Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1808-04-13

: /, - ~ III. g
boat, its officers, its people or Its papers, t
the belligerent vessel, is authorised. British
/ treaties, as well as those to which she is not 9
party, in every instance where regulation O
the claimis undertaken, co-lncide with the
article here proposed. che article IS in fac'
almost transcript of the article OF the
treaty of 1885 between Great Britain ant
1 France.
The regulation is founded in the best rea
( sons. lst 1t is sufficient for the neutral that
! he acquiesees iii the interruption of his voy.
age, and the trouble OF the examination, i'm
! posed by the beligerent commander. Tore
! quire a positive and active cooperation on
his part in behalf of the latter is more thar
can be justified on any principle. I'd. The
| belligerent party can always send more con
| veniently to The neutral vessel, than this Car
send to the helligerent vessel, having neither
/ such tit boats for the purpose, especially IN {
rough sea, nor being so abundantly manned
| Sd. This last consideration is enforced by the
numerous and cruel abuses committed in the
practice of requiring the neutral vessel to sene
| 10 the belligerent. AS an example you Wi
! find in the documents now transmitted, a case
where neither tie smallness and leakiness o.
| the boat, nor the boisterous state OF the wea
/ Their, nor the pathetic rcmonstrances of the
| neutral commander, had any effect on the i'm.
| pious injunctions of the beiiigerent, and where
F, the task was performed at the manifest peri
OF the boat, the papers, and the Ives OF tire
/ people. The limitation of the number to be
( sent On board the neutral vessel IS q reasona
/ bic ard usual precaution against the danger oi
insults and pillage.
On Arhcle 4. This enumeration of contra
band articles is copied from the treaty OF 1871
! between Great Britain and Russia. Il is SUI
! hcienty limited, and that treaty is an authori.
! ty more likely than any other to be respected
! by the British government. Tie sequel oj
! the article, which protects The productions oil
! a hostile colony converted into neural proper.
! ty, is taken fronl the same model, with the
addition ofthe terms Z" in any case or any pre-
! text" This addition is meant to embrace
more explicitly, our right to trade freely with
the colonies at war with Great Britain, and
between them and all parts Of the world, in
! colonial productions, being at the time not e.
! nemy's, but neutral property; trade equally
j legitimate in itself with that between neutral
countries directly, and in their respective yes
/ sells and such colonies, which her regulations
:, do not contest.
! In support of this right, in opposition to the
British doctrine that trade not allowed by q
nation in time of peace, cannot be opened to
neutrals in tine OF war, 1t may he urged, that
( all nations are III tie practice OF varying more
or less Ill time Of war, their commercial law s.
from the state OF these laws II tine of peace
practice agreeable TO reason as well as favor
able 10 neutral nations; that The change may
F.! be made in tire CT war, on considerations rot
/ incident to state Of war, but on such as are
! known to have the same effect IN time 81
peace; that Great Britain herself is in the re
gular practice of changing Ter navigation and
/ commercial laws, il times of war, particular
| ly in relation to oeutral intercourse with her
| colonies; that at this time she admits trade
between neutral countries and the colonies Of
( hCrenemies, when carried on directly between
ti'em, or between the former and herself, in
terrupting only direct trade between such
colonies and their parent state, and between
them and countries in Europe, other than
those to which the neutral trade may respec-
lively belong that as she does not contest the
right ofneutrals to trade with hostile colonies,
within these limitations, the trade can be, and
actually is carried ON Indirectly between such
colonies and ell countries, even those TO which
the colonies belong: and, consequently, that
the effect Of her doctrine and her practice, is
rot to deprive her enemy of their colonial
trade, but merely to lessen the value of it in
proportion to the charges incident to the cir
cuitous course into which it is forced, an adj
vantage to her which if just in itself, would
not be sufficient to balance the impolitic vexa-
tons accruing TO neutral and friendly nations.
These views of the subject have entered
into my conversations with Mr. Merry. He
expresses, Notwithstanding, teIief that G..
! Britain will turn an unfavorabIe ear to any
proposition calculated to give her enernics the