lity. This reasoning then proves evidently, that, in the present
situation of affairs, the Republic might acknowledge the independence of
America; and, notwithstanding this, claim of full right the assistance
of her neutral allies, at least, if we would not maintain one of the two
following absurdities: That, notwithstanding the violent aggression of
England in resentment of our accession to the armed neutrality, we dare
not defend ourselves, until our confederates shall think proper to come
to our assistance; or, otherwise, that being attacked by the English, it
should be permitted us, conformably to the rights of the armed
neutrality, to resist them in arms, whether on the Doggers-bank or
elsewhere, but not by contracting alliances, which certainly do no
injury or harm to the convention of the armed neutrality,
notwithstanding even the small hope we have of being succored by the
allies of the armed confederation. The argument of the mediation is
still more contrary to common sense in this, that it supposes, that the
Republic, by accepting the mediation, has also renounced the employment
of all the means, by the way of arms, of alliances, or otherwise, which
it might judge useful or necessary to annoy her enemy: a supposition,
which certainly is destitute of all foundation, and which would reduce
it simply to a real suspension of hostilities on the part of the
Republic only; to which the Republic can never have consented, neither
directly nor indirectly.

Besides this last argument, the petitioners ought to observe, in the
first place, that by means of a good harmony and friendship with the
United States of America, there will spring up, not only different
sources of business for this Republic, founded solely on commerce and
navigation, but in particular the manufactures and trade will assume a
new activity in the interior cities; for they may consume the amount of
millions of our manufactures in that new country, of so vast extent: In
the second place, abstracted from all interests of commerce, the
friendship or the enmity of a nation, which, after having made prisoners
of two English armies, has known how to render herself respectable and
formidable, if it were only in relation to the western possessions of
this State, is not and cannot be in any manner indifferent for our
Republic. In the last place, it is necessary that the petitioners remark
farther in this respect, that several inhabitants of this Republic, in
th