The Sun.
London, England, 1808-02-06 00:00:00

ree3.- .171.anc,1. had itake(.3,.that our .
-
trOtirThe inarturne in..dec4rtner foto „i;," n,tna
• • - lc, r•P .
sta-ce 'of. loentfcle, will the '1 •
,dr-
ing in bY!').-..:;). i,;,.
Without any as:t of The
wa or° L;;40(.1:.,
fore not .nee.:,:try to .h...tiptiped to ilvti`Nlk.-4
1-fv, wputdpot t liere WC;i'e ,(,,,
preasions in the French ~,EM:ree ; bi_tr
lies enahled,,. them, to put their .own Construi:tic r 1
it might suit
el,ol.9r,,toiplax, exe,,utioli, if neutral naticni
shouldmake a spirited resistance, Gr .toinfo it, it
they, submitted, ~[ACordingly. , nut wi:ll,l..illdiirg the
-explanation given
_to the. 11.,c,..ricLin.7,1ini,icr, aCI Cr
the ,lapse of ,somq time, sv11:.11 th,l had'•
been deceived, the interpretation slat had .siuce heeti
publishedbf the Decree decl3re,4 that V..e.iciST,
coming from English, ports should .ue captured.
was surprised that-till; interpt.e.tafion, more sophisti-
cal than any other. otlicial.l'opers except the D:cree
itself, bad satisfied the Americans. But it bad not, .
he was convinced,
,satisfied them;. though here,

- -
where their interests were better argued lhan try ,
themselves, that impression wig' bt be entertained,---
During. the French lleyoltitiou, be remembered th. t
the conchldt of the revolutionisti was ciefendo in
this Country, upon ground, which they never
thought of themselves, ,until they, saw them in the
accounts of the Proceedings of the British
.Parliatnent.
He had geen an. Ad of the American GOngtess,
which did not refer in the degree to that
satisfaaion, The VfLuch si3, that

