Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-11-28


Y was notinthe France e enfor,s b r..
der,ees, and i was in the power q pns
land to enforce her orders in a very ors,.
extent, would il have been good polie ?, ~ u
involve ourselves in q maritime war ~.
England, who had overcome ali the CO..
blned fleets of Europe, for the sake Of d.
tending OH trade with France. II an,
trade cost more than it was worth, Mr.. Il
said it was our interest to abandon +. p,,
there was another danger attendant on e,,r
trade to France, andwhicilhad ever a,tsn.I
ed it eequestration. American properly
was very apt to be sequestered; and in en-
forcing their Berlin decree, the FrcncE. .al
thought proper to burn our vessels; end
though it had been said that the Berlin de.
cree had never been applied to rs before I'll.
case of the Horizon, yet vessels hasl sser.sl
sequestered in Feb. 1907, sold, AID tls
money retained and would probably nsver
be restored. This sequestration had beell'
practised in the French ports rno-c or less
since the commencement Of the revolution,
and we had never got one dollar as compcn.
sation. To be sure, in the treaty Of Lou.
siana, we had been allowed to pay none
to our own citizens, but it had never come
out of French Golfers. Was it worth Our
while to engage in war with England TO
support trade with France Mr.. II. said
no; our interest would not have warranted
it. For, Notwithstanding all France could
do, at risk of FIVE per cent, we might havs
had trade with the British islands, Swe-
den, Portugal, the East Indies, thu British
West India islands and other couatgies-a
profitable trade too. Bat gentlemen said,
would they submit to pay tribute to Grea.
Britain? To. This tribute Was but 4 alc.a
name. They must pay triba.e for going
from England to France, where they woold
be captured as matter Of course because
they.had touched English ground. 1t was a
tribute to be paid in a case which would
never happen--a mere nullity. But, sail
gentlemen, there are American vessels
which have gone to England, the embargo
Notwithstanding, and thence to various por.s
of the continent, by the aid OF false papers.
Were they to embark in conflict to prevent
their citizens from doing this? All this
smuggling work, where it was not under
the sanction of laws Of the U. S. reflected
no disgrace on the honor ofthe nation, which
was net responsible for it.
IF there were nothing that you'd COMING
the honor of the nation in the way Of It,
Mr.. IL. said it would be the Interest OF this
nation to abandon its commerce with France,
not only ON account Of the risk in carrying
it On, bit on account Of the risk after gets
into port. Mr.. Armstrong said-but Re
would not allude to him for fear he should
tread on confidential ground; however, &C
counts had been received from our constls
and merchants, that whenever it suited the
convenience of the French nation to lay
their hands on American property, they had
done il. And therefore he said that our
trade to that country was on very insecure
footing indeed.
But, said gentlemen, if they allowed our
vessels to trade TO England s not to France,
it was submission to her orders and re-
.isnatiou Of cur independence therefore
the embargo must be maintained TO keep on
equal around. | could never see, observed
Mr. FL. how the embargo was the means Of
preserving the honor Of the nation. These
nations say we shall not trade and lhcre-
fore, by an embargo, we destroy our com
naerce. This is magnanimous indeed. Il
is new way of preserving commerce, be-
cause foreign nations saw we shall not follow
it, we say we will abandon it. Do we not
comply with the requisition of these natiors
cosapletely-more than comply, for we sur
render all commerce. It is the most tame
OF our rights.
But, said gentlemen, we mast have en-.
barge or war. This, Mr.. H. said, had been
arged in public debate, in the newspapers,
md almost all communications thew had re-