Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

had acted with fo much zeal and and fuccefs.

But that which principally exafperated the French government, was the treaty that had been lately negociated between England and the American ftates, by their envoy in London, Mr. Jay. It was reprefented as fo contrary to the treaties in force between them and France, as to amount almost to a denunciation of the amity fubfifting between thofe two powers.

The refentment of the French hardly knew any bounds. The language held at Paris portended nothing lefs than the moft fignal revenge for what was termed an act of the bafeft ingratitude and perfidy. Inftead of that cordiality which had taken place between the French and American governments, a diftant and fufpicious intercourfe fucceeded; and if the public voice of the people of France had been liftened to, a rupture could not have failed to enfue.

It was retorted, on the part of the Americans, that as foon as the French republic had been established, it began to entertain a defign to introduce a fyftem perfectly fimilar to its own, into the United States, without confulting them, and in defiance of the conftitution already fettled among them. To this end,they commifioned their refident, Genet, to use all manner of artifice and intrigue, in order to pervert the difpofitions of the commonalty, and to feduce them from their attachment and obedience to the exifting government. He had carried his mifconduct fo far, as perfonally to infult the prefident of the congrefs, and endeavoured to fet him and that body at variance with the people. This agent, of the French republic, had indeed been recalled

by his employers, but the feeds of
mifchief he had fown had produced
their intended effect, in the divifions
that had embroiled the Americans,
and deftroyed that unanimity of fen-
timents from which they had derived
fuch internal tranquillity.

To these complaints the French
replied, that the treaty of commerce
with England had cancelled all
pretenfions of amity from America
to France. It violated, in a pofitive
and hoftile manner, the treaty en-
tered into by the French, in favour
of the Americans, in the year 1778,
by which the ftates agreed to
guarantee the poffeflions of France
in the Weft Indies: whereas, by the
prefent treaty with England, the
very furnishing of provifions to the
French iflands, was allowed to be
an illegal trade. Such a falling off
from their profeffions of friendship
and attachment to France, at a time
when they ought to have been re-
alifed by actions, after having been fo
reiteratedly exprefled in words, dif-
played in glaring colours the con-
temptible intereffednefs of the Ame-
ricans, and proved them to be void
of all principles but thofe of avarice
and gain, and that to thefe they
would facrifice all confideration of
honour and magnanimity.

Recriminations of this nature grew louder and more rancorous than ever, on the intelligence that the government of the united states had formally ratified this treaty. But fresh motives of inveteracy arofe from the difcoveries contained in a letter, written by the prefident of the congrefs to the American ambaffador at Paris. This letter, which was dated from Philadelphia, the 22d of December, 1795, had been difpatched in a veffel that was wrecked on the coast of France. It was preferved with other papers,

and

1

and carried to the directory, by whom it was confidered as indubitable proof of the inimical difpofition of the American government to the French republic.

This letter, on a cool perufal, contained however, no hoftile defigns against France. Its contents were chiefly complaints of the arbitrary proceedings of the British miniftry refpecting the trade of the United States. Hedirected Mr.Morris, who had quitted his embafly at Paris, and acted as American agent at London, to lay before the English miniftry the imprudence, as well as the unjustifiablenefs of thofe proceedings, at a time when Great Britain ought to be particularly folicitous to retain the good will of the Americans, in order to induce them to receive favourably the treaty of commerce juft concluded, but which met with a multitude of opponents, on account of the harth measures that had been fo unfeafonably taken against the commerce and navigation of the united states. It was with difficulty he had ftemmed the torrent of difcontent and refentment that had arifen on this occafion, and prevented the party, that favoured the French, from carrying matters to extremities.

His

own views, in which he was feconded by the better fort, were peace and neutrality. Thefe would, in the courfe of a few years, raife the United States to a condition of profperity and power, that would render them formidable to all the world, and fecure to them tranquillity at home, and refpect from abroad.

Such was the general tenour of this famous letter, the interception of which was looked upon as fo timely an occurrence for the intereft

of France, by admonishing it to place no confidence in the Americans. But without the medium of this letter, the moft judicious of the French were convinced that the intereft of the Americans would lead them to act a neutral part in the contest between France and England, and that it would he highly impolitic in either of thefe, to infift upon their acting any other.

The French government did not however relinquish the hope of a future connection with the united ftates. They grounded this expectation on the numbers of people there, who teftified an averfion to all political ties with England, and whofe republican difpofition inclined them to espouse the caufe of all who oppofed the government of kings. They alfo relied on a change of men and measures in the American adminiftration. The prefidency, it was intimated to them by their American partifans, would, on a new election, be filled by another incumbent, lefs averfe to an alliance with France than the prefent, Thefe and other representations of a fimilar tendency, from the fame quarter, induced the French government to diffemble the refentment it bore to the American for its partiality to England, and to extend it no farther than to treat the fubjects of the united fiates, employed in their commerce and navigation, in the fame manner in which thefe were treated by the English.

Thefe mifunderstandings, between France and the states of America, had, in fome degree, been fufpended by the recall of Mr. Morris from his French embafly, and replacing him by a man whofe principles were more conformable to their own, and his perfon, therefore, more accepta

ble.

ble. This was Mr. Monroe, who was received with great refpect and cordiality. But when this gentleman was recalled, and Mr. Pinkney appointed his fucceffor, which was in November, 1796, the directory refufed to admit him in that capacity, and fufpended, at the fame time, their own ambassador in America, Mr. Adet, who was ordered to lay before that government the complaints of the republic against its proceedings, and the determination to iffue orders to the French fhips of war to act towards the trading vellels of neutral fiates in the fame manner that thofe ftates permitted themfelves to be treated by the British navy.

