The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1808-04-04 00:00:00

I COUNCIL. LONDON, UVERPOOL, AND PrStTIQNS. We stated, in ear Report of the proceeding's of the House of Coinnious, itsgr Paper of Saturdnill that Counsellor Brougham summed up the evi. deoce, given at the Bar, in otipport of the Petitions agpitsd r thre orders iu Count', ea Friday night, in a.i able and eloquent speech, which occupied three hours. Front the lateness of the hour, and the premium. of other matter, we reserved our reitort of the Speech for this day, and now give , it e.rclu siee/y. . . . . Mfr. Baoreieest commenced with expressing the thanks of the Petitioners for the attentive hearing which they had received,' mid with vindicating the parity of the Petitioners from the aspersions cast urea them. and assetauge that nothiug could be more unfounded than any imputation of their be ing aetnated by party, or discontented motives; after *inch he thus proceeded Throe who best knew the individuals, who, in London, Liverpool. and Manchester, have promoted this appeal to the Honourable the House of Cottonton", will be easily satisfied, that there is no class of men iu this come try more averse from impeding the measures of Go verde/teat. more anxious to accommodate their views ter that of the house of Commons. er snore willing to postpone to a more quiet occasion, tlic applicatoon they had to make against the pro eeediaga of His Majesty's Goveruntent. It is not the tint time they think they have been aggrieved by the measures of Government, but until non that they have email the extreme weight of those press ing ineaseres, which have been lately adopted, they Nee made it a rule to stiffer in rilenee. The Order of the 7th of Jannary, tran, was no light matter, either is its subtotal/tiel effects, or in the alarm which It created to these Petitioners. Their apprelienisions is( the effects of that measure were great and indeed ; but, confident that they could love unthing in the-estimation of their coun try, by delaying to state any ob;ection to it until tilley had first tried and experWaced its operafon, they waited until, iii emotion with others, they found that the inefficacy of that measure sea one of its beet recommendations. When these new (veleta in Council were issrwd, it was their purport to follow the same line of conduct ; and after en deavouring to make themselete matters of the meeuiag or throe I)ecrees (a step which certainly took au smell time, our trifling degree of atten tion`, it wee glitch their wish to bare found them as harmless as that of the 7th of January ; but al though they are very ter from flattering' them selves that they yet understand these Orders of Noveinber last ; and *thorough they can inure- Iv arrive at that knowledge, they are satisfied that they have discovered, by acme 'effects which they elrearly had npoa their own concerns, enough of their nature and import, to be satisfied that they are ruinous to them ; they hove found that if thee had delayed any longer ranking that redrew which they new son et. they should - only have waited, till, instead of three Petitions. • general clamour would have been raised all over the country, vs 'aich, iris bed succeeded, would not here been likely to have been attended with good effects, either to. wards foreigners 40T these trading in our own countt)•. They have at last resolved to come be fore this Howie, to state their grievaucee. and claim that rralrees which they dean themselves lastified ;n claiming. Sir, it is very bkely( theateh I am unwilling to anticipate any rea for it), that these Petitioners may be seat frith your 11, without obtaining that redress which is ',ought for. I iiheald, however. hope that it may matt this honourable House. But I can amour, you, that tiotwithallanding a failure, it will ever be a satisfaction to them, that they lime been the means of bringing b efore you so teeny very im portant tarts relating to their nitersores; that they finer been beard patiently . at your Bar ; and that whatever fate the ir Pet,t ion Bray have, they have skew their best to enter a protest upon the Journals of .the House against measures mere dangerous to the trade of this country than any others ever heftier! arlopted. Measures of this sect. Sir, are not in their nature lout lived, and whether they are to at tribute their inisiry to the s e Order s or net., they are aetisfied they s.ih not long continue to be leaven. but by the renseenbrence of their pernicious ef fect The mew of evidence that has been adduced at your her will remain to deter