Star.
London, England, 1805-10-24 00:00:00

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THE DISPUTE WITH iIItIERICA

'We have already had occafion to notice, that a
1 very general and vehement indignation prevails in
the United States againft the conduft of our crui-
tcri, and the decifions of our Atinfiralty Courts ;
and that the Ambafrador from the United States has
prefented a memorial upon the fubjed to our Go-
vernment. We are told even by forte among our-
feives, that the complaints of the Americans are but
too well founded ; and that indeed fuch has been our
hatly violence, that the Americans may be driven to
meafures of reprifal. Upon a matter fo important
and ferious, it cannot be unfeafonable to confider the
nature of the allegations againft us, and which form
1 the perpetual theme of the American declaimers in
all their haunts and eomoanies in this country,where.
I - the habit of long intereourfe, mutual language,
fi::iilarity of manners and former relationfhip, they
find themfelves fo much at home, that they are regar-
ded as a part of our own community, and are per-
mitted to exercife an influence over both dot politi-
cal and mercantile affairs, which neither their wif-'
dom nor difinterefiednefs entitle them to pofrefs.
The States of America are obvioufly placed fo far
beyond the immediate dials of European politics,that
the American Citizens are enabled to reap adianta
ges in trade from the confufion that prevails among
the Kingdom's of Ettrope. And our naval fitpetlo
city having compelled our enemies to keep their vef
felt at home, the carrying trade of their foreign Oa-
bliffiments is concluded almolt entirely by neutrals,
of whom the greareft number are American:. This
fyfiern has, therefore, obliged us to adopt a very ri-
gid fcrutiny of Ainericin vefrels t and it is from the
1
exercife of it that the complaints againft nor eruizers
rriginate. But before we afrert the juflite and expe.
dienty of the tneafure, let as confider the fad on
•hrbiet is is founded.
The produce of the enemies colonies is carried by
American veffcls, with diffimulated papers,' to the
United SULU; it is there landed, and again (hipped
fu Europe in American vents with diffimulated
rapers. The original intereft in the property remains
unchanged, and is, during all this circuitous route,
Ain the enemy's. This is a notorious fad, and is as
well known in London, as that an immenfe arrear
of debt ii (hie by the Citizens of the United States
to the merehanti and manufacturers of Britain. In-
deed it is a trade which we ourfaves prattife; and till
very lately, though not at prefent (for reafons which
Shall be afterwards mentioned) the greateft part or
I nor Mediterranean Commerce was managed under
neutral flags. and efpecially under the American.
Now, with this indifputable ftatement of a fad fo
public, in what conftfts the injuflice of ordering our
eruilers to be vigilant towards neutrals, and find in
the inveftigation of American cargoes t The fan-
.
tiny uhich we pradife, and which our enemies would
alto pradife if they bad the power, and which they
do pradife whenever an opportunity occurs, is no-
thing more in its confequence than an inctinvettience
attached to the nature of the employment of neutrals
by Belligerents; and which, inftead of being a tub-
jed of diplomacy, ought to be confidered by the
American in the rates of his freights. If it be true,
that the American Government has adually been fo
2 impolitic as to interfere in 'ramie-RI matters of trade,
and the American A rnbalrador has adually addreffed
4 a memorial to out Miniftry, we mull prepare nut-
(elves for a revival of the old difcuffion about neu-
tral bottoms, interlarded with all the infidious fluff
and quibble of TALL' TRAM. and his Moral fraternity.
The doctrine of neutral bottoms is founded on (Mae
fort of analogy which is fuppofed to mall between a
Ship and a State ; and beeanfe belligerent nations,
(except, indeed, by thofb reftoters of barbarifm, the
French) have always refpetted the perfons and pro-
-1 perty of their opponents refident in neutral countries,
1 it is Whited that the fame refped mould be extended
to what may happen to be in the machines that bear
the heraldric fymbol of thole countries upon the feas.
But the refpe& paid by Belligerents to each other in
neutral territory, is not a matter of right, but expe-
diency, a thing of immemorial cuflom, and no more
related to juftice than the Popifh &flattery that pro-
teds criminals; and its oppofite on the feas is intitled
for the fame reafon to the fame deference. Situation
only cannot affeFt the intrinfic quality of things ;---
cuftom alone is the preferver of privileges. /The
property of a Britifh or a French fubjea remains as
intriafieally Britifh or French in a neutral Rate, or
a neutral veffel, as in the Britifh orFrench dominions;
and the cuftom that proteds it in the one cafe has no
letter foundation that the pradice which feizes it in
',.... other. But this is deviating from the point more
. uncchately in view : the complaint of the Amer--
11
: ins .againft us, which, if at all to be the fubjed of 1
hicuffion between the two Governments, fince we
:lave (hewn that it neceffarily arifes out of the nature
91 the cafe and immemorial ufage, mull be anfwered
-vith a complaint by us againft the Americans ; and
.71iichever of the two nations chews the greateft tea-
: ::n for its recrimination, let the other make atone-
m 7nt. We have no doubt, that independently of DU-
%mous equivocations, both with refperff to the fulfil-
ment of the Treaties of Amity and Commerce, and
the condud of the American Government and
Citizens, with refped to the political interells of this
: entry, that a monger cafe of commercial injury
:,sight be made out by us.
With reference to the influence which American

