The Statesman.
London, England, 1813-02-19 00:00:00

• He "(Mr. Canning) cdustrued that Act in a man-
ner totally different. Cy it ho conceived that
this country undertook to protect foreigners, who
bad remained a certain time in our service,
and who had resided for a given period in our
;country, 'from the Alien Act. But while it en-
titled them. to all the inestimable blessings which
belonged to a British subject, he did not apprehend
that it could have been intended to place them in a.
situation with re:pect to their own country, which
wuuid enable them to plead that Act in bar of their
indelible allegiance.—(Hear, hear!]—If this was a
true construction, what similitude did our conduct
bear to the avowed pretensions of America? preten-
sions which were sus cieutly evident from 'the decla.
ration of the American Government itself; " that
those who had been once sailors in the American ser-
vice must be protected"—that was; neither more nor
less, than, that British subjects should be relieved
from their undoubted allegiance, and their country
should be deprivtd of its right to their services in
time of war.—L Hear,. hear !)—lt was said that
notliing.au the papers which were on the table of the
House, showed a disposition on the part of the Ame-
rictus, to shut the door against the consideration of
this topic. He would beg leave to refer those Gen-
tlemen who had formed this opinion, back to those
papers, and he %squid then ask them, whether the po.
sitive demands of concession of this point, as a preli-
minary to negociation, was that species of compliance
which would be either consistent with the interest of
Great Britain, or likely to produce an amicable ad.
justrqtrit with America'? If the concession should he
made fur a time, under the supposition that America
would adopt seme measure calculated to meet the
wishes of Great Britain, and to remedy this evil, and
that in the end no such measures were adopted, and
that Great Britain was to attempt to recover what
she had once abandoned, would nbt the war be re-
newed with tenfold force?—[!dear, hear n-
The Honourable Gentleman (sir. Whitbread) had
neglected to consult his friends who had been en-
gaged in this discussion at an early period, or he
would see the insuperable obstacles which, to accom-
plish this poiot„ were to be overcome. To be fair,
the suggestion of an lion. Gent..(Mr. Baring) for the
erection of a tribunal, somewhat after the manner of
our prize tribunals, before which persons who were
seized were to be taken, and a decision to be given
according as the enquiry might warrant, had to boast
of some i::genuity. But what would America say
to this ? To find that their .citizens were treated as
contraband goods ; that those who had hitherto been
seized, as living creatures, were now to be consi-
dered and, treated as a contraband of war—and that
they were to be taken—where ? to a British tri-
-lomat, who were to adjudicate the chattles to the
right owner. If that which had been stated by the
late American Minister (Mr. Foster) respecting
the irritability of some of the Americans, be true,
with what indignation would they not receive such
a proposition 1. The other point of difference,
which, it had been stated, still existed, was, respect-
ing the blockade; and an appeal had been made to
Isle `(Mr. Canning's) recollection, whether it was'
slot ,true that the blockade of May 1806, was not
made a matter of remoastrance by America to this
Government, and whether that blockade did not
give rise to the misunderstanding between her 'and
this country ? The statement made upon this sub-
ject was not quite accurate. The fact was, that
when this blockade was first proposed, much dis-
approbation ea; manifested ; but when its end and
object was explained to the resident American
hli-
zsisters here, expressions of satisfaction followed
those of suspicion and distrust. It was indeed true,
that the blockade of 1807, when the old and ap-
proved principles of blockade by a competent force
were abandoned, and that of retaliation was substi-
tuted, created great discontents, led to remon-
etrances with this Government, and finally, by the
Decree of the November following, laid the foun-
dation for the main ground of quarrel. The dif-
ference of the two bluckades was this—that what
took place in May 1806, applied a specific force to
it particular harbour ; and so far was this from inter-
dicting the free ingress and egress of neutrals, that
their passage was allowed to any. extent. After
this came the Berlin Decrees, and, in .the manner
of the Order in Council of 1807, the specific, legal,
and constitutional blockade was superseded by a
blockade which avowed terms of retaliation, and
prohibited neutrals from apprpaching the coast at
ail. He here begged leave to observe, that he still
:maintained the opinion which he .delivered on a
.former occasion, that between the Order in Council of
January 1807, and that of,the November following,
in species and principle, there was no distinction.—
:The Right Honourable Gentlerhan then adverted to
the. conduct of the war by his Majesty's Ministers,
which, 'be said, although other parts of their pro-
ceedings had met with his approbation, called for
atiOnadvereion.—[ileor, isaar,Jaar,9,—ile.kartice.
larly alluded to the last discussion whicii-teitQfplace
Kith the Charge d'Affaires for America, and inferred
from the. co that t!.. desire of the conquest of Canada,
amongst the. Americans, was so strongly. hinted at
by that Gentleman, that no doubt could have arisen
of the approach of a rupture between the two coun-
tries ; after which he adverted to the disposition which
had been evinced by the Americans to go to war,
upon resources so trifling as had been stated by an
Hon. Gentlemad (Mr. F.) as demonstrative of the
conclusion which ha had drawn. He next took occa-
e.on to comment on the delays* which had taken
place in setitipg an adequate force to stem the pro-
gress of American conquait • he particularly al-
luded to that Admiral (Si "John Borlase Warren)
who held a pen. in that band which ought to have
launched the thunders of British vengeance on the
enemy. This Gentleman,- he stated, left England
in August, and arrived at Halifax on the Wth
of September, where he, remained for .a consider-
able timer-nod while that:Ample force was remain-
Ina inactive, godgers's-tquadron put to sea from
*Mon. He would ask why that force, instead of
Wing thus eooped up, had not takcu a station whicle
would ham prevented the recurrence of those
events which had created such marked sensations
litroeghout the whole Continent of America, and'
particularly throughout this kingdom ? Upon this
occasion be could only say, liut there was very
little dexterity and wise deliberation in the &tau-
that force,—[l/car, hear :3—The Right
then pointed eat More particu,

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