244 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



arms, collected combustible?, and . 

 held conventicles to concert the ex- 

 ecution of their plans. 



The conduct which the Sublime 

 .Porte should observe in this respect, 

 is plain and evident; the partiality, 

 or rather, the too great weakness 

 of the governors who command her 

 provinces, has been the origin of 

 this evil : let that weakness cease ; 

 let the French be obliged to ob- 

 serve the articles of neutrality; or 

 else, find no more the indecent pro- 

 tection which they hitherto enjoyed 

 in the harbours and roads of the 

 Turkish empire. Let the Porte 

 maintain good order in her territo- 

 ries, by a respectable armed force, , 

 and I dare to answer, that no ex- 

 cess, no irregularity, will be com- 

 mitted by the offtccrs of his Bri- 

 tannic ma'iesty. 



(Signed) Robert Liston. 



Message from general IVtish'mgfo.t to 

 congress, iv'nh report ani.exeJ. 



Gentlemen of the senate, and of 

 the house of representatives, 



THE secretary of state having 

 reported to me, upon the se- 

 veral complaints which have been 

 lodged in his office, against the vex- 

 ations and spoliations on our com- 

 merce, since the commencement of 

 the European war, I transmit to 

 you a copy of his statement, toge- 

 ther with the documents upon 

 which it is founded. 



Geo. Washington. 



PhUadeJph'.a, March 2, 1T91'. 

 Sir, 

 On my succession to the depart- 

 ment of state, I found a large vo- 

 lume of complaints, which the no- 



tification had collected, against se- 

 verities on our trade, various in 

 their kind and degree. iHaving 

 reason to presume, as the fact has 

 proved, that every day would in- 

 crease the catalogue, I have waited 

 to digest the mass, until time should 

 have been allowed for exhibiting 

 the diversified forms in which our 

 commerce has hourly suffered. 

 Every inforn»ation is at length ob- 

 tained, which may be expected. 



When we examine the doci:- 

 m.cnts which have been transmitted 

 from different parts of the union, 

 we find the British, the French, the 

 Spaniards, and tlie Dutch, charged 

 With attacks upon our commerce. 

 It is urged against the British, 

 1. That their privateers plunder 

 the American vessels, throw them 

 out of their course by forcing them, 

 upon groundless suspicion, into 

 ports, other than those to which 

 they were destined ; detain them 

 even after the hope of a regular 

 confiscation is abandoned ; by their 

 negligence, while they hold the 

 possession, expose the cargoes to 

 damage, and the vessels to destruc- 

 tion, and maltreat their crews. 



2 That British ships of wai 

 have forcibly seized mariners, be 

 longing to American vessels, and ii 

 one instance, under the prctectioi 

 of a Portuguese fort. 



3. That, by British regulation 

 and practice, our corn and provi 

 sions are dri\en from the p(jrts o 

 France, and restricted to the port 

 of the British, or those of thei 

 friends. 



4. That our vessels are not per 

 mittcd to go from the British port 

 in the islands without giving seen 

 rity (which is not attainable, bu 

 with difnculty and expense) for the 



discharg 



