Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1808-06-13

II
day; bVRhich the rights of the United States
with tiMfe oSother neutral nations, have beer
.violsteds and trampled upon-Nor can il II
| material for us TO examine which OF thoft
powers was original in the injury--fince th<
unjuni6able conduct of the fri can afford nc
publication, as it regards US, for the other
Much leis IS it oar duty, TO inquire which, 81
hUie powers is morally, or politically wong
in regard to the other-becaufet they are equal
ly independent of us and have not fubmitted
their controversies TO our mediation.
But lfill it becomes us 10 be acquainted with
thole neafures in which we are now obliged
to feel 70 deep an interelf.
The method which has been adopted by
FraHce and England, againff neutral nations,
to blockade by orders and DEGREES, they both
acknowledge, by their reciprocal charges a
gainlf each other, to have no foundation in
the law of nations.
Thofe Orders and DEGREES feem TO 20 have
been fri thought of in the year l79S-after
which, and before the year 1906, a great
number of cities, rivers and places, were de.
elared, in that manner, to Be in a fate of act
uai blockade. The injuries now fuffered by
the United States, originated in, and Gnce thar
year.
On the GIN of November, 1906, the En-
peror of France iflued decree, in which he
charges Engiaas with difregaroing the law Of
nations, and the rights of neutrality" And
with declaring places in fate of blockade,
before which fhe had not fhip. He declares
all the Britiih lies to be in flate of blockade,
and prohibits all trade and correspondence
with them."-He provides in the fame Decree
for the capture and condemnation, as prize,
of Englifh produce and manufactures, and de-
MES to all neutral lips which are coming d.
reA from England, or the EngIiih colonies, o.
which fhould have been there, an entrance to
the ports Of France.
The charges made sgainff the EngIifh gov
ernment, were founded on an Order Of the
KING and Council of that nation, ifued on the
10th May, 1906, declaring that all the rivers
and ports from the river Elbe, in Germany, 10
the port of Bren, in France, both incluiive,
ihould be conhdered as blocksded. Blu, his
Msjeffy was pleafed to declare, thar zach block
ade ihal not extend to prevent neutral fhips
and vefieIs laden with goods, not being the
properly Of his Majeny's enemies, and not be-
ing contraband of war, from approaching fad
COATS, and entering into, end failing from the
fsiG rivers and ports, from Offend to the river
Seine, already in ftA4s of rigorous blockade ;
provided fuch ihips or vefIels fhaIl not be def
tined to any porn or place in The pefeffion of
his MajeHy's enemies" -
Thus by this new fyfen, England blSeka-
ded more than nine hundred miles Of Tea coafl I:
and France blockaded all the COATS of En-
gland and Ireland, all the Engliih WeR- India
iflAnds, and the Englilh provinces
Whatever olenhbIe eafements to nentrals
were interviewer with thofe novel Orders and
DEGREES yet the whole were done away in
the fucceeding year.
~ another Order Of the Tth of January,
1907, lhued BY the Englifh King and Coun-
ell II 10 declared, that no vef1el lhaIl be per
mittsd 10 trade from one port TO another
port, both which ports fhall belong to, or be
IN Pofiefiion of France or her allies, or fall be
70 far under their controh as that Britifh tef-
ieIs may not freely trade thereat."
On the Ilth Of November, 1907, the King
and Council of Great Britain ifued an Order,
IN the preamble of which, heavy charges of
want Of refpect to the law Of nations, & rights
of neutrality, are made sgainif France; and il
IS therein declared, "that all the oorts & pIa-
ces of France and her allies, or any other coxn.
try at war with bis MajeRy, and all other
ports and places in Europe from which, al
though not az war with his Majefty, the Brit.
lih flag IS excluded, and all ports and places
IN the coories belonging to his Majefy's en-
enies, fhall from henceforth be fubiea to the
fame restrictions, in point of trade and navi-
CATION, with the exceptions hereinafter men
toned, as if the fame were actually bIockad.d
by his Majeny's naval forces in th@moG ftria
and rigorous manner"
The exceptions mentioned in the Order.
extend 70 allowing neutrals to " furnifh them
felves with colonial produce for their ozpn con-
lnnption, and fupply. 1t alto extends to e1cu-
hng from capture and condemnation, all vef.
ieis belonging TO any countrynot at war with
his Msie0y, which fhaII have cleared on,
from any port or place in this Kingdom, or
Gibraltar, or Malta, under fuch regulation. a.
his Majeffy may think fit to prefcribe; or
from any port belonging to his Maiefty's Al.
lies, and proceeding direct to the port fpeci6-
ed IN her clearance. and aIfo veGels and car
goes coming direct from any port or place de-
clared to be 10 fate of blockade, and deai-
ned to iome port in Europe belonging to his
Majely"
@, The 26th Of December. 1907. tie I'm.
peror of France i1ued a Decree, with a nre-
arnble, in which he charges Great Britain with
difTefpeaing the rights Of nations and the
laws OF neutrality, in the Order Of the Ilth Of
November and declares ia the Decree /" that
every fhip, to whatever nation il may belong,
that ihall have fubmiIted 10 be fearched hy an
Englifh fhip, or on voyage TO England that
fall have paid any tax whatfoever 10 the En-
glih Coverneent, is therefore (by that de-
cree) to be deaafioaaiized, to have forfeited the
protection of its king government, and q
have become Britifh property"
BY the fame Decree, all the Iflands Of Greal
Britain, are declared TO be in fate of block
ade--All veiiels trading TO them, or to or from
the Engliih colonies, belonging TO any natior
whatever, are declared to be lawful prize. II
virtue of that decree, to the French captors
ms decree meets and encounters the EngIifl