but that prompt and efficient measures will be taken to correct a procedure, which, if persisted in, might produce a state of things which it is the obvious interest of both nations to avoid. I pray your excellency to be assured of my most distinguished consideration, &c. JONATHAN RUSSELL. Copy of a Letter from Chr.Meyer to Mr. Smith, Secretary of State. United States Consulate, Bordeaux, Dec. 6, 1810. SIR, I have the honour to enclose a copy of Mr. Cathalan's letter to me, received this morning, concerning the recapture of the schooner Grace Ann Greene, of New York, Daniel Greene, master, who brought her into the port of Marseilles, having two British officers and seven sailors on board, and they only being six men, amongst which number two boys. The brig New Orleans Packet, of New York, with a cargo of provisions and three hundred bags of cocoa on board, bound to the Mediterranean for a market, went to Gibraltar, where, after lying some time, came to this port, where he has been sequestered. The schooner Friendship, of and from Baltimore, captain Snow, with a cargo of coffee and campeache, is arrived five days ago in this river. Whatever the issue may be of these two vessels, I shall have the honour to inform you of. I remain, very respectfully, sir, &c. CHR. MEYER. The Secretary of State of the U. States of America, Washington, Copy of a Letter from Chr. Meyer to Mr. Smith, Secretary of State. United States Consulate, Bordeaux, Dec. 14, 1810. SIR,-Annexed is triplicate of my respects to you of the 6th instant, the brig Osmin and the ship Commodore Rodgers, by which the original and duplicate went, haying not got to sea yet.. The brig New Orleans Packet, of New York, captain Harris, mentioned in my former letter, has since been seized by the collector, and her cargo has been put in the imperial customhouse. The schooner Friendship, of and from Baltimore, captain Snow, has been sequestered. This is accompanied with an account of sundry advances made for the relief of distressed seamen for this port and the port of Bayonne, with twenty-two vouchers, amounting to francs 4,934 20, and for which I have drawn on Jonathan Russell, Esq. our charge d'affaires at Paris. Captain Sheddy, of the schooner Maria Louisa, bound to New York, has eight distressed seamen on board, and for whom I have paid no passage money, nor have I laid in provisions for them. The ship Commodore Rodgers, captain Shaler, from Bayonne, bound to New York, will carry home from 50 to 60 seamen in distress, of whom I shall have the honour to transmit you a list and an account by my next. The duty on cocoa has been reduced from fr. 5 50, to fr. 2 75, per pound., The Essex frigate is arrived at L'Orient, from the United States. This is accompanied by a file of newspapers and which I shall have the honour to continue to send whenever opportunities to offer. I have the honour, &c. &c. Robert Smith, Esq. Secretary of State. CHR. MEYER. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. FEB. 19, 1811. I TRANSMIT to the House of Representatives a report of the Secretary of State, complying with their resolution of the eighteenth instant. JAMES MADISON. Department of State, Feb. 19, 1811.. SIR,-In pursuance of the resolution of the House of Representatives of yesterday, I have the honour of laying before you the accompanying papers (marked A and B) which contain all the information, not heretofore communicated, that has been received by this department, "touching the repeal or modification as well as the practical operation of the orders and decrees affecting our neutral commerce, since the 1st day of November, 1810." With the greatest respect, I have the honour to be, &c. R. SMITH. The President of the U. States. (A.) Mr. Russell to the Secretary of State. Paris, December 4, 1810. SIR, This serves merely to cover a copy of my letter to Mr. Pinkney, of the 1st of this month; since that time nothing has come to my knowledge to affect the statement which it contains. It is my duty, however, to say that I have not learnt the occurrence of any case to which the Berlin and Milan decrees could be applied. I have the honour to be, &c. The Hon. R. Smith, Secr'y of State. JON. RUSSELL. Mr. Russell to Mr. Pinkney. Paris, Dec. 1, 1810. SIR, AS nothing has transpired here of sufficient importance to be communicated by a special messenger, and as no safe private conveyance has hitherto presented itself, I have delayed, till now, to acknowledge the receipt of your letters under date of the seventh and twentyeighth of October. No event within my knowledge has occurred, either before or since the 1st of November, to vary the construction given by us to the very positive and precise assurances of the duke of Cadore on the 5th August, relative to the revocation of the Berlin and Milan decrees. That these decrees have not been executed for an entire month on any vessel arriving during that time, in any of the ports of France, may, when connected with the terms in which their revocation was announced, fortify the presumption that they have ceased to operate. I know, indeed, of no better evidence than this which the negative character of the case admits, or how the non-existence of an edict can be proved, except by the promulgation of its repeal and its subsequent non-execution. Our attention here is now turned towards England and the United States. The performance of one of the conditions on which the revocation of the decrees was predicated, and which is essential to render it permanent, is anxiously expected; and it is devoutly to be wished that England, by evincing the sincerity of her former professions, may save the United States from the necessity of resorting to the measure which exclusively depend on them. I need not suggest to you the importance of transmitting hither as early as possible, any information of a decided character which you may possess relative to this subject, as an impatience is already betrayed here to learn that one or the other of the conditions has been performed. I am, sir, with great respect, &c. His Excellency Wm. Pinkney, Esq. JON. RUSSELL. The Vice Consul at Bordeaux to the Secretary of State. United States Consulate, Bordeaux, Dec. 31, 1810. SIR,-I had the honour of addressing you the 14th instant, by this opportunity (the schooner Maria Louisa, captain Skiddy) and I have now to enclose a newspaper of yesterday, containing two letters from the French minister of justice to the president of the tribunal of prizes, and from the minister of finance to the collector general of all the customs in France, concerning American navigation. I have the honour to be, &c. CH. MEYER, Hon. Robert Smith, Secr'y of State. FRENCH EMPIRE. TRANSLATION. PARIS, DEC. 26, 1810. Copy of a Letter from His Excellency the Grand Judge, Minister of Justice, to the Counsellor of State, Presi dent of the Council of Prizes. Paris, Dec. 25, 1810. MR. PRESIDENT,-The minister of foreign relations, by order of his majesty, the emperor and king, addressed on the fifth of August last, to the plenipotentiary of the United States of America, a note containing the following words: "I am authorized to declare to you that the decrees of Berlin and Milan are revoked, and that after the 1st of November they will cease to have effect; it being well understood, that in consequence of this declaration, the English will revoke their orders in council, and renounce the new principles of blockade which they wished to establish, or that the United States, in conformity to the act you have just communicated, will cause their rights to be respected by the English." In consequence of the communication of this note, the President of the United States issued, on the 2d of November, a proclamation to announce the revocation of the decrees of Berlin and Milan, and declared that in consequence thereof, all the restrictions imposed by the act of the 1st of May must cease with respect to France and her dependencies: on the same day the treasury department addressed a circular to all the collectors of the customs of the United States, which enjoins them to admit into the ports and waters of the United States armed French vessels; prescribes to them to apply, after the 2d of February next, to English vessels of every description, and to productions arising from the soil and industry, or the commerce of England and her dependencies, the law which prohibits all commercial relations, if at that period the revocation of the English orders in council, and of all the acts violating the neutrality of the United States, should not be announced by the treasury department. In consequence of this engagement entered into by the government of the United States, to cause their rights to be respected, his majesty orders, that all the causes that |