At this time, however, the American government seems to have regarded the French with a favourable eye. The congress paid to the rulers of France the debt which the United States had contracted to Louis XVI, by sending, in a fleet of 160 transports, a quantity of grain equal to the value of the money which they owed ;* and though the French men of war, which pro tected the ships, were destroyed or disabled by lord Howe on the 1st of June 1794, the provisions were safely «mveyed into the harbour of Brest. Yet, notwithstand ing this effectual assistance, it appears to have been the general wish of the United States, not to interfere, by any decisive exertion, in the contests of the European powers. but rather to maintain a neutrality, with which neither party could justly be offended. At the same time, the commerce of the United States was impeded by the English, who, in order to increase the distresses of the French, seized all the vessels from America which carried provisions to that people, and detained them as prizes lawfully captured in war. The parties which agitated the Union, now raged with great iolence ; the debates in the house yf representatives were keen, and protracted to an extraordinary length ; the feelings of the multitude were roused ; and had not 'ashington at last declared his opinion in favour of Great Britain, an universal anarchy might have been in troduced.t This declaration of the executive was fol.
lowed by several steps of a decisive nature. Mr Jef ferson, the leader of the Anti-federalists, was dismissed," by order of the president, Iron, his situation as secre tary of state ; colonel Hamilton, whose principles were known to be favourable to Britain, was continued at the head of the treasury ; and 11r Jay was despatched into England for the purpose of neve kiting with the British government. These arrangements showed the people, by evident indication, what mode of procedure the con gress had resolved to adopt ; and such was the authority of Washington, that few objections were made.
In the end of the year 179.1, a treaty was concluded between Great Britain and the United States. By this treaty, the English agreed to indemnify the merchants of the United States for the loss of their property taken at sea, and to relinquish the forts within the American territory, which had not yet been evacuated by the king's troops ; while' the congress, on their part, agreed, that the French goods, conveyed in ships belonging to the United States, might be lawfully seized ; and that no privateers of any nation at war with either party, should be allowed to bring their prizes into the harbours of the other, or to sell them there. No sooner had the French directory received intelligence of this treaty, than they took the alarm. They hist' ucted their ambassador, NI. Adet, to remonstrate against the privilege Al Mich had been granted to their enemies, of seizing French property in American vessels ; they suspended the execution of the treaty of 1778, by which the French were prevented from making reprisals upon the English in similar circumstances, and threatened to treat all neu tral vessels exactly in the same manner as others were allowed to treat the ships belonging to France. The congress, however, remained firm in the preference which they had shown towards Great Britain ; and, by the dexterous management of Mr Monroe, the Ameri can ambassador at Paris, peace was still maintained with the French republic.
To the moderation of France on this occasion, an event of an important nature, which all parties foresaw and an ticipated, certainly contributed. Washington, now ad vanced in years, and spent with long service, was about to resign his office as president or the congress, (sec WasimG"rox ;) his attachment to Great Britain was known ; and it was hoped, that, after his retirement, some change in the executive of the United States, pro pitious to the democratic influence, might take place. Not many years elapsed before this hope was completely realized. For though Adams, the next president, be longed to the party of the Federalists, yet Jefferson, who succeeded him, was the known and distinguished leader of the opposite faction. That gentleman was raised to the presidency in the year 1800 ; and, since his election to the present time, the democratic interest has been gradually acquiring the ascendency in the American States.
- The wise policy of America was eminently conspicu ous in maintaining a steady system of neutrality duriny the whole course of wars which broke out in con sequence tit toe Flew It While the states of Europe we rc Milli/MI with plans of nattual destruction, America, engaged in far different pursuits, was seen hourly clearing till paths to 11;.00Wided opuietnce. Tice colonial cominei ce 01 France .ion Spain, winch those two dill'erent powers traosierred to ocuiral coh.tries, in or der to avoid the pressure 01 o,u- ioarit•ine hostility, was 01 itself a vast accession to tile 1 online rue of Ameri( a ; not to mention the %vnole of that bratiLii of European trade which, in consequence or the general war, mould not be safely transported ur native ships, and which, con sequently, fell into the hands on neutral powers. TilLse opportunities hcir,g cultivated by America ',vb.', great as siduity and success, f•cquentl) excited the jealousy of the belligerents, and particularly of Britain, whose pre ponderance at .ea mad enabled her to interrupt all kind of coinmunication by means of enemy's ships. A chain, was urged on toe part of Britain, ul pre venting all trade in war which was liot open to an enemy in time of peace. This claim being resisted od the part of Ann:Ilea, it was agreed that she should be allowed to transport the produce of the French colonies to her own country, and iron, thence to Europe. tier increasing riches, how ever, and her steady determination to profit by opportu nities which we were squandering away, at length exci ted jealousies among a class of rich and powerful mer chants in Britain, w ho appear to have prevailed in dis seminating their violence among the great body of the people ; and it is much to be feared, that their prejudi ces began at this time to appear in the policy of Britain towards America. The increasing rigour in the de cisions of our prize courts, which were supposed to pro ceed on mistaken representations of the trade carried on by neutrals, had so fettered and injured American com merce, that a spirit of rising hostility became about this time evidently discernible in that country. The dispute which occurred respecting our right to seize British de serters on board American merchantmen, aggravated the jealousies which already prevailed, and America was busy in preparing measures for the defence of her com merce, when France issued her hostile decrees against Britain declaring this country to be in a state of block ade, and all ships, consequently, which carried British goods liable to seizure ; prohibiting also any vessel which had touched at Britain from entering a French port. By way of retaliation, an order was issued by the king in council, declaring, that no ship should be permit ted to proceed to the continent of Europe without previ ously touching at a British port, and such duties were then to be levied on her cargo as the British gor ernment should think proper to exact. America being thus ex cluded, by means of the British orders in council, from all commerce with the continent, except through the me dium of Britain, and being prohibited by the decrees of France from touching at Britain, saw herself either re duced by the violence of the European powers to sub mit to the most degrading concessions, or to separate herself for a time from all connection with Europe. She chose the latter alternative ; and passed an act of con gress, by which no vessel was allowed either to leave or to enter her ports. The distress felt in America in con sequence of these prohibitions, was very great ; inso much, that she lately made an attempt to regain, by an amicable settlement with France and England, the com mercial freedom which she once ci,joyed. To France; she proposed to re-establish her commerce on such a footing, that Britain should not share in the benefit to be derived front it ; and she hinted, that if the peaceful communication between the two countries should be in terrupted by England, that then she would join in the war against her. To Britain, she proposed, if she would agree to rescind her orders in council, to repeal her em bargo, and also to shut her ports against France, provi ded France persisted in her hostile decrees.