Gazette Of The United States & Evening Advertiser

For the GAZETTE of the UNITED STATES.

Mr. Fenno,

IN the heat of party rage, we are very apt to overlook every question which ought, to determine our proceedings. I would wish to recall to the recollection of our countrymen, that the first insult and wrong since the commencement of this war, was given by this country against England—They will stop to reflect that in our eagerness to fulfil our treaty with the French, we suffered them (and have continued to do it to this moment*) to sell their prizes in our ports, contrary to the usage of neutral nations in time of war, and not stipulated in any treaty with the French, and lately declared by our Federal court to be illegal; (see their late determination) we did this even without giving any formal notice to the British court, and prizes have been sold, I believe nearly, if not quite equal in value to what property they may have in the West Indies of ours.

The British ministry have complained of this, and have declared that they will look for restitution. Can we therefore wonder that they have done the same by us? But I am not yet convinced that they have kept their intentions a secret from us, because I read in our papers, an extract from the British papers of date the 1st of Jan. which came by the way of the West Indies, wherein the people of England are informed that their government were about to take such measures against American vessels; and it was very singular that a newspaper should be in possession of this intelligence, & Mr. Pinckney could not obtain it. I am rather inclined to believe that the vessel which was to bring us the intelligence has been lost or taken.

This being the case, I would ask what right have we to seize any individual property in this country, when we have been the first to give the offence, and continue to do it without offering any excuse, palliation, or apology to the British government.

19th March, 1794.

P. S. What has been the conduct of the Danish government? The privateers of France carried several British prizes into their ports, and so far from suffering them to sell them, they would not suffer them to depart with them as is the usage, but gave them up to the owners again.

* The writer is requested to establish this fact.

N. B. In the last sentence of the Attorney General of Jamaica's opinion, published in yesterday's paper, the word No should have been inserted before the word "condemnation".