By Authority. ORDINANCE, RESPECTING LIBERTY TO TRADE WITH THE SOUTH • ERN PART OF ST. DOMINGO. NINTrfOF MAY, 1789. Ext raft from the Regijlers oj the Superior Council oj Sti Domingo. THE tour which the Governor General has lately mride to the southern parts, has enabled him to judge personally of the si tuation to which they arc reduced, as well as of the only efficaci ous means to raise them to that degree of splendor they are sus ceptible of. He has observed, that the bounty of two hundred livres, granted by the Arret of the King's Council of State, dated the 25th of September, one thousand, fcvcn hundred and eighty fix, which expires the ill of Angufl next, for every negro that is imported, so iar from becoming a means of encouragement, has fcarc.ely fufficed to replace the annual deficiencies by sickness and desertion ; and has not given that activity to the commercial spe culations of France, that was cxpe£led. That this trade requires the cargoes to be rigorously paid for in money, or to fell them from twenty-five to thirty ptr cent. dearer, if they are paid for with produce, and that by continuing the excluiive privilege of the southern parts, they will be always in a langui filing fituacion, without circulating money, and will never be able to derive from themselves the riches they pofTcfs. That on the other hand, this quarter which is as fine as the northern and western, only requires in order to become as fruitful, a degree of flrength which it now wants ; That by encreafing the number of nezjoes by importation,- the land will become as pro ductive as the other quarters ; that the King will derive a consi derable sum by the duties which will be levied on the articles >mported and exported, and the inhabitants will encreafe their fortunes, and will extricate themselves from their unfortunate situ ation, and at the fame time acquireeafe and tranquility : That the National commeice will be enabled hereafter to extend itfelf in this quarter and reimburse itfelf the sums which may be due to it. On mature rcfle&ion of all thefc considerations, the unanimous •wilhof the inhabitants for a free importation of negroes, the per fe£l confidence we have, that it will produce the bell effects, and that the commerce of France will only cease its operations for a time, in order to derive hereafter greater activity and conliftency, and that the southern part will produce within itfelf immenlc riches, from which the King, the inhabitants, and commerce will derive the greatest advantages ; We the General and Intendant, by virtue of the powers entrufled to us, and with His Majesty's good plcafure, have provisionally enabled and ordained, and we do enadt and ordain, as follows, viz. ARTICLE I. Reckoning from the ill of Augull, 1789, to the lft of August, 1794, foreign vefTels of 60 tons burthen and upwards, shall be ad mitted into the ports of Jeremie, les Cayes, and Jacmel, with ne groes, flour, lumber of all forts, sea-coal, live Hock of all kinds, fait provilions, of beef, pork, codfifh, and other fifh, rice, indian corn, vegetables, hides, and tanned leather, furs, rosin, pitch and tar—and may discharge and fell said merchandize. 11. All the Southern quarter shall benefit from the importation of licgroes, and the other articles set forth in the preceding article, as far as and comprehending St. Michael dufond des Negres, Aquin, J3aynet, Jacmel, and des Cayes de Jacmel. The inhabitants of the aforcfaid five parishes, as well as those of the parishes of Ame-a- Veau, Petit Iron des Baradaires. Jeremie, Cape Dame Marie, Tibu xon, des Cotteaux, Torbek, des Cayes, Cavaillon, and St. Louis, may furnifh themselves with negroes, and other commodities, mentioned in the ifl article, which shall arrive in the three ports of entry, Jeremie, des Caves, and Jacmel, provided they conform to the regulations of the present Ordinance with refpeft to trans porting negroes to the other quarters, and under the penalties therein contained, mention of which will be made hereafter. 