" %}\yt oasctte, PHILADELPHIA, J'a FrUDAY EVENING, DECEMBER s».' I for I. j dev COMMUNICATION. J I French Re/'Jons for condemning an■ American > not FeJJel and Cn*go. I 1 That the R&leil'Ecuiipage, prcfVnted by Cap j w > (( tain Lanrcr.ce, ♦•either contain' (be do-nicil, nor ( the plitJ rf btrt'n of the individua's there n in- . ferted ; that the coutit.y is onlt' m;ntione<l of , seven oftjiciu, out of twelve that are therein j all jmlud'ed ; thtf neither the role or the tngagt- wli HicntJ afe cUitd, contrary 10 tlir express desire ; n in the pi 'nted part at top — i hat no docu ment pi. rcr that ,Captain Laurence has been avttUcrifid bv the publio oflictis appointed tor j that pr.rpof*, to uKe on board the Sitp/carga, or his fervaiit, which be term< Passengers, ann of which the role mattes no mention. th^ That the Direaory decreed, that conformable n -,b tfvrh.- 14w of 14th February 1793, thedif| ofi- am tiens of tl:e regulaiioßE of aI It October 1744, (st and of i6!hj«iy 1778. concerning the manner to prove the property of neutral (hips, a/id yro- . perty f.ul! he executed according to their form r,f tenser j that, in consequence, every Ameri ' can v. ffcl fliali b: made a goo'l of, 'bat cnl flail not -have :-tt b 'ard x role d'e~p»2e en due be f:ich r.s is bv the model already wa 'ni.,..ioned, 0/ wVich the exscutinn it ordered an< by the 25th and 17th articles of the aforefaui treaty. Th't from thence it can no longer be doubt ful, that t: c (hi Piato ought to be condemn-', dll a good prize —,l ti*s this eertifieaie of the Consul ita'es, retiring at Leghorn, isupon an a flieet of paper annexed to the role d equipnge, £ ri and upon which alone he ha* put his conluUr seal, i.hen it to have bee/t place i equ.liij the print pal Jhect ; does not do away ' the nullities ret.-rred to, as it contains nei- oe (her the causes of the crew being changed, nor an the place oi birth or of residence of the ind.vidu sis, nor the names of the palTengers, nor the g C jiits of engagements and of (hipments, nor, in short, the proof that the original role d'equipage bad been signed by the pubi c officers of the place cf his departure. ' r That fir.ee tUe (hip Plato is found in the ca't zc of condemnation, Jt ought to be considered as th enemy, and consequently according to tie 7th et article of stk title of the marine ordinances of cc r6St, which have not been abrogated, thfc car go ought equally to be confifcatcd. That it carnat bs alledged that thisariielere- ( fers onlv to vefTcls taken under the enemy's flag, a ' becauje.tht shippers ought to alTure th«mftlves, " by t'fer.tabfc examination, whetherthe neu'rali- Yc ty of the velfcl announced by its fljg is otherwise a; properlv proved by the papers on board. n- Done in the French Cor.ful's effice, at Mala- V| .ga, iif September 1797. v < REMARKS. _ f. Here then it an instance of a regular Ameri- can veil el, bound from Leghorn (a neutral port) to Baltimore, being condemned, and her cargo alto, under the rr.oit frivolous pretenrrs. This Cl vefTcl ii.id a role d'eatiipage, figr.ed by the A g r.u-ncan Consul at Lfrghtirn, but because the ji original role d'equipage rrom New-York, was | r.ot produced, and there had been 1 change of I some of lbs fcair.cn either from death or defer , £ tion, arid bei aufe the American cjnful placer! his leal on a sheet of annexed to the role d'equipac'i when it ought to have been don: to 1 the principal, the vefft! was considered a good r prize, acd by the fame logical reasoning, the h cargo was also condeinned. * i This is ouefentei.ee of the fcVrible Kepul.lic. This role d'equipage is the bell fyC.rvV that eould have been fallen on, to put ant feMttfn into the hands of the Dritifb, as upon th s cvi- t dence alone they can take their fcamen 011 baard 1 our vefTels. 1 »he role d'equipsg?contains the name, birth, fefidence and citizenthip of the crew, and if born m Britain, and not in America before the t peace, they are considered Eriti(h fubje^t. 1 FROM A VIRGINIA PAVER. M_ . C Mejfrs. Printers, The ditdoguelately publiflied in your Muse- ( j um under the signature of " Student," was well received by the public so far as my observation has extended ; encourag- , ' ed by his success, I beg leave to trouble ] you with another, which I over-heard the j | other 'day between a Frenchman and a , Virginian: —By publifhingwhich I doubt \ , not but it will render equal fatisfaftion to ] your readers. And oblige yours, &c. ] Philo-Stubent. Frenchman. So. now my good friend John Federal, we are now all citizens of the 1 wbrld j and T am come oyer to advise you what you fliould do. Virginia". Advice ! Monfew Francois ; do yoii pretend to give advice ? And what advice have you brought with you I F. My advice is that you (hould not think so highly of your American liberty, or suppose it worth keeping ; buuhat you fhpuld give it up and become as free and as, happy as we are. V. As happy ! if you cad your prelent situation happiness, what mud you have been used to » . F. Oh begar, it was so very bad it could J not be worse. . . V. What !