adventurous schemers from than peruiciously interfering a jib the trade of the vutentey, and to warn the country nesstiost listeniag to thern s should any such: counsel be offered theme Kr. in roceedititto state the im.' port of this mass of ender/het, it is neeeseary that I should . ge hack, in die fi rst place. to those deerers of the heath Government whleh are stated to hays leiter' rise to the measures complained of, and between which and thaw tonsures there appears to have been souse dispute as to the omission of the ealasseities that hare 11:1111%. Late it. the year 1806. Bens . parte. it wrak f appear, is a moment of cla ims, by no inestee unnettnal in his thee situation, thrva.;lit of t I recree which should affict the track. amtioaseigabrissof %Malamute, as extensively as th , tse very Deereee which he had Waned ujoin. the Contiaent, where he had cereated them Wier many millions of people. This Derive was net thee for the first time in agitation. or accounted de arty thing of it novel naturre although termed in this country a. a new one; it bad been tried. and manifestly failed. Not tro go beet to the war of lnyf. I may only observe, that iu the year Erefe the pencil/le was broadly laid down by the French Government, that the seizure of any manufacture or produce of the Dritiels dominions should render the vend in which et was famed liable to confiscation.-. Tuo ards the end of the Amer can woe,* similar measure was intended to he prodceecl ; but of those I nerd not say emelt, for in the begmning of the revolution, two Decrees. similar to this one. acre h oned. Of these it may he nee' eau., for me to merema the substance. The first of these De crees wa s Waved in 170 h. and after a variety of et:ier clauses. subjected shipe with British goods to ensure mad detention. We find not merely the erred of the Berlin Decree, as to the good" introduced, but ale, time provision re enticing a tertiLvate at origin, as it was calked. which was deemed a are qua num, of the *hip and cargo being safe from detention. A similar Decree was i s s ue d i n I gun, after Bonaparte's arrival in Treace, which was afterward: premalgotrtl, rant remains in force. In 1797. those Decrees proximal ed from the c'arg to affect the ship, awl 1 hold in my baud a D e cree isseml by the Council of Fire Hundred, enacting, that the characters of vessels shall be determined by their car goes. In consequeoce of one, every yawl. loaded in whole, or in part, with English cargoes, ball be declared lawful prize. The second article smith, every foreign vessel which. in the course of her rovige, shall have entered into an English n• shall nut be permitted alt!, any port of the o t i t itioeut. m It is surely rieedlers fir sue to prove, that although these Deerees were so promulgated, they never were attempted to be executed after they war* issued; the progress of our exports pro ceeded not •merely to increase, but, in short, to double the amount of our imports. It is, tiere fore, plain. that France has, since the issuing of these Decrees:, been cousutning much of the pro duce of this country, down to the period of the Berlin Decree. flowerer inelEcaciotts these boasts may have proved, the enemy determined once more to try the effect of another Decree. and ac cordingly, iu the month of November, hilt;, he issued that one which forms the foundation of our Orders in Conned. This Decreo con sists of three branches. It condemns all car. goes of British produce or manufacture ; it threatens the seizure of all vessels going to or from England ; and it shuts the parts of the eut my aigaiust alt such vessels as have last Cleared out Irvin the British ports. It may be asked, what chance was there that such a Decree us this should succeed? Was it that France should assem: i ile stsdiletily a fleet, and venture to put to sea, am, she had not dared to do before? Was she toatrack our fleet, which she had net formerly dour. alai to enforce this Decree in spite of our maritime superiority ? Or was it that, without these preliminary steps, she was, by her mere infroetice and great seine upon the Cootraent of Europe. to stop all vessels sailing to or from England, or any that contained our produce upon thy seas, and to do that wh'ch wa. evert with'oar naval superiority. are not able to effect 3 Safely .France bad not the power to execute her throat ; it ought to have been looked upon in 'metier light than a Isere menace, which it might really have been _hoped would not again have taken-in those who had been so often formerly deceived. Nevertheless, it should seem