PUBLISHED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE,
In conformity with the Refolution of Congress, of the 2nd June 1798.

PHILADELPHIA:

Printed by W. Rofs, in Locuft-Street, near the Corner of

South Ninth-Street,
(6)

1

Fifth Congress of the United States,

AT THE SECOND SESSION.

ESOLVED by the Senate and House of Reprefentatives of the United States of America, in Congrefs affembled, That the Secre tary of State be, and be hereby is authorized and directed to caufe to be printed a number of copies, not exceeding ten thousand, of the inftructions to the envoys extraordinary and minifters plenipotentiary of the United States to the French Republic, and of all the dispatches hitherto received from them, and which have been communicated by the Prefident of the United States to both Houfes of Congrefs; and to caufe the fame to be diftributed, gratis, throughout the United States, and particularly in fuch parts thereof wherein the diffemination of information, through the medium of news-papers, is most obstructed.

JONATHAN DAYTON,

Speaker of the House of Reprefentatives.
TH: JEFFERSON,

Vice-Prefident of the United States, and
Prefident of the Senate.

Approved-June 22, 1798.
JOHN ADAMS,

Prefident of the United States.

In the Houfe of Representatives of the United States,
Monday, the 2d of April, 1798.

RESOLVED, That the Prefident of the United States be requested to communicate to this Houfe, the inftructions to, and dispatches from the envoys extraordinary from the United States, to the French Republic, mentioned in his message of the nineteenth ultimo.

Extract from the Journal.

JONATHAN W. CONDY, Clerk.

MESSAGE of the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES, to both Houfes of CONGRESS.

Gentlemen of the Senate, and

Gentlemen of the Haufe of Reprefentatives,

IN compliance with the requeft of the Houfe of Reprefentatives, expressed in their refolution of the fecond of this month, I tranfmit to both Houses, thofe inftructions to and dispatches from, the Envoys Extraordiof the United States to the French Republic, which were mentioned in my meffage of the nineteenth of March laft, omitting only fome names, and a few expreffions defcriptive of the perfons.

nary

I requeft that they may be confidered in confidence, until the members of Congrefs are fully poffeffed of their contents, and shall have had opportunity to deliberate on the confequences of their publication; after which time I fubmit them to your wisdom.

United States, April 3d, 1798.

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INSTRUCTIONS

JOHN ADAMS.

Ta Charles Cotefworth Pinckney, John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry, Efquires, Envoys Extraordinary and Minifters Plenipotentiary, from the United States of America to the French Republic.

GENTLEMEN,

IT is known to you, that the people of the United States of

America entertained a warm and fincere affection for the people of France, ever fince their arms were united in the war with Great Britain, which ended in the full and formal acknowledgement of the Independence of these States. It is known to you, that this affection was ardent, when the French determined to reform their government and eftablish it on the bafis of liberty; that liberty in which the people of the United States were born, and which in the conclufion of the war above mentioned was finally and firmly fecured. It is known to you, that this affection rofe to enthufiafm, when the war was kindled between France and the powers of Europe, which were combined against her for the

avowed purpose of reftoring the monarchy; and every where vows were heard for the fuccefs of the French arms. Yet during this period France expreffed no wish that the United States fhould depart from their neutrality. And while no duty required us to enter into the war, and our beit interefts urged us to remain at peace, the government determined

to take a neutral station: which being taken, the duties of an impartial neutrality became indifpenfably binding. Hence the government early proclaimed to our citizens the nature of those duties and the confequences

of their violation.

The minister of France, Mr. Genet, who arrived about this time, by his public declarations, confirmed the idea, that France did not defire us to quit the ground we had taken. His meafures, however, were calculated to deftroy our neutrality and to draw us into the war.

The principles of the proclamation of neutrality, founded on the law of nations, which is the law of the land, were afterwards recognized by the National Legislature, and the obfervance of them enforced by fpecific penalties, in the act of Congress paffed the fifth of June 1794. By thefe principles and laws the acts of the executive and the decifions of the courts of the United States were regulated.

A government thus fair and upright in its principles and juft and im. partial in its conduct, might have confidently hoped to be fecure againft formal official cenfure: but the United States have not been fo fortunate. The acts of their government, in its various branches, though pure in principle and impartial in operation, and conformable to their indifpenfi ble rights of fovereignty, have been affigned as the caufe of the offenfive and injurious measures of the French Republic. For proofs of the former, all the acts of the government may be vouched; while the afperfions fo freely uttered by the French minifters, the refufal to hear the minister of the United States fpecially charged to enter on amicable difcuffions on all the topics of complaint, the decrees of the Executive Directory and of their agents, the depredations on our commerce and the violences against the perfons of our citizens, are evidences of the latter. Thefe injuries and depredations will conftitute an important fubject of your difcuffions with the government of the French Republic; and for all these wrongs you will feek redrefs.

In refpect to the depredations on our commerce, the principal objects will be, to agree on an equitable mode of examining and deciding the claims of our citizens, and the manner and periods of making them compenfation. As to the firft, the feventh article of the British and the twenty-first of the Spanish treaty prefent approved precedents to be adopted with France. The propofed mode of adjufting thofe claims, by commiffioners appointed on each fide, is fo perfectly fair, we cannot ima gine that it will be refufed. But when the claims are adjufted, if payment in fpecie cannot be obtained, it may be found neceffary to agree, in behalf of our citizens, that they fhall accept public fecurities, payable with interest at fuch periods as the ftate of the French finances fhall render practicable. Thefe periods you will endeavour as far as poffible to fhorten.

Not only the recent depredations, under colour of the decrees of the Directory of the fecond of July 1796 and the fecond of March 1797, or under the decrees of their agents, or the illegal fentences of their tribumals, but all prior ones, not already fatisfactorily adjusted, should be put