—Did you begin to dilltke your black bread \ F. No :—Blaei bread is a one very good thin"-: and we are now glad enough to get it. but join us and I think you will soon learn to like it. • . V. No that won't do : black bread would foOti turn four « n an American (lomSch. We are used to corn bread, good homany, flrong leather jhces, and goodjhirts. ' F. Leather (hoes and good (hirts . Un, my friend, that's luxury. Wooden Jboes are very comfortable : and as to (hirts, they are no mere necessary than breeches. V If the French think so that may be all very well for them : but if you are so easily fatisfied, what could go wrong With F. Perhaps you have heard of the Bajli'e ) and that the uoblefse could fans ceremonie, have any one he chose sent to a dungeon there for life. __ V Aye by Jove ; but if one was to try these tricks here (hould havt:6or Habe* Corpus and swingeing damages for felle un prifonment : our juries would not be very merciful to thofc kind of gentry. F. Perhapi; you might : but the ba.o.e, T ard 1 that was nothing ; we did not mind that. It was a flea bite. Wc were twen ty-scut millions of people : they could r.ot £s®. ; I :l " us all in a: or.cc ; nr.d ihofi who Were fist< J oiit \f-ould dance and ftng as if nothing had or g i Ir-tppened ; or, believe me, t'nty wcie not V f Frenchmen. cure j V. Net mind-imprifonmen- in.a dungeon kno l for life !if you did mind that, what the as :t j devi 1 did you miiid ? I F. Wc all minded what we all'fit ; and mtn ican > nothing clfe. ers, I V. And what did you nil fid then ;or tirrn , what cotild be worse than thehnltile 1 our J i(1 1 F. Many tilings in France, my dear Jyhn l'ec ■<l of ' Federal were a thousand timer, worse. We lies frein | all felt our taxes ;we all felt the maimer in :agt- which they wire i.r.pof.d ; and the manner cqu< lefitie in which they were levied. waj loc»- V. Why, to be ftire, taxes are very bad the J«- thingsbut lam afraid there is no doing dre 3J well without them. anA F. It was not the taxes we minded but a r< thq abuse of them. In the fitft place the zer ruble nihility and the flcrgy*two very numerous ter T-oO- and opulent bodies amongd us, paid n» tax -les at all. V. Why, they could bed afford it ; the fer form rich folks pay almolt all the taxes with u*. bo' m#r ; F. But not so in France ; the rich were its that entirely exempted. But we could have mc n due borne that, if that had been all. The word pu; •eadi- waS) the intendants of the provinces or and thsir deputies had the whole dire&ion the ' c a ' u as to who (hould pay taxes, and who not. cd. oubt- V. In America, however, it is very mri'" 1 . different. onful F. The intendant could exempt or charge ma upon an y one as, he pleased. His relations, his wi P'S e > friend, his deputies, their coufin3, and dc- un I,ula , r pendents, were favored op discharged from tk< *'vav taxe3 as pleased : and the. whole bur- iul , nei'- den was to fall on the poor, the friendlefs, fat , nor and thofc who were the lead able to bear it. an ividu- V. And how long had that cursed work tu or the gone on in your country. or, in y. Some centuries. Bi linage v. Some centuries ! It would not have hii 3 I,e laflsd in America, some hours. Why yc ie ca'e zounds, man, if a big man was to try to a" ed as throw his taj*es upon one it would not be bi lie 7th enough td let him hear.ofit at the county ces of court, I would make the whole continent di ie car- w ; t j, ; t> - p; . F. But we did, and we bore other things '« flag, 86 What do you think of the /alt-tax- tl Pelves! es ? Every poor family wastopayfor so much F •urrali- fait every year, whether they used it or no ; A erwife and there were from 3000 to 4000 poor ei meii, women and ehildren, sent to prison e- w Mala- ver y y car ( an da large number of them tra- o veiled on a miserable journey to the gallics,) f< for endeavouring so avoid the tax for the \rneri- f a [ t w },; c }, they could not afford to use. ri . c°rcl v. Bad ! very bad ind«ed Monfwur Fran- This c °'* ■' I Shan't like the name of France a- c the A- gain for some time. But could you get no 'I ife the justice ? 