The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-12-28

Iary and Noyember, 1897. % far ~ r.sn,ct- A.
nesics. As the lat and 3nd ofthese con lii;o-,s
are suggestions Of the persons ia authority .,in
America to you, sc. &c"
TAxS Mr.. Erskne is made to saw, that as the
| conditions of Withdrawing the british Orders,
! Msssrs Madison. Ga,latU AMI Smith, hal in
| conversation expressed themselves 6r-bsyci TO
continue our interdictions against Fran ce-ani
,riifirg 70 ranounce during the present war, al
the colonial trade, not open tn US in times ,f
peace. Let us then SCI, how far Mr. Canning
has stuck to the text of Mr.. Erskinc's despatch.
es-or how far he has thought to beyvs,f these
statements of Mr.. z.
As TO these conversations, all that we have
known concerning them, is derived from Mr.
E's reply to the Secretary OF State, requesting
such explanations a. his condour would At
once suggest in relation to these imputed can
iversations." Mr.. Erskine with prompt;tude
and frankness that do him the highes st honor.
proceeds to lay before Mr.. Smith an I" abstrae,
of the communications which he h,d made to
his malesty's government, the Sd and Ath
Dcce. Der, 1903, relative to these Z" inoeicia,
conversations" with Messrs. Madison, Gailutin
and Smith.
As 70 the LIST condifion-Mr Madison then Sc.
cretSry OF State, is represented as urging {"
rious argument, tending TO prove that the Uni.
ted States had exerted all their Efforts t. per-
| suade tie French government to withlray, their
that recourse might have been had to measures
of more activity and decision against France
than mere remon.trances, but that in the meau
time Great Britsin had issued her orders in
| counciF-that =" AS the world must now be cor
vinced that tmerca had in vain taken all the
means in her power to obtain from Great ,3ri.
tain and France Just attention IL her rights a.
a neutral power by representations ard rernon.
strances, tina, she would lie fully Justified in
having recourse to hostilities with either BelI
sercnt, and that she only hesitated to De so from
the difficulty Of contending with both But that
she must be driven even to endesvor to main
tain her rights against the two greatest power,
in the world; unless either Of them should re.
lax their restrictions upon neutral commerce.
In which case, the United State. would at once
side with that power aginst the ether which
might continue its aggressions" MIR E concei
we'd these and other observations to have been
made to him by Mr.. NJ with v;e,y cf I-.d;r..
to a reconsideration" on the part OF ;,is nj.
Jesiy's government, sf the PROPOSITIONS made
through MIR. Pinkney fer tho removal Of TIE
Embargo as rct pected Great Britain, upon con.
dition that the orders in council ,houd be with.
drawn a respected the United States-but tina,
ne never considered" as Mr. C.Inning has
made him most esbiieitk, to state, that &c az
Madison meant that the government of the u.
nited States would pledge themselves beyoRd
the propositions respecting the EMBARGO, as A.
Dove sisted, because that was the EXTERN of The
power ofths President of the constitution of the
u States-which propositions did not pledge
the u States to "leave" our lnterdictiens /" IN
force with respect to France, &c. &c"-Thus
is Mr.. {. guilty of the Prevention of maxim,
MI h. state proposition on the part OF Messrs
Madison and Smith, which MIR. E. has not ola,
ted. He could never have pvt it into his de,
Patches, because it never was IN his c,rsidcrot;ss
But tins detection will be still more apparent.
wnen we come to sum up, in the word, O.
Mr.. Erskns, his own concusions.from the.. rn
official conversations
ds to the ID Cendifion-Mr. Erskine goes IN tn
state his private conversation with Mr. Caliat;p
in which that gentleman, without any partic,,.
lar ''enfioa OF the orders in council, is made "a
say, that the non-ntercourse law. sc tI.en Ike.
ly to be passed by tine Congress, might be consj-
aered as removing two very important grounds O.,
difference with 6. B." viz. the non importation
: act and Presidents proclamation spectiny
, armed vessels-thoush " he did nc. pretend to
say, that THIS measure has been taken fros, any
!, motives OF concession to c. E. bat az. in fact
these Consequences followed, he conceived thew
. might be considered removing the two e-rea,
obstacles to Cancellation" MIR G. is thi.n .de
To advert ito the probability Of an adjustment
or another point IN dispute between the two coun
tries, as he said he knew that it was intended by
the y. States to abandon tine attempt to carry
Oh trade with the colonies of beIiiserents in
tihe OF war, which was not allO we'd in time OF
peace, ana TO trust to their being permitted by
the French to carry on such trade in peace ., sc
10 entitie them to c continuance of it in time O.
war.-As to what " trade with the colonies ~
nehlSerents," was in Mr.. Els conception ,,,ear,
by Mr. G.to be abandoned, Mr. E. ayows at once.
that he supposed the alluson was oaiy TO the
trade from the colonies of the belligerents f;rec,
10 their mother country, or 10 the ports of other
bcliigerents, desau.e the right to ouch trade had
been the point in dispute wherea. the right N
carry on trade from the colonies of belliverents
to the U. s. had never bee sailed in question
and had been recognized by his Msiesty'. Su.
preme Court OF Admiralty, &c. &C."
Thus, it appears" to make use of Mr.. C's
expression, that he had perverted TIVE other
points in Mr.. Els dispatches, relative to mi, %
Conaition.-For MIR. H.. did not state. that the TT
States were willing to renoHnce ALL trade
with the enemies colonies, S,e because he him
sell limits this ccnccssen to tbs diyer trade with
the mother country-nor dos Mr. f. state that
this concession was TO be looked upon AZ one ot
the preliminary conditions for the withdrawal Of
the orders in council, because in the words which
will presently be quoted, as we'll as ia the follow
ing expressions in his reply to Mr.. Gallatins let
ter, he expressly cOntradcts such suppositiop :.
never supposed, that you intended te convey
an OPINION that the government Of the u. States
| would make any arrangement respecting the en-
ionidl trdde as condition of the revocation of tbc
Orde,s IN Council, the two subjects being ai,ogc,h
| naconneeted; nor have ever ysbresented 4, h;s
| NnieSty's government, that such PRRL1atnARy
PLEDGES would be given.'
| But every doubt vansfes, when Mr.. Il. come.
to sum up his ideas of these conversations in re.
lation to the tUo fret conditions 1t is then we gee
new shamsfessly Mr.. Canning has perye ri ed the