north-carolina gaz-e1 "■.■-■ _'._ ' i **** ' '■ ■' •-■■... , . vol 8 i ■ - saturday odober 19 1793 n 406 p r a n c e attempts of mutineers and daftards i alfo wifhed t'jat the admiral fhould have rims to make himfelf know n and refpe&ed the confidence cf an enthufiafm without motives foon ceafes with the latter it is not a flavifh but a conquered fentlment which proves laring an d it is this alone vvhich unites the general and his fomiers such a fpedlacle citizens fuch fchoois of naval mduftry would already have proved as be neficial to us as viaories even in the opini oa of our enemies cnfure a victory " by fea nothing is left to hazard—no thing can compeufate for the manoeuvres nothing can atone for the chief who would be able to perform a good one where re fponfitility is not equally divided the means ought to be diftindt ; and this is the whole theory of difcipline " 1 know that adminiftration is forced to fear its own opinions refpefting the com mand it may be inclined to confer upon the ancient fea officers ; but if ir be eflential to befure of their principles ought we to defpife their talents ?— and becaufe it is rare now adays to fee thefe united together ou^ht we to condemn the principles beforehand merely becaufc we have found talents in an individual lam very far from cenfuring this kind of foiicitude which for my own part i hall nev-r fear ; but why punifli in a free man the hazard which is regenerated by equality ?— let us examine his conduct follow his conne&ions interrogate his foul ; and let us not reject experience without being fure of not committing an acl of in juftice as this would reflect upon ourfelves patriotifm is no doubt the firfl of virtues ; there is none where this is not to be found j jsut juftice will alfo be a republican virtue if it were not a duty common to every man " several pfiicers of the ancient marine not to be fliaken by eduction have renoun ced the deareft affedions of the fou the fweetefl aiid mott antiquated habits to da vote thcmlclves to the defence of freedom vv ell they are now perfeculed arbitrarily deprived of thtir charge dragged in dun geons—yet nothing proves that they have not truly and ferioufly abjured the pteju dicrawi.ld they ihdafcivcs nave dcfiioy+j wkh tyranny no part of their condud can impeach their militjry fervices ; ro overt act can arraign them for incivifm how o;ten have i not myfelf employed iuc cefsfully for difcipline the love and the ref lect wish which they infpired the feamert under their command letter from rear admired trugurt to the com mltiee of public safety re/petting ike pye fentjiau of the trench nwy ana its officers « paris july 12 1793 second year of the republic one and 1 , ii.divifiblc ' ft cltizens « t signified c tv national conrenti a oa my apprehensions and i dare fay tkofe felt by 1 gockl citbens,refp.e£ung the difpof.il of our tuval forces i owe farther details to the committee of public safety refpecting our refources and obftactes 1 he publicity of my cpinion is only dangerous when it appri 7 es.our enemies of what we have to fear from them the avowal of our errors proves on the contrary but the energy which c?mpenfxtes for them it ii my duty to conceal nothing and the courage of truth iacreafes with the danger and want of dtclaiing it " i hall f jce^o the talk of tracing the picture of out humble fatfe : i have laid ajl that can be faid when i hewed the spaniftl navy unfurling the broaj pendants>of defpo ti'fm'm the ivjeditercancan while we hide in our roaijs the flag oi th<j republic diie l$edi*orranem was the empire of our com iyeroi it is now but the witnefs of its ruin and if the outrages ofoux rivals . .'*: \\ f hat ought we to have done r what have we done ? what is ieft for us m 4p ? . " tn declaring or r if you choofe iri commencing the war againft england hol land and spain we ought to have calcttu ted the forces of that triple confederacy ; e . qught to have compared theuti with oiir rvum forces ; we ought to have prevented their jun&ion by a well combined ufeofour xefources ; to gain probable fucceffes we ought to have forefeen that the gold of our enemies would be fcattered in our arfenajs and in our fleets and to have created at that epoch permanent courts martial who would have exercifed ioceflanr vigilance nd feverely puuifhed the firft hired agita tors thus we fhould have prevented that cruel anarchy which at one time under the ma0c of exceflive patriotifm and at an other in the garb of open ariftocracy has conltantljr impeded the celerity of our arm aments and naval repairs and the convey ance of the fup.pl ici fo indifpcnfable tq our fquadrons on actual fervice i fay more the troubles in our ports have frequently rendered hnptitible the fitting out of fhips and their failing from bur harbours «« it was not by political protections at the ottoman porte rlways awed by the menaces of rufli-i and the calumnious re presentations of other courts but by the impofmg afpe£l of a fleet completely fitted out completely fupplied with provifions calling anchor in the dardanelles and be fore cohftantinople that we ought to have determined turkey to fhare no longer the empire of the bjack sea by procuring to that country the pofitflion of the crimea the divan ever befieged by