Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1808-04-08

isl ~ only a mitigation of that princi.
pie ofjuss reprisal upon which the order
itself is1ramed. but deviation iu favor
of the United States, from that antient
and established principle of maritime
law, by which theintercourse with the
colonies Of an enemy in time Of war is
limited TO the extent which that enemy
was accustomed in time Of peace to nre.
scribe for It, and which, by reference
to the conduct Of: France in a time of
peace, would amount to a. complete in.
tcrdiction, cannot fail to afford to the
American government a proof Of the
amicable disposition Of his majesty to-
wards the United States.
ri You will observe, Sir, also that the
transportation Of the colonial produce of
the enemy from the United States to
Europe instead OF being altogether pro-
hibited (Which would have been the na.
tural retaliation for the rigorous aud uni.
versal prohibition Of British produce and
manufactures BY France) is freely per-
mitted to the ports Of Great Britain,
with the power Of subsequently, re.ex-
porting it to any part Of Europe, under
Certain regulations.
The object Of these regulations win
be the establishment of such aproteetinr
duty, as shall prevent the enemy from
obtaining the produce Of hs own colo
MES at a cheaper rate than that Of the
colonies of Great Britain. In this duty
it is evident thatAmeriea i no otherwise
concerned than as being p make an adj
anc to that amount forwhieh it is in
her own power amply totndemnlfy her.
self at the expense Of The foreign consul
mer.
Another most important relaxation Of
the principles upon which his maiesty's
orders proceed is thatxhieh licenses the
importation Of all -four and meal, and
all grains, tobacco ana other articles, the
produce Of the soil # America with the
exception Of cotton, through the ports of
his majesty's dominons, into those of
his enemies, without the payment of any
duty ofthe transit. This IS, beg leave
to observe, an instance in whi@k his ma.
jesty has deprived his measures of rheir
most efhcacious and hurtful operation
against the fnemy, through motives of
consideration for the interests Of Anne
RIGA. The reason why his majesty could
not feel hiHsself at liberty, eonsi,tent
with what was necessary for the extqu-
ton of his purpose, in n .ol.rabIe de-
gree, to allow this relaxation to apply to
cotton, is to be found 10 the great tx.
tent to which France has pushed the ma.
nufacture of that article, and the conse.
quent embarrassment upon her trade
with a heavy imPost uron cottoO, as it
passes through Great Britain to FrALte,
must necessarily produce.
l cannot refrain from calling the at
tention of the government Of the United
States to the contrast between the diff
ferent modes in which his msjesty's or.
ders and those Of France arc carried 10.
to execution. By his majcsty's, the ut
most consideration is manifested for
the interests of those nations whose COM
meree he is reluctantly compelled to i'm.
pede, and ample time allowed for their
becoming acquainted with the new re.
g~ulations and conforming to them
Whereas France, without any previous
notice, and without any interval, ap-
: plies her orders to trade already entered
upon in Ignorance Of any such orders,
and subjects to Condemnation ships,
whose voyages, when commenced, were
in strict conformity tc all the regulations
a tthat lime promulgated by France.
Even with these and other modi6ca-
lions, his majesty is not unaware that a
measure extorted from him by the injus.
tice of the enemy, must inevitably pro.
duce inesouvenieuces to the neutral par
ties WHO are affected by its operation:
The right Of his majesty to resort to
retaliation cannot be questioned. The
: suffering occasiooed to neutral parties is
incidental, and not Of his majesty's seek
ing.
.~~ ~f.ls ll = 4.