Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1811-01-21

Of the Berlin and Milan DEGREES
! combined, as it unexpectedly has
/ been with a change in the CONNER
cial fy2em &c France, 70 momentum.
10 the U. States.
The az Of Congress of May LAC
had for its ooiea not merely the re-
cognition Of a speculative Legitimate
principle, bat the enjoyment ola fub-
fantiaI benefit. The overture, there
in preftnted, obviouny embraced the
idea OF commercial advantage. 1t
included the reafonable belief, that
al abrogation Of the Berlin and Mi
Ian DEGREES would leave the ports of
France as FIRE for the introduction of
the produce Of tbe u. States, as they
were Previouny to thu PRONUNCIATION
of thofe DEGREES.
T>,= relfri6tions of the Berlin anu
Milan DEGREES had the effect Of ref
training the American merchants
from Tending their vef Is TO France.
The Interdi6tions in tt iyaem, that
has been fubititutcd q ainf the ad-
milton of American roducts, will
have the etfeaof imPoG g upon them
an equal reftraint. If, then, for the
revoked DEGREES, MssnrfpA laws,
producing the iamelcommercial effect
have been fubltitutcd, the mode on
ly, and not the mcalure has under
gone an alteration. And however
true it may be, that the change is
lawful in form, it is, nevertheless, as
true, that it is efientiaIly unfricndly,
and that it does not at all comport
with the ideas inlpired BY your letter
OF the 27th ult. in which you were
PIeaied TO declare the " ditin6ly
pronounced intention Of his Impcri-
al Majcfty of favoring the commer-
Clal relations between France and
the United States in all the Object:
OF traffic which fhsll evidently pro-
coed from their agriculturs or manu-
failures"
1t France, by her own acts, has
blocked up her ports sgaint the in
PRODUCTION of the products of the y.
States, what motive has this govern
ment, in a difcufion with third
power, to Unfit on the privilege of
going to France ; Whence the in
ducement TO urge the annulment of
a blockade of France, when, if annul-
led, no American cargocs could OBJ
tain market in any of her ports p
In tuoh fate of things, blockade
OF the coat of France would be to
the U. States as unimportant, a.
would be blockade of the coat of
the Cafpian fea.
The Britifh edi6ts may be viewed
as having a double relation 1T. to
the Wrong done to the u. S. I'd
to the wrong done to France. And
it IS in the latter relation only, that
France has right TO fpc2k. But
what wrong, it may be asked, can
France iufcr from Britilh orders,
which cooperate with her own re-
gulations ;
However fcnfble the United States
NAV De to the violation of their neu-
trail rights under thole edi6s, yet if
France herielf has by her own acts
rendered it a theoretical inftcad of
a practical violation, it is for this
go4ernment to decide on the degree
in which facrifces of any fort may be
required by considerations, which PC
cullariy and exclu6vely relate to the
United States. Certain it is, that
the inducements to fuch facrifces
arc weakened, as far as France can
weaken them, by having converted
the right,to be aintaincd intoanakcd
one, Whit the facrihccs, to be made,
would be fubGantial and extsnGvc.
A hope however, is INDUCED,
that your igFrSai07s from your gov
ernnent will ioon enable you to give
iome fatisfa6ory explanations of the
meafures to which reference has been
made, and that their operation in
virtue of notifications, which have
not yet tranfpired, will not be as ha,
been herein Represented.
The PRECEDENT has received with
great fatisfa6tion the information,
that the ConfuIs of France have been
heretofore in the official and author
lied practice Of furni(hing certificates
Of origin to American vcitls; as
well TO thole defined to neutral
ports, as TO ;hofc, whole fovercigns