titled fpies would have been feduced by a naval army ready at its command lf had we chofen to rejedt the courage ous operations on which national character authorifed us at the fame time to depend ; had we chofen to adopt a fimple plan of defence i had alfo preientcd.it ; but i wifh cd cur filence abroad to l>e compensated by the greateft activity in our ports " i intended to exercife the army whofe command was entruited to me in conftant cvclutions and to form by an indifpenfable difcipline the new foldiers and oincers of liberty as like wife the fn?m feamen who abound in our fleets i wifhed for i ne fcr ceafed to demand thote la',vs which in every fociery ought to curb and terrify the " then we ftiould have fent fuppliftand reenforcemerits which i conftantly requeft ed to st peter's and st antiouch two points fo important for our trade to the le vant " i had furnifhed fuflicient convoys for the arrival of our grain and the proteaion of our coafling fervice but it was indifpen fably nece/tjry to let our befl frigates be com manded by th abfeft officers and.cruize the fea to obl'erve the number fituation and projects of our enemies if fome unforefeen circumuunce fome guft of wind had dif perfed the allies we fhould have known it ; wi fhould have netn ready to chobfe our e nemy and to ormaph separately over thsir league " when i prop«fed to the fuccenv of bertrand to colledt the navai forces efc.iped from the criminal difpofitions of the king's minifters and to make the greateft part^of them rendezvous in the mediterranean we had foon after on the loth of auguft 1792 twenty three fliips oi the line and forty fri gates or cdrveties ; and while our deferter'3 infulted our mirinc 104 republican fhips well armed arid well commandedj were feekinjt enfmlej on rhr fea «' what have we tione ? *' you knoa-it citizens we have made no proper attack ; we have made no timely defence j we have coinbined no maritime operation arid a criminal want of fkill re duced to nullity at the epoch of war a navy which had already been formidable for five months before the armaments of the allied powers " citizens fuffcr rot the fad and difaft rous p!eafure of humblihtr good and gallant oilicers to be prefefed to the welfare of your country " i foiicit for my comrades and fe'f all the eyes of rigi'ancc all the fererity of cen ure but i fliould deferve the contempt of my fellow-citizens if i were afraid to appeal from their miltruft to their impartiality o how unjuft wou'dhebe that would feek in my expreflion a fentiment different from that which dictates them if : fonv fhould miftake me and confound the lore of my country with the love of command i mould b able then to diilinguifh both ; i lhould prove my fuhordination to the chief fet over me the whole of my zcj : you would foon acknowledge that my efforts to obtain repreffive and regulating laws are the refult of the congenial and mod intimate conviction which i feel that difcipline ii the eflence of true courage and the fafe pledge of fuccefg signed trugufet •• rear admiral commanding the na val army of the republic in the medi terranean " our colonies are almoft open and however great the enemy's inference may be yet we muft ilill think that the idea of what we cjn do has made th:m refpefc us more than our inactivity encouraged tlicm the spaniih iquidron arrived in a mais on our coa.(ls ; it w t « foon feparaiej by the wind's ; it does not tven think of uniting a gain ; its rquuetion is considered uaae ceffiry ; the spaniards have a dtie fenie of their infignificahcy this was however the epocft which could eafily be forefeen and at which even inferior forces would have thun dered upon the foe i call to witnefs the courage of my brothers in arms who cau judge of the tailors of gaftile " the fleet of the republic was to have feconded the operations by land in sardinia it was eafy for us to feizethat important ifle after the taking of nice and savoy ; but long expectation a defence then preparing want of difcipline — an anticivic and merce nary terror — bafe jealoufies and plots fru flrated thatenterprize " let us caff a veil over thofe misfon'unes the only mea«s to diimnifli their cftedts is to confide r them as leftons london august ioandia « ships men courage all thofe elements are in our hearts and in our hands em ployment and difcipjinc the choice of chiefs the fubmiflion of the fubordinate the fdence of the paflions the common love of fame and liberty ; this the navy*ftands in need of and in fact it is even what the republic herfclf wants but here the crrers of admiuiftration are followed by the greateft evils the fea fervice depends on an exact fcience of which every agent ought well to uruier-ftand the whole an,d in a general a pofition a fingle moment of cnthufufm may the png of pruflia with his victorious army have before this mod probably paf fed the sarrc — there is nothing to obftrucl hi3 ertferii^francj whole of the re publican troops&lflftyainand the northern part of'alface do not exceed 40.000 men lhionville which is expe&ed to be one of the firrt objects of attack after the reduction of landau is garrifoned by a rabble which ftiles itfclf volunteers without general3 or any of tltc requifites ncceflary for the ifir ir.auon of an army