Citizens ppffefs in this country, it .ought to be borne
in mind, that the infurance of the world centers In,
Lcndon, and that in the community at Lloyd's the
Americans ezercife no inconfiderable portion of that
influence to which we allude. They are there daily
in the habit of effecting infurances, and have hitherto
perfuaded many of the Mules writer: to cover their rifle,
although a proof of propel, king injured in Britain it
admitted by the enemy at an authentication of it being
Brit property. Underfianding by the decifion of
Sir WILLIAM SCOTT, in the cafe of the Effez, that
our cruizers were authorifed to be vigilant and-rigid
in the fcrutiny of American veffels, the American
Broker: have inlayed in their policies a clanli, by which
the Underwriters are /Hole enough to bind theofelver to
fettle for a total loft in the event of detention or fekure ly
Brito endure. Thus making the policy verbally
obliga:ory, but really illegal, it is to be hoped, that
the Underwriters will take an early opportunity of
afeertaining the point in a Court of Law. The in.
fertion of this claufe, where the property infured is
not warranted American, is equivalent to a confef-
lion that it is the enemy's, which cannot by flatute
authority be lawfully infured in this kingdom. It
would, perhaps, puzzle a clearer head than even
Sir WILLIAM SCOTT pOffelieS, CO ay what fhould be
Ali& done vith a cargo originally French, but in
fured by the claufe referred to, and detained by,
any of our cruisers ; for the property, by the infu-
ranee, becomes Britiih, and belongs to the Under.
writers. However, as there points are only touched
to thew what ufe the influence of the Americans is
applied to in this country, let us fee what are the ,
confequences that have arifen from it, and whether
they may not furnifit our Government with as many
reafons to ficcufe the American Ship Mailers of
deliberate treachery and perfidy, as the Government
of the United States can alledge against the Inlay
violence and tyrinn) of the Britith Officers. If the
irrafcibilit' of two or three Commanders of Frigates
be matter of complaint againfl the one, why may not
the profligacy of the Commanderi of merchant (hips
be retorted by the other ?

It has been mentioned, that till lately we ma-
naged a considerable part of our Mediterranean
trade under neutral colours; and particularly under
the American. The American is now univerfally
rejelied, becaufe during the 14 fpring and rummer,
alrboft every one of the American (hips, loaded by
our merchants, or Infured by our Underwriters, fell
into the hands of the enemy ; fo uaparalleled was the
bad fortune of the American (hips in the Mediterra-
nran trade, that a fafpicion began to fpring up, at
firft as tb the integrity of the deftination of the
voyage, but at laft, as eircumfiances unfolded, it
cams zrtt that a flrong motive was offered to the
American Shipmafters not to lel too fur from the ene-!
nty's toe, and the events proved how little able their
honetly was to refit} the temptation. Whenever an
American veffel, infured or loaded by Britifb fubjeas,
WAS carried in by the enemies cruizers, the was im-
mediately unloaded, the Ship:nailer paid bii fell
fr4ht, and his veffel allowed to pals unmolested
whenever he defired to go. As the freight was all
be cared about, it was good policy to get fo loon
and fo svtil rid of a cargo, without the Straights,
for which he was chartered to proceed to Italy or
Malta. The loffes which both our Underwriters and
Merchants fufialned by this perfidious trafficking have
been ten times greater than all the aggrelions that
all the Britifh cruizers have ever wantonly committed
on the American trade.

Our Government certainly (hewed great forbear-
ance in not making an effort to obtain fufficient evi-
dence of the part which fome of the American Ship-
=tiers played, in order to demand indrmnificalion from
the American fovernment, and the perfons of the offen-
ders, aJ pirate:.

Surely, however, it did not fail to communicate
to the American Ambalador a Copy of Admiral
Corthrowoon's letter on this fubjeCt. Since the
communication of it to Lloyd's, many of the Bro-
kers who hold the policies on thole veffels who ran
into the enemies ports, have hefitated to call for pay.
ment of the lots.—Whe■ fo great a caufe of recrimi-
nation as this exilic, let us not be dunned and pekered
with the afilietions which the innocent, unlfrufinz
Americans endure from our cruizers—let as alt
openly and firmly, and before we prefume to be ge-
nerous to others, learn to be jolt to ourfelves.

At another time we intend to offer Tome reflation:
on that obfolete ufage of our Admiralty Courts, the
revival of which in the cafe of the Eirex has railed
fo much clamouring.

The French Official Joutnal of :he t4th, contains
an extract from the Emperor of Germany's Proclama-
tion to the Hereditary States, calling upon them for a
contribution in kind of corn and oats. On that part
of this document, which complains of the French
forces affernbled upon the Tyrolian frontiers, the Mo-
onteur obferves--" When Anftria, under the pretext of
drawing a cordon of troops to prevent a contagious
ficknefs, which never exitted, fent an army into the
States of Venice, &c. in the whole kingdom of Italy
there were not a French regiment, a battalion, or a
company.—On the contrary, at that epoch, the whole
military force of France was collelted upon the coats
oppolite to England. Yet forty days had fcarcely
elapfed from the moment that 1.50,000 French were
embarked in the fl •tills of Boulogne, waiting every
inftant for the prowling fcpradrons, Ind a favourable
wind, when AO ria, fit ppoting the troops would have
failed, had the baknefs to draw the fword ofatt enemy
upon a friend, wh fe whole force was engaged in a
conflict to which Aultria was a Manger."