"«, 







256 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



cover the mastery of North Ame- 

 rica, andexhorteitheitcoiintrymcn 

 to make one common cause willi 

 France, and immediately to com- 

 mence hostilities with Gre;it Bri- 



f tain. Another occasion of alarm 

 was the conference held with seve- 

 ral Indian tribes by Lord Dorc'ies- 

 ter, the governor of Canada. They 



'• had repaired to Quebec, in ordt r to 

 lay before him their complaints : 

 agMinsi the people of the United 

 States, for encroachments en their 

 territory. The answer lh6y receiv- 



• ed, .seemed to imply a design of 

 hostilities on the part of our govern- 



■ ment. 



These various occurrences Jiad 

 created much anxiety amono* rhe 



■ British merchants. Tlie comrafcrce 

 with North America wan a source 

 of great benefit to this country : 

 it employed nearly 250,000 tons 

 of shipping, and took off an im- 

 mense quantity of our ma:iutac- 

 tures. ]n case of a war, the navi- 

 gation from Britain to the West 

 Indies would suifer <;reat and in- 

 evitable depredations iroiii the nu- 

 mertius privateers with which die 

 Americans would covt^r the West 

 Indian .seas. Our islands too would 



. * lie exposed to tbtir attacks ; and. 



*■ in conjunction with the French, 



they would certainly attempt their 



reduction. Happily, however, both, 



for Britain and the United vSiates, 



■ moderate counsels prevailed in the 



Congress, over tlie anger expressed. 

 by the public at the treatment they 



J had experienced. Notwitiistf.nd- 



^ iii!^ the violent temper of the pub- 

 lic, the government yielded no fur- 

 ther to its fury than to lay an em- 

 fa irgo on the Bnti-ih shipping; in 

 the American ports for thirry days. 

 A minister was appoinied fo settle 



• the d.ifereaces beiw. en Gi-cai Bri- 



tain and America. This was Mr. 

 John Jay, chief jus.ics of the Uni- 

 ted States ; wiio repaired to Eng- 

 ' land in the suinmer of 1794- — H'S- 

 memorial to the Secretary of State 

 on the subject of his mission, was; 

 presented at a time particularly l"a- '^ 

 vourable to the remonstrarjces it 

 contained. The allied armies In 

 the Netherlands had been repeat- 

 edly defeated, and the events of 

 war were decisive every where for 

 France. H,e complained that a 

 Igrge number of American vessels 

 had been irregularly capture 1 and ^ 

 condemncdin the British admiralty- ' 

 courts; and that Americjn seamen * 

 had been used with great severity, 

 and compelled to serve on board **." 

 British ships of war. Lord Gren- 

 viiledid not deny that irregularities 

 had been committer' ; but attribu- 

 ted thera to the difficulty of being 

 avoided in a naval war of so vast an 

 extent. Ho engaged at the same 

 time that strict justice should be 

 'done, and due compensation also J{ 

 be made to every per.on, according 

 to the loss he iiad sustained. He 

 assured the American minister, that i 

 no intention v/as ever harboured 

 to imprcs.^ the natives of the Uni- 

 te! States; but, speaking the same 

 language, it was extremtly difficult -» 

 to distinguish them from English- 

 men. All possible precautions 

 should heneeforih be taken, in or- 

 der to obviate ail complaints of this- ' 

 kind, and to yirocuic the fullest sa- 

 tisfaction and redress for all irregu- 

 larities. This answer from the> liri- 

 tisli njinister rendered farther re- ^ 

 presentations unnecessary, and for- 

 tunately brought about concilia- 

 tory measures between' both par- 

 ties. 



In the mean lime^the a)nduct of 

 govcinmeut towards America oc- 



sioned 