111. French merchants and owners of vefTels, whether belonging to the kingdom 01 to the French Iflunds and Colonies, who shall be inclined to import the commodities pointed out in the lft article, shall be likcwife admitted. IV. The payment for negroes and other commodities which shall be fold by foreigners, to the inhabitants of the southern quarter, comprehended within the line of demarcation, may be made in fagar, or other produce of the colony. V. All merchandize, whose importation and exportation are per mitted to foreigners by the ill and 4th articles in ;he aforefaid three ports of entry, shall be fubje£l to the eilablifhed local duties, and shall pay moreover one pr. cent, of their value, excepting ne groes which shall not pay this lafl duty of one pr. cent, and except ing also the duty of entry 011 cod fifh and fait fifh, which shall be reduced to three livres pr. quintal. VI. Foreign vessels shall pay for the whole duty of entry into the said ports, forty-five livres for every negro they shall import. VII. Foreign vefTels shall be fubjeft to the payment of the western duty for the merchandizes they shall export from the ports men tioned in the feconvl article, and such as the French vessels pay in Francq, for the colonial produce they import there. VIII. Every foreign vefTel going out from thethree ports of entry with out having paid the duties above mentioned in the three preceding articles, and which fhalj be taken by His Majefty'sveffels, or others commifiioned for that purpose, shall be conducted to one of the ports of the Admiralty, to be there impeached and condemned to confifcation and a fine of three thousand -i\res tournois. IX. French vefTels, whether belonging to the kingdom or to French ifLnds and colonies, shall pay for the importation and exportation of the merchandizes mentioned in the firfl article, the eilablifhed local duties. They shall pay 110 duty of entry soT negroes nor the \Veflern duty which they are fubje6t to pay in Europe. X. Every foreign vefTel detested in landing negroes and other com modities, in other placcs of the colony thanthofe defeated in the :ft article, shall be confifcated and condemned in a fine of ten thousand livres colony money. XI. Jn order to secure the effed of the fines mentioned in the Bth and 10th articles, every captain of a foreign vefTel shall be bound to have a French correspondent at his arrival in one of the ports of entry defeated in the ift article, who shall be obliged to give bond for this purpose, which bond lhall be fully cancelled one month after the failing of the vefTel from the port where it shall have been given. XII. Every negro imported belonging to foreign vefTels, and who shall be taken beyond the limits eilablifhed by the 2d article, shall be confifcated to the King's use : For this purpose the captains of foreign vessels shall be obliged, within ten days, reckonmg from the day of their ariival in one of the ports of entry, to brand all the negroes of their cargo with the three legible letters J. P. S. and if the said negroes are not branded within that time they shall like wise be confifcated to the King's use. XIII. Every imported negro who lhall be found without the limits eilablifhed by the 2d article, among the inhabitants other than those mentioned 111 the said article, shall be confifcated to the uft of the King, and the proprietor condemned (par corps) in a fine of fifteen hundred livres, to be applied to the hospitals de la Provi dence, ot Port-au-Pi uce and the Cape. XIV. Every foreign vcflel which arrives at one of the three ports ol entry may depart before the expiration of eight days, with new commilfions tor another of the aforefaid ports defoliated in th< present Ordinance. XV. There shall be established in each of the said ports of entry s fufficient number oi cominiflioners to receive the declarations ol cargoes, which {hall be made by the captains, which declarations jhey {hall register in a book kept for that purpose. They flial] superintend moreover the execution of the provisions of the 51)1. 6th. 7th. and 12th. articles, and lhall deliver no permit for failing from the port until they are alfured that they will be fulfilled. XVI. Captains of foreign vessels, besides the declarations they {hall make to the commillioners of the offices of entry, {hall hkewife make them to the secretary of the admiralty; they shall fulfill moreover all the formalities of the Ordinance, and lhall ihow then bills of loading and chatter parties. XVII. The proceeds of the fines andconfilcations mentioned in the Bih and 10th articles {hall be attributed, one moiety to the Kin-*, and one moiety to the commiUioner who lhall have occasioned the seizure, it the ti anfgreflion happens 111 the ports of entry. On the contrary, if the vessels taken in the fraud lhall have been seized by His Majesty's ships and velfels, the whole of the said proceeds {hail belong to the commander, chief officer and crew that are. captors, saving the dedufchoft in all cafcs of the cxpences of justice, admi rals dnties, and the invalids. In cafe of informers, one third of the fame proceeds lhall be given to them. XVIII. We expressly prohibit and forbid