Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-12-02

very fpecies ofinnocent property. Every
war revives sle quefion, "what is or Is
not the law of nations! queaion that
has divided nations and writers on mari
time law-has combined and armed pow
erful fates and kingdoms in the defence
of their reflective deciGons-and has
been, in all cafes, determined by force,
or conventions founded on neceility, rPo-
Icy. !.
To the United States, which an inter
vening ocean ieparates from the feat OF the
endleis cont en,ions of nations on the other
continent, where claims are proiecuted and
defended by the fword, where treaty OF
peace is but formal truce, intended TO
enable rival nations to recruit their ar
mics, and replenilh their Golfers for tEelh
hottilities to an empire thus fequeitered
from the numerous territorial cauies OF war
and liable only to be drawn into the quar-
rels OF European nations, by the necellity
of defending its commercial rights; a jutt
determination of all queRions relating to
maritime law, is extremely intereiting and
important. Ifbelligerent and neutral ma
tons have appropriate and diitina rights,
it is of confequence that they ihould be de-
sned and as the United States have In
their favor, the chance of ulually being
neutral, when the maritime nations of Eu-
rope are at war, it is their intereft 10
aicertain and preler,e, unabridged, the
rigbts .fxes.raks. What theie rights are
ieems not to be underfood. When the
northern powers, in 1880, confede.ated to
eiabliih the principle, that free ihiPs
make free goods" the public ientiment
in America, then at war with Great Bri-
tain, was decidedly in favor of the prin.
ciple and Congrefs explicitly recognized
it. Great Britain, at that time, remon-
itrated againit the efabiihment of the
principle, callingi. modern law" Of
nations but was no, in Gtua,ion effec-
sually to oppole the formidable confrdera-
cy by which it was maintained. The
peace of 1855 fuperceded that league, and
the intercourfe between the powers was
regulated by fubiequent treaties.
The laf war hasrevived iimilar con-
federacy, formed for the purpofe of main
raining the fame principle in favor ofneu-
trail commerce. The naval power of G.
Britainfpeedily and at one blow, difarmed
the confederacy Gifts terror. and the vic
tory near Copenhagen compelled the
northern Kingdoms to adult the controver-
fy by convention. During this eventtul
criGs, it has been found convenient in the
United States, to abandon the principles
contended for by the Baltic nations, and
to defend Great Britain in aGerting what
is called the ancient" law of nations
Where ihall we look for tAe motives of
this change of fentiment in America p
We're the venerable fathers of the reyolu-
lion under a cloud, with regard to this
queitien, which recent illulration has dil-
perfel ? or is the direlettion Of the ground
which they took, to be afcribed to the
influence of changes in the political fate
of Europe, or the condition of parties in
the United States?
Without attempting to aniwer thefe
auctions, l will examine the hifory of
n utraI rights, and endeavor to find the
rue grounds. of rhe pretentionsaof both
rites. 1t is only by detail of hiRori-
cal facts, that we ihall be able to under
7and the merits IF the queltion in difpute,
and arrive to Jua conclu6ons reipetting
what is the Law of nations