In the Senate, December 7, 1793. Resolved unanimously, That this House do concur with the House of Representatives, in the foregoing report and resolution.

Ordered, That the report and resolutions be sent to the House of Representatives.

By order of the Senate,

A true copy, and which I attest,

FELIX WARLEY, C. S.

JOHN SANDFORD DART, Clerk of the House of Representatives,

Columbia, December 9, 1793.

THE STATE OF SOUTH-CAROLINA.

By his Excellency William Moultrie, Governour and Commander in chief in and over the state aforesaid. A Proclamation. WHEREAS information hath been given to me, that an armed force is now levying within this state by persons under a foreign authority, without the permission, and contrary to the express prohibition of the government of the United States, and of this state and whereas measures of this sort, if permitted by government, must tend to disturb the internal tranquillity of the United States, and involve them in hostilities with nations with whom they are now at peace, which sound policy requires should be preserved; and as many of the citizens of this state may be induced, by the insidious arts of the persons acting under the foreign authority as aforesaid, in violation of every law, as well of the United States, as that of nations, to enlist themselves, and engage in a scheme so replete with injury to this country.-I do therefore, in order to put an immediate stop to such unlaw. ful and pernicious practices, issue this my proclamation, hereby strictly forbidding any person to enrol any of the citizens of this state, and prohibiting the citizens thereof from enlisting under any officer, or other person, for any purpose not previously sanctioned by the government of the United States, or of this state. And I do positively forbid all assemblages of troops, unauthorized by government, under pain of suffering the penalties declared by law for such offences.

Given under my hand, and the seal of the State, in the town of Columbia, this 9th day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety three, and of the independence of the United States of America the eighteenth. WILLIAM MOULTRIE. '

By the Governour's command.

PETER FRENEAU, Secretary,

South-Carolina.

maketh oath, that Robt. Tate applied

to this deponent during, the sitting of the Pinckney court No

vember term last, and urged him to accept an appointment in a body of troops that was to be raised in this state under French commissions; which troops were to go on an expedition against the Spanish possessions, on some part of the American continent-And this deponent adds that Robt. Tate expressly told him that he was then acting under a French commission from the French government, and was determined to enlist men as soon as possible.

Sworn before me this 2d

December, 1793.

'}

A true copy, and which I attest,

JOHN SANDFORD DART, Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Columbia, December 9, 1793.

South-Carolina.

of

BEFORE me personally appeared Pendleton county, who being duly sworn, deposeth as followeth That is to say, that on Sunday the twenty-fourth of Novem. ber last, he, this deponent, was in company with Mr. William Tate, and lodged in the same house with him, at CambridgeThat the said William Tate, showed unto this deponent, a certain paper written in French, and also in English, and under the hand and seal of Citizen Genet, Minister Plenipotentiary, from the Republick of France, to the United States of America, which paper was a commission, directed to the said William Tate, constituting and appointing him a colonel, in the service of the French Republick-That he also saw in the possession of the said William Tate, another paper signed by Citizen Genet (as well as this deponent can recollect) being a plan for the formation of a military corps, ruled like a brigade return, with columns specifying the number of officers and men, the pay, the rations, and the proportion of spoil each one was to have-This deponent thinks they specified one lieutenant colonel, a second. lieutenant colonel, captains, and from thence down; containing thirty-two commissioned and non-commissioned officers, and one hundred and twenty-four privates-That the number of battalions was unlimited. That the spoil was to be so distributed as to leave a certain portion thereof to the French nation, viz. two parts; but into how many parts the whole was to be divided, the deponent cannot recollect-The said William Tate, informed this deponent, that in pursuance of his instructions, he had sent out several persons, to enlist men in this state, into the French service; that if the measures taken, should be successful, blank commissions would be sent on from the Northward, and each person would receive a commission, according to the number of men he should enlist-The doponent saith, that this was set forth in the instructions; this deponent farther saith, that the said William Tate told this deponent, that the object of

the enlistment was, to march to South America, and attack the Spanish dominions. This deponent farther saith, that he saw at the same time, in the possession of the said William Tate, other papers, relative to the foregoing transactions, signed by Monsieur M. A. B. Mangourit, the particular purport whereof this deponent cannot now recollect.

Sworn the 2d day of December,

1793, before me.

A true copy, and which I attest,

JOHN SANDFORD DART, Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Columbia, December 9, 1793.

South Carolina.

who

BEFORE me personally appeared, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that on Saturday the 30th day of November last, as he was on his way to Columbia, to attend his duty in the House of Representatives, and in crossing the ferry at Granby, he fell in company with two men, one of whom, addressing him, mentioned that he had heard that he, this deponent, was one of their party (meaning, as this deponent received the impression at the time, the party for enlisting and raising men for the French service) the other person added, that he and his companion, had their company filled up, and pulling a paper out of his pocket, said it was his commission, and offered to show it to this deponent; this deponent told him he would not wish to deceive him, for that he, this deponent, was not of his party, and did not look at his commission or paper's. One of the men told this deponent, that he hoped to see him, this deponent, in the new country, and that they were to have their rendezvous in Georgia; he asked this deponent, whether he had seen capt. Tate, that he was informed capt. Tate had been at his, the deponent's house: Dept. replied, that he had not seen him, that he did not know him, and that he had not been at his house that he knew of.