11 k, wjs | p. No : for as our judges purchased their t "!f r° f I places, ft» they carried on the market, and n , j fold the law to the bed bidder. The suit- t er w,(l ° had the longed purse, or the hand don: to fomell wife, or a friend at court, cared re a good rv little for what his antagonid could fay ; 1 g, the he was sure of his cause let the law be what F it would. u public. y. Well now and tint's the difference e mcr. hetwixt you and us. If a rich man and a i Irs tvi. poor man have a taufe in our courts, and übaird the law pretty equal between them, I'd lay [ three to one the poor mail carried it. J •, birth, F. Perhaps he might. But again : the f and if game-laws ! you have no game laws here I a , ore the think. *' V. No. I have heard of such in Eng- i land where no one mud (hoot on anothers t ground unless he pleafcs. 1 F. Not (hoot on anothers ground unless ' Muse- | he pleases ! What will prevent ' ident," y. The law. 3 far as That was not so in France. And, in < :ourag- ttuth, if it had been only eoming on ones trouble j an( j to J-ill the game, there would not have 1 ard the j muc h in it : but it was what was call- I and a e( j t j, e p re J~ erv ation of the game that was our [ doubt j Jtfiryflion ; and if their game had been on- 1 ftionto ]y a f tvv innocent partridges or cowardly i 1 & c * hares, or here and there a roguish fox, we ' ENT * (hould not have cared much for that : but friend the wolves, wild bears,- and herds of wild sos the deer, that were quartered on u«, laid wade ife you the whole country : and if we attempted to defend ourfeltes againd them, and to save -aneois ; part of our crops, Our herds and flocks,from id what their ravages, the gallies for life was the cer -1 tain punishment. lid not V. By Pharoah, Monfitur Francois, this liberty, was Egyptian bondage— more bricks and hat you no draw. •ee and F. Worse than Egyptian bondage.— Not content with fending in upon us those present savage animals, to destroy part of our har ivebeen ved, they were prevented the ground being properly tilled. There wete laws for pursu it could ing the game, which prohibited weeding and hoeingj the crops, left the young par diflike tridges should be didurbed : using manure that might hurt the flavor of the game. — ry good Mowing hay before a certain time, or taking hto get away the dubblt, led we Ihculd hurt the you will covey. V. Well thank God, we know nothing d would of all that. ( F. The feudal law continued in full vig bomany, or, quite to the time of the revolution : if, we had time I could give yoli such a hiflory ts ! Oh, of the opp/eflion of the lords of the feign- 1 fb;,es are iories within my own little neighborhood, I they are and enumerate such a£ls of tyranny, a3 would make y»ur heart bleed t-o hear them, may be V. Much obliged to ycu Monsieur Fran-' u are so cois : but I don't like to have my heart ,ng With bleed. I feel a little too much of that at what you have said already. —Under such e Bajlih } I do not wonder you were defir remonie, «us of a revolution. I only wilh you had dungeon obtained it with less blood and cruelly, and " fettled your government a little bettey. But ■as to try how are you going on ? ... ir Habeas F. Wc are riot much afraid of foreign en falfe im- emies ! nor have we any thing to apprehend be very except anarchy, ccnfufmn and famine. V. Three companions bad enough. • bafrile, F. No, the two'fird we are used to ; but not mind the lad is rather an unplenfant vihtor. It is ■re twen- notbecaufetliecou!itiyhas!oditsfeitil.ty;but ;ould r.ot t when every one is to be either ft soldier or z statesman, nor.e are left fc> till the'grout*! Thii or. get in the liarvert- . nI P' V. That's a bad b'-.tfincT*, and not to be ahoi cured by all your fine Speeches : fcr you wen knriw thewe is no poeaciii to-the (lomach, and as :t has no ears. _ c F. To be fuvc llie manufacturers, traibf. dea men and Wmei-s, have been dreadful fuffer- tior ; ers., and that unfit be at such a I time. But then the glow'ous equality• of otn< our nation ! that's the thing. 