ll be best,
still to preserve a part of this regulation. Native citizens, on several
valuable accounts, are preferable to aliens, and to citizens alien-born.
They possess our language, know our laws, customs, and commerce; have,
generally, acquaintance in the United States; give better satisfaction;
and are more to be relied on, in point of fidelity. Their disadvantages
are, an imperfect acquaintance with the language of this country, and an
ignorance of the organization of its judicial and executive powers,
and consequent awkwardness, whenever application to either of these
is necessary, as it frequently is. But it happens, that in some of
the principal ports of France, there is not a single American (as in
Marseilles, L'Orient, and Havre), in others but one (as in Nantes and
Rouen), and in Bordeaux only, are there two or three. Fortunately for
the present moment, most of these are worthy of appointments. But we
should look forward to future times, when there may happen to be no
native citizens in a port, but such as, being bankrupt, have taken
asylum in France from their creditors, or young ephemeral adventurers
in commerce, without substance or conduct, or other descriptions, which
might disgrace the consular office, without protecting our commerce. To
avail ourselves of our good native citizens, when we have one in a
port, and when there are none, to have yet some person to attend to our
affairs, it appears to me advisable to declare, by a standing law, that
no person but a native citizen shall be capable of the office of consul,
and that the consul's presence in his port should suspend, for the time,
the functions of the vice-consul. This is the rule of 1784, restrained
to the office of consul, and to native citizens. The establishing
this, by a standing law, will guard against the effect of particular
applications, and will shut the door against such applications, which
will otherwise be numerous. This done, the office of vice-consul may
be given to the best subject in the port, whether citizen or alien,
and that of consul, be kept open for any native citizen of superior
qualifications, who might come afterwards to establish himself in the
port. The functions of the vice-consul would become dormant during the
presence of his principal, come into activity again on his departure,
and thus spare us and them the painful operation of revoking and
reviving their commissions perpetually. Add to this, that during the
prese