Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1806-06-25

neutral merchants, the Danes or Ameri- +,
Cars. he mere interruption of direct in.
teicourse between the beliiyercnts, ini,
poses the necessity of Admitting ncul;als
to the trade>which they used TO carry On
together, and 10 The trade which each used
10 Carry on between t.. other, and ,heir
patuos. the sd'niss sion Ufneu,.als 10 the
Former branch of commerce., has seldom
been Objected TO. except during The heat
OF national luminosity, and even then the
o5jectun was ducctsd, no; agains, The
neu;ral bpt agamst the other bcilgerent.
The admission Of usu,rals ,o the LATER
branch oil commsrce, the carrying trade
oil one bciiigeieat between the other aud
, third parties, has been restricted by csr-
tain rules. tending to prevent the neutral
from directly assisting The beiIigetrnt in
his hostile operations. These rules have
| prohibited the neutral fro;n dealing with
the briiigerent, IN Articles immediately
subsc:y;eut to the military operations, or
as they nave thence been denomina,ed
contra5e1d Of svar. In order To cnrorce
this law, tight ofs-archng neutral ira
ders at sea has been claimed by belige-
rem, powers. and on some reinarksb oc
caslons, submitted TO by the goycrnmeut
of the neutral nation. None of these
points are al present subject ofdscuss;.
on. Neither the right of search nor the
prohibition ofcontraband, nor the power of
6lockads, have for some time past been
called in question. But a branch of or.
binary commerce has. during the course
OF the pr esent war, passed into the hands
ofneutrals, so important from is extent
and so unequully beneficial 10 The bellige-
rents, from its being confined chiefly to
the weaker party, that disposition has
appeared IN the councils of the stronger
party 10 dispute the neutral right.
In no maritime war before The present
has it happened, that the superiority of
one party was so decisive as TO deprive
the other OF every chance Of keeping the
sea. England may generally have had
the better, her fleets may have gained
sigma! advantages, and her cruisers or mi
vateers have annoyed the enemy's trade.
But still France was not SO crippled as
to lose all chance of protecting her com.
merce. She was not so completely be.
set as to view voyage & capture with
the same apprehensions.--Acc accordingly
her merchants ran the risk, which was
not enormous; and continued to freight
vessels for foreign ports, or to bring home
their colonial produce with the chance.
but not the certainty of their being ,aker.
Some part otthis commerce fell into the
hands OF neutral traders: some par. vas
carried on fraudulently under the cover Of
the neutral flag, but the risk was no, suf-
ficlcnt 70 make the merchant give up The
prott OF dre6i traffic on his own account,
with vessels and crews and flag of his own
country. Butthe unexamplrd increase Of
The English marine, and the almost total
ruin OF the French navy during the last Sc
present wars, have augmented the risk oil
the capture 10 the French trader So great
ly, that he can no longer undergo it, and
must be content to- give up much Of his
traffic TO neutrals, and endeavor 10 screen
The r0st by fraudulent devices.-The un-
precedented length of the last war, too, and
The renewal OF hostiliiies after SD shor, an
interval OF peace, has increased still fur
ther the inducem=nt or rather the neces.
sity Ut employing neutral nations, in the
commerce formerly carried on by the bel.
ligerent alone. For a few years of war
the privation of certain articles of neces-
sity orluxury may DC endured; blu. this
becomes at length intolerable, and over.
comes every restraint which either go.
vernment or the opposing interest Of tra-
ders can create. Those traders them
selves, too, when war has lasted long,
gradually shift ,hsir capital into new chan.
nels, and withdraw more and more from
the hazardous spccuations in which, du-
ring short period ofhos.il,y, they might
be contented or compelled To continue.
'lhe lines Unemployment which they thus
leave, become. IL consequence, open to
neutrais, who Ssw carry on the various
branches OF foreign trade, fromwhich they
were formerly excluded.--Thus il hap.
pened from the combined effects of our
astonishing naval superiority, and the un.
precedentcd length of the war, that almost
all the foreign commerce Of France, and
a large proportion even of the coasling
trade, have fallen into the hands of neutra
nations, and particularly of the Amer
leans, who have the greatest facilities OF
maritime Carriage, and the most rising
commercial system. Among other bran
ches ofthe French commerce now eueros-
sed by American traders, with the per-
mission of both governments, is that CT
the colonies. AS their trade, during peace,