The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-12-06

MISTER at the court of London. the snbs,.rilcrs
with Difference &C huriiLs beg leave TO su,.
Sest, whether, when SO important national in
'ereses are at stakr, 4 special mission wo,r,t
h"t carry wiz, it great influence, and be We
u" lhstf"rnental in the accomplishment o.
our Reasonable wishes"
j. Ibis earnest & fervent call on tb. ,r,,.r,,
hlent o. the commercial interest was DromD,-
~ occyei by the administration. The course
pointed out by the memoria!ists was pursued
"a speclai mission WAS immediately sent
| 'hiS new principle as we'll as other violati
ohs OF our maritime rights were resisted with
energy ard ability a;id every Effort made tn
ootsln redress or injuries, and to place our
commerce upon "A just & honorable basis a /,
nnase ne evident 10 every man who has read
| the documents communicated to Congress-
curing the last and present session. I Shall
pass over the different DEGREES and orders
on .he TWO be!llgerenss from 1905, until the
IAN OF 1907. viii pass over the affair of
the Chesapeake which called forth such .
burst OF indignation throout this country. In
tJecemher l2hz during t:, ;,,st session OF
congress, the President was officially infor-
iheo' that bonaparte had yet reminded to
eS1enu MS decree OF Berlin 70 American COM
ihercS' and although not officially notified,
Heu every reaaonto believe that the French
oecree mad Been or would be re,s.iated By
the british orders of council. The President,
ehnS warned OF the dangers which threaten
ca onr commerce on the high seas, communi
Ca,ed 'he subject TO Congress by confiden-
iai message recommending an embargo, to
Secure our vessels and seanen from Capture
t1IS ADVICE was attended to, the measure was
adopted L expected, or at least hoped at
'"ae time, that this measure, besides Sc
curinS our property, b. its pressure on the
neiigerents, aided by concilatory course
.h the part OF our government, would have
Induced an amicable adjustment of our diff
| lerehces with beth or one OF the bell.gerents,
ara thereby averted the calamities Of war.
III IL it failed to produce this effect, it would
~ 'cast afford us time to prepare to meet
way, II lnev;table---lhat our administration
mas used every honorable means during the
existence ct this measure to settle our differ
eHCSs aTicably with the belliqcrents, Cannot
DC doubted by any one who has read the do
.u.iisnts accompanying his recent message
E'''ef the administration had pursued the
course marked out by the commercial PEG
PIE. whose organs the gentlcrlcn in the Cd
position appear to be on this occasion, after
resisting the unjust pretcnsonr o. F.;4.,ee
ate Great Rrtain----and the govern
ment had laid an embargo and brought
| the nation to the ere OF war for TIE
maintenance of our maritime ri.hts-What
do we hear--we are told by q part OF these
same people, TO the establishment OF all Anne
J RIGA, by solemn resolutions, which are alrea-
| dy before the public, called the Essex resolu-
tons, that we have no cause or war against
Great Britain, and all her aggrcss;ons, If
not justified, are excused and our govern
ment is gravely told to disgrace itselfby re-
ceding from the ground it has taken. The
gentleman from Connecticut, whose object
! seems to be rather to Prove this measure
wrong st first than what oaght now to be done ;
tells us that the French decree Of Berlin w as
not sufficient to justify this measure at the
time it was adopted, because France had 10
naval force to give it eject en- the high seas.
| If the Berlin decree was not sufficient to ius-
| tify our embargo, upon what principle can it
be pretended that It justified or even pa!a-
! ted the British orders i'll council? Although
at the time the embargo was Mid We had eve
ny reason to believe that the orders had is
sued, and which turned out to be the fact,
lyet, I will admit for the sake of argument.
that the Berlin decree, was not sufficient
ground for the embargo. Will gentlemen
contend that the Berlin decree, British orders
of council, & the French decree o Milan, all
which were in force at that time, if then Of
hCialy knowa tn our government, would not
have been sufficient cause for the embargo
and il they admit that the whole combined.
would have justified the measure, at the same
time that they deny it 70 have been wig,
they are constrained to acknowledge that il
was at least fortunate. IF the dangers ia
which our commerce was then exposed rem
dersd the measure proper, how can gentle
Iocn seriously contend that while those dan
gers continue it ought 20 be removed. wish
cut proposing Some more efficient measure
as substitute.
We are told however, that the avowed
object OF this measure was to secure oar pro.
pcrty and seamen from capture, aud that il
was represented to the two beliigerents a:
a measure OF precauton, not as a measure
of coercion or hostility. 1t is in its nature a
precautionary measure, and il was the duty
lof the President to represent it in that ligh
to foreign governments, and whatever incon.
veniences may result to them from it, they
cannot by the law OF nations consider it as q
measure of hostility Te: the gentlcmar
from Connecticut tells us triunplantly thai
1t has not only failed to produce any eGec
upon foreign nations, but thStit sever vii
loperate as a measure OF coercion. If tn,
gentleman does not think this MEASURE tn,
best that can be devised, and that some O
ther would better suit the present state D
; things, 1t is certainly his duiy to propose il
ana not to press negative proposition caicu
lated merely to ccnsure. to fad flu!c. ! sin
lcercly lament that this mc,,sure has HCt bee
productive OF all the good effects anticiua
led. But, SIR, although it has no;, ow:nr- &
g.s -f.tte S.rset Il