The National Register.
London, England, 1809-04-23 00:00:00

No. 69.

NATIONAL REGISTER.

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PRICE 9d.

been in chief part occasioned by !this origin, much inure
w, indeed, 'than by any particular events and circum-
stances which have subsequently occurred. The fountain
of the evil has been in the hostile feeling-4n tho unfriendly

mindi which has so loig characterised the intercourse of
the two Governments. Lacli, seeing, nni judging through

this medium, have.tOrmed the most perverse lingual con-
clusions;* each has argued that his own peculiar interest
was
,directly
.coutrar.y..to the interests of the other, and
that America and England, to be in their true political
relation, should be natural enemies.

. . .. ..
As to the immediate cause of the American Embargo,
it must not be contended, but that the English Ministry
hue apparently committed the grossest errors. France,
with the view of destroying the English commerce, issued
the Berlin Decree, by which she erected herself into the
Sovereip of all neutral nations, and in this asserned cha-
racter issued an edict for putting a kingdom under block-
ade. • The promulgation of this Decree was certainly a
most outrageous extravagance of despotism. But it had
not, and indeed could not have, a practical (Sect commen-
surate with its Witness of_ menace. It fell, in fact, as a
tru Iv n J.:ellen—as a thunder-bolt iu the seas, extinguished
as soon us it-fell. it was in vain for those to issue an edict
of bluckaile;-who had no-aliiiii
.ntwnr to exccute their
decree. The English psissesseds.the whole fare of the seas;
and Neutrals and English might, therefore, atilse have
• contemned tlie'Berlin Order.
Ilere, therefore, was the main error of the English
Ministry. They looked rather to the despotism of the De-
cree—to its extra vagaat insolence and haughtiness, than
to its prectical effect. If they had considered only the
1 latter quality, as in prudence they ought to have done,
they would have passed the French Decree in sileut con-
tempt--they would have deemed the contrast of its
menace with its imbecility, as worthy only of ridicule.
Instead of taking it in this point of view, the English
Ministry most absurdly regarded it only as an outrageous
insult, and acting upon their feelings, instead of their
judgments, retaliated, as they thought, by a limiter mea-
sure. Passion, however, is usually too blind, and too
precipitate, to distinguish the exact nature either of its
objects or of its instruments. And NO, in feet, it happened
in this ca;e ; the retaliation was so only in appearance—it
was, in fact, a repetition, an extension, at the mischief
upon our own heads. The enemy issued a decree, but
could not execute it. hi our precipitate folly we took the
execution iu our own hands; we literally swept the seas ;
we actually blockaded France,' and by the conditions
winch we imposed upon Neutrals, prevented them erectus
ally from coining to our own Ports. America, unable to
@ell our manufactures, was very indifferent as to buying
them. Her possible commerce was !hulled by what was
immediately wanted by herself. This bias rowpn rnti sely
very little. Two important results immediately follawed—
in the first place,
,our English manufacturers suffered most
I considerably from the diminished demand; and iu the se-