The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-05-10

cribed undue importance to the resource in ques.
ton, which, while it severely oppressed and irr-
tated their friends, could add little to the effec
tive strength of their navy--thst the number of
men thus Violently taken from our vessels, if A.
merican citizens. should be deducted, had always
been comparatively small-that if Great Britain
should now. be admitted Gas intended by the plan)
TO the benefit of our domestic regulations, for APP
pretending and securing within our country, fiji
ture deserters from her merchant and other ves-
sells, the humber to which such resource could
apply, must hereafter be considerably less, and
in time be wholly insignfcant-tllat it would be
m their own power to prevent us, by suitable re-
gulations, from CARRYING their seamen from their
own ports, and would become orr duty to assist
in restoring them when they should desert and
be found within our iursdiction-that there was
every reason to believe that this assistance would
be az efiectnal AS it was known to be in the
of our own seamen deserving from our own YES
sels--for that even If il should be admitted that
motive might now be imagined of sufficient
power to induce the people of the United States
tn give shelter and protection to deserving British
seanien, it was obvious that this motive out
Of the claim and practice on the part of Great
Britain, which 1t was proposed to renolince,
and would cease with them-that there would
moreover be open to this country the fair and
reasonable exercise of the right of regaining her
own seame,i, within her own Jurisdiction, OPP
port,mity occurred, In whatsoever vessels they
should be found-that impressment upon the high
seas, by those to whom that service is neccssari-
ly confded, must under any conceivable guards
be frequently abused, and in its bestform cannot
fail to generate private luminosity and national
sentiment, and of course to endanger the friendly
relations of the two countres-that if u were for
no other cause we should see with deep;regret
the power of impressment at sea under any mo-
difcations, however plausible, insisted upon-Abut
that it was, BESIDES impossible that we should
acknowledge in favor of any foreign power, the
r en- Inn adj IN aIc
found upon the main ocean, as this sort of i'm
pressment implied claim perfectly mad
| missible in its principle, and derogatOry from
the unquestionabie rights of our sovereignty, as
it was vexatious in its practical consequences.
| Upon the commercial subject we collected that
the East India trade would not be likely to give
much trouble ; but thatar open trade to the Bri-
tish West Indies, will be obtained, If ut all, with
great difficulty. Lord Auckland expressed an
opinion, that there should be restriction upon the
tonnage, in the twelfth article of the treaty Of
| 1894, which we told him at once could never be
assented to and lord Holland spoke of a duty to
be imposed by our government, upon importa-
tons from their islands, which should be of suf-
hcient amount to check the exportstion of arti-
cies so imported, to Europe. His idea was, of
course, that no part of this duty should be remit
ted as drawback, and he wished to comprehend
IN this plan our mportations from enemy colonies,
without Which it could not have no other effect
than to force the imports from the British colo
MES into our internal consumption, leave the i'm
ports from enemy colonies for expectation We
thought 1t proper to oppose ourselves in particu-
lar manner to the last mentioned application of this
plan, and it was not persisted in.
The trade with enemies col mics was still view
ed as an embarrassing subject, and continuous
voy ,ges, even between neutral European ports
these colonies, were strongly protested against
! 1t appeared to be certain, however, that our OPP
ponents would finally agree, that the continuity of
he oh in oil he .l1 10
ken, by the landing of the cargoes in the United
States, and perhaps, also, the paying or securing
the duties, as heretofore practsed. We did not
bring into view at this time the distinction, which
we mean hereafter to urge in favor of our com
merce with the East-India colonies, of the other
parties to the war. ~.
| In the course of this conference, lord Auckland
renewed proposal, which he had glanced at in
our first interview, that the treaty of 1894 should
be made the basis OF the present negotiation -
This was rejected in such manner as to obtain
for the rejection, his entire acquescence His
lordshp, towards the close of the meeting, in
CURED if congress had not at their last session,
passed SONG law affecting their commercial rela-
tons with Great Britain. We lad been restrain
ed from calling their attention to the act prohibit
ing, &c. by the apprehension, that, as they could
not be supposed to be iguorant Of it; we might be
thought by pressing ofcious!y and ostentatious-
ly into notice, to wish to make of it as a me-
mace but we now took occasion to explain, in as
concilIatory manner as was consistent with the
complete justification of the law, its origin, and
character They requested us to give them a
copy of the act, and we sent it accordingly the
next days
On the 4th instant, at night, we received from
the British commissioners a note upon the Sub.
iect of the act of congress, of which cory is
enclosed. 1t appeared to us, that it would be
prudent to found upon this note, a request of an
immediate interview in the course Of which it
might perhaps be practicable to avail ourselves of
their anxiety, that a suspension of the act should
be pressed upon our government, to advance our
negotiation, with reference at least to the most
interesting OF the topics involved il It. To our
note, desiring All interview, lord Holland replied
that he would be glad to see us on the but
that lord Auckland, being cut of town, would
not probably be able to attend Lord Auckland
did not IN fact, and we believe could not attend.
We opened the conference with lord Holland.
BY observing that we had been withheld by consi.
deratlons, which he would easily comprehend.
from beng the first to mention the act Of the A.
Tnericsn government, which formed the subject of
their note, but it had been constantly present to
our minds as making it peculiarly desirable. that
we should understand one another as soon as DOG
sibic, upon some, if not all, Of the points in dis
cussion between us, and as presenting the pros
Pect oil dilemma, 1.-THE period prescribed for
ITS commencement approached Nyitho,,t f,,J;r,.