that the eleiny calculated better than we did, for we no sooner heard of it than we fell into eon old error of supposing, that because it was a Flout+ Manifesto, evincing Bousparte's power on shore, and might there have some effect,, that it was also to have similar effects at MM. Sit," oriel ow (O des* in - Cwed, it appears elearly that there was no probolslity whatever of Bcomparte's potting his anti-threats non Execution. In order to thew this more evidently than could be possibly effected by any arguments, we hare brought Witnesses before your Bar, Merchants engaged in trade with the Continent, who have been able to state distinctly, by dates, names, and circumstances, the means by which thews Deere's operate. Tow much at tention woe bearowril upon this evidence to reader it nircisary fur me to recapitulate it. I AMU merely refer shortly to those parts of it where those points are clearly ;mole outa— la page 35 of the printed eeideuee.. Mr. ‘Vhite, au losawaace rkiker. of the City orLoodon, in answer to a question, whether he had oecas;on to altimeter soy vessels d;re.:t to the Continent in the 'months of January and March last, states to this that he iiid himself charter two awls for Atusterdom ; the one in the mouth df • nary. and the other in March. I.;o7. From . is it appears, therefore, that four months after the Berlin Decree, ten relabels were chartered to the Continent, and lauded and soM their carries iu safety at Amsterdam. IL says that these ves sels were chiefly laden with cotton, produced by America 111114 the West Indies; be knew of their being dischargeskaio I that the shims. ere paiilfor tissir labour ; nod adds. that he was paid his commis sion as Ship and Insurance Brober ; and that this voyage was performed safely from ~nod to the other. In next pogo (56) the same; witness men tions*. first, that American ressels. prier to List used to clear out regularly from this mulatto, to the Coatinent, and there land their cargoes ; And, secondly, that a considerable quan tity of West InUia produce had lwen taken in American tassels, suboequeut to the Berlin Decree in November, !eon. The same witness (in page 57) mentions other instances of voyages having been p. formed since that Decree, and *omen' which the cargoes of the vessels had gone to the ports at' Spain. iu spite of that Decree, and with cargoes of British and West India produce on board. On King asked whether any corsid,rahle branch of trick was carried our in this wry ? he dis tinctly adds, that other brokers besides howself bad transacted similar business; speaking from his own belief. The evidence of Mr. Bell. whose distinct and full testimony must be in the recollec tion of this llonse, wits very strong. I shall only refer to page o 2 and st, iu whir+ Mr. Bell gives us two extracts from letters, which* lie had re nowt faint his correeptiedevit w ilinCentineste. to being asked if he hail lately letters from his correspondents in Holland, touchiag the execution or die French ec.minereial Decrees in that erniutryt hr *Wed, that lie had received a letter (mos his friends iii Rotterdam. nma the 17th of September. raying, e We are able to assure you. the late. De cree does not affect Americium that may have called in Eisglead, provided they have not landed in England. and declare the last pert that they came from." The Decree of I P 97 w as a sub ; mouent one to the first s and was for the purpose of effecting a snore vigorous execution of it. He was risked, have y ou received oily letter subsequent to that from I loilaud ? To this be answers, that on the am of September he had one from the seine Home, wiying, N We rep-at, shim touching in England are rece . r.ed here as before." Saloe, iot i o t even to this date it appear. that he reiviyed one upon the 2pth of October, brines pl ...chaos to nur umbers in Council, and containing information th ereo f. It coma-boles by sating. Prices, mean time. seem at th , 'r level, without -A.,ne new dif fi,:uity or broil." 