War Department May 23, 1793 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 Government, and as similar cases may arise in other places it is necessary that some uniform adequate and prompt remedy should be provided and operate throughout the United States. An armed vessel of one of the powers engaged in the present War captures a Ship of another lying on the Bay of Delaware, and consequently under the protection of the United States. Both duty and honor requires that the Government should cause the captor, &c. those which this Minister residing here of the power whose vessel committed the aggression have readily undertaken to have done. But as this remedy may not be adequate to every case, and especially to distant ones, some other is to be resorted to of more universal application. The capture of vessels being generally the consequence of an attack or combat