Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1811-02-22
From the Trenton FederaEst.
I'D. hi

4 HI LIZ L 4 II
We have been javoured with the foAowine
interesting ertracs of letter from = cap
tam ofa vessel in France to MS friend in
NeO Jersey, dated
rochelle, France Nov. %, 1910.
"When wrote you last, | was "a hopes
Of being out OF this dreadful country before
this time but when a man is once IN France.
and has business 10 accomplish, i, is pasr
human foresight TO tell when he viii leave
it. Notwithstanding every exerrion on
our part that could be made for fastening
our departure almost four months elapsed
since arrived here, and received tbs ira
iefoal embrace of French affection and
care,--~So very sol.citou. were .hsy Tor
my welfare, that ! was not so much as al
lowed 10 attend to my own business; my
vessel was seized, as | before mentioned,
Immediately after my arrival, because | had
been SO unfortunate az to be boarded BY an
English cruizer on the passage, although
had no cargo, and was only Bringing pas.
sengers to France. My sea stores of eve-
ry kind were taken oct of the vessel and
sent to the custom house depot, there to
lodge until the special decree of the cmpc-
ror of the Great Nation, signify ing his plea
sure upon this great affair, should be
known. Atlength, after two months had
been consumed in petiioning, remonstran-
ees, hopes and disappointmenis, it pleased
his highncsS TO decree that the vessel should
be liberated from sseuestration, on condi-
ton that we should export a cargo of
French produce ) to which we acceded.
A few days since smother imperial decree
has been received, giving US permission to.
take our sea stores again, on condition of
paving a duty of SO cents Per pound On our
coffee, the same on u refined sugar !
and 40 cents on our brown sugar ; so thar
the whole amount Of duties levied on our
sea stores, which were brought for ship
and passengers use, is equal to about enc
thousand dollars!
Z" But why should ( complain who am a
foreigner, when the subjects of France
share a glorious part in every imperial de-
cree /; almost all of which are framed for
the purpose of injuring the English, and
the question never asked whether they will
benefit or inJure the French. War is the
order of the day. believe many of the
iShIONASCtb VI IuC CdpincI S1 Ole SiOuU WitN
the and manufactures of the
British, turn out very different from what
was expected. English goods have for a
long time been prohibited in this country,
since which, large quantities of those goods
have been introduced into the French do
minions, by captures of English vessels
These goods have been permitted to be
sold on condition of being exported by the
purchasers within a certain length of time.
In order that no fraud should be practised,
the goods were deposited in the imperial
depots under the direction of the custom
houses wherever they might be. p short
time since a decree has been passed hat a.
ny person attempting to introduce English
goods into France, or any of the countries
under her influence, shall forfeit the whole
of their property, be branded 1Vith a hos
iron, and serVe in the gales for life
Shortly after this another decree came out