Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-01-24
!12 IL Gents .Siagicl

ed that orders, SO issued, were. 70
say the least of them, en- unreasonable
interposition between the iniurinp and
the injured party, in way the most
fatal to the latter; that by taking JUS
tee into your own hands, before YOU
were entitled to do so, at the expense of
every thing like neutral rights and e.
ven at the expense of other rights.
justly the objects of yet greater sensi.
oility, and by inAicting upon neutral
nations, or rather upon the United
States, the only neutral na,ion-iniu-
RES infinitely more severe and ken
sive than twas in the power OF France
to inf1ict, you embarrassc d and con.
founded & rendered imprac,icable, that
very resistance which you demanded
OF US; that my proposal destroyed all
imaginable motives for continuing.
whatever might have been the motives
tor adopting this new scheme of war.
fare that it enabled YOU TO withdraw.
with dignity and even with ADVANTAGE.
what should not have come between
France and us; that its necessary ten.
dency was to place us at issue with
mat power, or, In other words, in the
precise situation in which you have
maintained we ought to be placed. II
1t should persist in its obnoxious e.
diets; that the continuance of our EN-.
barge, so modified, would be at least
equivalent to your orders; for that.
IN their most efficient state, your orr
ders could do no more, as regards the
United States, than cut off I'll, ,ir trade
with France and the countries counec-
ted with her and that our EMBARGO.
to France and those coup-
tries, would do exactly the same thar
IT the two courses were barely, or e.
ven nearly upon level, in point of
exPediency, Great Britain ought to be
forward to adopt that which was con-
slstent with the rights and respectful
to the feelings OF others that my pro.
Posal, ho@over, had powerful recom-
mendatlons winch The orders in couu-
ell had not that it would r. stablish
without the hazard of any disadvan-
tage, before new habits had rendered
1t difficult If not impossible, traffic
whIch nourished your mosr essential
and various other i'm.
Portant sources of your prosperity:
that 1t would not only restore con-
nection, valuable in all It's views, but
prepare the way for the return of mus
tual kindness, Tor adjustments greatly
to be desired, and In word for all
those consequences which follow in
the train of magoanimity and concili-
alton, associated with prudence and
Justice.
Among the observations intended
to illustrate my opinion of the GER
tain, probable, and POSSIBLE effects of
the concurrent acts which my propo-
sal had in view, were those to which
you allude in The 9th paragraph of
your letter. Having stated that re-
oewed commercisl intercourse be-
tween Great Britain and the United
States would be the first eject, I re-
marked, in the progress of the conver-
satlon, that the edicts of France could
not prevent that intercourse, even IL
France should adhere to them, altho'
9. Britain, by her superior navd
means, might be allie to prevent the
converse OF it /; that the power of
France upon the seas was in no degree
adequate to such purpose, and if it
were otherwise, that it was not to be
supposed that the u. S. resuminc
their lawful commerce with this coun-
try, alter a recall of the British orders,
IN council, would take no measures
against systematic Interruptions OF
that commerce by force and violence,
If such should be attempted.
II, when 1 was honored with the
different interviews before mentione |,
| had been able to conjecture the ma
ture OF the arguments which were to
have al influence against my proposal
as | now find them stated in your an
swer to my note, / should probably
have ventured to suggest, in addition
to the remarks actually submitted TO
your consideration, that, if Z" the block.
ade of the European continent" by
France and the powers subservient to
or in combination with her, to which
your orders as ga temperate but de-