To Shining Sea- Chapter 12
The Beginning of the American Alliance with Saint-Domingue, January 3rd 1799
The Unveiling of Canadian History, Volume 4.
To Shining Sea – Ireland, Haiti, and Louisiana, and the Idea of a Continental Republic, 1797 – 1804.
Part 2 – The Haitian Frontier
Chapter 12 - The Beginning of the American Alliance with Saint-Domingue, January 3rd 1799
The relationship between the government of the Directory in France and the government of the United States continued to get worse. The United States would have to decide on whether to pursue a policy of war or peace. And in the debate of whether to continue to suspend trade with France, a fight broke out over America’s relations with the French colony of Saint-Domingue [i.e. Haiti] that was fighting for its independence from France.
Victor-Marie Du Pont, the French Consul-General to the United States
During July of 1798, while Elbridge Gerry had been preparing to leave France and return to the United States, Victor-Marie Du Pont had arrived back in France from America.
Du Pont had been appointed to be the Consul General of the French Republic to the United States, and he had arrived at Philadelphia in May, but because of Talleyrand’s refusal to accept the American ministers to France, President Adams, in return, refused to issue Du Pont his exequator as consul-general. Before Du Pont left Philadelphia, he met with Vice President Jefferson, and upon returning to Paris, Du Pont reported to Talleyrand, on his view of the situation in America, and of the recent measures passed by Congress for America’s defence.
However, Talleyrand would send his own report to the Directory – urging a policy of temporization, to enable the ‘republicans’ to triumph in the coming elections. The Directory then issued a new arret on July 31st. This new decree was featured by the ‘republican’ press as proof of French amity.
Note: The American elections of November/December 1796, had resulted in a Federalist majority of 22 to 10 in the Senate, and a Federalist majority of 57 to 49 in the House of Representatives. However, the American elections for the 6th Congress that took place between April and November 1798 (although Virginia wouldn’t vote until April 1799) would result in a Federalist majority of 22 to 10 in the Senate, again, and an increased Federalist majority of 60 to 46 in the House of Representatives.
Just before Gerry finally was able to leave Paris, Talleyrand sent Louis-Andre Pichon to The Hague as secretary of the French legation, who was also to meet with the American minister to The Hague, William Vans Murray. Pichon had previously been secretary to Genet and Fauchet, in Philadelphia, and then a secretary in the bureau of foreign affairs concerning American affairs, before being sent to the Hague.
Vans Murray wrote to President Adams, on July 17th, that:
“I had expected that they would probably attempt to use me as a vehicle of overtures to be made to the Government, for the purpose of distracting and dividing and of reviving that hope which has so much been our disease … If this affair takes a more formal attempt, I shall only listen but to get what I can and then declare myself incompetent & that having no power & not having any security I shall not dare to meddle nor to write to government upon the subject …”
That summer, President Adams was visited at his home in Massachusetts by the British Ambassador, Robert Liston, seeking an alliance between Britain and the United States (in case of a war with France) – otherwise, France may offer terms so attractive that Britain could not turn them down, and the United States would be left exposed to the resentment of France. But President Adams would not agree.
After his meetings with Gerry, President Adams wrote to Pickering, on October 20th, asking for advice for his upcoming address to Congress when they would return in December. He asked:
“whether it will be expedient for the president to recommend to the consideration of Congress a declaration of war against France … whether any further proposals of negotiation can be made with safety … (and) whether in the speech, the president may not say, that in order to keep open the channels of negotiation, it is his intention, to nominate a minister to the French Republic, who may be ready to embark for France, as soon as he or the president shall receive from the directory, satisfactory assurances, that he shall be received and entitled to all the prerogatives and privileges of the general law of nations, & that a minster of equal rank & powers shall be appointed and commissioned to treat with him …”
On November 27th, Pickering replied that:
“our country ought not to be exposed to a third ignominious repulse. We should nevertheless stand ready to negotiate with the French Republic, whenever it shall give reasonable evidence of its disposition to respect our rights as an independent nation; to make just reparation to our injured merchants; & shall send a minister with adequate powers to treat and conclude on these and all other subjects of difference between the two nations. These now appear to me to be indispensable preliminaries … The sentiments above expressed are incompatible with a recommendation to declare war against France; and to me it appears inexpedient … because the people of the United States seem not yet to be convinced of the necessity of war … (and) further measures for the protection of our commerce, by an increase of our naval force, and an extension and complete execution of the measures for defence and war by land … would probably prevent a war; or if it should finally be inevitable, we should be prepared to meet it.”
