The National Register.
London, England, 1812-04-26 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL RrGTSTER.

" The pretext for these extravagant demands is, that some of these
pria .iples were adopted by voluntary compact In the Treaty of Utrecht ;
as it' a Treaty once existing between two particular countries, founded
on special and reciprocal considerations, binding only on the contract-
in,y parties, and which, in the last treaty of peace between the the
powers' had not been revived, were to be regarded as declaratory of the
puMrc law of natians.
It is needless for his ROYAL HIGHNESS to demonstrate the injustice of
snelt pretensions. He might otherwise :ppeal to the practice of France
berm lf, in this, a 91.1 in former wars ; and to her own establishtd codes
of maritime law: it is sufficient that these new demands of the enemy
form a wide departure from those conditions on which the alleis, d repeal
of the French Decrees was accepted by America ; and upon which alone,
ei,tie.,usly assuming that repeal to be complete, America has claimed
1, voi::oion of the British Orders in Council.

11!'i P.UT HIGII N s, upon a review of all tkest. circumstanees,feels
th:tt s,lOll as this formal declaration, by the Government of
of its unabated adheres car to the principles and provisions of the
Berlin and Nliiati Decrees, shall be made known in America, the Go
ecrinettt of the United Slates-, actuated not less by a sense of justice
to Gnat Britain, than by what is due to its own dignity, will be disposed
to recall those measures of hostile exclusion, which, under a misconctp-
el. the real views and conduct of the French Government, America
11.1., exclusively applied tothe commerce and ships of war of Great Britain.
,J accelerate a result so advantageous to the true interests of both
couutries,and so c mlurive to the re-establishment of perfect friendship
i -veto 'hem; and to give a decisiveproof of his ROYAL HIGHNESS S
>position to perform the engagements of his NI Ala TY>> Government,
b 1 rt yoking the Orders in Council, whenever the French Decrees be
actually and unconditionally repealed ; his Royal Highness the Pair:cr.
ht:GI:N I has been this day pleased, in the name and the behalf of his
Melts rv, and be a!:(1 with the advice of his MAJESTY'S Privy Coun-
cil, to order and declare :

That it at any time hereafter the Berlin and Milan Decrees shall,
he wale authentic act of the French Government, publicly promulgated,
expressly aitd unconditionally repealed; then and from thenceforth,
the Order in Council of the 7th day of January, 1807, and the Order
in CJUllil of the Ctith chy of April, 1809, shall, without any further or-
der be, and the same hereby are declared from thenceforth to be wholly
aniabsolutely revoked : and further, that the full benefit of this Order
shall be extended to any ship or vessel captured subsequent to such au-
thentic act of repeal of the French Decrees, although, antecedent to
such repeal, such ship or vessel shall have commenced, and shall be in
the prosecution of a voyage, which, under the said Orders in Council,
or thie of them, would have VA bkctr(l her to capture and condemnation ;
and the claimant of any ship or cargo which shall be captured atany time
iubiequent to such authentic act of repeal by the French Government,
shall, without any further order or declaration on the part of his iIA-
Jr.sle's k4overnment on this subject, be at liberty to -give In evidence
in the High Court of Admiralty, or any Court of Vice-Admiralty,
before which such ship or vessel, or its cargo, shall be brwight for ad-
judication, that such rep6al by the French Government had been by rich
authentic act prormilared prior to such capture; and upon proof there-
of, t: e voyage shall deemed and taken to have been as lawful, as if
the.caid Oiders in Council had never been made; saving nevertheltss
to the captor.:, ste•li protection and indemnity as they tway be equit-
ably entitled to, in the judgrtient of the said Court, by reason of their
i%norance or uncertainty as to the r peal of the French Decrees, or
of the recognition of such repeal by his MAJ EST 's Government at the
tine of such capture.
His Royal f lightless however deems it proper to declare, that, should
the repeal .4 the French Decrees. thus anticipated and provided for, af-
terwards prove to have been illusory on the part of the enemy; and
sh told the restrictions thereof be still practicallr enforced, or revived
by tile cneity, Great Britain will be obliged, however relu • antly, after
rea•onahle melee to neutral Powers, to have recourse to such measures
of retalliation as may then appear to be just and necessary.
Westminster, April 21, 1812.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, APRIL 20.

The Royal Assent "was given by Comtni,,sion to Lord Wellington's
Pension, the 1/.-btor's Relief, the Local Militia, the Penityntlary
Rinse, the I ham-% Navigation, the Reversion, the Pilot's Regulation,
and the Wanderer's rills; also to the Bill for in.:reaiing tilt! rates of
sulsistence on quartering Soldiers • the Bill for paving, clean,ing, and
o:ll'wtgle iitkprovi ig the town of Soldiers;
the Bill for r pal rit,..! th.
r9.1-li from Maileithad Bridge to Reading, and to a number of others,
Fsbl c an,l private ; in ail 49.
Petitions were presente.i from Bristol, and Bilstrm in Staffordshire,
at-limit the renevval of the Fast India Company's Ch ,:ter.
-..4I.II)JNOUCHIMURE presented Petitions from the general body of
ut Ireland against the Penal Laws, and 4l o fc urn the
counties of Clare, MonaghaL Kilkenny, an 4 Cork. which were or-
VA to lie 0,11 the Table.

213

Earl Geer presented Peti'ions from the Catholics of nsland, and
from a number of Christians of all denominations residing in York-
shire, Durham, Newcastle, Hull, Berwick, and Manchester, all
praying the removal of aisabilities on account or i;:ligious opinions;
these likewise were ordered to lie on the Table :—as were Petitions to
the same effect from the Exeter, Halifax, the City of London, Taun-
ton, and Bristol, presented by the Marquis of LANDSDOWNE ; and
from the Catholics of the counties of Down and Carlow, by the Earl
of BESBOROUGH.

• Lord GREI,IiILIC said, that he had to present to the House a Peti-
tion of a very dilf.rent description to those which had jtist been read.
It was a Pctitioa from the University of Oxford, praying that the
claims of the Catholics sbould not he granted. In the rela.ion in
which he had the henour to stand with respect to that learned
be..y, this Petition had been handed to hint, and he had not he-
srtated to present it. I-Ic respected that d.iference_ of opinion
:vinch he regretted; and he was obliged, not in disrt.spect to
hat learned body, but injustice to hiuiseif, to dcearrohat he was
completely hostile to the prayer or this Petit ho. Ile must also add
that this I'et:ti ,n was not tamed unanimously s formerly, the Vice
Lhancellor and several of the heads of Houses being against it. It
tins the' (lore merely the Petition of tue majority of the Corporation.
—Ordered to lie on the Table.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21.
Petitions were presente ! from a nun btr of public bodies, and
places, prayine; that the Last India Curopany'4 Charter might nut be re-
newed.

1 he Duke of GLoucesT cm presented a Petition from the University
of Cambridge against the Catholic CLims. 1-1 t: felt it is duty to prk:sent
this Petition, in consequence of the situa-i ,u which he had the hiE.4l ho-
nour to fill in that University. But fly mu't in justice to hinmitif de-
dare, that his own sertiments were in behalf of the Claims of the Ca-
tholics • and those s,ntiments he mud s:ill hold, however much he re.
-pectethe opinions of the petitioners.
Severid Pcritions were presented, praying the repeal of the Orders
in Council, as well as others for repealing the Laws against the Ca-
tholics.