The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-09-30
SECOND ADDRESS TO THE BRITISH
NATION.

Permit me to refume the hifory of the PROCEED
ings your courts in relation the quetion of the
trade with the colonies of your enemies and indulge
me TO hope that it will excite buh in the oounte-
nance ofevery honeR Briton. During the whole of
the war OF l7s3 and the greater part of the exit
ing one, this principle either iuered TO lie dor
mant, or when brought into exerefe in few cafes,
1t was contrued to extend only to ezjts of direa in
tercourie between the colony oil the enemy ana the
mother country. The right ofhe Americans to trade
with the colonies, to ran!port the produce Of thale
colonies TO America, and from thence to Europe.
was explicitly fanctioned by long ferries of DEGREES
either never appealed from, Leaf reverted
or even doubted. Sir William Scott, TIE MOI intel
lgent judge that Doctors Commons has aver produ-
eed ianetoned this right in variety Of cafes cut of
which will cite the Polly Iaiky, in which tina,
learned oihoer declared, that If tie landing Be pssd
IN America, and fecurng the duties, was not fuiici-
ent TO break the continuity of the voyage and to
der OF eourie the reexporation of the goods lawful
he did not know what circumstances would fufire."
In every cafe, therefore, where the goods had been
landed, Sir William Scott ordered the relorasion of
them.
VIII, 1T be eontendedtlat Err William Scott, an E.
niuent practitioner in Doctors Commons for FORTY
years was ignorant of this principle of the law of ma
tioua Or viii it De con,ended that foreign nations
are bound to admit principle OF doubtful authority
OF which the mott eminent man of the nation, mot
lntereited to extend belgerent rights agan hofe of
neutrals, was ignorant after 40 years fudy
Lao year the court of appeals, confillne Of three
ofieersn the nay of the crown, in the cafe of the
Eiex Orne, reverted the opinion of FIR William Scott,
and lad down the nloalrous rule, that the goods,
though landed III neutral country, are Oil liable to
leizure, ifre-exported by the fame Perfon who had
imported them. Had thefe gentlemen fitting as
court OF appeals diioovered with their teefcopic ewes
fome planet, fomen new LIGHT in the fcience Of
al Datio xyhc ,,,n; IT,
from her former decEOns IF they, have let,them
fate the book and page. Sir William Scott is, how
ever, (H tenVraai of this authority, bccaufe in the
application OF II to the cafe of the brig owned by
Meiirs. Bradbury of Bottom, he acknowledges his
former contradictory opinions, but fays that now
is his duty to bow to higher authorities" without
aiignng Jingle reaion for the opinion given by the
higher tribunals
This deeiion was the Ggnal fer hundreds of hungry
PriVateerlren, and greedy commanders of the royal
navy, to iprng upon our defence1els comnierce-and
loon The ports OF the channel lwarmed with the fbips
OF Our unfortunate counrynen. So long as II was
Poibe TO Prelnme, that thefe lezures were the efe
OF hmPle decon Of your courts rendered in the or
binary eourfe, Unauthorized aud uninhbenced by tie
cabinet 70 long the indignation Of the Americans has
benin fone degree reprecd. But oce the late pam.
Phlet ifued by the government, or at Leaf under its
iaD9ion fuppors tbofe deeiiionE, and propo(es
an exteniion OF them, it is longer to be doubted
that the revera of .he decree in the cafe Of the Eex
Orne, was the efed of deciGon Of the cabinet and
part OF deliberate iyflem intended eher TO force
us 10 renonnce the advantages of neutrality or to ae
cept the alternative Of the lword.
Thus then have endeavored to give hi(tory of
the rife and Progrefs Of this modern law Of nations,
or TO give il name little more truly eonformabe
to its ch1raGer this modern decree of Great Britain
againIt Neutral Trade. Let me here notice fug
gelion made by the Briti!h writers upon the fbie
OF the late dccfons that the Americans cannot cor-
plain OF not having had due notice asthe cafe of the
EGfx Orae, wasa fufcisnt advertisement tothen, of
the principles fet up by Great-Britain. This reminds
one Of the old legal fiction, tut ryeyy one /, P,Euei
70 iao7o tie G57u but believe it is the firG time il
applied in this manner between nations.
What the American merchants are bousd to know
every deeon ~ DDtt6rs' Commons, and this too by
fort ct jnlpira,ioD, foon they are declared,
though the Americans are at three thoufand miles
di0snte
In faet, many OF the verels were captured before
the deeifon could have been known in America by
phyfea pofiibity, and while the Americans were
a6sng usdsr he fanetionof Gr IIilag Seoas deciG-
ons, pablithed by Robernon and fpread throughout
ths United States l,t credible in point of fa that
the Americans wonld thusthrow their property into
the bands Of the Bfi;h eruifers If they had under
Good the and extent Of the principles Get up y
Great Britain How much more noble would #
been in the cabinet Of your country IL its real deieu
was TO hedcr the rate rather than 10 eruh the rfne
PROPERTY the United States Ito have formerly no-
fed 10 our Eovefaniest rs iateptsn to rna;sfss th.
new prinsiples