all French belonging to the leeward islands lending their names to make foreign Vessels pre tended French bottoms, under penalty of a fine of three thouund livres, to be applied to the hospitals de la Providence in Port-au- Prince and the Cape, without prejudicing the confifcatiou of said vcflel ordained by the different regulations patted with refpeft to navigation. We enjoin the attornies of His Majesty and the Ad miralty jurisdidions to prosecute with all diligence such as con travene this article, under penalty of being answerable themselves XIX. The provisions of the letters patent of the month of O&ober 1787, and the lubfequent Ordinances and regulations refpefting foreign commerce inthe French islands and colonies, lhall be more over executed, as far as they do not interfere with the present Or dinance, which lhallberegifttred in the intendant'soffice, printed, publilhed, and posted wherever it shall be neceflary. We itqueft the officers of the Superior council of St. Domingo likewifeto regiiler it in then office, to print and poll it wherever it may be necessary; and we command all thole within their jurit di£tion to aflilt in its execution. Given at Port-au-Prince, nnder the Sealoj our Arms, and the counterfgn ofour Secretary, the gth of May, 1789. DUCHILLEAU. By the General. (sicned.) BONHOMME. REGISTERED m the ojficc of the Intertdance o}the French Ame rican Leeward ljlands> at Poruau-Prince, the 9 th of May, 1789. t (signed.) SENTOUT. The present ORDINANCE has been regiftcred in the office of the Superior Council of St. Dommgo, and tlierequeft being heard that it Ihould be executed agreeable to its form and tenor, print ed, publilhed and posted wherever it may be necessary, and copies thereof, compared with the present, fern to the fenelchals and ad miralsjurifdi&ions, to be there likewise read, publilhed, register ed and posted, the King's Attorney General enjoins his deputies to aflift therein, and certify the fame to the Court agreeable to the Arret of this date. Done at Poit-au-Prince, in Council, the nth of May, 1789. (signed,) BON VALET. Faithfully tiavjfratii from the ? Original, by John Pi ntard. £ SKETCH OF PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS. hi the HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STAiES. WEDNESDAY, JULY 22. MR. BURKE, of the committee appointed for that purpol'e, pi efenteda bill for allowing a com pensation to The President, and The Vice-Presi dent of the United States—which was read. In committee of the whole. The bill providing for the settlement of ac counts between the United States and individual States was difcufled—the committee then rose, and the chairman reported, that the committee had gone through the discussion of the bill, with out making any amendments. It was then moved that the committee be discharged from any fur ther consideration of said bill—and that it be re ferred to a feledl committee—this palled in the affirmative, and Meflis Sturges, Baldwin, and Smith, (S. C.) appointed. The petition of Hannah Adams, ofMaflachu fetts, was introduced by Mr. Ames, stating that she had published a work entitled an Alphabetical Compendium of the various religious feifts which have appeared in the world ; and was now engaged in preparing a second edition for the prels^; for which she prayed the benefit of an art of Congress to fecureto her the profits of the fame, agreeably to the Constitution—laid on the table. The Houi'e then, on motion of Mr. Scot, refol yed itfelf into a committee of the whole, to take into consideration certain resolves, refpeiting the Western territory-and after some conversion the following, in substance, were agreed to, viz. r R j f^ d ' aS the fenre ot tJl is committee, that a Land-Office oughtto be established, for the faleof vacant and unappropriated lands in the Western territory. That the laid office beunder the superintendence of the Governor of the Western territory for the time being—that the lands to be fold be contain ed within the rol lowing limits, viz. That the tradts and parcels to be disposed of jliall not exceed acres. That the price to be required shall be acre. 1 ' r -T' lat v Ve " y i Ps; f ° n actually fettled within the hmits ftali bc entitled to the pre-emption of a quantity, not exceeding acres, inclu T ing his settlement. A committee, conlifting ofMr. Scot, Mr. Syhcl'ir and Mr. Moure was then appointed to brine iu 1 bill or bills, agreeably to the laid resolutions Mr. Carrol moved that tlie report of the com. mittee 011 the enrollment, attestation, public?! tion, and preservation of the acts of Conirn'r fhould