Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-02-14

Ils 49,
committed depredations on the American
commerce-and in Oct. 1907, an Amer
can ship, called the Horizon, bound from
Great Britain to Lima, having been wreck.
81 within the territorial jurisdiction OF
France, was finally condemned, under the.
French decree of Nov. 1905.
If any doubt ever existed, as TO the IN
tent;an of France to execute this decree
AGAINST the IT. S. it must have been rennov-
ed. after the eondu ct of her crulzers IN the
spring of 18C7-Her condemnation OF the
Horizon in the following October, left not
the smallest pretence for questioning, that
her violence and injustice would be limited
only to her power.
The pretensions of the emperor OF france
that his DEGREES were retaliation on Great
Britain, for similar violations Of the laws OF
nations, previously committed by her, thro
the commerce of neutral nations, could ne
yer be admitted as true in fact, or il true, as
Just in principle, in regard to the l.'ted
States.
The principle said to have been assumed
by Great Britain, III 1856, which has been
pressed into the service Of those who are
DESTROYS to find an apology, if not a jtstlf-
cation of every outrage committed by
France, although adopted in the early part
of the last war, was SO modified, as to at
ford no cause of complaint to the y. States
during the latter wears of that contest, and
it is believed, that similar temper OF ac-
comnodation has been manifested by the
same power towards the United States, in
the present war.
While it has been said g that G.. Britain
is the ONLY nation that has acted upon Or
otherwise given a, sanction to i" the edicts
of France from 1904, to the present day,
with but small intervals Of deviation, either
in principle or practice, declare the reverse.
The DEGREES OF France in 1904 and 17A4
declare all goods, Of the growth OF fabric OF
an enemv's country liable to conhscation,
unless bound from an enemy port direct 70
the port OF the neutral owner. An ordo-
nance by the court OF France, delivered to
the States General of the U}ited Provinces,
and published by authority in the Utrecht
Gazette, July, 1856, declares, i! any Dutch
ships carry any goods or merchandise 9th
growth Or manufacture OF the enemies OF
France, they shall be esteemed good prize,
but the ships shall be discharged. On the
| 9th of May, a. D. 1893, France authorised
the capture of neutral vessels, laden with
provisions, belonging to neutrals, but bound
to enemies ports. This decree was prior, by
one month, TO the order OF Crreat Britain,
of similar import. On the &c d OF the same
month she declared it should not extend to
| American vessels, which latter decree she
repealed, On the 28th Of the same month Of
Nav, and the first renamed irr force. On
| the 1st July she again decresd as on the Esd
(! Of May. Twenty seven DAYS afterwards,
| this decree was repealed, and that Of the
| 9Th May remained in force uftii 4th lanua-
! ry, 1895. On the eth November, 1895,
the French commissioners at Cape Francois
authorised the capture Of al American yes
sells bound 70 or from English ports. Fe-
bruary 1st, 1877, commissioners at Cape
Francois ordered the capture Of all yes
sels bound to any ports in the West Indies,
delivered up to the English, and all vessels,
cleared out generally for the West Indies.
In January, 1898, France declared that
the condition Of ships in every thing, which
concerns their character as neutrals or enc
mics, shall be determined by their cargoes,
and every vessel found at sea, laden in
whole or in part with merchandise, coming
out of England, or its possessions, shall be
declared good prize, whoever may be the
propretors of such commodities or mer-
chandise, and this decree is founded ex-
pressly on the ordinance of 1904.
It is therefore an incontrovertible truth
that France, from the earliest time, and GER
tainly prior to the year 1856, has adopted,
in principle, and in practice, broader rules