1 hink mr„ viol Federal what it is to have twwrty-ifottr mil- -.wit lioss of people and all "exaSlyiquSl.. dov V. But how will you keep them exr.Sty wif equal r> mult riot industry and cecdr.omy al- moi ways acquire wealth J and ought not a fa- the ther ttysLV<r a rigb.r<-«f _to his chil- ate dren what lie has.eaniisdihy hi* industry ? tiot F. We sieihedy however for that; wai a remedy wbit'H will brirfg all French citi- was zim to gdveril in their turns,- sooner or la- foti ter, and for a flioVter ot longci- period. hot V. What can that He ? wit F. Equality, my friend cannot be pre- 'toi served hut by cutting down all that rife a- set hove others—Those to whom France owed fee its liberty, were great men, and had great merit : but their exiitenee was not to be put into competition with their country, %rm or with our fyllem of equality. They hve therefore all been either massacred or lanijh cd. V. I am very sorry for it. H< F. It could not be helped —There is no | maintaining a complete system of equality without it. Some of their fueceflors have undergone, and others are now undergoing, be the fame fate; and the last set who have ag iu(l come into poweV, mult soon, in the if fame manner nA: room f<Jr another crop : foi and so we lliall all live free, and die in our a 1 turns. an V. A very enviable situation indeed.— | But what is all this to Americans whose gr birth right is Liberty ?—'The abuses that p you complain ®f do not cxift in America ; co , and our free constitution is juflly admired re, ; by>eveiy true hearted American. th r F. A constitution ! I laugh at your con- ,n t ftitutwn. Whit i willyou pretend to com- to pare America,with France in that refpe£t ? ce s V. Read your own dreadful accounts of a£ . the torrents of blood which have stained the th i French revolution ; and"then turn to the d< ; American history and fee our federal gov- m r ermrient formed without one drop of blood, without interruption to the ordinary course *'J i- of justice, and without violation eveu of the 1" ) form 3of civil harmony. 11 e F. But mr. Federal conftder the natural rights of map. V When we enter into society, we ex i- change our natural rights for civil rights. t< 0 The firft are the rights of a savage to prey * upon the weak and helpless ; the latter are 11 ir the rights of society, for our get d neralhappinefs andmutual afiillanceand pro t- teftion. ' 1- F. But why not have both ? t- V. Because they are incompatible. Tour t ; Equality leads to nothing but confufion, c tt plunder and massacres : the result of which v unless your wild notions of liberty are cur- c :e ed, will be a relapse iato slavery, as the lef- 1 a fer evil. ,d F. Ah ! Sir dou't be seduced by your 1 iy present peace and prosperity ; why will you 1 persuade yourfelf that you arc free and hap- t ie py, or trust to appearances, however favor- ' 1 able. ' V. Why now to re&fou about it Monsieur g- Francois ; would you seriously infill on my 1 ra taking physic because you have been tick ? j or because you have the French disorder is it ' :fs necessary that / Ihould undergo a Saliva- 1 tion ? ' F. It might b# very good for you by way j in of prevention. 1 C 9 V. And then perhaps my history might < ve be the fame as the man's who was well ; 11. took physic to be better ; —and died. ur F. Ah my good friend, be allured that ' ,n- the French nation interests herfelf in your ly following her in this as in other fafiiions, and *e that (lie earnestly -wilhes that America was ut at this moment cxaßly in the fame Jituation as ild France. He V. In truth I believe (he does ; and so do to all the natural enemies of America. Envy ive Monsieur Francois envy will be busy. What! >m when wc enjoy -all the trade and commerce er- of- the world via the full tide of fuecefa ; « our liberties fecjired, otfr maiiufafturers em his ployed ; our resources encreafing ; (hall we nid remove the blefiings of peace, order, liberty and national prosperity (such as neither the annals of history, rftir the circuit of the ofe globe can equal) for what i for ar.ar ,ar- chy, confufion and wretthednefs. God sor ing bid ! Adieu ■fu- ' ng From the Fjgle, printed at Hanover, New iar . Htimpfhire. ure Hearing much of an extraordinary cir . cumftance which took place on Moofe-moun ing tain, in this town, during the late viclent the rains, my curiosity was invited to make.a visit to that mountain, on the ealt-fide of ing which a rupture has taken place. The elevation of the mountain forms an vig- angle of 45 deg. consequently