Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-02-14

W oe tne Sense OF the mover, that the xa,,.
motives and causes produced, from both far
eigr, nations, the DEGREES and orders co,n,,.!
ed Of it may be advisable to state such ins,
IN atom both as to the dates of the sever, y.
crees and orders, as well as to tho ,JIosSN,
grounds of passing the same az have corsss GU
the knowledge of your committee. : +, = o,s ~
important that he house should be pos.as.ss,
OF whatever information can be procured ~, :.
business SO interesting to them, and which :.
lamites which the government of the yJa;,s,
states has seen tit to mfiict on the c;t;1snsN
caiamities which press with peculiar "a p
gravated distress, on the good peopl, os M.s-
sachusetts. F0P'' vi Mas
1t Will readily be conceived that n. =.
crees and orders intended by these resol".;o NC
AZ are tnat OF France, promulgated at Berlin tn,
Novehoer 1910, and the orders of Great
britain, passed at London, on the 1Ith No.
ber, 1907. .'' No'em-c
Ahe rench decree declares that The Rr;.;,,
islands, their colonies aud dependenc;es sbo,Is
be considered as in state of blockads ,t,N.
All trade IN British goods, should be probb;ted
ana tnat all vessels, with their careoes. sanas
70 OF from Great Britain, or having on boar5
cargoes OF British origin, should. be subject 70
seizure rnd coufiscation-On the 3Ist Decers
Der, 1906, certain commissioners ftbe Rr;,;s,.
government, having then just concluded a troa
" with minister Of the u. States which &C.
" was never submitted ID the Senate Far 81.
advlsement, by direction OF their gnv-r,msnt
presented memorial, to the American M;n;.N
yer, IN which It was distinctly declared. that e
S ehenIy, referring to the emperor of France
ana the Decree of Nov 1906, " should carr.
his threats into execution, and ;fneu,..I.J
IONS should, contrary to all expectation. acou;-
'esce IN usurpations, His Majesty might nro-
oaoiy be compelled, however reluctantiv =,
teta'ate III his own just defence, and TO issns.
oro-fs TO hrs cruisers, to adopt, towards the
neufais, any hostile system to which those
neutrais should have submitted from his enc.
.n In the month ofjanuary, 1907, his Pri.
ing all commerce from port to port ofhi, enc.
"es' comprehending in said order, not onv
ehe ports OF France, but those of other nation:
rs either IN alliance with France or sub;eet 60
her dominion have, by measures of active IN.
ence' or by the exclusion of British ships. tax =,
part IN the present war. In the letter ,:bich
accompanied the communication of this order
20 'ne Secretary of State Of the United States.
thus Order is stated by the British Minister ~
De authorized, by the acknowledged principle.
OF the law OF nations, and to have been ind ,e,d
oy knowledge, on the part of the Brt;sh
Government, that the Measures announced Nv
the ecree of the French Government of the
2lst November, 1906, had already, in some-jn-
stances Deen carried into execution, by the
Z.
The American Minister at Par;s r. a..
month of December 1906, reoue ted of ,bs.
French Minister of Marine, an explarat;on oF
the dec &c OF the 2lst of November. preceding
snd was answered that Z" an American vessel
could not be taken at sea, for the mere reason
that sho was going to or ming frou port
OF England The French Minister of
M ariue however advised tile American Min
ister. that 1T was proper, that he should &c com
nunicate with the Minister of Exterior Ria.
tions as towhat concerned the correspondcnc,
OF the cit zens of the u. States of Amer;c,
with England" Another article declarioe. all
merchsndis belonging to England, or com;ne-
from ITS manufactures, or colonies, though he,
longing to neutrais, liable TO seizure. Was to
De carried into execution This it semms was
acquiesced in by the American government
of It operate onlF in the ports OF France as
coniormable topublic law, although in direot
coatravention to the stipulations of an exis,;se,
treety between the United Statss the Emperor
OF France
Notwithstanding the hopes that were in
dulged by The American government in
consequence of the reply. Of the French
Mihis'er il appears, from letter of Mr.
Madison to Gen. Armstrong that, as ear.
ly as May, 1907, it was known in the u.
, aies, that the French privateers, in the
w. Indies had, IN virtue of The edic, or
November, 1906, committed depreda,ions
Oh the American commerce--and in DC
tober 1907, an American ship called the
orizon bound from G.. Britain TO Lima.
havTg been W ecked within The territorial
jurisdiction Of France, was finally con
demaed, under the French Decree of No.
vember, 1906,
Ii any doubt ever existsd as 70 the in.
tentio0 of france, to execute this decree
against The U. States, it must have been
removed, after the conduct Of her cfujsers
IN the spring Of l8o7--Her condemna.
ton OF the Horizon in the following DC.
lober, left not the smallest presense for
questioning, that her violence and ipius.
ice would be limited only by her power.
The pretensions Of the emperor Of
Fra e, that his DEGREES were retaliation
on G'Britin, for similar violations of the
laws oil nations, previously committed by
her through the commerce of neutral ma.
tons could never be admitted as true in
fact, or II true, as just in principle, in re-.
gard to the u. States.
The principle said to have been assum-
ed by G.. Britain, in 1856, which has been