31eaning, as mlr. MAE said. nothii,g slew /IA fly f'roui this it is ob vious thet prices nouiel have risen if an. new exe cution of that Deere had taken place. ale. Greu nie that he knew of tits one e alurein tie Decree had lissis carried lute execution upon 'Remand vessels% France. It_ap pear. that this Gentleman had various correspond ents at different places upon the Conthsent, who wrote him, not merely touching his own commer cial concerns, but also upon various matters iu which be was: indirectly concerned. They gave him the political news of the day, so far as they rneiuselves were in possession of it; and not aithstanding this, he never hal received au) such notice for the whole year that had elapsed. From Mr. Grenuit's evidence, then, it appears, that there was no inteution iu France to execute those or ders. A Decree had been issued in Holland, closing the Dutch ports, and laying an einleirgo on their own trade, for the better carrying those measures into execution. In allusion to this Do. cree, the sorreepondeut mentions, on the -..16t1t of February, 1:108. " the sole object of this letter is to inform you, that all vessels arrived since the promulgation of the Decrees mentioned in our tUregrong, are now relearned, and even several which have teen for many months detained iu Flushing on their way to Antwerp, have also got per mission to proceed thither and discharge their car goes." There is another extract of a letter bearing more directly on the point, and Mr. Grannie states, that his information lied been confirmed by letters on the 43th and etith of February. The whole of these witnesses were cross-examined, and in regard to Mr; Griamie, in particular, although it might have appeared at first that he was wavering from his lint position, v e t defy any man to slisenver one single atom of omtrudiction to the broad gene ral as.ertion on which he set out. He no less than four times read his extract from that letter. which states that all the vessel, arrived since the promul gation end . the Decrees bud been released, and he rigidly adhered to his first hnerpretation of it, that it meant that many vessels that had been detained at Flusning were allowed to proceed on their voy age previous to the Orders in Council ; but long subsequent to the Berlin Decree. The evidsuce of Mr. 141ittlett and Mr. Miuiu strongly confirms that of Mr. Bell and Mr. Grennie: . pages fits and !es containing, with a few alterations, merely a repetition of what had been formerly stud ultra that points It thus appearl, Sir, by the evidence of some of the utast respectable brokers and mer chants of dad country, we have a right to conclude that time Berlin Decree was so little executed, that vessels under American colours cleared out to ports of the enemy's country, in spite of that and other Decrees ; bit there is other evidence of a more direct nature substantiating this. I should men tion first a. to the indirect evidence of the known execution .4 the Berlin Decree. that remit tances tome over from the Continent to mer chants w this couutrv, and even in this House, a year after that decree, in the wow meaner, and in as great abundance, as at any former period..-.- Mr. Grenniesaid, that be was accustomed to Re ceive in fanner years half a million in remittances from the Continent ; and being asked if he had experieuced a defalcation, subsequent tothat Berlin decree ? answered distinctly, on the contrary, that he haul 'weer before received so much, by a hundred thousand pounds. as after the Berlin decree. The other witnesses state the same thing, as will lie found in pages tl3 and 65, viz. that us near as they can Teen li•et, the remittances in the months of January and February, limn, exceeded these in the same months in int*, by one hundred thousand pounds. Mr. Grelanie, in the coarse of his extensive &mimeo as a merchant. stated to you, in detail, the amount of the sums he paid is different years for postage*, In page 63, yea have it in evidence, that in the year lens, his whole postage account amounted to 4331. In the yenr 1 (being the year before the Berlin Decree) it amounted to 3151.; and iu the year 1 sO7 to 6401. Now, as the Berlin Decree was supposed to put a • stop to all neutral commerce coming to tagland, and as this Geo tleitunis postage is mostly created by receiving those remittance, fur goods arriv iag in hostile countries, it was expected, that in consequence of that Berlin ()error being executed. Mr. Grennie's ' postage account s t h a ve suffered a aerikation. In leo7, the year after, it Intpcars, on the con trary, to have paid six hundred and furry pounds, being 151. mare than he hail paid the year before its issuing. Those merchants act as it were as bankers, on account of American concerns, answer ing &efts made on them hi favour of manufactu rers. Whoa Cie.c is no interruption in the trade with the Conti.ient, of course Mr. Grennie and others do net Imotioar the draft on American ac count, unless they be tacit' doing so, by having goods in their own hands. It is therefore a test of those decrees, to sec how these Gentlemen answer the drafts presented theta. Mr. Oreunie males, that