it is very : if steep in this place. ory About forty rods above the foot of the [gn- mountain, the eruption began. Here the wd, foil, loot: stones and ruWbilh appeared to be as about three feet deep, lying upon a fohd j em. rock which composes the mountain. The ran-' depth .of. foil eucrrafes as you descend the cart mountain until it becomes ij feet deep at it at the bottom, d The earth, loose stones and such trees, begiW'tti the mountain about efir- 40 rods from'itli base. foimiug a channel of had about fix rods wiile «it its beginning, and and inereafing to about twelve, fvveeping ever/ But thing to the bottom, tearing up trees and rocks of an enormous size, the direction was 1 tn- immediately down the mountain, until the lend heavy rubbufh formed a little mountain 01 itfelf at the bottom: the light rubbilh, such as trees, small rocks, &c. took another di but rediion, forming an angle of 30 deg. with It is its original direction, and about 19 rods. ;but farther; and 200 trees were tumbled toge or ether In the wildest disorder you can imagine. This forming another obffrudron to the e-j mption, it took ifs Jirlt Jih'ftion and ran . ahout 15 rods farther, and even here (lones were carried, mcafuring .12 feet in length, and three feet on each fide. From the Circurnflance, you may form some faint i dea of the amazing force,* which the erup-* : tionhad here. , , From the cause of this phen omenon, is ealily investigated. During the violent rains, the mountain because full of water, and nfit only the water which ran down on, the top of the fol'id rock, but like wise the whole body., with which the ■ mountain was impregnated, bursting thro' the crannies and apertures of the solid rock, a torrent was formed, which spread devia tion before| it. —The waiter to appearance" was 12 feet higher than where the rubtiifh was thrown up, and even after you caime some distance into the level land, frota.ibe bottom of the mountain,the trees arebrmfed with stones, abo-ve the ground: One (lone I mealured 21 feet in length and 3 feet on each fide, was carried and hinded tg feet above the natural furface of the ground. Hanover, Oft. 10, 179 J. S. B. * CONGR E S S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. \ WEDNSSDAY, DECEMBER 20. Mr. Macon was persuaded thst it would be of advantage to the revenue, as well as agreeable to citizens int'ie habit of distilling, if persons were allowed to take out liccnfes for a single week. He therefore propofet • a resolution diredling the committeeof way! and mean to report on the expeiiency o! , such a measure, by bill or OtherwiCe. A : greed. The house again resolved itfelf into : ; committee of'the whole, on the bill for th< [ relief of North and Vefey of Charleston, anc the petition having been read, the amend tnent propofeJ yederday by Mr. Cbit, . to leave it to the colle&or of the Port to at ? certain the quantity of fugardeflroyed, wa f agreed to 48 to 12 ; the committee rose » I the house concurred, and the hill was 6r I dered to be engrofied for a third reading to . I morrow. , I Mr. D. Foster reported a bill for the re e I lief of the representatives 01 captain Georg e Hurlbut, which was twice read and con I mitted for to-morrow. J I Mr. Harper moved a resolution to tt Ifollowiug effeft : " Resolved, that a committee be appoii i. I ted to enquire whether any, and, if an] y what amendments are necelfary to be ma< e in the aft relative to invalid pensioners, ar I to report by bill orotherwife." Mr. H. said, it mult be recolledted th I frequent application had been made to th I house by persons who had been wounded ir the war, for a pension, who would have bei t) duly entitled to it, and to whom the hou h wished to have granted it, had not tht r . claims been barred by the law of 28th Fe f- 179 J. with which the petitioners were ge I erally unacquainted. Some of these caf ir had appeared to be so hard, that in one iu I two inttances the house had been indue to difperife with the law. He tho't, ther r . I fore, it was proper the law fliould be reco j fidered. tr Mr. J. Parker seconded the ,y knew of several instances where persons we > justly entitled to pensions, who had ntv it heard of the aft of 1795 until their claii a- were rejefted, whillt others, jx-rhapi 1< I deserving, were is pofleflion of peuGo ,y He hoped they fiould not longer deny t I justice which was due to the veteran wot ht I ded soldier. * I Mr. Macon believed that