must be em
ployed in preparatory works and labor of
nttfiiifa&uiing. He added that our hav
ing formerly protected the manufacture,
is no reason againlt now taxing it. It
wctuld rather be a reafon,for calling on it
to contribute to the pußlic burthens. He
said the fame gentleman asked, why there
is no.excise on beer manufactured in New-
England, as well as im foilthern whilky ?
I anfwet, beer is not manufactured there
in any considerable quantity *, if it were,
it ought not t6 be taxed. New-England
rum is taxed enbrmoufly. The duty on
this and whi(ky, are protecting duties to
good morals. The life of fnuff and to
bacco is certainly a mere luxury* or ra
ther folly, and all who use and of course
pay the duty, are volunteers. A land
tax, which is named as a substitute for
this and every thing else, is 3 tax very un
equal, and laid on all the neceflaries of
lite, and opprefiive to the laborious poor,
it looks like governmental rapacity,
which is so deprecated by the gentleman
from Pennsylvania, (Mr. Smilie.) He
has more than once told us that insensible
taxation is daangerous; and that we
should make the people feel the taxes they
pay. The way to make them feel taxes,
is to lay those which will be most inconve
nient ; the argument then is that the most
inconvenient tax is the belt. The very
faCt stated to reason from is the ftrongelt
reason in favor of indireCt taxation, viz.
the burthen is so small that the people do
not feel it. What the gentleman's meaning
is, unlets it be that measures ought to be
taken, which may make the people diffa
tisfied with the government, is difficult to
fay. The fame gentleman has said, that
&U excises are against the spirit of a repub
lican government like ours- It is strange,
said Mr. Dexter, that the spirit and let
ter of our government should be so con
tradictory ; for by the cor.ftitution, ex
cises are expressly provided. The man
who buys his food and clothing in imall
quantities, as he "can obtain the means,
does it much more easily than he could
purchase a flock for a year at one time ;
and he who buys dutied articles, and re
gulates his confnmption by the price,
pays his tax in small portions, with ease,
when he would be diftrefi'ed by being cal
led to pay the whole sum in gross arir.nal
ly.—Mr. D. proceeded to fay, that as to
the fears of the gentleman abovemehtion
ed from Pennsylvania, and also of the
jrcntleman from
he had heard them too often to be alarmed
at them : They seemed like a sale coat,
made for any fubjeCt. He said that a faCt
fatisfied his mihd on the fubjeCt. Con
necticut.is a land of equality beyond any
on earth. Scarcely a man among them is
rich enough to keep a coach, and" scarcely
one so poor as not to keep a hoi fe ; learn
ing is more equally diffufed there than in
any part of America ; their morals are so
pure that crimes hardly have names; yet
this happy race of equal republicans never
since the lnflitution of olir government,
have sent one member here to whine or
thunder about the ariftbcracy of our con
stitution. He said he would not compare
this slate with others in the union ; one
man was not there disposed of at the will
of another. As to the fear of the gen
tleman from Virginia, that excises would
destroy American liberty, Mr. D. said
there was no danger of it. The charac
ters of individuals form the character of the
government. * A people are never enslav
ed until they need a matter. The Ame
rican habits exclude all danger. That ex
cises and slavery exilt together in some
part, of Europe is true ; but it remains
to be priced that ole is the cause of the
other. It we havj the benefits of go
vernment we must pay for them. There
was a time, said Mr.' D. when laboring
under the debility of disunion and thedif
trefles of anarchy, we rejoited that the
people had inftitutedthis government. It
is now represented not as the guardian of
liberty and innocence ; but as the afTaffin
of both. What has happened to change
our opinion? Under its auspices we have
encreafed in strength and riches ; we are
now free and happy when the world is
in confufion. The gentleman from Vir
ginia seems to despise our prd'ent happi
ness, unlcfs it can be eternal. Whv fir
should we expeCt th!i? Nations,'' like
men, come to maturity, they grow old
and perish. The furi must go out in dark
ness : -the earth m.rfl be burnt up ; nature
m»lt expire m agonies. What right have
we to claim to be an exception from gene
ral rules . AU.nature is in perpetual revo
lution ; Wf are a part, and must revolve
wit . the Tvhole. The fyfiem fuffers, and
Probably requires conflar.t renovation. ]
Suceefliori appears to be a law of naturals
univcrlal as her works, and as immutable
as her author.
