directory has manifefted its perfeverance in the fentiments which are fet forth both in my correfpondence with Mr. Gerry, and in my letter to you of the 11th Fructidor, and which I have herein before repeated in the most explicit manper. Carry, therefore, citizen, to Mr. Murray thofe pofitive expreffions, in order to convince him of our fincerity, and prevail on him to tranfmit them to his government.

I prefume, citizen, that this letter will find you at the Hague; if not, I afk, that it may be fent back to you at Paris.

Health and fraternity. (Signed) Ch. Mau. Talleyrand.

Gentlemen of the fenate, The propofition of a fresh negociation with Erance, in confequence of advances made by the French government, having excited fo general an attention, and fo much conversation, as to have given occafion to many manifeftations of the public opinion, by which it appears to me, that a new modification of the embaffy will give more general fatisfaction to the nation, and perhaps better anfwer the purpofes we have in view.

It is upon this fuppofition, and with this expectation, I now nominate Oliver Elfworth, efq. chiefjuftice of the United States, Patrick Henry, efq. late governor of Virginia, and William Vans Murray, our minifter refident at the Hague, to be envoys extraordinary and minifters plenipotentiary to the French republic, with full powers to difcufs and fettle, by a treaty, all controverfies between the United States and France.

It is not intended, that the two former of thefe gentlemen. fhall

I

Gentlemen of the fenate, and gentlemen of the house of representatives,

is with peculiar fatisfaction that I meet the fixth congress of the United States of America: coming from all parts of the union at this critical and interefting period, the members must be fully poffeffed of the fentiments and wishes of our conftituents.

The flattering profpects of abundance from the labours of the people, by land and by fea; the profperity of our extended commerce, notwithstanding interruptions occafion. ed by the belligerent state of a great part of the world; the return. of health, indufiry, and trade, to those cities which have lately been afflicted with difeafe; and the various and ineftimable advantages, civil and religious, which, fecured under our happy frame of goverment, are continued to us unimpaired, demand of the whole American people fincere thanks to the benevolent Deity for

the

the merciful difpenfations of his providence.

But while these numerous bleffings are recollected, it is a painful duty to advert to the ungrateful return which has been made for them by fome of the people in certain counties of Pennfylvania, where, feduced by the arts and mifreprefentations of defigning men, they have openly refifted the law directing the valuation of houfes and lands. Such defiance was given to the civil authority as rendered hopeless all farther attempts, by judicial procefs, to enforce the execution of the law, and it became neceflary to direct a military force to be employed, confifting of fome companies of regular troops, volunteers, and militia, by whose zeal and activity, in co-operation with the judicial power, order, and fubmiffion were reftored, and many of the offenders arrefted. Of thefe, fome have been convicted of misdemeanours, and others charged with various crimes remain to be tried. To give due effect to the civil adminiftration of government, and to enfure a juft execution of the laws, a revifion and amendment of the judiciary fyftem is indifpenfably neceffary. In this extenfive country it cannot but happen, that numerous questions refpecting the interpretation of the laws, and the rights and duties of officers and citizens, must arife. On the one hand, the laws hould be executed; on the other, individuals fhould be guarded from oppreffion: neither of thefc objects is fufficiently affured under the prefent organization of the judical department; I therefore carneftly recommend the fubject to your ferious confideration.

Perfevering in the pacific and humane policy which had been invariably professed and fincerely pursued

by the executive authority of the United States, when indications were made on the part of the French republic, of a difpofition to accommodate the exifting differences between the two countries, I felt it to be my duty to prepare for meeting their advances by a nomination of minifters, upon certain conditions, which the honour of our country dictated, and which its moderation had given it a right to prefcribe. The affurances which were required of the French government previous to the departure of our envoys, have been given through their mi nifter of foreign relations, and I have directed them to proceed on their miffion to Paris: they have full power to conclude a treaty, fubject to the conftitutional advice and coníent of the fenate. The characters of thefe gentlemen are fure pledges to their country, that nothing imcompatible with its honour or intereft, nothing inconfiftent with our obligations of good faith or friendhip to any other nation, will be ftipulated.

It appearing probable, from the information I received, that our commercial intercourfe with fome ports in the island of St. Domingo might fafely be renewed, I took fuch steps as feemed to me expedient to afcertain that point. The result being fatisfactory, I then, in conformity with the act of Congress on the fubject, directed the restraints and prohibitions of that intercourse to be difcontinued on terms which were made known by proclamation. Since the renewal of this intercourse, our citizens trading to thofe ports, with their property, have been duly refpected, and privateering from thofe ports has ceafed.

