" %}\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