navigation, and those who do not favour them.

One set

of moderate duties, say the present duties, for the first, and a fixed advance on these as to some articles, and prohibitions as to others, for the last.

Still it must be repeated that friendly arrangements are preferable with all who will come into them; and that we should carry into such arrangements all the liberality and spirit of accommodation which the nature of the case will admit.

France has, of her own accord, proposed negotiations for improving, by a new treaty on fair and equal principles, the commercial relations of the two countries. But her internal disturbances have hitherto prevented the prosecution of them to effect, though we have had repeated assurances of a continuance of the disposition.

Proposals of friendly arrangement have been made on our part, by the present government, to that of Great Britain, as the message states: but, being already on as good a footing in law, and a better in fact, than the most fa-. voured nation, they have not, as yet, discovered any disposition to have it meddled with.

We have no reason to conclude that friendly arrangements would be declined by the other nations, with whom we have such commercial intercourse as may render them important. In the meanwhile, it would rest with the wisdom of Congress, to determine whether, as to those nations, they will not surcease exparte regulations, on the reasonable presumption that they will concur in doing whatever justice and moderation dictate should be done. TH: JEFFERSON.

MESSAGE

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES RELATIVE

TO TRUCE BETWEEN PORTUGAL AND

ALGIERS. DEC.

23, 1793.

[See Vol. x. p. 291.]

MESSAGE

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES RELATIVE TO LETTER FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF SPAIN. 30, 1793.

DEC.

[See Vol. x. p. 296.]

FROM THE

MESSAGE

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. DEC. 30, 1793.

I Now transmit you a report by the Secretary of State, of such laws, decrees and ordinances, or their substance, respecting commerce in the countries, with which the United States have commercial intercourse, as he has received, and had not stated in his report of the sixteenth instant. GEORGE WASHINGTON.

The Secretary of State, to whom the President of the United States referred the resolution of the House of Representatives, of December 24, 1793, desiring the substance of all such laws, decrees, or ordinances, respecting commerce in any of the countries with which the United States have commercial intercourse, as have been received by the Secretary of State, and not already stated to the House, in his report of the 16th inst. Reports:

THAT he has had an official communication of a decree rendered by the National Assembly of France, on the 26th day of March last, of which the following is a translation.

Decree, exempting from all duties the subsistences and other objects of supply in the colonies, relatively to the United States, pronounced in the sitting of the 26th of March, 1793, 2d year of the French Republick.

THE National Convention, willing to prevent, by precise dispositions, the difficulties that might arise relatively

to the execution of its decree of the 19th February last, concerning the United States of America ;-to grant new favours to this ally-nation, and to treat it in its commercial relations with the colonies of France, in the same manner as the vessels of the Republick-decree as follows:

Art. 1. From the day of the publication of the present decree, in the French American colonies, the vessels of the United States, of the burden of 60 tons at the least, laden only with meals and subsistences, as well as the objects of supply, announced in Art. 2d of the arret of 30th August, 1784, as also lard, butter, salted salmon, and candles, shall be admitted in the ports of the said colonies, exempt from all duties: The same exemption shall extend to the French vessels laden with the same articles, and coming from a foreign port.

Art. 2. The captains of vessels of the United States, who, having brought into the French American colonies. the objects comprised in the above article, wish to return to the territory of the said states, may lade in the said colonies, independent of sirups, rum, taffias, and French merchandises, a quantity of coffee equivalent to the one fiftieth of the tonnage of every vessel, as also a quantity of sugar equal to the one tenth, on conforming to the following articles.

Art. 3. Every captain of an American vessel, who wishes to make returns to the United States of coffee and sugar of the French colonies, shall make it appear that his vessel entered therein with at least two thirds of her cargo according to Art. 1st. For this purpose he shall be obliged to transmit, within twenty-four hours after his arrival, to the customhouse of the place he may land at, a certificate of the marine agents, establishing the guage of his vessel, and the effective tonnage of her cargo.

