The National Register.
London, England, 1808-06-06 00:00:00

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JUNE 6. THE NATIONAL
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POLITICAL ISPENTS OP THII Wilt. i 1
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The American President has published two official docu- of
ments on her disputes with England and France. One is
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letter from Mr. ERSKINE to the American Government, on ea
the Orders in Council ; the other a letter from M. CIIAM
TAGNY to General ARMSTRONG, on the same subject. It
seems now almost necessary that America unite either with It
England or with France : for the Frenchman's letter as
amounts to a command that America shall declare war
• against us. It even asserts, that the Emperor considers 41
war to have been " declared from the day on which Eng- it
" land published her decrees." But if the Americans b,
should not view the matter in the same light, all their yes- it
sets, which have yet been sequestered, are to be condemned. co
"rhos we ascertain what was long ago suspected, that g
BONAPARTE had insisted on America's going to war against b
England.
Mr. ERSKINE'S letter points out the exceptions which E
the Orders of Counci: contain, in behalf of the Americans. ti
They arc, by these Orders, allowed to carry on a direct p
trade with the Colonieeof France. They are allowed ei-
•other to retain the produce of those same hostile Colonies
for home consumption, or to bring it to England, and. 'I
from hence to re-export it even to France, on the payment
ii
'Of such a duty only, as will place French and British cold- t
nial exports on the same footing in the Continental mar-
kets. Flour, grain, tobacco, the growth of America, they t
are allowed to export from hence into France, without
paying any transit duty whatever. • •
In another communication the President. had laid before '1
• Congresethelast French awl Spanish Decrees against the t
Neutral Commerce. To hin-o they are arguments for the a
further continuation of the Act of Embargo.
There arc also published certain instructions sent to u
Messrs. PINCKNEY and MoNROE, on their conduct of the
Treaty with Lords HOLLAND and AUCKLAND. As this
Treaty was never enforced, the directions respecting it are g
scarcely interesting, except as they shew the sentiment that
America entertained when they were given. This one
thing is remarkable Mr. MADDISON, after instructing the I
negociators to procure an exemption of merchantmen from
a search for deserters, adds, that an article to the above
effect had actually, at a prior period, been acquiesced in by i
Lord HAMKESRURY and Mr. ADDINGTON, but had been
frustrated by an exception of Lord ST. VINCENT.
The disturbances in Spain still continue to occupy the
principal part of the public attention. BONAPARTE has at
length completed the humiliation both of the KING and of
the PRINCE of the Spanish Royal Family ; the Km; hay-
ing, in imitation of the PaiNcE, absolutely resigned his
power. It is supposed that MURAT, the Grand Duke of
Berg, will now become the Sovereign of Spain.
Sonic of our cotemporarics hale spoken largely of the
advantages that England will derive from assisting. the
Spaniards in any attempts to shake off the French yoke.
and urged our Ministers to be strenuous and early in al- I '
•fording all possible encouragement and aid to the people of
Cadiz; Madrid, and those other places in which a disposi-
tion for insurrection is manifested. For our own part we,
are not inclined to be so sanguine in our expectations on
this subject: it was long ago our opinion, which we did
not hesitate to assert, that no efforts which Spain % likely
to make will have much effect for the general interests of
Europe, or for our palrticular advantage. And how can
we do nny good to Spain by the small number of troops
which our utmost efforts could collect for her assistance?
Would not Buisseawrs be able to bring teat soldiers to