The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1809-04-12
Continued.

THE acts @ France complained Of are
admitted by Mr.. Canning now to be
merely nominal in relation to q. Britain,
that they are utterly harmless and con-
temptible, that they have ceased 10 he
nnischievously operative, &c. &c. Yet ne
tells you that he will not revoke the orders
in council for fear bis motives in doing
so may be mistaken; not that il is not in
itself Just and proper to revoke them ac-
cording to the principle of retaliation
upon which they were originally adopt
ed +; but merely for fear his motives in
doing an act ofjusticc and propriety, may
be mistaken or misconceiyed by others.
But, sir, let us hear him in his own
words
g The struggle has been viewed by
other powers, not without an apprchen-
sion tia. it might be fatal to this country.
The British government has not disguis-
ed from itself, that the trial of such an ex-
perimest might be arduous and long,
though it has never doubted OF the final
issue. But iftha, issue, such as the Bri-
tish government confidently anticipated,
has providentially arrived much sooner
than could even have been hoped if
4" the blockade of the continent" us it
has been triumphantly STYLED by the enc
my, is raised, even before it had been
well established, and if that system, of
which extent and continuity were the
vital principles, is broken up into frag-
ments, utterly harmless and contempt
bic, it is nevertheless important in the
highest degree, to the reputation of this
country, "a reputation which constitutes
great part of her power that this disap-
pojnment of the hopes Of her enemies
should not have been purchased by any
concession; that not doubt should re-
main to distant times of her determination
and of her ability to have continued her
resistance, and that no step which could
even mistakenly be construed into con-
cession, should be taken on our part,
while the smallest link Of the coEedera-
cy remains undissolved or while it can
be a question, whether the plan devised
for her destruction has or has not either
completely failed, or been unequivocaIly
abandoned" Gaming to Pmkncy, Sept.
%, 1908.
" The purpose Of this letter is not to
renew the discussion uponihe subject Of
your proposal, but merely to clear UP
any misunderstanding which had existed
between us during that discussion.-I
cannot conclude it, however, without adj
yer,ing very shortly to that part Of your
letter, in which you argue that the failure
OF France, in the attempt to realize her
glgantlck project of the annihilation OF the
commerce OF this country, removes all
preteXt Tor the continuance of the re.:a.!!::a-
tory system Of g.. Britain. This impo-
tency ct the enemy to Gerry his projects
ofviolencc and injustice into execution,
might, with more propriety, be pleaded
with him, as a motive for withdrawing
decrces at once so 'indeiensible and solit.
tie efiicacious for their purpose, than re-
presented; as creating an obligation upon
G.. Britain to desist from those measures
of defensive retaliation which those de-
crees have necessarily occasioned. Ifthe
foundation Of the retalia,ing system of
= Great Britain was (as we contend il to
have BEEN originally just, a,at system
will be justiGably continued in force, not
SO long only as the DEGREES which pro-
duced it are mischievously oppressive,