The heads of the said customhouses shall assure themselves that the exportation of the sugars and coffee does not exceed the proportion fixed by the 2d article of the present decree.

Art. 4. The captains of vessels of the United States of America shall not pay on going from the Islands, as well as those of the Republick, but a duty of five livres per quintal of indigo, ten livres per thousand weight of cotton, five livres per thousand weight of coffee, five livres per thousand weight of brown and clayed sugars, and fifty sols

per thousand weight of raw sugar. Every other mer chandise shall be exempt from duty on going out of the colonies.

Art. 5. The sugars and coffee which shall be laden shall pay at the customhouses which are established in the colonies, or that shall be established, in addition to the duties above fixed, those imposed by the law of 19th March, 1791, on the sugars and coffee imported from the said colonies to France, and conformably to the same law.

Art. 6. The captains of vessels of the United States, who wish to lade merchandises of the said colonies for the ports of France, shall furnish the customhouse at the place of departure with the bonds required of the masters of French vessels by the 2d article of the law of 10th July, 1791, to secure the unlading of these merchandises in the ports of the Republick.

Art. 7. The vessels of the nations with whom the French Republick is not at war, may carry to the French American colonies all the objects designated by the present decree. They may also bring into the ports of the Republick, only, all the productions of the said colonies, on the conditions announced in the said decree, as well as that of the 19th February.

Copy conformable to the original.

GENET.

That he has not received officially any copy of the decree said to have been rendered by the same assembly on the 27th day of July last, subjecting the vessels of the United States, laden with provisions, to be carried against their will into the ports of France, and those having enemy goods on board, to have such goods taken out as legal prize.

That an ordinance has been passed by the government of Spain on the 9th day of June last, the substance of which has been officially communicated to him in the following words, to wit:

Extract of an ordinance for regulating provisionally the commerce of Louisiana and the Floridas-dated the 9th of June, 1793.

The preamble states that the inhabitants of Louisiana, being deprived of their commerce with France (on account

of the war) as allowed by the ordinance of January, 1782: and his majesty, considering that they and the inhabitants of the Floridas cannot subsist without the means of disposing of their productions, and of acquiring those necessary for their consumption-for that purpose, and to increase the national commerce-the commerce of those provinces, and their agriculture-has directed the following articles to be provisionally observed.

The inhabitants of the above mentioned provinces to be allowed to commerce freely both in Europe and America with all friendly nations who have treaties of commerce with Spain. New Orleans, Pensacola and St. Augustine, to be ports for that purpose. No exception as to the articles to be sent or to be received. Every vessel however to be subjected to touch at Corcubion in Gallicia, or Alicant, and to take a permit there, without which the entry not to be allowed in the ports above mentioned.

1

The articles of this commerce carried on thus directly between those provinces and foreign nations to pay a duty of 15 per cent. importation, and 6 per cent. exportation, except negroes, who may be imported free of duty-the productions and silver exported to purchase those negroes to pay the 6 per cent. exportation duty-the exportation of silver to be allowed for this purpose only.

The commerce between Spain and those provinces to remain free. Spaniards to be allowed to observe the same rules, and to fit out from the same ports (in vessels wholly belonging to them, without connexion with foreigners) for those provinces as for the other Spanish colonies.

To remove all obstacles to this commerce, all sorts of merchandise destined for Louisiana and the Floridas (even those whose admission is prohibited for other places) may be entered in the ports of Spain, and in like manner tobacco and all other prohibited articles may be imported into Spain from these provinces, to be re-exported to foreign countries.

To improve this commerce and encourage the agriculture of those provinces, the importation of foreign rice into the ports of Spain is prohibited, and a like preference shall be given to the other productions of these provinces, when they shall suffice for the consumption of Spain.

All articles exported from Spain to these provinces shall be free of duty on exportation, and such as being foreign,