President Adams received another letter from Vans Murray, who wrote, on October 7th, that:
“the inclosed is from Mr. Talleyrand to Mr. Pichon who left this place the 24th September for Paris. In many interviews which this gentleman sought with me, with much solicitude, I had repelled the idea that ‘the Assurances’ declared by you Sir in your message in June, had been given in any of Mr. Talleyrand’s letters that I had seen; … that nothing but a formal & explicit assurance of respectful reception, worthy the minister of a free independent & powerful nation would in my opinion, as an unauthorized individual, be considered by you Sir as ‘the assurances’ which you had spoken of …”
In this copy of the letter from Talleyrand to Pichon, it read that:
“you were right to assert that whatever plenipotentiary the Government of the United States might send to France, in order to terminate the existing differences between the two countries, he would be undoubtedly received with the respect due to the representative of a free, independent, and powerful nation.”
On September 14th, John Quincy Adams would write to his mother, ‘which though not directed to yourself [i.e. his father] were intended for your perusal’, that:
“the French newspapers made no scruple of announcing that a Revolution would soon overthrow the American Government and place the affairs of the United States in the hands of patriots devoted to France …
But the tone is now totally changed and the signal of the change, was the first shew of firmness and a determination to resist on the part of our Government – Dupont the ex-consul arrived at Paris – The newspapers, not yet having received their cue, announced that Dupont had said that the American people were as decided in favour of France, as the American Government was against her, and that this government would fall at the first instant of hostility from France against it. – Dupont soon contradicted this paragraph, and gave it as his opinion that a rupture would only strengthen the English party and English influence in America, and that the true patriots, French and American, wished rather for conciliatory measures on the part of France – From that moment the French government have affected a friendly disposition towards the United States.”
On September 25th, John Quincy would write directly to President Adams (in cypher) on his prospects in Prussia, but also concerning France, that:
“the present situation of the affairs of France however, combining with the spirit which she at length finds roused in the United States, have produced a great and important change in her conduct towards us – It is no longer an overbearing and insolent Minister of external relations, who keeps three Ministers waiting six months without reception, and after attempting to dupe and swindle them by his pimping spies, insults us by a discrimination, injurious to the rights of an independent nation …
They are at present very industrious in spreading abroad the idea that they wish reconciliation with the United States, and are extremely desirous of a new negotiation. – All this for the present is probably nothing more than a design to lull us into security, and especially to divide the people of the United States from their Government – They have discovered that by their arrogance and indignities and pretended contempt of our friendship they have only weakened their own party in America, and given strength and vigour to the friends of Government … All this however must be deemed mere artifice, while they continue to violate the rights of our neutrality – A mere lullaby to keep us inactive and defenceless until they shall have more leisure to point their whole force against us.”
On December 8th 1798, President Adams gave his address to open the new session of Congress, stating that:
“the course of the transactions in relation to the United States and France, which have come to my knowledge during your recess, will be made the subject of a future communication. That communication will confirm the ultimate failure of the measures which have been taken by the Government of the United States towards an amicable adjustment of differences with that power. You will, at the same time, perceive that the French Government appears solicitous to impress the opinion that it is adverse to rupture with this country, and that it has, in a qualified manner, declared itself willing to receive a Minister from the United States, for the purpose of restoring a good understanding …
It is also worthy of observation that the decree of the Directory, alleged to be intended to restrain the depredations of French cruizers on our commerce, has not given, and cannot give, any relief … Hitherto, therefore, nothing is discoverable in the conduct of France which ought to change or relax our measures of defence; on the contrary, to extend and invigorate them is our true policy … But, in demonstrating by our conduct that we do not fear war in the necessary protection of our rights and honor, we shall give no room to infer that we abandon the desire of peace … But to send another Minister, without more determinate assurances that he would be received, would be an act of humiliation to which the United States ought not to submit.”
A bill that had been passed in the last session of Congress – to suspend the commercial intercourse between the United States and France, was to expire at the end of the current session, and so, on January 3rd 1799, Mr. Otis called up a bill ‘to further suspend the commercial intercourse between the United States and France, and the dependencies thereof’, and it was debated whether the House should first wait for the promised despatches to be sent from the President.
Mr. Livingston, ‘speaking hypothetically’, said:
“suppose an agent shall have arrived in this city from the Governor of a certain foreign island; suppose that agent should have been the bearer of certain proposals, in order to produce an alliance, either commercial or political, with the United States; suppose he should have been introduced to the president, and have laid these proposals before him; suppose this agent has also these proposals before certain members of the Legislature; ought not this House to be equally well informed with such gentlemen on this subject, before they are called upon to act?”
This new bill was ‘hypothetically’ referring to the resumption of trade with the French colony of Saint-Domingue [i.e. Haiti] – that was in the middle of a revolution to secure freedom for its newly-freed slaves.
Before the American government had prohibited trade with France, there had been 600 American ships employed in the Saint-Domingue trade in 1796. And due to seizures by French privateers, insurance rates for a trip to the Caribbean had risen from 6% in 1796 to 30% in 1798, and the trade collapsed.
[next week - chapter 13 - the slave revolt in Saint-Domingue]
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