Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-09-08
Fran tbe Moxiteuy.

mouths Of the Elbe and the Weler, is 8
new ,nfratsion Of The right Of the neu'rals
and the lovereignJy OF all he powers.
France, attacked by England, acquired
the right Of, carrying the war into all.the
Byitiih pofeAions, and of oecOpylng as
he had done in prior wars, Hanover,
which forms part Of them. But Gle has
NOT occupied the banks.of the Elbe, ex
cent in the countries OF which 'his conqaet
has put her in poasaion. She has ref
petied the neutrality of Bremen, EIam-
bureh, & The other States of the coatlren.
What circumfances could therefore,
have authorized the King Of England 70
exclude neutral Powers from the nav iga.
ton OF lie Elbe ana the NVefsr? IF The
Eneliih flag annotlhew ittclf at all points
within the reach OF French battery,
at leatf it ought nor prevent neu,rals from
navigating 70 every place whether the
fortune OF war has condutfed the French
armies, and from maintaining their com
munica,iors with Teach other, The
Elbc aud the Weler wafh a great ex
tent Of neutral territory. Thc rivers
which fall into chem, fill farther increafe
the commercial relations 10 which they
furnilh channel Of confanpt. TO Ghnf
the entrance of th>fe rivers is 70 intercept
the communications oFa great part Of the
continent. It is TO CONNIE an att o!
hoRility againa al the countries to which
that navigation belongs.
England lhould declare in more open
manner that lhs will not permit any pow
err 10 be neutral. But on The Other hand
will the neuirsls permit their flag and thei,
tights TO be difrgafded
II England ha: resolved to punish Ger
many for not having protected anddcfend-
ed Hanover, it is doubtless as a Princi-
palty of that Empire that she supposed
herself entitled TO that proceeding. Yet
how could she dare to claim the guarantee
Of the members Of the Empire, atsthe mo.
ment when she violates The rights of one
Of those members? The King OF England,
in his quality q member OF the Gernaaic
Body, bad consentedto che arrangements,
had stipulated indelDnities, in favor Of the
Order of Malta, equally considered as a
Principally of che Empire. Scarcely had
his Britannia Majesty solelnnly signed
these dispositions, when he attacked the
Of the territory of the Order.
She has not right to make for herself
claims which might more justly be advanc-
ed against her.
Besides, the measure of shutting the
entrance of the principal rivers Of Germa-
ny is like all those which England has for
several months past adopted, an act of IN
fatuatlon which recoils upon herself. She
dissolves her commercial connexions with
Germany, and shuts up the principal
channels for the intr6Gucflon OF her mer-
chandize upon tie Continent. She accus
toms its different nations to dispense with
the produce of her industry. she Com
pels them, in order to obtain articles of
an equivalent kind, 20 apply to France.
to which, after the noucb Of the Elbe is
shut up, all the channels Of land convey
ance remain open.
The English Journalists announce as
an heroic deed on which they may pride |
the capture Of some French |
fishing boats; yet in this insta--ce also, |
Eogland acts against herself. By di7est
ing the unfortunate inhabitants of the
coast of their property, and depriving their |
families of their means of subsistence,
She reduces that population, who's, re-
sources she has destroyed, TO state of
despair; she excltes them to exert them
selves. with greater ar.1sur to defend our
territory and to avenge their country.
She lights up a feeling of hatred in the
hearts of those men who, from the OBJ
scurity and tranquility of their life, seem