[Duplicate] War department May 28. 1792 Sir, I am directed by the President of the United States to address your Excellency on the following subject. A case has lately occurred in this vicinity which requires the interposition of the general [undecipherable], and as similar cases may arise in other places it is necessary that some [undecipherable] adequate and prompt remedy should be promoted and operate [undecipherable] the — An armed vessel of one of the powers engaged in the [undecipherable] captured a ship of another, lying in the Bay of Delaware and cap— [undecipherable] under the protection of the United States. Both duty and honor require that the government should cause the capture vessel to be restored wherever the Minister residing here of the power whose vessel committed the aggression has very readily consented then to have done. But as this remedy may not be adapted to every case and especially to distant ones, some other is to be created to be of more universal application. The capture of Vessels being generally the consequence of attack [FOR COPY IN PUBLICATE DOCUMENTS ONLY OTF. NOTE]