Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1808-07-02

nevertheless liable 10 danger on another ae-
count. We felta 81 mpathy for her, iaudaole
in its motives, but which being carried De-
yond due bounds, had well nigh served as the
channel Of the contagion, which, had It taken
effect, would have proved mortal to our llber-
ties. Il
Having oyerstrained the pretext OF giving
civil freedom to the world, and the govern
ment of France being changed into torn,
which no longer admitted the continuance or
! Of that pretext another deluslon was engen-
dered, under the cover of which, the remain.
ing nations, being generally maritime, and
situated at distance, were to be debaachcd
from their duties to themselves bis was
what is called the 8. Liberty of the Seas. -
Great Britain being predominant on that eie e-
ment, from which her enemies have Tor
long time been swept, has not usedher scep-
ire. in every instance, with circumspection,
and has sometimes surpassed, in order to &C
complish her ends, those palpabe limits OF
right, which ought to have been the protectl-
on of neutrals. In many cases neutrals have
therefore suffered unforeseen injuries, which
returning sense of justice in the British nli-
nistry has not completely unidentified. Such
is the nature Of man, that abuse is lnseperable
from transcenden, POWERFUL the neutral
maritime nations became still more Disguised
with the rules prescribed by Great Britain Tor
her cruizers, because they dlsavowed celtaia
principles introduced among them by sPecl-
hc conventions, the exercise Of which, II
Welded, would have reduced the rights OF
war within narrower compass. Such are the
freedom of conveys from search, andthe pro.
lection of the cargo by the neutral flag sprln-
ciples which the United States, alone among
the nsu.rals, Justly renounced as not obliga-
tory on England.
1t is to be remarked, that the French regu-
lations have, more thao those OF any other
nation, discouhtenanced these neutral pre-
tensions; ard that in the face Of them are
her captures made, and do her tribunals pro-
nounce 8 entence. The instructions issuing
from the French marine, lay down rules en-.
tireIy contrary to this liberty Of the seas. No
nation has ever allowed less freedom of nayi-
cation than france has, to the neutrals her
cruizers have met with. They have not tho't
it necessary to Garry them even to a port of
adjudication but have upon the spot put an
end to ali controversy, by burning or scuttling
them. With respect to the flag covering the
property, France has never admittedit IN her
practice as rule OF the law of nations. When
expressly stipulated, as 1t was with US, she
has unceremoniously set It aside, both as re-
spccts our treaties with the former monarchy,
and the convention made with Bonaparte in
1909. What champion of the liberty OF the
seas could be SO little entitled to confidence as
md ? Ic; e
to his hands, il it were possible, the powerof
regulating the ocean? What security should
we have that he would not use it to enlarge
his own splendor and confirm the slavery Of
the world He has never respected neutral
privileges upon the land why, therefore, is
he 70 be set MP as the sole possessor OF the
trident? A greater curse does not remain to
be inflicted upon the wcrld, than that the SUI
preme authority at sea should be grasped by
the tyrant Of the land. The arbitrary acts of
England would appear, beside his outrages,
too diminutive to render 1t credible, that they
were the causes Of the combination that per-
mitled him to commit them.
Yet the liberty Of The seas is the lure which
is held up to us to abandon them altogether
in like manner as the Berlin and Milan de-
crees, which are the bane of commerce, have
been pretended by France to be the measures
best adapted to compel Great Britain, to sur
render what she has refused, as being her
maritime rights. The truth, however, is not
to be concealed, that those DEGREES were IN
tended to cripple us exclusively, and force us
INTO war with England; and by retiring from
the seas IN order to vindica,e its rights, our
government never expected to see them es-
tabhshed. The non intercourse l.w was CO.
temporary with TIC: Berlin decree. and the
previous demonstrations Congress gave of aa
intention to pass the law, probably produced
the determination of Buonaparte toissue the
decree. Arair.< the Fera! execution OF the