subsequent to the execution of the Berlin de cree, he continued to answer drafts on American account, elf/sough be had not the sums in his bands. trusting not as a speculative man, but with that sort of coufidence belouging to a practi cal merchant. tint the Berlin decree was of no avail ohateyer. Had it been otherwise, he would have altered his lice of conduct it the same mat nen which he afterwards did, when you issued your Orders in Ceuta-it: The only other symptoM of the known execution of this Berlin decree, is de tired from the ereterios of ix:aroma., and it is the more necessary to call your attention to this sub ject, as in no tete ',much of the whole circum stances counected with these transactions, is the foul and gross misrepresentation to which I have alluded so eminently conspicuous, and in no one of this subject has there been more fallacy ob servable. than in the construction of the evidence as 'to the rates of insurance. Mr. Martin, page 45, Mr. Mullett. page 91. Mr. Hinckley, page i 3. and Mr. White, page 55 of the printed ststenteat, by their evidence, chew that on neither branch of the Berlin decree 'did any rise take place in the rate of insurance. It will be sufficient for me, in order to correct those inisnewesentations to which I have alluded, to *all your attention to the testimmy of any one of these gentlemen. In page 43 of the printed evidence, the House will pereeive that tillet.4l4 .4 were put to Mr. Martin, with a view to Lring to a determination this point, as to the rate of insitnince. lie was asked who. thee, in his knowledge, and in the course of his practices, a mcrchnin, shitaing to America aid eliarter inr and insuri ng it-.. is, he hal found that the rate of insurance ro-e uft,r the Berlin decree, upon voyage... in American ships from this cosintry to America and back again ? and this question was • put to hire, Ix - cease it wet or . d, that a rise :it fret two to three guin tua hail taken Once lie u t, mil voyage, es if the p ower o i the Freech n a y - 11 . t :' tat ) IR considerable in the Atlatatie,u * to ma k e a diff 4,.. la, i e ; • t i le r c eli r 3t et il.Y . h . ic'e lt rur l [.:ill'aiiiiiiillethric)ilw'rameetigleuirs4k il a ce l i l i" t u li o :: flu o ;c t he l e i :t i t ' , l ab. to do al ' .1 thearpolin,l;linieriatd;:reeri`krvtii: neases, stated, that there is a rise every v • - de • ear in rob. sequence of sea risk. the summer rate I, e) i . , 0: two to two and a halt; and that of the e Jut troy s : 1 i three to three and a half per cent. But was e '' - li au additional rise in the year a ft er the Berlin d n i 4 :n ti r ß re i ve :6 t ; wintersi u b u t i t i BU th e it i reeiu tt l i e i r i a : ned w i r e a r , 4 2 se two il b e t jau soya, a n a rt the l e ' f l oh t ei t l f rt t e : l u k. : l l, . e.l 4: to eta an he premium. The n ews co Liverpool so the 11 dr of December, let*, le d , ere the lath of that month, Mr. Madill had '' ata crei ;‘ , l „„ twoase,fificrotinaAn America of u ; G I ca r" : Live rpool. *6' per cent. Theu had the Berlin Decree raised t ,,, arg insurance? So fur from it, the p rem i um ore e th e very same voyage, as appears from the e v id e id.r-, was exactly the sum of th ree gu i neas per cent. in bs of the year before. Upon being f ur th er queetiosse. whether any r i se d i d a t a ll ta k e p i ne , ? h e au ; as . " some little ris e w a s o ccas i one d at f i rst. after tic di knowledge of the Berlin Decree cam.. to Livereted; err but that was a teruporary one . anti he believed the an premium would have been five guineas Per e ta . le , upon the some voyage outward-a." O the Isle, of Fehmary, however, the insurance was erected upon the same vessels at three guineas per ce ll g for the winter premium, as appears, not only from the evidence of Mr. Martin. but ideo frail that of Mr. Shakespear Phillips, Mr. Alexander V White, Mr. Henry Hinckley. and all the other brokers eh,. Lave been interrogated upon the vele ject. It appears that west men were shrines! ti L flint, and they took a little higher premium for he a: miring to America; but, in less then a fortniglit or L a week's time. th e p remium o f insurance lambi.' down to its fortiori rate of two, or two mull' kali, to l' summer, and three. or them and a baif s in w i ater; E and. therefore. 1 eouclude, that this staternetit a 11 radically erre.