as all fubje I of this kind were constantly referred to t at I committee of claims, they were of cou ur I betterwequainted with the business thar nd ny other committee would be likely to b as j he therefore moved to have thii refoluti as I referred to that committee. I This motion was supported by Mess. C do and Nicholas,andoppofed byMeff.S. Smi vy I Parker. Harper, Brookes and Swanwj !t! It was, however, finally carried, there •ce I '"g 5 1 v otes in favor of it. s; J Mr. Nicholas called for the order of [ day on the bill suspending the fecondfeft we of the aft regulating foreign coins ; wh r ty motion being agreed to, the house went i [he j a committee of the whole on the fubjei :he when ar - Mr. Sitgreaves wished to propose ar or- mendment to the bill, so as to make it c formable to the report of the Seleft C< mittee ; btit, as he believed it would be iu I ficult to incorporate such an amendment Ito the bill, without re-committing it, >ir- I (hould mov* for the committee to rife, v un- a view of afterwards moving a re-commi ent of the bill. He would uot recur to the «.a guments used on a former occasion in f of port of his motion. He wilhed to give j Foreign coin in question a partial currei an which should give it a natural current er y wards the mint. A number ofcalculat had been made on this fubjeft, when the merly under difcufiion, drrovn from an the report from the Mint, which were very Ibe j applicable to the present state of that e; <lid lifhment. By the report of 1796, it rhe j peared that a greater proportion of S the than of Gold Coin had been iffved; bu > at j this report, the Gold coiu was nearly ami j bled since that time. It appeared, W i () „t the report of 1796, that the proportio ;1 of cbih< depotited, Ctthipared with IngAts and other Bullion was vei* small ; whereas rery the present report, it would appear and three-fourths of the whole amount of th was polits in Colii, had been made in coin, the two-thirds of the silver. This report v» n of also (hew that the gentleman from Mar) such (Mr. S. Smith) was not correft in hi r di- mark, when he said, no bank in the U with States would part with their foreign rods for the purpose of re-coining, as not op-e- three-fourths of the Gold uepofited had riae. u coin, but it was almost exclusively the back of the United States: 2 greatpro portion of the silver coin deposited had also come from the banks; and the direftorin formed rhem that, in thebanks of New York * and th;B city, there were thevalue of 300,000 dollars in crowns, ready to be sent into the Mint. These ftt'ieme'nts furniflied great reason for doutrting the jiifliiefs of the in ferences drawn by gAitlemen in the former debate, and gave additional weight to all the arguments in support of the report'of the feleft committee. It appeared by the re port's', that there had been issued from the Mint of the United States, coins to the va lue of 774,000 dollars. He had never seen any estimate of the whole amount of the cir culating medium which vfrould be neceffajy in this Country for all its commnrcial con cerns, nor did he know upon what data fucli an'ellimafe ought to be made: but when they saw the amount of the coin issued, and j reeoMefted the immeofe quantity of Spanish 1 dollars in circulation, as we.l IU bank paper bottomed upon aftual specie in the coffers of the Banks, there could be little doubt that there was a fufficient quantity of circu lating medium for alf the purposes of com mercir, though the aft of 1793 were now to ga fully into operation, without even the: partial fnfpenfion recommended by the feleft . committee. The only evil which would.re sult, would be, the loss which might be At tained by the holders of this species of coitrj but even if the law were suspended for two v years, as proposed, the fame evil would in a 1 great degree, then recur. Gentlemengreat s ly miscalculated, he said, when they fu'p* , posed, that, in the mean time, the foreign, s coin would, by degrees be brought into the ] Mint. Indeed they fay, it cinnot be spar s ed from distant parts of the country ; a*id if f so, it cannot be expefted to come into the . Mint, without a legitimate force to bring it thtre. A partial fufpenlion would produce a this effeftj and whilst this coin was received' c ed by the colleftors, as usual, it could not J diminish greatly in its value. Indeed, he [. was of opinion that it would be bed to keep , the law as it flood, and leave any regulation which might be necefiary, to the Executive lS of the United States, who had already or dered it to be received in the way proposed r _ by the feleft committee, and who-would be j. the best judge of the regulation from time to time necefiary.