The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-12-13


November! lie docs not-.Nons. Cretet
declares that his majesty had !. CONFIRMED
the dispositions ofhis decree" and recently
prescribed its sfrict c.recution," and vet the
only consequence of the decree is that the
George Washington is not to " obtain ad-
mission into the port of Bordeaux. She is
not to be confiscated for touching at a British
port but is merely to be excluded from a
French port
The supplemental decree of the 4th Sept.
IS III the same spirit. 1t merely confirms
the 4th and Sth articles of the decree of the
2lSt November. The 4th article determines
that no vessel should be admitted into a
French port, (which shall have stopped IL
England, or shall have been conducted thi- :
ther. Is not this a municipal regulation.
Ihe 9Th article merely enforccs the for
mer, by enacting penalty against those
who shall g contravenc this disposition" &
" by false declaration shall dissimnlate
their having stopped in England" In this
case, the vessel as we'll as corgo, are to be
"seized & confscated as English property
All laws mus; have a penalty and this is
the penalty attached to a violation of this
law OF France and us well might C.. Bril-
tain complain of our .forfciting her vessels,
for smuggling, as we could complain Of the
French governments executing a mere COM
mercial regulation, which she had the righ,
TO make, and which entrenches no more up.
on our own interests than on those of other
neutrals.
France had no right to pass this decree,
provided it violates the stpulations of her
convention OF 1900. But this is not the case.
The only articles of that convention which
can be snffioSed to touch this point, are the
9th. 11th and 18th.
The 9th while it declares generally that
npr hnfN h.,,
free" particularly stipulates, that g the
vessels of'the two natiors--shall be treated
IN the respective ports as those of the nation
the most faUOrca."-1he 18th article CON-
taIns stipulation of the Uc,u same sort with
respect to the duties or imhosts to be paid bv
the citizens of either nation Gin the ports
Ravens, roads, countries, islands, cities
and towns" of the other, er in passing from
one port to another port in the same or ano-
Their country.-So that according to these
two articles, the u. States have no cause of
complaint against France, because they arc
by this decree placed on the same footing
with the most .jaUored nation; this decree
| In reality making "no exceptions" AS 10 the
l2th article, it merely provides for the un-
limited freedom Of trade (contraband goods
eXcepted) from any port whatever, 10 any
| port, OF the enemy OF the other; case.
which is evidently OR of the terms of the
decree because this merely restricts the
trade OF the u. States, "from an enemy's
port, hot to an enemy's port,-but to a
! French port.
! The U. States have therefore no adequate
cause OF complaint against France nor has
G. Britain any right to complain of our tacit-
iy acquiescing in regulation, which France
had a right to enact, Let not G. Britain
then assume the right of countervailing this
decree. by declaring France herself in I.
state OF blockade. We we'll know how I'M
hcemSed is the acceptation of this term in
the English vocabulary. Let her not cap
ture our vessels on the high seas, when they
are bound to or from any of the French
ports.
| Buff she be really determined to insist
upon all her rights of retaliation, let her
countervail the French decree according to
Its true spirit of Interpretation. Let her de-
clare to neutral nations, that no vessels
which have touched at French ports, shall
be admitted into her own and that none
shall be coniiscated and sold, except, "by
false declaration, they shall dissimula tc
their having stopped" at France. This, &
this only, is the right of retaliation, to
/ which England is entitled. Such only is the
countervailing decree which she is authoriz-
ed to enact. Let G. Britain confine her DO
hey to her municipal regulations, without
wandering into plratlcal excursions into the
law OF nations and the u. States will know
how to submit without murmur to her dis
pensationS.
But who can believe that these are the
considerations, which stay the hand of G.
Britain! 1t is neither from any regard to the
metaphysical maxim of morality, which ap.
Portions the degree of retaliation inflicted
to the extent of the injury sustained NOT
from any conscientious scruples about the law
OF nations which abhors the ubiquitous system
OF blockading whole country by single
dash OF the pen nor is from any high re-
gard tor the commercial interests Of this
country that she has not long ago affect
ea to frame countervailing system in the
widest ebullition of unbridled avarice. The
secret Of her forbearance towards our COM
merce lies nearer home. Her virtue is but
the fruit of her own interest For, like the
rapacious robber, whose cupidity ONLY
yields to his cowardice, G.. Britain merely
shrnks from her meditated crime, from an
apprehension of the impending punishment
lhlsis precisely the reason, which is as
signed by the English prints themselves
1.-The intention. say they ,ofa general blockade
OF the enemy's ports is now said to be relin-
pushed from an ahfrehension that il 1vould
fn'ure The fmhort Of our manufactures into
me continent. Prohibiting all neutral trade,
tho 1T might not produce war with America for
1T Is clear that America will not venture to go
to war with us, would greatly reduce tie
A. A