The National Register.
London, England, 1808-01-03 00:00:00

But it wou►, ~ppear,
Mr. Cobbett's 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, bow
could he have arrogated to himself the discovery of these opi-
nions I—The suppression was a master-stroke of policy I
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 can-
not 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 abun-
dance of opportunity to exemplify the modesty, candour, and
moderation with which-this immaculate reformer attacks every
one who presumes to differ from his opinions.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

FRANCE.
FROM THE FRENCH PAPERS.

- - -
Paris, Dec. 26.
IMPERIAL DECREE.—REJOINDER TO HIS BRITANNIC MAJES-
TY'S ORDER 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 Rhinish Confederation :
Observing the measures adopted by the British Government,
on the 11th of November last, by which vessels belonging to
noutral, friendly, or even Powers the allies of England, are
made liable, not only to he ;earched 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
British Legislature.
Observing that by these acts the British Government denation-
alizes ships of every nation in Europe, that it is not competent
for any Government to detract from its own independence and
rights, all the Sovereigns of Europe having in trust the sove-
reignties and indendence of the flag ; that if by an unpardonable
weakness, and which, in the eyes of posterity, would be an in-
delible stain, such a tyranny was allowed to be established into
principles and consecrated by usage, the English would avail
themselves of it to assert it as a right, as they have availed
themselves of the tolerance of Governments to establish the ia-
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
'hall have submitted to be searched by an English ship, or to a
voyage to England, or that s!iall have paid any tax whatsoever
to the English Government, is thereby, and for that alone, de-
clared to be denationalized, to have forfeited the protection of
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.
p Art. 111. The British islands are declared to be in a state of
blockade, both by land and sea. Every ship, of whatever na-
tion, or whatsoever the nature of its cargo so 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-
pig to Lngland) or to the English Colonies) or to Countries uc-

_. only injush
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 Arta.
ness to compel the English Government to respect their fig•
They shall continue to he rigourously in force as long as that
Government does not return to the principle of the Law of Nita
flops, which regulates the relations of civilized States in a
state of war. The provisions of the present Decree shall be
abrogated and null, in fact, as soon as the English abide again by
the principles of the Law of Nations, which are also the prin•
ciples of justice and of honour.
All our Ministers are charged with the execution of the
present Decree, which shall he inserted in the Bulletin of the
Laws. (Signed) NA POL.CON.
By order of the Emperor,
The Secretary of State, (Signed) H. B. 21fAsar.

~

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 not unacquainted, Gentlemen, with the late acts or
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 s.
the usurpation of the most sacred of the rights of nations is con-
summated, and this tyrannic yoke is to press upon them until
the day of venteance, or until brought to a due sense of modera-
tion, the English Government will itself calm its rage, and break
that sceptre to which the nations of the Continent will never
consent to submit.
" I am calling our common attention to the important cir•
cumstnnces %hid' must powerfully induce us to awaken your
patriotism and your wisdom. One would have imagined, that
every obstruction and restraint that clogged the course of the
commerce on the Continent, had been exhausted; still, howes.
vet, they are going to be aggravated by the measures lately
adopted by England ; but they will :tad our minds made up to
struggle against, and to overcome, this new mode of oppression.
" We must not shut our eyes to the consequences. Importaa
tion and exportation, already so much restricted, will soon be
much more so. Every thing connected with maritime com-
merce ; every thing that depends upon it, will now be liable to
more difficulties, to more uncertainty. There are, however, two
channels that still remain open.
" The power of attacking every ship that renounces .the in-
dependeace of its national flag, by a shameful submission to the
British Sovereignty, and by navigating under a British licence,
will open a wide field to the hopes of our Commanders. Such
a resource will not prove ineffectual, and French commerce will
not devote itself uselessly to that sort of warfare which never
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.
'nese resources ought not to he undervalued, nor counted
for nothing. France will submit to a temporary situation,
which can only change with time, and with new exertions ; but
her enemy shall not deprive her of the main basis of her pros-
perity, her internal communication, her relations with the Con-
tinent. where she no longer sees any but friends or allies; her
soil will not be less fertile, her industry will not maintain itself
the less, though deprived of some materials which is not impos-
sible to replace.
" To this last proposition I am rather anxious, Gentlemen, to
direct your attention. You have advice to give, and examples
to hold out to commerce. You must already foresee the erect
of the privation of certain materials, more especially of cotton,
and of inzredieuts for thing cotton, of which a quantity has
been stored up in France ; that which we shall derive from the

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JAN. S. THE NATIONAL REGISTER.. 5 i;
1 \
tract on which Mr. Cobbett lays the greatest stress, appeared eupied by English troops, is good and lawful prise, as contrary ,
in The Political Regitter three weeks after Mr. Spence's pamph- to the present Decree; and may be captured by oar ships of
let was published ! ! ! war or our privateers, and adjudged to the captor.
Art. IV. These measures, which are resorted to only injush
But it would appear, from this reply of Mr. Spence, that retaliation of the barbarous system adopted by England, which
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