the Decree of the ').iAt of November did not'alier
the maritime law of France.* ,He did not know what
law was :meant here. There had been many such
laws against neutrals during the ReVolution, and 'if
J the explanation eferred ,to them, the. Decree did
not alter them— The explanation, lio%ve,-(,u, did give,
every satisfaaion as to the constru:tlon cat ti:,-.: re-
striaion, Or the extension of die Decree, \Villa' was
thybost important information .ror Alnerica to vo-
ceive. The single CaSe that. had ken 'stated by.hiS
Learned Friend, as, it took..place in Spain, went, io,
the whole case, and shewed, that net
,eyen was tlii
Decree executed to the confiscation of British g0(4.4.
which his .Learned Friend had admitted tulle welt n
the provisions of, tlio Deo-ce, It was upon ,that
ground that' the late . Ministers had founded their
Order, which in the debate this time twelvemonth
they declared not. to 6e a limited, measure, .bat hi,
tendedlo by followedupbytuore vig2roui measUrcs„
if France should: persevere hi its ileinsiice. 'What
' was the note deliVered with the trea y to the A.'lner
Jican
.Minister, hut. a declaration tilAt WO slith'ild
retaliate to any exteqt Which the. conhiet or ih-,nly,-;
and the submission of Neturels might render 1i
.1.1,57
.Cessary ?. These, Orders only declare the petislit
.France and her Allie 4 in a st.litc. of. bloeltakle, ,1i...1,fl
their produce contraband of war i.,thid,A i
inv
had done the, smile by this ..,Conntir„.„ o,:e.,s&,ititt-
tions Were. so many m‘tigations, vyhian;'pkb,AN,
rendered the Or4ers• moreexceptioliabV.,7/51;:y
the coast from Brest to the Elbe was treclareVit
War in, a state of blockade, cotrn...rci..ll rt:fllttßDs
were first conueaed with the bloc'i,ade. ~ lYteili
West to Ostend,could he justly .blogkaded, but met
the coast from .Ostend to the, Elbe. /ill Ve6:;:fi,
therefore, not . coming item or gohig, to F:arse,:,
were permitted to passuntuolw,ted to and from the
Ports between Ostend and the., Elbe. • The Oyde 4
Counil
.441 Apt' could not; alter 1110 law of nations.
The,,King might issue his DeolaTation, • tia:Juse 'ho
Was not to. leave his. Courts to inter, what e.:as,tli.Liw
of, nations, but the King's Declaration did not alter
the law of nations, but was to he joitili,:4. IV ttiat
law. . lie had pevyr,lieard isi._x ever read in al ;)r b0,...;!k
upon the, subjeqt, that „the Pariimovol h3d
,Oq..r
enaased' any thing upon the law yt nations, or had
:ever complained, of the King's right to deciareW„pr
_or contraband of -War. Municipal law could itp.i.ter
regulate, upon o.lio }point. , :When the.s.,,CroWA,was
entrusted ,with the power of makieg •War,, it sh4ld
not be deprived ofothe means of carry logit On wish.
vigour and etfeft!.::?The .tine,,i.ion reweeting the law .
of nations Was rant, Of the jorisdietion and cumne-
tence of Parliament, and much inuronOw, thaklast
year, when the Noble Lord said that it ‘veuld it t
be safe to lay .Papers of this kind babas Parham*.
,The words of Jan ,A,1:1 of Parliament may 'enititenti-
onally.. trench ,upon the Prewgative, so stay uthe
words of, an. Order of Council upon an Aat,of ,Ltr-
liainent... The question therefore iA a;, not whetse
an indemnity wasinecess,iry„,init.whet bey. the la i 4, ,4'
nations had been violated.
.The. allusion Jtad b,...-.1
particularly_ made to one of the ,Orders, that . ye.
speaing.Certhicates of origin. ,The l..)ecree reismir7
, jug 'Utast?, Ceilificateo hivi been said by his Lear led
Friend to bi. a: mere municipal regulation. , Lle,wn-
idered•thesecertificates ot, origin
..;!! .4 projaibitiw, of
Neutrals from carrying hrltish Cilonds, aid contended
that this was a breach of the law of nations; .avid
that Neutrals, by dins atimittinglhat'France hail die
power to .legislate .44 Ithevo,i.niade theinselves )iec
instruments against nso,",:.=Permins.,entertailiedsstrenge
nations of the law of nzitl'orts,r when they supposed
that a nation could not perform an a(t'ef vigour for
its Own preservation,., t ithout violation .of 140 ji,1311
of its condo t.
,But this coyl.l. not,ip, a viohaion of
theriTio,nt:.,la to toil'.,
ii:ii
.I,tt ‘,li'll:i:-:tc tini.i;kiii:lt)fry,:!tkrittitt'4,:ttl:Tie
the rule,. for'the case is out of th,.. n.a(i'. NViani the
tiolculnilclY'.ll)):,
which he intended for 'tu,',liiitil 'i 1,:,1(•,. hini to
Peace. fl'' France could contioTh, to c,iii,i), all .tileL
hdirantagsea ,of conitwisci: this.s.;ir.:,h ;',l,.*;,ti',il Tt,i-H,
fwr(l,lliil,ti:ovre
bW:..:.arere.pi.ely.;sfilill
‘Cvl(.)Cirgrilillitlirv. 6:11,,,:itt.,12,1r,‘,:r,,1,L)
Pe,10":, and. this Country windd soon h01'r.,1.a,.e:1 to
the altertittive: either tit ,saiwitiithOs' to Pea-e 6 )on.
,11
- ~,, .i ,. :-.„ 4 , -
any terms, or of continuing the \Val- lil s. vt ~: if ess
period. kle'thnitglit that Earoi.,e iiii .'its betide' to
feel that a Maiitime Power ii,,inti,!:, le, depea,.nt
uponiturope titan the Contin:ent is upon the :11,1:1-
time Pother. Tie %add not sCiii'er lii,., Couutr. Ip.
perish, mei ely br:cause'llie im::,:httrcs wiliA.tire 1-4 c...:
,cessary fur its pieser4tioe in4liit pi..h,i, ii 04,11 Necttral
Commerce, willichtteriaParie 140 by 0: 0 "V jointed.
'.'here is no contraa without it ivciprocat obltg:.ttion,
and if Neutrals dad not oblige the caller party to ad
here to the hw of !laden*, giey coudd 1101 tutu
plain of us for not adbe'reing to it. : Upon
:these. grounds. he Eaw ..: no reason to flu. buts
the 'propriety,. of _ thc;se. OrdefS of, Coii':(ii,
Which'. would, inipeach' the Oi der of 'Sa nuary , t 4 u 7,
:i.sued .li'Y I an' Administration which ct,rtoilly
Claimed to iossass a gr(!at
,ristioti of- tl.e 'O. iii-
dam, cat*l al on, mid `le:iri‘,7.,:; • of tale; 14.
Lion. 4ticli in 'Administration could out have taken