Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-05-06

chickering's letter to the Legislature, tose
Their with such communications, relating to
public affairs, as he might have received
from ms, avail myself of that circuM
stance, and of the friendship which has SO
long su5sis,ed between us, TO take the liber-
ty % addressing this letter, intended for
publication, to you. Very few OF the facts
which | shall state will rest upon insorma-
ton peculiar to myself--Most of them will
stand upon the basis of official documents,
or OF public or undisputed notorety. For
my opinions, though fully persuaded, that
even where differing from your own, they
will meet with a tair and liberal Judge in
you, yet of the public | ask neither favor
nor indulgence. Pretending to no extraor-
binary credit from the authority of a wri-
ter, am sensible they must fall by their
own weakness, or stand by their own
strength.
The first remark which intrudes itself
upon the mind, on the perusal OF Mr.. Pick
ering's letter is, that IN enumerating all the
frcienccs Tor he thinks there are no causes
for the embargo, and for a war with Greac
Britain, he has totally omitted the British
order OF council OF November II, 1907.
those orders, under which millions of the
property of our fellow citizens, are now de
tanned in British hands or confscated To
ten. fold as many millions of he same pro
pcrty would have been at this moment in
the Same predicament, had they not been
saved from the exposure to it by the EN-
barge, those orders, which if once submit
ted 20, aud carried to- the extent OF their
principles, would not have left an inch of
American canvass upon the ocean, but un-
der British licencc and British taxation -
An attentive reader of the letter, withou,
other information, would not even susDec,
their existence. They are indeed in one or
two passages, family, and darby alluded
u under the justifyinS description of .sth,.
orders OF the British government, retafa-
ting the French imperial decree :" but as
causes or even hrefcHccs of war with Great
Britain, they are not only unnotced, but
their very existence is by direct implica.
ton denied.
1t is indeed true, th;.. these orders were
not officially communi Gated with the presi
dents message recon- nending the embargo
They had not been officially received-Bu5
they wore announced in several paracra ols
from London AID Liverpool newspapers OK
the 1e:h, 1lIh and 18th Of November, which
appeared in the National Intelprencer OF
the 18th of December, the day upon which
the embargo message WAS sent to Congress-
The British government had taken care
that they shouN. not be automatically known
before their time-for the very same news
papers which gave this Unofficial notice OF
these orders, announced also the departure
of Mr.. Rose, upon special mission to the
United States. And We now know that OF
these all-deyour:ng Instruments OF rapinc.
Mr. Rose was not even informed. HIS mis-
sion was professedly mission of conciiia.
ton and PREPARATION for a tlagrant-enormou
acknowledged outrage. But he was NOT
sent with these orders OF council in his hands
His text, WAS the disavowal of Ad,nir1I
Berkley's conduct. The commentary was
to,be discovered on another pags of the Bri
i,sh ministerial policy Ion the face of Mr.
Roses Instructions, these orders of ccuGcil
were as visible, as they are on that OF Mr..
Pickering let er.
They were not mercy without official au
thenticIty, Ruinors had for several weeks
been in circulation, derived from F.n-iisn
prints, and from private correspondences,
that such orders were to issue and no in.
conside able pains were taken here to DIS
creGit the fact. Assurances were given
that there was reason TO believe no such
orders to be contemplated. Suspicion was
Iulled by declarations equivalent nearly to a
positive denial: and these ppiates were
continued for weeks after the embargo was
laid, until MIR. Erskinc received instruct.
ions to make the official communication of
the orders themselves, in their proper
shape to,our government.
Yet, altho' thus authenticated, and even
altho' thus in some sort denied, the proba.
bili;y OF the circumstances under which they
were announced and the sweeping tendency
OF their effects, formed to my undo stand
ing powerful motive, and together with
the papers sent by the President, ard his
express Recommendation, a decisive one,
for asserting to the embargo. As a pre-
cautionary measure, believe IL would res
cue an immense property from depreciation,
If the orders should prove authentic. If the
alarm was groundless, it must very soon be
disapproved, and the embargo might be
removed with the danger.
The omission Of all notice Of these facts
in the pressing enquiries "why the embar-
go was laid 70 is the NEST surprising, be
cause they are Of all facts, the most ma.
terial, upon fair and impartial examina-
ton cf the expediency Of mat act, when i.
passed -hnd because these orders, together
with the subsequent, "re,aliatiDg decrees"I
Of France and Spain, have furnished the
Only reason upon which ] have acquiesced
in IFS continuance to this day. Ii duly
weighed, they will save us the trouble Of
resorting to jealousies of secret corruption,
and imaginary terrors Of Napoleon tor the
real Cause of the embargo These are Ec-
lions Of oFcign i1vention-The French En-
peror had Eot declared thathe would nave
no neutl.aig he had nat rpoutre1 ti,at o,,r