—With refpeft to the fa reign gold coin, as the law prohibiting that r e as a tender, did not take place far fame months, the holders of it might get it out of their hands, before its value was dimin ie' ifhed ; aud as to filvar, he believed the inju ry was already done. If the aft of 1793* u . were therefore, suspended, it would give y ( the crowns a new value, and, at the end of de two years, the fame objeftion would be again rid urged, and the Mint, in the mean timewouSi be without support. He thought it was at proper, on this occasion, that those who, at wished to fu pend the law, should come out in with refpeft to the Mint. Hi thought it en bed to go to the whole fubjeft now, arid let ife the aft of 1793 stand, or fall with the Mint. »; r He moved that the committee rife far the b. purpose he had mentioned. •n- Mr. S. Smith was not ranch lnrprifed at r es what had fallen from the gentleman from or Pennsylvania, as he was desirous if car ed r y ln g bis point. It would be a -very re - convenient thing, at this time, far the )n - ' city of Philadelphia to get as much of the money of the United States as r l e pofiible into it. It would do away tha* : re scarcity of money so heavily conftplained of. f er But he did not think the gentleman had m s fucceded in his atttnept to correft the ftate ttfs ment formerly made by him. He did not ns . fay that the banks of this city might not the fend cain to the mint, but that no bank at un- a distance ; for instance, at New-York or Baltimore would do it, as they always flood •fts in need of their coin far the supply of thtir the customers. And he was warranted in this irfe opinion by the report before them, w not a la _ single bank out of Philadelphia had depafit )e ; ed a {hilling in the mint. And what, he ion alked, had the banks in Philadelphia done > He lwd merely doubted whether they would Joit be able to spare their coin to fend to the ith, mint. This was a different thing from ck. banks ia general. They had always from be- ioa to 300,000 dollars of government de pcJits, ready far the exigencies of govern tbe ment ; and he thought it judicious in the ;ion Secretary of the Treasury always to have iich such a sum of money at command ; but they nto might surely spare a part of this money to & • be recoined. With refpeft to the silver, when they found the French crowns called a out of circulation, they deposited in :on- the mint, because they might as well be in om- the mint as to lie dead in their vaults. Not dif. one of the other banks had deposited one in- (hilling in gold ; but the banks of North he America and Pennsylvania had feut in fame vith silver ; because it was as well there as in ittal their coffers. But what has been the con e ar- sequence of this fluppage of foreign coin ? sup- It has brought French crowns from all : the parts of the Union. The gentleman had ncy, said that the Executive had given orders to- for French crowns to be received by our ions colleftors at 1»Q cents ; but how, ho alked, far- were they to be gut to Philadelphia ? Were I old they to be transported at' the public ex in- pence ? If they were, and he knew of no o itab- ther way, ii would not amount to a trifling ap- sum. But would it not be doing an eiien iilver tial injury to the citizens to take away from it by thera their cash, without Tending any other don- in its place ? It certainly would. If it Were ' w by to be mailed in, new coin ftionld be pseviotu- II of ly issued to take its place. If what he ad and vanced b° r e hard »p on the mint cf the Ü by nited.States, he could not help it—hetho't tli3t the mint founded, in felly. This was not i»de- i the opinion of the gentleman from Penn and fylvaniait might be the interefl of his roiild. slate to support the mint, but he did not pland think it was the intereltof the IJflion. Mr. is re- S. conceived another eonfequence, if the law nifed refpefting gold coin was not suspended. eoin Merchants were as defirows of exporting only gold coin as silver, and there was as great a been difficulty in procuring it when it was want-, from ed ; but if its circulation were to be stop- I
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