Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1808-11-25

English property, or merchandise OF Eng
l;sh Growth ur nanuf acturs. An immediate
explanation having been asked from the,
Frenc administer of foreign relations, he COM
fir,ned, in his answer Of the 9Th Of October,
1907, the deternlinationof his government
to adopt that construction. Its first appli-,
cation took place on. the 10th Of the same
month, in the case of the Horizon, of which
the minister of the u. States was not n
formed until the month of November and
and on the twelfth of that month, he pre-
scnted spirited remonstrancc against thai
infraelion Of the neutral rights of the y.
States. He had, in the meanwhile, trans
Initted to America the instruction to the
council Of prizes OF the. 4 9th OF September.
This WAS received on the OF
December; and a copy OF the decision IN
the case of the Horizon, having st the same
time reached government, the President, a.
ware of the consequences which would fol
low that new state Of things, communicated
inmediatelyto congress the alteration OF
the French DEGREES, and recommended the
embargo, which Was accordingly lad on the
22d Of December, 1907 at which time it
was well undsrstool,in this country. hat not
the British orders of council, of November
preceding had issued, although they were
officially communicated to our government.
On the 18th Of that month those orders
did actually issue declaring thar ali the ports
of France, of her allies, and Of any other
country at WA. with England, and all
other ports Of Europe, from which, al
tho not at war with England. the British
flag WIS excluded, should thenceforth be.
considered as If the same were actually
blockaded taat al trade i'll article. Of the
produce or manufactures OF the SAID conn-
tries, should be deemed unlawful and that
every vessel trading from or to the said
countries, together with all goods and mer-
chandize on board, and also all articles of
the produce and manufacture Of the said
countries, should be liable to capture and
condemnation.
These orders cannot be d.fcnded'on the
ground OF their being intended as retai,iatiag
on account of the Berlin decree, as constra-
ed, and uniformly executed from It's date to
the 18th September, 1907, its construction
and execution having till then infringed no
neutral rights. For certainly the mo..strous
doctrine will not be. asserted, even by the
British government, that neutral nations
are bound to resist, not only the acts OF bel
ligerent powers which violate their rights,
but also those municipal regulations, which,
however they may injure the enemy, are
lawfal and 90 not affect the legitimate rights
OF the neutral. The only retaliation to be
used in such cases, FAUST be such as will
operate on the enemy without infringing the
rights Of the neutral. If solely intended as
a retaliation on the Berlin decree, as exc
cuted prior to ths month Of September, the.
British orders of council should have been
confined 20 forbidding the introduction into
Great Britain Of French Or enemy's iner-
chaadize, and the admission into British
ports of neutral vessels coming from a
French or other enemy port. Indeed the
ground OF retaliation cn account Of any cul-
pable acquiescence Of neutral. in decree,
violating their rights, is abandoned by the /
very tenor OF Il. orders; their operation
being extended 10 those countries from
which the British flag was excluded, such
as Austria, although such countries were
neither at war with Great Britain, nor had
passed any decree in any way affecting or
connected with neutral rights.
Nor are the orders iustiha5'e on the pre-
tence of any acqaescenee on the part fthe
U. States, in the French decree, as con-
strued and executed subsequent to the 18th
September, 1907, when it became an evident
infrac7ion Of their rigi:s, and such as they
were bound to oppose. Fom their minis
ter at Paris immediately made the ne
cessary circumstances and the orders were