- outs, howeter often repented, aid with whatever confidence asserted; Chick teeds to el, bear out that most incredible of all prokoraeolis, • that the fears or alarms excited by the French navy al in the Atlantic, in our 010 16111, as well as in era. teals, oracle* difference at once of SO per cent. ep ee ti the rate of insurance. This is proved to he as radicaUr (elle, in point of fact, when these e different rates of insure nee are inerstigaiel it and appealed- to, es it is reonstrously absurd, when attempted to be stated and eilforted air C argument. Nose, as to the other effect, if t the Berlin Decree, which precludes venris a with Brinell goods on board from entering a Cont. nental poet, or which truodetutre them, when f uue d • any where to contain them, the evidence, mite the point, although not equally distinct, stik trade a favourably to sabstantiate my arguments. I have no objection whatev er t o ad m it th a t th ere i s a very c considerable ditlereuee between that first lirasti • of the Berlin decree, which attempted to interrupt a the direct communication between this countly sad America, and that part which req u i res no navy to u enforce or to execut e it, but which may be carried into effect in the enesny's own eouutry, by tilling a their ports with a coeds„ of Soldiers. It was eit, Sir, to be expected, that this threat was so iiiespa- hie of execution as the other, had the eiremy Inca so disposed ; but I have only to refer to the evi- dence of Mr. Bell, Mr. Grenoie, sad others, to skew you that the enemy were not inclined to du ier At Isast it appears that whatever Bonaparte arty hare done in Frunce.y et in the ports of lio:lac ci, tv‘ 1 which our miumfaetures andicrue produce bad been i for many years past iuttodireed to a great exteia, I no *spa were taken • to enforce this Decree. lhe evidence teridi thstiuetly to . prove that the pro..- r limos of that Decree were not enlarged. The r .: , as to the insurance has evinced this, although, re. I I said before, the sorrespondence has not been re frequeot, and we have not been abl e t o p ro d u ce i many sum., dYes, or transactions, upon thn i point. The evidence, therefore. is not w much multiplied upon this branch of the De- I cree as upon the fernier ; but that I conceive not to be of much importance, when it is cuusidered, that all the effects, as to postage, ic- i mittunces, accepting of drafts, sod insurances, I in so far as we have produced evidence thereupon. 1 by witnesses, who have bees cross-examined by tl e i House, shew, that it is in tbe IMMO (Erection. Ti. 3 I being the case, 1 am entitled to conclude. aed I. i dismiss this subject of :he Berlin and other Di • crees, with this one remark, that there is not only no evidence of those measures having been c . I forced, but every argument against the power ..I the enemy to urge them, in 'erne respects; and ei i others, to strew that he had no desire to do so.— I The evidence of Isomer decrees never having belt , executed, is entirely of the sure sort, and our va: i experience affords u. eve r y argument t o * h ew , fie,: i they were i :capable of execution.• Our r see:- I once, I save affnrds us evidence. that Nentrals ir e-. 1 of thems4ves, continue tea em& those [?nerve +, 44 long as you s oureelves facilitate that evasi.n. 1 e( the facts brouzlit out by the testimony of the se- tresses that have been examierel aril t re•lieN.v . I mined, a cousibtent etattruent is made out, that I those Decrees of th e e ne my hav e been intli:eg In.: 1 us so much waste paper ; or, Mother wont., r- - I setnbling the ancient, spitities., and vapid s:-- : coriade of the French nation. It drew. n. tt -. , thele Decrees had not, and could not hue- l u Al r , i effect, but to evince to the world that Burapti r kid *sane desires which he could mot fulhl ; .as I that with respect to injuriag this country, :I ••iy er. • . of no strength or avail whatever, 'iota Is e mu-el, , • • lent our aid to theut by our InVII ne it•IITI. , . come, Sir, to the fatal pert of de : ease -r i fel tit 1 the Petitiens no:to ones& sour hide. I think I ,e, prove, Nr, that we outer:here blinded and ali.rtoel by the empty memo es of the enemy, e le. I, is -- rfil ttual, tersitled by lain fear:, w hi. is lie ....• • niters we had oftt as before .vs • sirs era or hi . - not ileeciihe. countersi.ried rel ll,e I 1.•(:t: • CI: TV' PrIt'ITIV, so as to bark th• .r ex....4 . tit.t.:1 1,3 Wl' tI J rev e;fril a:e v. roil h-,v.. rr-ines.' II:- c se- .•!'s r. .1. the con;oi t., that IV ,IC, or to II at lea , L " 1./: Kradation. to whit :1 I e, COI' inteteroe e i,e,o; . ~.::- sired by those 1)i, Nee to reere e at, oad su a be no nilier est . ti- k I r.- . r co 1.1.: 1-r• have auto • • • S . -r, I am sicie ti• tall tire si:lr u.sea of the t.. , •••