The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-11 00:00:00

ORDERS IN COUNCIL.

TO THE EDITOR OF Till.: sTATESMAN.
Scam—I reed MERC ‘TOR'A letter in the Courier,
under date of Liverpool, May 4. This letter, even
before its appearance, wat announced with great
pomp and ceremony, and was, in fact, given to the
country as possessing a sort of charm which was sure
:o reconcile us to all the evils of the system which it
professes to advocate. As a work of skill it is more
likely to invite attention, than to produce effect. I,
&all dissemble no ignorance of the author. Upon
many questions of detailed commercial calculation
I respect his judgment; and, upon all occasions, I ad-
mire his integrity. Having, as he conceives, project.
ed a " dispassionate view," he leaves the political
discussion of the question to the wisdom of Parlia.
Input, with as much gravity as if the interest of the;
measure could be separated from its policy ! I, how.
'term should take great blame to myself were I
to urge this consideration too far, arising, as
it evidently does, out of a chaste estimate of his
ewe talents; or, at worst, only put on like a lady's
modesty.piece, to give, if possible, additional force
to the irresistible powers of nature. lie can hardly
be supposed even to enter upon the subject—clearly
he enters into no rigorous ezansination of it—all he
says, is oa the surface—it is mere covering, which,
even for the purpose of having a peep at the 'abject
itself, it would be necessary to pull away. Stilt I
shall ellallafeer to treat him with respect, certainly
with desetans—with more decorum than he, un-
willingly I am sure, treats the suffering poor, when
he talks of " the severe season of the year being
put," as if hunger would not pinch in August as
well as November; or as if it was the period of the
year, rather than the circumstances of public afflic-
tion, which constituted limes of distress. Upon
this subject all doubt must vanish in the sad and me-
lancholy reflection, that the country is nom in a worse
situation than it was be/ore the fine meather eel in,
• and that it will continue to have this dismal
and downward tendency jest as long as we
persevere in that restrictive system by which
the evil itself was produced. If MERCATOR bad
said, that the discontinuance of the Orders in
Council would not remove all the evils which the
Orders themselves produced, such language would
have been very intelligible :--or, even if be had cha-
racterised as unjust, the promulgation of the enemy's
Decrees, no fault would have been" imputed to him :
—or, if he had wasted his ingenuity in an endeavour
to prove that very act of the enemy must be follow►
ed by a corresponding action on the part of Britain :
—or if, in charity to our enemies, we were to inter-
pose an eleal force to prevent the weight of their
own injutice from fatting and breaking their own
lieode—oll abismosele, at least, have bee,. intelligible
—good Intelligible history of facts, for this recipro.
cal movement has actually taken place! Clearly, if
measures of bilis:ties, am the port of the enemy, are
to derive their force from measures of irritation on
onr part, it proves that the enemy has obtained 1
the result of his calculation upon oar folly, by oh.'
tainiug the Gods of his own injustice. Mr. Cexamo,
who is a very nice, if net a very sound, rs.viewer,
may give a new position to this mode of reasoning ;
but I am quite sure, looking at the commercial
state of England sod of France—equal weight press.'
ing upon unequal nlne,—it will, epee all fair and
" dispassionate views" of 'the case, must distinctly
appear that the Orders in Council are less calculated
to retort upon the enemy the evils of his own in-
justice, than to bring them upon ourselves. MER
ciao& asks—" who can take upon him to say, that
if our Orders in Council were repealed to-morrow,
the Non-importation Act would, in consequence, be
cancelled ? Has not the American Government told
us that our system of blockade, and our right of
search, must also be abandoned (abandon a arcser !
Oh, be ! MEacsToa!), before she can consent to a
renewed intercourse ?" A compliance with these de-
mands is more, I think, than even those who urge most
vehemently the repeal of our Orders would recommend.
Here we have political prediction as well as political
statement—here we have political evidence upon an
assumed preponderation of the argument, arising out
of a course of policy which must be conceded to
America, before she consents to renewed intercourse
with this country. All this we have from the modest
Mlecvros, who professes to take " 1 dispassionate
view wittiest ealeriagistopohtieel considerations t"
To do instills to the subject, it will be necessary
to give a &tied recital; of the principal Pcillislisib
"Hued or ergud by Meocetoo, *ming out, es I
they succiseeively smear, net only the delttntifi I
tendency of his adminitions, bat time/fors of his !
statclwats, and the unjust views which be has
exhibited la a series of dednedoess ' absdlitfq
and emeatially fah*. lie tells us tbat IF
nit
is deprived of &boot an her ottani' asatooros;
except what is permitted by , litwars—dist for
raw materials sad fereips poises thielly colly-',
peUed to pay high prices, and that te P•clisei
these articles she mast nowt to drained, dowels,i'
or receive them, in Mare for shipmeale WWI di-
nct from this ceentry, predating to us a eimaidera.
Me revenge; and inekly, that this tisessioi bode is
likely to increase, ender the pressor* if the Oadall
iu Coosa. I might here pause, to say, *tide
right or practice which we wish to establish ifilloilif
hating a trade with ear enotojoii whilst antrale are
to be d prised of a simirsiggence wish *ell-
fqencis I This abominable . hubris to often
aud so seriously urged, distill An Nab :hi a kaas-