Star.
London, England, 1808-02-23 00:00:00

Old of.declaring Great Britain in a state of blockade,
though his own ports and arsenals are actually bloc-
kaded, and he is unable to station any naval force
whatever before any ports of the united kingdom. .
Such principles are in themielves extravagant and
repugnant to*the law of nations; and the Tyretensions
founded on them, though professedly directed.solely
against Great Britain, tend to alter the practice of war
among civilized nations, and utterly to subvert the'
right and independence of neutral powers.
'The undersigned cannot, therefore, believe, that the
enemy will ever seriously attempt to enforce such a
system. If he should, they are confident, that the
good sense of the American Government will perceive
the fatal consequences of such pretensions to neutral
commerce, and that its spirit and regard to national
honour will prevent its acquiescence in such palpable
violations of its rights and injurious encroachments of
its interests.

If; however, the enemy should carry these threats into
execution, and if neutral nations should, contrary to
all expectation, acquiesce in such usurpations, his Ma-
jesty might probably be compelled, however reluc-
tantly, to retaliate in his just defence, and to adopt in
regard to the commerce of neutral nations with his
enemies, the same measures which those nations shall
have permitted to be'enforced against their commerce
with his subjects. The Commissioners of the United
States will therefore feel, that at a moment when
his Majesty, and all Neutral Nations, are threatened
with such.an extension of the belligerent pretensions
of his enemies, he cannot enter into the stipulations
of the present Treaty without an explanation from
the United States of their intentions, or a reservation,
on the part of his Majesty, in the case above-men-
tioned, if it should ever occur.
The Undersigned, considering, that the distance of
the American Government renders any immediate
explanation on this subject impossible, and, animated
by a desire of forwarding the beneficial work in
which they are engaged, are authorized by his Ma-
j !sty to conclude the Treaty without delay. They
proceed to the signature under the full persuasion
fiat, before the Treaty shall be returned from Ame-
rica, with the Ratification of the United States, the
enemy will either have formally abandoned, or ta-
citly relinquished, his unjust pretensions, or that the
Government of the United States, by its conduct or
assurances, will have given security to his Majesty,
that. it will not submit to such innovations in the esta-
blished system of Maritime Law ; and the Under-
signed have presented this Note, from an anxious
wish that it Should be clearly understood on both
sides, that, without such abandonment of his pre-
tensions on the part of the enemy, or assurances of such
conduct on the part of the United States, his Majesty
will not consider himself bousdi by the present signa-
ture of his Commissioners to ratify the Treaty, or
precluded from adopting such measures as may seem
necessary for counteracting the designs of the enemy.
The Undersigned cannot conclude, without ex-
pressing their satisfaction at the prospect of accom-
plishing an object so important to the interests and
friendly connection of both nations, and their just
sense of the conciliatory disposition manifested by
the Commissioners cf the United States, during the
whole course of the Negociation. • '
(Signed) VASSAL HOLLAND.
London, December Si, 1806. AUCKLAND.
No. a.

Extract of a Dispatch from the Honourable Daysd Erskine to
Lord Viscount liowick, dated Washington, March sO, 2807.
In compliance with your Lordship's instructions.
_ _

communicated to this Government his Majesty's views
relative to the French Decree of the 21st November,
1806, as detailed in your dispatch to me of the Bth
January. last ; and received the answer which I have
now the honour to inclose.

(Inelosore, referred to In Na S.)
Department of State, March 20, 1807.
Sin—l have laid before the President your letter of
the 12th instant, communicating the views of his Bri-
tannic Majesty in relation to the French Decree of
hover;Ser 21,1806, and to the principle of retaliation,
through the commerce of neutrals who may submit to
the operation of that Decree ; as also the measure ac-
tually, taken, pf prohibiting all neutral commerce from
port to port of his enemies,' not only the ports of
France, bu‘those of such other nations as, wher in

alliance with France, or subject to her dominion, hare
by measures of active offence, or by the exclusion of
British ships, taken a part in the present war.
The President cannot be insensible, Sir, to the
friendship and confidence towards the United States
which are signified by his Britannic Majesty in this
communication.
In making this acknowledgment, however, the
President considers it not less incumbent on him
to reserve-for a state of things which it is hoped will
never occur, the right of discussing the legality of any
particular measures, to which resort may be had, on
4 ground of retaliation ; at this time, it would suffice
to observethat it rejnains to be more fully ascertained,

in what sense the decree in question will be explained
and to what extent it will be carried into execution,
and consequently whether in any case the United
States can be involved in questions concerning mea-
sures of retaliation, supposed to accrue to one bellige-
rent from such a proceeding, by another.
But it is worthy the justice and liberality of the
British Government to recollect, that, within the pe-
riod of those great events which continue to.. agitate
Europe, instances have occurred, in which the com-
merce of neutralnations, more especially of the United
States, has experienced the severest distresses from its
uwa orders and measures, manifestly unauthorized by
the law of nations. The respect which the United
States owe to their neutral rights and the interests they
have in mainta!ning them, will always be sufficient
pledges, that no culpable acquiescence on their part
will render them accessary to the proceedings of one
belligerent nation, through the rights of neutrals,
against the commerce of its adversary.
With regard to the particular order issued against
the trade of neutrals from one port to another, of the
enemies of Great Britain, no fair objection can lie
a it, provided it be founded on and enforced by
_elk' actual blockade, as authorized by the Law of
Nations. If, on the other hand, the order has refer-
ence not to such a blockade, but to a supposed illega-
lity of the neutral trade from one port to another of
the described ports, the remark is obvious, that on that
supposition, the order is superfluous, the trade being,
as interdicted by the Law of Nations, liable at all
times, m ithout any such. older, to the capture of Bi
cruizers, and the condemaatioa of British Courts;