The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-11-29

therefore could never 90 ont Lut by s,e,,,h
and co,ilu not spread over the ocean. so rs ia
endanScr our commerce.. Insurance had
therefore been very little affected; aud was
IL worth While to abandon trade with Eng
| lana aitogether because France said we must
not carry 1t OH ! This was reveneiny our
selves upon them with witness. After the
embargo had been laid--for at that time he
amrmed they had no knowledge of the Bri-
tish orders; some newspaper speculations
on the subject had appeared, but the orders
were not oftcially communicated by the Pre-
| sident till the 4th of Feb ensuinr-what said
England? You shall not trade IN France
SAID she. England had it in her power to en-.
force her decree, and the insurance rising
proportionaby, the merchant had it i'm his
power TO say whether his probable profits
~ouiu justify his sending cargo to France
under SO great All insurance But he asked
question now as to our interest simply. ex-
Guiding other forcible observation-disclosures
IT was not in the power of France to enforce
her DEGREES, and twas in the power of En-
Siahd to enforce her orders, in a very GREAT
extent, would thave been good policy to in.
volve ourselves in a maritime war with Err.
gland, who had overcome all the comb;na,,
fleets OF Europe, for the sake OF defending
our trade with France If any trade
cost more than it is worth, Mr. H said
ie was our interest to abandon it. But .here
was another danger attendant ON orr trade
TO france, and which had ever attended it
|se4ueSfrdfioa. American property was We
ry apt to be scquestered and in enforcing
their Berlin decree, the French had thought
proper to burn our vessels and though r.
mad been said that the Berlin decree had me-
yer been applied tous before the case of tbe
Horizon, yet vessels had been sequestered in
Feb. 1907, sold, and the money retained and
world probable neve, he ,.eetN-ad- 'I'L.---~-.
questration had been practised in the French
ports more or less s.hce the commencement
the revolution, and we had never got one
dollar as compensation. To be sure, IL, the
treaty of Louisiana, we had been allowed to
pay money to our own citizens, bat had ne
vercome out OF French Golfers. Was Il wortb
our while to engage in a maritime war with
England 10 support a trade with Fr.nce,
Mr. ii. said 10; our interest won,d
not have warranted it. For, notwithstanding
all France could do, at risk of five Der cent
we might have had trade with the E4,,,sh
islands, Sweden Portugal, the e. Indies. the
British w. India Islands and other Countries
"a profitable trade too. But gentlemen said
would thcY submit to pay tribute to Great
Britain No. This tribute was but n nee
name They must pay tribute for going from
Engiand to France, where they would be
captured as matter ofcourse because thy
had touched English ground 1t was a tri-
outc TO be PAID III case which would never
happen-a mere nuility. But said gentle
men, they are American vessels which have
gone to England, the embargo notwitbstand-
ing and thence to various ports Of the CONT
nent, by the aid effalse papers Were thev
TO embark In Conflict 20 prevent their citi-
zens from doing this? All this smuggling
work, where 1t was not under the sanction Of
laws of the United States reflected no dis
grace on the honor of the nation. which was
not responsible for it.
Ii there were nothing thar would commit
the honor OF the nation in the way of Il. Mr..
ii. said it would be the interest Of this natl
on to abandon its commerce with France
not only on account OF the risk in CARRYING
1t on, bat on account ofihe risk after i. gets
into port. Mr.. Armstrong said-but he
would not aludc to him for fear he might
tread on confidential ground ; however, ac-
Counts had been received from our consuls
and merchants, that whenever it suited the
convenience of the French nation to lay their
hands On American property, they had done
it. And therefore he said our trade to that
country was on a very insecure footing in
deed.
But, said gentlemen, if they allowed our
vessels to trade to England and not to France.
it was a submission to her orders and n re-
signaton OF our independence /; therefore
the embargo must be maintained to keep OH
equal ground. Icould never see, observed
MIR. Ii. how the embargo was the means Of
preserving the honor Of the nation These
nations say we shall not trade aud there
fore, by IN embargo, we destroy eur com
merce. This is magnanimous indeed 1t
is new way OF preserving commerce, be
cause foreign nations say we shall not follow
it, we say we will abandon IT, DO We not
comply with the requisitcn 81 these nations
npletely--more ttan comply Tor we sur
render al commerce 1t is the most tame
surrender of Cur rights.
But, said gentlemen, we raust,naye eu5ar-
go or ar. This, MIR. II. said, had been
urged ia pablo debate, in the news papers,
and almost all communicable ions they had re-
cei'ed 'r his part he could no, sec now
a repeal ut the embargo WIS 10 involve US
III war, eXceptit were, as said last winter
that Bonaparte would maze no ueutraia and
therefore, if we did not continur Tic embar-
go he woud declare war against To was
thiS Il ground on which TO SURRENDER CON
mefce and SUBJECT all our citizens 10 neon
venleDcc because he would otherwise de-
clare war What more could he do than
he had done! What more than bum our
ships and sequssler our property! lie could
do no more. Why then should they be ter
ri!icd thus? If war came thus, let it come.
Mr.. II. SAID he was not for declaring war