Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-06-15

ports OF Spaln sHould ue soiu, CNt that tb>
money arising tksrefrom should ,emain n
depot" .n
On receiving this Information, two cues.
tons suggested themselves
LIST. Whether this cecision was, or va.
not, extended to ships, as well as to cargoe.,
and 5@
cd. Whether the money arising fion the
sales which might he made under It, would
or would not, be subject to tho issue o. tn.
pending negotiation .sE
The gentleman charged with the delivery
Of your message not having been instituted
to answer, these questions, it becomes my
duty to present them to your excellency, and
to request solution Of them. Nor Is il les.
duty, OIL my part, to examine the ground
OF, which his majesty has been pleased 10
lake this decision, whichI understand 10 DO
that. Of refrisai, suggested for the first time
in the note you did me the honor to wrise to
write to me on ne 18th altimo. In the Sth
parae raph Of this note, it Is said, that !" Ills
majesty could not have calculated on the mea.
sures taken by the United States, who, hay.
ing no grounds of complaint against France,
have comprised her in their acts OF exclusion,
and since the month OF May last have prohi.
bited the entry into their ports Of trench
vessels, by subje ting them to conhacalion."
Iris true that the v. States have since tho
Goth Of May las, forbidden the:entry Of French
vessels into their lIarbors-and it is also true,
that the penalty of contisca,ion attaches to
the violation of this law. But in what respect
does this offend France? Wiilshe refuse to
US the right of regulating commerce within
our own ports Or will she deny that TIE
law in question Is a regulation merely NUM-.
cipal Examine it both us TO object and
means-what does it more ,hanforbtd Anne.
rican ships going into the ports of'france and
French ships from coTaing into those OF tho
United S a,es1 And why this prohibition
10 avoid injury and insult; to escapo'that
lawlessness, which is declared 10 bc"a forced
consequence of the dercrees of the British
council" II then lis object be purely defcn-
sive, what are!i.s means Simply a~,'pre
viously and generally promulgated, operating
solely within the territory OF the y. States,
and furnishing alike the infractors Of it, whe.
Their cilizcns of the said states, or Others
And what is this bu, the exercise OF right,
common 10 uIl nations, OF excluding at their
will foreign commerce, ant Of enforcing that
exclusion? Can this be deemed wrong 10
France Can tins bereyarLed as a legitimate
aause Of reprisal on the part OF power who
makes it The Fl duty Of net ons to defend their
sovereignty, ant. who even dcnationaiises the
ships of those who will not subscribe to the
opinion.
But it has been said that the u. States
has nothing TO complain Of against France
Was the capture and condemnation Of
ship driven on the shores of France by stress
of weather * the pcrils Of the sea- nothingl
Was tie seizure and sequcs,ration OF many
c,-coes b. ought to France in ships violating
no law and admitted TO regular entry at the
imperial custom house-nothingi Was the
violation of our maritime rights, consecrated
as they have been by the solemn forms OF
public tremy--nothing In word, was it
nothing that our ships were burnt on the high
seas, without other offence than that of be-
longing 70 the u. States; or other apology,
than was to be found in the enhanced safety
of the perpetrators Surely If 1t be the duty
Of the u S to resent the theoretical usurpa..
tons Of the British orders Of Nov. 1907, it
esnnet be less their duty to complain Of tic
daily and practical outrages on the part Of
Francel 1t is indeed true that were the peo-
ple Of the u. S. destitute of policy, of honor.
anil OF energy las has been insin,Ialed) they
might have adopted system Of discrin,ina:
ton between the two great belligerents they
might have drawn imaginary lines between
the first and second aggressor; they might
have resented in the one q conduct TO nhich
they tamcly submitted in the other, and IN
this way have passhed up compromise be-
tween honor and interest, equally weak aud
dissracelul. But such WIS not the course
they pursued and 1t 10 perhaps q necessary
consequence Of the justice Of their measures
tina. they arc at this day an Independent, ma
ton. But will not press this part Of my
subject; It would be aiifon.fuI 70 your excel
lcney lknowing a you do, that there are not
less than one handrsd American ships within
his mSjcs,y's possession, or that Of his alilss)
to multiply proofs Tia. .ae y. B. have groands
Of complaint against rrascs.
NV attention 10 necessarily called 70 sno-
A.. go. ar ,ks anna onrnpraDh. which I'm.