The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-11-12


respect u tue Umi,ed s;tates IN ms express
slons TO the Depuces from the free cisics If
Samourg, Bremen and Lubbock, that it is
distinctly stated i'll that speech that the
blockade OF the British Isian:ls shall cease,
a q that the French blockade shall cease
IN FAVOR OF chose nations in whose favor Great
britain rcvokes hers, or who support their
rights against her precautions.
1t is to be inferred from this and the cor
responding parts CT the declaration alluded
30, that unless Great Britain sacrifices her
principles oi blockade, which are those AZ
thofisei By the established laws of nations,
France will sill maintain her DEGREES of
Bertha and Milan. which indeed the speech
IN question declares to sc the fundamental
laws OF the Frcnch Empire.
do not, confess, conceive how these u
vowals of the ruler of France can be said to
be Compatible with the repeal of mis- DEGREES
IN respect to the u. .. Ifthe U. ). are pre-
pared to insist OH the sacrifice By G.. t. of
the ancient and established rules If maritime
war practised by her, thea indeed they NAV
avoid the operation OF the French DEGREES,
but otherwise, according to this document il
Is very clear that they arc still subjected 20
them.
The decree of Fontainbleau is confcssclly
founded OH the DEGREES of Berlin and, Milan,
dated the 18th Oct. 1910, and proves their
continued existence. The report OF the
L rench Minister of Dec. s, announcing the
perseverance, OF France in her DEGREES
Is still further in Conformation of them, and
reperusal of the letter OF the Minister of
Justice, OF the 25th last December, confirms
me In The inference drew from it, for o.
therwlse why should tina minister make the
prospective restoration of American vessels,
taken after the lst November, to be COLI
sequence OF the non-importation and not of
the French revocation. If the French &C
Vernment had been sincere, they would have
ceased Infringing on the neutral rights of A
me1ca, after the LIST November ;--That
they violated them however, after that Pc
Rod is notorious,
Your government seem to let it be under
stood that an ambiguous declaration from @.
Is. similar to that of the French minister,
would have been acceptable to them. But,
sir' is 1t consistent with the dignity of a ma.
tlon that respects itself, to speak in ambiCu-
Gus language? The subjects and citizens
OF either country would in the end be the
vicums, as many are already, i'll all probabi-
MY, VINO from misconstruction of the mean
ing OF the French government have been led
into the most imprudent specuiations. Such
Conduct would not be to proceed hayi hQssu
with France i'll revoking our edicts, but to
descend to the use of,he periidious and Jug
gnnS contrivances Of her cabinet, by which
she nils her Golfers at the expcnce of indie
pendent nations. a similar construction of
proceeding hari hassu, might lead to such
DEGREES as those of Rambouiliet, or of Bay
onne, to the system of exclusion or of licen-
ces, all measures of France against the A
merican commerce, in nothing short of alb
solute hostlities
1t is urged that no vessel has been con-
demned by the tribunals of France ON the
principles OF her DEGREES since the LIST No
vember. You allow, however, that there
have been some detained since that period,
and that such part Of the cargoes as consis-
ted OF goods, no. the produce Of America,
was seized, and the other part, together
with the vessel itself, only released after the
PRESIDENTS proclamation became known in
France (: These circumstances surely only
prove the difficulty, that France is under in
reconclllng her anti-CommcrCial and anti
neutral system, with her desire to express
her satisfaction at the measures taken in A
merica against the commerce of Great Bri-
tam. She seizes in virtue of the Berlin and
Milan DEGREES, but she makes partial res
toration tor the purpose of deceiving America |
have now followed you, i believe, sir, !
through the whole range Of your argument,
and on reviewing the course of it, / think |
may securely say that no satisfactory proof !
has as yet been brought forward of the re-
peal OF the obnoxious DEGREES of France, but |
on the contrary that it appears they CONT
nue. In full force, consequently that no grounds |
exist on which you can with justice demand
OF u. Is. revocation OF her orders in COun- |
Gil that we have right to complain If the |
Conduct OF the American government in en-
forcing the provisions of the act of May, |
1910, t. the exclusion of the British trade, |
and afterwards in obt ainng a special law
Tor the same purpose, though it was notorious
at the time that France still continued her
aSgreSsions upon American commerce, and
hei' recently promulgated anew her DEGREES, !
suffering no trade from this country, but
through licences publicly sold by her agents
and that all the suggestions you have formed
OF innovations on the part of G.. b. or of her
professions to trade with her enemies are
wholly groundless. have also stated to YOU |
the view his Majesty's government has ia
ken OF the question of the blockade of May, !
1906, & it now only remains that urge afresh
the injustice Of the United States govern
ment persevering in their union with the /
French system for the purpose Of crushing
the commerce Of G.. Britain
From every consideration which equity,
good policy or interest can suggest, there APP
pears to be such call upon America to give
up this system which favors France to the
injury Of Great Britain that / cannot, how
ever little satisfactory your communications
are, as yet abandon all hopes that even be-
fore the Congress meet, a new view NAV be
taken Of the subject by the President, which
will lead TO mere happy result