[Hon^ble James McHenry Secretary at War] [28 Jany 1797 from [undecipherable] Kim] Philadelphia 28 Jany 1797 Sir Having lately arrived from the City of Cape Francois in Saint Domingo, I Beg Leave to Inform you Some Intelligence of a Private Nature which I heard during my Stay there Viz, that between the 6^th and 12^th day of December Last, being in Company with a M^r [undecipherable: probable reading "Labreze"], a Merch^t of the Cape, he Informed me that he had heard the Commissary [undecipherable: probable reading "Sthomas"] Declare that if M^r Jefferson was Elected President of the United States he would Annul all those Decrees Lately Passed So Injurious to the American Commerce, but if M^r Adams was Elected President they Should all be Continued in force, as Also on the 23 day of Dec^r Last I was Informed by M^r [undecipherable: probable reading "Geniere"] that he had heard one of the Officers of government say that the French Minister Adet had wrote out to them that they Could not Possibly Treat the Americans too Bad, this Intelligence I Believe was Received by a French Gentleman who Came Passenger with Captain Decosta from this Place, and brought Dispatches from the French Minister here to the Directory, Cap^tn Decosta Left Philadelphia About the 20^th November & Arrived in Cape Francois on the 8^th of December. It was not Believed in Cape Francois Island that the Directory condemned our Vessels & Property by Orders Received from France, but had done it from [undecipherable] the Decree Issued by the National [strikethrough: Convention] Directory, Respecting the Treatment of Neutral Powers, and which Decree they Received by the Schooner General Green who Arrived from here About the 5^th of November. Previous to this Vessels Arrival we had been Assured by the Directory that all our Vessels Should be Restored, Provided we had no Contraband Articles onboard, and a Decree had been Passed forbidding the Privateers of the Republic to Capture any More of our Vessels and their Conduct in Other Respects to the Americans was Friendly. The Correspondance between the Secretary of State and the French Minister here. Arriving Shortly After the Schooner Gen^l Green by the Brig Abigail of New York, there was an Immediate Change Took Place in the Conduct of the Directory Towards the Captured Vessels and those daily Arriving from the Continent by the Cargoes of those Vessels Arrived, being Put in Requisition for the Use of the Republic, and if the Owners of them Refused Selling them to the Administration, the Cargos was Taken by force for the Use of the Republic. I Left Cape Francois on the 24 of December, at which Time their Business was Daily Pending in our Vessels, Either from, or Bound to English Ports, and there had been No Instance of any of the Vessels Under These Circumstances being Cleared. I Remain with Respect. Isaac o W Kim