Proviso connected with the orders for the discharge of such citizens, and which is assigned as a reason against the discharge of John Maxwell, is without any just foundation and consequently operates to the disadvantage and injury of the American citizens? With the highest consideration & esteem, &c., &c., RUFUS KING. MY LORD: R. KING TO LORD GRENVILLE. GREAT CUMBERLAND PLACE, Nov. 30, 1796. In obedience to the instructions of the President of the United States of America, I transmit to your Lordship an account of the violent and humiliating treatment received by William Jessup, a citizen of the said United States and master of the American ship Mercury, from H. Pigot commander of his Majesty's Frigate Success. The circumstances of this outrage are so extraordinary, that, persuaded as I am of the Justice of his Majesty's Government, I cannot a moment doubt that conformable to the just requisition of the President of the United States, efficacious measures will be taken to inquire into the same, and upon the verification thereof, that the said H. Pigot will be punished as an atrocious violator of the Treaty between the two Nations. With high consideration & esteem, &c., RUFUS KING. London, December 9, 1796. R. King on this date reports to the Secretary of State the following answers from Lord Grenville, December 8, 1796: SIR : DOWNING STREET, Dec. 8, 1796. I have the honor of acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 30th ulto., and of transmitting to you the copy of a letter upon the subject of it, which I have received from the Lords of the Admiralty, and from which you will perceive that previously to any complaint having been made by yourself or the Govern ment of the United States to Mr. Liston, directions had been given for instituting an immediate inquiry into the Conduct imputed to Captain Pigot. I have the honor to be, with great truth, &c., GRENVILLE. MY LORD: ADMIRALTY OFFICE, 7th Dec., 1796. Your Lordship having transmitted to us in your letter of the 3d inst. an extract of one which you had received from Mr. Liston, his Majesty's Minister to the United States of America, together with a Copy of the Petition referred to therein from William Jesup, Master of the American vessel the Mercury, on the subject of the outrageous and cruel conduct, stated to have been exercised towards him by Capt. Pigot of his M. S. Success on the occasion set forth; and signified to us at the same time his Majesty's pleasure that we should cause a particular inquiry to be immediately made respecting the conduct imputed to Capt. Pigot and the circumstances of the transaction in question; we have the honor, in answer thereto to acquaint your Lordship for his Majesty's information, that we have sent transcripts of the Extract and Petition above mentioned to Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, Commander in chief of his Majesty's Ships and vessels at St. Domingo, with instructions to make immediate and strict Enquiry into the said transaction accordingly, and to report to us the Result without delay; having however previous to the receipt of your letter, sent similar instructions to him, in consequence of a statement which had appeared in an American Newspaper dated the 25th of July last. We have the honor to be, &c., ARDEN CHARLES SMALL PYBUS Mr. King finishes his letter thus: "If the charge of Captain Jesup shall on examination be supported, of which there can scarcely be a doubt, I think that Captn. Pigot will be punished with severity." MY DEAR SIR : R. KING TO A. HAMILTON. LONDON, Nov. 30th, 1796. The Archduke having expelled Jourdan and Moreau from Germany, the parties are in respect to territory in that quarter, where they were when the campaign began. Bonaparte, by the latest accounts from Italy, is critically circumstanced, and it seems not improbable, that he likewise will be compelled to retire from Lombardy. The mission of Lord Malmesbury remains undecided, and though the negotiation is not promising, it does not appear as desperate as it did a fortnight ago. Paper has entirely ceased as a medium in France; what their ability is to prosecute another campaign, you, as well as I can, may conjecture. New projects are to be brought forward in this country, and if for no other reason than that they are novelties, they will be hazardous, where the force of habit is stronger than that of reason. The minister's plan is not definitively settled; but enough is known to authorize a belief that it cannot be approved by the moneyed men. The 3 percents are at about 56 per ct. The minister is unwilling to augment the debt, already enormous, by borrowing on such terms. He intends proposing a loan, which is to be advanced by patriotic capitalists, upon terms more advantageous to the government. What patriotism may do, I cannot say; but unless there exists a real conviction in the minds of wealthy men, that their wealth is in danger, I should suspect that this virtue, pure and dignified as it is, will in this country prove an unproductive source when millions are required. It is time to make peace; for all sides are weary with the war. We most sincerely desire it, since peace alone will afford us the tranquillity we wish, and ought to enjoy. I do not think it prudent to write my opinions, so far as I have formed them, concerning certain subjects interesting to our rights, and respecting which you will naturally wish for information from this quarter. The casualties to which letters are liable require a caution that between friends is unpleasant, and sometimes inconvenient. You know my opinion respecting this country. We have often endeavored to explain appearances that *Works of Hamilton, vi., 183. we disliked, and preserve our respect for a nation who have done much to improve the condition and happiness of mankind. I still hope that I have not been deceived, and that experience will prove that the opinions of those from whom we differed were, as we believed them, partial and erroneous. We are anxious to hear the result of the Presidential electionmuch, very much will depend upon that event. Farewell. Yours very sincerely, &c., R. KING. CHAPTER X. Correspondence with Lord Grenville relative to the Conduct of the Consuls of the U. S. in granting Certificates to Seamen-Also as to the Detention of American Seamen on British Ships of War-Case of the Olive BranchLetters from Mr. Goodhue and Mr. Hamilton respecting the coming Presidential Election in the U. S. and Mr. Adet's Communications-R. King's letters to Mr. Pinckney in Paris on French Affairs-Vindication of the U. S. in the Conduct towards France. R. KING TO SECRETARY OF STATE. LONDON, Dec. 10, 1796. DEAR SIR: My letter of the 8th of September has given you information of what passed between Lord Grenville & me respecting the authority of our Consuls to grant Protections to Seamen. On the 3rd day of Nov. I received the following letter from his Lordship. "SIR: "DOWNING STREET, 3d Nov., 1796. "The Consuls of the United States residing in his Majesty's Dominions have for some time past been in the habit of granting to sea-faring Persons certificates under their consular seal purporting that the Bearers of them are citizens of the United States, and as such liable to be called upon for the service of their own country and that they are therefore not to be interrupted or molested by any means whatever. I have reason to believe that these certificates have frequently been granted upon very slight and insufficient evidence and in a great number of cases to Persons who were in fact British seamen. |