PHILADELPHIA,
MAY 7.
Extrall of a letter from Edinburgh, receiv
ed by the late arrival at Neiv-Torl—
dated 22d Jan. 1794.
" The state of my dear native country
appears to me more dark and gloomy than
1 ever knew it. In the rtfbellion of 1745.
the country in general was warmly attach
ed to the revolution fetrlement, and look
ed with horror on a change of govern
ment. If France had invaded us in the
time t>f the American war, those who
most disapproved the measures against A
merica, would have been as zealous as
those who approved them, in repelling an
invasion. But though I believe a great
majority in Britain wish the preserving
our present happy conflitution, I am a
fraid there are many in fume parts, espe
cially of those employed in manufactures,
who, if there was a landing of our ene
mies, from the hope of levelling all ranks
and fortunes, would be tempted to join
them, and who have so fat shaken off the
principles of religion and jultice, that
they would fciuple no ast of violence or
cruelty by which they might better their
circumstances. There are, indeed, men
of fortune and virtue, who, from real
principle, wish a reform in our constitu
tion, and have countenanced societies for
endeavouring to procure it—but many of 1
the meetings of Societies for Reform, or
Friends of the People, consist of persons
of broken fortunes, who never had any
character to lose; nor is it improbable,
that those of them who would spurn with
abhorrence, the idea of pra&ifing fitch
cruelties as take place in France, by join?
ing with those furious men, might learn
their ways. I cannot but approve your
found policy in America, in endeavoring
to keep clear of the war. I-t would" have
been wife in our administration also, if
they were not forced intt> tne measure by
discoveries of ferret negociations between
France and people at home who wiftied to
overturn our conftitulipw : The pacific cor
dudt of Mr. Pitt, hi other mftance#,
KU r-cel ivr tliiftimftiing the ttß-
tional debt makfts this the more probable,
though he might have good reasons for
not disclosing the extent of his informa
tion, nor the channel through which it
was-conveyed."
Letter from Barcelona February 15, 1794.
Lord sTood failed from the Tflaiids of
Hieres with chief part of his fqtiadron the 13
January, leaving fir Hyde Pa.'Uer to keep
the ffation from Marfe'lles to Nice. His
lordlhip went diredfly over to Corsica, and
was e!cfe in with Caliz, hut a violent gale of
wind came 011 ana prevented any landing
bein;; made there ; the dry before they ran
in io dole the Lc*ia chalc-d aw 1 engaged a
large 40 gun frigate, which by dint of fail
ing and boats that came out escaped into
Cafe, where the and another frigate were
seen the next day.
The I.eda loftten men °:n the engagement,
ana was very rrui h cut up in her rigging.
Lord Hood arrived at Prat Ferrzro on Elba
the 28th January, and there is reason to fnp
pofe he failed again with the greater pari of
tlie Squadron about the sth of this month
for Corsica. While they were at Elbe an
officer from General Paoli joined I hem, and
he reprelented that nearly allthe inhabitants
of the ill a; id were anxiously waiting for the
Engliih as their deliverers, hut were under
the greatefl terror that the French -might
push over the reinforcement with-which ihey
threatened the Island. It was known in re
ality that the French since the reduction of
Toulon, had prepared 7000 men at Nice to
watch the firil opportunity of being able to
flip over to Corsica ; and .the frigates seen at
Caii? had been cruiiing to favor the paflage. ,
We are anxious of course to hear news f*'< m
that quarter. The L'Aigle did not go into
Toulon, as it was feared /he might hive
done ; but the Amphitrite was 101 l on a reef
of rocks near Leghorn, the crew were all
saved, the purser came to Port Ferraro with
the account the 29th January.
Before the.squadron left the Bay of Hieres,
the tßth January, seven men who escaped
from Marseilles in a Genoese boat came on
board the Vitflory; they came out of Mar
seilles in the night of the 17th. The account
they gave refpefting that place, Toulon and
Lyons, was extremely fhockirg—lnftead cf
4cc people havim* been put to death at Tou
lon, they aflejted that upwards of 5000 had
been lhot. That all the priefls without ex
ception were destroyed, every where j and
every person related in the moil diflant man
ner to any of the wretched fugitives, vrere
htinted cut, arrefed, and gene-ally put to
death. At Marseilles net a davpaficd wita
* t