The National Register.
London, England, 1812-01-05 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER,

anti ~ave the eagles ;—considering, likewise, that the light cavalry had
not established a guard to discover the defile by which the enemy retie-
tra!ed, I have thought that, waiting further instructions for your Excel-
)ency,. to confine myself to depriving him of hisamuniand, and sending
him to Cordonne, where he will remain unemployed till a tieNii dispo-
sition.

" I have directed the General of Division Barrois to join the 7th corps
and reulace
General Count D'Erlon proposed to me to reduce to two battalions
the 34th and 40th regiments of the line. measure appears to me
useful for the good of the service, in consideration of the actual force of
thole two regiments. lam going to order it, and will send the result to
your Excellency. • -
<< I have received a letter from General Phillippon; Governor of
Badjoa, dated Ist October, giving me a satisfactory account of hls
si tia .00.

'• A considerable convoy which I bent from Seville has arrived at
fladajoa. I am, &c.
(Signed) Mar:halDuke of DALMATIA." •
REPORT FROM GENERAL COUNT D'EItLON TO THE MARSHAL

. ..Y

.

4AN,

regarded its principles, was founded on pretensions that
went to the subversion of our national independence, and
which, although now abandoned by one power, is, in its
broad and destructive operation, as still enforced by the
other, sapping the foundation of our prosperity.
It is more than five years since England and France, in
violation of those principles of justice and public law, held
sacred by all civilized nations, commenced this unprece-
dented • system, by seizing the property of the citizens of
the United States peaceably pursuing their lawful com-
merce on the high seas. To shield themselves from the
odium which such outrage must incur, each of the bellige-
rents sought a pretext in the conduct of the other---each
attempting to justify his system of rapine as a retaliation
fur similar acts on the part of his enemy, as if the law of
nations, founded on the eternal rules of justice., could sanc-
tion a principle, which, if engrafted into our municipal
code, would excuse the 'crime of one robber, upon the sole
plea, that the unfortunate object of his rapacity was also a
victim to the injustice of another. The fact of priority
could be true as to one only of the parties ; and whether
true or false, could furnish no ground of justification.
The United States thus unexpectedly and violently as-
sailed by the two greatest Powers in Europe. withdreW their
citizens and property from the ocean, and cherishing the
blessings of peace, although the occasion would have fully
justified war, sought redress in an appeal to the justice and
. magnanimity of tiae belligerents. When this appeal had
failed of the success which was due to its moderationother
measures, founded on the same pacific policy, but apply-
ing to the interests, instead of the justice, of the bellige-
rents, were resorted to. Such wart the character of the
Non-Intercourse and Nort.lmportation Laws, which invit-
-ed the return of both Powers to their former state of ami-
cable relations, .by offering commercial advantages to the
one who should first revoke his hostile edicts, acid imposing
restrictions on the other.
. France, at length, availing herself of the proffers made
equally to her and her enemy,by the Non--Importation Law
of Kay, 1810) announced the repeal on the first of the fol-
lowing November, of the Decrees of Berlin and Milan ;
and it affords a subject of sincere congratulation to be in-
formed, through the official organs of the GoverMment,
that those Decrees are, so far as at least our rights are con-
cerned, really and practically at an end.
It was c(infidently expected that this act on the part of
France, would Itav been immediately followed by a revo-
cation on the part of Great Britain of her Orders in Coun-
cil, ir our reliance on her justice had been impaired by the
1 wrongs she had inflicted ; yet svhen she had plighted her
1 faith to the world that the sole motive of her aggression on
neutral commerce was to be found in the Berlin and Milan
Decrees, we looked forward to the extinction of those De-
cress, as the period when the freedom of the seas would be

again restored.
In this reasonable expectation we have, Iwwever, been
disappointed: A year has elapsed since the French Decrees
were rescinded, and yet Great Britain, instead of retract-
ing pari passu that course of unjustifiable attack on neutral
rights, in which she professed to be only the reluctant 1.01-
lowc:r of France, has advanced with bolder and continu-
ally increasing strides. To the categorical demands lately
made by our Government for the repeal of her Orders in
Council, she has affected to deny the practical extinction
of the French Decrees ' • and she has, mereover, advanced
a new and .unexpected demand, increasing in hostility the
Orders themselves. She has insisted, through heraccre.
dited Minister at this place, that the repeal of the Ordere