The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1808-03-24 00:00:00, page 4

London, January 13.
The last French papers, which will be
found in the Messenger of this day,
contain an answer by Napoleon himself
to the decree of general blockade lately
issued by the British government.—
There seems an earnestness in the pre
sent ruler of France not only to exclude
every English manufacture, but to cut
off the commerce and intercourse of e
vi ry other nation with the continent of
Europe ; for it is not to be doubted
that if Napoleon acts in the spirit of
his proclamation, and we act in the spi
rit of ours, no ship of any power what
ever can find its way with safety into
a continental port.
It we enforce our right of search up
on every neutral merchantmen, which
we certainly shall do ; and Napoleon
denationalizes, as he calls it, in the lan
guage ot the old republican vocabulary,
every vessel that shall submit to be thus
searched by the English, the conse
quence will he, that all trade must be at
an ' ad. No neutral merchant will ship
j. c a go lor the continent upon a hazard
of this sort. It his vessel be searched,
it is u> he confiscated for submitting to
that which he cannot, and has no right
to 'prevent ; and such is the almost ab
solute certainty from the swarm of Bri
tish cruisers and ships of war, that his
vessel will be searched, that no insu
rance can be holden out < t him to trua
O
rantee the 1 isk—no temptation of extra
vagant pr tu can warrant tne nuzard oi
the venture.
This proclamation therefore as cffec
tua!lv excludes the Americans from the
Kuropean continent us it excludes the
British.
The Americans do r.ot pretend to
<3.env us the right of searching their m.r
cirantmen; and} t it tiv y submit to
be searched in future, they incur the
risk of confiscation upon entering a con
tinental port.
Y\ fiat then is to be don. ? Are we to
renounce a right, found.! d u,ami the Law
of Nation , as aekno'. ledged in all mo
dern i ni es and countries, in order that
the Americans may carry on a com
merce with the continent of Korop ?
Or is France l<> revoke this unjust and
tyrannical condition, \\ licii no law or
authority can sane tio ?
I here c an he no In sit..;ion. The
grievance is caused i,y lTae.ee; and if
the n uli tis, with Am rica at their
} 1 i • »h i. ntin -.i I (rale, they
AfUtw blame lTituce and nut England.
Under the old law they were safe—
the search was no punishment except in
the case of contraband, when it was
meant to be a punishment ; hut under
the new code of France they are placed
in the following dilemma—they must
either submit to, or • esist the search—
il they submit, they are destroyed by
the operation of the new law ; if they
resist,they are captured as the just prize
ol war for violating that duty to which
the law and practice of nations has
bound them—and has attached, as the
necessary consequence of refusal, a pe
nalty commensurate with the injury ;
which penalty must consist in confisca
tion by that party, having the right to
make the search.
The motive of the French ruler, in
this proclamation,must either be to force
America into a war with England, or to
interdict iorcign commerce altogether
with the continent.
It is pretty plain that his inclination
is to effect both points ; but he is chief
ly bent upon the latter—and this he can
certainly do; for though commerce does
not grow up under the sword, and ma
nufacturers and traders are not very
plentiful in a country where soldiers are
landlords, and pillage is rent; where
the incessant demand for war has clear
ed every workhouse and every shop of
those industrious youths who were
training up to. the diflft rent branches of
manufactures and commercial arts—
destroying bv this means the rising
promi e of industry, whilst the old
branches were unavoidably decaying
and falling off—though in a country in
this unhappy state, internal trade is not
very speedily revived, yet foreign com
merce may very easily he interdicted.
As human nature is constituted, and
so long as the terrour of civil govern
ment,when armed with power, operates
upon the feeling of every citizen, pu
nishment and penalties will do anv
thing. TIk* black code of commerce
may as effectually deter as anv civil
code f another kind. If the traffick in
contiabaml be punished in the same
manner as murder and treason are pu
nished, why contraband will be as rare,
perhaps rarer than treason or murder,
ifi who lias the power of the sword so
absolutely .is Napoleon has, can do anv I
thing. He wiio can play the tyrant in
the cabin-», can at least play it in tin? ex
cise a e i 11.custom house. He who
cau v kings can unmake merchants.
Gibraltar, Nov. 22.
Manuel Parquate, mate and clerk of
the Russian ship Agamemnon, Georgio
Demetrio master,who left Algesiras last
night, and Malaga three days ago, states,
th it previous to his departure from Ma
laga authentic advices had been receiv
ed of the entrance of eleven thousand
French troops into Madrid. That on
their arrival about twelve days ago the
people ignorant of the party which these
French troops came to support, imme
diately rose upon them ; but being un
prepared, and not sufficiently armed,
th, v were obliged to give way. The
French at Malaga, state the loss on the
side of the Spaniards, at three thousand,
their own at thirty-six only. The Spa
niards stated the loss to have been con
siderable on both sides, hut confess that
the French had got the better ; but on
explaining, that it was his royal high
ness the prince of Asturias, they went
to support, tranquillity was restored.—
That the number of French troops in
Spain, amounted to ninety thousand.—
i liat six thousand were expected at
Malaga; and French troops were to
garrison all the Spanish ports, while the
Spanish troops were sent to garrison
Portuguese ports. That on his arrival at
Algesiras, he had heard those accounts
nearly confirmed. That there were se
veral reports about the late of the
prince, all contradictory. That wheat
has been sold at 95 rs. vn. per fanegue,
at Algesiras ; that it was very scarce in
all the provinces. That having applied
lor permission to conic to Gibraltar l>v
laud or water, he was refused. That
being sent to solicit a protection for his
vessel, which he left at Malaga, where
they sold their cargo of wheat, and ha
ving orders to come to this port (fn in
whence tin ir vessel sailt d some months
ago for Sicily) in order to purchase
cochineal, indigo, coffee, 8tc. he went
on hoard one of the ve ssels in the hay
oi /\.igesirus,anti in nor ooat cainc o\ i r.
That it v, as publicity mentioned in
Spain, that the French wi re coining to
attack Gibraltar, anil that the av iation
red iv -il credit, from tb French having
entered Madrid, which thivsaid w is
not the road to Portugal.
That, independent of everv letter
front Madrid, whit It he had heard read,
mentioning the entrance of the Fnnch
troops, he has seen, one of his conn \ -
mm, who had left Madrid after tie ir
arrival, in consequence of the disturb
| baace, at which he w as present.