
‘tors. 
‘gens, did our anceftors become, great. 
1796.] 
ence of our ftate, and the glory of our ancef- 
Our navy, under divine Providence, is 
the natural and only means to fet bourds tothe 
immeafurable infolence of the Britifh miniftry, 
and to defend our country againft their treache- 
rous conduct and cruel treatment. To this ob- 
ject, the endeavours of the beft patriots have 
been uniformly directed, fince the time when 
our heavy chains were broken by the affiftance 
of our French brethren; fince the day when the 
ftadtholder left the Batavian fhores; the day 
when we began to breathe a free air, and were 
at liberty to exert ourfelves for the improvement 
of the great fources of our profperity, our trade, 
our fifheries, our navigation, our colonies, and 
our manufactures. By their navy, fellow citi- 
The 
Batavian flag was known, feared, and honoured, 
in each of the four quarters of the world. Un- 
der our late government, it was in‘ulted, and 
became the ridicule of nations. It is therefore 
“our firtt duty to reftore our marine. 
‘€ Ler the people, therefore, be called toge-~ 
_ ther in all the towns and villages of the Nether- 
Jands: Jct the example of Haerlem be propofed 
to them ;, that town, fo zealous for liberty, that 
it has already raifed two hundred young men 
for the navy. Let all the conftituted authorities 
remind the Batavian youth, that their country 
looks up ro them for her defence: they will not 
be deaf to her call. ‘The time of oppreffion is 
paft.. The fleet of the republic is under the 
command of true patriots. who do not confider 
their comrades as flaves, but as fellow citizens. 
The attention of the reprefentatives of the peo- 
ple will be continually directed to provide for 
the wants of the mariner, and they will confi- 
der the rewarding of heroim and faithful fer- 
vice, as the moft pleafing part of their great 
Jabours. Let therefore fathers exhort their fons, 
fifters their brothers, and the people in general 
the youth of the country, to ats of heroifm, 
and to engage in the naval tervice, to maintain 
the honour of the Batavian flag, and to defend 
their native land.’? 
GREAT BRITAIN. 
The great reduétion of the price of 
wheat has tended much to leffen the ca- 
lamities of the poor, and has afforded ge- 
neral fatisfaction. But the ftate of public 
credit has occafioned fo much diftrefs in the 
commercial world, that a mercantile com- 
mittee has been appointed, to hold a con- 
ference with the minifter, on the prefent 
alarming fcarcity of money. The com- 
Mittee accordingly affembled, and had an 
interview with the minifter; and the 
caules of the diftrefs, as alfigned by thofe 
gentlemen, who were fuppoted to have the 
fureit means of information, were canvaff- 
ed. Thefe caufes were fiated to be four in 
mumber. Firft, the advance made by the 
bank to government, amounting in all to 
more than fourteen millions. Che bank had 
advanced to the ftate nearly twelve mil~_ 
lions, according to the account laid upon 
{ 
\ 
Great Britain. 
243 
the table of the houfe of commons; and 
in their private dealings asa banking com. 
pany, they had purchafed, and taken out 
of the market, above two millions of navy 
bills. This fum was fo much larger than, 
in ufual circumftances, was ever em- 
ploved in this way, that it occafioned a 
proportionate limitation of difcounts. The 
fecond caufe of the diftrefs was, the drain 
of fpecie out of the kingdom, in confe- 
quence of the exchange being againft us 
in every quarter of the world. From this 
“ 
caufe, and from the advantage taken of it, 
bullion, to a grear and alarming amount, 
was daily going out of the kingdom: which, 
added to the drain of our armies on the 
continent, and in the Mediterranean, the 
fubfidies to foreign powers, and the in- 
creafed balance to the northern nations 
from the demands of the war, made the 
fum actually exported in three years, 
amount to fixteen millions fterling. The 
third caufe was, the monopolies of almoft 
every article of the firftneceffity, and par- 
ticularly of grain. The fourth caufe was, 
the fpeculation in the funds, to an unex- 
ampled amount, which drew within its 
vortex all the floating money. To relieve 
the prefent diftrefs, the committee, it is 
faid, have generally propofed, that a paper 
currency fhould be iffued for a limited 
time, not exceeding one year, under the 
fanction cf parliament, and under the con- 
troul of twenty-five commiflioners, to- 
wards the aid of public credit ; and that 
this paper, if iffued, fhould be either pay- 
able at fight (to do which a fund fhould be 
raifed) or bear an intereft, as was moft 
fuitable to the holder. 
Some time fince, it was announced by 
Mr. Pitt, that meafures were in train for 
afcertaining the real difpofition of the 
French Dire€tory, on the important quef- 
tion of peace or war. What thefe mea- 
fure were, appears now to be afcertained 
by the ftate-papers beneath, which were 
the contents of a difpatch received from 
Mr. Wickham, his majefty’s envoy to the 
Swifs cantons ; and which were communi 
cated by lord Grenvilie to all the foreign 
minifters at the Britifh court. We con- 
fider thefe papers as fo important, that 
we have infertsd them at length. The 
two firft papers are thofe of the Englifh 
and French minifters; and the laft con- 
tains the remarks of the Englith minifiry 
on the anfwer of the French minifter, 
in purfuance of his inftructions from the 
French Directory. 
Note tranfmitted to M. Barthelewy, by Mr, 
J Wickham, March 8, 1796 
The underfigned, his Britannic majefty’s mi+ 
nifter plenipotentiary to the Swals cant «s, is 
en 2s authorized 