In examining the claims of British fubjects by the commiffioners at Phi

ladelphir,

ladelphia, under the fixth article of the treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation with Great Britain, a difference of opinion on points deemed effential in the interpretation of that article, has arifen between the commiffioners appointed by the United States and the other members of that board, from which the former have thought it their duty to withdraw. It is fincerely to be regretted, that the execution of an article produced by a mutual fpirit of amity and juftice, fhould have been thus unavoidably interrupted: it is, however, confidently expected that the fame fpirit of amity and the fame fenfe of juftice in which it originated, will lead to fatisfactory explanations, In confequence of the obftacles to the progrefs of the commiflion in Philadel phia, his Britannic majefty has di rected the commiffioners appointed by him under the feventh article of the treaty relating to British captures of American veffels, to withdraw from the board fitting in London, but with the exprefs declaration of his determination to fulfil with punc'tuality and good faith the engagement which his majefty has contracted by his treaty with the United States, and that they will be infructed to refume their functions whenever the obftacles which impede the progrefs of the commiffion at Philadelphia fhall be removed. It being in like manner my fincere determination, fo far as the fame de pends on me, that with equal puncTuality and good faith, the engagements contracted by the United States in their treaties with his Britannic majefty fhall be fulfilled I thall immediately inftruct our miniter at London to endeavour to obtain the explanations neceflary to a juft performance of thofe engagements on the part of the United

States. With fuch difpofitions on both fides, I cannot entertain a doubt that all difficulties will foon be removed, and that the two boards will then proceed, and bring the bufinefs committed to thent, refpectively, to a fatisfactory conclufion.

The act of congrefs, relative to the feat of government of the United States, requiring, that on the first Monday of December next, it fhould be transferred from Philadelphia to the diftrict chofen for its permanent feat, it is proper for me to inform you, that the commiffioners appointed to provide fuitable buildings for the accommodation of congrefs and the prefident, and for the public offices of the government, have made a report of the ftate of the buildings defigned for thefe purposes in the city of Washington; from which they conclude, that the removal of the feat of government to that place, at the time required, will be practicable, and the accommodations fatisfactory: their report will be laid before you.

Gentlemen of the house

of reprefentatives,

I fhall direct the estimates of the appropriations neceffary for the fervice of the enfuing year, together with an account of the revenue and· expenditure, to be laid before you. During a period in which a great portion of the civilized world has been involved in a war unufually calamitous and deftructive, it was not to be expected that the United States could be exempted from extraordinary burdens. Although the period is not arrived, when the meafures adopted to fecure our country again.ft foreign attack can be renounced, yet it is alike neceflary to the honour of the government, and the fatisfaction of the community,

that

criminal policy, in endeavouring to weaken and destroy it. The cabinet of Saint James's has feen with affright the fall of the ftadtholder. Thus this cabinet has calculated the fatal confequences to its commerce, which must be produced by the alliance between the Batavian and the French republics. Its menaces, its arms, not having been able to prevent that alliance, it endeavours to defeat the benefits refulting from it. Force having become ufelefs in the accomplishment of its plans, it has eftablished itfelf as the banker of intrigue, and by dark manœuvres and machiavelian combinations has attempted to fow jealoufies between the two nations, to deftroy thofe fentiments of mutual benevolence which fubfifted between them, to divide and to exafperate them against each other. It is thus, on the one hand, to alienate the Batavians, that the disguised emiffaries of that cabinet report, with as much affectation as infolence, that the French government will have only tributary republics near it; flaves rather than allies; people vainly decorated with the title of fovereigns, geographically independent, but politically enchained; and that at a peace, Holland, parcelled out and abandoned to a foreign yoke, will leave to Europe only the remembrance of its name and its virtues. It is thus that in France the difguifed apoftles of tyranny effayed to furprife the confidence of the directory; to infpire it with fears as to the fidelity of the Batavians; to raise doubts as to their patriotifin, to call in queftion their known attachment to the republican system, by defcribing as fuppliers of England, as engrollers on the account of England, as partifans of England, thofe who

are the implacable enemies of the Bri tannic government, and the eternal rivals of that haughty ruler of the main. Alas! who are the organs of thefe horrible blafphemies? Men rendered infamous by the most culpable exceffes; men who, having thaken off the restraint of the laws, and renounced all morality, all idea of focial organization, fet up as the only patriots and privileged defenders of liberty, and, under pomp. ous titles, endeavour to fubmit all to their fury and defpotifm. They are men, who, eftablishing then-. felves as the difpofers of character, defcribe as a ftadtholderian the citizen who obeys the laws; as a tyrant, the functionary faithful to his duties; and as an egotist and friend to England, the merchant, who by his indefatigable induftry is able to pay the enormous contributions which circumstances have rendered neceffary, and which have hitherto faved the republic. It is by fomenting hatred, and exafperating republicans, that thefe promoters of civil difcord daily bring down new misfortunes on their country, and infenfibly prepare the ruin and overthrow of the ftate. Indifferent as to the means, they indifcriminately embrace all thofe they think likely to favour their defigns; fometimes humble, fometimes infolent, but always perfidious, they flatter or deftroy; informers by profeffion, infamous in character, they calumniate thofe they cannot corrupt; and, after having myfteriously fabricated pretended plots, and feigned treafons, they loudly invoke the vigilance of the French agents, in order to avert evils which never had any exiftence, except in their dif ordered imagination, and their fantaftic projects. By what fatality is