The National Register. — London, England, 1808-01-04 00:00:00

JAN. 4. tract on which Mr. Cobbett lays the greatest stress, appeared in The Political Register three weeks after Mr. Spence's pam phlet was published !!! Hut it would appear, from this reply of Mr. Spence, that Mr. Cobbetes charges were not altogether the result of igno rance; that Mr. Cobbett quoted in his Register five pages of the commencement of Mr. Spence's pamphlet, and in all these omitted only four words, in which it was distinctly stated, that the opinions treated of were those of the Economists!! ! But if Mr. Cobbett had allowed his readers to know the truth, how could he have arrogated to himself the discovery of these opi nions ;—The suppression was a master-stroke of policy ! We may pause and admire, when we recollect that this very Mr. Cobbett arrogates to himself a monopoly of all the political sagacity, honesty, and candour of the age—this very man who cannot even pretend to political consistency, who has refuted in one part of his writings whatever he has advanced in another, who appears to copy authors who have written before him, and then flatly accuses them of plagiarism; and who seems to want even some grains of common honesty. We shall hereafter have abundance of opportunity to exemplify the modesty, candour, and moderation with which this immaculate reformer attacks eery one who presumes to differ from Isis opinions. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRANCE. 'ROM THE FRENCH P.IPRRS. Paris, Dec. 26, IMFERTII. DECREC.—REJOIRDER TO BIS BRITANNIC MA- JkATY's OIIDER IN COUNCIL., OF THE 11TH OF NOV. 1807. At our Royal Palace, at Milan, Dec. 17, 1807. Napoleon, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, and Pro tector of the Rtlinish Confederation : Observing the measures adopted by the British Government, on the II th of November last, by which vessels belonging to neutral, friendly, or even Powers the allies of England, are made liable, not only to he searched by English cruizers, but to be compulsorily detained in England, and to have a tax laid on them of so much per cent. on the cargo, to be regulated by the Briti.h Legislature. Observing that by these acts the British Government &nation a!,:es ships of every nation in Europe, that it is not competent fur any Government to detract from its own independence awl all the Sovereigns of Europe having In trust the sove reignties and independence of the flag ; that if by an unpardonable weakness, awl vs tacit, in the eyes of posterity, would he an in delihle Ctain, such a tyranny was allowed to he established into principles and consecrated by usage, the English Mould avail themselves of it to assert it as a right as they have availed themselves of the tolerance of Governments to establish the in famous principle, that the flag of a nation does not cover goods, and to give to their right of blockade an arbitrary extension, and which infringes on the Sovereignty of every State : we have decreed, and do decree, as follows: Art. I. Every ship, to whatever nation it may belong, that shall have submitted to be searched by an English ship, or to a vu'. age to Lngland, or that shall have paid any tax whatsoever to the English Government, is thereby, and for that alone, de clared to be donatiunalized, to have forfeited the protection ut its King, and to have become English property, Art. 11. Whether the ships thus denationalized by the arbi trary measures of the English Government, enter into our ports, or those of our allies, or whether they fall into the hands of our ships of war. or of our privateers, they are declared to be good and lawful prizes. Art. 111. The British Islands are declared to be in a state of blockade, both by laud and sea. Every ship, of whatever na tion, or S\ hatsaever the nature of its cargo may be, that sails from the ports of England, or those of the English Colonies, and of the Countries occupied by English troops, and proceed mg to Lnglaud ) or tki the Loglish Colonies, or to Countries oc• THE NATIONAL REGISTER. copied by English troops, is good and lawful prize, as contrary to the present Decree; and may be captured by our ships of war or our privateers, and adjudged to the captor. Art. IV. These measuros, which are resorted to only in just retaliation of the barbarous system adopted by England, which assimilates its legislation to that of Algiers, shall cease to have any effect with respect to all Nations who shall have the firm ness to compel the English Government to respect ►heir thtz. They shall continue to be rigouronsly in force as long as that Government does not return to the principle of the law of N a• tions, which regulates the relations of civilized States in a state of war. The provisions of the present Decree shall he atm). gated and null, in fact, as soon as the English abide again by the principles of the Law of Nations, which are also the principles of justice and of honour. All our Ministers are charged with the execution of the present Decree, which shall be inserted in the Bulletin of the Law s. (Signed) N.dcor.Eols: By order of the Emperor, The Secretary of State, (Signed) H. B. Mißrr. As a Supplement to this Decree there is in the Official Journal the following Circular Letter, addressed by the Minister of the Interior to the Chambers of Commerce. " You are nut unacquainted, Gentlemen, with the late acts of the British Government, that last stage of the oppression of the commerce of the world ; you know that it has resolved to de stroy the feeble remains of the independence of the seas. It now thinks proper, that henceforth no ship shall navigate the seas without touching at its ports, without a tribute to its pre. tended sovereignty; and without receiving from it an ignomi. nious licence. " Thus the Ocean is henceforward only the field of slavery : the usurpation of the most sacred of the rights of nations is con summated, and this tyrannie yoke is to press upon them until the day of vengeance, or until brought to a due sense of modera. lion, the English Government will itself calm its rage, and break that sceptre to which the nations of the Continent hill never consent to submit, " I am calling our common attention to the important cir cumstances which must powerfully induce Uo to awaken your patriotism and y our wisdom. One would have imagined, that every obstruction and restraint that clogged the course of the commerce on the Continent, had been exhausted ; still, how ever, they are going to be aggravated by the measures lately adopted by England ; but they Will find our minds made up to struggle against, and to overcome, this new mode of oppression. "We must not shut our eyes to the consequences, Importa• Lion and exportation, already so much restricted, will soon be much more so. Every thing connected with maritime corn. meree; every thing that depends upon it, will now be liable to more dillienities, to more uncertainty, There ure, however, two channels that still remain open. " The power of attacking every ship that renounces the in dependence of its national flag, by a shameful submission to the British Soserekntv, and by navigating under a llritish licence, will open the field to the hopes of our commanders. Such a resource will not prove inetiectual, and French commerce will not devote itself uselessly - to that sort of warfare which neser lets courage, dexterity, and decision, go unrewarded. " We have moreover to hope that neutral ships will elude the vigilance of the English cruizers; the immense extent of the coasts of the empire will favour and protect their enterprises. " These resources ought not to be undervalued, nor counted for nothing. France will submit to a temporary situation, which can only change with time, and with new exertions : hut her enemy shall not deprive her of the main basis of her pros. perity, her internal cotnmunicntion, her relations with the Con tinent, where she no longer sees any but friends or allies ; her soil w ill not be less fertile, her industry will not maintain itself the less, though deprived of some materials which is not iwpoi. sible to replace, " To this last proposition I am rather anxious, Centlemen, to direct your attention. Yon have ads ice to give, and examples to hold out to commerce. You must already fuiesce the Alga of the privation of certain materials, more especially of cotton, and of ingredients for dying cotton, of which a quaetity has been :lured up in France : that which ivc shall defile from tho 1