The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-06-07
POLITICAL EXTRACTS.
No. III.

ses and consequences of the Orders lin Coun-
Gil with an examination of the conduct Of
Great-Britain towards the Neutral Com
merce of America" The author is said to
be the son of Sir Francis Baring-is now
member of the House of Commons and
his pamphlet has been mentioned in the
highest terms of eclat in the Parliament and
political circles of Britain.
1t is the protested object Of this product
on, to expose the impolicy and injustice Of
the Orders in Council -
1t opens with development of the actual
origin OF these Orders. 1t shews that when
Bonaparte had succeeded in banishing the
English trade from his own dominions, and
. subsequently, from the Ports of Europe, the
West-lndia planters and the traders to the
Continent had ridicuously asCribed their dis
,tresses to the competition of the Americans,
ard not to the restrictions of the enemy.
1t shews the steps they took to induce their
government to lay severe restrictions upon
the carrying trade of the Americans but
that the 90 fashionable vigor of the day did
not permit the present ministry to eonfne
themselves to the Recommendations of these
commercial interests :" that all the West
India planter wanted, wasa "prohibition
OF any foreign supply Of colonial produce to
the Continent, which was to be produced by
strict enforcement Of the principle of the
war of '56; &c sensible that after finding a
foreign market for his produce, the next
object of his solicitude was not to lose that
of America for his rum, nor the supplies
from that country indispensable to his e.r-
7steHce - but that these extraordinary orders
went much farther and even assumed the
right OF restricting the transportation Of the
native productions of the u. 5.
The author then divides his discussion
on the consequences and Justification of the
Orders into two parts In the first he pro-
poses to examine " the state of the Politi-
cal and Commercial relations of Great Bri-
tain with the United States-the nature OF
.heir commerce with the Colonies of her c.
nemles, and her conduct towards 1.-THE
consequences to the U. States of the new
system introduced by the Orders in Council,
and the conduct which on their part these
are likely to produce" in the second, 1.-the
effects to be expected from this system on c..
Britain herself, on the means and resources
OF her enemy, and on the general conduct
OF the war;
Under the first of these heads, the au-
thor touches on variety of topics, and all
of them, in most mastery manner. But
this discussion is principally distinguished
by its clear, impartial and independent state
ment of the Colonial trade of the u. States.
He rescues that trade from the unfoundetl
and the author of War in Disguise He
particularly shews that the memorable rule
of SO, prescribing every trade which was
not carried on in times of peace-a rule,
which had been the foundation Of ell the Bri-
fish usurpations OH the colonial trade of ncu-
trais-though it was exercised only for a very
short period, was, First voluntarily abandon
ed during the last war; Secondly, that COM
pensation was afterwards made for the con-
sequences Of this temporary execution, by
IN award of the Commissioners under the
British treaty, which stigmatiZes that exc
cution as ilfegal-Thirdly, that her treaty
of 1901, with Russia, had established prin-
clples directly opposed to it, and finally,
that those principles were most explicitly APP
piled to America, in the correspondence
between Lord Hawkesbury and Mr. King,
IN 1901. More especially he demonstrates,
that the imputations cast by g War in Dis
guise" upon the carrying trade of the Uni
ted states are unfounded in fact that it is
not the interest of the American merchant,
20 prosecute his trade with the enemies colo
nies in the fraudulent way which the author
OF that libel has designated; that it would
be much more consonant to that interest to
transport sugar, and coffee, &c. In his own
vessels and or his own account; than frau
dulently to cover the enerny's property under
his neutral flag.
Mr.. BIS inference from these statements
IS decisive; that most of what he calls the
extra commercial arguments i'll defence of
the Orders in Council are visionary; and
that it is impossible to discover "those con-
cessions on the part of Great Britain and
those insolent encroachments On th5t,of the
U. States" by which some had attempted TO
justify this violent resort to the unprece-
denied restrictions on their commerce.
In continuation Of these structures, Mr.. Z.
shews that he reasons, assigned by G.. Bri-
aain lin the preambe) for a justification of
these Orders in Council, are equally incor-
rect; that the French Decree of Berlin was
neither in intention nor in execution a De-
cree of blockade--andth that therefore the We
ny reUerSe is exhibited of those encroach-
,snents on the part Of the United StatsS, and
OF concessions on that Of Britain, which had
f. been SO industriously employed to cover this
fraudulent assa=Ir:ic. of power. Ga the
whole, he hesitates not to predict, that so
indignant will be the people of this country
at this daring usurpation; SO immaterial
will it be to them, whether G.. b. assumes q
right to lay tax on stamps or on cotton !;
that war must be the infallible consequence
of these measures.
Under the second head, he proceeds to
examine the commercial arguments. Infer
ing from the preceding statements, that if
there is to be a war, it will be on the part Of