The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-04-14

the county would fuilain the expence! Is
the Kappabannock TO be wholly neglected
We have at this time ketch in our ptsTt fli,n
drawn by the ingenious Mr.. Harris, of the wind
irgs, depth, and.diftance Uf that river. aud AN
raimate of The fum neceaary TO clear il 10 It's
falls (. es<.la which .ve sannot hut believe tina.
iucn an effort lie ooti, pr4e.icaoie and proper.
Brmj6 Tr.sty.-I, is fan tina. the paper 10 de-
nominated, will be nf 6aok OF refpee to the
D. government. Our n,iniiters have been directed
to proceed IL no fuch treaty had been draughted
What will be the efea Of the relations in which We
new Rard to G.. Britain
II fuhe-ntly appears from the Preiident's procla
nation, what he himief thinks of the tate of our
relations. He recommended to the laft congrefs to
iuipend the Non-importation aa. 'becauie it would
promote the ajjulfment of our difIercnces.-At this
time, the fame reafons may have induced him to
adopt the fame policy He fi believes that the Bril-
tiih Cabinet is difpoed do injuaioe and he there
fore eonceives that temporary ffpeniion Of the Nom
Importation Aa is calculated to promote the fame
objed.
The PRECEDENT was placed in very different ftua-
ton from what was anticipated the time of pang
the JylPecfon-a6. There was then every reafon to
Preiume that our negotiations with Great Britain
would be deiiatively fe,tled way the other
in hort time ; time enough for MIR. Jefferfon h,,-
felt to have pofi,ivey determined, whether it would
importation ad.-But things have happened contrary
TO thefe expectations. We have ar yet no defnitve
treaty with Great Britain. We have not hitherto
obtained from her all that demand and yet fhe
has difPlayed fueh fpir,t Of peace, to promife
the mot favourable refphs from a negotiation
The PRECEDENT was placed in delicate fituation.
This was the feafon of the year when merchants
were to give oydrJ to their Britifh correspondents
tor their fall importa,ions The prelident was
therefore to expof them all the enl5arranenr Of
giving thefe orders without any knowledge of his in
tentons or at once to fufpend the non-mportation
ad.
The prefident adopted the lat al,erna,ive--He
determined 20 extend the fufpenfon Of the non-m-
Portation aa until the 18th of Dee.
The federalias have vehemently abufed him for
rejecting the treaty.
What an ineonlineney between the ereG,Gor, and
cries of the federalis-and the pyae7iee Of Mr.. JEFF
ferfon
Mr.. J. who has been charged with an nobility to
our commerce and our feamen, rejects treaty which
does not Efficiently feeure the rights of feamen.
And the federalifts, who have hitherto pretended
to be the executive friends of commerce, have ar
raigned him for rejecting this very treaty. They
firh profcribe him for having abandoned the rights
OF our commerce; andtben they profcribe him for
a tempting deliver thoulands of our feamen from
Bri,ilh chains
1t is mpofble to anticipate what may be the effect
OF this meafure. Perhaps not even MIR. 7. with all
the dispatches from commiflioners before him,
can undertake to predict the consequences.
Two objections made to this projea of a
Treaty the one, the want Of fome adequate remedy
for the impeachment of feamen the other was
the note annexed tn it by the Britifh Cabinet.
AS to the laft point, have one fource of confo-
lation and hope.
HDecreslettor to General Armffrong, exprefIes the
ipir in which the French government, int ended to in
terPret their own decree; and this fenfe derives
little probability from the guarded manner in which
it has been hitherto carried into execution no diff
Guilty can exit on this ground.
The queition of impregment is fill more ferrous,
becaue on this point our own principles and thofe of
G. Britain are 70 completely dfcordant.
We recommend 1t to our readers TO Perufe the Sc
| cretary OF Stakeholder to Mr. Munroe, of the 4th
of January 1904, on this fubiea. This letter COM
pctey demonstrates that whether we confult the
law OF nations, the tenor Of treaties, the dictates
oil reaion and Julice, no warrant, pretext be
found for the Britih praaice of making imprefsments
from American veflels on the high feas."
The law of nations eireumcrbes the right Of EayeB
and p'sDmeut within very narrow limits. That law
mpoles but two restrictions upon neutral commerce.
neutral vehel does protect certain obeas de-
nominated esntra5and Of roar, including enemies ferv-
ing in the war, nor articles going into Noekadsd
port. But no where will England find an excso-
tion to ths freedom of the feas and of neutral flags
which juhhes the taking away of any perfon, not an
enemy in military fervice, bound on board neutral
ve1el"
According to thefe comprehensive principles, G.
Britain has no right to impress from American veiels
the captain or any part Of his e,eqO.
She has no right to impress PagfngA', unlel, they
be enemies, in military fervice.
She has no right to impress any one protected by
the American flag, whether he be an American by
birth or Britilh fubjeG naturalilcd by our law,
or even Bri,iih fubject, who has not even Ef his
isot on our flores; unies they reipe ctyely
ited in the military fervice and defined for the fer
vice of her enemies
in word, Great Britain has no right 20 infftue a
ieareh or an impeachment from veAes, unlefs the
Perlon 10 fought and imPreed be in military ferviee
bound to the enemy's ports, aud defined for the
enemy's aid In fuch cafe only, can he incur the
name and Incidents Of contraband Of war.
is this the doctrine for which our administration
are now contendng Iffo, it is completely at war
w'h the Britih practice Its not enough for them
think that Ones fubjea, always iubject - they
even carry the maxim into the mot vexatious exeeu-
tion; even to the aa Of learching for and fezing
their iubjeets, zDLeyeve, they may be found.
But even on this ground it may be pofible to come
to iome conpromile. Such oaee likely to have
taken place, appears from the following extraa Of
Mr.. Madlon's letter of the 9Th of Ian.
The Briuh preteDiions domain over the mar
row ieas are 70 obloete and 70 indefenbe that they
never would have occurred probable objection in
this eaie if they had not fruGa,ed an arrangement
iubea of mpreiiments from American veiTels on the
Il H.