Sworn the 2d day of December, 2 1793, before me.

A true copy, and which I attest,

JOHN SANDFORD DART, Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Columbia, December 9, 1793.

State of South Carolina.

of the county of Laurens, being duly sworn, maketh oath, that on or about the twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, Capt. William Urbey, of the county of

told this deponent that he held a commission to raise troops,

and offered to show his commission, which Mr.

declined seeing. He added to this deponent that he was authorized to raise troops, which this deponent understood was for foreign service-That this deponent was made to understand that Capt. William Tate was to be commandant of the troops to be raised-Dr. Jacob R. Brown also communicated to this depo. nent that he was a lieutenant-colonel, and he showed to him a paper which stated the pay, rations, proportion of spoil, number of men to be raised, and battalions, divisions of land, and other particulars. That the pay fixed was 25 cents per day to privates. That Dr. Jacob R. Brown, on showing him this paper, asked this deponent if he would advise him to engage in this business, but this deponent declined giving any advice. That this deponent understood that the source of all power and the spring of action in this business was Mr. Genet, the ambassador from the republick of France, from whom all these things originated. He understood this from Dr. Jacob R. Brown. This deponent also understood the number of men to be raised was five thousand. This deponent saw a paper in the hands of Dr. Brown, or Capt. Urbey, which was an enrolment of men, which was signed by about ten men, who had enlisted in the above mentioned service. This deponent thinks that both of the papers he saw were headed partly with initial letters; he does not recollect the purport of the heading.

This deponent understood from both Urbey and Brown, that the business was to be conducted secretly.

Sworn to before me this 2d

December, 1793. S

A true copy, and which I attest,

JOHN SANDford dart, C. H. R.

Columbia, December 9th, 1793.

South Carolina, to wit.

who

BEFORE me personally appeared, being duly sworn, deposeth as follows: That some time about the middle of November last, Stephen Drayton, Esq. and Major Hambleton, called at the house of this deponent, and mentioned to this deponent as a very advantageous plan that was a foot, to get as many men as possible to agree to assemble by small parties upon some of the shores near Charleston or elsewhere, and that a French fleet was to attend for the purpose of receiving them, and that the object was, to make a descent upon some of the Spanish Islands, that would be a very lucrative conquest, if effected-They mentioned that Mr. Tate had gone forward on the same business to Mr. Genet, to obtain commissions; and this deponent understood from the said Stephen Drayton and Major Hambleton, that they the said Stephen Drayton and Major John Hambelton were acting under the authority of the minister of the French Republick at the time. This deponent was thereupon applied to by the said Stephen Drayton, to be

concerned in the enterprise, adding, that this deponent could be advanced to a pretty high commission. This deponent imme diately refused to have any connection, or be at all concerned in the enterprise, and thereupon suggested doubts of the legality of the undertaking, in as much as it would be inconsistent with the Proclamation of the President of the United States; adding, that it would in all probability, be taken notice of by the executive of this State.

Sworn the 3d day of December,}

1793,

The within a true copy, and which I attest,
JOHN SANDFORD DART,
Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Columbia, December 9, 1793.

TRANSLATION.

The Citizen Genet, Minister Plenipotentiary from the Republick of France to the United States, to Mr. Jefferson, Secretary of State of the United States. Philadelphia, 25th December, 1793-2d year of the French Republick, one and indivisible.

SIR,-I learn by the reports of the consul of the Republick, at Charleston, and by the publick papers, that the legislature of South Carolina, had caused to be arrested, different persons, accused of having received from me commissions for the purpose of levying an armed force in that state, for the service of the Republick. Conceiving that such conduct, if it were true, would offend the sovereignty of the American people, I hasten to affirm to you, sir, that I have not authorized in any manner, the recruiting, the formation, or the collecting of an armed force, or of any corps in the territory of the United States; but at the same time, I am too frank to disguise from you, that, authorized by the French nation, to deliver commissions to those of your fellow citizens, who should feel themselves animated with a desire of serving the best of causes, I have granted them to several brave republicans of South Carolina, whose intention appeared to me to be to expatriate themselves, and to go among the independent Indian tribes, ancient friends and allies of France, in order to retaliate, if they could, in concert with us, on the Spaniards and English, the injury which the government of these two nations had the baseness, for some time to commit on your fellow citizens, under the name of these savages, in like manner, as is lately done under that of the Algerines.

I notify you, sir, that I shall publish this declaration, in order to calm inquietudes, and to dissipate the doubts to which the denunciation made in the legislature of Carolina, might give rise. Accept my respect, GENET.

Department of State, to wit:

I hereby certify, that the foregoing papers, consisting of seventeen pages of writing, are truly copied from the originals