be taken up. I This motion was fuperceded by Mr. Vining' | giving notice that lie should 011 10 morrow move tor the house to go into acommitteeofthe whole 011 the state of the Union, to take into considera tion the establishing an executive department t 9 be denominated the Domestic Department. Thi fubjert, he observed, is connected with the obiea of the gentleman's motion—as this eltablilhmeiit will provide a proper repository for the records of the Legislature, and other parts of the report maybe included in the provision. Mr. Vining also moved, that The Prelident be requested and authorised to provide a greater and leflerfeal, with proper devices, for the use of the United States. This occasioned some conversation: Itwasfaid that a Great Seal for the United States is already provided, and the neceUity of a leller seal is a mat ter of doubt—No deciixou took place upon the motion—and it accordingly was laid upon the ta We. Mr. Benson introduced arefolutionfor theap pointment of a committee, to bring in a bill to prescribe the forms of commiflions, to be granted to the officers of the United States—laid°on the table. Adjourned. THURSDAY, JULY 2J. Mr. Patridge of the committee appointed to wait 011 The President, and present the en rolled bill for establishing an executive depart ment, to be denominated the department of fo reign affairs, reported that said committee had attended that service. The bill for allowing a compensation to The President and Vi ce-President of the United States, for their services, was read afecond time, and palled to be engrofled for a third reading to-morrow. The committee on the memorial of Andrew Ellicott, presented a second report, which was read and laid on the table. On motion of Mr. White— Resolved, that a committee be appointed to ex amine into the meafurcs taken by Congrel's, and the State of Virginia, refpeding the lands reser ved for the use of the officers and soldiers of the said State, 011 Continental and State establishments in the ceflion made by the said State to the Uni ted States, of the territory north-weft of the Ri ver Ohio, and to report the fame to this House. —Committee appointed—Mr. White, Mr.P.Muh lenbtrg, Mr. Seney. On motion, of Mr. Vining the House went in to a committee of the whole— Mr. Boudinot in the chair. Mr. Vining then introduced the fubjed: of the domestic department, by proposing a resolution in substance as follows : t Rtfoived,. as the sense of this committee, That an executive department ought to be eftablilhed, to be denominated the Home Department—the head of which to be called the Secretary of the United States for the Home Department —whole duties shall be, to correspond with the several States, and fee to the execution of the laws of the Union—to keep the great seal, and affix the fame to all public papers when neceilary—to keep the lefier seal, and to affix it to commiflions, &c. to make out commiflions and enregifterthefaule ; —to keep authentic copies of all public acts, and transmit the fame to the several States—to pro cure the a<fis of the several States, and report on the fame, when contrary to the laws of the Uni ted States—to take into his custody the archives of the late Congress—to report to The President of the United States, plans to promote manufac tures, agriculture, and commerce —to keep a geo graphical account of the several States, their rivers, towns, roads, and to report what post roads lhall be established, &c.—to receive and re cord the ccnfus —to receive reports refpetfting the western territory—to receive the models and spe cimens presented by inventois and authors— to enter all books for which patents are granted— to iilue patents, &:c. —and in general to do, and attend to, all fucli matters and things, as he nW) be directed to by The President. This resolution was warmly oppofed,by ?.lefli s. White, Benson, Sedgwick, Gerry, Hun tington, Sherman, and others. . 1 1 The several duties fpecified, were particular J refered to, and it was observed, that they wouW very properly come within the limits of the great branches of the legislature, or of thoie execu tive departments already eftablifhed —that foine of the objects were not eflential —It was urge, that there are offices enough already eflablilie that the people are viewing the proceedings 0 Congress with attentive folickude —that if " ,e ) observe offices created, for which tiere is n ®. 11,1 mediate necessity, and for the support of wine the money niuft be extracted from their earnings, they will be apt to withdraw then r
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