In fupport of this determination, the directory alleged the feizure of French property, by the English, on board of American veflels in the very ports of the United States, and through the connivance of their government. Such had been the regard paid to America, by the convention, at the commencement of this war, that while it declared lawful prize all English property found in neutral veffels, the thipping of the United States was excepted from this declaration. But the conduct of the English, in feizing the American fhips laden with provifions on French account, had compelled the convention, through mere neceffity, to refcind this act of indulgence and to use the right of retaliation, by feizing English property in American veffels.

It was farther ftated by Mr. Adet, that American failors were preffed into the fervice of the English, without reclamations being made, or ev en marks of difapprobation being manifefted on the part of the Ainerican government. Thefe and other

acts of partiality, amply juftified the meafures taken by the directory. When the United States thought proper to enforce the refpect due to their flag by the English, the French would allo treat it with the fame degree of refpect.

Thefe remonftrances of the French refident were answered by stating, to him, that according to the terms of the treaty of 1778, neutral property had been declared fecure in American veffels: but that no fuch ftipulations were contained in the prefent treaty between England and America. But the propriety of this answer was pronounced inadmiffibie by the French. It was abfurd, they faid, that any flate should aflent to the continuance of a treaty, when they found it was to be converted into an inftrument of the deepest injury to their interefls. For the Americans to infift on the validity of fuch a treaty was an infult to the understanding of the French, to which it could not be expected they were either fo unwife, or fo pufillanimous, to fubmit; nor could the Americans reconcile to any principle of juftice, or of honour, the breach of that article in the treaty with France, by which they had bound themfelves to guarantee the French colonies, in the Weft Indies, against the attempts of the English.

The reciprocal jealoufies excited by thefe various tranfactions were greatly heightened by the motives which were underflood in France to have influenced the recall of Mr. Monroe from his embally, and the nomination of Mr. Pinkney in his ftead. These were the reputed partiality of the one to the French, and the contrary difpofition of the other. When the former took leave of the directory, they did not omit

this

this opportunity of declaring their fentiments on the fituation of affairs between France and America. They affured him, that whatever differences had arisen between the ruling powers of both countries, the French ftill retained their efteem for the people of the United Provinces, of whose warmth and good will to the republic of France they were thoroughly convinced, as well as of their difinclination to coincide with the measures adopted by their government. They were not lefs careful in teftifying their highest regard for his perfonal merit, and their warmeft gratitude for the attachment he had unvariably difplayed to the cause of liberty and the profperity of France.

Such, however, was their refentment of the connection between the

English and the American govern. ments, that they determined to gratify it, by treating the American minifter with rudeness, if not with indignity. Not fatisfied with having denied him the affumption of. that character, they would not fuffer him to remain at Paris as a private one. Herein they were, by many of their own people, feverely cenfured, as having, without neceffity, affronted an individual, come to them on a refpectable miffion, and widened thereby the breach between them and the state which he reprefented. Prudence, it was faid, ought to have enjoined a contrary behaviour. They fhould have fought to have kept the door of reconciliation open, instead of striving to fhut it in this arrogant and con temptuous manner,

CHAP.

CHAP. XII.

The Haughtiness of the Directory towards different Nations.-Particularly towards the Dutch, whom they confider, not as Confederates, but a conquered People.-Moderation of the Republic and prepondering Party in the United Provinces.-Batavian Convention.-Its_Proceedings.-Affairs of Geneva. -Meeting of the National Inflitute of France.-Confidered as an aufpicious Omen of the Return of Peace and Reign of the Arts.-And Liberty of Thinking and Publishing on all Subjects.-The Alliance between the Church and Monarchy of France, in the End, ruinous to both.—The new, or conftitutional, Clergy avow their Assent to the Separation of the Church from the State.-Yet venture to condemn fome Things fettled, or approved, by the republican Government.—But which they confidered as adverse to the Dignity and Interefts of the ecclefiaftical Order.-The Settlement of ecclefiaftical Affairs confidered by the Generality of the French as a Matter of great Importance.

HE irritable temper of the di

other governments befide the American. The court of Stockholm, which had, fince the death of the late king Guftavus, explicitly renounced his projects against the French republic, and manifefted favourable difpofitions to it, had lately undergone an evident alteration. Some attributed this to the intrigues of Ruffia; others to the refentment of the Swedish government at the duplicity of the French, who had paid the fubfidy they owed to Sweden, in drafts upon the Dutch republic, which they were confcious would not be honoured. Another motive of diffatisfaction to the directory was, the recall of baron Stäel, the Swedish ambaffador, a friend to the republic, and the replacing him by Mr. Renhaufen, a gentleman noted for his attachment to the po

[ocr errors]

litics of Ruffia. The court of Swc

gave the directory to underfland,

that were he to be refufed admiffion, the French envoy at Stockholm, would be treated precisely in the fame manner. But the directory ordered him, nevertheless, to quit Paris; not, however, without exprefling the highest respect for the Swedish nation, the good-will of which it still fought to retain, notwithstanding this variance with its government. The French envoy at that court was, at the fame time, directed to leave it; his refidence there being no longer confiftent with the honour of France, to the intereft of which that court was become manifeftly inimical, by its fubferviency to Ru fia, the declared enemy to the French republic.

The king of Sardinia's ambaflador had, in like manner, experinced the difpleasure of the directory, for

expreffing

« AnteriorContinuar »