Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-11-20
Frsn, the Norfolk Ledger.
THE PROCLAMATION.

+
and more satisfactory assurances from the
French government than were contained in
the Duke of Cadore's letter to gen. Arm
strong, that the President would not issue
Proclamation such as he has since done.
From the articles which have since appear
ed in the National Intelligencer, and other
papers, usually employed in defending, and
sometimes IN debating, the measures OF
administration, it is evident that upon the
| letter above mentioned, the Proclamation
has been issued. The opinion which we
had formed was founded upon what we
considered a fair and candid construction
of the law, as applied to the facts, or cir
cumstances, stated ia the Fseech minister's
letter, and to the existing state of things.
The words Of the act are: that in case
either Great Britain or France shall before
the third of March next, so revoke or mo-
dify her edicts, as thar they shall cease to
oiolate the neutral commerce OF the y S.
which fact, the President of the y. States
shall declare by Proclamation"
The Duke Of Cadore's letter says" In
this new state of things, am 70 declare to
you, sir, that the DEGREES of Berlin and
Milan are revoked, and that from the first
of November, they 7viN cease. to be in force,
il being understood, that in consequence of
that declaration, the English shall revoke
their orders ia council, and renounce their
new principles OF blockade, which they
have endeavored to establish, or, that the
u. S. conformabiy to the act aforesaid al
luding to the act of May last shall Cause
her rights to be respected"
We understand, by this letter, that the
revocation of the Berlin aud Milan DEGREES
on the first of November, are conditional,
and not unqualified. The conditions are
three: First-That England shalt revoke
her orders in council. Secondly That she
shall renounce her new principles of block.
ade; or, failing to do both, the y. States
shall cause her rights to be respected. The
FIRST condition will be attended with no diff
Guilty, tho it is not less condition to be
performed, before the Milan and Berlin de.
crees are to be revoked. The second con-
dtion is liable to much difficulty. ENGLAND
must renounce her new system of blockade
Who is to Judge whether what she may
do in this respect is remuneration of her
principle or not? Shall the French govern
ment Judge, or shall the u. States? If it
was intended that the u. S. should Judge,
,he French government should have left her
to perform her duties but, assuredly, the
French government does reserve to itself
the right Of Judging, and if England does
not conform to the Napoleon code, it will
ne considered that the condition. is broken !;
nd, therefore, that the DEGREES are not to
revoked, unless the United States cause
err rights to be respected, which is the third
ondition.
Having given the law an attentive, and,
we trust, candid consideration, we were
not able to discover in the leker of the
duke de Cadore, any thing more than the
promise Of a conditional revocation Of the
Berlin and Milan DEGREES, and not 20.
sitive revocation. contemplated by the law.
/" O.. .that the United States stall cause her
rights to be respected" There is some.
thing insulting in this expression, because
it goes 10 dictate in what manner and upon
what occasion the United States shall cause
her rights to be respected. Calling to our
recollection, the extreme sensibility, which
was discovered by our government, upon an
occasion analogous to the one under consl-
deration, WV had not calculated upon the
forbearance which is now exhibited, under
circumstances infinitely more calculated to
wound the pride ana dignity OF the nation,
than the one which we are about to notice.
We must solicit the patience of our readers
while We digress from the subject, in order
TO present the case to which We allude.
Il will be recollccted that in the year
1906, Messrs. Monroe and Pinkney on the
part of the United States, and lords Holland
and Auckland on the part of Great Britain,
concluded a treaty, dated the 31st of Dec.