1803.) 
of treachery, of lunacy, or weaknefs.”’ 
The writer then compares ‘ the detached 
naval preparations deftined for the colo- 
nies, confifting of one or two line of battle 
fhips and a few frigates in the ports of 
France and Holland”’ with ¢¢ the formida- 
ble naval force in the ports of England,” 
He attributes therefore the meflage to 
weaknefs which has been influenced by fac- 
tion, and then indulges in a fneer againft 
liberty itfelf, as being the parent of fac- 
tion. 
The remainder of the paper is chiefly 
declamstion and inveétive—** Whoever 
reads the meflage,”” fays the writer, “* mutt 
think himfelf tranfoorted to the times of 
thoie treaties which the Vandals made with 
the degenerate Romans,when force ufurped. 
the place of right, &c. It concludes with 
a ftatement of the converfation between the 
Chief Conful and Lord Whitworth, which 
nearly accords with that which we infert- 
ed in our lait month’s publication. 
In the mean time, with refpe& to other 
powers, the Chief Conful appears to have 
aflumed atone of moderation, and even 
Switzerland itfelf feems to have derived at 
Jeait a temporary benefit from the {pirit of 
the Britifh cabinet. The preparations for 
war, however, proceed in the interior of 
France with undiminifhed alacrity. Ov- 
ders have been fent to all the ports to fit 
out and equip the fhips of war with all 
poffible expedition. A large body of troops 
‘have been ordered to march from the Ne- 
therlands to the, Batavian territories, and 
the veffels, intended tor the Newfoundland 
fifhery, at Dunkirk, &c. have been laid 
under anembargo. The journey of the 
Chief Conful to Bruffels is ftill expetted 
to take place. 
The projeé& of a law for eftablifhing a 
‘nationai bank in France hasbeen pafled by 
a majority of 159 votesto 63. 
AFRICA. 
The French papers have Jately been 
filled with complaints relative to the de- 
Jays of the Britith governmeng in fulfilling: 
the terms of the treaty, and one of the 
lateft of thefe refpects Goree. On the ar- 
rival of the order for its evacuation, they 
ftate, that the Britifh governor, Colonel 
Frazer, eluded a compliance with the re- 
gueft of the French commandant, on the 
plea that he was in daily expectation of a 
tranfport to convey the garrifon away. 
. ‘The French commander, on the other 
hand, offered to procure veffels for the 
purpofé, but ftill the Britith governor re- 
_ fufed to evacuate the place. It was at 
_ fength agreed that a veffel -fhould be 
_ freighted at Sierra Leone to tran{port. the 
State of Public Affairs in April, 1803. 
$75 
garrifon to another fettlement ; but on the 
arrival of Commodore Hallowell at Goree, 
in the courfe of his annual infpeétion of 
the forts and batteries, the determination 
was changed. It was alledged on the 
part of Coionel Frazer that a veffel was 
daily expected from England with dif- 
patches, and till the nature of thefe fhould 
be known, he could not confiftently with 
his duty relinquifh the place. 
“Accounts have been received, by the 
Penguin frigate that the Cape of Good 
Hope was furrendered to the Dutch on the 
2rft of February. Egypt is alfo by this 
time, in all probability evacuated by the 
Engilih. 
MALTA. 
This ifland, which is fuppofed to be one 
of the unfortunate objects of contention at 
prefent between the French and Englifh 
nations, is not yet evacuated by the latter. 
In the month of January the new, Grand 
Mafter, De Thomafi, received his nomi- 
nation from the Pope, and in the courfe 
of the following month he difpatched his 
lieutenant, M. De Bufly, furnifhed with 
full powers to demand poffeffion of the ° 
ifland. The anfwer of the Englih go- 
vernor, Sir Alexander Jonathan Ball, was 
to this effeci—That as fome of the powers 
invited by the roth article of the treaty of 
Amiens to guarantee the independence of 
Malta, had not yet acceded to that mea- 
fure, he did not think himfelf authorized 
to put an end to the government of his 
Britannic Majefty there till he received in- 
ftructions from his court. He wifhed to 
difluade the Grand Matter, as yet, from 
coming to refide there. He offers, how- 
ever, the palace of Beicheft for the accom- 
modation of his Eminence, fhould he per- 
fift in his intention of coming thither, 
being urder the neceflity of retaining the 
government-houle for the purpofe of tranf{- 
a&ting the official bufinefs of the govern- 
ment. 
HOLLAND. 
The Chief Coniul has taken advantage 
of the prefent difpute with England to 
pour ina frefh inundation of French troops 
on the Batavian territory, the pay and 
maintenance of whom mutt of courfe fall 
upon the unfortunate Dutch, who mani- 
feit the moft rooted diflike to the entrance 
of the French troops. ‘The town of Flufh- 
ing is placed by the Firft Conful in a (tate 
of fege. The Louifiana expedition is for 
the prefent fulpended, and the troops are 
reimbarked. 
. SWITZERLAND. 
We havealready remarked that the conteft 
with Great Britain feems to have rendered 
the 
