Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1810-07-02

I ~ 'sHtN"i Va ttsCFilL4Ibalfta pttWSSH tbC w
great belligerents they might have draw
imaginary lines between he f s. and g
cond aggressor they might have rescnte'
IN the one conduct 10 which they tamel
! submitted in the other, and IN .his wa
have patched up compromise hetwee
honour and interest, equally weak and dis
graceful But such was not the cours
they pursued, and it is perhaps necessar.
consequence of the Justice of their meas
ures, that thev are at this day an indepen
dent nation.-But will not press this par
of my subject it would be aiirontful I,
your excellency (knowing as you do, tha
! there are not less than one hundred Amer
ican ships within bis malesty's possession
| or that of his allies) to multiply proofs thai
the United States have grounds of com
plant against France.
My attention is necessarily called to n
mother part Of the same paragraph, which
Immediately follows the quotation already
made, " AS soon," says your excellency,
as his majesty was informed of this meas
ure, (the non-intercourse law it became
his duty to retaliate upon the American ves-
sells, not only within his own territories,
but also with the countries under his inhu-
ence. IL the ports of Holland, Spain, Ita-
ly, and Naples, the American vessels have
heSn seized, because the Americans had ssi
z.4 French vessels"
These remarks divide themselves into
the following heads
1st The right ofhis majesty to seize and
confiscate American vessels within his own
territories.
ID. The right to do so within the terri
tories ofhis allies and
Sd. The reason Of that right, viz" /" be-
cause americans hsd seized French vessels"
The first of these subjects has been al
ready examined and the second must be
decided like the first, since his majesty's
rights within the limits Of his ally cannot
be greater than within his own-If then
1t has been shown, that the non-intercourse
law was merely defensive in its object !;
that it was but intended to guard against
that state of violence which unhappily pre-
vailed that it was restricted in its opera
tion to the territory of the United States,
and that it was duly promulgated there and
in Europe before execution, it will be al
most unnecessary to repeat, that law Of
such description cannot authorize a meas
ure of reprsal, equally sudden and silent
in its enactment and application, founded
OH no previous wrong, productive Of no
previous complaint, and operating beyond
the limits of his malesty's territories and
within those of sovereigns who had even IN
vited the commerce of the u. States to their
ports.
1t is therefore the third subject only,
The reason 81 the right, which remains to be
examined and with regard to it i may
observe, that if the alledged fact which
forms this reason be unfounded, the rea-
son itself fails, and the right with it. In
tins view OF the business may be permit
ted to enquire, when and where any sciz-
ure OF French vessel has taken place un-
der the non-intercourse law and at
the same time to express my firm persua-
sion that no such seizure has been made !;
apersuasion founded alike on the silence of
the government, and of the journals of the
country, and still more or the positive de-
claration of several well informed and res
pectable persons who have left America
as late as the Goth of December last. MY
conclusion therefore is, that no French ves-
sci having violated the law, no seizure of
such vessel has occurred, and that the re-
port which has reached Paris is probably
founded on circumstance altogether un-
connected with the non-intercourse law or
its operation.
Though far from wishing to prolong this
letter, cannot close it without remarkinr
the great and sudden change wrought in
his majesty's sentiments with regard to the
defensive system adopted BY the United
States. The law which is now believed TO
furnish ground for reprisal, was first CON-
munlcated to his majesty in June or July
last, and certainly did not then excite any
suspicion or feeling unfriendly to the Amer
ican government. Far from this, its COM
munication was Immediately followed by o.
ventures of accommodation, which, though
productive of no positive arrangement, did
not make matters worse than they found
them. On the 22d Of August last, was
honored With a full exposition of the views
and principles which had governed, and
which should continue to govern his maies-
ty's policy IN relation to the United States,
and in fhis we do not find the slightest trace
OF complaint against the provisions of the
law in question.
At Ieriod later than the 22d of August,
an American ship destined to port oi
Spain, was captured By French privateer.
An appeal was made to his naiesty's min.
lister ct war, who, having submitted the
case, received orders to H6e,ate al A,neri
can vessels destined 70 Spanish pOrts, zvhtch hac
nor violafed fhe imperial DEGREES
Another American ship, at a point of time
still later than the capture ofthe preceding,
was brought into the port of Bayonne, but
having viOlatea no iazr of his majesty, was
acquitted by ms council of prizes and
lastly
In the long conversation had the honor
of holding with your excellency on the 25th
| of January, no idea of reprisal was main.